The Blackeyed Susans
Encyclopedia
The Blackeyed Susans are an Australia
n rock
band, formed in Perth
in 1989, based in Melbourne
since 1992.
on vocals and guitar, Alsy MacDonald
on drums (both of whom had been members of The Triffids
), Phil Kakulas on bass guitar (an ex-member of Martha's Vineyard
), Rob Snarski (ex-Chad's Tree
) on vocals and guitar, and Ross Bolleter
on organ and accordion.
They played eight gigs and recorded four songs before their 'day jobs' forced them to put the project on hold. The songs became their first EP, Some Births are Worse than Murders
, released in 1990 on Waterfront Records. The record spent several weeks at number one on the independent charts in Australia.
By the time the EP was released the band had already undergone several incarnations. Not everyone took their holidays at the same time, so a floating lineup became an integral part of the band's character and appeal. Phil Kakulas left for Sydney with Martha's Vineyard . He was replaced by Martyn Casey
(The Triffids
). Ross Bolleter went to work in Japan, making his fortune playing piano in cocktail bars and restaurants. He was replaced by Adrian Wood. David McComb
was present in the second lineup in 1989 before departing for England. He was replaced by Kim Salmon
(The Scientists
, Beasts of Bourbon
, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists
) on guitar and vocals in the summer of 1990. Martyn Casey departed shortly after to join Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
.
and Kenny Davis Jnr (The Jackson Code
- keyboards). Upon returning to Australia, Snarski moved to Sydney and with Davis Jnr formed the next lineup of the band. Phil Kakulas returned as bass player, having worked with Grant McLennan
(The Go-Betweens
) since the demise of Martha's Vineyard six months earlier. Kathy Wemyss (The Jackson Code
- vocals, trumpet) and Tim Rollinson
(DIG
- guitar) were recruited whilst on holidays from inner city cabaret band Pressed Meat and the Smallgoods. James Elliott (drums) and James Cruickshank (organ) took leave from The Cruel Sea
to play in the band. This lineup remained intact for most of 1991 and recorded an EP, Anchor Me, as well as contributing the song "Glory, Glory" to the Triple J
Live at the Wireless
compilation album.
Despite playing numerous shows in Sydney and Melbourne, The Blackeyed Susans were still very much an occasional event, coming together when it suited them for the pleasure of playing. They created a backdrop for Snarski' s honey-laden vocals which were gaining more attention from press and public alike. He was awarded the WA Music Industry Award
for Best Male Vocalist in 1991.
In late 1991 four songs from "the London Sessions" were released as the EP ...Depends On What You Mean By Love
.
with his band The Red Ponies, David McComb
decided to return to Australia
and settle in Melbourne. Graham Lee
had been a resident of Melbourne for the past three years, playing in The Paradise Vendors, The Pub Dogs and Crown of Thorns, and Kakulas and Snarski had recently moved there. Locals Jim White (Venom P Stinger, The Dirty Three - drums) and Warren Lee Ellis
(The Dirty Three - violin, organ, piano accordion) completed the lineup.
A compilation CD entitled Welcome Stranger was released in 1992. It incorporated material from the three previous EPs plus two extra tracks from 'the London Sessions' and a live version of The Triffids
' song "In The Pines". Months of touring followed to promote the release Welcome Stranger before the band returned to the studio to record their debut full length album All Souls Alive
, released in December 1993 and produced by Phil Kakulas . It featured ten tracks, eight penned by Kakulas/McComb, as well as the Leonard Cohen
/Phil Spector
classic "Memories" and an inspired version of the Johnny Paycheck
song "Apartment No 9". Regarded as something of a classic now, the album features nine of Snarski's finest vocal performances to date, one over-the-top vocal by David McComb
, the inspired chaos of Warren Lee Ellis
and the majesty of Jim White, pedal steel by Graham Lee
and mandolin and harmony vocals by Mark C. Halstead (The Paradise Vendors, Disappointment).
