The Waifs
Encyclopedia
The Waifs are an Australian folk rock
band formed in 1992 by Josh Cunningham
(guitar, vocals), and sisters Vikki Thorn
(harmonica, guitar, vocals) and Donna Simpson
(guitar, vocals). Their tour band has included Ben Franz (bass) and David Ross Macdonald
(drums).
The band's 2003 album Up All Night
reached the top five of the Australian Albums Chart
, it achieved double platinum status and won four ARIA Awards
in October. Two further top five albums were issued, Sun Dirt Water
in 2007 and Temptation in 2011. The Waifs have three top fifty singles, "London Still
" (2002), "Bridal Train
" (2004) and "Sun Dirt Water
". The band supported Bob Dylan
on his 2003 Australian tour and then his 2003 North American tour, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival
.
The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records
in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler
, and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases. As of March 2011, Cunningham lives in California with his wife, Simpson lives in Minneapolis and has a son, Thorn lives in Utah with her husband and has two sons.
as a folk rock band. The Simpson sisters, Donna
and Vikki (now Vikki Thorn
), had formed a duo, Colours, in Albany to perform cover versions of Bob Dylan
and Everly Brothers at local pubs. Their father, Jimmy Simpson, was a seasonal salmon fisherman at Cosy Corner beach
and had bought Donna her first guitar when she was 15. In February 1992, 20-year-old Donna and her 16-year-old sister, Vikki headed off in a Kombi van
to tour the state as Colours. Josh Cunningham
, a Moruya
farmer's son, had started playing guitar in 1987, he was touring Australia playing bass guitar for a band. The Simpsons met 18-year-old Cunningham while Colours were playing twelve-bar blues in Broome
. After a ten-minute jam session, Donna invited Cunningham to join Colours, Cunningham later recalled, "there was a connection that Donna felt that I felt as well ... it's always felt very much like a family to me and I felt instantly welcomed into that right from the very start". Upon return to Albany, Colours changed its name to The Waifs (initially styled as The WAiFS) with Cunningham on guitars, ukulele
, mandolin
, dobro
and vocals, Donna on vocals, guitar and tambourine
, and Vikki on vocals, harmonica
and guitar. The Waifs used the Kombi van from 1992 to 1996 to travel to gigs across Australia.
, which was released in May by independent label, Outside Music. The band co-produced it with Jen Anderson and Mick Thomas
of folk rock band Weddings Parties Anything
. Aside from producing, Anderson was a session musician for the album. Jason MacNeill of Allmusic described The Waifs as "a more than adequate stab at troubadour folk and acoustic pop ... In some instances, the band is guilty of what can be termed funk folk, a style all too often used with little to no benefit". The group commenced a year-long tour of Australia to support the album.
Their second album, Shelter Me
, was recorded in Adelaide
at Mixmasters Studios and, produced by The Waifs, it was released in March 1998. MacNeill felt it was "[s]tructured in a cozy, country-like frame of harmonies and acoustic guitars, most of the album works all too well. A few songs, including the soulful "Time to Part," seem a bit askew from the others, but aren't annoying to the senses". Once again, the album was supported by a national tour.
The band released its third album, Sink or Swim, in June 2000. MacNeill states, "Abstaining from traditional folk for a more rural, quasi-country sound, the band rarely misses the mark, although "Love Serenade" is just satisfactory'. They had used David Ross Macdonald
on drums and percussion – he became part of their touring band.
and his John Butler Trio
. The band started to play folk festivals in Canada and the United States. In August, the group made its first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival
. The Newport Daily News
acclaimed them as "the darlings of [that] year's festival".
In July 2002, The Waifs, Butler, and Stevens, founded the independent label Jarrah Records
. The label was initially set up to issue both artists' material in North America, later it handled all their Australian releases. The growing international reputation of The Waifs led to the release of Sink or Swim in the US in 2002 by Jarrah Records. The Waifs first new work for Jarrah was a five-track EP, London Still
, which appeared in July and reached the top 50 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In October, London Still received two nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002
for 'Best Independent Release' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single'.
