THE YES-MEN

The Yes-Men were a high energy rock band from Melbourne Australia formed by Sean Greenway (ex-God) in 1995. Musically the band played a powerful Australian style of rock’n’roll, very close to the pulse of Radio Birdman and Sonic's Rendezvous Band but with a harder edge and more full-on production. Greenway wrote most of the first Yes-Men songs and began recording these songs prior to even having a band to perform them. He recruited Sydney based musician Stewart Cunningham as lead guitarist and began rehearsing and arranging the songs with him during visits to Sydney and when Cunningham was in Melbourne (Cunningham was then playing in Asteroid B-612 and Brother Brick and would visit Melbourne every 6 weeks to play gigs).

The first recording sessions for The Yes-Men involved Greenway and longtime friend Matthew Whittle (ex-God) laying down bass, guitar and drum tracks at Birdland Studios in Prahran whilst Cunningham would lay down his parts when he was in Melbourne. These earlier recordings would eventually surface on the 2005 posthumous self-titled album 'The Yes-Men' (aka El Peligro Ha Comenzado). Eventually Mark Hurst (ex- Guttersnipes) was recruited as permanent drummer and Tas Blizzard (ex-Seaweed Gorillas, The Meanies) became the band's first genuine bass player.

The addition of these two seasoned musicians solidified the band into a genuine and powerful live band for the first time. This line up recorded the bulk of the 'Prosody' album in fits and spurts through 1997 and 1998 at Birdland studios. Due to the other commitments of the band's members and the fact that Cunningham was based in Sydney the band played live sporadically but managed three trips to Sydney/NSW and regular spots with the Powder Monkeys (who were very generous in their support of the band).

The Yes-Men supported The Hellacopters at The Tote Hotel in 1999 with singer Nicke Royale becoming a big fan of The Yes-Men's music. This support led to The Yes-Men's first album 'Prosody' being released in Europe through The Hellacopters White Jazz record label. It is probably fair to say that The Yes-Men are more widely known and loved among European rock fans than in their home country because of this European release and The Hellacopters support. In late 1998 Jay Curley (ex-The Proton Energy Pills, Tumbleweed) replaced Tas Blizzard on bass and the final tracks (''Fawlty Rocks'', ''Fratricide'', ''I Won't Run and ''Casting Stones'') were recorded. The album, titled 'Prosody' was finally finished after almost four years of lead up work and sporadic recording. Greenway agreed to have Melbourne record label Stolen Records release the album in Australia on vinyl and CD. White Jazz Records in Sweden would release the album in Europe with the band slated to support the Hellacopters on a Euro tour down the track.

The album 'Prosody' was and still is critically acclaimed but fate would step in to thwart the band moving further forward in two ways. The White Jazz label got into legal difficulties and failed to fully support and promote the album. Then on 21 January 2001, the band's leader and founder Sean Greenway died from an accidental heroin dose. It was mocking destiny. Shortly before, the band had begun to collect their first international appreciation thanks to an album, 'Prosody' that showed their great skills in writing rough and soulful songs and then it was all over.

A memorial gig was organised for 4 February at the Tote Hotel in Melbourne and the following bands played...The Mystaken, Joel Silbersher and Charlie Owen, The Onyas, The Seminal Rats, The Powder Monkeys, Rocket Science, The Casanovas and The Yes Men with Simon Faulkner of The Splatterheads doing the vocals and Matthew Whittle on guitar. The proceeds of the memorial gig were used to finish off some leftover recordings and eventually a second posthumous album of material was released in 2005 as 'El Peligro Ha Comenzado' on vinyl through Bang! Records and as a self-titled CD album through Butcher's Hook Records. In 2013 Bang! Records re-issued the now very sought after 'Prosody' album. Tasman Blizzard died in a car accident in 2008. Jay Curley died in 2014 aged 42.

Members

Sean Greenway (vocals/guitar), Stewart ‘Leadfinger’ Cunningham (guitar), Mark Hurst (drums), Tasman Blizzard (bass), Jay Curley (bass), Matthew Whittle (drums/bass filled in at various gigs and recording sessions during the bands existence)

ALBUMS
'Prosody' 1999 Stolen Records

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes-Men

BROTHER BRICK

The original line-up of Brother Brick was formed following the demise of The Proton Energy Pills from Wollongong and The Horny Toads from Sydney and featured former Protons guitarist Stewart  Cunningham and former Horny Toads bass player Kurt Anderson and drummer, Mikey J Stephenson. The Horny Toads were originally formed in Brisbane but moved to Sydney in 1988 and over the next two years they played many gigs with The Proton Energy Pills at venues such as The Lansdowne Hotel, The Journos Club and The Hopetoun Hotel. Both bands were five piece 'rock' bands and had much in common musically being inspired by many of the same seminal acts Radio Birdman, Blue Öyster Cult and The MC5. Other members of these two bands also went on to play in The Dubrovniks, Tumblweed and Leadfinger.