All Souls Alive
was released in America on Frontier Records
in April 1994 receiving great reviews and sales. The album was also released in the UK, Greece
, Germany
, Spain
, Belgium
, Holland, Italy
and Sweden
in July 1994. The album got great reviews in the UK press and airplay on Radio One
.
Two singles lifted off the album were released in Australia in July 1994, namely "Dirty Water" and "This One Eats Souls
". Each came with four bonus tracks lifted from the cassette-only release Hard Liquor, Soft Music. Though technically by The Blackeyed Susans Trio, this was an album's worth of late night melancholy that has since become the most sought after of Susans rarities.
The Blackeyed Susans commenced working on their third album Mouth to Mouth in August 1994, completing it in May 1995. The band signed a new record deal with HI-GLOSS/Mds in March 1995. Mouth to Mouth introduced new members Kiernan Box (piano, organ and harmonica) and Dan Luscombe (guitar). It also included Graham Lee
(lap and pedal steel), Ashley Davies (drums), Jen Anderson (violin), and Helen Mountfort (cello). Kathy Wemyss
(The Jackson Code
) wrote string arrangements for the album and also played trumpet. Recorded at Fortissimo Sound Studios, Melbourne, by Victor Van Vugt
and Andy Parsons, it was produced by Phil Kakulas and mixed by Tony Cohen
. Mouth to Mouth was released mid-July 1995.
"Let’s Live" was the first single to be lifted off Mouth to Mouth and was released in Australia in June 1995. It contained several bonus tracks not available on the album, the most notable of which was a Suicide
-styled reworking of the Springsteen track "State Trooper". "Mary Mac
" was the album's second single, once again containing bonus tracks not available on other releases, including a version of The Go-Betweens
song "Dive For Your Memory". The single proved to be the band's most successful thus far and the song an essential part of the Susans' canon.
The band toured nationally through 1995, and ended the year with a successful, if somewhat irreverent, tribute to Elvis Presley
on New Year's Eve. This was to be the beginning of a tradition for the Susans, they returned to The Corner Hotel in Melbourne to play the best and the worst of the King's back catalogue each year, concluding in 1998.
A national tour with Paul Kelly
followed in the Summer of '96, with current drummer Mark Dawson joining the group after many years involvement with both Ed Kuepper
and The Jackson Code
.
The band also had cause for celebration when news confirming their signing to American Recordings came through, with Mouth to Mouth slated for a May release in America and Canada. The band travelled to New York to play with Johnny Cash
, at CMJ
in September 1996, before touring in the U.S. and Canada. Coincidentally they had already written and were performing the song "Smokin' Johnny Cash" before any of this occurred.
The relationship with American however would prove to be short lived. The label 'released' the Susans from their contract, along with most of their other international acts, in 1997.
In December 1996 Some Night, Somewhere
was released in Australia as a Christmas bonus disc with Mouth to Mouth. Recorded live at the Continental in Melbourne, this limited edition CD has long since been deleted.
1997 saw the band back in the studio to record the Spin the Bottle
album, released in July. Produced with Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
, Dave Graney
'n' the Coral Snakes, Luna
) the record featured ten new songs and a cover of Billie Holliday's "You're My Thrill". It spawned three singles - "Smokin' Johnny Cash" , "Spin the Wheel" and "Blue Skies, Blue Sea" and proved to be their most successful release to date. A busy touring schedule saw the Blackeyed Susans occupied for almost a year, concluding in March 1998 with a national tour with The Whitlams
. The album also received a nomination in the ARIA Music Awards
for the year.
Also of note during this period was the release of the W Minc Productions' compilation album Where Joy Kills Sorrow, which featured Phil Kakulas and Mark Dawson playing on several tracks, as well as Rob Snarski collaborating with Matt Walker on "If You Don't Want My Love".
Likewise, keyboardist Kiernan Box released the Wet Your Beak album by his band The Disappointments, featuring Mark C. Halstead on vocals.
