The Smallgoods
Encyclopedia
The Smallgoods is an Australia
n indie pop
band originally from the Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy
, but now based in Melbourne
. The band's music draws on influences from 1960s artists such as The Beatles
and The Byrds
, along with more recent pop influences.
The band was originally a four piece consisting of brothers, Gus and Lachlan Franklin, Ben Mason and Shags Chamberlain who established themselves on the Warrnambool pub scene in 1999 - Ben and Lachlan were playing in local cover band, Slight Return, Gus having achieved 15 minutes of fame with his Triple J
Unearthed winning group, Gramps, and Shags playing keyboards with the Port Fairy band, The Pimps.
and Custard
). It was released by Half A Cow
records in November 2003 receiving airplay on National Youth broadcaster, Triple J
and community radio stations across Australia including 3RRR
(Melbourne), PBS (Melbourne), FBi
(Sydney), 2SER
(Sydney), 3D Radio (Adelaide), 4ZZZ
(Brisbane) and RTRFM
(Perth). Melbourne's Inpress magazine bestowing 'Single of the Week' status upon the song "Abraham Lincoln", which appeared on a split 7" shared with New Yorkers, The Essex Green
. The single was released as part of the Singles Club collective, through Low Transit Industries
.
In the last two years the Smallgoods have been developing their show alongside acts like The Shins
(USA), Ben Kweller
(USA), Josh Rouse
(USA), The New Folk Implosion
(USA), The Brunettes
(NZ), Architecture in Helsinki
, The Lucksmiths
, Midstate Orange and Ground Components
, to name a few. This is in addition to a headline shows in Sydney, Canberra
, Newcastle
and Adelaide, and a notable return to their hometown to appear at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in 2003.
In 2007 the band signed with Melbourne’s a new record label at Melbourne’s Lost and Lonesome Record Company
and with help from engineer Marcus Barczak (Art of Fighting
, Midstate Orange, The Small Knives
) have completed recording their latest album, Down on the Farm which is due to be released in August 2007.
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...
n indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band originally from the Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy
Port Fairy, Victoria
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.-History:...
, but now based in Melbourne
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...
. The band's music draws on influences from 1960s artists such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, along with more recent pop influences.
The band was originally a four piece consisting of brothers, Gus and Lachlan Franklin, Ben Mason and Shags Chamberlain who established themselves on the Warrnambool pub scene in 1999 - Ben and Lachlan were playing in local cover band, Slight Return, Gus having achieved 15 minutes of fame with his 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...
Unearthed winning group, Gramps, and Shags playing keyboards with the Port Fairy band, The Pimps.
"We were called Lukewerm originally, which was kind of on the right track but not the right train. I hated the name. It came about because we shopped this demo around and someone gave us a gig and we needed a name and it just kind of came out. The Smallgoods is a '60s-ish kind of name and we're a '60s-ish kind of band. It kind of stuck, even though it means 'meat products'" - Ben Mason.Their debut album, Listen To The Radio was recorded over two years with the help of Melbourne producer and musician Paul Thomas (The Huxton Creepers, Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything were an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1998. Their name came from The Clash song and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s.-Formation and...
and Custard
Custard (band)
-Overview:The band were originally known as Custard Gun and featured David McCormack on vocals and guitar, Paul Medew on bass, James Straker on guitar and Shane Brunn on drums. After a few shows and line up changes Custard Gun morphed into Custard...
). It was released by Half A Cow
Half A Cow
Half a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
records in November 2003 receiving 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...
and community radio stations across Australia including 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
(Melbourne), PBS (Melbourne), FBi
FBi Radio
FBi is an independent, not-for-profit community radio station in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local alternative music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of which at least half comes from Sydney musicians.FBi began 'test...
(Sydney), 2SER
2SER
2SER is a community radio station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, broadcasting on the frequency 107.3 FM and is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. The station operates as a company limited by guarantee and is jointly owned by Macquarie University and the...
(Sydney), 3D Radio (Adelaide), 4ZZZ
4ZZZ
4ZZZ is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia...
(Brisbane) and RTRFM
RTRFM
RTRFM is a not-for-profit, community radio station based in Perth, Western Australia. It is self-funded, largely through listener subscription and fund-raising events, however it does carry some "advertising material" at a maximum of 5 mins per hour. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, on 92.1 in the...
