Rowland S. Howard
Encyclopedia
Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock music
ian, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk
group The Birthday Party
. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years.
and Howard's discordant guitar remained a major factor in their sound.
The Birthday Party relocated from Australia to London in 1980 and subsequently to West Berlin which they found to be a cooler version of Melbourne (and preferable to London) and came complete with inspiring Berlin types.
The Birthday Party's live performances were wickedly gleeful romps. At once sex, drug and alcohol fuelled, they drew on a very wide span of influence; from The Stooges to Jaques Brel, often to frightening effect. They walked a truly dangerous swagger across the world music scene before their self-destruction and the rifts occasioned by Nick Cave
's ever expanding artistic diversions.
The Birthday Party's early records were released by Missing Link Records
in Australia and 4AD Records in the UK. They later became associated with Mute Records in Europe. Howard and Cave suffered 'creative differences', and Howard left the Birthday Party as they transformed into The Bad Seeds. He soon became a member of Crime and the City Solution
, a band led by Simon Bonney
. Later he formed These Immortal Souls
with girlfriend Genevieve McGuckin
, brother, Harry Howard, and Epic Soundtracks
.
Howard also collaborated with Lydia Lunch
, Nikki Sudden
, Jeremy Gluck, French electro group KaS Product
, Barry Adamson
, Einstürzende Neubauten
, guitarist Chris Haskett
, The Gun Club singer and songwriter Jeffrey Lee Pierce
, Fad Gadget
, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
, Henry Rollins
, and A.C. Marias. He was described by Sam Agostino as 'one of the most influential indie guitarists ever'.
Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore
recorded a version of Howard's song "Still Burning" ('I catch most things in my blood you all lose between rooms') for Lunch's In Limbo (1984) mini-album
. "Still Burning" had previously been recorded as a bass-heavy track with Howard on vocals, during the Honeymoon In Red
recording sessions (1983–1987).
The Howard-Lunch collaborations saw Howard's singing and guitar playing moving into Lunch's lyrical obsessions such as retribution, murder, and general stupidity, along with sparser arrangements (often losing the guitar).
These Immortal Souls
released their first album Get Lost, (Don't Lie!) in 1987 and played shows in Europe and America, returning to Australia for a short tour in 1988.
's "In My Time of Dying
" and Alice Cooper
's "Black Juju".
Howard sang backing vocals on the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
album Let Love In (1994). In 1995 These Immortal Souls contributed their version of "You Can't Unring a Bell" to a Tom Waits
tribute album
Step Right Up.
Paul Godfrey a.k.a. Epic Soundtracks
, the drummer for These Immortal Souls, was found dead in his London apartment on 5 November 1997, shortly after a relationship break-up, a successful tour, and the release of the third of his solo albums.
Howard lamented in a 1999 television interview (Studio 22, ABCTV
) with Clinton Walker
that people still asked him about "Shivers", a song he wrote when he was sixteen years old which first became well-known when it was sung by Nick Cave.
in 2000.
The Birthday Party
song "Release the Bats" was used in the true crime
film Chopper (2000).
An unofficial Rowland S. Howard fan website was established as the amount of Rowland S. Howard related information and file swapping grew steadily on the internet from the mid-1990s.
Howard made a cameo appearance in the 2002 vampire movie Queen of the Damned
as a musician in a vampire club band.
French label Stagger Records released a double CD tribute album to Howard in 2007 featuring Mick Harvey
, The Drones
, The Holy Soul
, Penny Ikinger, Loene Carmen
, Nikki Sudden, Noah Taylor and many more.
In September 2007, Howard joined with Magic Dirt
and Beasts of Bourbon
for a tour of the east coast of Australia. Howard appeared at the All Tomorrows Parties rock festival in Australia in January 2009, curated by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He was backed by Mick Harvey on drums, and JP Shilo on bass.
Howard's second solo album, Pop Crimes, was released in October 2009 to acclaim from the musician Robert Forster (musician)
.
He on the Magic Dirt
EP White Boy playing guitar and supplying vocals on the track "Summer High".
In an October 2009 interview, Howard said that the album was necessarily recorded quickly: "I contracted liver disease a while back and I've basically got liver cancer, I'm waiting for a transfer, if I don't get it things might not go so well...so..." He died from liver cancer on 30 December. His public funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church, St. Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria in Australia on 7 January 2010.