The Waifs fourth album, Up All Night, was released in January 2003 and debuted at No. 3. It was produced by The Waifs, Chris Wilson, Steven Schram. For the album and subsequent touring, Ben Franz played bass guitar and double bass. The album was certified gold four weeks after release, went platinum in October 2003 and double platinum in February 2004. The Lighthouse EP was released in April 2003, which was their second Top 50 single.
Vikki Simpson told the The Sydney Morning Herald
in October that the album's success had taken the band by surprise, "We were nonchalant about releasing albums. We'd released three already and had learned not to put too much hope behind an album because you're usually disappointed. So it was a surprise, but we took it in our stride. It was all very exciting but it didn't seem real to us because it was such a new experience."
The band supported Bob Dylan on his Australian tour in March. Dylan offered the group a support slot on his subsequent tour of North America, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival. During the tour Donna met Ben Weaver, a United States singer-songwriter, they later married and have a son. In 2003, the band also participated in Big Day Out
, an Australian travelling music festival
.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2003
, The Waifs won in four categories, 'Best Roots and Blues Album', 'Best Independent Album', Producer of the Year' and 'Engineer of the Year' from eight nominations. "Lighthouse" also reached No. 12 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
.
The Bridal Train EP was released in March 2004 and made the Australian Top 50 singles charts in April. The title track tells the story of the Simpsons' grandmother, a war-bride
of a United States Navy
sailor, Bob Cain. She boarded the 'Bridal Train' from Perth to Sydney and then travelled to San Francisco to be with her husband. Thorn won the USA Songwriting Competition for "Bridal Train". The Waifs released a double live album, A Brief History...
, in November which debuted in the top thirty of the Australia album charts.
A month after the Asian 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, The Waifs joined a cast of Australian artists to perform at the WaveAid
concert in January 2005 in Sydney to raise funds for the relief effort. Later in 2005, The Waifs indicated they had no immediate plans for another album, "We won't be going into the studio any time soon. Our collective focus is too outside of music and career right now to put out an album."
The Waif's fifth studio album, Sun Dirt Water
, was released in September 2007. It debuted and peaked at No. 2. Donna had written the title song, "Sun Dirt Water
", four years earlier when The Waifs toured the US and she had started her relationship with Weaver. By 2007, Vikki had married Matt Thorn, lived on a farm in Utah
and had two children.
The Waifs performed across Australia in September and October on the SunDirtWater Tour. It started in Broome, and ended at Legs 11, a concert for breast cancer research. In November, the group announced a collaboration with label mates, John Butler Trio, for the Union of Soul Tour in January – February 2008. The tour had five concerts, with shows in various Western Australian cities, Denmark
, Margaret River
, Swan Valley
, and two gigs at the Fremantle Arts Centre
. A second live album, Live from the Union of Soul was issued in January 2009, which peaked into the top 50. During 2009, Simpson and Weaver were divorced.
The group released their sixth studio album, Temptation, in March 2011, which peaked at No. 3. It was recorded late in 2010 in a basement studio in Minneapolis over ten days. Once again, they used the rhythm section of Franz and Macdonald. Simpson had attended rehab at Hazelden Treatment Center in Minnesota in 2008 for her alcohol addiction and wrote the album track, "Just Like Me", about her experience. As from March 2011, Thorn lives in Utah with her husband Matt and two sons, Simpson in Minneapolis with her son, Cunningham in California
with his wife Jackie, Macdonald in Canada and Franz in Australia. While in Australia, Cunningham recorded his debut solo album, Into Tomorrow.
(ARIA) Awards
from thirteen nominations.
