The Cannanes

Last updated

The Cannanes
The Cannanes at San Francisco Popfest, 2016.jpg
The Cannanes in San Francisco, 2016
Background information
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Indie pop [1]
Years active1984-present
Labels555 Recordings, Chapter Music, Dark Beloved Cloud, Insound, K Records, Lamingtone, Little Teddy Recordings, Slabco, Yo-Yo
MembersStephen O'Neil
Frances Gibson
IN COLLABORATION WITH:
Andrew Coffey
Bon King
David Nichols
Explosion Robinson
Francesca Bussey
Greg Wadley
Guy Blackman
James Dutton
Jen Turrell
Johnno Lattin
Lance Hillier
Mia Schoen
Nick Ketley
Penny McBride
Shintaro Kiyonari
Stewart Anderson
Past membersAnnabel Bleach
Michelle Cannane
Foxy Humdinger
Randall Lee
Ivor Moulds
Sally Cameron
Jim Woff
Gavin Roy Butler
Nick Kidd />Crayola Sarandon (Simon Williams)
Website www.cannanes.com

The Cannanes are an Australian indie pop band formed in Sydney in late 1984. In the band's 30-year plus history the lineup has regularly changed, with Stephen O'Neil and Frances Gibson the only constant members.

Contents

History

The original 1984 line-up of the band was Stephen O'Neil (vocals, guitar), Annabel Bleach (vocals), Michelle Cannane (guitar and percussion), Frances Gibson (bass), and David Nichols (drums). [2] The band released their first single "Life"/"It's Hardly Worth It" in a limited edition of just 12 cassettes in 1985, followed the same year by a cassette album, The Cannanes Come Across with the Goods. The band's first vinyl release was the Bored Angry & Jealous EP in 1986, which was proclaimed "Single of this and any other week" by The Legend! writing in the NME . [2] [1] [3] Bleach left in 1987; Susan Grigg joined briefly on violin, but she and Cannane left soon afterwards [1] The band underwent several line-up changes over the years: Randall Lee (of Ashtray Boy) was a member of the group in 1987-88 during which time they recorded their debut album, The African Man's Tomato and two singles released simultaneously, "Cardboard" and "I Think the Weather's Affected Your Brain". [4]

The Cannanes released their second album, A Love Affair With Nature in 1989, on their own label (or rather on no label at all), with O'Neil and Gibson now sharing vocal duties. [4] They toured the United States for the first time in 1991, recording the Caveat Emptor album to coincide with it, although it was not released until 1993. [1] Numerous other releases followed. Core additional members in the early 1990s included bassist/vocalists Gavin Butler (on the albums Arty Barbecue and Short Poppy Syndrome) and Francesca Bussey (on a self-titled album and a long EP, Tiny Frown). Nichols left in 1996 to form Driving Past with Gig Ryan, Andrew Withycombe and Mia Schoen; his immediate replacement was Ivor Moulds. O'Neil and Gibson remained constant members, returning in early 1998 with the It's a Fine Line Between Pleasure and Pain EP, and an album, Living the Dream, later that year.

In the 2000s, the band continued play occasional shows in Australia as well as numerous overseas tours in Europe, Japan, The United States and Mexico. They also collaborated with electronica artist Explosion Robinson on the Felicity and Electro 2000 EPs and Trouble Seemed So Far Away album, [5] and also collaborated with Steward (aka Stewart Anderson of Boyracer) on the Communicating at an Unknown Rate album and the Felicity EP. [2] [6]

On 19 March 2013 a new EP Small Batch was released in the United States, [7] [8] and on 16 April the 7 track the Small Batch Remixes EP. In June the band returned to the United States as invited guests at the chickfactor zines' 21st Festival and recording dates in Brooklyn & Flagstaff, AZ. On 5 July a new album, Howling at All Hours was released internationally on Melbourne-based label Chapter Music. [9] [10] This was followed by an East Coast Australian tour and the release of a single on new US label Emotional Response, before the year was out.

