The Stems

Line-Up :

Dom Mariani, vocals, guitar

Richard Lane, vocals, guitar

Gary Chambers, drums (first line-up)

John Scuttleworth, bass (first line-up)

Julian Matthews, bass (second line-up)

Dave Shaw, drums (third line-up)

The Story

Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated capital city in the world. Because of, or in spite of this, it has produced some of Australia’s most influential bands. Like the Scientists before them, the Stems bought garage rock bursting out of the underground in a paisley revolution that very nearly made its way into the national and international consciousness.

The band formed in late 1983 when Dom Mariani, formerly in the band the Go-Stars, was introduced with Richard Lane. Richard had seen Dom in the final few gigs of the Go-Stars and asked Dom for some guitar lessons. The lessons turned into jams, the jams into songs, and the decision was made to start the band. A friend, Gary Chambers was recruited to join the band on drums and bass player John Scuttleworth poached from another local band, the Pink Armadillos and some demo’s recorded. The bands debut gig was supporting the Saints and the Triffids at the Old Civic theatre in Perth. Their sound was influenced by 60’s garage acts ranging from the Electric Prunes, The Standells, The Chocolate Watch Band to the Easybeats. A local Saturday night residency at the Wizbah venue saw throwback covers and a growing list of original songs and a cult following for the band. The bass player decided to leave so a final gig for the band was arranged which drew a large crowd. The success of this gig and freshly written songs in the can saw the band recruit a new bass player, school friend Julian Matthews. Rehearsal and more shows followed. The band recorded their most requested songs and gained a contract with Sydney based label, Citadel Records – the first Perth band to do so.

The debut single “She’s a Monster/Make you Mine” was released in January 1985. The single reached the top of the independent charts and also sold 500 copies in England. The single was to be the 2nd highest selling independent single for Australia in 1985, second only to the Hoodoo Gurus – Like Wow Wipeout. A buzz developed about the band which saw them drive across the country (some 4,100 kilometers) to undertake an east coast promotional tour, beginning with a show in Sydney supporting the Painters and Dockers. Whilst in Sydney the band recorded another single – Tears me in Two and what would become the “Love Will Grow” EP at Trafalgar Studios with Rob Younger, formerly of Radio Birdman producing. The EP reached #1 in the national charts and the band played triumphant shows on their return to Perth.

The band, with a new drummer on board spent most of 1986 touring to promote their EP, including national tours supporting the Flaming Groovies and the Hoodoo Gurus, and also seeking a label deal. Mushroom Records signed the band and the band booked into Platinum Studios with producer Alan Thorne at the end of 1986. The recording process didn’t go smoothly and stretched from the planned one month to three, with a new producer bought in to complete the record. The albums release in 1987 saw the band embark on another national tour, but as the band were appearing on national television – including playing the final episode of Countdown and the lead single “At First Sight” making the Young Einstein soundtrack. The band seemed to have the world at their feet, an album which went on to become the third top Australian album of 1987 and a European tour beckoning. However tensions within the band, a perceived shift in direction away from their initial garage roots, the ego clashes that came with success and record advances, and unwillingness by some members to tour saw them break up, playing their last show 31 August 1987.

After the split, Dom continued to record, writing songs for The Someloves, a duo with Daryl Mather, previously of the Lime Spiders, the DM3 – a three piece power pop/garage band and most recently with the Majestic Kelp. Richard Lane went on to record with Gary Chambers in The Chevelles and later with The Rosebuds.

Renewed interest in the band saw a compilation of the early recordings - Mushroom Soup released and the band reform to play a national tour in March 2003. The band also toured Europe with many big festival appearances and a further Australian tour. A Stems and Dom Mariani compilation was released for the overseas market in 2005. The band is recording an album of new material due for release in 2006.

