Schvendes
Schvendes are a band of brothers and sisters from Perth, Western Australia. They write stories about murder, mayhem, love and loss upon a background of gentle Rhodes piano, pounding drums, screaming guitar, soaring cello and vocals, which have been described as both sweet and terrifying. With an emphasis on lyrics depicting small disasters and celebration of everyday existence, their music is a blend of country, dirty blues and rock. Their influences include Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dirty Three, PJ Harvey, Ennio Morricone, Tom Waits and Nina Simone.
Schvendes | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Good Cop Bad Cop Inertia Reverberation |
| Members | Rachael Dease Tristen Parr Greg Hosking Tara John Ant Gray |
| Website | schvendes |
History edit
Schvendes were originally known as The Schvendes Ensemble, a gothy musical wing of the 2002 Artrage Festival,[1] where they performed under the auspices of performance art within art festivals. In this mode they recorded their first release, the hand-packaged live album, The Scoundrel is Made an Outcast,[1] which was released in October 2002.[2] Over the next couple of years the group morphed into a more conventional music group playing at various popular Perth venues.
In March 2005 the group released their debut EP, Turn Out Your Lights, produced by Ben Franz (The Waifs), which was released nationally in December 2005 on Reverberation. This was followed by the release of the single, "Small Mercies, Sweet Graves" in December and a second EP, Twice the Man in March 2006; which was also produced by Franz.
In 2008 the band signed with local independent label, Good Cop Bad Cop[3] and released their debut album, Sweet Talk Your Enemies, on 28 June 2008, distributed nationally through Inertia.
Tours edit
In the last year, the band played some seventy shows including the Perth International Arts Festival and WAMi shows as well as a number of national supports for artists such The Kill Devil Hills, Dirty Three, Augie March, Art of Fighting, the Drones, Ed Kuepper, Tim Rogers and Tex Perkins, The Go Betweens, Kim Salmon, Decoder Ring, Tucker B's, 67 Special, Youth Group, The Devoted Few, Holly Throsby and New Buffalo.
In 2007 the band played at the Perth leg of the Big Day Out[4][5] and in March performed in Toronto at the Canadian Music Week,[6] followed by a number of shows in New York, including a support for Love of Diagrams.[7]
In 2008 the band toured nationally in support of the release of their debut album.
Members edit
- Rachael Dease – vocals, bass
- Tristen Parr – cello
- Matt Maguire – drums
- Tara John – rhodes piano
- Ant Gray – guitar
Discography edit
Studio albums edit
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Sweet Talk Your Enemies |
|
Live albums edit
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Scoundrel Is Made an Outcast |
|
Extended plays edit
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Turn Out Your Lights |
|
| Twice The Man |
|
| Small Mercies, Sweet Graves |
|
Awards and nominations edit
WAM Song of the Year edit
The WAM Song of the Year was formed by the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia.[8]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Bring Out Your Dead" | Mixed Bag Song of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | "Lay the Noose" | Pop Song of the Year | Won |
West Australian Music Industry Awards edit
The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM).[9]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Turn out your Lights" | Most Popular Single/EP | Won |
| Schvendes | Most Promising New Act | Won | |
| Tristen Parr (Schvendes) | Best Instrumentalist | Won | |
| 2007 | Tristen Parr (Schvendes) | Best Instrumentalist | Won |
| 2008 | Ant Gray (Schvendes) | Best Guitarist | Won |
| Tristen Parr (Schvendes) | Best Instrumentalist | Won |
References edit
- ^ a b "Band Biographies". Something in the Water. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ Beck, Andrew (March 2003). "Up and coming, ready or not". Real Time Arts magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ Eliezer, Christie (29 March 2008). "Schvendes Cop It Good". The Music.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ "Final Big day announcement is here!". TheDwarf.com.au. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ "Big day Out 2007". Enjoy Perth. Retrieved 19 May 2009.[dead link]
- ^ . Cameron House. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ "WA acts make an impact at Canadian Music Week". FasterLouder.com.au. 11 March 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ . Music Council of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ 2008 West Australian Music Industry Award Winners 28 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
External links edit
- Schvendes Official Site
- Schvendes Myspace Site
- Schvendes discography at MusicBrainz