Sidewinder (band)

Last updated

Sidewinder
Origin Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Genres Indie guitar pop
Years active1990 (1990)–1999 (1999)
Labels Half a Cow/Mercury
Associated actsFragile, The John Reed Club, The City Lights, The Hummingbirds, Something For Kate
Past membersNick Craft
Martin Craft
Pip Branson
Shane Melder
Giri Fox
Jeremy David

Sidewinder were an Australian indie pop group founded in 1990 in Canberra by Pip Branson on guitar, Martin Craft on bass guitar and backing vocals, his brother Nick Craft on lead guitar and vocals, and Giri Fox on drums. Early in 1994 Shane Melder replaced Fox on drums and in the next year the group relocated to Sydney. Sidewinder were staples of the Australian alternative rock scene in the 1990s and released two studio albums, Atlantis (January 1996) and Tangerine (September 1997). Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described them as "an accessible brand of distortion-drenched, harmony-driven, indie guitar power pop." Sidewinder released two albums and three EPS between 1992 and 1998, all of which were critically acclaimed and received solid Triple J and commercial airplay. These albums ‘traversed a broad sonic terrain, from Beatlesesque psychedelia to eardrum shattering ballsy rock’. [1] Sidewinder were one of the ‘best loved live acts of this decade [1990s]’. had regular spots on festival bills, including the Big Day Out (1994, 1995, and as national touring artists 1996) and played every Homebake from 1996 to 1998 (January, December 1996/ January, December 1998). [2]

Contents

They toured extensively with many of their contemporaries, including bands such as Powderfinger, Custard, The Hummingbirds, You Am I, The Clouds, The Fauves, Tumbleweed and Magic Dirt. [3] They also played with other bands, such as Something for Kate, the Dirty Three, the Whitlams, the Underground Lovers and Gaslight Radio. They supported international touring artists, including U2 on the Australian leg of their PopMart Tour in February 1998. [4] They also played with Pavement, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sebadoh, Superchunk and Red Kross. [5]

They disbanded in 2000.

History

Sidewinder were founded in 1990 in Canberra by Pip Branson on guitar, Martin Craft on bass guitar and backing vocals, his brother Nick Craft on lead guitar and vocals, and Giri Fox on drums. [4] Most of the members were still in secondary school. [4] They played their first live shows in 1991 and in the following year they signed to Half a Cow – a label owned by ex-Canberran musician Nic Dalton (Lemonheads, Plunderers) – which was later purchased by Universal Music. [3] [6] By that time Jeremy David had joined on viola. [4] One of the group's early gigs was at a circus in July 1992.

Dalton compiled a sampler album, Slice Two (November 1992), by various artists on his label, which included an early Sidewinder track, "Last Time". [4] On 12 February 1993 the group issued their debut five-track extended play, T Star – the title refers to "an obscure brand of dodgy runners". [7] The Canberra Times ' Steven Corby described their sonation as "grungy guitar pop, a definition Martin agrees with. It's not pop and it's not metal and the experimental move of adding a viola player to their line-up has given their sound a thickness that is its most original factor." [7]

Their second EP, Yoko Icepick, which had four tracks followed on 22 October 1993. [4] [8] Late that year David left and was not replaced. Sidewinder toured with Tumbleweed; The Canberra Times' Rachel Hill found that as a consequence "the songs from Yoko Icepick were being played better live, leaving a gap between what people were hearing on the CD and at gigs." [9] Early in the following year the group appeared at the Big Day Out; soon after Shane Melder (ex-the Hummingbirds) replaced Fox on drums. [4]

The group's third EP, The Gentle Art of Spoonbending, appeared in February 1995, for which Hill felt that they "had moved on to a different type of sound and, with the help of better equipment, were producing a bigger sound." [9] The five tracks were written by the Craft brothers and "display an underlying simplicity not shared by the previous releases." [9] McFarlane opined that it "included two of the band's strongest songs in 'Up to You' and 'Day After Day'." [4] Hill described "Up to You", which "represents Sidewinder's dynamics as a live band, illustrating the sonic power which drives it" while "Day After Day" was "a beautifully written ballad with a Beatlesque feel to it, demonstrating the band's songwriting skills." [9]

The group relocated to Sydney in February 1995. Late that year, the band issued their debut studio album, Atlantis, which McFarlane declared was "brimming with unabashed, infectious rock energy and displayed a great deal of potential." [4] Ahead of its appearance they released a single, "Anything You Want" (October), and then joined Powderfinger and Fur on a national Truckstop tour. [10] Two further singles followed in 1996, "Evil Eye" (January) and "Not Coming Home" (April). [4] Also in January that year they appeared on the Big Day Out tour and followed, during that year, with national tours alongside Custard, Snout and then the Fauves. [4]

