Two Lane Blacktop
Encyclopedia
Two Lane Blacktop was a hard rock
band
from Wellington
, New Zealand
who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2003. The band wrote all its songs about movies and was named after a 1971 film
directed by Monte Hellman. The members of the band were Matt Harrop on vocals
and guitar
, Luke Hutching on bass
, Phil Smiley on drum
s, and Pip Brown on lead guitar
and background vocals.
The band was influenced by protopunk
groups such as The Stooges
and The MC5
, and were often compared with contemporary hard rock
bands such as fellow countrymen The Datsuns
.
band was looking for a second guitarist
. Harrop invited Brown to audition after meeting her in a documentary film
class. Harrop and Brown's mutual interest in old cinema and 70's rock inspired them to form a new band and start writing songs. Smiley, a mutual acquaintance of Brown and Harrop, was asked to drum, introducing a darker feel to the sound, and another design school student, Ben Fraser, a trained jazz
musician, was called in to play bass. As a member of two other local bands, Fraser didn't have enough time for the increasing workload of Two Lane Blacktop and soon left the band. Nato Hickey, bass player in the band Paselode, temporarily filled in while the band looked for a replacement. Hickey introduced the band to their future manager Dave Benge, then manager of New Zealand bands Fur Patrol
and Cassette
, before Hutching, lead guitarist for the band Fore Arm of Fury, was brought in on bass about one month before their first scheduled shows in Australia
.
The band enjoyed quick success in Australia, riding the wave of the popular New Rock revival, and it wasn't long before the band was making frequent trips between the two countries.
In May 2003, the 7" single "The Rat" / "Hellhound" was released through Infidelity Records and distributed throughout New Zealand and Australia. It gained considerable air play in each country and was placed on rotation by John Peel
on his Radio 1
programme. The band was received well by the Australian press
, appearing in the 'ones to watch' issue of Rolling Stone
magazine in June 2003, as did their single "The Rat", which made it onto the CD which came with that issue. Back in New Zealand, the band gained nominations for 'Best new band' and 'Best unreleased song' in the New Zealand BNet awards.
In mid-2003, the band made its first trip to America, playing 3 weeks of shows in Los Angeles and New York. On the band's return the first tracks of their new album were recorded at the language of love studios in Wellington - these recordings have never been released.
In late 2003, one week before an East Coast Australian tour with American band Modey Lemon
, Two Lane Blacktop decided to split up. The reasons for the breakup have not been made clear but personality conflicts have been rumoured.
Previous
Hutching now plays bass in Wellington rock band The Accelerants.
Smiley now plays drums in Melbourne group The Rise and Demise.
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
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2003. The band wrote all its songs about movies and was named after a 1971 film
Two-Lane Blacktop
Two-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road movie directed by Monte Hellman, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Esquire magazine declared the film its movie of the year for 1971, and even published the entire screenplay in its April, 1971...
directed by Monte Hellman. The members of the band were Matt Harrop on 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...
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...
, Luke Hutching on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Phil Smiley 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, and Pip Brown on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and background vocals.
The band was influenced by protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
groups such as The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and The MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, and were often compared with contemporary hard rock
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...
bands such as fellow countrymen The Datsuns
The Datsuns
The Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 2000. To date they have released four albums and several singles, most of which have charted in New Zealand and/or the United Kingdom...
.
History
The band formed in early 2001 when Harrop's then hardcoreHardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band was looking for a second guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. Harrop invited Brown to audition after meeting her in a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
class. Harrop and Brown's mutual interest in old cinema and 70's rock inspired them to form a new band and start writing songs. Smiley, a mutual acquaintance of Brown and Harrop, was asked to drum, introducing a darker feel to the sound, and another design school student, Ben Fraser, a trained jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician, was called in to play bass. As a member of two other local bands, Fraser didn't have enough time for the increasing workload of Two Lane Blacktop and soon left the band. Nato Hickey, bass player in the band Paselode, temporarily filled in while the band looked for a replacement. Hickey introduced the band to their future manager Dave Benge, then manager of New Zealand bands Fur Patrol
Fur Patrol
Fur Patrol is a rock band, originally from Wellington, New Zealand, now based in Melbourne, Australia.Their debut EP, Starlifter, was released on the independent Wellington label Wishbone in 1998. Their debut album Pet was produced by David Long, guitarist of the Six Volts and the The Mutton Birds...
and Cassette
Cassette (New Zealand band)
Cassette are an alt country/indie rock band from Wellington, New Zealand. They were formed in summer 1999-2000, and originally consisted of Tom Watson , Craig Terris and David Fraser . The Band was joined by Paul Trigg of Letterbox Lambs fame after their move to Melbourne in 2001...
, before Hutching, lead guitarist for the band Fore Arm of Fury, was brought in on bass about one month before their first scheduled shows in 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...
.
The band enjoyed quick success in Australia, riding the wave of the popular New Rock revival, and it wasn't long before the band was making frequent trips between the two countries.
In May 2003, the 7" single "The Rat" / "Hellhound" was released through Infidelity Records and distributed throughout New Zealand and Australia. It gained considerable air play in each country and was placed on rotation by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on his Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
programme. The band was received well by the Australian press
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, appearing in the 'ones to watch' issue of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine in June 2003, as did their single "The Rat", which made it onto the CD which came with that issue. Back in New Zealand, the band gained nominations for 'Best new band' and 'Best unreleased song' in the New Zealand BNet awards.
In mid-2003, the band made its first trip to America, playing 3 weeks of shows in Los Angeles and New York. On the band's return the first tracks of their new album were recorded at the language of love studios in Wellington - these recordings have never been released.
In late 2003, one week before an East Coast Australian tour with American band Modey Lemon
Modey Lemon
Modey Lemon is an American garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group formed in Pittsburgh's South Oakland neighborhood in 1999 as an informal side project of Dean Swagger, a rock trio that had spent the previous year mainly performing in basements to college party crowds...
, Two Lane Blacktop decided to split up. The reasons for the breakup have not been made clear but personality conflicts have been rumoured.
Group members
Core Members- Matt Harrop – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocalsSingingSinging 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... - Pip Brown – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, background vocals - Luke Hutching – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Phil Smiley – drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Previous
- Nato Hickey – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Ben Fraser – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
After disbanding
Brown now fronts her own solo project called Ladyhawke.Hutching now plays bass in Wellington rock band The Accelerants.
Smiley now plays drums in Melbourne group The Rise and Demise.
External links
- Two Lane Blacktop at amplifier.co.nz
- Interview with Brown, under the alias Lux Curfew in NZ musician