Pick Up the Pace | |
---|---|
EP by | |
Released | 1 July 2006 |
Recorded | Airlock Studios, Brisbane |
Genre | Alternative rock |
Length | 26:58 |
Label | Dew Process/Universal Music Australia |
Producer | The Predators |
Pick Up the Pace is the debut EP by Australian alternative rock band The Predators. It was released on 1 July 2006 through Dew Process and Universal Music Australia. [1] The EP was produced after Powderfinger entered a hiatus, and several of its band members sought work with side projects. Following the release of Pick Up the Pace, The Predators embarked on a minor tour around Australia, including a performance at Splendour in the Grass, before officially going on hiatus, around the time Powderfinger reformed.
The Predators consist of the three original Powderfinger members; Ian Haug (guitar), John Collins (bass), and Steven Bishop (drums, vocals), and thus Pick Up the Pace was influenced by the band's early work. As the three had attended school together, the music on the EP flowed easily. According to Haug, the trio had been discussing the possibility of reuniting for a long time. [2] Ross McLennan, the fourth Predators member, only played drums on live appearances, to allow Bishop to focus on singing. [3] The EP was recorded at Haug's Airlock Studios in the band's home town, Brisbane, with songs first released to radio on 17 May 2006. [4]
In a 2006 interview, John Collins said that the group's formation and the recording of the EP was just "for fun", with no intention of "taking it too seriously". [5] He also noted that the idea of the EP was first proposed when Powderfinger's hiatus began, and he asked Bishop the question "Do you want to write some songs and just have a bit of fun?" [5] Originally, the band had not intended to release any work, stating "It’s not very commercial, in a sense." [5] However, in a later interview with FasterLouder, Bishop noted that the band would "maybe send it off to Europe and The States with some indie labels", as well as hoping to tour around the country. [6]
The EP, and most of the songs on it, were influenced by musical greats such as Pink Floyd, David Bowie and the entire indie rock genre. [6] [7] It was noted that the EP contained "roaring guitar riffs and big choruses". [8] Haug noted in an interview that the original group of songs recorded "lacked vibe", and so the band chose less perfected songs "to ensure that the attitude of the recording was good". [2]
Following the release of Pick Up the Pace, The Predators embarked on a minor tour before performing at Splendour in the Grass. The tour saw them performing along the east coast of Australia. Four concerts were performed, in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and at Splendour in the Grass, near Byron Bay. [7] [9]
A music video for "Pick Up the Pace", the lead song on the EP, was recorded in a Brisbane music venue, and released in May 2006. It featured lead singer Steven Bishop "day dreaming of days gone by". [10] The video was distributed by Dew Process. [11]
All music written and performed by The Predators. [3]
Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until its break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer Jon Coghill. The group's third studio album Internationalist peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in September 1998. They followed with four more number-one studio albums in a row: Odyssey Number Five, Vulture Street, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence and Golden Rule. Their top-ten hit singles are "My Happiness" (2000), "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (2003) and "Lost and Running" (2007). Powderfinger earned a total of eighteen ARIA Awards, making them the second-most awarded band behind Silverchair. Ten Powderfinger albums and DVDs certified multiple-platinum, with Odyssey Number Five—their most successful album—achieving eightfold platinum certification for shipment of over 560,000 units.
Parables for Wooden Ears is the debut studio album released by the Australian band Powderfinger. It was released on 18 July 1994 by Polydor Records, after recording at the Metropolis Studios in Melbourne during February 1994.
Bernard Joseph Fanning is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989.
Darren Middleton is an Australian musician, best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow-up to his 2013 solo tour 'Translations.' The 'Splinters' tour is Middleton's tour of Western Australia and Victoria in August and November 2016, respectively.
John Collins is the mainstay bass guitarist for Australian rock band Powderfinger since 1989. He is one of the founding members of the band, along with guitarist Ian Haug, forming at their high school, Brisbane Grammar School, as a three-piece. Powderfinger has released seven studio albums, a greatest-hits album, and a double CD live album. After they released their first best-of album, Fingerprints, in 2004, they decided to take a break. During the hiatus, Collins played with fellow Powderfinger member Darren Middleton in his new band Drag on a number of occasions as well as performing with Ian Haug and Steven Bishop in The Predators. Collins is often referred to as "J.C." by his fellow band members, as they are his initials and to distinguish him from the group's drummer Jon Coghill. Initially, the nickname was given to him following the group's song "JC" from their second album, Double Allergic, which referred to Jesus Christ.
