The Bamboos (rock band)

Last updated

The Bamboos
Origin Collie, Western Australia, Australia
Genres Swamp rock, alternative rock
Years active1984 (1984)–1987 (1987)
Labels Citadel, Cleopatra
Past members see Members

The Bamboos were a swamp and alternative rock band from Collie, Western Australia which formed in 1984 by mainstays Mark Gelmi on bass guitar and Craig Hallsworth on guitar and vocals. They relocated to Perth by the following year and were joined by Greg Hitchcock (ex-The Go-Starts, Graverobbers) on guitar, and by Shakir Pichler (ex-The Kryptonics) on drums in 1986 who was replaced by Russell Hopkinson in the next year. The Bamboos released an album, Rarer than Rockinghorse Shit and an EP, Born Killer, before they disbanded in late 1987.

Contents

1984-1987: History

The Bamboos were formed in 1984 in the West Australian rural town of Collie, [1] which is 213 kilometres (132 mi) south of Perth. The line-up was Tony Chiallella on drums; Mark Gelmi on bass guitar; Craig Hallsworth on guitar and vocals; and Roger Russell on guitar. [1] By 1985 they had relocated to the capital where Russell was replaced by Greg Hitchcock (ex-The Go-Starts, Graverobbers) on guitar. [1] [2] This line-up recorded three tracks for a 6× extended play box set, Cooking with George – Mark Too, with Ian Davis producing at Australian Broadcasting Corporation Studio 621 in Perth. [3]

In 1986 Chiallella was replaced by Shakir Pichler (ex-The Kryptonics) on drums. [1] According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, the group performed "raw guitar trash and country-swamp rock [which] caught the attention of Citadel Records boss John Needham". [1] In September they released a single, "Snuff", on Citadel. [1] A cassette album, Rarer Than Rockinghorse Shit, followed on Cleopatra Records in the same year. [1] Another single, "Dead Girl", was succeeded in May next year by a six-track EP, Born Killer, on Citadel. [1]

After two national tours Pichler left to form his own rockabilly band, The Howlin MoonDoggies, [4] and was replaced by Russell Hopkinson (ex-Vicious Circle). [1] They issued their final single, "With Which to Love You", in October 1987 and then disbanded. [1] During their career The Bamboos supported Lime Spiders, Johnny Thunders, The Dammed, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Johnnys, Hoodoo Gurus, Violent Femmes and The Cramps.

Afterwards

After disbanding ex-members of The Bamboos joined other groups. Hallsworth formed The Healers, Wild Palms, Zuvuya, Outstation, Tangled Star and The Slow Beings. In 2016 Craig released a solo album - What's The Story With This Hole? through Hidden Shoal. This is available for digital download. In 2019/20 Craig reunited with Jim Butterworth on bass (The Healers, Outstation, Zuvuya, Wild Palms and Tangled Star) and they enlisted Michael Newman on drums to form Magnets Have Souls. In 2024 Magnets Have Souls released their debut album, Evidence, which is available on all streaming platforms. They are currently working on a second album. Hitchcock has been associated with The Neptunes, The Kryptonics, New Christs, The Verys, Challenger 7, You Am I, The Dearhunters, and The Monarchs. [2] Hopkinson joined Nursery Crimes and then You Am I. [5] Hopkinson has also worked with Australian punk act, Radio Birdman, and managed a record label and distribution company, Reverberation Records from 2003 to August 2007, when it was taken over by Fuse Music Group. [6] [7] Pichler formed The Howlin MoonDoggies, [4] Fink, Brutal Pancho and toured with Amphetish and United States band, Wish You Weres. Pichler also established his own label, Sexbeat Records, and appeared in feature films, Mission: Impossible 2 , On Our Selection, and Fat Pizza: The Movie ; and a TV series, Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King .

