The Mess Hall
Encyclopedia
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney
, Australia
specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel (vocals
/guitar
) and Cec Condon (drums
/vocals
).
The band often find themselves being compared to The White Stripes
but Kurzel expresses otherwise. "When we started to do our thing there was no White Stripes around. A lot of people I'm influenced by are a lot of old poor guys from the Mississippi who just play really honest and a dirty sort of blues. That's where The Mess Hall come from. We really never set out to be a two piece. It was just something that worked out that way".
lo-fi
album, to distribute at live events. In 2003 the band signed with Shock Records
and released the EP
, Feeling Sideways
. Produced by Matt Lovell
(Something for Kate
) and Chris Joannou
(Silverchair
), the short album earned an ARIA
nomination for Best Independent Release. The same year, Johnsen left the band and was replaced by drummer Cec Condon of The Tremors and Mexico City.
and released their new album "Devils Elbow
". Soon after its release, the album won the Australian Music Prize, gifting the band $25,000 in prizemoney. As their momentum started, the Mess Hall also won the support slot for the Foo Fighters
' Australian tour.
, on 13 November 2009 in Australia. The first single released from the album was "Bell"
, You Am I
, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
, The Strokes
, Kings of Leon
and Jet
as well as playing at the Splendour in the Grass
, Homebake
, Falls
and Big Day Out
festivals. They have toured to Japan
and the USA
, including performances at SXSW
in Austin
. The band has such covers on their live set list such as Nirvana
's "Breed" and Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick
". They also supported fellow aussie rockers Wolfmother
on several dates of their 2006 "Dimensions" tour.
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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/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...
) and Cec Condon (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
/vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
).
The band often find themselves being compared to The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
but Kurzel expresses otherwise. "When we started to do our thing there was no White Stripes around. A lot of people I'm influenced by are a lot of old poor guys from the Mississippi who just play really honest and a dirty sort of blues. That's where The Mess Hall come from. We really never set out to be a two piece. It was just something that worked out that way".
Early days
Original members Jed Kurzel and Anthony Johnsen began playing shows in 2001 and quickly gained a reputation as an exciting live act. They also recorded their self-titledThe Mess Hall (album)
The Mess Hall released in 2003, is the first full-length album from the Australian Rock band The Mess Hall. The band's self-titled, lo-fi Debut album was described as, "....the perfect soundtrack to trashing a hotel room".-Track listing:...
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...
album, to distribute at live events. In 2003 the band signed with Shock Records
Shock Records
Shock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
and 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...
, Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways, produced by Chris Joannou earned an ARIA music award for Best Independent Release. The same year, The Original Drummer, Anthony Johnsen left the band and was replaced with Cec Condon of The Tremors.-Track listing:...
. Produced by Matt Lovell
Matt Lovell
Matt Lovell is a notable Australian record producer and mixer for many artists, such as; Something for Kate, The Mess Hall, Tom Morgan and Shihad...
(Something for Kate
Something for Kate
Something for Kate are a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Hyndman and bassist Stephanie Ashworth...
) and Chris Joannou
Chris Joannou
Christopher John Joannou is a Macedonian Australian musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock band Silverchair. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band...
(Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
), the short album earned an 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...
nomination for Best Independent Release. The same year, Johnsen left the band and was replaced by drummer Cec Condon of The Tremors and Mexico City.
Devils Elbow
During September 2007 The Mess Hall signed to Ivy League RecordsIvy League Records
For other uses of the term Ivy League see Ivy League Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia.Associated with the music management company Winterman & Goldstein and Ivy League Music publishing, Ivy League is the creation of Cameron Emerson-Elliot , Peter Lusty and James Roden...
and released their new album "Devils Elbow
Devils Elbow
Devils Elbow is the third album from The Mess Hall. The band's second studio album was released on 27 October 2007 in conjunction with the new single, Keep Walking...
". Soon after its release, the album won the Australian Music Prize, gifting the band $25,000 in prizemoney. As their momentum started, the Mess Hall also won the support slot for the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' Australian tour.
