Straw (band)

Last updated

Straw
Origin Bristol, England
Genres Indie rock, post-Britpop
Years active1998–2000
Labels WEA, Columbia
Past membersMattie Bennett
Duck Blackwell
Andy Nixon
Dan McKinna
Roger Power

Straw was an English post-Britpop band that released one album, Shoplifting , in 1999.

Contents

History

Straw was formed in Bristol by Mattie Bennett (vocals/guitar) and Roger Power (bass/guitar), formerly of The Blue Aeroplanes. Later adding keyboardist Mark "Duck" Blackwell, the group signed to Arista Records under the moniker "Please" with a different lead vocalist. They recorded an album in Boston with American record producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie. Unhappy with the results, however, the band was dropped by the label after releasing a single, "If I Was God..." (1995, Sugarscoop Records).

When Arista kept Please's singer under contract, Bennett stepped into the lead vocalist role, the band adding drummer Andy Nixon and re-christening themselves Straw. This newly revitalised line-up was quickly signed to WEA and issued its debut single "Weird Superman" in the summer of 1998. Two more singles and one EP were released: "The Aeroplane Song," (charting at no. 37 in the UK Singles Chart on 6 February 1999), [1] "Moving to California" (charting at no. 50 on 24 April 1999), [1] and Soundtrack of the Summer (including "The World Is Not Enough" — a James Bond theme attempt) [2] in 1999 before Straw released their first full-length effort, Shoplifting.

Throughout 1998 and 1999 the band toured extensively with Puressence, Space and Feeder alongside emerging future stars Muse and gigs with Supergrass, Alanis Morissette, Fountains of Wayne and Reef. The extensive touring and television appearances (including the O-Zone and TFI Friday ) took their toll, and differences broke out in the band resulting in the dismissal of Power after the band's final appearance of 1999 at the Glastonbury Festival. They were also subsequently dropped by WEA. They recruited new bassist Dan McKinna, and self-funded (and self-produced) the recording of several new tracks in the basement studio of Pete Thomas' house. On the strength of this new material they were signed to Columbia in 2000 and released the 4-track EP Home Work and the single "Sailing Off the Edge of the World" to critical acclaim. [3] A second album, Keepsakes, was slated for release later that year but they were dropped by Columbia and went their separate ways shortly afterwards.

Andy Nixon and Dan McKinna went on to play in The Jeevas with Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker and then onto The Magic Bullet Band. McKinna has been a session player for many bands including James Morrison, Ben's Brother, Stuart Staples (Tindersticks), A Man Called Adam and Farrah. Blackwell, after producing Straw, The Jeevas and The Magic Bullet Band, continues to work as a record producer and songwriter. Bennett is currently an English teacher at Bodmin College in Cornwall and is the leader of the Bennett Battalion (2016–2018).

Discography

Singles

Albums and EPs

Although Keepsakes was never released, bar a 5-track sampler, the band could often be found giving away complete copies of the finished album on CD-R at gigs shortly before they split up.

Track listing is as follows:

  1. "Tomorrow is Promised To No One"
  2. "Sailing Off the Edge of the World"
  3. "No Encores"
  4. "Watching You Sleep"
  5. "Be Careful"
  6. "Temporary"
  7. "Flowers On a Lampost"
  8. "Pop Music is not Complicated"
  9. "I Saw Her First"
  10. "This is the Future"
  11. "In & Out"
  12. "Negative of Love"
  13. "Dracula (I Will Survive)"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extended play</span> Musical recording longer than a single but shorter than a full album

An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 15 to 30 minutes. An "EP" is usually less cohesive than an album and more "non-committal".

The Jeevas were an English rock supergroup. Its members were Crispian Mills, Andy Nixon (drums), and Dan McKinna (bass). Mills was previously the vocalist of Kula Shaker. Nixon and McKinna were previous members of Straw and a third member of Straw, Mark "Duck" Blackwell, produced both The Jeevas' albums. Mills rejoined Kula Shaker in late 2005, and The Jeevas disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kula Shaker</span> English psychedelic rock band

Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart, including "Tattva", "Hey Dude", "Govinda", "Hush", and "Sound of Drums". The band's debut album, K, reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It was voted number 879 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Wakeman</span> English musician

Oliver Wakeman is an English musician, rock keyboardist and composer. He was a member of Yes from 2008 to 2011, filling the role of keyboardist previously held by his father, Rick Wakeman.

<i>Dead Letter Office</i> (album) 1987 compilation album by R.E.M.

