![]() ![]() “Stu would be like the project manager,” Walker says. But while the band is very much a collaborative effort, they aren’t leaderless, and Mackenzie is the ensemble’s ringleader. King Gizzard’s tastes are diverse-or better, eccentric-and that could prove distracting. It might be making its appearance fairly soon onstage.” “It is a 1965 short-scale jazz guitar-a Burns London. “I bought a new guitar last week, which I am excited about,” guitarist Joey Walker says. Their amps-Fender Hot Rod DeVilles and a Roland JC-120-may be standard fare, but for guitars they prefer ’60s Yamahas, custom creations from Melbourne-area luthier Zac Eccles, and a Hagstrom 12-string, among others. That eclectic nature also applies to their choice in gear. “When you think about it, it’s funny to have a band with three guitarists and not really do very many guitar solos.” -Stu Mackenzie Pick your favorite label-it probably fits. They play garage, intricate prog, free-form improv, noise, and pop. Their discography includes Quarters!, a 2015 release comprising four songs that each last exactly 10 minutes and 10 seconds Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, the same year’s collection of short, acoustic, psychedelic songs and Nonagon Infinity, 2016’s thematic and infinitely looping album. Their line-up includes three guitarists and two drummers (plus bass, keys, and, obviously, harmonica). Four and five are too futuristic to think about at this point.”Īmbitious projects, a schizophrenic approach to album making, and doing things differently are what the band is about. “It’s very narrative-driven and a lot of the story is narrated throughout.” That’s to be followed by a collaboration with Mild High Club’s Alex Brettin. “The second release is going to be the weirdest record we’ve ever made,” Mackenzie says. We had quite a few microtonal instruments in the end.”įor King Gizzard, microtones are just the tip of the creative iceberg. ![]() “We also modified a DX7, an old ’80s Yamaha keyboard, which is easy to pitch the notes individually on. “It’s actually not so hard to modify a harmonica because you can pitch the reeds,” Mackenzie says. These mods include adding extra frets to guitars and basses, re-pitching vintage keyboards, and even altering a harmonica. To play microtones, most of the band members had their instruments modified. As the title implies, the album explores microtonal music. The first of the five, Flying Microtonal Banana, came out in February. “Sometimes I regret that I said that,” guitarist and lead singer Stu Mackenzie says. They released eight full-length albums between 20, have toured the world multiple times, and, for 2017, announced five more albums. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, a seven-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, is nothing if not ambitious. ![]()
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