Died Pretty (sometimes The Died Pretty) is an Australian alternative rock band centred around singer Ron Peno and guitarist Brett Myers. The band formed in Sydney in early 1984.
Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan with psychedelic influences. They were also notably influenced by The Velvet Underground and Television.
They have been managed their whole career by John Needham, who is also the owner of Citadel Records, their current label.
History
The band formed in early 1984 after vocalist Ron Peno's previous band, The 31st, had split. Music journalist and keyboardist Frank Brunetti had formed a band with Brett Myers, formerly of The End, and suggested Peno join as singer. After various temporary rhythm sections, Jonathan Lickliter and Colin Barwick from The End joined a month later on bass and drums respectively.
The band came quickly to the attention of the Australian independent music scene, with the first two singles "Out Of The Unknown" and the 12-minute psychedelic epic "Mirror Blues" (released split over a 7" in Australia and intact on 12" in the UK) and then the EP Next To Nothing starting their career with tremendous critical attention and three alternative chart #1 hits in a row. All three records also achieved "Single Of The Week" in UK music weekly Melody Maker, though the band never achieved a great deal of popularity or notice in the UK.
The first album Free Dirt and single "Stoneage Cinderella/Yesterday's Letters" followed in 1986. By this time, Mark Lock of the Phantom Agents was on bass and Chris Welsh of The 31st and the Screaming Tribesmen was on drums. The band spent the next few years touring Australia, Europe and the US, which included a two-week tour of France with drummer Andrew Edge, as Welsh had broken his foot in London.
The second album, Lost, was released in 1988 on the Blue Mosque label, a major-distributed offshoot of Citadel, and outside Australia through Beggars Banquet. This album achieved great chart success in Italy and produced three singles - "Winterland", "Towers of Strength" and "Out of My Hands". Frank Brunetti left the band in 1988 (his last recording with the band being the single "Everybody Moves", released in 1989) and was replaced with John Hoey, of the Thought Criminals and the New Christs. Mark Lock also departed the band around this time as he had grown weary of touring; he was replaced by Steve Clark. The third album, Every Brilliant Eye, was released on Blue Mosque in 1990. Recorded overseas in California, it featured leaner, more rock-oriented songs and a more polished production from Jeff Eyrich, who was pinned down by the band after they heard his work with The Gun Club and The Plimsouls.
They achieved Australian chart success in the early 1990s with their fourth album Doughboy Hollow, again released through Blue Mosque, and its singles "Godbless", "D.C." and "Sweetheart". This album was notable for its strong pop melodicism, and its smooth production from Englishman Hugh Jones, whose other credits included The Damned, Kitchens of Distinction, Echo & the Bunnymen, Simple Minds and Stan Ridgway. After the recording of the album, Brisbanite Robert Warren replaced Clark on bass. The band were nominated for three ARIA awards after the release of Doughboy Hollow - 'Best Independent Album', 'Best Independent Album Cover' and 'Best Alternative Video' for the single, DC.
After the success of Doughboy Hollow, their next two albums, Trace (1993) and Sold (1995), were released worldwide by Sony Music. During this period, they supported R.E.M. at the band's request on the Australian leg of their Monster tour, in early 1995. Although Trace had been their biggest-selling record to date (debuting at #11 on the Australian mainstream chart), sales were insufficient for multi national Sony and the band were dropped by the label.
Soon after the release of Trace, long-time drummer Chris Welsh left the band (he retired from music and became an English teacher in Thailand), and Sold was recorded with two guest drummers - Shane Melder of Sidewinder and Nick Kennedy of Big Heavy Stuff, before Simon Cox signed on as session drummer. Sold saw them reunited with original producer Rob Younger, who co-produced the album with Wayne Connolly; it was also mixed at the well-known Fort Apache Studios in Boston by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade (Buffalo Tom, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr). A rougher, harder-sounding collection than Doughboy or Trace, it gained critical acclaim but did not reach a wide audience due to the lack of support by the major label- its singles "Cuttin' Up Her Legs" and "Good At Love" failed to chart, the album went out of print within a year, and Died Pretty were then dropped by Sony.
