Spencer Tracy (band)
Encyclopedia
Spencer Tracy was an Australian rock band, whose founding members Lee Jones, brother Kim and Shaun Sibbes came from Collie
, Western Australia
.
Initial Triple J
and RTRFM
support for their first EP Corner of My Eye in early 2001 led to several East coast tours and support spots for the likes of Midnight Oil
, Lotel, Iota
, Echo & the Bunnymen
and The Fauves
.
Further airplay for a track called "Stupid" from their second EP Daisy Daze strengthened the band's position while two members (Shaun Sibbes on drums and Kim Jones on bass guitar) finished school and principal songwriter Lee Jones began to work on honing the band's sound.
Disaster nearly struck when world renowned pianist Roger Woodward
saw the potential in Lee’s classical piano playing and tried to persuade him to study piano at San Francisco State University
in mid 2002 - a great opportunity offered to only a few of the best young players in the world and a heavy decision for a 20 year old from the bush to make.
It was in this time of indecision and conflicting emotions that Lee penned the breakthrough tracks "Disco King" and "Ocean" and opened the gateway to the sound and direction the band was to take. Long conversations with manager Rosco Stewart and producer Ben Glatzer urged Lee to do two things; firstly to follow his heart - whether that be a career in classical piano and composition or a career in rock 'n roll and secondly just to get back into the studio and get the tracks down.
Once Spencer Tracy were back in the studio magic happened. Long time friend and guitarist John Rabjones, also from Collie, was added to the line up and the new look Spencer Tracy hit the stage turning heads wherever the played.
"Disco King" hit the airwaves of Triple J
in January 2003 and the band went from strength to strength. A January tour with Regurgitator
, February spots on the Perth Big Day Out
, March east coast gigs with Waikiki
and Machine Gun Fellatio
plus a Western Australian tour with You Am I
.
More airplay followed in February with the Triple M
network adding "Disco King" to official rotation in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, NOVA
Sydney
& Melbourne
running the track in the high rotation Buzz bin for two consecutive weeks and NOVA 93.7 in Perth giving solid airplay over a six week period. The video clip to "Disco King" was also taking off with rotation on Channel V
, MTV
and Rage
.
The second single "Ocean’ was launched in June and was added to rotation on Triple J
(national), 96FM (Perth), Nova 93.7 (Perth WA Made) K Rock (Geelong) and is currently being spotted on Triple M
the Nova networks and HotFM. July saw Spencer Tracy tour Australia with international band Veruca Salt
and cement their position as one of Australia’s hottest new acts.
International interest in the band began, Spencer Tracy launched their debut album with a series of gigs across Australia. The self-titled album was recorded at Revolver Studio's in Western Australia with Ben Glatzer (Ammonia
, The Sleepy Jackson
, Cartman
, Crawlspace
) producing and engineering the song and is released on Embryo Records (Veruca Salt
, Cartman
).
The album has also picked up feature album, (8–15 August) on Triple J
after enjoying a week in the number one position on the Triple J
's Net 50.
Line up problems plagued the end of 2003 and the band toured Australia as a three piece with founding members Lee Jones on Guitar, brother Kim Jones on Bass and Shaun Sibbes on Drums, later adding Jessie Bennett (formerly of Perth
band Lash) to the lineup.
In 2004, Spencer Tracy was selected to perform at SXSW
in Austin, Texas
, and began to attract a lot of international attention when Lee Jones unexpectedly left the band to concentrate on classical piano.
The remaining members rallied together and after three rehearsals played the Lotto Skyworks and Perth Big Day Out
to combined crowds of about 4,000 people. They then began touring the new lineup to enthusiastic crowds around rural Western Australia. The band then released what was to be their final release, the EP Hold On.
The new line-up for Spencer Tracy toured the south-west of Western Australia with Jebediah
and preparation was being made for a Japanese tour later in that year. The band also expanded their line up with Shaun Sibbes moving to front the band on guitar and vocals, with Nicolas Jonsson from The Avenues and Malcom Clarke from The Sleepy Jackson
both filling the position on drums on different occasions. The band eventually disbanded in November 2004.