Members

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions
AUS
[8]
Bamboos & Mutants of Desire
(with Mutants of Desire)
  • Released: 1985
  • Format: CS
  • Label: The Bamboos
-
Born Killer
  • Released: June 1987
  • Format: mini-LP, CS
  • Label: Citadel Records (CITLP 506)
94
Rarer Than Rockinghorse Shit
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: LP, CS
  • Label: Cleopatra (CLP227)
-

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Men at Work</span> Australian rock band

Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", "Be Good Johnny", "Overkill", and "It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is Colin Hay, who performs on lead vocals and guitar. After playing as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert during 1978–1979, Hay formed the group with Strykert playing bass guitar and Jerry Speiser on drums. They were soon joined by Greg Ham on flute, saxophone and keyboards, and John Rees on bass guitar, with Strykert switching back to lead guitar. The group was managed by Russell Depeller, a friend of Hay, whom he met at La Trobe University. This line-up achieved national and international success during the early to mid-1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Supply</span> Australian soft rock group

Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Lost in Love" (1979), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World", "The One That You Love", "Here I Am", "Sweet Dreams", "Even the Nights Are Better" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (1983). In Australia, they had four top ten placements with "Love and Other Bruises" (1976), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World" and "The One That You Love". Their highest charting studio album, The One That You Love (1981) reached number ten in both Australia and the US. The group, which relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, has included many members, with Hitchcock and Russell at the core. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) inducted Air Supply into their Hall of Fame on 1 December 2013, at the annual ARIA Awards.

The Crystal Set were an Australian indie rock group formed in March 1983. By 1987 the line-up was Russell Kilbey, Phillip Maher, Davey Ray Moor and Tim Seckhold (drums). In April 1988 Moor was replaced by Craig Hooper, who was replaced in turn by Luke Blackburn, in May 1989. The group issued two studio albums, From Now On and Almost Pure, before disbanding later that year. Russell Kilbey is the younger brother of the Church's mainstay, Steve Kilbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Necks</span> Australian avant-garde jazz trio

The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio formed in 1987 by founding mainstays Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass. They play long improvisational pieces of up to an hour in length that explore the development and demise of repeating musical figures characteristic of the New York School of long-form Minimal Music as practiced by La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Rhys Chatham; and the free improvisation jazz music of Cecil Taylor.

The New Christs are an Australian garage rock band formed in 1980 by founding mainstay, Rob Younger, on lead vocals. Younger was the lead singer for punk rockers, Radio Birdman, and in other hard rock groups, New Race, Bad Music, the Other Side, Nanker Phelge, and Deep Reduction. The New Christs line-up since 2011 is Younger with Jim Dickson on bass guitar, Dave Kettley on guitar, Paul Larsen on drums and Brent Williams on guitar and keyboards. Over their career the group have issued five studio albums, Distemper (1989), Lower Yourself (1997), We Got This! (2002), Gloria (2009) and Incantations (2014). Three former members have died: Stevie Plunder in January 1996, Mark Wilkinson in December 2012 and Christian Houllemare in June 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Zorros</span> Australian rock band

The Zorros were an Australian rock band, formed in 1979, comprising Nic Chancellor on lead vocals, Darren Smith on lead guitar, Alex Zammit on bass guitar and Greg Pedley on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wilson (Australian musician)</span> Australian musician (1956–2019)

Christopher John Wilson was an Australian blues musician who sang and played harmonica, saxophone and guitar. He performed as part of the Sole Twisters, Harem Scarem and Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, and fronted his band Crown of Thorns. Wilson's solo albums are Landlocked, The Long Weekend, Spiderman (2000), King for a Day, Flying Fish (2012) and the self titled Chris Wilson (2018).

The Riptides were an Australian power pop group which was formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1977 as The Grudge. Their founding mainstay was Mark Callaghan on lead vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and as principal songwriter. Former member Michael Hiron died in 2001.

Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool. Guitarist Eric McCusker, who joined in 1980, wrote many of the band's hits, and along with Wilson formed the core of the group. They are best known for their second album, Chemistry, which was released in July 1981 and peaked at number 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report. Their song "Come Said the Boy" peaked at number 2 in Australia in 1983.

Russell Keith "Rusty" Hopkinson is an Australian rock musician and record label owner. He joined alternative rockers, You Am I, in 1993 on drums, percussion and backing vocals. He had previously been a member of the Bamboos (1986–87) and Kryptonics (1987–88). He established a record label, Reverberation, in 2003 with his former Kryptonics bandmate, Ian Underwood.

