Alex Machacek: Why I Refuse Spotify, Decoding Holdsworth & Composing Over a 51-Minute Drum Solo

Yes, you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music or one of the other big boys probably. Alex Machacek's music, however, is not here — and in this episode he explains exactly why.

The Austrian-born, LA-based fusion guitarist quit school at 16 for the Vienna conservatory, got his break when Shawn Lane started telling everyone about his debut album, and went on to play with Terry Bozzio, Marco Minnemann and Chad Wackerman. He once composed an entire album over a 51-minute improvised drum solo.

We talk about discovering Joe Pass at 14, why Allan Holdsworth sounded like "an alien landed on Earth," what big band taught him about staying in your lane, moving to LA knowing nobody, the economics of being a fusion guitarist in 2026, and his life mantra: question everything.

Recorded on tour with Chad Wackerman & The LA All Stars (Jimmy Haslip, Steve Hunt).

🎸 Find Alex's music on Bandcamp.