The Hitmen
Encyclopedia
Hitmen are an Australian Hard rock
band. The group went through a large number of lineup changes in its short late 1970s and early 1980s run, then regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They reformed in 2007 and continue to play.
backup singer Johnny Kannis first formed the group as Johnny and the Hitmen in 1977. They recorded three songs and released two of them as a 7" under Johnny's name in 1978. When Radio Birdman's European tour went awry in 1978, some of its members joined Kannis' band. The group began touring, and signed to Warner Bros. Records
in 1979, releasing their first single in July of that year. A second single followed the next year, and in December 1980, the band entered the studio. The result was 1981's self-titled full length, released in July, and the group supported Steppenwolf
on an Australian tour.
In 1982, the group left Warner Bros. Records and signed to RCA Records
, quickly releasing a follow-up LP that ended up selling poorly. When Iggy Pop
toured Australia in 1983, three of The Hitmen and one member of The Celibate Rifles
were selected as a backing band to Radio Birdman singer Rob Younger
, who was picked as the opening act (as The New Christs). Kannis went on the road with a new band, Johnny Kannis and the Night Train, during this hiatus. Kannis was injured in a car accident on tour and was out of commission for over a year; the group broke up shortly after a farewell tour once Kannis was well again. Following this was a live album, Tora Tora DTK, for which the band did a few one-off shows in 1985.
Towards the end of the 1980s, Kannis re-formed the Hitmen with a new lineup as the Hitmen DTK. After one EP, the lineup changed yet again, and in 1991 another LP followed after recording sessions in Austin, Texas
. The group toured Australia opening for Dark Carnival, but broke up soon after.
The band reformed in 2007, doing a round of Australian shows. This line-up of Kannis, Masuak, bassist Tony "The Kid" Robertson, guitarist Tony "Juke" Jukic and drummer Murray "Muzz" Shepherd remains in place today.
A one-off gig in February 2008 with former Dark Carnival/Destroy All Monsters singer Niagara at The Crest Hotel, Sylvania, was recorded and released as "St Valentine's Day Massacre" by Savage Beat/Shock in Australia and US label Steel Cage around the world. Re-issues of "Hitmen", It Is What It Is" and "Tora Tora DTK" have been released on Savage Beat/Shock, each with detailed liner notes and extra discs of bonus material.
The band has gigged solidly since then with a national tour with Niagara undertaken in April 2010.
The Hitmen marked their 30th anniversary with a one-off show at the Sandringham Hotel, Newtown, in Sydney on May 21, 2010. Another retrospective collection "Dancin' Time" of studio and live material was released in November 2010. The band is on hiatus as Masuak has moved to Spain.
As The Hitmen
As Niagara & The Hitmen
As The Hitmen DTK
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band. The group went through a large number of lineup changes in its short late 1970s and early 1980s run, then regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They reformed in 2007 and continue to play.
History
Radio BirdmanRadio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
backup singer Johnny Kannis first formed the group as Johnny and the Hitmen in 1977. They recorded three songs and released two of them as a 7" under Johnny's name in 1978. When Radio Birdman's European tour went awry in 1978, some of its members joined Kannis' band. The group began touring, and signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1979, releasing their first single in July of that year. A second single followed the next year, and in December 1980, the band entered the studio. The result was 1981's self-titled full length, released in July, and the group supported Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
on an Australian tour.
In 1982, the group left Warner Bros. Records and signed to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, quickly releasing a follow-up LP that ended up selling poorly. When Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
toured Australia in 1983, three of The Hitmen and one member of The Celibate Rifles
The Celibate Rifles
The Celibate Rifles are a punk rock band from Sydney, Australia.The band was formed in 1979 and released their first album Sideroxylon in April 1983 on the Hot Records label...
were selected as a backing band to Radio Birdman singer Rob Younger
Rob Younger
Rob Younger is an Australian rock musician, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974. After the Radio Birdman break-up, Younger joined the super-group, New Race, who were active in 1981...
, who was picked as the opening act (as The New Christs). Kannis went on the road with a new band, Johnny Kannis and the Night Train, during this hiatus. Kannis was injured in a car accident on tour and was out of commission for over a year; the group broke up shortly after a farewell tour once Kannis was well again. Following this was a live album, Tora Tora DTK, for which the band did a few one-off shows in 1985.