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2002
||rowspan="2"| London Still || Best Independent Release ||
|-
| | Breakthrough Artist – Single ||
|-
| rowspan="8"| 2003
|| rowspan="5"| Up All Night
|| Album of the Year ||
|-
| | Best Blues and Roots Album ||
|-
| | Best Group ||
|-
| | Best Independent Release ||
|-
| | Breakthrough Artist – Album ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| Chris Thompson for Up All Night
|| Engineer of the Year||
|-
| Producer of the Year ||
|-
| Lighthouse || Single of the Year ||
|-
| 2004
|| Bridal Train || Best Independent Release ||
|-
| 2005
|| A Brief History...
|| Best Independent Release ||
|-
| 2008
|| Sun Dirt Water
|| Best Blues and Roots Album ||
| 2003 || "Lighthouse" || APRA Music Awards
, Song of the Year ||
|-
| 2005 || Rob Bygott (Bard Films) for "Bridal Train" || West Australian Screen Awards, Best Music Video ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2006 || rowspan="2"| Vikki Thorn
for "Bridal Train" || USA Songwriting Competition, Folk Category First Prize ||
|-
| | USA Songwriting Competition, Overall First Prize ||
|-
|| Ben Franz || WAMi Awards
Best Bassist ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2007 || Ben Franz || WAMi Awards
Best Bassist ||
|-
| | Vikki Thorn
for "Sun Dirt Water
" || WAM Song of the Year
, Professional ||
|-
| 2008|| Sun Dirt Water
|| WAMi Awards
Most Popular Single/EP ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || "Sun Dirt Water
" || rowspan="2" | APRA Music Awards
, Blues & Roots 'Work of the Year' ||
|-
| | "Stay" ||
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band formed in 1992 by Josh Cunningham
Josh Cunningham
Joshua "Josh" Hayden Cunningham is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is one-third of folk rock band The Waifs. His involvement with The Waifs has resulted in a total of four Australian Recording Industry Association Award wins, all in 2003 for Up All Night and ten further...
(guitar, vocals), and sisters Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Her sister Donna Simpson also plays guitar and sings in the band...
(harmonica, guitar, vocals) and Donna Simpson
Donna Simpson
Donna Simpson is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, a member of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Donna's sister Vikki Thorn also plays harmonica and sings in the band. Donna has released six albums with The Waifs, and wrote the single London Still, one of The Waifs' most...
(guitar, vocals). Their tour band has included Ben Franz (bass) and David Ross Macdonald
David Ross Macdonald
-Biography:David Ross Macdonald is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who is also known as the drummer for Australian folk band The Waifs....
(drums).
The band's 2003 album Up All Night
Up All Night (The Waifs album)
Up All Night is the fourth album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in January 2003.Critics reacted more favourably to this release and it has been the band's biggest album to date....
reached the top five of the Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, it achieved double platinum status and won four 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...
in October. Two further top five albums were issued, Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water is the sixth album and fifth studio album by Australian folk rock band The Waifs. It was released by Jarrah Records on 1 September 2007...
in 2007 and Temptation in 2011. The Waifs have three top fifty singles, "London Still
London Still
"London Still" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, coming from their album Up All Night. "London Still" was written by Donna Simpson. The single was nominated for several ARIA awards, including Breakthrough Artist - Single, and Best Independent Release...
" (2002), "Bridal Train
Bridal Train
"Bridal Train" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, coming from their album A Brief History.... Bridal Train was written by Vikki Thorn.In Australia, the song was ranked #54 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.-Synopsis:...
" (2004) and "Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water (song)
"Sun Dirt Water" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, from their album Sun Dirt Water. "Sun Dirt Water" was written by Vikki Thorn.-Chart performance:...
". The band supported Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
on his 2003 Australian tour and then his 2003 North American tour, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
.
The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records
Jarrah Records
Jarrah Records is an independent Australian record label that releases albums by The Waifs and The John Butler Trio. Jarrah is co-owned by The Waifs and John Butler. Jarrah was founded in July 2002 as John Butler's and The Waifs' record label for the territory of the USA....
in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler
John Butler (musician)
John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...
, and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases. As of March 2011, Cunningham lives in California with his wife, Simpson lives in Minneapolis and has a son, Thorn lives in Utah with her husband and has two sons.
1992–1996: Fisherman's daughters and a farmer's son
The Waifs formed in August 1992 in Albany, Western AustraliaAlbany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
as a folk rock band. The Simpson sisters, Donna
Donna Simpson
Donna Simpson is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, a member of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Donna's sister Vikki Thorn also plays harmonica and sings in the band. Donna has released six albums with The Waifs, and wrote the single London Still, one of The Waifs' most...
and Vikki (now Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Her sister Donna Simpson also plays guitar and sings in the band...
