Chaozhouese lyrics aren’t something you hear everyday, but Lips McKenzie isn’t aiming for an everyday sound. Hoping for local cachet, Guangzhouer and lead-singer Sangreal Yang's jazzy vocals are sung in the usual lingual suspects, along with the Chaozhou dialect, which is spoken by about 10 million in eastern Guangdong.
Described as “post psychedelic jam hop” by guitarist Curt Zimpfer, Eric Archer – also known as Impov Logic – brings hip-hop influences while manning the bass, with Shenzhen newcomer Matt Meloy on the drums.
Zimpfer told That’s about his years in Shenzhen’s nascent music scene and what Lips McKenzie will bring to the table when they debut at The Brew on April 22.
Why a new band?
After the demise of (former band) Dragon Turtle I was really lost musically. I was playing at LAVO – which was great – I met some amazing friends and musicians there that taught me so much, but it still wasn’t really filling the creative void. So I needed something different, with more people, more creative energy, more sounds and different perspectives. So I made something new and this is what came out.
How would you describe Lips McKenzie’s genre?
Oh jeez, probably the toughest question. We have a very schizophrenic sound. It’s hugely psychedelic, jazzy at times, it’s really heavy at times and has a solid amount of hip-hop influence as well. I guess we could pigeonhole ourselves as post-psychedelic jam hop.
Tell us about the band members.
It’s a four-person band: guitar, bass, drums and a vocalist. We all come from very different musical backgrounds so it creates a very eclectic vibe. Eric brings the hip-hop and heavier rock vibe; I’m a psychedelic, happy-hippie-Phish-and-Grateful-Dead nut. Matt loves the Zeppelin kind of drums, and Sangreal has delicate, jazzy vocals.
How many original songs do you have now?
Currently, we have five really solid originals with another four on the way and a couple covers. The last one we penned clocks in at a raging eight minutes. It’s going be fun to play that one.
Do you guys have a specialty?
I’m not really sure what you mean, but we’re all pretty good at drinking beer.
What is Lips McKenzie bringing that Shenzhen doesn’t already have?
That’s really tough to say, because the local scene is so diverse. I think we’re bringing another side of psychedelia that has not been touched upon here. In my opinion, (local band) Spacefolk has already taken us to the stars and beyond many times. I think we’re building off what they’ve created and bringing something a little more raw and experimental. We’re also trying to bridge the gap between foreign and Chinese audiences by writing parts of the songs in Mandarin, Cantonese, and even Chaozhou hua.
Cool, when will your first performance be?
Our first show will be Saturday April 22 at the Brew. Can’t freakin’ wait.
Check out Lips McKenzie’s promo video below (VPN off):
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