Tall Tales and True
Encyclopedia
Tall Tales and True were a three piece band from Sydney
formed in the early 1980s by Perth born musician, Matthew de la Hunty.
.
Tall Tales and True contributed a remixed version of "You've Got Your Troubles" to rooArt's inaugural Youngblood compilation (September 1988), alongside material from The Trilobites
, Martha's Vineyard
, Crash Politics, Hipslingers, The Hummingbirds
, Violet Town and others. That led to a full recording contract which resulted in the Shiver album (May 1989). Again produced by Nick Mainsbridge, the album highlighted the dramatic sweep of the band's songwriting and de la Hunty's earnest vocal delivery. Shiver produced the singles "Trust" (April 1989) and "Hold on" (June 1989). "Trust" received significant airplay on national youth broadcaster Triple J
reaching #93 on the Hottest 100 for 1990
and #51 in 1991
. The 12-inch version of "Trust" added a third track "Loser's Corner", while the "Hold On" 12-inch added "Dark Messenger" and "Lullaby # 1".
In 1989 the band flew to Canada
for a three month tour, which they expanded to a nine month world tour. The band initially based themselves in Toronto
with violinist Simon Alcorn who'd been performing and recording with them. After Canada they went south to the United States
, where Alcorn left and was replaced by Robert McComb (The Triffids
). The band then moved to the United Kingdom
and toured parts of England and Scotland. Tall Tales and True next released the EP
Superstition Highway (April 1991). Rob McComb contributed electric guitar to the blustering title track. The band later added Vanessa Lucas on violin and bass guitar when Rob McComb left. They embarked on the Trilogy tour with rooArt labelmates The Hummingbirds
and Canadian band The Pursuit of Happiness. Dave Goesch played lead guitar during this period. Tall Tales and True issued two new singles in the second-half of 1991, "Lifeboat" and "Summer of Love", the second of which reached #51 on the national chart. Both tracks were subsequently included on the band's second album, Revenge (May 1992). Their Lifeboat single earned ARIA
nominations for Engineer Of The Year (for Nick Mainsbridge) and Best Video (for Brendan Young). Revenge featured tracks uniquely and stylistically recorded, arranged and produced with their favourite producer Nick Mainsbridge in Sydney. The album gave rise to two more singles, "Watching the Wind Blow" (May 1992) and "Looking for a Place" (October 1992), after which the band slipped from view for another two years.
Recorded in a Sydney warehouse in mid-1994 with Mainsbridge, the album Tilt featured the band revisiting its garage-band roots with a noisy, ragged edge to proceedings. Tilt produced two CD EPs, "You Sleep I'll Drive" (October 1994) and "Moonshine" (January 1995). Tilt was the very first Australian album to be recorded and edited completely with computers in a digital format. Their former supportive label rooArt completely stopped supporting the band and various radio stations who'd also previously supported them stopped playing the band at this stage of their career. During one particular tour with The Jackson Code
they realised it might be the time to stop. Tall Tales and True played their final show at The Annandale Hotel in 1995.
Following the break-up of Tall Tales and True, Dave Rashleigh went on to be a member of The Jackson Code, before joining Sydney based outfit WEMO. Dave Rashleigh is now writing, performing, recording and producing his own compositions in Sydney as Dave Rashleigh.
Paul Miskin formed the band Angel Gear in 1997 which included Dave Rashleigh on drums. They continued to record with Nick Mainsbridge and released Friends In Low Places in 2003 on Mainsbridge's Beat - Route label. He has played bass and toured with Plug Uglies, Margaret Urlich, The Jackson Code and Jodi Phillis. He now writes for and performs with city/country outfit Grandaddy Low.
Matthew de la Hunty returned to Perth, and released his debut solo album in 1999, Scissors, Paper, Rock, which followed on from the Tall Tales and True sound, but was more acoustic based and rough-edged. This was followed by a second album Welcome To My Rock And Roll World in 2001. He has also undertaken production/remix work for other artists, alongside continuing to record his own material, and lecturing in song writing and production. He has fronted a Perth based neo-punk styled outfit called The Smokin’ Eldorados.
