With guest stints playing alongside the likes of Powderfinger, Steve Vai and Deep Purple, as well as being dubbed by some as the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond organ, Lachy Doley is man to see when it comes to the irresistible lure and warmth of vintage, analogue keyboards.
After being introduced to the blues by his mum's friends, Lachy started teaching himself the piano on an old upright that sat in the corner of his family home. “I think I was about the age of ten, when my mum was hanging out with some interesting types – some blues musos around Adelaide and they got me into listening to John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters and rock and roll stuff like Little Richard, so yeah, that was where it all began.”
Fast forward to now and Lachy is one of the most highly regarded keyboardists in the country, specialising in vintage, analogue keyboards.
Owner of at least one each of all of the big four vintage keyboards – the Hammond, the Rhodes, the Clavinet and the Moog – Lachy says without a doubt his favourite is the unmistakable Hammond organ. “It's always going to be the Hammond because there is so much you can do with it, so much expression, it's so versatile.
"I think that's probably going to be my favourite, vintage keyboard to play, even though I do own all of the others and they're all great for their own reasons but the organ is always going to be the favourite for me.”
His vast collection of rare, vintage keyboards contains a couple of oddities, including a custom made Whammy Clavinet, which is the only one in the country. “The most interesting and unique one is a Clavinet that's been modified. It's been modified with the addition of a Whammy bar, so a Whammy bar just like on a guitar.
"It's hooked up to the bridge of the Clavinet and actually bends all 70 strings inside it. There is only about 20 in existence in the world.”
Despite some of his instruments being more than 50-years old, Lachy still manages to captivate audiences across the nation with his prized relics. Lachy's skills on the old keyboards have earned him a solid reputation, which even caught the attention of Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple fame. “I was very lucky to have been found by Glenn Hughes a few years back when he was coming to Australia to play a few shows and he asked me to join him.
“We did a few shows and recorded a DVD at The Basement about seven or eight years ago now, so when this project came up which was a tribute to Jon Lord, the late and great organ player from Deep Purple, they decided they were going to do a new version of 'Highway Star'. They called me up asked me if I wanted to be a part of it and of course I said yes, I was absolutely honoured and couldn't really believe he was asking me.”
Lachy has also played keys for a lot of other bands including Powderfinger during the peak of their career. “It was in 2003 I think, I got a call from Anton who was an engineer at 301 Studios at the time and they were recording 'Vulture Street' back then.
“They wanted to get some organ and piano on a few tracks and he suggested me to Powderfinger. I went over there and recorded on 'Vulture Street', which was a great experience – obviously it turned out to be a classic Australian album which is great. From there I ended up playing with them live from about 2006 right the way through to the end.”
Lachy doesn't just fill-in where other bands can't keep up; he's also put out a couple of albums of his own and recently released another full-length album, 'Conviction'. “The new album is called 'Conviction', which I reckon really sums the album up and just the way that I perform and the way that I play. Everything that I do, I kind of put everything into it and I sell it and I just try and get as much of me out as I can.”
Lachy's next big gig is at the prestigious Noosa Jazz Festival. It's Lachy's first appearance at the festival and says he's honoured to be included in the line-up. “I'm really excited because I've heard so many great things about it. They get so many great artists up there, so I feel really honoured, especially considering my music is not strictly jazz. I can't wait actually, it's a great part of the country to put a festival on as well.”
Despite the fact the Noosa Jazz Festival is obviously a jazz festival, Lachy will be dropping the odd heavy-blues track in the performance, just to mix it up a little. “There will definitely be some craziness there for sure, but I might have to tone it down a little from the usual madness.”
Lachy Doley plays at the Noosa Jazz Festival, 3-6 September.
