The Axemen

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The AXEMEN
AXEMEN Beasties 12 640.jpg
The AXEMEN
Background information
Origin Christchurch and South Dunedin, New Zealand
Genres Indie rock, rock, punk rock
Years active1983–present
LabelsSleek Bott, Flying Nun, Siltbreeze
Members
Past members

The Axemen is a New Zealand indie rock band formed in 1983. [1] [2] [3] [4] They played at the protests for homosexual law reform in 1983, where member Little Stevie McCabe was severely beaten up in the Christchurch Cathedral Square toilets.

Contents

The Axemen's founding members, Bob Brannigan, Little Stevie McCabe, and Stu Kawowski, had been members of various bands in the South Island cities of Christchurch and Dunedin. Brannigan and McCabe played together in Christchurch under many names including The Whining Plums, Hey, We're Wolves and The Twins in the early 1980s. Kawowski played in a two-piece band at Cashmere High School called The Gorillas with Peter Rees, a classical guitarist. Kawowski joined the band The Twins at the Empire Tavern in Dunedin in 1983, when he jumped on stage to play the drums.[ citation needed ]

In February 2009, US record label Siltbreeze re-released the Axemen's 1984 protest album Big Cheap Motel [5] on 12-inch vinyl. Originally the album was released as a cassette packaged in a small bubble sleeve with a straw, mimicking the milk drink Big M. Big Cheap Motel included a recording of a live performance [6] at the Summer Times festival [7] in January 1984, a public music stage set up in Hagley Park, Christchurch. The band observed sexism in the Big M advertising surrounding the main stage, and subsequently wrote protest songs targetting the Christchurch City Council.

The Axemen toured the United States for five weeks in October and November 2009, opening for Times New Viking [8] playing 26 shows including Sacramento (October 27), New York and Chicago (November 28). [9]

The Axemen's debut double LP Three Virgins :: Three Versions:: Three Visions was re-issued and released on June 7, 2011 by Siltbreeze. This album was originally released on New Zealand label Flying Nun Records in 1985. A mint copy of the 1985 vinyl was transferred to digital files at Shadoks Music Studio, Amrum, Germany. [10]

The Axemen featuring McCabe, Kawowski, Stojanovic and newcomer William Daymond toured Australia [11] in December 2011. William Daymond played bass guitar, allowing Dragan Stojanovic to play lead guitar. The Axemen played 10 shows starting in Brisbane and ending in Adelaide on December 23. [12]

The Axemen recorded a new vinyl album Sac Tap Nut Jam in Wellington in 2013, which was released through Spacecase Records, California. [13]

2014 saw the re-release of 1989's Derry Legend [14] on vinyl by Luxury Products USA. [15]

Members

Brannigan currently plays in Shaft, the band he formed with Kawowski, Johnny Segovia and Danny Mañeto in Auckland 1992. (Kawowski, Segovia and Mañeto are no longer in the lineup, which is ever-changing but is currently made up of members of The Situations).[ citation needed ]

Notes

  1. "THE AXEMEN Sac Tap Nut Jam (LP)". Flying Out. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. "The Axemen 1983 – present : press release" (PDF). Theaxemen.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  3. "Axemen One-Sheet – Album Out Next Week". Spacecaserecords.com. 7 July 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. "Axemen, Lo-Liners, Dark Matter & Cranks". The New Zealand Herald. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  5. [ dead link ]
  6. Collett, H. (1984). p. 34, "Adverts inspire Axemen", The New Zealand Times . 4 November 1984
  7. "DIRT GAME MIX". Theaxemen.org. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. "Matador Records". Matadorrecords.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. "Times New Viking / Axemen Tour 2009". Google.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  10. "Welcome Shadoks Music Studio". 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  11. "Axemen Australian Tour". Google.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. "Axemen Tour Diary 2011". Axementour2011.wordpress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  13. "Spacecase Records". Spacecaserecords.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  14. "Axemen – Derry Legend". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. "Luxury Products | Axemen – Derry Legend". Luxuryproductsusa.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  16. "SHUSTAK: STUART PAGE, 2008 | MIC Toi Rerehiko". mic.org.nz. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  17. "home.html". Stuartpage.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Verve</span> English rock band

The Verve were an English rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member in their first reunion only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient (band)</span> Norwegian black metal band

Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iced Earth</span> American heavy metal band

Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band currently composed of only Jon Schaffer, formed in Tampa, Florida and based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist, main songwriter and bandleader Schaffer and original drummer Greg Seymour. Iced Earth released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations, three box sets, three live albums and eleven music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Econoline Crush</span> Canadian rock band

Econoline Crush is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1992. They have released five studio albums and two studio EPs, and are best known for their charting singles such as "You Don't Know What It's Like", "Home", "Surefire ", "All That You Are (X3)", "Make It Right", and "Dirty". They achieved platinum status with the 1997 album The Devil You Know and also received two Juno nominations, in 1995 for Purge and in 1998 for The Devil You Know.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zabranjeno Pušenje</span> Bosnian rock band

Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Bosnian rock band formed in Sarajevo in 1980. The group's musical style primarily consists of a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex storytelling. Currently, the band consists of founding member, vocalist and guitarist Sejo Sexon, longtime drummer Branko Trajkov, guitarist Toni Lović, bassist Dejan Orešković, and violinist and keyboardist Robert Boldižar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma Ray (band)</span> German power metal band

Gamma Ray is a German power metal band from Hamburg, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from power metal band Helloween, in 1989. He is the band's lead vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter. Between 1990 and 2014, Gamma Ray recorded eleven studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masterplan (band)</span> German power metal band

Masterplan is a German power metal band founded by guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch upon leaving Helloween in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misery Signals</span> American-Canadian metalcore band

Misery Signals is an American-Canadian metalcore band formed in Wisconsin in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xandria</span> German symphonic metal band

Xandria is a German symphonic metal band founded by Marco Heubaum in 1994. Originally a project, Heubaum later restarted the project as a band in 1999, and has gone through various lineup changes. The German vocalist Lisa Middelhauve joined for the debut album, co-writing both music and lyrics for the band until her departure in 2008. Middelhauve reunited briefly with the band in 2010 following the departure of the band's second vocalist Kerstin Bischof, but left again shortly after. Manuela Kraller joined the band as the new vocalist in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smak</span> Serbian rock band

Smak was a Serbian and Yugoslav band from Kragujevac. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the most notable acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene. The band's leader, guitarist Radomir Mihailović, nicknamed Točak, is considered one of the most influential guitarists on the former Yugoslav rock scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tony Williams Lifetime</span> American jazz fusion group led by Tony Williams

The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by drummer Tony Williams. The band was pivotal in the development of fusion and featured various noteworthy jazz and rock musicians throughout its history, including guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth, keyboardists Larry Young and Alan Pasqua, and bassists Jack Bruce and Ron Carter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organ trio</span> Form of jazz ensemble

An organ trio is a form of jazz ensemble consisting of three musicians; a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. In some cases the saxophonist will join a trio which consists of an organist, guitarist, and drummer, making it a quartet. Organ trios were a popular type of jazz ensemble for club and bar settings in the 1950s and 1960s, performing a blues-based style of jazz that incorporated elements of R&B. The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical "moods".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrabás</span> Spanish musical group

Barrabás are a Spanish musical group, most successful in the 1970s and 1980s when they were led by drummer and producer Fernando Arbex. The group's musical style was initially Latin rock with jazz and funk influences, and later developed into a more disco-orientated sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seventh Avenue (band)</span>

Seventh Avenue was a Christian metal band from Wolfsburg, Germany, formed in 1989. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Herbie Langhans, guitarist Florian Gottsleben, bassist Markus Beck, and drummer Mike Pflüger, Seventh Avenue played a hybrid style of speed and power metal with a focus on melodies. They released six albums and two EPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siekiera</span> Polish post-punk band

Siekiera was a Polish post-punk band. With fast, aggressive music and lyrics filled with obscenities, the band was a sensation at the 1984 Jarocin Festival. After lineup changes, the band switched to new wave and then dissolved in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roomful of Blues</span> American jump blues and swing revival big band

Roomful of Blues is an American jump blues and swing revival big band based in Rhode Island. With a recording career that spans over 50 years, they have toured worldwide and recorded many albums. Roomful of Blues, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, "Swagger, sway and swing with energy and precision". Since 1967, the group’s blend of swing, rock and roll, jump blues, boogie-woogie and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and many other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards. Billboard called the band "a tour de force of horn-fried blues…Roomful is so tight and so right." The Down Beat International Critics Poll has twice selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band.

Shaft is the long-standing vehicle of songwriter Robert Cardy, original guitarist for the band The Axemen and a stalwart of the New Zealand underground scene. When the Axemen took a break in 1992, Cardy was jamming with Axemen drummer Stu Kawowski for a while, and one day bumped into guitarist John Segovia at a gas station. Soon after Daniel "Speedy" Mañetto came on board as bass player. This original line-up stayed together for around a year or two, and then one by one Segovia, Mañetto and Kawowski departed. Cardy then put together a more hard-edged version of Shaft with Tony Rush and Rich Mixture, with former Axel Grinders guitarist John Segovia joining soon after. Since that time the lineup has changed considerably, with many members coming and going. The current lineup includes Cardy as well as all members of The Situations: Glen Casey (keys), Brad Walkington (guitar), Samuel Kett (bass) and Stuart Kett (drums).

Bilders is a New Zealand music group of varying lineups that produced a string of self-recorded 7-inch vinyl releases between 1980 and 1982 leading to Beatin Hearts, the first studio-album from fledgling New Zealand independent record label 'Flying Nun Records'.

"Dante's Inferno" is a song by the American heavy metal band Iced Earth. The song was originally released on the group's 1995 album Burnt Offerings, and was re-recorded in 2011, with the current line-up of the band. "Dante's Inferno" is also one of the longest songs the band has ever recorded, with the original clocking in at sixteen minutes and twenty-six seconds and the re-recorded version clocking in at seventeen minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band (rock and pop)</span> Musical ensemble which performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre

A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer. Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist plays.

References