), had formed a duo, Colours, in Albany to perform cover versions of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Everly Brothers at local pubs. Their father, Jimmy Simpson, was a seasonal salmon fisherman at Cosy Corner beach
Torbay, Western Australia
Torbay is a small township in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 25 kilometres west of Albany. There is a crater on Mars named after it....
and had bought Donna her first guitar when she was 15. In February 1992, 20-year-old Donna and her 16-year-old sister, Vikki headed off in a Kombi van
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
to tour the state as Colours. Josh Cunningham
Josh Cunningham
Joshua "Josh" Hayden Cunningham is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is one-third of folk rock band The Waifs. His involvement with The Waifs has resulted in a total of four Australian Recording Industry Association Award wins, all in 2003 for Up All Night and ten further...
, a Moruya
Moruya, New South Wales
Moruya is a small regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River, approximately 300 kilometers south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Moruya had a population of 10,278 people. The town relies predominantly on agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism...
farmer's son, had started playing guitar in 1987, he was touring Australia playing bass guitar for a band. The Simpsons met 18-year-old Cunningham while Colours were playing twelve-bar blues in Broome
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
. After a ten-minute jam session, Donna invited Cunningham to join Colours, Cunningham later recalled, "there was a connection that Donna felt that I felt as well ... it's always felt very much like a family to me and I felt instantly welcomed into that right from the very start". Upon return to Albany, Colours changed its name to The Waifs (initially styled as The WAiFS) with Cunningham on guitars, ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
and vocals, Donna on vocals, guitar and tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, and Vikki on vocals, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and guitar. The Waifs used the Kombi van from 1992 to 1996 to travel to gigs across Australia.
1996–2000: First three albums
In February 1996, The Waifs relocated to Melbourne, recorded their debut, eponymous album, The WaifsThe Waifs (album)
The Waifs is the self-titled debut album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released in May 1996.-Release and re-release:The Waifs was originally released on Outside Music in 1996...
, which was released in May by independent label, Outside Music. The band co-produced it with Jen Anderson and Mick Thomas
Mick Thomas
Michael James Thomas is an Australian singer-songwriter.Mick Thomas was born in Yallourn, 7 February 1960, the middle child of three. His father, Brian Thomas, was an electrical engineer with the old State Electricity Commission. His father's family were from Tasmania and his mother, Margaret, was...
of folk rock band Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything were an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1998. Their name came from The Clash song and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s.-Formation and...
. Aside from producing, Anderson was a session musician for the album. Jason MacNeill of Allmusic described The Waifs as "a more than adequate stab at troubadour folk and acoustic pop ... In some instances, the band is guilty of what can be termed funk folk, a style all too often used with little to no benefit". The group commenced a year-long tour of Australia to support the album.
Their second album, Shelter Me
Shelter Me
Shelter Me is the second album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in March 1998.-Track listing:#"Heart Lies" – 2:43#"People Who Think They Can" – 3:15#"Shelter Me" – 3:05...
, was recorded in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
at Mixmasters Studios and, produced by The Waifs, it was released in March 1998. MacNeill felt it was "[s]tructured in a cozy, country-like frame of harmonies and acoustic guitars, most of the album works all too well. A few songs, including the soulful "Time to Part," seem a bit askew from the others, but aren't annoying to the senses". Once again, the album was supported by a national tour.
The band released its third album, Sink or Swim, in June 2000. MacNeill states, "Abstaining from traditional folk for a more rural, quasi-country sound, the band rarely misses the mark, although "Love Serenade" is just satisfactory'. They had used David Ross Macdonald
David Ross Macdonald
-Biography:David Ross Macdonald is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who is also known as the drummer for Australian folk band The Waifs....
on drums and percussion – he became part of their touring band.
2001–2007: Chart success and Up All Night
In 2001, The Waifs hired Phil Stevens as band manager – he also manages fellow West Australian musician John ButlerJohn Butler (musician)
John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...
and his 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...