After some much needed respite the Blackeyed Susans reconvened in August 1998 to record the La Mascara
EP, released November 1998. It featured five new tracks including "Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh No" and "To Skin A Man". Both received airplay on Triple J
's and other Australian youth orientated stations. A video for "To Skin A Man" was commissioned. Produced and directed by Adam Kyle and Holly Shorland, its provocative images of flesh and blood were too much for the ABC who chose to screen it only in black and white. A tour ensued through the summer and well into 1999.
In February came the sad news that Blackeyed Susans co-founder David McComb
had died at his Northcote home. McComb had been the singer and songwriter for The Triffids
since forming the band at high school with Alsy McDonald and Phil Kakulas in the late Seventies. In the Nineties he had suffered much ill health, culminating in a heart transplant in 1995.
From May to July 1999, The Susans worked on thirteen songs on a four-track in the living room of Snarski's flat. News first filtered through in August of a new album, Shangri-La, to be recorded and released in the new year.
In May 2000, The Blackeyed Susans parted ways with their record company Mds after it was bought by Festival Records
. The Shangri-La album was put on hold.
2001 saw The Blackeyed Susans back with a new album, Dedicated to the Ones We Love
, released on their own label, Teardrop, and distributed through Shock Records
. The record paid tribute to the influences and aspirations of the band - including songs from Hollywood-period Elvis, Sinatra, Big Star and The Velvet Underground
. Well received by the public and lauded by the critics, a national tour followed keeping the band busy until the end of the year.
Early 2002 saw band members busy themselves with solo and side projects, most notably the recording of an album from Rob Snarski and Dan Luscombe entitled, There Is Nothing Here That Belongs To You, released later in the year on the Quietly Suburban label to much praise and national tours with Marianne Faithfull
and Paul Kelly
.
In 2002 The Blackeyed Susans returned to Sing-Sing Studios in Richmond
to finally record the lost album of Shangri-La. Augmenting their sound with op-shop instruments and old vinyl. The album was finally released 21 July 2003 on Teardrop through Shock Records
.
Shangri-La was nominated for 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' at the 2003 ARIA Awards
, missing out to John Farnham
's The Last Time
. Since its release the band have played sporadically in Melbourne. Dan Luscombe and Kiernan Box both perform with other artists but are still considered to be band members and continue to play with the band when possible.
In 2001 Kiernan Box joined Augie March
while Dan Luscombe joined Paul Kelly
's band in 2003, then The Drones
in 2006.
A four disc retrospective box set, Reveal Yourself, was released on 30 October 2009.
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 rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in 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....
in 1989, based in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
since 1992.
Perth 1989-1990
The original line-up consisted of David McCombDavid McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
on vocals and guitar, Alsy MacDonald
Alsy MacDonald
Alan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
on drums (both of whom had been members of The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
), Phil Kakulas on bass guitar (an ex-member of Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard (band)
Martha's Vineyard were an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1986 by lead singer . Martha's Vineyard shared a similar sound and outlook to that of fellow Perth bands like The Triffids, The Honeys and Chad's Tree...
), Rob Snarski (ex-Chad's Tree
Chad's Tree
Chad's Tree are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1983. The band's brittle, off-kilter sound evoked the sense of distance, desolation, harshness and loneliness of the Nullarbor Plain , much in the same fashion as fellow Perth outfit The Triffids.-Biography:The Snarskis were born in...
) on vocals and guitar, and Ross Bolleter
Ross Bolleter
Ross Bolleter is an Australian avantgarde composer and improviser notable for his experimentation on ruined pianos. He has been a member of The Blackeyed Susans and he is a co-founder of the WARPS Music label....
on organ and accordion.
They played eight gigs and recorded four songs before their 'day jobs' forced them to put the project on hold. The songs became their first EP, Some Births are Worse than Murders
Some Births are Worse than Murders
Some Births Are Worse Than Murders is the debut EP by The Blackeyed Susans, released in March, 1989 on Waterfront Records.The Blackeyed Susans was formed in Perth in 1989 as a side project for Martha's Vineyard, Chad's Tree and the Triffids members, including David McComb. They played eight gigs...