Discography

She’s a Monster/Make You Mine 7” – Citadel 011 - 1985

Tears Me In Two/Can’t Resist 7” – Citadel 01 - 1985

Love Will Grow – Rosebuds Volume 1 12” EP – Citadel 905 - 1986

At First Sight/Grooviest Girl In Town 7” – White Label Records K219 - 1987

At First Sight – Violets are Blue 12”LP – White Label Records L38735 - 1987

For Always/Mr Misery 7” – White Label Records K294 - 1987

Sad Girl/My Beach 7” – White Label Records K408 - 1987

The Great Rosebud Hoax 12” EP – Citadel CITLP512 - 1987

Dead-Weed Live + Demos (bootleg) Cassette - 1989

Let Your Head Rest/Don’t Let Me/Tears Me In Two 7” – Zero Hour 001 – 1990 (came with Stems the Illustrated Biography Book

Buds CD AUS Citadel CITCD512 1993

Killer Weed CD - Running Circle RUN0011 1996

Weed Out – The Stems Live at the Old Melbourne 18 April 1986 CD –House of Wax Records, HOWR8 - 1997

Mushroom Soup (The Citadel Years) CD AUS Citadel citcd555 2003

At First Sight + Bonus 2CD - Mushroom Records 336272 2003

Terminal Cool - A retrospective CD - Get Hip Records GH-1130 2005

www.thestems.com.au

You Am I

Band page written for muisc website in Brussels.

Line-Up :

Tim Rogers, vocals, guitar

Davey Lane, guitar

Andy Kent, bass

Russel Hopkinson, drums

Original line up included Mark Tulaney, Nick Tishler and Jaimme Rogers, Greg Hitchcock played with the band from 1996 to 1997

> Stalwarts of the Australian music scene, with six albums to date since forming in 1990 and a seventh due for release in 2006. You am I came out of the shadows of the grunge era and matured into a fierce rock’n roll combo. Their protaganist Tim Rogers, a gifted songwriter capturing the essence of daily life, loves and struggles with heart worn high and proud on his sleeve and a spirited frontman, channeling the energy and manic moves of Pete Townsend and seemingly more at home on a stage than anywhere else. They could do no wrong in Australia in the mid 90’s, three consecutive albums debuting at #1 on the ARIA charts, eight national ARIA. The band made numerous festival appearances, overseas tours, television appearances and a triumphant 6 night sell out stretch at Sydney’s largest venue. Yet the band has been unable to crack the big-time, seemingly destined to be hometown heroes, remembered as providers of a rollicking show every time they roll into town rather than a big selling, world-touring stadium band that they could so easily be. As one reviewer states: “A dozen or so of their tracks land a millimetre from the bullseye, but none connects cleanly or perfectly."

The rock ‘n ‘roll calling came for Tim Rogers at age 14, whilst having his teeth drilled at the mobile dentist, Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones came on and he instantly knew what he wanted to be and his first guitar bought soon after. His first band came whilst studying arts/law at university, a trio called The Pleasureheads. In second year of university, Rogers decides to return home, prompted by a call from a friend who was playing music with Tim’s brother. Tim, then aged 19 joined them and began to write songs. His initial discovery about songwriting was “that you didn't have to write stadium rockers. You could write very plaintive songs about how you felt." This was to be a theme throughout both the bands and Tim’s solo songs. Relationships laid bare, failings laid open as the reality of life on the road takes its toll on those left behind.

The band’s first live performance came in 1990 supporting Sydney band Box The Jesuit at a venue called the Cave and played anywhere they could. The band released a single and an EP and gained label attention, mostly due to thier live reputation. The band signed with RooArt, a label started by lawyer Chris Murphy, with a view of taking Australian alternative bands to the mainstream national and international markets, the first release was the Can’t Get Started EP. The band then set to work on another EP, recorded in New York with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ronaldo producing, who initially saw the band when they both played the Big Day Out Festival in 1993. The debut album - Sound As Ever -was released in November 1993, with single Berlin Chair proving to be the bands most recognisable songs, appearing in a Best 100 Australian songs of all time poll.

The band went from strength to strength with their next three albums debuting at number 1 in the national charts. Constant touring saw the band play many big Australian festivals including Livid and The Future Sounds of Sydney, and became near premanent fixtures on the large annual summer festivals Homebake, The Big Day Out and The Falls Fastival. The band made thier first overseas tour at the request of Soundgarden, who had them as support on a tour of America in 1994. On a second trip overseas in 1996, You am I played on the Lollapalooza festival, supported the Lemonheads in Amsterdam, America and Canada and returned to play the farewell concert for Crowded House on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. 1997 saw the band reach Europe, with shows at the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium, the Reading Festival in England and the Lowlands Festival, Netherlands. The next year saw a tour of Japan and Hong Kong supporting Oasis, whose Liam Gallagher was quoted as saying of the band “so fookin’ good, I want to put ‘em on me mantlepiece” and US tours in May and December. The band was unable to break through in the international market, and it wasnt until 2002 at request of the Strokes, who had played support to the band in Australia, that the band made it back overseas. In fact many acts who have been invited to tour with You Am I have gone onto much bigger and better things, The Vines, Jet and Powderfinger have all supported the band, as have The Strokes, who the band bought out to Australia as unknowns, prior to their first album being released. In an attempt to capture the band’s live energy, a live album, “Saturday Night Round Ten” was recorded from a three-night stand at a warehouse in Melbourne in 1999. A new guitar player, Davel Lane joined the band in 2001, he came to the bands attention by the incredibly accurate transcribing of guitar tablature for the bands website and his performances in the band - The Pictures, which began as a The Who coverband.