Ian Haug is an Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist in the rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 until its breakup in 2010. He is presently a member of The Church.
Tea & Sympathy is the debut solo album by Australian musician Bernard Fanning. It was released on 31 October 2005, by Dew Process records while Powderfinger—Fanning's main band—were on hiatus. Contrary to Powderfinger's usual alternative style, the album blends alternative and country-folk music. Most of the record was written after the cancer-related death of his brother in 2002. His brother's death coincided with the end of Fanning's twelve-year relationship with his partner, and both events were instrumental in his move away from his typically political and socially lyrical subject matter.
Jon Coghill is an Australian drummer best known for his work with the rock band Powderfinger, although he has also toured with Regurgitator. Coghill replaced Powderfinger's original drummer, Steven Bishop, in 1991. At this time, Powderfinger had not made any recordings, and as such, Coghill has been the group's drummer for all of their releases.
Dream Days at the Hotel Existence is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released by Universal Music on 2 June 2007 in Australia, 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 11 November 2008 in the United States on the Dew Process label. It was released in Australia with a limited edition bonus DVD, titled Powderfinger's First XI, featuring eleven music videos spanning the band's career, from the first single, "Tail" to "Bless My Soul", the band's latest single before the release of the album. A collector's edition, including a CD and DVD, was released on 18 April 2008.
Mr Kneebone is the third EP by the Australian rock band Powderfinger. It was released after their first full-length studio album, Parables for Wooden Ears, and before the album, Double Allergic. It contains five songs, none of which were included on either album. The EP peaked at #83 on the Australian singles chart, and is considered to be "the turning point in Powderfinger's song writing career".
Transfusion is the second EP by the Australian rock group Powderfinger. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Polydor. The album was the group's first recording with Polydor, as the group had signed with the label due to the success of the previous EP by the band, Powderfinger.
"The Day You Come" is a song from the third studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 10 August 1998 by Universal Music Group. It won the 1999 ARIA Music Award for Single of the Year.
Drag are an Australian rock band led by Darren Middleton, most known as the lead guitarist from rock group Powderfinger.
The Way Out is the debut album by Australian rock band Drag released 10 July 2005. Drag recorded and toured for the album while lead singer and guitarist Darren Middleton was on a break from his other band Powderfinger.
Far Out Corporation were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in November 1997. They were led by singer-guitarist Grant McLennan, formerly in The Go-Betweens. McLennan started the group with Ross MacLennan on drums (ex-Turtlebox), bass player Adele Pickvance and Powderfinger's guitarist Ian Haug. It was a side project for most of its members, other than Ross MacLennan, as they were in other bands which were in hiatus. The group's name is a reference to the rock supergroup, Far Corporation.
"I Don't Remember" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, from the album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It made its radio debut on 9 July 2007 on Australian radio stations, and was subsequently released as a single and digital download on 4 August 2007 in Australia, 3 September 2007 in New Zealand, and 13 August 2007 in the United States. The song was written by Powderfinger lead singer Bernard Fanning, and influenced by bassist John Collins. The riff was then developed by guitarist Ian Haug. The song is about reconciling difficulties and arguments, rather than shifting the blame.
The Predators are an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 2005. It comprises three of the original members of the rock group Powderfinger: Steven Bishop, Ian Haug, and John Collins, and Haug's fellow member of Far Out Corporation, Ross McLennan. As of 2023, they have released one EP, Pick Up the Pace (2006), and one full-length album, Everybody Loves (2021).
Ross McLennan is an Australian drummer, best known as a member of Australian rock band The Predators. Prior to performing for The Predators, McLennan also drummed for Far Out Corporation, a rock band led by Grant McLennan. He also drummed for Brisbane four piece group Turtlebox from 1995 until 1996.
Paul Piticco is an Australian music and hospitality entrepreneur. He is notable for managing Australian band Powderfinger and organising Splendour In The Grass. He is also Managing Director of Dew Process, Create-Control and Secret Service Music Company.
"Nobody Sees" is a song by Powderfinger from their sixth album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It is the third single from the album and was released in Australia on 1 December 2007. The announcement that it would be released as a single came at the same time as releasing the music video to the internet on the official Universal Records website.