Schvendes
Encyclopedia
Schvendes are a band of brothers and sisters from Perth, Western Australia
. They write stories about murder, mayhem, love and loss upon a background of gentle Rhodes piano, pounding drums, screaming guitar, soaring cello and vocals, which have been described as both sweet and terrifying. With an emphasis on lyrics depicting small disasters and celebration of everyday existence, their music is a blend of country, dirty blues and rock. Their influences include Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
, the Dirty Three, PJ Harvey
, Ennio Morricone, Tom Waits
and Nina Simone
.
, Turn Out Your Lights, produced by Ben Franz (The Waifs
), which was released nationally in December 2005 on Reverberation
. This was followed by the release of the single, "Small Mercies, Sweet Graves" in December and a second EP, Twice the Man in March, 2006; which was also produced by Franz.
In 2008 the band signed with local independent label, Good Cop Bad Cop and released their debut album
, Sweet Talk Your Enemies, on 28 June 2008, distributed nationally through Inertia
.
and WAMi
shows as well as a number of national supports for artists such The Kill Devil Hills
, The Dirty Three, Augie March
, Art of Fighting
, the Drones
, Ed Kuepper
, Tim Rogers
and Tex Perkins
, The Go Betweens, Kim Salmon
, Decoder Ring
, Tucker B's
, 67 Special
, Youth Group
, The Devoted Few, Holly Throsby
and New Buffalo
.
In 2007 the band played at the Perth
leg of the Big Day Out
and in March performed in Toronto
at the Canadian Music Week
, followed by a number of shows in New York
, including a support for Love of Diagrams
.
In 2008 the band toured nationally in support of the release of their debut album.
"...A slowed-down, and rather dark, art-blues-country hybrid, this is the type of band the make Manchester Lane’s $7 beers worthwhile." - Beat
"Here you will find a band of guts, of strength, and of complete blatant honesty." - Rockus
"...if ever old Lucifer did decide to kick up his hooves and cruise a few bands, he could do a lot worse than Schvendes." - ZebraHype
"...Sounds you could bath yourself in their textured beauty, with sinister edges that you could quite happily drown in." - WAM
"Music that will never fade but will always evolve..." - Oz Music Project
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. They write stories about murder, mayhem, love and loss upon a background of gentle Rhodes piano, pounding drums, screaming guitar, soaring cello and vocals, which have been described as both sweet and terrifying. With an emphasis on lyrics depicting small disasters and celebration of everyday existence, their music is a blend of country, dirty blues and rock. Their influences include 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 :...
, the Dirty Three, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, Ennio Morricone, 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."...
and Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
.
Biography
Schvendes were originally known as the Schvendes Ensemble, a gothy musical wing of the 2002 Artrage Festival, where they performed under the auspices of performance art within art festivals. In this mode they recorded their first release, the hand-packaged live album, The Scoundrel is Made an Outcast, which was released in October, 2002. Over the next couple of years the group morphed into a more conventional music group playing at various popular Perth venues.Recordings
In March 2005 the group released their debut EPExtended 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...
, Turn Out Your Lights, produced by Ben Franz (The Waifs
The Waifs
The Waifs are an Australian folk rock band formed in 1992 by Josh Cunningham , and sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson...
), which was released nationally in December 2005 on Reverberation
Reverberation (record label)
Reverberation is an Australian independent record label distributor. It helps distribute records from independent overseas records labels such as Alternative Tentacles and Eyeball Records, and also for small record labels such as Love Police Records and their own label Reverberation.Reverberation...
. This was followed by the release of the single, "Small Mercies, Sweet Graves" in December and a second EP, Twice the Man in March, 2006; which was also produced by Franz.
In 2008 the band signed with local independent label, Good Cop Bad Cop and released their debut album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Sweet Talk Your Enemies, on 28 June 2008, distributed nationally through Inertia
Inertia Distribution
Inertia is an independent record company based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in March 2000 by Ashley Sellers. Inertia releases exclusively the music from many of the world’s most prominent independent labels...
.
Tours
In the last year, the band played some seventy shows including the Perth International Arts FestivalPerth International Arts Festival
The Perth International Arts Festival is Australia's longest running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia between February-March. The program features contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, opera, visual arts, large-scale public works, Lotterywest Festival Films and the...
and WAMi
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
shows as well as a number of national supports for artists such The Kill Devil Hills
The Kill Devil Hills
The Kill Devil Hills were formed in 2003 in Fremantle, Western Australia as an acoustic, country-tinged 3-piece, which slowly swelled its ranks to become a rambling 6-piece outfit....
, The Dirty Three, Augie March
Augie March
Augie March are an Australian indie/pop rock band. Formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria, the band currently consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards, lead guitarist Adam Donovan, bassist Edmondo Ammendola, drummer David Williams, and keyboardist Kiernan Box...
, Art of Fighting
Art Of Fighting (band)
-History:The band formed in 1995 as a duo, with Ollie Browne playing guitar and Peggy Frew on bass, with both taking turns on vocals. The couple were also in a romantic relationship at this time, though they were to split amicably later....
, 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...
, Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
, Tim Rogers
Tim Rogers
Tim Rogers is the frontman of Australian rock band You Am I. He is also a solo artist, as well as having fronted and released albums with bands The Twin Set and The Temperance Union.-History:...
and Tex Perkins
Tex Perkins
Tex Perkins is an Australian singer-songwriter, who is widely known for fronting the popular Australian rock-band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James Baker Experience, The Butcher Shop, Salamander Jim, and Tex, Don and Charlie. He has also released many...
, The Go Betweens, Kim Salmon
Kim Salmon
Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
, Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring is an experimental electronic-rock crossover group from Australia.-Biography:Decoder Ring was formed in 2001, in Sydney, Australia. The original line-up consisted of Matt Fitzgerald Geoff Towner , Pete Kelly , Kenny Davis Jr &...
, Tucker B's
Tucker B's
Tucker B's are an Australian band originally from Perth but have been based in Sydney since 2005.-History:The Tucker B’s were formed at the end of 1994 by Matt Rudas and Andrew Houston, performing their first gig together at the Harbourside in Fremantle. In 1995, with the addition of Sean Pezzali,...
, 67 Special
67 Special
67 Special is a rock band based in Melbourne.-History:In 1994, Ash Santilla and Gavin Campbell met at high school in their hometown of Benalla, Victoria, and became good friends sharing their passion for rock music...
, Youth Group
Youth Group
Youth Group are a rock band based in Newtown, Sydney, Australia signed to Ivy League Records.- Biography :Youth Group formed in Sydney in the late 1990s. They have released four albums in Australia, with the three most recent albums also gaining releases worldwide...
, The Devoted Few, Holly Throsby
Holly Throsby
Holly Throsby is a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and pianist from Sydney, Australia. Throsby was nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Association 'Best Female Artist' Award in 2006 for Under the Town and in the same category in 2008 for A Loud Call.- Career :Holly Throsby was raised...
and New Buffalo
New Buffalo (band)
Sally Seltmann is a Melbourne-based singer-songwriter. Until 2009, she performed under the alias New Buffalo.-Biography:...
.
In 2007 the band played at the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
leg of 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...
and in March performed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
at the Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is an industry conference and music festival held over four days in various venues throughout Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
, followed by a number of shows in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, including a support for Love of Diagrams
Love Of Diagrams
Love of Diagrams is an indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2001. Their sound is characterized by a mix of energetic drumming, angular guitar and bass riffs, and call-and-response vocals.- History :...
.
In 2008 the band toured nationally in support of the release of their debut album.
Reviews
"...Schvendes undulate from caressing you gently to kicking your sorry arse out on to the street screaming at you to never come back. We’re talking Mr. Cave in his crooning moments here, with the haunting vocals accompanied by the mournful Rhodes piano lines..." – DrumMedia"...A slowed-down, and rather dark, art-blues-country hybrid, this is the type of band the make Manchester Lane’s $7 beers worthwhile." - Beat
"Here you will find a band of guts, of strength, and of complete blatant honesty." - Rockus
"...if ever old Lucifer did decide to kick up his hooves and cruise a few bands, he could do a lot worse than Schvendes." - ZebraHype
"...Sounds you could bath yourself in their textured beauty, with sinister edges that you could quite happily drown in." - WAM
"Music that will never fade but will always evolve..." - Oz Music Project
Members
- Rachael Dease - vocals, bass
- Tristen Parr - cello
- Matt Maguire - drums
- Tara John - rhodes piano
- Ant Gray - guitar
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | |||||||
| 2008 2008 in music 2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such... |
Sweet Talk Your Enemies | Good Cop Bad Cop Records/Inertia Inertia Distribution Inertia is an independent record company based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in March 2000 by Ashley Sellers. Inertia releases exclusively the music from many of the world’s most prominent independent labels... |
|||||
| EPs | |||||||
| 2005 2005 in music -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:... |
Turn Out Your Lights | Reverberation Reverberation (record label) Reverberation is an Australian independent record label distributor. It helps distribute records from independent overseas records labels such as Alternative Tentacles and Eyeball Records, and also for small record labels such as Love Police Records and their own label Reverberation.Reverberation... |
|||||
| 2006 2006 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band.... |
Twice the Man | Reverberation | |||||
| Live Albums | |||||||
| 2002 2002 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI... |
The Scoundrel is made an Outcast | Bloodstar | |||||
| Singles | |||||||
| 2005 | "Small Mercies, Sweet Graves" | Reverberation | |||||
| 2007 | "Repent and Repeat" | Reverberation | |||||
Awards and nominations
- 2006 WAMi AwardWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, Most Popular Single/EP - Turn out your Lights - 2006 WAMi AwardWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, Most Promising New Act - 2006 WAMi AwardWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, Best Instrumentalist - Tristen Parr - 2007 WAMi AwardWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, Best Instrumentalist - Tristen Parr - 2007 WAMi NominationWest Australian Music Industry AwardsThe Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, Best Female Vocalist - Rachael Dease - 2011 Independent Music Awards Nomination for "Lay the Noose", Best Music Video.
External links
- Schvendes Official Site
- Schvendes Myspace Site
- AMO Site
- Schvendes discography at 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...