| Russell Lissack | |
|---|---|
 Russell Lissack
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 11 1981 |
| Origin |  Chingford, England |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Art rock |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Associated acts |
Bloc Party Pin Me Down |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Fender Telecaster | |
Russell Lissack (born March 11, 1981) is the lead guitarist of London-based indie rock band Bloc Party. He is also in the band Pin Me Down; a duo of himself and Milena Mepris, who once referred to Lissack as a "Meerkat" due to how he appears and darts about on and off stage.
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Biography
Lissack grew up in Chingford, London, and went to Bancroft's School in Woodford, Essex. He then studied Sociology at London South Bank University, dropping out weeks before graduation so he could tour with Bloc Party. He does not do many interviews, (and when he does, he keeps words to a minimum) and he shies away from the camera, leading many to believe that he is quite quiet. When Bloc Party became popular mid 2004, Russell was noted for his distinctive haircut, involving a triangular fringe covering a large part of his face and head. This style has affectionately become known as a "blochead." He has also been compared to Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood in terms of both looks and style of guitar playing. [1] Although he has a wiry, sharp solo sound, derived from the use of a Fender Telecaster, he also uses his effects pedals to create ambient sounds (such as the delay effect at the beginning of "Like Eating Glass"). Over the 2007 Christmas period, Lissack got engaged to his girlfriend, Melanie.
Influences
Lissack cites some of his major influences as Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Suede, Blur, The Smashing Pumpkins, New Order, The Smiths, Prince, Weezer, the anime series Escaflowne, and late-90s Trance music.[1] Guitar influences include Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Prince and Graham Coxon of Blur who are users of the Fender Telecaster. In a recent interview, Kele from Bloc Party stated that Russell used to play guitar in an Ash tribute band. [2] Kele jokingly adds that, as Russell was playing lead guitar, he filled the role of Charlotte Hatherley. He also recently remixed Kate Nash's new single 'Pumpkin Soup'. This was made available as an iTunes exclusive.
Musical Equipment used
Guitars
- Fender Telecaster – Lissack's main guitar; used in almost all live songs. An American Honey Blonde model, more commonly known as an American Ash Telecaster that features an array of stickers, including Pokémon and Disney characters. The strap is covered with countless badges, including the one that the Spanish band TvToys gave him on Bloc Party's last concert in Madrid.
- Fender Telecaster – White, white scratchplate, maple fretboard, several Family Guy badges on strap.
- Fender Telecaster – White, mint green scratchplate, rosewood fretboard. Probably a Fender 60's Classic Series Telecaster.
- Fender Telecaster Custom – Black, maple fretboard, 1 humbucker and 1 single coil bridge pickup, flashing LED lights on scratchplate. Used on "Uniform" live, and seen in the Hunting for Witches video. Features the unusual modification of a children's toy fitted next to the guitar's pickups, which produces a series of futuristic sound effects when activated from a switch on the scratchplate. These sounds are picked up by the guitar's humbuckers and are amplified as normal.
- Gibson Les Paul – Sunburst. Used in the studio for "Uniform". Not seen live.
- Epiphone SG – White, used earlier in the band's career.
- Fender Jaguar – Blue, tortoise shell scratchplate, used earlier in the band's career.
- It has also been suggested that he has an affinity for multicoloured fake Stratocasters.
Effects pedals
Russell uses a variety of guitar effects live and in the studio, so many that it is difficult to track exactly which are used at any given point. From eye-witness accounts/interviews it has been suggested that he uses the following effects
- BOSS LS-2 Line Selector.
- BOSS DD-6 Delay (Four in a series rig)
- BOSS DD-5 x2 (1 set to reverse)Delay.
- BOSS OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion
- BOSS PS-5 Super Shifter. x2
- BOSS PW-10 Wah
- BOSS TR-2 Tremolo.
- BOSS TU-2 Tuner.
- BOSS RV-5 Reverb.
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff.
- Electro-Harmonix Memory Man.
- Ernie Ball 6165 Stereo Volume/Pan Pedal.
- Electro Harmonix POG Guitar synthesizer pedal.
- Korg Kaoss Pad
- DigiTech WH1 Whammy
Amplifiers
Other
References
| Bloc Party |
|---|
| Russell Lissack | Gordon Moakes | Kele Okereke | Matt Tong |
| David Searston | Mat Coleman | James Chorley |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Silent Alarm | A Weekend in the City |
| EPs: Bloc Party | Little Thoughts EP | Two More Years EP |
| Remix albums: Silent Alarm Remixed |
| Singles: "She's Hearing Voices" | "Banquet/Staying Fat" | "Little Thoughts/Tulips" | "Helicopter" | "Tulips" | "So Here We Are" | "Banquet" | "The Pioneers" | "Two More Years" | "The Prayer" | "I Still Remember" | "Hunting for Witches" | "Flux" |