Howard's Birthday Party band mates reflected upon his death: Nick Cave told WENN
, "This is very sad news. Rowland was Australia's most unique, gifted and uncompromising guitarist. He was also a good friend. He will be missed by many". Mick Harvey remarked, "Sometimes people are ready to go because they have been sick for a long time, but Rowland really wanted to live. Things were going well for him outside his health and he wanted to take advantage of that, and he was very disappointed that he wasn't well enough to do so".
(We're Living on Dogfood - documentary maker), released a 110 minute documentary film on the life of Rowland S. Howard titled 'Autoluminescent' which had a limited release for cinema.
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...
ian, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
group 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...
. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years.
1978–1990
Rowland Stuart Howard wrote "Shivers" at the age of 16 whilst in the band, The Young Charlatans. Howard gained acclaim, after joining Melbourne-based band The Boys Next Door, when it was released as a single. The band changed their name to The Birthday PartyThe 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...
and Howard's discordant guitar remained a major factor in their sound.
The Birthday Party relocated from Australia to London in 1980 and subsequently to West Berlin which they found to be a cooler version of Melbourne (and preferable to London) and came complete with inspiring Berlin types.
The Birthday Party's live performances were wickedly gleeful romps. At once sex, drug and alcohol fuelled, they drew on a very wide span of influence; from The Stooges to Jaques Brel, often to frightening effect. They walked a truly dangerous swagger across the world music scene before their self-destruction and the rifts occasioned 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...
's ever expanding artistic diversions.
The Birthday Party's early records were released by Missing Link Records
Missing Link Records
Missing Link Records is a record store in Melbourne, Australia. The shop first opened in 1971, but was then called Archie and Jughead's, named after the comic. The shop's co-founders, David Pepperell and Keith Glass, established the shop as a much-needed rock record shop...
in Australia and 4AD Records in the UK. They later became associated with Mute Records in Europe. Howard and Cave suffered 'creative differences', and Howard left the Birthday Party as they transformed into The Bad Seeds. He soon became a member of Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
, a band led by Simon Bonney
Simon Bonney
Simon Bonney is an Australian rock musician, best known as the lead singer in Crime and the City Solution. The band was formed in 1977 in Sydney, Australia as an outlet for Bonney's songs and had a number of different line-ups throughout their history, with Bonney as the only constant member...
. Later he formed These Immortal Souls
These Immortal Souls
These Immortal Souls was an Australian post-punk band based in Europe and active through the late 1980s and early 1990s.The band consisted of Rowland S. Howard , Genevieve McGuckin , Epic Soundtracks and Harry Howard...
with girlfriend Genevieve McGuckin
Genevieve McGuckin
Genevieve McGuckin is a musician and song-writer from Melbourne, Australia, she was a founder of These Immortal Souls and has collaborated with fellow founder Rowland S. Howard.-Biography:...
, brother, Harry Howard, and Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey . Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas, who was known as Nikki Sudden .In 1972 Kevin and Nicholas formed the nucleus of what was to become the post-punk rock...
.
Howard also collaborated with Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...
, Jeremy Gluck, French electro group KaS Product
KaS Product
KaS Product is a French electronic duo. Their music has been considered part of the French coldwave and electro punk movements. Formed in 1980, the duo consists of Spatsz on electronics and rhythm machines with Mona Soyoc on guitar, vocals and piano...
, Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
, guitarist Chris Haskett
Chris Haskett
Chris Haskett is an American guitarist. He is probably best known for his membership in the Rollins Band from 1986 to 1997 and again for the band's reunion in 2006...
, The Gun Club singer and songwriter Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the 1980s punk band The Gun Club...
, Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
, 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 :...
, Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, and A.C. Marias. He was described by Sam Agostino as 'one of the most influential indie guitarists ever'.
Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
recorded a version of Howard's song "Still Burning" ('I catch most things in my blood you all lose between rooms') for Lunch's In Limbo (1984) mini-album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. "Still Burning" had previously been recorded as a bass-heavy track with Howard on vocals, during the Honeymoon In Red
Honeymoon In Red
Honeymoon In Red is a concept album released in 1987 as a Lydia Lunch album. Honeymoon In Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and The Birthday Party.-Music:...
recording sessions (1983–1987).
The Howard-Lunch collaborations saw Howard's singing and guitar playing moving into Lunch's lyrical obsessions such as retribution, murder, and general stupidity, along with sparser arrangements (often losing the guitar).