For the Birds
The Mess Hall released their latest album, For the BirdsFor the Birds (The Mess Hall album)
For the Birds is the fourth album from The Mess Hall. The band's third studio album was released on November 11, 2009.-Track listing:# "My Villain"# "Bell"# "Tijuana 500"# "Bare"# "Marlene"# "Silhouettes"# "New Ornithology"# "The Switch"...
, on 13 November 2009 in Australia. The first single released from the album was "Bell"
Tours
The band have played on the same bill as Tenacious DTenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
, You Am I
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
and Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
as well as playing at the Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
, Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
, Falls
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
and 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...
festivals. They have toured to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including performances at SXSW
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin
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 band has such covers on their live set list such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's "Breed" and Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick
Touch Me I'm Sick
"Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded in March 1988 at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino. "Touch Me I'm Sick" was released as Mudhoney's debut single by independent record label Sub Pop on August 1, 1988...
". They also supported fellow aussie rockers Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
on several dates of their 2006 "Dimensions" tour.
Albums and EPs
- The Mess HallThe Mess Hall (album)The Mess Hall released in 2003, is the first full-length album from the Australian Rock band The Mess Hall. The band's self-titled, lo-fi Debut album was described as, "....the perfect soundtrack to trashing a hotel room".-Track listing:...
(2001) - Feeling SidewaysFeeling SidewaysFeeling Sideways, produced by Chris Joannou earned an ARIA music award for Best Independent Release. The same year, The Original Drummer, Anthony Johnsen left the band and was replaced with Cec Condon of The Tremors.-Track listing:...
(2003) - Evelyn (2005)
- Notes From A CeilingNotes From A CeilingNotes From A Ceiling is the second album from the Australian two-piece rock band The Mess Hall.The album won an ARIA Music Award for Best Engineer, was short-listed for the inaugural Australian Music Prize and was included in both Triple J and Rolling Stone's Top 50 of 2005.According to Jed Kurzel...
(2005) - Devils ElbowDevils ElbowDevils Elbow is the third album from The Mess Hall. The band's second studio album was released on 27 October 2007 in conjunction with the new single, Keep Walking...
(2007) - For the BirdsFor the Birds (The Mess Hall album)For the Birds is the fourth album from The Mess Hall. The band's third studio album was released on November 11, 2009.-Track listing:# "My Villain"# "Bell"# "Tijuana 500"# "Bare"# "Marlene"# "Silhouettes"# "New Ornithology"# "The Switch"...
(2009)
Singles
- Pills (2005)
- Metal And Hair (2005)
- Keep WalkingKeep Walking (song)"Keep Walking" is single released by Indie rock band, The Mess Hall. Taken off their album Devils Elbow, the single was brought out in 2007.-External links:*...
(2007) - Pulse (2007)
- Bell (2009)
Awards
- 2008 Australian Music PrizeAustralian Music PrizeThe Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
, for Devils ElbowDevils ElbowDevils Elbow is the third album from The Mess Hall. The band's second studio album was released on 27 October 2007 in conjunction with the new single, Keep Walking... - 2005 ARIA AwardsARIA Music AwardsThe 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...
, Engineer of the Year for Notes From A CeilingNotes From A CeilingNotes From A Ceiling is the second album from the Australian two-piece rock band The Mess Hall.The album won an ARIA Music Award for Best Engineer, was short-listed for the inaugural Australian Music Prize and was included in both Triple J and Rolling Stone's Top 50 of 2005.According to Jed Kurzel...
Nominations
- 2003 ARIA Awards, Best Independent Release for Feeling SidewaysFeeling SidewaysFeeling Sideways, produced by Chris Joannou earned an ARIA music award for Best Independent Release. The same year, The Original Drummer, Anthony Johnsen left the band and was replaced with Cec Condon of The Tremors.-Track listing:...
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Producer of the Year for Notes From A Ceiling
- 2005 Australian Music PrizeAustralian Music PrizeThe Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
, Album of the Year for Notes From A Ceiling - 2006 Jack AwardsJack AwardsThe Jack Awards are a set of popularly-voted Australian music awards, sponsored by Tennessee whiskey company Jack Daniel's. The awards were conceived by Damien Wilson, former creative director of Peer Group Media to create a national platform that rewarded all areas of Australian live music, from...
, Best Live Band - 2006 Jack Awards, Best Lead Guitarist - Jed Kurzel