While still members of Sidewinder, Martin Craft and Melder formed a side project, Fragile, as a studio-only band with Wayne Connolly on guitar and backing vocals (ex-the Welcome Mat, Knievel) and Simon Holmes on guitar and lead vocals (ex-the Hummingbirds). [4] That group issued an album, Airbrushed Perfection, on Half a Cow/Mercury in March 1996. McFarlane described how it "ran the gamut of sounds from jangly pop ('Dream Come True') to noisy Hüsker Dü-inspired rockers ('She Really Means that Much to Me', 'Resolving Conflict Situations')." [4]

Their second album, Tangerine (September 1997) made many top ten lists for the best album of the year, and is sometimes considered to be one of the finest Australian rock records of the 1990s. [1] It was co-produced by Paul McKercher and the group. [11] Brett Winterford of The Sydney Morning Herald reflected on the album, in January 2008, which "grafted a jangle of distorted guitars with electronic loops and samples, affected vocals and stunning, synth-led soundscapes... Artistically, Tangerine was a window into the future of indie music but commercially it was a flop." [12] Rolling Stone 's Kate Crawford felt it provided a "special breed of uplifting pub pop that wins hearts and minds no matter what disasters occur." [13]

The lead single from their second album, "Titanic Days", was released in April 1997: it appeared on the soundtrack for the feature film, Blackrock . [4] A second single, "Here She Comes Again", was issued in August. [4] "Titanic Days" was listed on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997, with a third single, "God", appearing in February 1998. [4]

Despite their ability to pull crowds throughout Australia, their critical success, good airplay and solid sales figures, Sidewinder were dropped by Universal in 1999 when the label took over Mercury/Polygram. [4] [3]

Post break-up

Martin Craft went on to have a successful solo career under his own name and is currently working as a producer and songwriter. His albums include I Can See It All Tonight (2004), Silver and Fire (2006) and Arrows at the Sun (2008). He also plays as a touring member in Jarvis Cocker's band. Nick Craft formed The Zillions and released the albums Zig-Zag Zillionaire (2005) and Zeuxis: Xight Zeen (2008), as well as music for theatre soundtracks. [14] In 2018, he released his debut solo album, Minerva. [15]

Pip Branson was a touring member of Something for Kate in 2001, and later formed his own band, the Pip Branson Corporation – they released an EP, Hot Dollar (April 2007). [16] He was also a member of Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen, under the name Rufino. [17] Shane Melder played with a number of bands, including the Died Pretty, The Hummingbirds and David McCormack from Custard. [18] Melder was a member of The City Lights for their debut album, Escape from Tomorrow (May 2004). [19]

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Related Research Articles

Kim Salmon Musical artist

Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian rock musician and songwriter from Perth. He has worked in various groups including The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Kim Salmon and the Business, and Darling Downs. Australian rock musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described Salmon as one of the first Australians to "embrace wholeheartedly the emergent punk phenomenon of the mid-to-late 1970s" with The Scientists. He declared that Beasts of Bourbon were "masters of uncompromising gutbucket blues and hard-edged rock'n'roll". In 2004 Salmon was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame and in 2007, into the Music Victoria Awards Hall of Fame.

The Whitlams

The Whitlams are an Australian indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar. Other than mainstay Freedman, the line-up has changed numerous times. Since 2001 he has been joined by Warwick Hornby on bass guitar, Jak Housden on guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums. Four of their studio albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 20: Eternal Nightcap, Love This City, Torch the Moon and Little Cloud. Their highest charting singles are "Blow Up the Pokies" and "Fall for You" – both reached number 21. The group's single, "No Aphrodisiac" was listed at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 by listeners of national radio station, Triple J. In January 1996 Stevie Plunder was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls. Andy Lewis committed suicide in February 2000.

Ratcat

Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities. They found mainstream success with their extended play, Tingles, album Blind Love and the single, "Don't Go Now" (April), which all reached No. 1 on the ARIA Charts during 1991. The band released two subsequent albums that did not match their earlier chart success. Ratcat ceased performing live regularly in the late 1990s; however, they continue to perform sporadically. During their career, much of Ratcat's albums and singles artwork was created by Simon Day.

Smudge are an Australian rock and indie pop trio formed in 1991 by Paul Duncan on bass guitar, Alison Galloway on drums and Tom Morgan on guitar and vocals. Morgan is known outside Australia as a song writing collaborator of Evan Dando and his band, the Lemonheads. In 1994 Duncan was replaced on bass guitar by Adam Yee and in 1997 Pete Kelly joined on guitar. Smudge signed with Half a Cow to issue four studio albums, Manilow (1994), Hot Smoke and Sassafras (1994), You Me Carpark. .. Now (1996) and Real McCoy Wrong Sinatra (1998), before going into hiatus from late 1999. Since 2002, Smudge play a few times a year. There has been no new music since 1998.