, released in 1990 on Waterfront Records. The record spent several weeks at number one on the independent charts in Australia.
By the time the EP was released the band had already undergone several incarnations. Not everyone took their holidays at the same time, so a floating lineup became an integral part of the band's character and appeal. Phil Kakulas left for Sydney with Martha's Vineyard . He was replaced by Martyn Casey
Martyn P. Casey
Martyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
(The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
). Ross Bolleter went to work in Japan, making his fortune playing piano in cocktail bars and restaurants. He was replaced by Adrian Wood. David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
was present in the second lineup in 1989 before departing for England. He was replaced by Kim Salmon
Kim Salmon
Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
(The Scientists
The Scientists
The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
, Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists
Kim Salmon and the Surrealists
Kim Salmon and the Surrealists were an Australian indie rock band formed by Kim Salmon in 1987 when he was living in Perth between the final two tours by The Scientists...
) on guitar and vocals in the summer of 1990. Martyn Casey departed shortly after to join Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
.
Sydney 1990-1991
In mid-1990 Rob Snarski travelled to London and recorded an album's worth of material with David McCombDavid McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
and Kenny Davis Jnr (The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
- keyboards). Upon returning to Australia, Snarski moved to Sydney and with Davis Jnr formed the next lineup of the band. Phil Kakulas returned as bass player, having worked with Grant McLennan
Grant McLennan
Grant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
(The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
) since the demise of Martha's Vineyard six months earlier. Kathy Wemyss (The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
- vocals, trumpet) and Tim Rollinson
Tim Rollinson
-External links:...
(DIG
Directions In Groove
Directions In Groove were a popular Australian acid jazz band originally from the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, who produced several distinctive acid-jazz / groove / funk albums in the 1990s....
- guitar) were recruited whilst on holidays from inner city cabaret band Pressed Meat and the Smallgoods. James Elliott (drums) and James Cruickshank (organ) took leave from The Cruel Sea
The Cruel Sea (band)
The Cruel Sea are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney formed in late 1987. Originally an instrumental-only band, they became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins in addition to Jim Elliott on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar...
to play in the band. This lineup remained intact for most of 1991 and recorded an EP, Anchor Me, as well as contributing the song "Glory, Glory" to 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...
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless is a radio show, and now a long standing tradition, of Triple J, an Australian radio station. Live music is one of the central philosophies of the station....
compilation album.
Despite playing numerous shows in Sydney and Melbourne, The Blackeyed Susans were still very much an occasional event, coming together when it suited them for the pleasure of playing. They created a backdrop for Snarski' s honey-laden vocals which were gaining more attention from press and public alike. He was awarded the WA Music Industry Award
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...
for Best Male Vocalist in 1991.
In late 1991 four songs from "the London Sessions" were released as the EP ...Depends On What You Mean By Love
Depends on What You Mean By Love
...Depends On What You Mean By Love is an EP by The Blackeyed Susans, released in late 1991.- Track listing :# "Ocean of You" – 3:33# "Close Watch" – 2:59# "Will’s Blues" – 3:22...
.
Melbourne 1992 -
After releasing two solo singles and playing a handful of shows in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his band The Red Ponies, David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
decided to return to Australia
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...
and settle in Melbourne. Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
had been a resident of Melbourne for the past three years, playing in The Paradise Vendors, The Pub Dogs and Crown of Thorns, and Kakulas and Snarski had recently moved there. Locals Jim White (Venom P Stinger, The Dirty Three - drums) and Warren Lee Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
(The Dirty Three - violin, organ, piano accordion) completed the lineup.
A compilation CD entitled Welcome Stranger was released in 1992. It incorporated material from the three previous EPs plus two extra tracks from 'the London Sessions' and a live version of The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
' song "In The Pines". Months of touring followed to promote the release Welcome Stranger before the band returned to the studio to record their debut full length album All Souls Alive
All Souls Alive
All Souls Alive is the second studio album by The Blackeyed Susans, released in December 1993 on the independent record label, Torn and Frayed, and distributed by Shock Records....
