SEBASTIAN HARDIE/WINDCHASE

Guitarist Graham Ford, formerly of The Interns, came up with the name Sebastian Hardie when he formed the Sebastian Hardie Blues Band in Sydney in 1967. The line-up shifted over time, featuring John Bellamy on bass, Dennis Laughlin on vocals (later of Sherbet), Richard Lillico on drums, Syd Richmond on drums, Dave Waddington on vocals, and Neil Williamson on organ. Playing R&B and soul covers, the group broke up in early 1968. Later that year, Ford reassembled the band with Cabramatta High School students: Jon English on vocals and rhythm guitar, Anatole Kononewsky on keyboards, Peter Plavsic (ex-The Interns) on bass, and his brother Alex Plavsic on drums. Dropping “Blues Band” from their name, they shifted toward pop music and became the backing band for Australian rock legend Johnny O’Keefe in 1969. With covers of the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett, they built a strong reputation on the Sydney pub circuit.

In late 1971, English left Sebastian Hardie after landing the role of Judas Iscariot in the Australian stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which began in May 1972. He was replaced by Steve Dunne on vocals and keyboards. In September 1973, British singer and producer Larry Page produced Sebastian Hardie’s debut single, ''All Right Now / The Professional'', released on RCA Records, with both tracks written by Daniel Boone of ''Beautiful Sunday'' fame. By October 1973, Ford had departed the band and was replaced by Mario Millo (ex-The Clik) on lead guitar. The group followed up with a second single, ''Mermaid On The Sand / Day After Day'', released in April 1974.

By this time, Tovio Pilt had taken over keyboards from Dunne, and Millo stepped in as lead vocalist. Alongside covers, they played their own progressive rock songs. As Australia’s first symphonic rock band, they included a 20-minute rendition of Mike Oldfield’s ''Tubular Bells'' in their set, while Millo began creating more orchestrated and inventive original pieces. They also released one final single on RCA, ''One Sunday Morning / Come Back to Me''.

After signing with Polydor Records, they toured in support of international acts Lou Reed and Osibisa in 1974. Their debut album, 'Four Moments', released in August 1975, hit #13 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Produced by former member Jon English, it went Gold with 35,000 copies sold, while the instrumental single ''Rosanna'' reached #55. Influenced by European progressive rock bands like Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and Focus, 'Four Moments' featured just three tracks, with the title track filling one side and showcasing Sebastian Hardie’s seamless, dramatic arrangements and top-notch musicianship.

Their second album, 'Windchase', came out in February 1976, followed by a national tour with Santana and the single ''Life, Love and Music'', though neither cracked the Top 50. By June, internal disputes saw the Plavsic brothers leave, with a court awarding the band name to Peter Plavsic. Millo and Pilt carried on as Windchase, adding Doug Nethercote on bass and Doug Bligh, Millo’s former drummer from The Clik. Meanwhile, the Plavsic brothers joined The Studs, a rock ’n’ roll revival group, as backing musicians.

Windchase performed material by Sebastian Hardie, written by Millo, and by 1977 began recording 'Symphinity', which leaned more toward jazz-fusion. During the sessions, Nethercote left and was replaced by Duncan McGuire (bass, ex-Doug Parkinson in Focus and Ayers Rock). When the album came out in June, McGuire and Bligh were replaced by Nethercote’s return and new drummer Ralph Cooper. The singles ''Glad to Be Alive'' in May and ''Flight Call'' in October failed to chart, and despite touring until October 1977, the rise of punk and new wave led to small audiences and Windchase disbanded.

Sebastian Hardie reunited briefly in 1994 – with the Plavsic brothers, Millo, and Pilt – for the ProgFest festival in Los Angeles, recorded and released as 'Sebastian Hardie – Live in L.A.' in 1997. They played songs from 'Four Moments', 'Windchase', 'Symphinity', and 'Epic III'. At the Gimme Ted benefit on 10 March 2001, they performed ''Openings'' and backed former member Jon English for two of his songs. Another reunion came in 2003 when they supported British art rock band Yes on their Australian tour. In 2011, Sebastian Hardie released a new album, 'Blueprint', through their website. Jon English died in 2016

Members

Graham Ford (guitar), Dennis Laughlin (vocals), Dave Waddington (vocals), John Bellamy (bass), Neil Williamson (organ), Richard Lillico (drums), Syd Richmond (drums), Jon English (vocals), Peter Plavsic (bass), Anatole Kononewsky (keyboards), Alex Plavsic (drums, percussion), Steve Dunne (vocals, keyboards), Mario Millo (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Toivo Pilt (Moog, Mellotron, piano, Hammond organ)

SINGLES 
''All Right Now / The Professional'' 1973 RCA
''Mermaid On The Sand / Day After Day'' 1974 RCA
''One Sunday Morning / Come Back To Me'' 1974 RCA
''Life, Love And Music (#95) / Hello Phimistar'' 1975 Polydor 
''Rosanna (#55) / Excerpts From Four Moments'' 1975 Polydor
''Glad To Be Alive (Edited Version) / No Scruples (Edited Version)'' (As Windchase) 1977 Infinity 

''Flight Call (Edited Version) / Horsemen To Symphinity (Edited Version)'' (As Windchase) 1978 Infinity 

ALBUMS 
'Four Moments' (#23) 1975 Polydor 
''Windchase'' (#66) 1976 Polydor
'Symphinity' (As Windchase) (#43) 1976 Infinity 
''Live in L.A.'' 1997 Musea
'Blueprint' 2011 Blueprint

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Hardie

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/