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...
formed in the early 1980s by Perth born musician, Matthew de la Hunty.
Biography
Matthew de la Hunty travelled to Sydney in 1983 and formed a group with Paul Miskin (bass) and Willie Mc Cracken (drums). This unnamed outfit played only one gig at French's Tavern. Dave Rashleigh (drums) was asked by Miskin to join in 1984 to replace Mc Cracken and they then became Tall Tales and True. The band became a regular attraction on the inner-city circuit. Engineer/producer Nick Mainsbridge worked with the band on its debut, mini-album Tall Tales & True (on the Survival label), which produced the single "Wasted Life"/"Good Heart Gone Bad" (August 1986). Tall Tales & True issued two four-track 12-inch EPs on Survival, Up Our Street (1987) and You've Got Your Troubles (1988), before coming to the attention of fledgling independent label rooArtRooArt
rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
.
Tall Tales and True contributed a remixed version of "You've Got Your Troubles" to rooArt's inaugural Youngblood compilation (September 1988), alongside material from The Trilobites
The Trilobites
The Trilobites were an Australian power pop/rock band formed in Sydney in June, 1984. Original Trilobites were: Mike Dalton on vocals, Scott Leighton on bass guitar, Martin Martini & Paul Skates on guitars and Paul Styman on drums. Their first two singles, "Venus in Leather"' and "American TV"...
, Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard (band)
Martha's Vineyard were an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1986 by lead singer . Martha's Vineyard shared a similar sound and outlook to that of fellow Perth bands like The Triffids, The Honeys and Chad's Tree...
, Crash Politics, Hipslingers, The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds were an indie pop or jangle pop band from Sydney, Australia formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly touted outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were an early signing to the rooArt label. The Hummingbirds' single...
, Violet Town and others. That led to a full recording contract which resulted in the Shiver album (May 1989). Again produced by Nick Mainsbridge, the album highlighted the dramatic sweep of the band's songwriting and de la Hunty's earnest vocal delivery. Shiver produced the singles "Trust" (April 1989) and "Hold on" (June 1989). "Trust" received significant airplay on national youth broadcaster 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...
reaching #93 on the Hottest 100 for 1990
Triple J Hottest 100, 1990
The 1990 Triple J Hottest 100 was the second yearly poll of the most popular songs, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. From 1989 to 1991, listeners could vote for songs released in any year.-Full list:...
and #51 in 1991
Triple J Hottest 100, 1991
The 1991 Triple J Hottest 100 was the third yearly poll of the most popular songs, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. From 1989 to 1991, listeners could vote for songs released in any year....
. The 12-inch version of "Trust" added a third track "Loser's Corner", while the "Hold On" 12-inch added "Dark Messenger" and "Lullaby # 1".
In 1989 the band flew to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for a three month tour, which they expanded to a nine month world tour. The band initially based themselves 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...
with violinist Simon Alcorn who'd been performing and recording with them. After Canada they went south to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Alcorn left and was replaced by Robert McComb (The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
). The band then moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and toured parts of England and Scotland. Tall Tales and True next released the 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...
Superstition Highway (April 1991). Rob McComb contributed electric guitar to the blustering title track. The band later added Vanessa Lucas on violin and bass guitar when Rob McComb left. They embarked on the Trilogy tour with rooArt labelmates The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds were an indie pop or jangle pop band from Sydney, Australia formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly touted outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were an early signing to the rooArt label. The Hummingbirds' single...
and Canadian band The Pursuit of Happiness. Dave Goesch played lead guitar during this period. Tall Tales and True issued two new singles in the second-half of 1991, "Lifeboat" and "Summer of Love", the second of which reached #51 on the national chart. Both tracks were subsequently included on the band's second album, Revenge (May 1992). Their Lifeboat single earned ARIA
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
nominations for Engineer Of The Year (for Nick Mainsbridge) and Best Video (for Brendan Young). Revenge featured tracks uniquely and stylistically recorded, arranged and produced with their favourite producer Nick Mainsbridge in Sydney. The album gave rise to two more singles, "Watching the Wind Blow" (May 1992) and "Looking for a Place" (October 1992), after which the band slipped from view for another two years.
