Macha

by Kelso JacksIn 1996, multi-instrumentalist Joshua McKay and his drum-playing brother Mischo McKay found themselves both living in Athens, GA, after a three-year separation (they had last lived together in Gainesville, FL, where they were both in a band called Emperor Moth). Back together in an offbeat college town, the musical twosome quickly formed Macha along with another multi-instrumentalist friend, Kai Reidl. Not easily pigeonholed, Macha employs voice, guitar, and drums along with many non-traditional instruments — hammered dulcimer, vibraphone, gongs, and a synthesizer called the fun machine, amongst others — to create music that is a combination of drone rock and Indonesian folk music. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1998 for Jetset Records. It was followed a year later by See It Another Way, an album that was marked by the inclusion of Wes Martin (yet another multi-instrumentalist) as a permanent member of the band. In 2000, Macha teamed up with Bedhead, another brother-powered (Bubba and Matt Kadane) drone outfit, for the mini-album Macha Loved Bedhead. The group returned in 2004 with Forget Tomorrow.