After previously playing in classic five piece 'Detroit' style rock bands the three founding members| of Brother Brick made a conscious decision to play a different style of music to their previous bands. Keeping to the stripped back line up and inspired by bands such as X, The Eastern Dark, The Saints, Motörhead, The Wipers and Husker-Du all three members shared vocal duties and contributed to the songwriting. They sought out an edgier and more original style of rock that also took in elements of punk and 60's blues rock such as Cream and Hendrix. They played live regularly in Sydney mostly at smaller pub venues like The Evil Star, The Lansdowne Hotel, The Vic on the Park Hotel and the Manly Vale Hotel but were ignored by the bigger venues and booking agents. 

Brother Brick made the long trips to Melbourne and Brisbane many times playing with likeminded bands such as The Powder Monkeys, Freeloaders, The Splatterheads and Asteroid B-612 and scoring support spots with the likes of Nomeansno, Deniz Tek, The Hitmen and The Celibate Rifles. This line up of Brother Brick had built up a solid live reputation and a reputation for no holds barred attitude but split up in 1994 following the release of a EP and two singles, most notably the 'Chokito Bar' on Dog Meat Records.

The following year Cunningham resumed Brother Brick with a new lineup that included Scott Nash Asteroid B-612 on bass and Craig Jackson on drums. Continuing with the 3-piece format but with Cunningham taking over all vocal duties, this line-up of the band did not play live very often and instead focused on preparing to record what would become Brother Brick's only album, the prophetically titled 'A Portable Altamont'. The album was recorded on a shoestring budget at Powerhouse Studio in Waterloo, Sydney but the release delayed whilst Nash and Cunningham focused on their duties with Asteroid B-612 - Cunningham having officially joined that band following the demise of the original Brother Brick. 

Further delays were caused when first Nash and then Jackson both left the band and the subsequent loss of the master CD of the album stalled the existence of the band completely in 1997. It wasn't until almost two years later when Cunningham found a cassette copy of the master CD that the band reconvened with Jay Curley (ex-Tumbleweed, The Proton Energy Pills) on bass and Ashley Thomson (ex-The Kelpies, The Panadolls) on drums. There had been considerable interest in the band from Europe and US during the unfortunate hiatus and this gave the band new life and enabled the release of the album and a bunch of singles in the US and Europe. 

This final line up of Brother Brick failed to record but played live regularly in support of the new releases. They supported touring bands like Dead Moon, Zeke, Jad Fair and played with local acts like The Powder Monkeys, The Onyas and The Bloodsucking Freaks. The Brother Brick album 'A Portable Altamont' was well received by critics and fans, with a few of the songs that were written back in the first lineup of the band finally seeing a proper recorded release. Brother Brick played their final gig in June 2000 at the Zetland Hotel in Sydney.

In 2006, Melbourne-based Record Label, Off the Hip released a double CD retrospective on the band that included all of their studio recordings and many unreleased demo's, live recordings and extensive liner notes. The release was titled 'Stranded in the Nineties', a phrase taken from the game of Cricket that refers to a player almost making a century but running out of time and batting partners, it was chosen to reflect the bands status as terminal underachievers, a virtually unknown group playing a distinctly Australian style of high energy rock'n'roll that failed to register a blip in Australia during a decade that was overrun by imported grunge, slacker rock and Nirvana wannabes. Jay Curley died in 2014 aged 42.

Members

Stewart Cunningham (guitar, vocals), Kurt Anderson (bass), Mikey J Stephenson (drums), Scott Nash (bass), Craig Jackson (drums), Jay Curley (bass), Ashley Thomson (drums), Nick Reith (drums)

SINGLES
''Rock Action'' 1995 Brain Salad Surgery 
''Chokito Bar / Feel Strung Out'' 1995 Dog Meat
''See You Tonight" 2000 Broken Records

EPs
''Getting Beyond a Shit'' '1993 Space Beer Records

ALBUMS
'A Portable Altamont' 1999 Hellfire Club Records

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Brick

SPLATTERHEADS

The Lompoc County Splatterheads was formed in 1987 in Sydney however the band members originally hailed from Brisbane. In 1988 they released the mini album 'The Filthy Mile' on their own label Splatter Rock. Dropping The Lompoc County tag, they simply became Splatterheads and signed to Waterfront Records. In 1989 they recorded the album 'Ink Of A Mad Man's Pen'. In 1991 they moved to Melbourne and became a part of a movement that mainly coalesced around Dog Meat Records, other bands included Hoss, Bored!, The Powder Monkeys, Freeloaders, Asteroid B-612 and others. 

They recorded their next album 'BOT The Album' on Dog Meat. Borrowing from 70s psychedelic and hard rock acts such as Hawkwind, The Stooges and Sonic’s Rendevous Band, the Splatterheads were notable for having two lead singers trading off against each other. Thier last album 'Joined At The Head' was recorded by Hardy Heinlin at Marquee Studios Reutlingen Germany in early 1995 when the Splatterheads embarked on a European tour comprising 35 shows in 40-days. This album wasn't released in Australia. Peter Thompson died in 2023.

