KARMA COUNTY

Karma County began in 1995 when the Australian music scene was still in the grip of the Seattle grunge sound. Eyebrows were raised when they first walked on stage at indie pop strongholds like the Sando and Annandale hotels in Sydney with an acoustic guitar, a double bass, not much more than a snare drum, a box of percussion and a voice. Ever since, they have waltzed their way into the hearts and minds of music fans around the world. From the initial acoustic strum of ''Postcard'' to the funky twang of "The Men Who Ran Away From The Circus" they traverse an eclectic music terrain to conjure their own sonic landscape - lush, melodious, intelligent, emotive songs and sounds.

They're proud of their artistic independence and have maintained their singular edge through raw talent and a hands-on approach to the music business. Drummer Stuart Eadie creates and co-ordinates the band's visual imagery (album sleeves, t-shirts, web design, adverts), singer/guitarist Brendan Gallagher produces the music whilst bassist Michael Galeazzi a.k.a. Mr Enthusiasm, rings them all up, and anybody else who will listen, and tells them what legends they are. In early 1999 the band signed a deal with Melody Management and Universal publishing. In the same year their third album, 'Into The Land Of Promise' was released on license through Warner Music. To great acclaim this album yielded two singles "Secret Country" and "The Men Who Ran Away From The Circus", both gained across the board airplay on Triple J and other ABC radio stations nationally.

'Into The Land Of Promise' took out the Year 2000 ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album making it two in a row for Brendan Gallagher who produced the 1999 winner, Jimmy Little's 'Messenger' album. Karma County toured all over this vast land from Cairns to Albany and beyond before embarking on a seven-week tour of Europe, UK and North America in July 2000. Tour highlights included performances at WOMAD festivals in Hanover, Reading and Seattle, opening the Australian Film Festival in Rome and guesting with Jimmy Little at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

In 2001 the Band re-ignited their strong fan base with a four-state tour showcasing new material including "Where Could I Go But Home" the first single released from their new album. Then shortly after on the 'Happy Birthday Dear Customer' album tour. Karma County, with guests Lindsay Page on piano and Cameron Bruce on keys were the backing band for a Carole King Tribute show, Tapestry, featuring the vocal talents of Jenny Morris, Vika and Linda Bull and Jodi Phillis. With Michael Galeazzi (bassist) as musical director, the show played packed concert Halls in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth during Early September 2001, receiving rave reviews.

Karma County have always toured with an associate member. Originally there was Bruce Reid on lap steel and guitar, followed by Lachlan Doley on keys and then Cameron Bruce on keys, vocals and smart - arsed cheek. Now days the boys are reveling in the simplicity and freshness of keeping it as a trio. With drummer Stu Eadie relocating to northern NSW in mid 2003 the bands live schedule slowed down a little. In May 2004 the band played every Wednesday night at Newtown for a residency entitled. Karma County vs The Rest. Different special guests faced and performed together with the trio.

In late 2004 KC released their fifth studio album 'Pacifico' featuring a song and video with Aussie film icon Bryan Brown - the instant classic Dexter & Sinistra. The boys went out on the road for two months playing all Australian capital cities and some regional centres. The album re-united the band with recording engineer Tim Whitten and mixer Jeremy Allom. Over the next few years, the band played the occasional festival and corporate show while recording some new material and re-visiting their back catalogue. A special two-disc retrospective 'Headland' was released in late 2008 accompanied by a brief east coast Australian tour. The album featured two new tracks, re-mixed and re-mastered tracks from their five studio albums, live tracks and some rarities.

Karma County still play the occasional gig while the three original members pursue their solo ventures - Michael with The Java Quartet and music education, Stu with his graphics business, drum duties with various bands in the music hot spot of Byron Bay, not to mention his Uke Night and Brendan with his solo career and music production.

Members

Stuart Eadie (drums) Brendan Gallagher (vocals guitar) Michael Galeazzi (bass)

References

https://www.karmacounty.com.au/bio