These Immortal Souls
These Immortal Souls
These Immortal Souls was an Australian post-punk band based in Europe and active through the late 1980s and early 1990s.The band consisted of Rowland S. Howard , Genevieve McGuckin , Epic Soundtracks and Harry Howard...
released their first album Get Lost, (Don't Lie!) in 1987 and played shows in Europe and America, returning to Australia for a short tour in 1988.
1990-1999
After the release of These Immortal Souls' second album, I'm Never Gonna Die Again, (1992) and another Howard/Lunch collaboration Shotgun Wedding, Howard, Lunch and members of The Beasts Of Bourbon performed live on tour in Australia and Europe. Shotgun Wedding was re-released with a second compact disc of live recordings. Shotgun Wedding was a swaggering rock 'n' roll album featuring cover versions of Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "In My Time of Dying
In My Time of Dying
"In My Time of Dying" is a traditional gospel music song that has been recorded by numerous musicians. An early version, titled "Jesus Goin' A-Make Up My Dying Bed", is mentioned in historian Robert Emmet Kennedy's Black Cameos published in 1924, on Louisiana street performers, and also listed in...
" and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
's "Black Juju".
Howard sang backing vocals on the 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 :...
album Let Love In (1994). In 1995 These Immortal Souls contributed their version of "You Can't Unring a Bell" to a Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Step Right Up.
Paul Godfrey a.k.a. Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey . Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas, who was known as Nikki Sudden .In 1972 Kevin and Nicholas formed the nucleus of what was to become the post-punk rock...
, the drummer for These Immortal Souls, was found dead in his London apartment on 5 November 1997, shortly after a relationship break-up, a successful tour, and the release of the third of his solo albums.
Howard lamented in a 1999 television interview (Studio 22, ABCTV
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
) with Clinton Walker
Clinton Walker
Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music but with a broader interest in social and cultural history and theory....
that people still asked him about "Shivers", a song he wrote when he was sixteen years old which first became well-known when it was sung by Nick Cave.
2000-2010
Howard released a well-received solo album called Teenage Snuff FilmTeenage Snuff Film
Teenage Snuff Film is the first solo album by Rowland S. Howard. Former The Birthday Party bandmate Mick Harvey contributes drums, organ and guitar, while Brian Hooper of The Beasts of Bourbon features on bass guitar...
in 2000.
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...
song "Release the Bats" was used in the true crime
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
film Chopper (2000).
An unofficial Rowland S. Howard fan website was established as the amount of Rowland S. Howard related information and file swapping grew steadily on the internet from the mid-1990s.
Howard made a cameo appearance in the 2002 vampire movie Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
as a musician in a vampire club band.
French label Stagger Records released a double CD tribute album to Howard in 2007 featuring Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
, The Drones
The Drones
The Drones are an Australian rock group who rose to prominence during the early 2000s. They are influenced by a variety of bands and soloists including Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Bad Brains, Suicide, Green on Red, The Birthday Party, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.- The Sound...
, The Holy Soul
The Holy Soul
-Biography:The Holy Soul is Trent Marden , Sam Worrad , Jon Hunter & Kate Wilson .Their first ep ‘Love Has Left The City Limits’ featuring Tim Malfroy and Owen Penglis was a raw collection of swampy cassette recordings, and the debut album ‘Sign of The Triangle’ was only a short step to the left...
, Penny Ikinger, Loene Carmen
Loene Carmen
Loene Carmen is an Australian singer/songwriter and actress.-Background:Carmen's father is rock/jazz/blues pianist Peter Head...
, Nikki Sudden, Noah Taylor and many more.
In September 2007, Howard joined with Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially known as Deer Bubbles and then The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt in...
and Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
for a tour of the east coast of Australia. Howard appeared at the All Tomorrows Parties rock festival in Australia in January 2009, curated by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He was backed by Mick Harvey on drums, and JP Shilo on bass.
Howard's second solo album, Pop Crimes, was released in October 2009 to acclaim from the musician Robert Forster (musician)
Robert Forster (musician)
Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for his work with songwriting partner Grant McLennan, with whom he co-founded The Go-Betweens.Forster grew up in Brisbane, Australia attending Brisbane Grammar School...
.
He on the Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially known as Deer Bubbles and then The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt in...
EP White Boy playing guitar and supplying vocals on the track "Summer High".
