Andy Bull
Encyclopedia
Andy Bull is an Australia
n alt-pop/piano rock
singer-songwriter
, based in Sydney
. He is best known for the single "Dog," from his 2010 Phantom Pains EP, a duet with former Australian Idol
contestant Lisa Mitchell
, as well as his prolific Australian touring.
Bull began performing in and around Sydney in the early 2000s, eventually getting the attention of producer Tony Buchen in 2004. Buchen, having worked with other successful acts such as Blue King Brown
, Macromantics
and The Whitlams
, felt that Bull's style of music required different approach to recording, and the two experimented with older recording techniques such as analogue
.
Wanting to develop Bull's talent further, but still nurture his individual style, they then travelled together to New York City
, where they produced and mixed songs for Bull's debut album at the Electric Lady Studios
. Bull signed to Island Records
, a part of Universal Music Australia, in 2007. In 2007, Bull supported Joss Stone
on her Australian tour and, in 2008, increased in popularity by being played regularly by the radio station
Triple J
.
Bull's debut single was released in August 2008. Entitled "Small Town Girl", it was taken from his debut album We're Too Young. In 2008, Bull toured with Garage to V winners, Little Red
. His first headlining national tour commenced in late 2008. A music video was also made for "Young Man," the second single from the album. Bull would continue to tour extensively in support of the album throughout the rest of 2008 and 2009, notably joining Tim Finn
's national tour as an opening act, performing solo as opposed to with his six-piece band. He also opened for a MySpace
secret show in Sydney featuring U.K. neo-soul singer Duffy
in that same year.
after performing a cover of Madonna
's "Like a Prayer
" with her and Lanie Lane at Sydney's Enmore Theatre
during Mitchell's headlining performance at the venue. The resulting song was "Dog," which has gone on to become Bull's most popular song to date. Its popularity resulted in being featured in the Triple J Hottest 100
of 2010, charting at number 68.
"Dog," along with five other new songs, featured on Bull's Phantom Pains EP. Bull played piano, guitar and drums on the EP, as well as nearly all of the vocals. He was also joined by former Red Riders
guitarist Adrian Deutsh and Deep Sea Arcade/Tim Finn drummer Nick Weaver. Along with Mitchell, the EP also featured special guests Little Red and Hungry Kids of Hungary
as Bull's backing band on the songs "Nothing to Lose" and "Last Waltz," respectively. A music video was made for the EP's title track, in which a man cuts off his thumb in order to get workplace compensation.
In October 2010, Bull would join Clare Bowditch
's national tour for a series of stops as her opening act, joining Augie March
frontman Glenn Richards. For these dates, Bull was joined by Slow Down Honey guitarist Alex Bennison. Bull and Bennison would also do a small headlining tour in the following weeks, and later join Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan
on the New South Wales leg of his national tour in January 2011. On this tour, Bull premiered a new song, entitled "When the Penny Drops."
Shortly after this, the second and final single from Phantom Pains was announced as "Last Waltz." Bull, Bennison and new drummer Dave Jenkins would visit the Triple J
studios on the 24th of March, 2011, to perform the song acoustically as a part of the station's "Like a Version" segment. As is customary, the trio also performed a cover, Tears for Fears
' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
." Bull would also head out on a headlining tour of the east coast with Melbourne singer Owl Eyes, titled the Bulls Eye tour, in February. The tour was a notable success for Bull, including a sold-out Wollongong date at the Otis Bar.
On February 28, Bull was a special guest on Channel 10 comedy panel show Good News Week
. As one of the clues in deciphering a news story from the week, he performed a piano-based version of the Sex Pistols
song "God Save the Queen
." In early March 2011, Bull was also a part of a campaign for Australian tourism
called "Making Tracks," in which he was paired with Taiwanese classical musician Irene Chan, from the YouTube Symphony Orchestra
. The pair travelled to South Australia
and the Northern Territory
, in particular Kangaroo Island
and Kings Canyon
. The campaign involved a musical experiment, in which the two collaborated on a piece of music that reflected their journey. The video documentation of this has had nearly 100 thousand hits on YouTube.
Following this tour, Bull was asked to join his friends Hungry Kids of Hungary on their final tour in support of their debut album, Escapades. Each night of the tour would see Bull performing with his band, as well as performing "Last Waltz" with Hungry Kids of Hungary during their headlining sets.
fan page that he is working on more new material, potentially for a second studio album. He was also announced as the support act for Joshua Radin
's headlining tour of Australia in June 2011, a tour which he completed solo; as well as being announced as one of the acts performing at the 2011 Coaster Festival in Gosford, New South Wales
, alongside acts such as the John Butler Trio
and Jebediah
.
