Pollyanna (band)
Encyclopedia
Pollyanna were an Australia
n alternative rock
band that came to prominence in the mid-'90s with their brand of noisy indie guitar pop, reminiscent of Bob Mould's post-Husker Du
project Sugar and Buffalo Tom
. Formed in Sydney, Australia in 1993, the original Pollyanna line-up was Matt Handley (vocals/guitar), Maryke Stapleton (bass), and Serge Luca (drums).
Their first EP, FordGreenSilverRocket, released in October 1994 through Mushroom Records
' new imprint Bark, was largely ignored, although their second EP, Junior, was picked up by Australian radio after its release in February 1995, largely due to the track "Pale Grey Eyes".
Pollyanna's highly anticipated debut album, Long Player was released in early 1996. Recorded at Sydney's Paradise Studios with David Trump, the album received mostly positive reviews across the country for its guitar-driven pop. Several tracks became alternative radio staples and both the album and lead single "Lemonsuck" briefly cracked the Australian mainstream charts, whilst staying at the top of the Australian independent charts for several weeks. Soon after the album's release, Pollyanna found themselves with four singles—"Pale Grey Eyes", "Lemonsuck", "Keep Me Guessing" and "Piston"—all simultaneously in the Top 20 singles of the Australian independent charts. "Lemonsuck" and "Pale Grey Eyes" made the Triple J Hottest 100
list for 1995. Long Player received two ARIA
award nominations for Breakthrough Artist – Album and Best Alternative Release in 1996.
With this newfound success in mind, Pollyanna re-released the two early EPs remixed onto one disc entitled Junior Rock in November 1996 and toured nationally with Powderfinger. It was around this time that DeSoto Records
released a Pollyanna 7" single of "Fordgreensilverrocket" b/w "Grover Washington" in the USA.
Pollyanna toured extensively through 1996 and 1997, including several headline tours, a national tour with the Hoodoo Gurus and support slots for the Australian leg of world tours by Weezer
, Paw
, Teenage Fanclub
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
, Sebadoh
, The Cranberries
and Garbage
, plus appearances at The Big Day Out
, Homebake
, Falls Festival
and Livid
festivals.
Work began on their second album, Hello Halo in early 1997 at Festival Studios in Sydney with producer Paul McKercher. During the recording of Hello Halo Luca quit the band, eventually joining Sydney psychedelic pop outfit Drop City. Glenn Maynard, who had played drums in Melbourne bands Have a Nice Day and Violetine, was hired and recorded the last few remaining tracks with the band. Pollyanna then shifted base from Sydney to Melbourne.
Hello Halo was released in late 1997, again to positive reviews. Moody tracks like "Brittle Then Broken", "Velocette" and "Cooling Your Heels" confirmed that Pollyanna were capable of writing more than just straightforward guitar rock. Strings, horns, keyboards and orchestral percussion were used on several tracks as the band sought to expand their sound. A heavy touring schedule ensued, including being part of the new-look 1998 Homebake
Festival that played Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Several more appearances on national television further increased their exposure.
Pollyanna's third album Delta City Skies saw the band head to the USA in October 1998 to record at Ardent Studios
in Memphis, Tennessee with producer Brian Paulson
. The album had a more widescreen sound than its predecessors and many tracks featured organ, leading to the addition of keyboard player Ace Moley to the touring band. After more extensive touring in Australia, including a national tour with Ben Folds Five
, plus a slot on the 1999 Falls Festival
, and a brief tour in the USA in support of Delta City Skies, Maynard left the band in 2000, to be replaced briefly by Andy Strachan
, who would eventually go on to join The Living End
.
The fourth and final album Didn't Feel a Thing was again recorded in the USA with Brian Paulson producing, this time at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond VA. By this time the band had parted ways with Mushroom Records. Handley played most of the parts himself on the album, including drums, with Stapleton contributing bass. Shock Records
released the album and the new-look band hit the road again.