(Perth). Melbourne's Inpress magazine bestowing 'Single of the Week' status upon the song "Abraham Lincoln", which appeared on a split 7" shared with New Yorkers, The Essex Green
The Essex Green
The Essex Green are an indie rock band from Brooklyn, NY. The band is primarily composed of songwriters Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and Chris Ziter, and specialize in a classic sound inspired by 1960s–1970s pop and folk in the tradition of bands like The Left Banke and Fairport Convention.-History:The...
. The single was released as part of the Singles Club collective, through Low Transit Industries
Low Transit Industries
Low Transit Industries is an independent record label founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2003.Artists:AlmaAviator LaneBatriderBlack MountainBlack NielsonBoddickerC.W. StonekingCo-PilgrimDisaster PlanDishpan FingersElf PowerFinishing School...
.
In the last two years the Smallgoods have been developing their show alongside acts like The Shins
The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
(USA), Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
(USA), Josh Rouse
Josh Rouse
Josh Rouse is an American folk/roots pop singer-songwriter.-Biography:Born in the small town of Paxton, Nebraska, he moved to various places in the Midwest during his childhood due to his father's military career...
(USA), The New Folk Implosion
The New Folk Implosion
The New Folk Implosion is the fourth album released by indie rock band Folk Implosion. Released on March 4, 2003, it was the first album by Folk Implosion without co-founder and writing partner John Davis.- Track listing :...
(USA), The Brunettes
The Brunettes
The Brunettes are an indie pop or twee pop group from New Zealand formed in 1998. The band consists of core members Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield with additional contributions from part-time band members including James Milne , Ryan McPhun , Harry Cundy, and most recently,...
(NZ), Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...
, The Lucksmiths
The Lucksmiths
The Lucksmiths were an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia known for witty, intelligent lyrics, a strong melodic sense and a jangly pop sound harkening back to early-80's bands such as The Smiths and The Go-Betweens.-History:...
, Midstate Orange and Ground Components
Ground Components
Ground Components are an angular soul-punk-rock band formed and based in Melbourne, Australia. Formed December 2002, in East Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne.Their first public performance were in 2002, playing with friends bands and at small house parties...
, to name a few. This is in addition to a headline shows in Sydney, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Adelaide, and a notable return to their hometown to appear at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in 2003.
In 2007 the band signed with Melbourne’s a new record label at Melbourne’s Lost and Lonesome Record Company
Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.
Lost & Lonesome Recording Co. is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label specialises in indie pop, and has released both recordings by local artists and local releases by overseas indie bands....
and with help from engineer Marcus Barczak (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....
, Midstate Orange, The Small Knives
The Small Knives
The Small Knives are an acoustic duo from Melbourne, Australia.-History:The Small Knives are an acoustic duo composed of Leo Mullins and Philip Romeril, both formerly of the group 2 Litre Dolby. After relocating from Sydney to Melbourne , 2 Litre Dolby gained a strong following through their three...
) have completed recording their latest album, Down on the Farm which is due to be released in August 2007.
Discography
- Down on the Farm LP (Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.Lost & Lonesome Recording Co. is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label specialises in indie pop, and has released both recordings by local artists and local releases by overseas indie bands....
, August 11, 2007) - "Traipse through the Valley" (Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.Lost & Lonesome Recording Co. is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label specialises in indie pop, and has released both recordings by local artists and local releases by overseas indie bands....
, July 2007) - This is the Show EP (Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
, August 9, 2004) - Listen to the Radio LP (Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
, November 3, 2003) - "Abraham Lincoln" (2003)
- Get Up EP (Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
, 2002) - 120Y EP (independentIndependent record labelAn independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, 2000)
Current members
- Shags Chamberlain – synthesisers, keyboards
- Ben Mason – vocals, guitars, bells
- Gus Franklin – vocals, drums, tambourines
- Lachlan Franklin – vocals, guitars, whistles
- Andrew Ben Donnan - bass guitar, good looks
Former members
- Simon Cope - bass guitar
- Ben Browning - bass guitar
- Andrew Cowie - bass guitar