Philadelphia Grand Jury
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia Grand Jury were an Australian trio from Sydney
, New South Wales
. The bands final lineup featured of Joel "MC Bad Genius" Beeson on bass, keyboard and guitar, Simon "Berkfinger" Berckelman on vocals and guitar and Susanna "Susie Dreamboat" Patten on drums. They played a mix of indie, punk and soul.
Beeson originally formed a band called Johnson in 2001 with his friend Berckelman, before creating the indie band label Motherlovin' Records in 2004. Subsequent bands included Malcolm X & the Black Auditorium and Berkfinger and The Sweats, the latter combining to form Philadelphia Grand Jury in early 2008.
In May 2009, the band signed a joint venture deal with Boomtown Records
to release their records, on their own label, Normal People Making Hits, with distribution through Shock Records
.
In June 2009, the band released "Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night)" as a 7" vinyl EP
. The EP was self-recorded, produced and released. "Going to the Casino" received significant airplay on Triple J
and featured on the television mini-series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
, also appearing on the soundtrack album.
The band's debut album, Hope Is for Hopers, was released on 25 September 2009, reaching #34 on the ARIA Albums Chart
.
Berckelman is an engineer at BJB Studios and has worked on projects for Architecture in Helsinki
, Wolfmother
, Dappled Cities, Mercy Arms
, Silverchair
, Temper Trap, Tim Finn
, Bluejuice
and Van She
, amongst others.
Dan Williams (aka Dan W Sweat) was the band's original drummer before departing from the group in September 2009. Williams currently plays drums for Art vs. Science
. Williams' position was temporarily filled by Emergency Ivan before a permanent replacement, American session musician, Calvin Welch (Earth, Wind and Fire, Sonny Stitt
), joined the band.
At the fourth annual AIR Awards, held on 22 November 2009, Philadelphia Grand Jury won an award for 'Best Independent Single or EP'.
The video for "The Good News" was filmed in North Sydney and at Parsley Bay, Rowe Street-Bondi Junction & Lighthouse Reserve-Vaucluse.
In October 2010, the band announced that they had Welch had left the band, as the 'rigours of the road have proved too arduous for the 55-year-old drummer'. Welch's replacement was Berlin-based, Brisbane-born Susanna "Susie Dreamboat" Patten ( of I Heart Hiroshima
), who performed with the band on their tour of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. Patten finished touring with the band in January 2011, but still considers herself a part of the band.
In March 2011, news surfaced that the band had abandoned work on the follow up to Hope is for Hopers. When FasterLouder sought a follow-up, they were met with the following statement in regards to the band's current status.
On November 2, 2011 the band posted on their Facebook page that the band had broken up.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, 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...
. The bands final lineup featured of Joel "MC Bad Genius" Beeson on bass, keyboard and guitar, Simon "Berkfinger" Berckelman on vocals and guitar and Susanna "Susie Dreamboat" Patten on drums. They played a mix of indie, punk and soul.
Beeson originally formed a band called Johnson in 2001 with his friend Berckelman, before creating the indie band label Motherlovin' Records in 2004. Subsequent bands included Malcolm X & the Black Auditorium and Berkfinger and The Sweats, the latter combining to form Philadelphia Grand Jury in early 2008.
In May 2009, the band signed a joint venture deal with Boomtown Records
Boomtown Records
Boomtown Records is an independent record label founded by Jaddan Comerford in October 2002 and based in Melbourne, Australia. In 2011 the label was rebranded with Staple Management to new company - We Are Unified- History :...
to release their records, on their own label, Normal People Making Hits, with distribution through Shock Records
Shock Records
Shock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
.
In June 2009, the band released "Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night)" as a 7" vinyl EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. The EP was self-recorded, produced and released. "Going to the Casino" received significant airplay on 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...
and featured on the television mini-series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities...
, also appearing on the soundtrack album.