In an October 2009 interview, Howard said that the album was necessarily recorded quickly: "I contracted liver disease a while back and I've basically got liver cancer, I'm waiting for a transfer, if I don't get it things might not go so well...so..." He died from liver cancer on 30 December. His public funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church, St. Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria in Australia on 7 January 2010.
Howard's Birthday Party band mates reflected upon his death: Nick Cave told WENN
World Entertainment News Network
World Entertainment News Network is a 24/7 global entertainment text and photo wire services provider headquartered in London with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Berlin....
, "This is very sad news. Rowland was Australia's most unique, gifted and uncompromising guitarist. He was also a good friend. He will be missed by many". Mick Harvey remarked, "Sometimes people are ready to go because they have been sick for a long time, but Rowland really wanted to live. Things were going well for him outside his health and he wanted to take advantage of that, and he was very disappointed that he wasn't well enough to do so".
Legacy
In October 2011, Filmmaker Richard LowensteinRichard Lowenstein
Richard Lowenstein is an Australian film director. He has written, produced and directed the feature films He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, Dogs In Space, Say a Little Prayer, Strikebound and Ghost Story, as well as numerous ground-breaking and award-winning music videos for bands such as INXS...
(We're Living on Dogfood - documentary maker), released a 110 minute documentary film on the life of Rowland S. Howard titled 'Autoluminescent' which had a limited release for cinema.
Band history
- Tootho and the Ring of Confidence, with band members including Simon McLean and Clint Small
- The Obsessions, with band members including Simon McLean and Graham Pitt
- The Young Charlatans, with band members including Ollie OlsenOllie OlsenOllie Olsen 1958, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian composer, synthesist and sound designer who has been producing and performing rock, electronic and experimental music for the past thirty years...
- The Boys Next DoorThe 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...
: members Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas 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...
, Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
, Tracy PewTracy PewTracy Pew was an Australian musician, best known as the bass player for The Birthday Party.Born in Australia, Pew moved with his family to New Zealand in 1959, returning in May 1964...
, and Phill CalvertPhill CalvertPhill Calvert is an Australian rock drummer and producer best known for his playing in the influential post-punk band The Birthday Party with Nick Cave. His playing with the Birthday Party was noted for its use of tom-toms... - The Birthday PartyThe 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...
, with the same band members - Honeymoon In RedHoneymoon In RedHoneymoon In Red is a concept album released in 1987 as a Lydia Lunch album. Honeymoon In Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and The Birthday Party.-Music:...
, released as a Lydia Lunch album, Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas 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...
, Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
, J.G. Thirlwell, Thurston MooreThurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Murray Mitchell, Tracy PewTracy PewTracy Pew was an Australian musician, best known as the bass player for The Birthday Party.Born in Australia, Pew moved with his family to New Zealand in 1959, returning in May 1964...
, Genevieve McGuckinGenevieve McGuckinGenevieve McGuckin is a musician and song-writer from Melbourne, Australia, she was a founder of These Immortal Souls and has collaborated with fellow founder Rowland S. Howard.-Biography:...
(Nick Cave and Mick Harvey are uncredited on the album) - Crime and the City SolutionCrime and the City SolutionCrime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
, with band members Simon BonneySimon BonneySimon Bonney is an Australian rock musician, best known as the lead singer in Crime and the City Solution. The band was formed in 1977 in Sydney, Australia as an outlet for Bonney's songs and had a number of different line-ups throughout their history, with Bonney as the only constant member...
, Bronwyn Adams, Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
, Alexander HackeAlexander HackeAlexander Hacke is a guitarist, bass guitarist, singer, experimental / industrial / electronic musician from Germany....
, Epic SoundtracksEpic SoundtracksEpic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey . Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas, who was known as Nikki Sudden .In 1972 Kevin and Nicholas formed the nucleus of what was to become the post-punk rock...
, Harry HowardHarry Howard (musician)Harry Howard is an Australian musician who played bass guitar in Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls both also featuring his older brother, Rowland S. Howard. He then played guitar in Pink Stainless Tail for several years.... - These Immortal SoulsThese Immortal SoulsThese Immortal Souls was an Australian post-punk band based in Europe and active through the late 1980s and early 1990s.The band consisted of Rowland S. Howard , Genevieve McGuckin , Epic Soundtracks and Harry Howard...
, with band members Genevieve McGuckinGenevieve McGuckinGenevieve McGuckin is a musician and song-writer from Melbourne, Australia, she was a founder of These Immortal Souls and has collaborated with fellow founder Rowland S. Howard.-Biography:...