. The band started to play folk festivals in Canada and the United States. In August, the group made its first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
. The Newport Daily News
Newport Daily News
The Newport Daily News is an independent six-day daily newspaper serving Newport County, Rhode Island. It publishes in the afternoon on weekdays and in the morning on Saturdays. The Daily News is the state's largest family-owned newspaper.- History :The Daily News has been locally owned since it...
acclaimed them as "the darlings of [that] year's festival".
In July 2002, The Waifs, Butler, and Stevens, founded the independent label Jarrah Records
Jarrah Records
Jarrah Records is an independent Australian record label that releases albums by The Waifs and The John Butler Trio. Jarrah is co-owned by The Waifs and John Butler. Jarrah was founded in July 2002 as John Butler's and The Waifs' record label for the territory of the USA....
. The label was initially set up to issue both artists' material in North America, later it handled all their Australian releases. The growing international reputation of The Waifs led to the release of Sink or Swim in the US in 2002 by Jarrah Records. The Waifs first new work for Jarrah was a five-track EP, London Still
London Still
"London Still" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, coming from their album Up All Night. "London Still" was written by Donna Simpson. The single was nominated for several ARIA awards, including Breakthrough Artist - Single, and Best Independent Release...
, which appeared in July and reached the top 50 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In October, London Still received two nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
The 16th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 15 October 2002 at the Sydney SuperDome.-ARIA Awards:...
for 'Best Independent Release' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single'.
The Waifs fourth album, Up All Night, was released in January 2003 and debuted at No. 3. It was produced by The Waifs, Chris Wilson, Steven Schram. For the album and subsequent touring, Ben Franz played bass guitar and double bass. The album was certified gold four weeks after release, went platinum in October 2003 and double platinum in February 2004. The Lighthouse EP was released in April 2003, which was their second Top 50 single.
Vikki Simpson told the The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
in October that the album's success had taken the band by surprise, "We were nonchalant about releasing albums. We'd released three already and had learned not to put too much hope behind an album because you're usually disappointed. So it was a surprise, but we took it in our stride. It was all very exciting but it didn't seem real to us because it was such a new experience."
The band supported Bob Dylan on his Australian tour in March. Dylan offered the group a support slot on his subsequent tour of North America, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival. During the tour Donna met Ben Weaver, a United States singer-songwriter, they later married and have a son. In 2003, the band also participated in 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...
, an Australian travelling music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2003
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...
, The Waifs won in four categories, 'Best Roots and Blues Album', 'Best Independent Album', Producer of the Year' and 'Engineer of the Year' from eight nominations. "Lighthouse" also reached No. 12 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
The 2003 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2004, was the eleventh such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 40 songs was released. A DVD, containing film clips of songs...
.
The Bridal Train EP was released in March 2004 and made the Australian Top 50 singles charts in April. The title track tells the story of the Simpsons' grandmother, a war-bride
War-bride
War bride is a term used in reference to wartime marriages, especially - but not exclusively - during World War I and World War II.One of the largest and best documented war bride phenomenons is American soldiers marrying German "Fräuleins" after World War II. By 1949, over 20,000 German war brides...
of a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
sailor, Bob Cain. She boarded the 'Bridal Train' from Perth to Sydney and then travelled to San Francisco to be with her husband. Thorn won the USA Songwriting Competition for "Bridal Train". The Waifs released a double live album, A Brief History...
A Brief History...
A Brief History... is the fifth album and first live album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in 2004.-Disk one:#"Lighthouse" – 4:17#"London Still" – 4:29#"Take It In" – 3:40#"Love Serenade" – 3:11...
, in November which debuted in the top thirty of the Australia album charts.
A month after the Asian 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, The Waifs joined a cast of Australian artists to perform at the WaveAid
WaveAid
WaveAid was a fund raising concert held on Saturday the 29th of January 2005 as a means for raising funds for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. It was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and broadcast on television by Channel [V] and MTV, and on radio...
concert in January 2005 in Sydney to raise funds for the relief effort. Later in 2005, The Waifs indicated they had no immediate plans for another album, "We won't be going into the studio any time soon. Our collective focus is too outside of music and career right now to put out an album."
