Hammond XP2: The Lonesome Organist's Broken Machine
Most performing artists find comfort in their own gear, lugging it around on tour from city to city, but the Lonesome Organist only takes one item: a broken Hammond XP2. The Lonesome Organist can and will play just about any instrument - not only type of instrument, but whatever instrument is available to him at the time.
Despite playing several instruments at once in his live show, he only brings one keyboard and leaves the rest of the instruments up to chance; basically, whatever is at the next gig. That's the mark of a true performer.
[THE LONESOME ORGANIST PERFORMING]
THE LONESOME ORGANIST: When I started thinking about doing this, I was not -- I didn't have a lot of stuff. I lived in New York, and so I was always going to rental studios, and I went to lots of Coyote Studios in Brooklyn. And so, there you just show up and there's a crappy drum set and, you know, whatever, so I would just bring a keyboard and play along, and that was the idea. I wanted to be able to play on any drums or any instruments that were available and just be able to try to make a show out of that.
[THE LONESOME ORGANIST PERFORMING]
And I moved to Chicago which afforded me a little more space and time. I did, you know, get a bunch of crap, but still the idea remains the same that when I tour, I often don't bring hardly anything. I bring what -- you know, it’s a lot for one guy to carry on an airplane.
[THE LONESOME ORGANIST PERFORMING]
Different things are at each gig, depending on what it is and who's doing it.
GRETCHEN HASSE: So, what do you bring when you go out?
THE LONESOME ORGANIST: I just bring -- I'll bring like a keyboard with sounds that I know on it, and I've been actually really into this. I have a broken Hammond XP2 which has a damaged processor, so instead of sounding clean, it has this really hard like [PLAYS A FEW NOTES] distorted sound which I like very much.
GRETCHEN HASSE: [LAUGHING] I have heard other people say that too. It's like I really like this thing because it sounds really messed up.
THE LONESOME ORGANIST: Yeah. It’s broken. I actually. I at times wanted to have it repaired but then I would lose that, especially once you put the percussion on, it's just horrid [PLAYS A FEW NOTES]. It’s just unbelievable [PLAYS A NOTE] like [PLAYS A NOTE] it just gets clanky but it's really good for what I do, and so yeah I've been really fond of that lately. And then I also have a sampled...
[THE LONESOME ORGANIST PERFORMING]
...a sampled Hammond sound, and I prefer much the real thing obviously but it's just not practical to tour with, so.
Cool
What an awesome guy. But this video is labelled incorrectly...it's the Hammond XB-2 not the XP.
Post new comment