The band's debut album, Hope Is for Hopers, was released on 25 September 2009, reaching #34 on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
.
Berckelman is an engineer at BJB Studios and has worked on projects for Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...
, Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, Dappled Cities, Mercy Arms
Mercy Arms
Mercy Arms were a band from Sydney, Australia. They were together 2005-2009, in which time they released 1 Ep and 1 Lp in Australia.-History:...
, Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
, Temper Trap, Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
, Bluejuice
Bluejuice
Bluejuice is a rock band based in Sydney, Australia. The group consists of Jake Stone, Stavros Yiannoukas, Jamie Cibej, Jerry Craib and James Hauptmann.They have released three studio albums; Problems, Head of the Hawk and Company....
and Van She
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
, amongst others.
Dan Williams (aka Dan W Sweat) was the band's original drummer before departing from the group in September 2009. Williams currently plays drums for Art vs. Science
Art vs. Science
Art vs. Science are a three-piece dance band from Sydney, Australia formed early in 2008. The group consists of Jim Finn on vocals and keyboards; Dan McNamee on vocals, guitars and keyboards; and Dan Williams on drums and vocals.In 2010, the group toured the United Kingdom in support of La Roux...
. Williams' position was temporarily filled by Emergency Ivan before a permanent replacement, American session musician, Calvin Welch (Earth, Wind and Fire, Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
), joined the band.
At the fourth annual AIR Awards, held on 22 November 2009, Philadelphia Grand Jury won an award for 'Best Independent Single or EP'.
The video for "The Good News" was filmed in North Sydney and at Parsley Bay, Rowe Street-Bondi Junction & Lighthouse Reserve-Vaucluse.
In October 2010, the band announced that they had Welch had left the band, as the 'rigours of the road have proved too arduous for the 55-year-old drummer'. Welch's replacement was Berlin-based, Brisbane-born Susanna "Susie Dreamboat" Patten ( of I Heart Hiroshima
I Heart Hiroshima
I Heart Hiroshima are a three-piece indie pop act from Brisbane, Australia, known for their "bass-less" lineup, which tends to offer a distinct sound. The band formed in 2005 at a house party and started to play local gigs, eventually leading to the release of their debut EP, A Three Letter Word...
), who performed with the band on their tour of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. Patten finished touring with the band in January 2011, but still considers herself a part of the band.
In March 2011, news surfaced that the band had abandoned work on the follow up to Hope is for Hopers. When FasterLouder sought a follow-up, they were met with the following statement in regards to the band's current status.
- Philadelphia Grand Jury are on something of a hiatus. No need to make it a bigger deal than it is. Creative individuals tend to have more than one project and Philadelphia Grand Jury is just one of Berkfinger’s musical personas. Berkfinger is currently focusing on other projects, including moving his recording gear to BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to finish the recordings that he has been working on in the various incarnations of studios that he has built over the years.
On November 2, 2011 the band posted on their Facebook page that the band had broken up.
Albums
- Hope is for HopersHope is for HopersHope is for Hopers is the debut album by Sydney indie rock band Philadelphia Grand Jury. It was released in 2009 and contains their hits "The Good News", "Going to the Casino ", and "I Don't Want to Party ".-Track listing:...
— Normal People Making Hits/BoomtownBoomtown RecordsBoomtown Records is an independent record label founded by Jaddan Comerford in October 2002 and based in Melbourne, Australia. In 2011 the label was rebranded with Staple Management to new company - We Are Unified- History :...
(25 September 2009) - Hope is for the Hopeless (1 October 2010)
Singles/EPs
- "Going to the Casino" — Normal People Making Hits/Boomtown (June 2009)
- "The Good News"
- "I Don’t Want To Party (Party)"
- "Save Our Town"
External links
- Official website
- MySpace website
- Philadelphia Grand Jury @ DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Philadelphia Grand Jury @ MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- Philadelphia Grand Jury interview in Reverb Magazine (November 2010)