, released in December 1993 and produced by Phil Kakulas . It featured ten tracks, eight penned by Kakulas/McComb, as well as the Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
/Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
classic "Memories" and an inspired version of the Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck was the legal name of Donald Eugene Lytle , a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It"...
song "Apartment No 9". Regarded as something of a classic now, the album features nine of Snarski's finest vocal performances to date, one over-the-top vocal by David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
, the inspired chaos of Warren Lee Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
and the majesty of Jim White, pedal steel by Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
and mandolin and harmony vocals by Mark C. Halstead (The Paradise Vendors, Disappointment).
All Souls Alive
All Souls Alive
All Souls Alive is the second studio album by The Blackeyed Susans, released in December 1993 on the independent record label, Torn and Frayed, and distributed by Shock Records....
was released in America on Frontier Records
Frontier Records
Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways....
in April 1994 receiving great reviews and sales. The album was also released in the UK, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Holland, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in July 1994. The album got great reviews in the UK press and airplay on Radio One
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Two singles lifted off the album were released in Australia in July 1994, namely "Dirty Water" and "This One Eats Souls
This One Eats Souls
"This One Eats Souls" is a single by The Blackeyed Susans, released in July 1994. The last four tracks are taken from the cassette album Hard Liquor, Soft Music by The Blackeyed Susans Trio.- Track listing :...
". Each came with four bonus tracks lifted from the cassette-only release Hard Liquor, Soft Music. Though technically by The Blackeyed Susans Trio, this was an album's worth of late night melancholy that has since become the most sought after of Susans rarities.
The Blackeyed Susans commenced working on their third album Mouth to Mouth in August 1994, completing it in May 1995. The band signed a new record deal with HI-GLOSS/Mds in March 1995. Mouth to Mouth introduced new members Kiernan Box (piano, organ and harmonica) and Dan Luscombe (guitar). It also included Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
(lap and pedal steel), Ashley Davies (drums), Jen Anderson (violin), and Helen Mountfort (cello). Kathy Wemyss
Kathy Wemyss
Kathy Wemyss is a multi-instrumentalist from Australia who was a member of Chad's Tree and The Jackson Code.-Biography:Wemyss was classically trained, due to her Salvation Army upbringing, but in the 1980s and 1990s performed in post punk and rock bands, playing live gigs in inner Sydney...
(The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
) wrote string arrangements for the album and also played trumpet. Recorded at Fortissimo Sound Studios, Melbourne, by Victor Van Vugt
Victor Van Vugt
Victor Van Vugt is an award-winning music producer, mixer and engineer. An Australian based in New York, he has had a long association with the careers of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Beth Orton. He has also worked with the likes of P.J...
and Andy Parsons, it was produced by Phil Kakulas and mixed by Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen is an acclaimed Australian record producer and sound engineer based in Melbourne, best known for his work with The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the 1980s...
. Mouth to Mouth was released mid-July 1995.
"Let’s Live" was the first single to be lifted off Mouth to Mouth and was released in Australia in June 1995. It contained several bonus tracks not available on the album, the most notable of which was a Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
-styled reworking of the Springsteen track "State Trooper". "Mary Mac
Mary Mac
"Mary Mac" is a song by The Blackeyed Susans, released as a single in October 1996.- Track listing :# Mary Mac – 3:40# Dive For Your Memory – 5:22# 90 Miles Per Hour – 3:17...
" was the album's second single, once again containing bonus tracks not available on other releases, including a version of The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
song "Dive For Your Memory". The single proved to be the band's most successful thus far and the song an essential part of the Susans' canon.
The band toured nationally through 1995, and ended the year with a successful, if somewhat irreverent, tribute to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
on New Year's Eve. This was to be the beginning of a tradition for the Susans, they returned to The Corner Hotel in Melbourne to play the best and the worst of the King's back catalogue each year, concluding in 1998.
A national tour with Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
followed in the Summer of '96, with current drummer Mark Dawson joining the group after many years involvement with both Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
and The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
.
