The Ukrainian indie rock group Brunettes Shoot Blondes have reinvented the one-man band. During a tour, the musicians found a derelict 19th century grand piano. When they opened it up, they realized that grand pianos of that vintage contained loads of wide open spaces. Looking at all that empty space, an idea began to form to create a new instrument. The band bought the piano on the spot and had it transported to their home base in Kiev.

“It appeared to have been out of use for a long time. the funny thing was, just bringing it to Kiev, along with its transportation within the city, ended up costing almost as much as the instrument itself.”

Once they had it in their workshop, the musicians measured and drafted and bounced around ideas. The final altered version incorporates twenty different analog instruments.

The right side is all percussion instruments like marimbas, tambourines, cymbals, and shakers. The left incorporates parts of violas, cellos, organs, and xylophones. In the center is the piano’s original middle register. All the instruments are controlled from the piano’s keyboard, which is designed to be played by two people simultaneously.

The song below, Houston, was recorded live using only the modified piano and the band’s voices. I hope you enjoy it!

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