2007–2011: Sun, Dirt, Water to Temptation
Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water is the sixth album and fifth studio album by Australian folk rock band The Waifs. It was released by Jarrah Records on 1 September 2007...
, was released in September 2007. It debuted and peaked at No. 2. Donna had written the title song, "Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water (song)
"Sun Dirt Water" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, from their album Sun Dirt Water. "Sun Dirt Water" was written by Vikki Thorn.-Chart performance:...
", four years earlier when The Waifs toured the US and she had started her relationship with Weaver. By 2007, Vikki had married Matt Thorn, lived on a farm in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and had two children.
The Waifs performed across Australia in September and October on the SunDirtWater Tour. It started in Broome, and ended at Legs 11, a concert for breast cancer research. In November, the group announced a collaboration with label mates, John Butler Trio, for the Union of Soul Tour in January – February 2008. The tour had five concerts, with shows in various Western Australian cities, Denmark
Denmark, Western Australia
Denmark is a town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-south-east of the state capital of Perth. At the 2006 census, Denmark had a population of 2,732.-History:...
, Margaret River
Margaret River, Western Australia
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....
, Swan Valley
Swan Valley, Western Australia
The Swan Valley is a region in the upper reaches of the Swan River between Guildford and Bells Rapids, Western Australia. It is bordered to the east by the Darling Scarp. Both Ellen Brook and Jane Brook lie within the region and discharge into the Swan River...
, and two gigs at the Fremantle Arts Centre
Fremantle Arts Centre
Fremantle Arts Centre is a multi-arts organisation, offering a program of exhibitions, residencies, art courses and music in a historic building in the heart of Fremantle, Western Australia....
. A second live album, Live from the Union of Soul was issued in January 2009, which peaked into the top 50. During 2009, Simpson and Weaver were divorced.
The group released their sixth studio album, Temptation, in March 2011, which peaked at No. 3. It was recorded late in 2010 in a basement studio in Minneapolis over ten days. Once again, they used the rhythm section of Franz and Macdonald. Simpson had attended rehab at Hazelden Treatment Center in Minnesota in 2008 for her alcohol addiction and wrote the album track, "Just Like Me", about her experience. As from March 2011, Thorn lives in Utah with her husband Matt and two sons, Simpson in Minneapolis with her son, Cunningham in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his wife Jackie, Macdonald in Canada and Franz in Australia. While in Australia, Cunningham recorded his debut solo album, Into Tomorrow.
Members
- Joshua CunninghamJosh CunninghamJoshua "Josh" Hayden Cunningham is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who is one-third of folk rock band The Waifs. His involvement with The Waifs has resulted in a total of four Australian Recording Industry Association Award wins, all in 2003 for Up All Night and ten further...
— guitars, vocals, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, ukuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
(1992–present) - Donna SimpsonDonna SimpsonDonna Simpson is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, a member of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Donna's sister Vikki Thorn also plays harmonica and sings in the band. Donna has released six albums with The Waifs, and wrote the single London Still, one of The Waifs' most...
— vocals, acoustic guitar (1992–present) - Vikki Thorn (nee Simpson)Vikki ThornVikki Thorn is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Her sister Donna Simpson also plays guitar and sings in the band...
— vocals, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, acoustic guitar (1992–present) - Ben Franz — electric bass, double bass, dobro (2002–present)
- David Ross MacdonaldDavid Ross Macdonald-Biography:David Ross Macdonald is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who is also known as the drummer for Australian folk band The Waifs....
— drums, percussion (1998–present) - Mikel Azpiroz – keyboards (2009)
- Jen Anderson – violin (1996, 1998)
Discography
- The WaifsThe Waifs (album)The Waifs is the self-titled debut album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released in May 1996.-Release and re-release:The Waifs was originally released on Outside Music in 1996...
(1996) - Shelter MeShelter MeShelter Me is the second album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in March 1998.-Track listing:#"Heart Lies" – 2:43#"People Who Think They Can" – 3:15#"Shelter Me" – 3:05...