Towards the end of the 1980s, Kannis re-formed the Hitmen with a new lineup as the Hitmen DTK. After one EP, the lineup changed yet again, and in 1991 another LP followed after recording sessions in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The group toured Australia opening for Dark Carnival, but broke up soon after.
The band reformed in 2007, doing a round of Australian shows. This line-up of Kannis, Masuak, bassist Tony "The Kid" Robertson, guitarist Tony "Juke" Jukic and drummer Murray "Muzz" Shepherd remains in place today.
A one-off gig in February 2008 with former Dark Carnival/Destroy All Monsters singer Niagara at The Crest Hotel, Sylvania, was recorded and released as "St Valentine's Day Massacre" by Savage Beat/Shock in Australia and US label Steel Cage around the world. Re-issues of "Hitmen", It Is What It Is" and "Tora Tora DTK" have been released on Savage Beat/Shock, each with detailed liner notes and extra discs of bonus material.
The band has gigged solidly since then with a national tour with Niagara undertaken in April 2010.
The Hitmen marked their 30th anniversary with a one-off show at the Sandringham Hotel, Newtown, in Sydney on May 21, 2010. Another retrospective collection "Dancin' Time" of studio and live material was released in November 2010. The band is on hiatus as Masuak has moved to Spain.
Timeline
- Peter Banesevic : Guitar
- Clyde Bramley : Bass (1978)
- Alan Brown : Drums (1978)
- Charlie Georges : Guitar (1977–78)
- Warwick Gilbert : Bass, Guitar (1977–78, 1981)
- Steve Harris : Keyboard, Guitar (1978)
- Ivor Hay : Drums (1978–79)
- Richard Jakimyszyn : Guitar, Vocals (1984)
- Tony Jukic : Guitar (2007- )
- Johnny Kannis : Vocals
- Ron Keeley : Drums (1977)
- Mark Kingsmill: Drums, Vocals (1979–84)
- Chris MasuakChris MasuakChris Masuak is a Canadian-born Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter. He is as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974, and for his other outfits The Hitmen, and The Screaming Tribesmen...
: Guitar, Vocals - Angie Pepper : Vocals (1977–78)
- Geoff Peterkin : Drums (1979)
- Lynne Phillips : Vocals (1978)
- Tony Robertson : Bass, Vocals (1982–86, 2007- )
- Brad SheperdHoodoo GurusHoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
: Guitar (1981–82) - Murray Shepherd : Drums (2007- )
- Phil Somerville : Bass (1978–79)
- Tony Vidale : Guitar (1979–81)
Discography
As Johnny Kannis- "King of the Surf/Under the Boardwalk" (7", 1978)
- "King of the Surf/"Pushin' Too HardPushin' Too Hard"Pushin' Too Hard", originally titled " Pushin' Too Hard", is a song by American rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Saxon with Marcus Tybalt. It was released as a single in 1965, re-issued the following year, and peaked at number 36 on the U.S...
" (The SeedsThe SeedsThe Seeds were an American rock band. The group, whose repertoire spread between garage rock and acid rock, are considered one of the pioneers of punk rock.-History:...
cover) (7", 1991; recorded 1978)
As The Hitmen
- "Didn't Tell the Man/I Am the Man" (7", WEAWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, 1979) - "I Want You/Tell Tale Heart" (7", WEA, 1980)
- "I Don't Mind/Rock & Roll Soldier" (7", WEA, 1981)
- The Hitmen (LPLP albumThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, WEA, 1981) - "Everybody Knows/Dancin' Time" (7", RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, 1982) - "Bwana Devil/Didn't Wanna Love You" (7", WEA, 1982)
- It Is What it Is (LP, RCA, 1982)
- Tora Tora DTK (live LP, Rattlesnake Records, 1984)
- Compilation 78-82 (Survival Records, 1988)
- "The Hitmen" (re-issue 2CD, Savage Beat/Shock, 2007)
- "It Is What It Is" (re-issue 2CD, Savage Beat/Shock, 2007)
- "Tora Tora DTK" (re-issue 2CD, Savage Beat/Shock, 2009)
As Niagara & The Hitmen
- "St Valentine's Day Massacre" (live LP, Savage Beat/Steel Cage, 2009)
As The Hitmen DTK
- U.E.L.A. (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...
, Survival, 1989) - Moronic Inferno (LP, Zeus Records, 1991)
- Surfin' in Another Direction (EP, Zeus, 1992)
External links
- Biography
- Discography at Divine Rites