Touring band members between 1999–2002 included Sam Holloway (keyboards), Ace Moley (keyboards), Shaun Lohoar (drums) and Richard Coneliano (drums).
Things ground to a halt for the band by 2002 and whilst Pollyanna never officially split up, they stopped touring and making records as Pollyanna.
Matt Handley released a solo album in 2005, entitled Won't Get Over You and toured briefly with a new backing band The Dagger Stares as well as performing solo shows to support the release.
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 alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band that came to prominence in the mid-'90s with their brand of noisy indie guitar pop, reminiscent of Bob Mould's post-Husker Du
Husker Du
Husker Du means "Do you remember" in Danish and Norwegian, and may refer to:*Hüsker Dü, American punk band*Hūsker Dū?, a Danish board game*Husker Du, a Danish documentary series about the 1970s...
project Sugar and Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.-Career:Dinosaur Jr...
. Formed in Sydney, Australia in 1993, the original Pollyanna line-up was Matt Handley (vocals/guitar), Maryke Stapleton (bass), and Serge Luca (drums).
Their first EP, FordGreenSilverRocket, released in October 1994 through Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
' new imprint Bark, was largely ignored, although their second EP, Junior, was picked up by Australian radio after its release in February 1995, largely due to the track "Pale Grey Eyes".
Pollyanna's highly anticipated debut album, Long Player was released in early 1996. Recorded at Sydney's Paradise Studios with David Trump, the album received mostly positive reviews across the country for its guitar-driven pop. Several tracks became alternative radio staples and both the album and lead single "Lemonsuck" briefly cracked the Australian mainstream charts, whilst staying at the top of the Australian independent charts for several weeks. Soon after the album's release, Pollyanna found themselves with four singles—"Pale Grey Eyes", "Lemonsuck", "Keep Me Guessing" and "Piston"—all simultaneously in the Top 20 singles of the Australian independent charts. "Lemonsuck" and "Pale Grey Eyes" made 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...
list for 1995. Long Player received two ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
award nominations for Breakthrough Artist – Album and Best Alternative Release in 1996.
With this newfound success in mind, Pollyanna re-released the two early EPs remixed onto one disc entitled Junior Rock in November 1996 and toured nationally with Powderfinger. It was around this time that DeSoto Records
DeSoto Records
DeSoto Records is an American record label based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1989, it is run by Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta, both formerly of the band Jawbox. It was first founded by members of the band Edsel to release their first single. Jawbox next used the name DeSoto for their first EP. It...
released a Pollyanna 7" single of "Fordgreensilverrocket" b/w "Grover Washington" in the USA.
Pollyanna toured extensively through 1996 and 1997, including several headline tours, a national tour with the Hoodoo Gurus and support slots for the Australian leg of world tours by Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, Paw
Paw (band)
Paw is a hard rock band from Lawrence, Kansas that formed in 1990. The band, in its original line-up, consisted of Mark Hennessy , Grant Fitch , Charles Bryan , and Peter Fitch . To date, they have released 3 studio albums – Dragline, Death to Traitors, and Home Is a Strange Place...
, Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
, Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
, The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
and Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
, plus appearances at The Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
, Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
, Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
and Livid
Livid
Livid was an Australian alternative rock music festival held annually from 1989 to 2003. Masterminded by Peter Walsh and Natalie Jeremijenko, the original idea of showcasing both the arts and music in the one event was standardised as late as October/early November from 1991 until 2003...
festivals.
Work began on their second album, Hello Halo in early 1997 at Festival Studios in Sydney with producer Paul McKercher. During the recording of Hello Halo Luca quit the band, eventually joining Sydney psychedelic pop outfit Drop City. Glenn Maynard, who had played drums in Melbourne bands Have a Nice Day and Violetine, was hired and recorded the last few remaining tracks with the band. Pollyanna then shifted base from Sydney to Melbourne.
