He’s the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond Organ, a player who can pump, pamper and occasionally pound the most unbelievable sounds from a keyboard: sounds that are intense, ferocious and sometimes transcendent.
Lachy Doley’s keyboard has powered acts as diverse as Bernard Fanning, Jimmy Barnes, Powderfinger, The Beautiful Girls, Jimmy Little, and The Widowbirds. Now he has a second album with his own band – the Lachy Doley Group.
Singer Organ Soul is a tasty slice of what the band sounds like live – pumping with energy and good times, and featuring both Lachy’s 1957 Hammond C3 organ and his custom-modified Hohner Whammy Clavinet – the only such machine in the country.
Lachy Doley’s group has played over 100 shows and festivals around Australia since the release of his first solo album in 2011; many more if you count his excursions as one half of The Hands – the dueling keyboards band he established with his brother Clayton. With the release of Singer Organ Soul, he will embark on a thirteen date national tour, including the Queenscliff Festival.
Earlier in 2013, Lachy was headhunted by Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes to record a new version of ‘Highway Star’ – a project designed as a tribute to Deep Purple’s legendary organ player Jon Lord who died last year. Alongside Lachy, the recording featured Glenn Hughes, Steve Vai and Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer, Chad Smith. More recently he proved the hit of this year’s “Blues on Broadbeach Festival” in Queensland.
On Singer Organ Soul Doley is joined on bass guitar by Jan Bangma (Lisa Mitchell, The Hands, Boy And Bear) and drummer Adam Church (Utopian Babies, Oblivia, Shannon Noll).
Recorded at Jimmy Barnes’s Studio/House, the album captures the feeling of a live performance, with few overdubs. It’s a contrast to the more produced sound of Lachy’s first solo album Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social.
The new album also features ‘Six Feet Under’ – a duet with Simon Meli, the Widowbirds frontman and long-time Doley collaborator. Meli, whose mesmerizing performances have made him a longtime favourite on the Australian independent music scene, gained a whole new audience via his star turn as the ‘white dude dancing” on the most recent series of The Voice.
So gather around the nearest speaker, press play and experience what a keyboard can do when offered the Lachy Doley treatment.
S.O.S. Singer Organ Soul tour dates
Thursday 3rd October 2013 – The Vanguard, Newtown, NSW
8:00pm with Adam Miller
Friday 4th October 2013 – The Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland, NSW
8:30pm with Adam Miller
Saturday 5th October 2013 – The Coast Hotel, Budgewoi, NSW
8:30pm with Adam Miller
Friday 11th October 2013 – The Loft Hotel, Gold Coast, QLD
8:00pm with Miss Renee Simone and Brodie Graham
Saturday 12th October 2013 – Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna, QLD
5:00pm with Zac Gunthorpe and The Swamp Stompers
Thursday 17th October 2013 – Bar 303, Northcote, VIC
8:00pm
Friday 18th October 2013 – Baha Tacos, Rye, VIC
8:00pm with Morgan Bain
Sunday 20th October 2013 – Semaphore Workers, Semaphore, SA
8:00pm
Sunday 27th October 2013 – Beaches Hotel, Thirroul, NSW
5:00pm
Friday 15th November 2013 – Wickham Park Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
9:00pm
Saturday 23rd and 24th November 2013 – Queenscliff Music Festival, VIC
Saturday 30th November – Deep South – SA Roots and Blues Festival
Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, Adelaide, SA