Members

Simon Faulkner (vocals, guitar), Christo Fletcher (vocals, guitar), Marty Herbert (drums), Micky Scott (drums), Peter Thompson (bass)

SINGLES
''Teenage Kicks / 7 Runes'' 1991 Space Beer 
''3.2.1.'' 1993 Au-go-go 

ALBUMS
'The Filthy Mile' 1988 Splatter Rock
'Ink Of A Mad Man's Pen' 1989 Waterfront 
'BOT The Album' 1993 Dog Meat 

References

http://www.last.fm/music/Splatterheads

HOSS

Hoss was formed in 1990 in Melbourne as a hard rock band with the line-up of Scott Bailey on bass guitar, Todd McNeair on drums (ex-Seminal Rats), Joel Silbersher on guitar and lead vocals (ex-God) and Michael Weber on lead guitar (ex-Seminal Rats, Slush Puppies). Their name was chosen "because Joel likes monosyllabic names." They signed with Au Go Go Records, which issued their debut single, "Green", and their first album, 'Guzzle'. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as "a rushed affair (recorded in one session, the day before the band played its debut gig), and consequently lacked appealing ideas." Silbersher told Steven Corby of The Canberra Times that their sound was "stripped down, raucous rock 'n'roll."

'You Get Nothing', their second album was released in April 1992, for which McFarlane felt, "The band was at its best as they mixed Detroit rock action with Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones raunch." By that time they were one of a string of 1990s hard rock bands on Melbourne's Dog Meat Records, alongside label mates, Powder Monkeys and Splatterheads. Just before the album's appearance McNeair and Weber had returned to Seminal Rats; they were replaced in Hoss by drummer Michael Glenn (ex-Joysticks, Forbidden Planet) and guitarist Jimmy Sfetsos (ex-Nice Girls From Cincinnati), respectively.

For their third album, 'Bring On The Juice' (August 1993), the group used Charlie Owen (of Beasts of Bourbon) on lap slide guitar and dobro for a track, "Lip from Lip". Silbersher was the main song writer for the group, he also released a solo album, 'Melonman' (1994) and has collaborated with Owen as the Tendrils to issue their self-titled album (June 1995). He has toured as a backing musician with other acts, including Tex Perkins and with Dirty Three.

In March 1994 Hoss issued an EP, 'Gentle Claws', which was followed by their fourth album, 'Everyday Lies', in November 1995. Joachim Hiller of German magazine, Ox-Fanzine felt that Silbersher  "must have had a lot of suffering in his young life, otherwise he would not be able to rouse his pain with such hoarse blues." During 1995 Glenn was replaced on drums by Dean Muller (ex-Voodoo Lust, Macho Clowns).

On their early albums, Hoss were influenced by 1970s garage and boogie hard rock such as Aerosmith, Blue Öyster Cult and The Stooges. However, by their fifth album, 'Do You Leave Here Often?' (February 1998), they had developed a more complex sound, which continued to exhibit hard rock influences but also used more sophisticated arrangements reminiscent of bands such as the Afghan Whigs. McFarlane opined that they had "earned a solid reputation by consistently living up to audience expectations with well-honed songs and uncompromising gigs. By taking inspiration from the likes of The Rolling Stones, Kiss, The Stooges, AC/DC and Black Sabbath, Hoss came up with a near-perfect blend of melodic power chords, hyper-kinetic guitar riffs and hard driving rock beats."

Hoss performed at the Meredith Music Festival in December 2010; they were described on the festival website as "Powerful, tough, natural-sounding rock’n'roll with a brain as well as a rump. They don’t make videos, they don’t play very often (took them 15 years to go to Perth), they don’t compromise, and as far as I can tell they don’t care; they ain’t careerist." They had previously played at the festival in 1992, 1993 and 1996. Michael Weber died in 1992 from an accidental heroin overdose, aged 32.

Members

Joel Silbersher (guitar, vocals), Scott Bailey (bass), Jimmy Sfetsos (guitar), Dean Muller (drums), Michael Weber (guitar), Todd McNear (drums), Michael Glenn (drums)

SINGLES
''Green / Bright Light Fright / It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'' 1990 Au-go-go 
''It's Everywhere / Ark (Live At The Tate)'' 1992 Dog Meat 
''The Tiredest Man Awake / Token Kiss (Live)'' 1995 Death Valley 
''The Goddess Has Time / Towed'' 1998 Wig Wam 

EPs
'Cave Me In' 1992 Dog Meat 
'Gentle Claws' 1994 Dog Meat 

ALBUMS
'Guzzle' 1990 Au Go Go 
'You Get Nothing' 1992 Dog Meat 
'Bring on the Juice' 1993 Dog Meat
'Everyday Lies' 1995 Dog Meat 
'Do You Leave Here Often?' 1998 Mongrel

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoss_%28band%29