Since their breakup Lee Jones has fronted Perth electronic act Astronaut
, which won a WAMi
Award in 2006 for 'Best Live Electronic Act' and subsequently joined The Sleepy Jackson in 2006 on keyboards and lead guitar. In April 2007, with The Sleepy Jackson not working, Lee joined Eskimo Joe
's touring band playing keyboards, electric guitar and lap steel guitar.
Jessica Bennett plays in The Preytells
, National Campus Band Comp winners for 2005.
In 2009, Shaun Sibbes played drums as a session musician for Australian act Sneaky Sound System. He is also playing with Lee Jones again in The Sun Orchestra.
John Rabjones, also of Collie, joined the band as second guitarist for the duration of the band's 2003 first, self-titled album.
Collie, Western Australia
-External links:*...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
History
The band was formed by three teenagers from a small coal mining town called Collie in Western Australia, who started playing in pubs around the south corner of Western Australia. They reached the finals of the Next Big Thing band competition and joined indie label Embryo Records in 2000 - aged just 15, 16 and 18 having performed about 100 pub gigs.Initial 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...
and RTRFM
RTRFM
RTRFM is a not-for-profit, community radio station based in Perth, Western Australia. It is self-funded, largely through listener subscription and fund-raising events, however it does carry some "advertising material" at a maximum of 5 mins per hour. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, on 92.1 in the...
support for their first EP Corner of My Eye in early 2001 led to several East coast tours and support spots for the likes of Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
, Lotel, Iota
Iota
Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
, Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
and The Fauves
The Fauves
The Fauves are an Australian rock band. Their album Future Spa was nominated for Best Alternative Album in the 1997 ARIA awards but lost to Spiderbait's Ivy and the Big Apples....
.
Further airplay for a track called "Stupid" from their second EP Daisy Daze strengthened the band's position while two members (Shaun Sibbes on drums and Kim Jones on bass guitar) finished school and principal songwriter Lee Jones began to work on honing the band's sound.
Disaster nearly struck when world renowned pianist Roger Woodward
Roger Woodward
Roger Woodward AC OBE is an Australian classical concert pianist.-Biography:Roger Woodward was born in 1942 in Chatswood, a suburb of Sydney, the youngest of four children to Gladys and Frank Woodward...
saw the potential in Lee’s classical piano playing and tried to persuade him to study piano at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in mid 2002 - a great opportunity offered to only a few of the best young players in the world and a heavy decision for a 20 year old from the bush to make.
It was in this time of indecision and conflicting emotions that Lee penned the breakthrough tracks "Disco King" and "Ocean" and opened the gateway to the sound and direction the band was to take. Long conversations with manager Rosco Stewart and producer Ben Glatzer urged Lee to do two things; firstly to follow his heart - whether that be a career in classical piano and composition or a career in rock 'n roll and secondly just to get back into the studio and get the tracks down.
Once Spencer Tracy were back in the studio magic happened. Long time friend and guitarist John Rabjones, also from Collie, was added to the line up and the new look Spencer Tracy hit the stage turning heads wherever the played.
"Disco King" hit the airwaves of 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...
in January 2003 and the band went from strength to strength. A January tour with Regurgitator
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, currently consisting of Quan Yeomans , Ben Ely and Peter Kostic . The band formed in 1994, its original line-up consisting of Yeomans, Ely and drummer Martin Lee...
, February spots on the Perth 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...
, March east coast gigs with Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
and Machine Gun Fellatio
Machine Gun Fellatio
Machine Gun Fellatio was an Australian alternative rock band, formed in 1997. They were well-known for their provocative on-stage antics and humorous lyrics, as well as the musical merit of their songs. Their outrage-provoking name gives some idea of the attitude that pervades the band's work...
plus a Western Australian tour with You Am I
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
.