The band also had cause for celebration when news confirming their signing to American Recordings came through, with Mouth to Mouth slated for a May release in America and Canada. The band travelled to New York to play with Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, at CMJ
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is put on by CMJ Network. CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2010 is scheduled for October 19–23 and will be headquartered at New York University and other downtown NYC venues.- History :...
in September 1996, before touring in the U.S. and Canada. Coincidentally they had already written and were performing the song "Smokin' Johnny Cash" before any of this occurred.
The relationship with American however would prove to be short lived. The label 'released' the Susans from their contract, along with most of their other international acts, in 1997.
In December 1996 Some Night, Somewhere
Some Night, Somewhere
Some Night, Somewhere is a live album by The Blackeyed Susans, given away with copies of Mouth To Mouth sold around December, 1996 as a Christmas bonus disc...
was released in Australia as a Christmas bonus disc with Mouth to Mouth. Recorded live at the Continental in Melbourne, this limited edition CD has long since been deleted.
1997 saw the band back in the studio to record the Spin the Bottle
Spin the Bottle (album)
Spin The Bottle is the fourth studio album by The Blackeyed Susans, released in July, 1997 on Hi Gloss Records. Initial copies came with a karaoke disc containing instrumental versions of each song...
album, released in July. Produced with Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
, Dave Graney
Dave Graney
David John "Dave" Graney is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter from Mount Gambier, South Australia. Since 1979, Graney is generally accompanied by drummer, Clare Moore...
'n' the Coral Snakes, Luna
Luna (band)
Luna was a dream pop/indie pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood...
) the record featured ten new songs and a cover of Billie Holliday's "You're My Thrill". It spawned three singles - "Smokin' Johnny Cash" , "Spin the Wheel" and "Blue Skies, Blue Sea" and proved to be their most successful release to date. A busy touring schedule saw the Blackeyed Susans occupied for almost a year, concluding in March 1998 with a national tour with 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:...
. The album also received a nomination in the ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for the year.
Also of note during this period was the release of the W Minc Productions' compilation album Where Joy Kills Sorrow, which featured Phil Kakulas and Mark Dawson playing on several tracks, as well as Rob Snarski collaborating with Matt Walker on "If You Don't Want My Love".
Likewise, keyboardist Kiernan Box released the Wet Your Beak album by his band The Disappointments, featuring Mark C. Halstead on vocals.
After some much needed respite the Blackeyed Susans reconvened in August 1998 to record the La Mascara
La Mascara
La Mascara is an EP by The Blackeyed Susans, released in 1998.- Track listing :# To Skin A Man – 3:53# Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh No – 3:01# Come Ride With Me – 4:07...
EP, released November 1998. It featured five new tracks including "Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh No" and "To Skin A Man". Both received airplay 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...
's and other Australian youth orientated stations. A video for "To Skin A Man" was commissioned. Produced and directed by Adam Kyle and Holly Shorland, its provocative images of flesh and blood were too much for the ABC who chose to screen it only in black and white. A tour ensued through the summer and well into 1999.
In February came the sad news that Blackeyed Susans co-founder David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
had died at his Northcote home. McComb had been the singer and songwriter for The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
since forming the band at high school with Alsy McDonald and Phil Kakulas in the late Seventies. In the Nineties he had suffered much ill health, culminating in a heart transplant in 1995.
From May to July 1999, The Susans worked on thirteen songs on a four-track in the living room of Snarski's flat. News first filtered through in August of a new album, Shangri-La, to be recorded and released in the new year.
In May 2000, The Blackeyed Susans parted ways with their record company Mds after it was bought by Festival Records
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
. The Shangri-La album was put on hold.
2001 saw The Blackeyed Susans back with a new album, Dedicated to the Ones We Love
Dedicated to the Ones We Love
Dedicated to the Ones We Love is the fifth studio album by the Australian folk rock group The Blackeyed Susans and was released on 23 April 2001. It is the first issued on their own label, Teardrop, and was distributed through Shock Records. As the name suggests, it is a collection of cover...