Half A Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.

Swirl were an Australia indie rock band, forming in 1991 by Ben Aylward on guitar and vocals, David Lord on drums and Nicola Schultz on bass guitar and vocals. Schultz left in 1997 and was replaced by Richard Anderson on bass guitar and keyboards and Keira Hodgkison on guitar and vocals. They released three albums, Aurora, The Last Unicorn and Light Fill My Room, before breaking up in December 2002.

Sneeze are an Australian pop rock band formed in 1991 by Nic Dalton on vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, and drums, and Tom Morgan on vocals and guitar. They issued four albums, Sneeze (1993), The Four Seezons (1997), Lost the Spirit to Rock & Roll (2001) and Just The Blues Sped Up. As of mid-2019, Sneeze have been working on new material.

The Orange Humble Band is an alternative rock band formed in early 1995, by Darryl Mather on guitar. He was joined by Anthony Bautovich, Mitch Easter on vocals, and Ken Stringfellow on lead vocals. The group issued two albums, Assorted Creams (1997) and Humblin' (2001) before disbanding later that year. They reformed in March 2012 and issued a third album, Depressing Beauty, in May 2015.

Stevie Plunder Musical artist

Stevie Plunder, born as Anthony Hayes, was an Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of the groups, The Plunderers (1984–1995) and The Whitlams (1992–1996).

Falling Joys

Falling Joys are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Canberra in 1985. The original line-up included Suzie Higgie on lead vocals and guitar and Stuart G. Robertson on bass guitar. By the end of 1988 Higgie and Robertson, now on guitar, were joined by Pat Hayes on bass guitar and vocals, and Pete Velzen on drums. They have released three albums, Wish List (1990), Psychohum (1992) and Aerial (1993). Both the latter two albums reached the ARIA Albums Chart Top 50. They disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2011 and, again, in July 2016.

Directions in Groove or DIG were an Australian acid jazz band which formed in 1991 by Alexander Hewetson on bass guitar, Terepai Richmond on drums and percussion, Rick Robertson on saxophone, Tim Rollinson on guitar and Scott Saunders on keyboards. Originally styled as dig they performed instrumental acid jazz before Saunders added vocals. They released three studio albums, Dig Deeper, Speakeasy and Curvystrasse. At the APRA Music Awards of 1996 they won Most Performed Jazz Work for their track, "Futures". They disbanded in 1998 before reforming in 2008 for selected performances and again 2011 to release a fourth studio album, Clearlight.

Godstar were a psychedelic pop band which formed in 1991. The group's founding mainstay, Nic Dalton, is a multi-instrumentalist who was also in The Plunderers, Sneeze and The Lemonheads, and ran the Half A Cow record label. Other members were Robyn St Clare The Hummingbirds, Alison Galloway on drums (ex-Jupiter) and Tom Morgan on guitar and vocals. In September 1993 the band toured nationally promoting their debut studio album, Sleeper. In July 1995 their second album, Coastal, appeared and was followed by another national tour. The group disbanded later that year. Dalton's Half a Cow label issued further Godstar material under the name The Godstar Reminder. Around this time, Dalton formed other groups including The Kombi Nation, The Ultimate Vanilla and Chewee. Galloway and Morgan were also members of Smudge, an indie pop band, during their time with Godstar.

Screamfeeder is an Australian indie guitar pop group formed in Brisbane in 1991. The band's original line-up was composed of drummer Tony Blades, bassist/vocalist Kellie Lloyd and vocalist/guitarist Tim Steward. In 1995, Dean Shwereb replaced Blades on drums. Darek Mudge later joined on lead guitar from 2001 to 2005, and eventually rejoined in 2014. Screamfeeder have released seven studio albums: Flour, Burn Out Your Name, Fill Yourself With Music (1995), Kitten Licks (1996), Rocks on the Soul (2000), Take You Apart (2003) and Pop Guilt (2017).

Simon Carter Holmes was an Australian musician who served as the singer and lead guitarist for the indie rock bands, The Hummingbirds (1986–93) and Her Name in Lights (2003–05).

Louis Rohan Tillett is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, keyboardist and saxophonist. Tillett was the front man in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste. He has also worked as a backing musician with Catfish, Laughing Clowns, New Christs and Tex Perkins. For Tillett's solo career he has issued seven albums, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (1987), A Cast of Aspersions (1990), Letters to a Dream (1992), Cry Against the Faith (1998), Learning to Die (2001), The Hanged Man (2005) and Soliloquy (2006). He has often worked with Charlie Owen, releasing two albums, The Ugly Truth (1994) and Midnight Rain. The latter album won the Rolling Stone Critics Award for Best Album of 1996.