More airplay followed in February with the Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
network adding "Disco King" to official rotation in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, NOVA
Nova (radio network)
Nova is a name given to a group of Australian radio stations. The group comprises five stations all owned by DMG Radio Australia, apart from the Perth station, which is a joint venture between DMG and the Australian Radio Network....
Sydney
Nova 96.9
Nova 96.9 is a commercial radio station operating in Sydney, Australia, owned by the DMG Radio Network.-History:One of the driving forces behind the creation of Nova was the growing demographic of youth who were embracing the commercialised anti-pop movement fronted by such artists as Daft Punk...
& Melbourne
Nova 100
Nova 100 is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, broadcasting on 100.3 MHz. It is in the Melbourne radio market, with the intention of challenging the number one FM Austereo station Fox FM by playing alternative, hip hop, pop & dance music, with a strong lean towards...
running the track in the high rotation Buzz bin for two consecutive weeks and NOVA 93.7 in Perth giving solid airplay over a six week period. The video clip to "Disco King" was also taking off with rotation on Channel V
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
.
The second single "Ocean’ was launched in June and was added to rotation on 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...
(national), 96FM (Perth), Nova 93.7 (Perth WA Made) K Rock (Geelong) and is currently being spotted on Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
the Nova networks and HotFM. July saw Spencer Tracy tour Australia with international band Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...
and cement their position as one of Australia’s hottest new acts.
International interest in the band began, Spencer Tracy launched their debut album with a series of gigs across Australia. The self-titled album was recorded at Revolver Studio's in Western Australia with Ben Glatzer (Ammonia
Ammonia (band)
-Studio albums:-Extended plays:-Singles:*"Drugs" - Murmur AUS #32*"Ken Carter" - Murmur AUS #50*"Suzi Q" - Murmur *"Satin Only" - Murmur *"You're Not the Only One Who Feels This Way" - Murmur AUS #83...
, The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele...
, Cartman
Cartman (band)
Cartman was a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Early years:The band was formed in 1997 in what began as a desperate attempt to enter a songwriting competition by Joe Hawkins....
, Crawlspace
Crawlspace (band)
-History:In the early 1990s guitarist and vocalist, Russell Smith, met drummer, Chris Webber, the two sharing a musical background in Grunge-rock. They were then joined by bassist and vocalist Daniel Bowles, who had experience in a techno style band in the UK...
) producing and engineering the song and is released on Embryo Records (Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...
, Cartman
Cartman (band)
Cartman was a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Early years:The band was formed in 1997 in what began as a desperate attempt to enter a songwriting competition by Joe Hawkins....
).
The album has also picked up feature album, (8–15 August) on 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...
after enjoying a week in the number one position on 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...
's Net 50.
Line up problems plagued the end of 2003 and the band toured Australia as a three piece with founding members Lee Jones on Guitar, brother Kim Jones on Bass and Shaun Sibbes on Drums, later adding Jessie Bennett (formerly of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
band Lash) to the lineup.
In 2004, Spencer Tracy was selected to perform at SXSW
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and began to attract a lot of international attention when Lee Jones unexpectedly left the band to concentrate on classical piano.
The remaining members rallied together and after three rehearsals played the Lotto Skyworks and Perth 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...
to combined crowds of about 4,000 people. They then began touring the new lineup to enthusiastic crowds around rural Western Australia. The band then released what was to be their final release, the EP Hold On.
The new line-up for Spencer Tracy toured the south-west of Western Australia with 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...
and preparation was being made for a Japanese tour later in that year. The band also expanded their line up with Shaun Sibbes moving to front the band on guitar and vocals, with Nicolas Jonsson from The Avenues and Malcom Clarke from The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele...
both filling the position on drums on different occasions. The band eventually disbanded in November 2004.
Since their breakup Lee Jones has fronted Perth electronic act Astronaut
Astronaut (band)
-History:Formed in Liverpool by Alex Eckford, Brychan Todd and Graeme Elston, Astronaut moved to London in late 1996, where they recruited their drummer, David Masterman....