The band returned to their original home, Citadel, and released a four-track EP, Deeper, notable for featuring a guest appearance from Hoodoo Gurus guitarist Brad Shepherd, and Ron Peno's only instrumental contribution to a Died Pretty record (harmonica on the opening track "You Need Wings").
Their last two albums, Using My Gills As a Roadmap (1998) and Everydaydream (2000) show the band moving away from basic guitar rock and making greater use of electronics, citing Kraftwerk and obscure Euro dance records as influences. They also released a comprehensive best-of, Out of the Unknown (1999), on Citadel.
Long-time bassist Robert Warren departed the band temporarily in December 2001 due to tinnitus and other health problems. Myers and Peno (the band's songwriting duo) began demoing songs for a new album, this was a difficult time as Peno had moved to Melbourne. In May 2002, it was announced they would be disbanding after embarking on a final farewell tour around Australia. Their release for this tour was a three-track "farewell" single, "My Generation Landslide." The shows were verry well attended, however this closed a chapter for a very popular and original Australian alternate rock band and a prolific songwriting partnership.
Post-"breakup"
Ron and Brett played the occasional "songs of Died Pretty Unplugged" shows in Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne including the Queenscliff music festival, which was a sold out show. Their most recent live performance was at the Orient Hotel, Brisbane, on November 7 2009. Andrew Erzetich appreciated the boys coming up from Sydney to play especially for his 40th birthday.
Ron Peno joined forces with Kim Salmon in 2005 under the name Darling Downs. They have recorded two albums together, How Can I Forget This Heart Of Mine? (2005) and From One To Another (2007). Also in 2007, Ron and Brett came together to record an independently-released and recorded album under the name NOISES And Other VOICES. It comprises material that was originally slated for Died Pretty's unrecorded final album, along with some newly-written songs.
The Reformation
Died Pretty reformed to perform Doughboy Hollow in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series in Australia in February 2008, without the services of long-time bass player, Robbie Warren, and drummer Simon Cox, due to both having health problems. Instead, returning to the original lineup that recorded the album - Myers, Peno, Steve Clark (bass), Chris Welsh (drums) and long time member John Hoey (keyboards) - They played together for the first time in sixteen years. Out of print for the past few years, Doughboy Hollow was remastered, expanded and reissued through Citadel Records in February 2008. The tour was very successful, selling out all the shows in all major capital cities.
This line up has since continued with appearances at Homebake festival Sydney 2008 and as "Hall of fame" inductee's at the EG Awards, December 2008 in Melbourne; They also appeared on the nationwide Big Day Out tour in January 2009, having played the original BDO back in 1992. A 2CD deluxe reissue of their debut album Free Dirt was released through Aztec Music in late 2008.
Ron Peno also revealed in an interview with the I94 Bar website that a documentary about the band is pending - featuring interviews with some key band members, along with rehearsal and concert footage recorded by the band's long time sound engineer Trevor Cronin from the Melbourne "Don't Look Back" shows. No release date is currently known.
Albums
- Next To Nothing EP (1985)
- Free Dirt (1986)
- Pre-Deity (1987)
- Lost (1988)
- Every Brilliant Eye (1990)
- Doughboy Hollow (1991)
- Trace (1993)
- Days EP (1994)
- Sold (1995)
- Deeper EP (1996)
- Using My Gills As A Roadmap (1998)
- Out Of The Unknown - the best of (1999)
- Everydaydream'' (2000)
- My Generation Landslide EP (2002)
- Doughboy Hollow - expanded & remastered (2008)
- Free Dirt - expanded & remastered (2008)
References
- ^ http://www.geocities.com//patmil007/7260.jpg
External links
