Who Is Ambrose Kenny-Smith?

While one would assume every musician’s dream is obtaining mainstream musical success, Ambrose Kenny-Smith forges his own path many times over. Despite his distinctive name, you may not recognize Kenny-Smith by title alone; however, his many projects, such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and The Murlocs, may strike a chord.

Born in Victoria, Australia, Kenny-Smith didn’t always dream of balancing musical acts, paralleling his father’s career. Although his father, Broderick Smith, has a historic career in the music industry, starting commercially with the band Carson, Ambrose was already establishing his own name as a professional skater.

In an interview with Glide Magazine in 2022, Kenny-Smith spoke about his skateboarding career that began at age six and went into his early 20s. He ultimately gave up the sport at the professional level to pursue music full-time, but credits it as a huge introduction and inspiration for finding different tunes.

Regardless of why and how he got his start, Kenny-Smith’s choice to change careers certainly has been working out since. 

"Rolling On" to The Murlocs

Formed in 2010, The Murlocs are a garage rock/R&B group that was pioneered by Kenny-Smith out of high school and into the professional music scene. Acting as harmonica player and lead vocalist for the group, Kenny-Smith is also the brains of the operation, uniting drummer Matt Blach and guitarist Cal Shortal under one sound. 

The Murlocs released two EPs in 2012, and according to ATO records, they were only recorded thanks to a favor from family friends. By 2014, they made their full-length album debut with “Loopholes,” adding bassist Cook Craig to the group. It wasn’t until the group released their second album, “Young Blindness,” that they would reach the mainstream with their single, “Rolling On.”

The band has gone on to have seven studio albums, including one of Kenny-Smith’s most personal projects, “Bittersweet Demons.” The album is self-described as a confessional, each track attempting to paint the portrait of a loved one or of the places Kenny-Smith grew up. He credits “Bittersweet Demons” as a lesson, teaching him how to take creative risks, something he’s continued to pursue in both The Murlocs and other projects.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Lore

Elusive and a mouthful, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, often referred to as just “King Gizz,” got their start in 2010 and have had a somewhat fluid lineup. Out of the now-established seven members, Kenny-Smith was the last to join in 2011, still a high schooler at the time. None of the seven anticipated the band's success, choosing the most nonsensical name to match their experimental and carefree disposition on making music. 

The band’s second full-length album “Eyes Like the Sky,” released in 2013, was an attempt to break out of genre-typecasts; featuring an audiobook-style narration from Kenny-Smith’s father, the album is a sprawling tale of the American frontier. King Gizz went on to release another album later that year, setting the precedent for two albums per year until 2016, when they only dropped “Nonagon Infinity.” Their eighth studio album is considered their “breakthrough,” utilizing a prog-rock, psychedelic jazz sound in an infinite loop. 

The following year, King Gizz released five full-length albums. Then, after releasing a few other albums in between, they repeated the five-album feat in 2022. While Kenny-Smith has admitted that the role of group leader would go to Stu Mackenzie, any of the seven main members are welcome to help direct an album - hence the variability. 

However, Kenny-Smith does a lot for King Gizzard; he’s lent his talents vocally and on an impressive range of instruments to cover the band’s unique sound, including but not limited to: harmonica, keyboard, saxophone, percussion and guitar. Kenny-Smith also helped establish King Gizz’s own label - p(doom) records - releasing a collaborative album with GUM (aka Jay Watson of Pond and Tame Impala tours). 

In an interview with DIY Magazine, the band stated that the motivation to start their own label came not only from the necessity of putting out their own records, but also from wanting to share their friends’ albums: “If you all keep listening to ’em, we’ll keep making ’em.”

Personal Projects

As aforementioned, “Ill Times,” a collaboration with GUM, is yet another musical outlet for Kenny-Smith to experiment with. After collaborating on the single “Minor Setback,” the duo came together a year later to release a full-length album on top of their multiple other projects. 

“Ill Times” perfectly blends Watson’s psychedelic synths with Kenny-Smith’s garage-y, blues rock tone, making such a cohesive record for the team’s first attempt. The opening track, “Dud,” also sets a deeply soulful tone with powerful lyricism dedicated to Kenny-Smith’s late father; themes such as grief and resilience span the whole album, signifying a passing of the torch. 

Kenny-Smith must work well with others, as he’s also collaborated with Folk Bitch Trio and was featured on a single earlier this year with Los Bitchos to promote their upcoming album “Los Bitchos & Friends Vol 1.” Kenny-Smith always has another project in the works - this time he’s teaming up with O.R.B. under the name ORBROSE to deliver a blues record sometime next year. 

Spin Tip

It’s no secret that many artists aren’t appreciative of streaming platforms’ policies, leading the likes of Kenny-Smith and others to remove their recordings. While this may make the music less accessible, it defines an audience of purposeful listeners. 

Across his different groups, Ambrose Kenny-Smith has already amassed over 35 studio albums at the age of 34. The best way to find which record is for you is to ask a fan, as he covers nearly every genre and experience in his work. A fair warning: selecting a single album is difficult; most end up with multiple in their collection before long.