Schtung were a New Zealand progressive rock band active from 1976. [1] The band developed out of school-era bands formed by friends keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Hagen and guitarist/vocalist Morton Wilson. [2]
New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.
Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid to late 1960s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening, not dancing.
Additional members were: Rob Sinclair (bass/vocals), Paul Jeffrey (keyboards/vocals), Geoff Bowdler drums), and Dave Bowater (woodwinds/percussion). [1]
The band signed a recording contract with Polygram underwater, wearing scuba gear. [2] After releasing an album in 1977 they appeared at free concerts in Auckland's Albert Park, and music festivals including Nambassa. [3] After breaking up in 1979, [2] Schtung morphed into a media company Schtung Media that is still active today. [4]
Schtung released music videos for singles such as They Sleep Early in Cologne [5] and National Scandal. [6]
After Schtung disbanded, Hagen and Wilson founded Schtung Productions, and Jeffrey co-founded Oceania Productions. [7] Sinclair and Bowater participated in recordings that were released as 3 Voices. [8] [9]