(1998) - Sink or Swim (2000)
- Up All NightUp All Night (The Waifs album)Up All Night is the fourth album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in January 2003.Critics reacted more favourably to this release and it has been the band's biggest album to date....
(2003) - Sun Dirt WaterSun Dirt WaterSun Dirt Water is the sixth album and fifth studio album by Australian folk rock band The Waifs. It was released by Jarrah Records on 1 September 2007...
(2007) - Live From The Union Of Soul (2009)
- Temptation (2011)
ARIA Awards
The Waifs have won four Australian Recording Industry AssociationAustralian 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...
(ARIA) 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...
from thirteen nominations.
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
The 16th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 15 October 2002 at the Sydney SuperDome.-ARIA Awards:...
||rowspan="2"| London Still || Best Independent Release ||
|-
| | Breakthrough Artist – Single ||
|-
| rowspan="8"| 2003
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...
|| rowspan="5"| Up All Night
Up All Night (The Waifs album)
Up All Night is the fourth album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in January 2003.Critics reacted more favourably to this release and it has been the band's biggest album to date....
|| Album of the Year ||
|-
| | Best Blues and Roots Album ||
|-
| | Best Group ||
|-
| | Best Independent Release ||
|-
| | Breakthrough Artist – Album ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| Chris Thompson for Up All Night
Up All Night (The Waifs album)
Up All Night is the fourth album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in January 2003.Critics reacted more favourably to this release and it has been the band's biggest album to date....
|| Engineer of the Year||
|-
| Producer of the Year ||
|-
| Lighthouse || Single of the Year ||
|-
| 2004
ARIA Music Awards of 2004
The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney Superdome within the Sydney Olympic Complex...
|| Bridal Train || Best Independent Release ||
|-
| 2005
ARIA Music Awards of 2005
The 19th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 23 October 2005 at the Sydney Superdome at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the previous year's innovation of televising the awards on Sunday evening...
|| A Brief History...
A Brief History...
A Brief History... is the fifth album and first live album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in 2004.-Disk one:#"Lighthouse" – 4:17#"London Still" – 4:29#"Take It In" – 3:40#"Love Serenade" – 3:11...
|| Best Independent Release ||
|-
| 2008
ARIA Music Awards of 2008
The 22nd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 19 October 2008...
|| Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water is the sixth album and fifth studio album by Australian folk rock band The Waifs. It was released by Jarrah Records on 1 September 2007...
|| Best Blues and Roots Album ||
Other awards
|-| 2003 || "Lighthouse" || APRA Music Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
, Song of the Year ||
|-
| 2005 || Rob Bygott (Bard Films) for "Bridal Train" || West Australian Screen Awards, Best Music Video ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2006 || rowspan="2"| Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Her sister Donna Simpson also plays guitar and sings in the band...
for "Bridal Train" || USA Songwriting Competition, Folk Category First Prize ||
|-
| | USA Songwriting Competition, Overall First Prize ||
|-
|| Ben Franz || WAMi Awards
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...
Best Bassist ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2007 || Ben Franz || WAMi Awards
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...
Best Bassist ||
|-
| | Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn
Vikki Thorn is an Australian harmonica player, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Her sister Donna Simpson also plays guitar and sings in the band...
for "Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water (song)
"Sun Dirt Water" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, from their album Sun Dirt Water. "Sun Dirt Water" was written by Vikki Thorn.-Chart performance:...
" || WAM Song of the Year
WAM Song of the Year
WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia...
, Professional ||
|-
| 2008|| Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water is the sixth album and fifth studio album by Australian folk rock band The Waifs. It was released by Jarrah Records on 1 September 2007...
|| WAMi Awards
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...
Most Popular Single/EP ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || "Sun Dirt Water
Sun Dirt Water (song)
"Sun Dirt Water" is the name of a single by the Australian folk-rock band The Waifs, from their album Sun Dirt Water. "Sun Dirt Water" was written by Vikki Thorn.-Chart performance:...
" || rowspan="2" | APRA Music Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
, Blues & Roots 'Work of the Year' ||
|-
| | "Stay" ||