How $50K Changed It All For King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

The inaugural Global Music Grant was awarded to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at last year’s Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards and The Music's Bryget Chrisfield recently caught up with the band’s frontman Stu Mackenzie to ensure the $50,000 is being spent wisely while Jo Cameron (AIR’s Charts, Membership & Communications Manager) is proud to have played a part:

When the inaugural Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Awards were held in 2006 at The Blackett Hotel in Sydney, there were just four categories on offer: Hilltop Hoods took out half of them – Best Independent Artist Of The Year and Best Performing Independent Album (The Hard Road) – and the other two winners on the night were Gotye (Most Outstanding New Independent Artist) and Blue King Brown (Best Performing Single/EP – Blue King Brown).

"In hindsight, I can’t believe we didn’t add the best label award much earlier!"

In terms of what sort of impact winning one of these awards can have on an artist’s career, Jo Cameron (AIR’s Charts, Membership & Communications Manager), says, “I’d like to think there’s some sort of an impact there.” The names of those inaugural winners speak volumes and Cameron adds, “Since then the list of winners have almost always gone on to bigger and better things. It’s just an extra bit of recognition for artists that are doing a great job. If it means a small bump in sales or more media interest, then that can only be a good thing for the bands involved.”

More award categories have been added with each passing year and now there are 13 up for grabs, with the first-ever Carlton Dry Global Music Grant handed out last year. When asked about the process behind implementing new award categories, Cameron explains, “We just try and add awards that reflect the current climate of the music industry. It felt appropriate to include a Best Single category for electronic music [in 2011] because dance music relies so much more on singles than albums. We added a classical award recently [Best Independent Classical Album in 2013] because there’s a few stalwart labels that existed for so long with very little recognition from the rest of the industry. We added [Best Independent Label in 2013] because that’s what we’re all about. In hindsight, I can’t believe we didn’t add the best label award much earlier!”

The addition of a $50,000 Carlton Dry Global Music Grant last year led to one of Cameron’s favourite memories from the 2013 award ceremony. “The look on the King Gizzard boys’ faces when they found out they just took out the $50,000 Global Music Grant – it was perfect,” she recalls. Courtney Barnett was also present that evening and reveals, “I was super-stoked when King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard won the Carlton Dry Global Music Grant, so deserving.”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s frontman Stu Mackenzie confirms that his band were caught by surprise when they were announced as the grant recipients: “[We] 100% didn’t expect it. It was a real shock – a good shock. I think Eric [Moore, theremin/drums] and I both said a few words, um, I can’t really remember. It’s all a bit of a blur.”

Earlier in the evening, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard had already stormed the prize podium to accept Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy Or Punk Album for 12 Bar Bruise. And the ridiculously prolific band are nominated in the category again this year for Oddments. So what does Mackenzie reckon the chances are that his band will pick up back-to-back gongs? “Pretty low, pretty slim,” he muses. “Well, I don’t think we’re very hard rock anyway.”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s sound is pretty hard to pigeonhole. “I think that’s part of it,” Mackenzie allows. “But, no, it’s very flattering. I don’t think we would really be in for a shot, but if we did win I’d feel a bit like the other much more heavy bands might wanna beat us up [laughs].” The Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy Or Punk Album nominations are rounded out by DZ Deathrays, Violent Soho, High Tension and sleepmakeswaves this year and Mackenzie’s tipping Violent Soho for the win: “I guess with the success that Violent Soho have had, you would be tipping them.”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard used part of their Carlton Dry Global Music Grant to head over to the States for a combination of recording and touring. “We did Austin Psych Fest, which was really cool, and we did a festival in Toronto, we did Northside Festival in New York, we did a bunch [of festivals] and then we sort of stayed put in New York for a while,” Mackenzie details. “We played a heap of shows [in New York] and then we recorded upstate in this beautiful house in, like, a skiing village. [It] was obviously summer, so it was really green and beautiful and we had lots of wildlife around us. And we did a bunch of recording there and then we came home.”  

