Grinderman
Encyclopedia
Grinderman is an alternative rock
band formed by Nick Cave
(vocals, electric guitar, organ, piano), Warren Ellis
(electric tenor guitar, Mandocaster, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Martyn P. Casey
(bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals) and Jim Sclavunos
(drums, percussion, backing vocals) in London, United Kingdom in 2006. All members are also active musicians in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
and the band, originally known as Mini Seeds, were formed as "a way to escape the weight of The Bad Seeds." The band's name is inspired by a Memphis Slim
song, "Grinder Man Blues", which Cave is noted to have started singing during one of the band's early rehearsal sessions. Their eponymous debut album, Grinderman
, was released in 2007 to extremely positive reviews and the band's second studio album, Grinderman 2
, was released in 2010.
, frontman Nick Cave began composing songs on guitar, an instrument he'd rarely played; his rudimentary playing gave the new material a rawer feel than much of The Bad Seeds' output. Cave formed Grinderman with fellow Bad Seeds' musicians Warren Ellis, Jim Sclavunos and Martyn P. Casey to experiment his new material with. The newly-formed side project entered the Metropolis Studios in London to record the original Grinderman demos and it was this material that would eventually become the basis for the band's debut studio album Grinderman
. The album was recorded with long-time friend, producer Nick Launay
in April at the RAK Studios, London and mixed in October at the Metropolis Studios.
The band's debut single, "Get It On
", was Grinderman's first release on 8 January 2007. "No Pussy Blues
", now one of the band's signature songs, was released as the band's second single on 19 February, in order to promote the upcoming album. Grinderman was released in March 2007 and was applauded by critics for its rough energy, similar to that of Cave's celebrated post-punk project The Birthday Party
. Alongside its release, the band's official website was unveiled the same week and featured The Grinderman Podcast, a podcast
series of recording segments from the band's writing sessions. New episodes were said to appear regularly over the following weeks however, only five recordings appeared. The band made their live debut at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival
in Somerset
the following month and on 30 April, the band released the third and final single from the album, "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free
". Following the eventual releases, the band appeared on the BBC
television show Later... with Jools Holland on 11 May, performing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" and "No Pussy Blues." To finish promotion of the album in the United Kingdom, the band ended with a one-off show at The Forum
in London on 20 June.
Grinderman made their network television debut in the United States
on the CBS
television show the Late Show With David Letterman
performing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" on 23 July 2007. The band also opened for The White Stripes
at their Madison Square Garden
show the following day on 24 July 2007, followed by a show in Chicago and two shows in San Francisco. The band then embarked on a theatre tour of Australia, opening for a Nick Cave "solo" set, which consisted of the same band members.
Grinderman were one of the headliners at the 2008 Roskilde Festival
, the biggest festival in Northern Europe, and performed alongside Radiohead
, Neil Young
and Jay-Z
at the top of the bill.
Grinderman also contributed two original songs, "Dream (Song for Finn)" and "Song for Frank", to the soundtrack of the Wim Wenders
film Palermo Shooting
in 2008.
in 2008. Cave confirmed that a second studio album was planned after The Bad Seeds' summer tour of 2008, however also noted that the follow-up album will feature a totally different sound from its predecessor. Speaking to XFM
, Cave explained that Grinderman wanted to do it in a more serious way this time, but still without caring for commercial success. In an interview with The Quietus in September 2009, Warren Ellis confirmed that Grinderman 2 was completed. Ellis also described the album as "like stoner rock
meets Sly Stone
via Amon Düül
", "very diverse", and "psychedelic."
A full-length European tour for autumn 2010 was announced prior to the album's release and included dates in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia. A second tour covering North America in winter 2010 was also announced in August. The second album, Grinderman 2
, was then announced for release in September 2010. The album's first single, "Heathen Child
", was released on 6 September 2010.
In January 2011, the band made their first appearance at the Big Day Out
festival and MONA FOMA
. The band have been chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror
festival that they will curate in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace.
", "Electric Alice" and "Grinderman", all directed by John Hillcoat
. There is also a film of the band performing live in the studio, which has become known as "The Treacle Sessions" due to being recorded at Treacle Studios in east London. As well as the four official members of Grinderman, the performance also features Bobby Gillespie from the band Primal Scream
on percussion and backing vocals. Gillespie would later appear on stage with the band at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. Originally posted one at a time on YouTube
, at least four songs are known to exist, all directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
. "Heathen Child" was released prior to the single's official release and was the first to be taken from Grinderman 2. It was directed by John Hillcoat.
on his 2008 album "I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left
". The song was written by Seasick Steve and Nick Cave.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
(vocals, electric guitar, organ, piano), Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis (musician)
Warren Ellis is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known for his work with Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman and his soundtrack scores with Nick Cave. He plays violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, and tenor guitar...
