Tumbleweed (band)
Encyclopedia
Tumbleweed are a Wollongong-based rock group in Australia
, popular during the grunge
years of the 1990s. As an opening band for Nirvana
on their 1992 tour of Australia, Tumbleweed reached out into the mainstream with their crunchy-psychedelica. The band were signed to the Polydor label by Craig Kamber, who had worked with Powderfinger
and Spiderbait
.
The original line-up included bassist Jay Curley, guitarist Lenny Curley, vocalist Dave Curley and drummer Richie Lewis. This lineup only lasted a few months and released one 7" single Captain's Log b/w Space Friends produced by Mudhoney
's Mark Arm
in 1990. Paul Hausmeister then joined for one show before Dave was replaced on vocals by Richie and Steve O'Brien came in on drums. What outgoing vocalist Dave Curley calls the best and true Tumbleweed lineup was then born. It featured bassist Jay Curley, guitarists Lenny Curley and Paul Hausmeister, drummer Steve O'Brien and lead singer Richard "Richie" Lewis. Members came from groups the Proton Energy Pills and The Unheard. Other bands which include members are: Richie and the Creeps, The Pink Fits, Monstrous Blues, and Leadfinger.
It was announced in July 2009 that the line-up widely understood as the original would reform for the Homebake
festival in December 2009.
They played at the Sydney and Melbourne Big Day Out
festivals in January 2010.
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...
, popular during the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
years of the 1990s. As an opening band for 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...
on their 1992 tour of Australia, Tumbleweed reached out into the mainstream with their crunchy-psychedelica. The band were signed to the Polydor label by Craig Kamber, who had worked with Powderfinger
Powderfinger
Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
and Spiderbait
Spiderbait
Spiderbait are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Finley in 1989 by bass guitarist Janet English, singer-drummer Mark Maher , and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart...
.
The original line-up included bassist Jay Curley, guitarist Lenny Curley, vocalist Dave Curley and drummer Richie Lewis. This lineup only lasted a few months and released one 7" single Captain's Log b/w Space Friends produced by Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
's Mark Arm
Mark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
in 1990. Paul Hausmeister then joined for one show before Dave was replaced on vocals by Richie and Steve O'Brien came in on drums. What outgoing vocalist Dave Curley calls the best and true Tumbleweed lineup was then born. It featured bassist Jay Curley, guitarists Lenny Curley and Paul Hausmeister, drummer Steve O'Brien and lead singer Richard "Richie" Lewis. Members came from groups the Proton Energy Pills and The Unheard. Other bands which include members are: Richie and the Creeps, The Pink Fits, Monstrous Blues, and Leadfinger.
It was announced in July 2009 that the line-up widely understood as the original would reform for the 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...
festival in December 2009.
They played at the Sydney and Melbourne 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 in January 2010.
Discography
- Captains Log (7" SingleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - Stoned (7" SingleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - Sundial (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...
) - Theatre of Gnomes (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...
) - WeedSeed (Seed RecordsSeed Records- Seed Records 1972-1981 :Seed Records was a record label started by Paul Clark in 1972. The label ran until circa 1981, when he started Minstrel's Voyage Music...
, 1992) - Carousel (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...
) (Waterfront RecordsWaterfront RecordsWaterfront Records was an independent record label based in Sydney, that released recordings by some of Australia's most influential bands of the 1980s and 1990s.-History:...
, 1992) - Tumbleweed (self-titled) (Waterfront RecordsWaterfront RecordsWaterfront Records was an independent record label based in Sydney, that released recordings by some of Australia's most influential bands of the 1980s and 1990s.-History:...
, 1992) - Galactaphonic (Polydor RecordsPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, 1995) - Return to Earth (Polydor RecordsPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, 1996) - Mumbo Jumbo (Universal Records Australia, 2000)
- The Waterfront Years 1991-1993 (Aztec Music, 2010)
- Wollongong and Bong (Skidmark Steve Records, 2011)
External links
- Official Facebook Page
- Tumbleweed | Back From The Grave - Reunion fansite (with Photos, Videos, MP3s, etc)
- Tumblweedoz - Myspace page with videos
- Mumbo Jumbo Review
- Tumbleweed on IMC
- Discogs page
- National Library of Australia page