, which won a WAMi
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
Award in 2006 for 'Best Live Electronic Act' and subsequently joined The Sleepy Jackson in 2006 on keyboards and lead guitar. In April 2007, with The Sleepy Jackson not working, Lee joined Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe is an Australian alternative rock band formed by Stuart MacLeod on guitars, Joel Quartermain on drums and guitar and Kavyen Temperley on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia in 1997....
's touring band playing keyboards, electric guitar and lap steel guitar.
Jessica Bennett plays in The Preytells
The Preytells
The Preytells were a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Biography:The Preytells rose to prominence as a result of their win at the 2005 Australian National Campus Band Competition....
, National Campus Band Comp winners for 2005.
In 2009, Shaun Sibbes played drums as a session musician for Australian act Sneaky Sound System. He is also playing with Lee Jones again in The Sun Orchestra.
Members
At the end of 2003, the band consisted of:- Lee Jones (vocals/guitar)
- Kim Jones (bass guitar)
- Jessica Bennett (vocals, guitar)
- Shaun Sibbes (drums)
John Rabjones, also of Collie, joined the band as second guitarist for the duration of the band's 2003 first, self-titled album.
Albums
- Spencer TracySpencer Tracy (album)Spencer Tracy is the self-titled debut album by Spencer Tracy, released in August 2003. It was selected as Triple J's 'album of the week' . Richard Kingsmill wrote in The Music Network "I championed Spencer Tracy a little bit around here because I was so surprised by it...
- Embryo Records (EMR169) (11 August 2003)
EPs
- Corner Of My EyeCorner Of My Eye- Track listing :All tracks written by Lee Jones unless otherwise noted.# "Corner of My Eye"# "Battle of the Egos"# "Jabiluka"# "Fight"# "Corner of My Eye" -Spencer Tracy:* Lee Jones - Guitars, Vocals & Piano,* John Rabjones - Guitars & Vocals,...
- Embryo Records (EMR052s) (2001) - Daisy DazeDaisy Daze- Track listing :All tracks written by Lee Jones unless otherwise noted.# "Daisy Daze"# "Stupid"# "Up in Arms"# "Opportunity"# "Baby Won't You Come"-Spencer Tracy:* Lee Jones - Guitars, Vocals & Piano,* John Rabjones - Guitars & Vocals,...
- Embryo Records (EMR072) (2001) - Hold OnHold On (EP)Hold On is an EP by Spencer Tracy, released in July 2003. The EP features the new sound of Spencer Tracy with the dual vocals of Shaun Sibbes and Jessie Bennett...
- Embryo Records (EMR194) (5 July 2003) - Split EP Rocket Records - (4 December 2000) Split EP with CartmanCartman (band)Cartman was a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Early years:The band was formed in 1997 in what began as a desperate attempt to enter a songwriting competition by Joe Hawkins....
- featuring "Battle of The Ego's" and "Fight"
Singles
- "Disco KingDisco King"Disco King" was the first single by Australian rock group Spencer Tracy, released on Embryo Records in January, 2003."Disco King" earned a lot of airplay for Spencer Tracy, with the Triple M network adding "Disco King" to official rotation in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, NOVA Sydney & Melbourne...
" - Embryo Records (EMR140) (13 January 2003) - "OceanOcean (Spencer Tracy)"Ocean" was the second single by Australian rock group Spencer Tracy and was released on Embryro Records in June, 2003."Ocean" reached #14 on the Australian Independent Record Labels Association top 20 singles charts in September 2003.-Track listing:...
" - Embryo Records (EMR165) (2 June 2003)
Compilations
- Pop Scenes from Perth (2003) - featuring "Ocean"
- Kiss my WAMiWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
(September 2003) - featuring "Ocean" - noise: Future Of Music (October 2003) - featuring "Capsize"
- Home and Hosed ABC Music (November 2003) - featuring "Ocean"
- Independence Volume Two Design Records (September 2004) - featuring "Supergirl"