Hello Halo was released in late 1997, again to positive reviews. Moody tracks like "Brittle Then Broken", "Velocette" and "Cooling Your Heels" confirmed that Pollyanna were capable of writing more than just straightforward guitar rock. Strings, horns, keyboards and orchestral percussion were used on several tracks as the band sought to expand their sound. A heavy touring schedule ensued, including being part of the new-look 1998 Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
Festival that played Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Several more appearances on national television further increased their exposure.
Pollyanna's third album Delta City Skies saw the band head to the USA in October 1998 to record at Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
in Memphis, Tennessee with producer Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson is a musician, record producer and audio engineer from Minnesota, best known for recording albums by Slint, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco....
. The album had a more widescreen sound than its predecessors and many tracks featured organ, leading to the addition of keyboard player Ace Moley to the touring band. After more extensive touring in Australia, including a national tour with Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
, plus a slot on the 1999 Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
, and a brief tour in the USA in support of Delta City Skies, Maynard left the band in 2000, to be replaced briefly by Andy Strachan
Andy Strachan
Andrew Douglas Strachan is the drummer of Australian rock band; The Living End.-Biography:Andy started drumming at the age of 12, and is self-taught.He graduated year 12 at Aberfoyle Park High School in Adelaide and went on to study Natural Therapies for 3 years...
, who would eventually go on to join The Living End
The Living End
The Living End are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney , Scott Owen and Andy Strachan...
.
The fourth and final album Didn't Feel a Thing was again recorded in the USA with Brian Paulson producing, this time at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond VA. By this time the band had parted ways with Mushroom Records. Handley played most of the parts himself on the album, including drums, with Stapleton contributing bass. Shock Records
Shock Records
Shock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
released the album and the new-look band hit the road again.
Touring band members between 1999–2002 included Sam Holloway (keyboards), Ace Moley (keyboards), Shaun Lohoar (drums) and Richard Coneliano (drums).
Things ground to a halt for the band by 2002 and whilst Pollyanna never officially split up, they stopped touring and making records as Pollyanna.
Matt Handley released a solo album in 2005, entitled Won't Get Over You and toured briefly with a new backing band The Dagger Stares as well as performing solo shows to support the release.
Singles
- "Lemonsuck" (1995)
- "Keep Me Guessing" (1996)
- "Potomac" (1996)
- "Piston" / "Long Player" 7" (1996)
- "FordGreenSilverRocket" / "Grover Washington" 7" (1996, DeSoto RecordsDeSoto RecordsDeSoto Records is an American record label based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1989, it is run by Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta, both formerly of the band Jawbox. It was first founded by members of the band Edsel to release their first single. Jawbox next used the name DeSoto for their first EP. It...
) - "Effervescence" (1997)
- "Peachy Keen" (1997)
- "Brittle Then Broken" (1998)
- "Hermit Inertia" (1999)
- "Feeding Circle" (1999)
- "Rebound Girl" (2001, Shock RecordsShock RecordsShock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
)
EPs
- Fordgreensilverrocket (1994)
- featuring: "Frail"
- Junior (1995)
- featuring: "Pale Grey Eyes"
- Junior Rock (1996, first two EPs remixed)
Albums
- Longplayer (1996)
- featuring: "Lemonsuck", "Keep Me Guessing", "Piston" and "Potomac"
- Hello Halo (1997)
- featuring: "Effervescence", "Peachy Keen", "Brittle Then Broken" and "Cinnamon Lip"
- Delta City Skies (1999)
- featuring: "Hermit Inertia", "Black Bear" and "Feeding Circle"
- Didn't Feel a Thing (2001, Shock RecordsShock RecordsShock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
)- featuring: "Rebound Girl" and "Particular People"
External links
- Wilfully Obscure Blog "Didn't Feel a Thing review"
- Wilfully Obscure Blog "Hello Halo review"
- Wilfully Obscure Blog "Long Player review"
- YouTube – Pollyanna videos "pollygraphic1 Channel"
- YouTube – Pollyanna videos "strongpollyannafan Channel"