FOREST GROVE, Ore. — Award-winning Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote doesn’t believe in genres, or the space between them. The group is made up of four musicians with completely different musical influences. Over the last decade, they’ve worked meticulously at creating a unique sound that can unite fans of almost any genre.
The band’s keyboardist Simon Mavin said their genreless nature is a result of their vastly different musical upbringings.
“It feels real… I just see it as like, we just make stuff that we like — there’s no specific genre talked about with any of the music we make," said Mavin. "It’s just pretty much, ‘Does this sound good?’ Yeah. Let's just keep rolling with that.”
Among their fanbase are some of music’s most popular names: Artists like Prince, Chaka Khan and Erykah Badu have supported the group and appreciated their music. They’ve also collaborated on songs with huge artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Beyoncé and Jay-Z sampling the group’s original music.
“It’s been almost 10 years of that kind of recognition, which is awesome — but also, let’s continue doing what we’re doing, and sort of shows us that we’re on the right path," said Mavin. "And to just keep making whatever we want to make, which is awesome. It feels like we don’t need to succumb to any demands from anybody.”
Hiatus Kaiyote will head to McMenamins Grand Lodge on July 18 to perform their new album “Love Heart Cheat Code.” This is the second-to-last stop on their North American tour, and they’re playing with special guests: The Free Nationals and Digable Planets.
The show starts at 6 p.m. You can purchase tickets at this link here.