Before they left Australia, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard had already recorded a third of their latest record I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, which is scheduled to drop on 31 October. “We did some more recording at Daptone, which is in Brooklyn, as well,” Mackenzie adds. “So between Melbourne and Brooklyn and this place out in the country, which is Hunter Mountain, we finished I’m In Your Mind Fuzz and then just sorta worked on a bunch of other demos and new songs.”

The Hunter Mountain house backed onto the state forest and Mackenzie had a close encounter with local wildlife one morning. “I went out at nine in the morning to Skype my girlfriend and I was sitting in this hammock. It was this really beautiful morning and I looked to my left, about a metre away from me, and there was a bear waking up too!

It was a big bear and he looked at me and I looked at him and we both jumped out of our skins. He got scared too and he ran around this ridge in the back of our backyard. And I ran up onto the balcony and woke up the other boys, and then we watched from the balcony as this bear was peeking over the ridge back at us. Then he kinda realised that we weren’t trying to shoot him, like all the rest of the people around there, and he came back into the backyard and cruised around like nothing ever happened.

"It was this really beautiful morning and I looked to my left, about a metre away from me, and there was a bear waking up too!"

“He was a friendly bear. I think they’re pretty friendly the ones around there. You know, they eat out of the garbage bins and they climb up the trees in the towns and stuff. They’re pretty used to people around there but, yeah! We had deer in our backyard too and little wild cats and chipmunks and squirrels – all sorts of things. So that was a real highlight, actually. It was a really tranquil place. We did a lot there.”

Mackenzie’s gratitude is sincere when he talks about how much the Carlton Dry Global Music Grant has assisted King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. “It was so helpful. We couldn’t have done what we did without that [grant]. And we’re gonna try to burn some more of it later in the year. We’re going back to the States again in, like, ten days or something and then we’re going to Europe as well and, yeah! We’ve done lots of little things this year.” When he’s commended on spending the $50,000 wisely, Mackenzie jokes, “It’s not all just parties! Yep, contrary to popular opinion we actually do make music.”

Cameron is chuffed that the Carlton Dry Global Music Grant is on offer again in 2014 and confirms, “We received over 130 applications. We can’t wait to announce this year’s winner! Let’s face it, $50,000 for an independent band is MASSIVE. To be able to give the opportunity to tour overseas to a seven-piece band like King Gizzard is something we are so proud to be a part of. We did stay in touch with them while they planned their trip; we even helped with their US visas.”

HOGGING THE GONGS

Flume took out four Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards in 2013 (five if you also include his label, Future Classic, taking out Best Independent Label). This year, all nominees in the Best Independent Artist category – Chet Faker, Courtney Barnett, John Butler Trio, Sia and Violent Soho – are up for multiple gongs, as are three other acts, so the chances of contenders leaving the ceremony quadruple/triple/double parked with trophies is pretty high.

VIOLENT SOHO

They’re shortlisted in a whopping four categories: Best Independent Artist; Best Independent Single Or EP (Covered In Chrome); Best Independent Album and Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy Or Punk Album (Hungry Ghost). If they win ‘em all, that’s one for each member of the band!  

RÜFÜS

Can RÜFÜS also take home a trophy each? They’re nominated for: Best Independent Dance, Electronica Or Club Single (Sundream); Best Independent Album and Best Independent Dance, Electronica Album (Atlas).

SIA

Sia’s up for three nods, too: Best Independent Artist, Best Independent Album (1000 Forms Of Fear) and Best Independent Single Or EP (Chandelier).

CHET FAKER

Chet Faker has three chances also: Best Independent Artist, Best Independent Album and Best Independent Dance, Electronica Album (Built On Glass).

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

There’s a possible two for the trio: Best Independent Artist and Best Independent Blues And Roots Album (Flesh & Blood).

COURTNEY BARNETT

Courtney Barnett’s up for a possible two awards: Best Independent Artist, Best Independent Single Or EP (Avant Gardener).

DMA’s

Two trophies may wind up in the hands of DMA’s: Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year and Best Independent Single Or EP (DMA’s EP).

REMI

Remi could most definitely leave the ceremony double parked: Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year and Best Independent Hip Hop Album (Raw x Infinity).