, Harry HowardHarry Howard (musician)Harry Howard is an Australian musician who played bass guitar in Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls both also featuring his older brother, Rowland S. Howard. He then played guitar in Pink Stainless Tail for several years....
, Epic SoundtracksEpic SoundtracksEpic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey . Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas, who was known as Nikki Sudden .In 1972 Kevin and Nicholas formed the nucleus of what was to become the post-punk rock... - Nikki SuddenNikki SuddenNikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...
and the Jacobites - Teenage Snuff FilmTeenage Snuff FilmTeenage Snuff Film is the first solo album by Rowland S. Howard. Former The Birthday Party bandmate Mick Harvey contributes drums, organ and guitar, while Brian Hooper of The Beasts of Bourbon features on bass guitar...
, (Rowland S. Howard solo album featuring Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
and Brian HooperBrian HooperBrian Roger Leslie Hooper in Sheerwater, Woking, Surrey is a former British Olympic pole vaulter, athletics coach and winner of the 1982 World Superstars Championship.-Athletics:...
) - Pop Crimes, (Rowland S. Howard's second solo album featuring Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
and JP Shilo)
Equipment
- IbanezIbanezis a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
guitar, a copy of FirebirdGibson FirebirdThe Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present.-History:The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's instruments, such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. After success with the Les Paul in...
. He used it in his early days in the Australian rock scene, while he was member of Young Charlatans and The Boys Next Door, being inspired by Phil ManzaneraPhil ManzaneraPhil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
from Roxy MusicRoxy MusicRoxy 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...
. - Fender JaguarFender JaguarThe Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
guitar. It was a post-1966 FenderFenderFender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
guitar, from the CBS era. Considered as his main guitar, Howard got it in 1978. - Fender Twin Reverb amplifier (1970's model with master volume). Rowland used these amps almost exclusively throughout his career.
- MXR Blue Box effects pedal. Many of his trademark distortion excursions were assisted by this guitar pedal.
- MXR Distortion Plus effects pedal. Almost as essential in Howard's rig as his JaguarFender JaguarThe Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
.
Filmography
- Wings of DesireWings of DesireWings of Desire is a 1987 Franco-German romantic fantasy film directed by Wim Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of the human inhabitants and comfort those who are in distress...
, 1987 - In Too Deep, 1990
- The Queen of the DamnedQueen of the Damned (film)Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
, 2002 - We're Living on Dog Food, 2009
- Autoluminescent , 2011
Production credits
- Hungry Ghosts Hungry Ghosts LP (Reliant, 1999)
- HTRKHTRKHTRK is an Australian band formed in 2003.-Biography:Originating in Melbourne and based in London since 2007, HTRK started playing in 2003 when guitarist Nigel Yang and bassist Sean Stewart invited vocalist Jonnine Standish to create music inspired by Lynchian imagery, protopunk and post...
Marry Me TonightMarry Me TonightMarry Me Tonight is the debut album by Berlin-based Australian band HTRK, released on 2 February 2009. Produced by Lindsay Gravina and Rowland S. Howard of The Birthday Party the album is the group's first full-length release and was distributed through record label Blast First Petite...
LP
External links
- http://www.burning-heart.net/
- Outta The Black & Into The Ether // A Rowland S. Howard Web Site
- Obituary: Hero to the Australian underground, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 12, January 8, 2010.
- Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard (2011) IMDB Page
Further reading / bibliography
- Extensive archival information on www.burning-heart.net
- From Pop to Punk to Postmodernism: Popular Music and Australian Culture from the 1960s to the 1990s, (Edited by Philip Hayward).
- Bad Seed: A biography of Nick Cave, Ian Johnston (1995).
- NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
- Future Pop: Music for the Eighties, Peter Noble (1983)
- Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music 1977–1991, Clinton WalkerClinton WalkerClinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music but with a broader interest in social and cultural history and theory....
. - Incriminating Evidence, Lydia Lunch. Last Gasp Books.
- Nikki Sudden weblog.
- Nikki Sudden quote taken from Nikki Sudden weblog, 23 March 2006.
- Tape Delay: Confessions From The Eighties Underground, Charles Neal.
- Fast Forward, Tape Zine, Melbourne, edited by Bruce MilneBruce MilneBruce Milne is an Australian music entrepreneur closely linked to the Melbourne post-punk scene. He founded the independent record label Au-Go-Go in 1979....