Kazu Makino
| Kazu Makino | |
|---|---|
Makino performing in 2013
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| Background information | |
| Born |
December 31, 1969 Kyoto, Honshu, Japan |
| Genres | Alternative rock, noise rock, indie rock, dream pop, psychedelic rock, nu-gaze, experimental rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, synthesizer |
| Labels | Smells Like, Touch & Go, 4AD |
| Associated acts | Blonde Redhead |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson SG Standard | |
Kazu Makino (Japanese: カズ牧野) is a Japanese vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for her work as vocalist and guitarist in the New York-based alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. Since forming Blonde Redhead in 1993 with twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace, Makino has released nine studio albums with the band.
Makino was born in Kyoto, Japan. Makino attended a private school, and described her upbringing as very "old-fashioned." Makino was trained on classical piano as a child and then went on to form an all-girl band in elementary school, as a singer. The band wrote their own lyrics and played what she described as blues music.
After high school, Makino moved to the United States as a foreign exchange student and enrolled in college in New York City where she studied art. She met Italian twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace in 1993 in a New York City Italian restaurant. The meeting was orchestrated by a friend who felt the group would have a good musical chemistry, which resulted in the conception of the alternative rock band Blonde Redhead in 1993. Makino has stated that she had never intended to have a career in music, and that she also suffers from stage fright.
Makino is an avid equestrian and keeps a horse called Harry. In 2002 she suffered an accident falling from a horse; in the accident, the horse trampled her jaw and crushed her facial bones, which required massive reconstructive surgery. Her mouth was wired shut, and she convalesced for months, using the time to write songs. The song "Equus," from the 2004 album Misery is a Butterfly, refers to the accident. Makino has stated that she often gains inspiration from horses while writing music: "They are so musical in their movements and in the sounds they make. Everything they do is rhythmic. I get ideas for grooves—rhythmic ideas—just from riding.”
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Wikipedia