Bull performed on BalconyTV Melbourne in July 2011. In the same month, he also announced a headlining tour in support of Phantom Pains.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n alt-pop/piano rock
Piano rock
Piano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a style of popular music that is based around the piano—and sometimes piano-related instruments such as keyboards–with piano typically replacing rhythm guitar as the rhythm instrument...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, based in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He is best known for the single "Dog," from his 2010 Phantom Pains EP, a duet with former Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
contestant Lisa Mitchell
Lisa Mitchell
Lisa Helen Mitchell is an Australian singer-songwriter who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. Her debut EP, Said One To The Other topped iTunes in Australia and this success brought her to the attention of boutique London-based publisher, Little Victories , a subsidiary of Sony/ATV, with whom she...
, as well as his prolific Australian touring.
Early years and We're Too Young
Bull developed his love of music growing up, with his father developing a passion for collecting keyboards on his travels, and had a keen interest in playing the piano. It was not long until Andy himself developed this interest in the piano, later developing into singing and writing his own music.Bull began performing in and around Sydney in the early 2000s, eventually getting the attention of producer Tony Buchen in 2004. Buchen, having worked with other successful acts such as Blue King Brown
Blue King Brown
Blue King Brown are a Melbourne-based, Australian urban roots band. They have released a self-titled EP and a full length album, Stand Up . They released their follow-up Worldwize Part 1 - North & South on 20 August 2010...
, Macromantics
Macromantics
Macromantics is the stage name used by the Melbourne-based hip hop artist Romy Hoffman.-Biography:In 1995 Hoffman started performing with her high school classmate Ben Lee's pop/punk band Noise Addict as a 15 year old guitarist."I just did the last tour with them, which was great because I got to...
and The Whitlams
The Whitlams
The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
, felt that Bull's style of music required different approach to recording, and the two experimented with older recording techniques such as analogue
Analogue electronics
Analogue electronics are electronic systems with a continuously variable signal, in contrast to digital electronics where signals usually take only two different levels. The term "analogue" describes the proportional relationship between a signal and a voltage or current that represents the signal...
.
Wanting to develop Bull's talent further, but still nurture his individual style, they then travelled together to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where they produced and mixed songs for Bull's debut album at the Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
. Bull signed to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, a part of Universal Music Australia, in 2007. In 2007, Bull supported Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
on her Australian tour and, in 2008, increased in popularity by being played regularly by the radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
.
Bull's debut single was released in August 2008. Entitled "Small Town Girl", it was taken from his debut album We're Too Young. In 2008, Bull toured with Garage to V winners, Little Red
Little Red
Little Red is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Adrian Beltrame , Dominic Byrne , Quang Dinh , Tom Hartney and Taka Honda .-Biography:...
. His first headlining national tour commenced in late 2008. A music video was also made for "Young Man," the second single from the album. Bull would continue to tour extensively in support of the album throughout the rest of 2008 and 2009, notably joining Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
's national tour as an opening act, performing solo as opposed to with his six-piece band. He also opened for a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
secret show in Sydney featuring U.K. neo-soul singer Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
in that same year.
2010 - Phantom Pains
In 2010, Bull began writing new material after relocating to Surry Hills. He was inspired to record a duet with Lisa MitchellLisa Mitchell
Lisa Helen Mitchell is an Australian singer-songwriter who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. Her debut EP, Said One To The Other topped iTunes in Australia and this success brought her to the attention of boutique London-based publisher, Little Victories , a subsidiary of Sony/ATV, with whom she...
after performing a cover of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's "Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer (song)
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna on her fourth studio album of the same name . It was released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records as the album's lead single...
" with her and Lanie Lane at Sydney's Enmore Theatre
Enmore Theatre
The Enmore Theatre is a theatre and entertainment venue in Sydney. It is located on Enmore Road in the suburb of Enmore, south-west of the adjoining suburb, Newtown. It is a medium-sized venue...
during Mitchell's headlining performance at the venue. The resulting song was "Dog," which has gone on to become Bull's most popular song to date. Its popularity resulted in being featured in the Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...
of 2010, charting at number 68.
"Dog," along with five other new songs, featured on Bull's Phantom Pains EP. Bull played piano, guitar and drums on the EP, as well as nearly all of the vocals. He was also joined by former Red Riders
Red Riders
Red Riders were an indie rock band from Sydney, Australia. After releasing two EPs and a single, the band released their debut album, Replica Replica in October 2006. The band announced that they would be splitting up via their Facebook page on 5 April....
guitarist Adrian Deutsh and Deep Sea Arcade/Tim Finn drummer Nick Weaver. Along with Mitchell, the EP also featured special guests Little Red and Hungry Kids of Hungary
Hungry Kids of Hungary
Hungry Kids of Hungary are an Australian five-piece indie pop band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band consists of Dean McGrath , Kane Mazlin , Ben Dalton , Remy Boccalatte and Ryan Strathie .- Origins and self-titled EP :Forming in mid 2007, the band appears to be the...
as Bull's backing band on the songs "Nothing to Lose" and "Last Waltz," respectively. A music video was made for the EP's title track, in which a man cuts off his thumb in order to get workplace compensation.
