NOT DROWNING, WAVING

Not Drowning, Waving was formed in Melbourne in 1983 by David Bridie and John Phillips. Bridie and Phillips are trained in classical music and met when Bridie, on keyboards, was composing a track, "Moving Around" and asked Phillips to provide guitar. Their name is derived from Stevie Smith's poem Not Waving but Drowning. Rowan McKinnon soon joined on bass guitar, and they recorded "Moving Around" with a drum machine. Other atmospheric instrumentals were recorded at the LaTrobe University's music department's studio. "Moving Around" was released as their debut single in April 1984 on the Rampant Records label. Tim Cole on vocals and Russel Bradley on drums joined the group. Their debut album 'Another Pond' was released in January 1985. In September 1985, the band released a dance single, "Mr Pooh, (Do Be a Don't Be)" with the line up Bridie, Phillips, McKinnon, Darren Geraghty on violin/bell blocks, Jacquie Rutten on vocals, Tanya Hardy-Smith on cello and Paul Healy on windpipe.

Not Drowning, Waving's second album, 'The Little Desert' was released in January 1985 with the lineup of Bridie, Phillips, McKinnon, Russell Bradley on drums, Amanda Brotchie on vocals, Tim Cole on vocals, Tanya Plack on flute, James Southall on congas and Philip Wale on cello. Bridie and Phillips also worked on the soundtrack for Canoe Man, a documentary about canoe makers from Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Their work resulted in a six-track extended play (EP), 'The Sing Sing', which was released in June. 

In June 1987, the band released their third studio album, 'Cold and the Crackle' which was followed in December 1987 with an EP, 'I Did', recorded with Robby Douglas Turner on vocals. By 1989, Not Drowning, Waving left Rampant Records and signed with Mighty Boy to issue their fourth album, 'Claim' in May. The album was voted 'Best Australian Album' on the Australian Rolling Stone Critics Poll in 1989. In 1989, Bradley, Bridie and Mountfort formed a side project, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, as an acoustic music group after Bridie took a holiday in New Zealand and wrote a collection of songs that did not fit into the Not Drowning, Waving style.

Later in 1989, the group visited Papua New Guinea playing several concerts and meeting George Telek (Moab Stringband, Painim Wok) with whom they later recorded two tracks for their next album, 'Tabaran' which was released late in 1990. 'Tabaran' was credited to Not Drowning, Waving and the Musicians of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea Featuring Telek. Helen Mountfort had joined on cello in 1990, and the group covered The Reels track "Kitchen Man" for a various artists' album, 'Used and Recovered' By (1990). Not Drowning, Waving recorded the soundtrack for 1991 film Proof which was released in April 1992.

In May 1992, they were the support act for David Byrne at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, playing Palau, Amidel, The Kiap Song, Crazy Birds, Willow Tree, Terra Nullius, Albert Namatjira, The Migrant, and Sing Sing. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1992, 'Tabaran' was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release, while Proof won ARIA Award for Best Independent Release.

In 1993, the group released their sixth studio album 'Circus', which was recorded at the Rockfield Studios in Wales and produced by Hugh Jones. In 1994, they were the support act for Peter Gabriel on his first tour of Australia. Late in the year, Bridie and Montfort recorded the soundtrack for the film Hammers Over the Anvil, they used Jen Anderson on violin (ex-The Black Sorrows) and the horn section from Hunters & Collectors. It was released in 1994 as 'Hammers' under the name Not Drowning, Waving. The group disbanded in 1994, while Bridie and Mountfort continued with their offshoot venture, My Friend The Chocolate Cake.

In November 2001, a short reunion of Not Drowning, Waving – consisting of Bradley, Bridie, Mountfort, Phillips and Southall in the line-up – occurred at the Corner Hotel in Richmond for the book launch of Blunt: A Biased History of Australian Rock. In February 2003, they reunited again for The Morning Star Concert for West Papua at the Melbourne Concert Hall.

Another reunion, for several months, started in March 2005 when the band, together with Telek, performed twice at the 2005 WOMADelaide festival. Several other performances followed – at the 10th Fest'Napuan in Port Vila, Vanuatu; the Corner Hotel; and the Northcote Social Club, Northcote. The band's final show with the full lineup took place at Festival Melbourne 2006 in the Alexandra Gardens, a free concert for Melbourne's Commonwealth Games celebrations on 25 March 2006. During this time they issued two compilation albums, 'Through the One Last Door – Best Of' (2005) and 'Maps for Sonic Adventurers' (2006). A live album of performances from 1986 to 2005 was released as 'Live (At the Butchers' Picnic)' in 2007.

 
Members

Russel Bradley (drums, percussion), David Bridie (piano, keyboards, vocals), Amanda Brotchie (vocals), Andrew Carswell (mandolin), Tim Cole (vocals), Phillip Flinker Darren Geraghty (violin), Penny Hewson (guitar), Rowan McKinnon (bass, guitar), Helen Mountfort (cello), John Phillips (guitar, samples, sounds), Tanya Plack (flute), Jacqui Rutten (vocals), Tanya Smith (keyboards), James Southall (percussion), Phillip Wale (cello), Robby Douglas (vocals)

SINGLES

''Moving Around / Untouched / Happy As Can Be'' 1984 Rampant 
''Hunting For Nuggets / Perfect Design / Away'' 1984 Rampant 
''Do Be A Don't Be (Mr Pooh) / The Wooden Bix / Prison'' 1985 Rampant 
''Willow Tree / Claim'' 1989 Mighty Boy 
''Fishing Trawler / Overlay'' 1989 Mighty Boy 

EPs

'I Did' [with Robby Douglas] 1987 Rampant
'Spark' 1993 White Records

'Penmon' 1993 White Records

ALBUMS
'Another Pond' 1985 Rampant 
'The Little Desert' 1986 Rampant 
'Cold and the Crackle' 1987 Rampant 
'Claim' (#80) 1989 Mighty Boy
'Tabaran' (#80) [with the Musicians of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, featuring George Telek] 1990 WEA 
'Circus' (#64) 1993 White Records

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Drowning,_Waving