2015 saw a flurry of activity following the well received January 'Original Masters' re-issue of the Communicating at an Unknown Rate album including a West Coast U.S. tour as well as shows in New York and Berlin. In 2016 the band returned to Flagstaff to finish work on an as yet unreleased album as well as headlining the opening night of The San Francisco Pop Fest, and later in the year released and launched a 12" remastered Picture Disc version of their 2nd and to date most popular LP.

Discography

Cassettes

Singles

EPs

Albums

Compilations & live albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant (band)</span> Swedish electronic band

Covenant is a Swedish electronic band formed in Helsingborg in 1986. The band is currently composed of Eskil Simonsson and Joakim Montelius in the studio, while live shows consist of Simonsson along with touring members Chad Hauger, Daniel Jonasson, Andreas Catjar and Daniel Myer of Haujobb.

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

Regurgitator are an Australian alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut studio album, Tu-Plang was released in May 1996; it was followed by Unit in November 1997 which was certified triple platinum. Unit won five categories at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998: Album of the Year, Best Alternative Album, Producer of the Year, Engineer of the Year (Magoo) and Best Cover Art. Their third album, ...Art was released in August 1999.

The Lighthouse Keepers, initially the Light-Housekeepers, were an Australian country and indie pop band formed in 1981 in Canberra. In November 1984 the group issued their debut studio album, Tales of the Unexpected, and a single, "Ocean Liner". In 1985 the band toured the United Kingdom supporting Hot label mates, The Triffids. The Lighthouse Keepers combined a "loosely rehearsed, casual ethos" with humour, punk attitudes and pure pop song craft. The ensemble disbanded in 1986, releasing a compilation album, Imploding, in November that year. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, their "tasteful, jangly brand of country-tinged folk rock was at odds with prevailing trends on Sydney's early 1980s, Detroit-besotted independent scene. The band nevertheless issued a number of albums and singles, and always lived up to audience expectations".

Lenola was an American indie rock band formed in New Jersey in 1994, originally envisioned as a four-track project by lead man Jay Laughlin, but with the addition of guitarist David Grubb and drummer Sean Byrne, eventually became a standard band. After the addition of bassist Scott Colan and keyboard player Chris Laughlin, Lenola released several singles on the self-funded Tappersize label before releasing their first album in 1996. In 2001, File Thirteen Records released their full-length CD, Treat Me To Some Life. Their final album, 2003's Sharks & Flames double CD was released in Japan and Europe but has yet to be issued in the US. Powered by strong guitars, Lenola has been compared to My Bloody Valentine, The Boo Radleys, Mercury Rev, and The Flaming Lips. In 2003, the group disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jebediah</span> Australian alternative rock band

Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Kevin Mitchell on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa Thornton on bass guitar. They were joined a year later by Kevin's older brother, Brett Mitchell, on drums. After winning the National Campus Band Competition, the group were brought to national attention when their 1996 single "Jerks of Attention" received heavy airplay on Australian alternative radio station Triple J – which was followed by their breakthrough debut album, Slightly Odway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Reid</span> British-American guitarist and songwriter

Vernon Alphonsus Reid is a British-born American guitarist and songwriter best known as the founder of the rock band Living Colour. Reid was named No. 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and in August 2023, was ranked #42 in Rolling Stone Magazine top 250 Greatest Guitarists of all time. Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's] rampant eclecticism encompasses everything from heavy metal and punk to funk, R&B and avant-garde jazz, and his anarchic, lightning-fast solos have become something of a hallmark as well."

Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. Chapter Music has worked with a broad range of mostly Australian artists, in genres such as rock and roll, indie pop, post punk, country and western and folk. Between 1992 and 2013, the label released around 45 titles, including several compilation albums, such as Can't Stop It! Australian Post-Punk 1978-82 and Songs For Nao. The label's 2014 roster features bands such as Dick Diver, Beaches and Twerps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Clean</span> New Zealand indie rock band

The Clean was a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Dunedin in 1978. They have been described as the most influential band to come from the Flying Nun label, which recorded many artists associated with the "Dunedin sound", and one of the first bands to be described as "indie rock".