The band produced some of their most critically and musically astute work with the Dress Me Slowly and Deliverance albums however their fanbase had seemingly moved on. The band members also were pursuing other interests, Tim releasing a solo album - What Rhymes with Cars and Girls and Ghost Songs/Dirty Ron double album with The Temperance Union, Russel Hopkinson starting a record lable - Reverberation, Davey concentrating on The Pictures and Andy becoming the manaegr for the band and also involved in Love Police, a merchandise and touring company. A best -of album - Cream and the Crock - and accompanying DVD was released in 2003, which proved to be their last for BMG (which had acquired the RooArt label). An album, Convicts was self recorded by the band and is to be released in May 2006 by EMI. Upon signing the band, the MD of EMI said “You Am I are one of the best Australian bands of all-time. Their body of work has left an indelible stamp on this country over the last decade and more – and they have influenced just about every artist of substance to have emerged since they started,”

Discography

Albums:

Limited initial pressings of a number of You Am I albums were 2CD sets contining the album plus bonus CD’s - noted in brackets

Sound As Ever CD, RooArt - rA 74321439652, Released: November 1993

Hi Fi Way CD (plus Someone else’s crowd bonus disc), RooArt - rA 4509994762, Released: February 1995

Hourly Daily (plus Beat party bonus disc) CD RooArt - rA2068300035, Released: July 1996

#4 Record CD(plus Radio Setee bonus disc) AUS: RooArt Catalog # 74321587182, US: Warner Brothers Catalog# 46875 Released: April 1998

Saturday Night 'Round Ten CD (plus Ignorance and Vodka bonus disc), RooArt, Released: November 1999

Dress Me Slowly CD BMG, (plus Temperance Union bonus disc), Released: April 2001

Deliverance CD, Greville/BMG, Released: September 2002

Cream & The Crock CD (Best Of) BMG 74321504262, Released: September 2003

No, After You Sir... CD TRANCD021 - UK only compilation, released 2003

Singles/EP’s

Snake Tide CD EP, Timberyard, Released: May 1995

Goddamn CD EP, Timberyard, Released: May 1992

Can't Get Started CD EP, RooArt, Released: October 1992

Coprolalia CD EP, RooArt, Released: April 1993

Adam's Ribs CD, Released: October 1993

Berlin Chair CD, Released: February 1994

When You Got Dry CD EP, RooArt, Released 1994

Jaimme's Got A Gal CD, Released: May 1994

Purple Sneakers CD, Released: June 1995

Mr Milk, Released: November 1995

Soldiers CD & 7”, Released: July 1996

Good Mornin' CD, AUS & UK version, Released: September 1996

Tuesday CD, Released: February 1997

Trike CD EP, RooArt #74321498482, Released: August 1997

What I Don't Know 'Bout You CD, Released: February 1998

Rumble CD, Released: April 1998

Heavy Heart CD, Released: August 1998

Damage CD, Released: October 2000

Get Up CD, Released: March 2001

Kick A Hole In The Sky CD, Released: July 2001

Who Put The Devil In You CD, Released: September 2002

Deliverance CD, Released: March 2003

The best of Myspace - March 2006

Arms - A delightfully charming looking lad, pictured looking with keyboard on a bed (which perhaps hasn’t seen all that much recent action), takes his shine from the more lyrically potent songwriter end of town, think Steven Merrit, or Morrissey, but brighter and bouncier songs.
http://www.myspace/armsongs