The Dubrovniks were an Australian rock band which formed in August 1986 as The Adorable Ones. Early in 1987 they changed their name to The Dubrovniks in acknowledgement to the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, which was the birthplace of two founding members, Roddy Radalj, and Boris Sujdovic. Both Radalj and fellow founder James Baker had previously founded Hoodoo Gurus in 1981. All three had earlier associations in the Perth punk scene of the late 1970s. The group issued four albums, before disbanding in 1995.

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Kryptonics were a melodic pop punk band that were active between 1985 and 1992. Kryptonics were contemporaries of notable Perth bands The Stems, The Triffids & The Bamboos, and released a series of 7" singles and 12" vinyl EPs on a number of Australian independent record labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Baker (musician)</span> Australian musician

James Lawrence Baker is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of various rock and punk rock groups, including the Victims, the Scientists, Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and the Dubrovniks. In 2006 Baker was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Hall of Fame. The following year, Hoodoo Gurus were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Masuak</span> Musical artist

Christopher William Masuak is a Canadian-born Australian musician, guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He joined the punk rock group, Radio Birdman, then the hard rockers, the Hitmen, and the Screaming Tribesmen (1984–89). Masuak has also been a member of New Christs (1983–84), the Juke Savages (1992–96), the Raouls (1996–97), and Klondike's North 40 (2002–08). He currently plays with The Viveiro Wave Riders in his adopted country of Spain. He has released material as Chris Boy King and as Klondike. Radio Birdman were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in July 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim White (drummer)</span> Australian musician

Jim Ronald White is an Australian drummer, songwriter, and producer. In 1992 he formed Dirty Three, an instrumental rock band, with fellow mainstays Warren Ellis on violin; and Mick Turner on guitar. In Dirty Three, White sometimes shares songwriting duties with Ellis and Turner.

The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run from 1977 to 1984. They regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They have issued three studio albums, Hitmen, It Is What It Is and Moronic Inferno. The Hitmen reformed in 2007; Masuak left in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dom Mariani</span> Australian musician (born 1958)

Dom Mariani is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Mariani has been a member of several bands since the early 1980s, including The Stems, The Someloves, DM3, Datura4 and instrumental side project The Majestic Kelp. The Stems is the best-known and most successful of Mariani's projects. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described the power pop group as "one of the best live bands on the Australian scene".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Shepherd</span> Australian musician (born 1961)

Bradley Mark Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially Hoodoo Gurus.

<i>Air Supply</i> (1976 album) 1976 studio album by Air Supply

Air Supply is the debut album by British/Australian soft rock band Air Supply released on CBS Records in December 1976. The lead single "Love and Other Bruises" was released in October, reaching No. 6 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart, followed by the album's peak at No. 17 on the Kent Albums Chart. While the album reached gold status in Australia, the second single "Empty Pages" did not reach the Top 40 in February 1977. The album was issued as Strangers in Love in Japan.

Nursery Crimes were a hardcore band from Melbourne. They formed in early 1989 by Phil Rose on lead vocals. They played both locally and around Australia before disbanding in 1994. They released two full length albums, some singles and extended plays. Their debut releases were "All Torn up Inside", No Time for That Crime and Fun Hurts!. They were early pioneers and supporters of "all-ages", no-alcohol gigs, to allow a wider and younger audience to experience live music. Nursery Crimes were a support act on Australian tours by L7, Henry Rollins, Faith No More, Fugazi and All. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described how Nursery Crimes' "sound was built around melodic yet crunching guitar riffs, frenetic arrangements, rapid fire lead vocals and sweet harmonies". The group reunited for a series of gigs in 2006.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Bamboos'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 27 April 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 Holmgren, Magnus. "Greg Hitchcock". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bamboos". Divine Rites Records (Didier Georgieff). Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 "The Howlin' MoonDoggies". Australian Music Online. Archived from the original on 19 December 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "You Am I". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Reverberation Enters into Joint Venture with Fuse Music Group". Fuse Music Group. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Reverberation Distribution". Reverberation Records. Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 25. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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.