Background
Machacek was born to a Czechoslovakian family in Tulln, Austria.
Machacek was born to a Czechoslovakian family in Tulln, Austria.
Alex Machacek studied Jazz Guitar and Jazz Education at the Conservatory of Vienna, Austria.
He is critically acclaimed by the likes of John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, and the late Shawn Lane for his innovative style and the ease with which he shifts from legato to staccato. John McLaughlin said about him, "Alex Machacek"s music starts where other music ends". He is currently based in Los Los Angeles
His family had moved to Austria in the 1960s as refugees.
Since then, they have adopted Austria as their nation. He started playing the guitar at the age of 8 by taking classical guitar lessons for six years at a music school in Vienna.
Machacek"s early influences were heavy metal musicians and bands like Iron Maiden, KISS, Deep Purple and Queen. However, in the mid-1980s, he was exposed to jazz and quickly got hooked to music of Mike Stern, John Scofield, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Zappa, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin.
He also took classical lessons in percussion.
After that, he attended Berklee College of Music, Boston for 2 semesters. He released his first album Featuring Ourselves in 1999. He then met his idol, drummer Terry Bozzio.
Both collaborated and released the album Delete and Roll as BPM. The album was a slight deviation from the first album.
lieutenant has largely been considered a crossover album with elements of avant garde, jazz, fusion and progressive rock all evident. Music critics have likened the music to Frank Zappa"s rhythmically complex patterns and atmospheric guitar synth backdrops reminiscent of Nordic ECM releases.
The albums contain a lot of fluid legato guitar solos. Machacek released in 2005.
All his albums have received critical acclaim, especially in jazz circles.
Machacek has also toured as "Austrian Trio" with two other Austrian musicians, bassist Raphael Preuschl and drummer Herbert Pirker. The Austrian Trio have collaborated with Mario Lackner. Currently, he is playing for Planet X, which toured in Greece and Armenia in November, 2008, and with the Virgil Donati Band.
Machacek is also an instructor at the Musicians Institute in Los Los Angeles
In 2007, he was a founding member of UKZ with Eddie Jobson and Trey Gunn.