Pianist, vocalist and songwriter Lachy Doley has made a name for himself as one of Australia’s most in-demand touring musicians. He has been on the road with Jimmy Barnes and spent years playing in Billy Thorpe’s band. In 2003, Doley was headhunted to play keys on Powderfinger’s highly successful album, Vulture Street, and toured with the iconic Aussie rock band on their hectic ‘Sunsets’ farewell tour.
Meanwhile, in mid-2008, he and his brother, Clayton, and their band, The Hands, released their second studio album, Everything is Wonderful. The single, ‘More and More and More’, became iTunes Single of the Week and was played on radio stations across Australia.
Lachy Doley has just released his much anticipated debut solo album, Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social, and is currently touring nationally. Doley took a moment out of his hectic schedule to catch up with Suite101.
Suite101: What factors were influential in you becoming a musician?
Lachy Doley: The biggest factor was the family piano. I sometimes wonder if any of this would have happened without it. My brother and I were always tinkering and creating music on it before we really knew anything. Then came the blues – music, that is. I was introduced to it at a very early age and was soon captivated with the piano stylings of Otis Spann and Jerry Lee Lewis. But it wasn't until I performed at my school and went from a loner to Mr Popular that I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Sad but true!
Suite101: Name five of your biggest influences.
Lachy Doley: Jerry Lee Lewis, Booker T and The MGs, Deep Purple, Larry Graham, Procol Harum
Suite101: You've spent a lot of time playing with touring musicians. What have you learnt from those experiences?
Lachy Doley: I’ve learned that, if you really want to be successful, you have to work really, really hard. Just like any other industry. I think a lot of people think the music industry is different and that, once you're discovered, that's it - Easy Street. All the successful bands I've played for understand how much work is involved. Touring can be the hardest of all. At the same time, touring can also be some of the best times of your life! You're thrown together and sent away with sometimes virtual strangers. Anything can eventuate and often does. Just remember, when you are travelling with five other guys, it's never a good idea to pass out drunk when there is a camera and lots of props around (laughs).
Suite101: How did you get into songwriting?
Lachy Doley: I’ve always been writing, ever since I first started playing. I used to demo up on the old cassette four-track recorders. For a long time, it was all about the music and it's only in more recent times that I have understood the power and beauty of lyrics. That's why this latest album is an honest album, written from my experiences, rather than with the throw away lyrics I have written in the past.
Suite101: Tell us about the new album.
Lachy Doley: This is my first truly solo album. It's real; it's a journey; it's the last three years of my life and I'm so proud of it. I am always so heavily influenced by the artists I play with and I love so many styles of music, so the album crosses many genres but somehow still has a flow to it. My main instrument, the Hammond Organ, and my vocal are a constant sound throughout, leaving enough space to move anywhere musically. Rock, soul, pop, blues and even surf have been melded together to create Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social.
Lachy Doley is touring his debut solo album, Typically Individual Conforming Anti-Social, nationally throughout November and December, 2011. He appears at The Vanguard, Sydney, on December 1st; The Junkyard, Maitland, on December 2nd; Beaches Hotel, Thirroul, on December 3rd; The Boatshed, Manly, on December 15th, and The Vault, Windsor, on December 18th.
Jasmine Crittenden - Jasmine Crittenden (B.A.)(Hons.)(First Class) is a writer and editor specialising in music, literature and travel.
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