Phillip John "Pip" Proud was an Australian singer-songwriter, poet, novelist and dramatist whose idiosyncratic song-poems gained a cult following in Australia in the 1960s and around the world in the 1990s-2000s.

The Badloves are an Australian R&B, soul band that formed as DC3 in 1990 by founding mainstay member Michael Spiby on guitar and lead vocals. They changed their name after a year. Their debut studio album, Get on Board, was issued in July 1993, which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994 they won Best New Talent and Breakthrough Artist – Album for Get on Board and Breakthrough Artist – Single for its first single, "Lost" (1993). The Badloves' second album, Holy Roadside, reached the top 20. Their highest-charting single, "The Weight" (1993), is a cover version of the Band's 1968 single and features Jimmy Barnes on co-lead vocals. It reached the ARIA singles chart top 10.

Charles Lothian Lloyd "Charlie" Owen is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and producer. He has been a member of The New Christs (1987–90), Louis Tillett and His Cast of Aspersions (1990), Tex, Don and Charlie, and Beasts of Bourbon. His solo album, Vertigo and Other Phobias, appeared in 1994 on Red Eye/Polydor.

Nicholas James "Nic" Dalton is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and record label owner. He was a member of various Australian bands including, The Plunderers (1984–95), Godstar (1991–95) and Sneeze (1991–present); as well playing with Ratcat and The Hummingbirds. He was the bass guitarist for American band, The Lemonheads in the early 1990s. He also runs the record label Half a Cow, which he co-founded 1990. His current bands are The Sticker Club and, until recently, the Gloomchasers.

The Plunderers were an Australian band which formed in May 1984 in Canberra. The group's founding mainstays were Nic Dalton on bass guitar and vocals and Stevie Plunder on guitar and vocals. The group issued three mini-albums, Trust Us, Sarah's not Falling in Love, and Home Movie (1992); a live album, 13.7.91 Live! Live! Live! (1991); and three albums, No Era Is Safe (1986), Half A Cow (1986), and Banana Smoothie Honey (1992). Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described their sound as "a punky brand of power pop that mixed frantic guitar riffs, sharp harmonies and diamond-hard pop melodies" before starting to "explore a more tripped-out kind of psychedelic revivalism". In 1989 Dalton and Plunder and their drummer, Geoff Milne, formed a side project, Hippy Dribble, playing their more psychedelic songs. In December 1990 the trio also formed Captain Denim to play "more laid-back songs mostly ... influenced by the likes of Buffalo Springfield, Country & Western and folk rock". Both these groups issued material including a split album, Silver Apples/Fade in 1994. In 1992, Dalton joined US band The Lemonheads and former Plunderers' keyboard player Andy Lewis and Plunder formed The Whitlams with Tim Freedman. Plunder died on 25 January 1996, at the age of 32 years and Lewis died on 12 February 2000, at the age of 33 years.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sidewinder". Double J. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Homebake Festival | Imc". Imcmusic.net. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "The home of Half a Cow Records: News". Halfacow.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Sidewinder'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "10 Australian Bands From The '90s Worth Revisiting". Double J. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "YourZenMine: Sidewinder - Tangerine". Yourzenmine.blogspot.com.au. 30 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  7. 1 2 Corby, Steven (11 February 1993). "Good Times: Sidewinder weaves a jagged T Star sound". The Canberra Times. Vol. 67, no. 21, 121. p. 9. Retrieved 15 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ Leedham, Nicole (21 October 1993). "Curtain Calls: EMI's 'Next Big Thing'". The Canberra Times. Vol. 68, no. 21, 373. p. 8. Retrieved 15 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Rachel (13 February 1995). "Home Entertainment: Sidewinder hitting targets". The Canberra Times . Vol. 70, no. 21, 851. p. 30. Retrieved 17 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "Curtain Calls: 'Truckstop' in ANU Bar Tomorrow". The Canberra Times. Vol. 71, no. 22, 099. 19 October 1995. p. 28. Retrieved 18 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ Sidewinder (1997), Tangerine, Polygram, retrieved 18 May 2016
  12. ↑ Winterford, Brett (11 January 2008). "Martin Craft". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Crawford, Kate (1997). "Brotherly Love: Drowning Sorrows with Sidewinder". Rolling Stone .
  14. ↑ "The Zillions". Fasterlouder.com.au. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Releases | Nick Craft - Minerva". Cheersquad.com.au. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Macintyre, Laura (9 April 2007). "Pip Branson Corporation: Taking Over". FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Home". Mikelangeloandtheblackseagentlemen.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "The home of Half A Cow Records: News". Halfacow.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "The City Lights Escape from Tomorrow Today". Triple J (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). 28 May 2004. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  20. 1 2 Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.