Harlem Shakes
Four piece from Brooklyn NY who my initial though was they are a bit like I Am Kloot in terms of a distinctively voiced singer -although with a less ‘proper’, more nasal sort of voice. The songs sort of buzz along, with a few goods and trinkets thrown in to zazz them up a xylophone beat or two, and even a whoo hoo hoo and other vocal melody mischief - plaintive + catchy = great. Currently with a 4 song demo and an older 2 song demo available for download at their site www.harlemshakes.com. The band are looking to play a heap of shows and record and release some tunes in the coming year.
http://www.myspace.com/harlemshakes

The Hong Kong
Once described as the ‘mystery band from New Orleans’ but now settling in Brooklyn, they are an at times stomping 5 piece, with chiming girl group walls of sound, an ominous blonde chanteuse up front and thumping rhythm propelling the songs along whilst keys and samples play back seat driver. Picking up prominent supports and opening slots in New York for the likes of Ric Oasek, the Raveonettes and Stellarstar a bit of press attention (a full pare write up in rolling stone no less from the strength of their live show) has come their way and could be poised for, as one site put it ‘crossover success’. An EP and full length album is out on Etherdrag . With regards to Catherine the singer ... I saw her first.
http://www.myspace.com/thehongkong
www.etherdrag.com/thehongkong/

Vanessa and the O’s

Their first friend is Scott Walker (their singer guests on his latest album), they feature an ex Smashing Pumpkin (but we wont hold that against them). The aforementioned singer is a sultry blonde French singing vixen with alluring inflection, with two previous drum&bass and electro type albums and who had also recorded a duet of ‘Sunday Morning’ with Lou Reed. Their music is infectious chamber pop type affair, treading between sophisticated and cute, it almost makes me want to reach for a phrase book for the French lyrics - but even if the lyrics are of the banal boy/girl variety, it just sounds so seemly it wouldn’t matter, its probably best not to know.

www.myspace.com/vanessaandtheos
www.vanessaandtheos.com

The Stabs
Angry, angry band from Melbourne, the type of album (which I was inspired to rush out and buy from the two songs featured herein) that you put on when you have reached an absolute exasperated state from the annoyance of others - so it gets played at around 9:03 am every work day for me - assuming I get in on time that is...
Screaming, wailing, gnashing both voice and guitars, its just inescapable, the sound coming through the headphones bolt themselves to your ears, grab you by the shirt and pulling you in to some strange dark place to be sonically berated, thrown out a back door into some strange dank alley wondering if you’ll ever walk the same again... or maybe not, it does get very boring here. Having just completed a brief east coast tour - the band are headed off to tour America, with shows supporting Mudhoney in Seattle and Portland before setting off to no doubt bigger and better things.

http://www.myspace.com/thestabs

My Best Friend
Down a notch or two is the comparatively balmy My Best Friend. Spacious songs, with slight electronic and psych flourishes, claiming Spiritualizes as one of their influences and its probably best to run with that. The voice reminds of Woods Themselves - and isn’t that just the height of music journalist wankery, comparing one obscure band with an equally-or more obscure one - but you really should have heard the Woods by now anyway... in that not in a hurry to get anywhere - soft but gruff feel - the songs just leisurely unroll rather than come out at you, would be the perfect soundtrack to a back yard tinnie and toke gathering.
http://www.myspace.com/mybestfiend

The Split Lips
Aptly named local punchy three piece. Making a bit of a name with shows in Sydney and a recent trip to Melbourne with more due for April. Sleazy, abrasive and sex crazed they choose to tag themselves. Their song ‘Got the Shakes’ is a corker - its optimum setting would be excessively late at a dingy club with sunrise imminent, benders ending, come downs and the ugly lights about to kick in - the urgent manic song feeding the last gasp attempts to not go home to an empty bed.
http://www.myspace.com/thesplitlips

Budge McGraw
Well this spiffingly splendid fellow invited me along to his page, and many others too by the look of the comments, and I’m jolly well glad he did. A man particularly imbibed with civic pride for his current home-town of London. A dip into doo-wap splits the landmark referenced ditties – one of which reminded me of that late show take off of ‘oh no we’ve just run out of Melbourne cliches’ err but in London. A rollicking country number to boot (scoot)- we have here a chap who seems to have an abundance of songs and talent at his disposal (as evidenced by two decades of being a session muso for a wide array of acts) and looks to be standing quite comfortably on his own two feet thank you very much – just a shame he’s a gunners fan.
http://www.myspace.com/budgemagraw