, released on their own label, Teardrop, and distributed through 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...
. The record paid tribute to the influences and aspirations of the band - including songs from Hollywood-period Elvis, Sinatra, Big Star and The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. Well received by the public and lauded by the critics, a national tour followed keeping the band busy until the end of the year.
Early 2002 saw band members busy themselves with solo and side projects, most notably the recording of an album from Rob Snarski and Dan Luscombe entitled, There Is Nothing Here That Belongs To You, released later in the year on the Quietly Suburban label to much praise and national tours with Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
and Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
.
In 2002 The Blackeyed Susans returned to Sing-Sing Studios in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
to finally record the lost album of Shangri-La. Augmenting their sound with op-shop instruments and old vinyl. The album was finally released 21 July 2003 on Teardrop through 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...
.
Shangri-La was nominated for 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' at the 2003 ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 2003
The 17th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 21 October 2003 at the Sydney Superdome.-ARIA Awards:*Album of the Year**Powderfinger – Vulture Street...
, missing out to John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
's The Last Time
The Last Time (album)
The Last Time is a studio album by Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia on 7 October 2002 and reached #1 in the ARIA charts.On 21 July 2003, a DVD of the subsequent national tour titled "The Last Time" was released....
. Since its release the band have played sporadically in Melbourne. Dan Luscombe and Kiernan Box both perform with other artists but are still considered to be band members and continue to play with the band when possible.
In 2001 Kiernan Box joined 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...
while Dan Luscombe joined Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
's band in 2003, then The Drones
The Drones
The Drones are an Australian rock group who rose to prominence during the early 2000s. They are influenced by a variety of bands and soloists including Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Bad Brains, Suicide, Green on Red, The Birthday Party, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.- The Sound...
in 2006.
A four disc retrospective box set, Reveal Yourself, was released on 30 October 2009.
Current members
- Phil Kakulas - double bass, songwriting
- Rob Snarski - vocals, guitar, songwriting
- Kiernan Box - piano, organ, harmonica
- Dan Luscombe - guitar
- Mark Dawson - drums
- J P Shilo - guitar, accordion, violin
Past members
- David McCombDavid McCombDavid Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
- vocals, songwriting (left to form Red Ponies) - Alsy MacDonaldAlsy MacDonaldAlan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
- drums - Ross Bolleter - organ, accordion
- Martyn P. CaseyMartyn P. CaseyMartyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
- bass (left to join Nick Cave and the Bad SeedsNick Cave and the Bad SeedsNick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
) - Adrian Wood - keyboards
- Kim SalmonKim SalmonKim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
- guitar (left to form Kim Salmon and the SurrealistsKim Salmon and the SurrealistsKim Salmon and the Surrealists were an Australian indie rock band formed by Kim Salmon in 1987 when he was living in Perth between the final two tours by The Scientists...
) - Kenny Davis Jr. - keyboards
- Kathryn WemyssKathy WemyssKathy Wemyss is a multi-instrumentalist from Australia who was a member of Chad's Tree and The Jackson Code.-Biography:Wemyss was classically trained, due to her Salvation Army upbringing, but in the 1980s and 1990s performed in post punk and rock bands, playing live gigs in inner Sydney...
- vocals, trumpet - Tim Rollinson - guitar
- James Elliott - drums
- James Cruickshank - organ
- Ashley Davies - drums
- Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
- guitar, pedal steel, vocals - Jim WhiteJim White (drummer)Jim White is an Australian drummer . He is the drummer for the Dirty Three, a band formed in Melbourne, but he has also played with a number of other groups, including:*Tren Brothers, consisting of Jim White and Mick Turner, guitarist of the Dirty Three....
- drums (left to form The Dirty Three in 1993) - Warren EllisWarren Ellis (musician)Warren Ellis is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known for his work with Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman and his soundtrack scores with Nick Cave. He plays violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, and tenor guitar...
- violin, organ, accordion (left to form The Dirty Three in 1993) - Mark C. Halstead - mandolin, harmony vocals