In October 2010, Bull would join Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch is an Australian musician from Melbourne, Victoria. She released her fourth album Modern Day Addiction via Island Records on 13 August 2010. It became both 3RRR Album of the Week and ABC Radio National's Album of the Week. MDA is the first of Bowditch's album's to enter the Top Ten...
's national tour for a series of stops as her opening act, joining Augie March
Augie March
Augie March are an Australian indie/pop rock band. Formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria, the band currently consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards, lead guitarist Adam Donovan, bassist Edmondo Ammendola, drummer David Williams, and keyboardist Kiernan Box...
frontman Glenn Richards. For these dates, Bull was joined by Slow Down Honey guitarist Alex Bennison. Bull and Bennison would also do a small headlining tour in the following weeks, and later join Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan
Dan Mangan
Daniel Mangan is a Canadian indie folk-rock singer-songwriter.-Early life:Mangan was born in Smithers, British Columbia. His family moved a fair amount, residing in both the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia - and primarily in his current home town of Vancouver...
on the New South Wales leg of his national tour in January 2011. On this tour, Bull premiered a new song, entitled "When the Penny Drops."
Shortly after this, the second and final single from Phantom Pains was announced as "Last Waltz." Bull, Bennison and new drummer Dave Jenkins would visit the Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
studios on the 24th of March, 2011, to perform the song acoustically as a part of the station's "Like a Version" segment. As is customary, the trio also performed a cover, Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by the British New Wave band Tears for Fears.It was the band's ninth single release in the United Kingdom and seventh UK Top 40 chart hit, peaking at number two in April 1985...
." Bull would also head out on a headlining tour of the east coast with Melbourne singer Owl Eyes, titled the Bulls Eye tour, in February. The tour was a notable success for Bull, including a sold-out Wollongong date at the Otis Bar.
On February 28, Bull was a special guest on Channel 10 comedy panel show Good News Week
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
. As one of the clues in deciphering a news story from the week, he performed a piano-based version of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
song "God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)
"God Save the Queen" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released as the band's second single and was featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977...
." In early March 2011, Bull was also a part of a campaign for Australian tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
called "Making Tracks," in which he was paired with Taiwanese classical musician Irene Chan, from the YouTube Symphony Orchestra
YouTube Symphony Orchestra
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra assembled by open auditions hosted by YouTube, the London Symphony Orchestra and several other worldwide partners. Launched on December 1, 2008, it is the first-ever online collaborative orchestra.-2009:...
. The pair travelled to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, in particular Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
and Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)
Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, it is 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and 1,316 km south of Darwin.- Description :...
. The campaign involved a musical experiment, in which the two collaborated on a piece of music that reflected their journey. The video documentation of this has had nearly 100 thousand hits on YouTube.
Following this tour, Bull was asked to join his friends Hungry Kids of Hungary on their final tour in support of their debut album, Escapades. Each night of the tour would see Bull performing with his band, as well as performing "Last Waltz" with Hungry Kids of Hungary during their headlining sets.
Current activity
Bull recently confirmed on his FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
fan page that he is working on more new material, potentially for a second studio album. He was also announced as the support act for Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor. He was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and is of Swedish, German, Polish, Russian, and Austrian descent. He studied drawing and painting at Northwestern University, following his college years with stints as an art...
's headlining tour of Australia in June 2011, a tour which he completed solo; as well as being announced as one of the acts performing at the 2011 Coaster Festival in Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
, alongside acts such as the John Butler Trio
John Butler Trio
The John Butler Trio are an eclectic roots and jam band from Australia led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. They formed in Fremantle in 1998 with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass guitar...
and Jebediah
Jebediah
Jebediah is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Kevin Mitchell, guitarist Chris Daymond, bassist Vanessa Thornton, and Kevin's brother Brett Mitchell on drums...
.
Bull performed on BalconyTV Melbourne in July 2011. In the same month, he also announced a headlining tour in support of Phantom Pains.
Discography
- Andy Bull - EP (2008)
- "Small Town Girl" - single (2008)
- We're Too Young - album (2009)
- "Dog" - radio single (2010)
- Phantom Pains - EP (2010)
- "Last Waltz" - single (2011)
External links
- Official Website http://www.andybull.com.au
- Myspace + blog http://www.myspace.com/
- Interview with Australian Music Online http://www.amo.org.au/qa_interview.asp?id=1243
- Time Out Sydney Article http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/music/andy-bull.aspx
- Vibewire Gig Review http://www.vibewire.net/Members/LivH/andy-bull-watch-this-space/
- 3D World Article http://www.threedworld.com.au/content/view/5756/56/
- Management website http://www.theharbouragency.com/artist-profile/andy-bull
- Island Records website http://www.islandrecords.com/site/home.php