Recorded in a Sydney warehouse in mid-1994 with Mainsbridge, the album Tilt featured the band revisiting its garage-band roots with a noisy, ragged edge to proceedings. Tilt produced two CD EPs, "You Sleep I'll Drive" (October 1994) and "Moonshine" (January 1995). Tilt was the very first Australian album to be recorded and edited completely with computers in a digital format. Their former supportive label rooArt completely stopped supporting the band and various radio stations who'd also previously supported them stopped playing the band at this stage of their career. During one particular tour with The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
they realised it might be the time to stop. Tall Tales and True played their final show at The Annandale Hotel in 1995.
Following the break-up of Tall Tales and True, Dave Rashleigh went on to be a member of The Jackson Code, before joining Sydney based outfit WEMO. Dave Rashleigh is now writing, performing, recording and producing his own compositions in Sydney as Dave Rashleigh.
Paul Miskin formed the band Angel Gear in 1997 which included Dave Rashleigh on drums. They continued to record with Nick Mainsbridge and released Friends In Low Places in 2003 on Mainsbridge's Beat - Route label. He has played bass and toured with Plug Uglies, Margaret Urlich, The Jackson Code and Jodi Phillis. He now writes for and performs with city/country outfit Grandaddy Low.
Matthew de la Hunty returned to Perth, and released his debut solo album in 1999, Scissors, Paper, Rock, which followed on from the Tall Tales and True sound, but was more acoustic based and rough-edged. This was followed by a second album Welcome To My Rock And Roll World in 2001. He has also undertaken production/remix work for other artists, alongside continuing to record his own material, and lecturing in song writing and production. He has fronted a Perth based neo-punk styled outfit called The Smokin’ Eldorados.
Members
- Matthew de la Hunty - lead vocals, guitar (1983–1995)
- Paul Miskin - bass, backing vocals, guitar (1983–1995)
- Dave Rashleigh - drums, backing vocals, percussion (1984–1995)
- Willie McCracken - drums, backing vocals (1983)
- Simon Alcorn - violin, guitar (1988–1989)
- Robert McComb - guitar, violin (1989–1990)
- Dave Goesch - guitar (1991)
- Vanessa Lucas - bass, violin (1991–1992)
Albums
- Shiver - rooArt (May, 1989)
- Revenge! - rooArt (May, 1992)
- Tilt - WEA (1994)
- That's All Folks - rooART (2001)
EPs
- Tall Tales and True - Survival (1986)
- Up Our Street - Survival (1987)
- You Got Your Troubles Split EPExtended playAn 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...
with The TrilobitesThe TrilobitesThe Trilobites were an Australian power pop/rock band formed in Sydney in June, 1984. Original Trilobites were: Mike Dalton on vocals, Scott Leighton on bass guitar, Martin Martini & Paul Skates on guitars and Paul Styman on drums. Their first two singles, "Venus in Leather"' and "American TV"...
- Survival/rooArtRooArtrooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
(1987) - Superstition Highway - rooART (April, 1991)
- You Sleep I'll Drive (1994)
- Moonshine (1995)
Singles
- "Wasted Life" - Survival (September, 1986)
- "Passing Out The Chains" - rooART (1989)
- "Trust" - rooART (April, 1989)
- "Hold On" - rooART (July, 1989)
- "Heart" - rooART (1990)
- "Lifeboat" - rooART (1991)
- "Summer of Love" - rooART (1991) AUS #51
- "Looking for a Place" - rooART (1992)
- "Watching the Wind Blow" - rooART (May, 1992)
- "You Sleep I'll Drive" - poofArt (October, 1994)
- "Moonshine" - rooArt (January, 1995)
External links
- [ Tall Tales and True] @ allmusic
- Tall Tales and True @ Australian Rock Database
- Tall Tales and True @ 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...
- Tall Tales and True @ 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...
- Newspaper review
- Newspaper review