(electric tenor guitar, Mandocaster, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Martyn P. Casey
Martyn P. Casey
Martyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
(bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals) and Jim Sclavunos
Jim Sclavunos
Jim Sclavunos is an American rock music drummer, percussionist and producer.Sclavunos, a half-Greek and half-Italian from Brooklyn, New York , is well-known for his exceptional height at 6'7". Sclavunos has performed with Sonic Youth, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Lydia Lunch and was a member of 8...
(drums, percussion, backing vocals) in London, United Kingdom in 2006. All members are also active musicians in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
and the band, originally known as Mini Seeds, were formed as "a way to escape the weight of The Bad Seeds." The band's name is inspired by a Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
song, "Grinder Man Blues", which Cave is noted to have started singing during one of the band's early rehearsal sessions. Their eponymous debut album, Grinderman
Grinderman (album)
Grinderman is the eponymous debut studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on March 5, 2007 on Mute Records in Europe and ANTI- in the United States...
, was released in 2007 to extremely positive reviews and the band's second studio album, Grinderman 2
Grinderman 2
Grinderman 2 is the second studio album by Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in September 2010.-Background and production:...
, was released in 2010.
Formation and debut album (2006-2008)
After extensive touring throughout 2005 with The Bad Seeds in support of the band's double album, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of OrpheusAbattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus is the 13th studio album released by Australian alternative rock band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It is a double CD with 17 tracks – 9 on Abattoir Blues and 8 on The Lyre of Orpheus – which was released on 20 September 2004...
, frontman Nick Cave began composing songs on guitar, an instrument he'd rarely played; his rudimentary playing gave the new material a rawer feel than much of The Bad Seeds' output. Cave formed Grinderman with fellow Bad Seeds' musicians Warren Ellis, Jim Sclavunos and Martyn P. Casey to experiment his new material with. The newly-formed side project entered the Metropolis Studios in London to record the original Grinderman demos and it was this material that would eventually become the basis for the band's debut studio album Grinderman
Grinderman (album)
Grinderman is the eponymous debut studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on March 5, 2007 on Mute Records in Europe and ANTI- in the United States...
. The album was recorded with long-time friend, producer Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
in April at the RAK Studios, London and mixed in October at the Metropolis Studios.
The band's debut single, "Get It On
Get It On (Grinderman song)
"Get It On" is the first single by alternative rock group Grinderman - a side project of the Australian post-punk group Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - from their self-titled debut album Grinderman...
", was Grinderman's first release on 8 January 2007. "No Pussy Blues
No Pussy Blues
"No Pussy Blues" is the second single by alternative rock group Grinderman from their debut album of the same name. Released on 19 February 2007, the song - like the previous single "Get It On" - received a positive reception from critics. Unlike the previous Grinderman single, this one charted,...
", now one of the band's signature songs, was released as the band's second single on 19 February, in order to promote the upcoming album. Grinderman was released in March 2007 and was applauded by critics for its rough energy, similar to that of Cave's celebrated post-punk project The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
. Alongside its release, the band's official website was unveiled the same week and featured The Grinderman Podcast, a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
series of recording segments from the band's writing sessions. New episodes were said to appear regularly over the following weeks however, only five recordings appeared. The band made their live debut at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
the following month and on 30 April, the band released the third and final single from the album, "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free
(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free
" Set Me Free" is the third single by alternative rock group Grinderman, and final single from their eponymous debut album, Grinderman...
". Following the eventual releases, the band appeared on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television show Later... with Jools Holland on 11 May, performing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" and "No Pussy Blues." To finish promotion of the album in the United Kingdom, the band ended with a one-off show at The Forum
London Forum
The London Forum, or sometimes Kentish Town Forum is a well-known venue for concerts in Kentish Town, London, United Kingdom owned by the MAMA Group. The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the closure of the cinema, The Town & Country Club was established...
in London on 20 June.
Grinderman made their network television debut in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television show the Late Show With David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
performing "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" on 23 July 2007. The band also opened for The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
at their Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
show the following day on 24 July 2007, followed by a show in Chicago and two shows in San Francisco. The band then embarked on a theatre tour of Australia, opening for a Nick Cave "solo" set, which consisted of the same band members.
Grinderman were one of the headliners at the 2008 Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
, the biggest festival in Northern Europe, and performed alongside 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...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
at the top of the bill.
Grinderman also contributed two original songs, "Dream (Song for Finn)" and "Song for Frank", to the soundtrack of the Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
film Palermo Shooting
Palermo Shooting
Palermo Shooting is a film written and directed by German director Wim Wenders, and starring Campino, Dennis Hopper, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Lou Reed as himself, and an uncredited Milla Jovovich, also playing herself. The film was released in Germany on 20 November 2008. The film had its U.S...
in 2008.
