Drawn from Bees
Encyclopedia
Drawn from Bees are an art rock
band from Brisbane
, Australia
. The band is composed of Dan James (lead vocals, guitar), Stew Riddle (bass guitar, vocals), Raven Jones (lead guitar, keyboard, vocals) and Matt Wedmaier (drums, vocals). Drawn from Bees are signed to local Brisbane
-based record label
, Bonefinger Records distributed via MGM Distribution
.
band, Glasshouse, Drawn from Bees launched their first EP, The Boy and the Ocean less than four months later. Since this time, Drawn from Bees have carved out a niche as one of the most engaging new art rock
bands emerging from Australia.
In March 2009, the band released their second record, a mini-album entitled And the Blind Shall Lead the Way, which has garnered widespread praise from the music press. The band has also been featured on Richard Kingsmill
's flagship Triple J
radio show, 2009,as well as having single 'Long Tooth Setting Sun' added to rotation. The band also won a Triple J
Unearthed competition to play the Valley Fiesta.
In October 2009, Drawn from Bees released their third record, The Sky is Falling, an EP containing a series of vignettes revolving around a central theme of the sky falling down, touring throughout Queensland
, New South Wales
, Victoria
and South Australia
. The band spent the remainder of 2009 in the studio, preparing their debut full length record.
In April 2010, the band were invited to showcase at Musexpo
Los Angeles, followed by showcases at Music Matters, Hong Kong and Musexpo
Europe. The debut LP, Fear Not the Footsteps of the Departed is due for release on 21 May via Bonefinger Records/MGM Distribution
.
Drawn from Bees are part of the musical community that centres in Fortitude Valley, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane
, Australia
. Drawn from Bees have a strong presence within this musical context, playing regularly at iconic venues such as The Troubadour and Rics Cafe, as well as being labelled 'a band of note' at the 2009 Gold Coast
V Festival
.
, while often used interchangeably with progressive rock
is a unique form of rock that has come into its own as a style that is intended for 'listening and not dancing'.
The art rock
sound that is purveyed by Drawn from Bees combines elements of contemporary art
and literature
with rock music
, a movement that can be traced back to the 70's and 80's pioneers, including Pink Floyd
, Roxy Music
, Brian Eno
and David Bowie
. Modern art rock
contemporaries include The Arcade Fire
, and Radiohead
.
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The band is composed of Dan James (lead vocals, guitar), Stew Riddle (bass guitar, vocals), Raven Jones (lead guitar, keyboard, vocals) and Matt Wedmaier (drums, vocals). Drawn from Bees are signed to local Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
-based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Bonefinger Records distributed via MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
.
History
Forming in April 2008 out of the ashes of a ten-year stint as progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band, Glasshouse, Drawn from Bees launched their first EP, The Boy and the Ocean less than four months later. Since this time, Drawn from Bees have carved out a niche as one of the most engaging new art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
bands emerging from Australia.
In March 2009, the band released their second record, a mini-album entitled And the Blind Shall Lead the Way, which has garnered widespread praise from the music press. The band has also been featured on Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill
Richard "The King" Kingsmill is an Australian radio announcer and music journalist.He is best known for his work at national youth broadcaster triple j. His career at the station started in 1988 as a producer for station presenters George Wayne, Tracee Hutchison and Tim Ritchie...
's flagship Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
radio show, 2009,as well as having single 'Long Tooth Setting Sun' added to rotation. The band also won a Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
Unearthed competition to play the Valley Fiesta.
In October 2009, Drawn from Bees released their third record, The Sky is Falling, an EP containing a series of vignettes revolving around a central theme of the sky falling down, touring throughout Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The band spent the remainder of 2009 in the studio, preparing their debut full length record.
In April 2010, the band were invited to showcase at Musexpo
Musexpo
MUSEXPO is an international music, media & technology conference based in Los Angeles. Since its inception in 2005, MUSEXPO has played host to thousands of executives from all around the world and showcased 100+ artists from dozens of countries, many of which left with substantial outcomes...
Los Angeles, followed by showcases at Music Matters, Hong Kong and Musexpo
Musexpo
MUSEXPO is an international music, media & technology conference based in Los Angeles. Since its inception in 2005, MUSEXPO has played host to thousands of executives from all around the world and showcased 100+ artists from dozens of countries, many of which left with substantial outcomes...
Europe. The debut LP, Fear Not the Footsteps of the Departed is due for release on 21 May via Bonefinger Records/MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
.
Drawn from Bees are part of the musical community that centres in Fortitude Valley, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Drawn from Bees have a strong presence within this musical context, playing regularly at iconic venues such as The Troubadour and Rics Cafe, as well as being labelled 'a band of note' at the 2009 Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
.
Style
Art rockArt rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, while often used interchangeably with progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
is a unique form of rock that has come into its own as a style that is intended for 'listening and not dancing'.
The art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
sound that is purveyed by Drawn from Bees combines elements of contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
with rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, a movement that can be traced back to the 70's and 80's pioneers, including Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Modern art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
contemporaries include The Arcade Fire
The Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is an indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists of the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara, and Sarah Neufeld. William Butler and Régine Chassagne attended McGill University,...
, and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
.
Discography
- The Boy and the Ocean EP (2008 Bonefinger Records/MGMMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
) - And the Blind Shall Lead the Way mini-LP (2009 Bonefinger Records/MGMMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
) - The Sky is Falling EP (2009 Bonefinger Records/MGMMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
) - Run Away Single (2010 Bonefinger Records/MGMMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
) - Fear Not the Footsteps of the Departed LP (2010 Bonefinger Records/MGMMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
) - Cautionary Tales for the Lionhearted EP (2011)
External links
- Official website
- Drawn from Bees at MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Drawn from Bees at Bonefinger Records