New Bad Things were a Portland, Oregon, indie rock band active during the 1990s. They recorded for Candy Ass Records, Rainforest Records, Lissy's Records, Pop Secret, Punk in my Vitamins Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Freewheel Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)</span> Canadian musician (born 1969)

Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer, best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. He began his career as a solo artist in 2005, when The Tea Party went on hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greeley Estates</span> American metalcore band

Greeley Estates was an American metalcore band from Maricopa County, Arizona. Formed in 2002, the band released five full-length studio albums and four EPs. The group initially had an emo-influenced post-hardcore sound, but later shifted to the metalcore genre with their third studio album Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo Gotti</span> American rapper (born 1981)

Mario Sentell Giden Mims, known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper and music executive. In 1996, he released his debut album Youngsta's On a Come Up under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), Back 2 da Basics (2006), Live from the Kitchen (2012), I Am (2013), The Art of Hustle (2016), I Still Am (2017), Untrapped (2020), and CM10: Free Game (2022).

Ashtray Boy is an indie-rock band fronted by peripatetic singer-songwriter Randall S. Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Watt</span> British musician (born 1962)

Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt is a British musician, singer, songwriter, author, DJ, and radio presenter, best known as a member of the duo Everything but the Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flynn Gower</span> Musical artist

Flynn Gower is an Australian vocalist, composer and guitarist, currently the frontman of The Occupants. He is best known as frontman of the rock band Cog, which disbanded in 2010. He was also a guitarist in now-defunct funk metal band The Hanging Tree.

Mahogany are an electric music-based multidisciplinary media ensemble formed in Michigan in 1995 and currently working in Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, and other locations. The band's sound combines vocals, cello, massed guitars, pianos, melodicas, sequencers, synthesizers, samplers, tape, percussion, and other instruments. Mahogany also use film, video, animation, cinema, graphic design, photography, typography and other realization and rendering techniques for a cumulative effect that the band refers to as the "Hypercube".

The Gadjits were an American ska and rock and roll band from Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raw Power (band)</span> Italian hardcore punk band

Raw Power is an Italian hardcore punk band from Reggio Emilia, formed in 1981 and still active.

Boyracer is a British punk band from Leeds, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RVIVR</span> American punk rock band in Washington

RVIVR is an American punk rock band from Olympia, Washington. The band tours frequently and their shows are characterised by energetic performances as well as defense of gender equality. They have released their studio albums and EPs as free downloads on Rumbletowne Records' website.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ankeny, Jason "The Cannanes Biography", Allmusic , Macrovision Corporation
  2. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C (2003) "Cannanes", in the Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0
  3. Andrews, Marc; Isaac, Claire; Nicols, David (2011) Pop Life: Inside Smash Hits Australia 1984 - 2007, Affirm Press, ISBN   9780987132673, p. 112
  4. 1 2 Sprague, David "Cannanes", Trouser Press . Retrieved 5 November 2016
  5. Schou, Solvej (2002) "Cannanes Troubled Seemed So Far Away", CMJ New Music Report, 20 May 2002, p. 12. Retrieved 5 November 2016
  6. Heaton, Dave "The Cannanes and Steward Communicating At an Unknown Rate", PopMatters. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016.
  7. Hogan, Mark (2013) "Hear the Cannanes’ ‘Bumper,’ the First Official Release From the Indie Legends in 11 Years", Spin , 9 January 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2016
  8. Emery, Patrick (2013) "The Cannanes : Small Batch", beat.com.au. Retrieved 5 November 2016
  9. Spencer, Megan (2015) "Lost Albums: The Cannanes and Steward – Communicating At An Unknown Rate", Double J, 20 January 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2016
  10. McGovern, Kyle (2013) "Stream the Cannanes’ Brainy ‘A Bigger Splash,’ From DIY Icons’ First LP in Over a Decade", Spin , 12 June 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2016