Grinderman 2 and present (2009-present)
The band had been put on hold due to members' involvement on Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' fourteenth album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is the fourteenth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The album was recorded in June and July 2007 at The State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, London and mixed by Nick Launay at British Grove Studios in Chiswick, and was released on...
in 2008. Cave confirmed that a second studio album was planned after The Bad Seeds' summer tour of 2008, however also noted that the follow-up album will feature a totally different sound from its predecessor. Speaking to XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, Cave explained that Grinderman wanted to do it in a more serious way this time, but still without caring for commercial success. In an interview with The Quietus in September 2009, Warren Ellis confirmed that Grinderman 2 was completed. Ellis also described the album as "like stoner rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
meets Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
via Amon Düül
Amon Düül
-External links:* - Extensive bio @ Perfect Sound Forever* mainly focussed on their collaboration with Robert Calvert of Hawkwind...
", "very diverse", and "psychedelic."
A full-length European tour for autumn 2010 was announced prior to the album's release and included dates in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia. A second tour covering North America in winter 2010 was also announced in August. The second album, Grinderman 2
Grinderman 2
Grinderman 2 is the second studio album by Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in September 2010.-Background and production:...
, was then announced for release in September 2010. The album's first single, "Heathen Child
Heathen Child
"Heathen Child" is the fourth single by alternative rock group Grinderman and first from their second studio album, Grinderman 2. Released on September 6, 2010, the song is the first release from Grinderman in three years and is also the band's first limited edition double a-side single.-Background...
", was released on 6 September 2010.
In January 2011, the band made their first appearance at the Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
festival and MONA FOMA
Mona foma
MONA FOMA is an annual festival based in Hobart, Tasmania, curated by Brian Ritchie bass player from the rock band Violent Femmes. It is billed as Tasmania's largest contemporary music festival and showcases the work of artists in a broad range of art forms, including sound, noise, dance, theatre,...
. The band have been chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that they will curate in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace.
Studio albums
- GrindermanGrinderman (album)Grinderman is the eponymous debut studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on March 5, 2007 on Mute Records in Europe and ANTI- in the United States...
(released on 5 March 2007) - Grinderman 2Grinderman 2Grinderman 2 is the second studio album by Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in September 2010.-Background and production:...
(released on 13 September 2010)
Singles
- "Get It OnGet It On (Grinderman song)"Get It On" is the first single by alternative rock group Grinderman - a side project of the Australian post-punk group Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - from their self-titled debut album Grinderman...
" (released on 8 January 2007) - "No Pussy BluesNo Pussy Blues"No Pussy Blues" is the second single by alternative rock group Grinderman from their debut album of the same name. Released on 19 February 2007, the song - like the previous single "Get It On" - received a positive reception from critics. Unlike the previous Grinderman single, this one charted,...
" (released on 19 February 2007) (UK #62) - "(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free" Set Me Free" is the third single by alternative rock group Grinderman, and final single from their eponymous debut album, Grinderman...
" (released on 30 April 2007) - "Heathen ChildHeathen Child"Heathen Child" is the fourth single by alternative rock group Grinderman and first from their second studio album, Grinderman 2. Released on September 6, 2010, the song is the first release from Grinderman in three years and is also the band's first limited edition double a-side single.-Background...
" (released on 11 August 2010) - "Worm TamerWorm Tamer"Worm Tamer" is the fifth single by alternative rock group Grinderman and second from their second studio album, Grinderman 2. Due to be released on November 22, 2010, the song was debuted live on the BBC music show, Later.....
" (released on 22 November 2010)
Music videos
Promotional music videos have been made for at least three songs on the first album. These are "No Pussy BluesNo Pussy Blues
"No Pussy Blues" is the second single by alternative rock group Grinderman from their debut album of the same name. Released on 19 February 2007, the song - like the previous single "Get It On" - received a positive reception from critics. Unlike the previous Grinderman single, this one charted,...
", "Electric Alice" and "Grinderman", all directed by John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat is an Australian screenwriter and film director.Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia, and was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As a child, his paintings were featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton. He has repeatedly worked with Nick Cave and also the band Depeche Mode...
. There is also a film of the band performing live in the studio, which has become known as "The Treacle Sessions" due to being recorded at Treacle Studios in east London. As well as the four official members of Grinderman, the performance also features Bobby Gillespie from the band Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
on percussion and backing vocals. Gillespie would later appear on stage with the band at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. Originally posted one at a time on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, at least four songs are known to exist, all directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard are British artists who create re-enactments of cultural and art historical events. Forsyth was born in Manchester in 1973, Pollard in Newcastle in 1972.-Life and work:...
. "Heathen Child" was released prior to the single's official release and was the first to be taken from Grinderman 2. It was directed by John Hillcoat.
Collaborations
Grinderman recorded the track "Just Like a King" with Seasick SteveSeasick Steve
Steven Gene Wold, commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. He plays guitars, and sings, usually about his early life doing casual work.-Childhood and early life:...
on his 2008 album "I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left
I Started Out With Nothin and i Still Got Most of it Left
I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left is the third album by Seasick Steve. It was released on 29 September 2008. It entered the UK album chart at number 9 on 6 October 2008. The album is his first on the record label Warner Bros...
". The song was written by Seasick Steve and Nick Cave.