Dead Letter Office is a rarities and B-sides collection by R.E.M., released in April 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made from before Murmur to Lifes Rich Pageant that were outtakes or released as B-sides to their singles internationally. Many of the tracks are favorite cover versions indicating the band's disparate influences and musical tastes, including three Velvet Underground covers, and songs by Aerosmith, Roger Miller, and fellow Athenians Pylon ("Crazy").

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Matthews</span> English musician

Iain Matthews is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthews Southern Comfort, which had a UK number one in 1970 with their cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". In 1979, his recording of Terence Boylan's "Shake It" reached No. 13 on the US charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand Yard Stare (band)</span>

Thousand Yard Stare are an English band from Slough, Berkshire, England, active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, the band also released several EPs. Reformed in 2015, the band played a sold-out show at London's Borderline on 6 June, at the Nottingham Rock City Wake-Up Indie Alldayer on 17 October 2015, and at the Shiiine On Weekender festival at Butlins Minehead on 6 November 2015. More dates were scheduled for 2016 and they released full-length record in 2020 and 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The God Machine (band)</span> American alternative rock band

The God Machine was an alternative rock band, active in the first half of the 1990s. Its members were all from San Diego, California, but they all lived and performed mainly in the United Kingdom and across Europe.

<i>BSides Themselves</i> 1988 compilation album by Marillion

B'Sides Themselves is a compilation of single B-sides by the British neo-prog band Marillion, which was released on CD only in January 1988. This was the first time that those B-sides were made available in the then still relatively new Compact Disc format. However, vinyl LP and cassette versions were issued in June 1988.

Qkumba Zoo is a South African dance music duo from Johannesburg, South Africa, consisting of vocalist Levannah and musician/producer Owl. The band was originally formed by Owl and Levannah as a duo called Ocean Road.

Parasites are an American pop-punk band. They were formed in the late 1980s by guitarist / singer Dave Parasite and bassist Ron Nole in New Jersey. Dave later relocated to Berkeley, California, and continued with a new lineup during the heyday of Lookout! Records and the Bay Area pop-punk revival.

Seiichi Yamamoto is a Japanese musician. He was a guitarist for the noise rock band Boredoms, and has released records both as a solo artist and with several other musicians and bands. He has also composed the soundtracks to several films.

Go Sailor was an American, short-lived Berkeley-based twee pop band. Its members included Rose Melberg of Tiger Trap and The Softies, Paul Curran of Crimpshrine (bass) and Amy Linton of Henry's Dress (drums). They recorded three 7-inch singles and an album on Lookout! Records in 1996, the latter of which collected the singles tracks and two compilation appearances. After their breakup their songs "Ray of Sunshine" and "Together Forever in Love" were included on the soundtrack to the movie But I'm a Cheerleader.

This is a discography of music related to the American sitcom Friends.

<i>Twos Missing</i> 1987 album

Two's Missing is a compilation album by English rock band The Who.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Stick (band)</span>

Big Stick is an American musical duo formed in New York in 1985 by John Gill and Yanna Trance. Known mostly for their unconventional approach to songwriting and recording, Big Stick's music varies and jumps through different genres and categories, touching on punk rock, industrial music, and art rock and brutally simple performance style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimebag Darrell performances</span>

Darrell Lance Abbott, best known as Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. His musical recordings and film appearances include:

<i>Bring Me the Head of Rachel Stamp EP</i> 1996 EP by Rachel Stamp

Bring Me the Head of... Rachel Stamp EP is the first EP by British rock band Rachel Stamp. It was also their final release through major label WEA. It was released in November 1996 on three formats - CD single, Limited Edition 10" vinyl of 1000 copies and cassette. A promotional single was also issued to radio stations featuring the EP's first track, "Madonna... Cher...". Unlike previous singles, there was no promotional video made to promote the EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Gray</span> Musical artist

Howard Gray is an English musician, sound engineer, programmer, composer, re-mixer and producer who has worked with Public Image Ltd, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Kirsty MacColl, the Armoury Show, the Pale Fountains, Japan, the Stranglers, Simple Minds, the Pretenders, XTC, UB40, Scritti Politti, Cherubs, Terence Trent D'Arby, Jean Michel Jarre, the Cure, Manic Street Preachers, U2, Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page, Tom Jones and Van Morrison.

<i>The Boys</i> (The Shadows EP) 1962 EP by The Shadows

The Boys is an EP by The Shadows, released in October 1962. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number Columbia SEG 8193. Also known as Theme music from The Boys or Theme music from the Galaworldfilm Production "The Boys", the EP was the UK number-one EP for 3 weeks in November 1962.

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  2. Rogers, Jude (31 October 2008). "For your ears only". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  3. Garbledonline.net