The Crayon Fields
Encyclopedia
Crayon Fields are a four-piece Melbourne
based band signed to the labels Chapter Music
and Rallye. They have been described as having an artful naïve-pop aesthetic and as lo-fi
.
The line up consists of singer-songwriter
Geoff O'Connor on vocals and guitar
, Brett Hudson on bass guitar
, Chris Hung on second guitar
, Synthesizer
and percussion
and Neil Erenstrom on drum
s. O'Connor also has a solo
side-project
, recording as Sly Hats, signed to Nervous Jerk Records, with one album to date: Liquorice Night. O'Connor has since dropped the 'Sly Hats' moniker and begun recording and performing his solo material as 'Geoffrey O'Connor'.
Their debut full length album Animal Bells was released on 16 October 2006 and 5 November 2006 on vinyl. It was given a rating of 7.8 by Pitchfork Media
and compared to the likes of the Beach Boys, The Zombies
and The Association
.
In late 2008 Crayon Fields completed the recording of their 2nd album and released the 7" single 'Mirror Ball'. The band then released a UK 7" single 'Voice Of Paradise' on the Passport label and toured Europe and the UK in April and May 2009 before releasing a 3rd 7" single 'All The Pleasures Of The World' in August 2009. Their second album, 'All The Pleasures of the World' was released in September 2009 on Chapter Music
(Australia) and Rallye Records (Japan). The album was given a 7.8 by Pitchfork Media
, has been featured on many prominent blogs throughout the US and UK such as Big Stereo and Music (For Robots)
and has received airplay on US radio stations such as KCRW
, KEXP
and Woxy
. In Australia the album has received heavy airplay on community radio stations, with both 'Mirror Ball' and 'All The Pleasures Of The World' being added to rotation on national youth radio station JJJ.
In March 2010 Crayon Fields toured the US for the first time, performing a number of shows in New York, LA and Austin as part of the SXSW festival, which included a live to air set for KEXP radio. In Australia Crayon Fields have performed at the Big Day Out, Golden Plains, Parklife and Laneway festivals and toured with Peter Bjorn and John (SWE), Cornelius (JAP) New Pornographers (CAN), The Dirty Three, Stereolab (UK), The Mountain Goats (US), Spoon (US), The Go! Team (UK) and Built To Spill (US). They toured the U.S for a second time in October 2010, and included a number of CMJ festival shows.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
based band signed to the labels Chapter Music
Chapter Music
Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
and Rallye. They have been described as having an artful naïve-pop aesthetic and as lo-fi
Lo-fi music
Lo-fi is lower quality of sound recordings than the usual standard for music. The qualities of lo-fi are usually achieved by either degrading the quality of the recorded audio, or using certain equipment. Recent uses of the phrase have led to it becoming a genre, although it still remains as an...
.
The line up consists of singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Geoff O'Connor on vocals and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Brett Hudson on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Chris Hung on second guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and Neil Erenstrom on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. O'Connor also has a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
side-project
Side-project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more persons already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style....
, recording as Sly Hats, signed to Nervous Jerk Records, with one album to date: Liquorice Night. O'Connor has since dropped the 'Sly Hats' moniker and begun recording and performing his solo material as 'Geoffrey O'Connor'.
Their debut full length album Animal Bells was released on 16 October 2006 and 5 November 2006 on vinyl. It was given a rating of 7.8 by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and compared to the likes of the Beach Boys, The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
and The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
.
In late 2008 Crayon Fields completed the recording of their 2nd album and released the 7" single 'Mirror Ball'. The band then released a UK 7" single 'Voice Of Paradise' on the Passport label and toured Europe and the UK in April and May 2009 before releasing a 3rd 7" single 'All The Pleasures Of The World' in August 2009. Their second album, 'All The Pleasures of the World' was released in September 2009 on Chapter Music
Chapter Music
Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
(Australia) and Rallye Records (Japan). The album was given a 7.8 by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, has been featured on many prominent blogs throughout the US and UK such as Big Stereo and Music (For Robots)
Music (For Robots)
Music For Robots is a mp3 blog written and curated by a collective of friends who originally met at Bates College, who founded the website in April 2004. The blog made history in 2004 when it hosted a song by the band The Secret Machines provided to them by Warner Bros...
and has received airplay on US radio stations such as KCRW
KCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
, KEXP
KEXP
KEXP-FM is a public radio station based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen's Experience Music Project...
and Woxy
WOXY
WOXY may refer to:* WOXY.com, an Internet radio station* WOXY , a radio station licensed to Mason, Ohio, United States...
. In Australia the album has received heavy airplay on community radio stations, with both 'Mirror Ball' and 'All The Pleasures Of The World' being added to rotation on national youth radio station JJJ.
In March 2010 Crayon Fields toured the US for the first time, performing a number of shows in New York, LA and Austin as part of the SXSW festival, which included a live to air set for KEXP radio. In Australia Crayon Fields have performed at the Big Day Out, Golden Plains, Parklife and Laneway festivals and toured with Peter Bjorn and John (SWE), Cornelius (JAP) New Pornographers (CAN), The Dirty Three, Stereolab (UK), The Mountain Goats (US), Spoon (US), The Go! Team (UK) and Built To Spill (US). They toured the U.S for a second time in October 2010, and included a number of CMJ festival shows.
Albums
- Animal Bells (CD and vinyl) (16 October 2006) Chapter Music/Trifekta Records
- All The Pleasures of the World (CD and vinyl) (released 19 September 2009) Chapter MusicChapter MusicChapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
(AU), Rallye (Japan)
Singles
- Mirror Ball (7") (9 December 2008) Chapter MusicChapter MusicChapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
- Voice Of Paradise (UK only 7") (21 March 2009) PassportPassportA passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
- All The Pleasures Of The World (7") (22 August 2009) Chapter MusicChapter MusicChapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...