Sunday, October 6, 2024

Meaneither

ORIGINS: Sefton, NSW
GENRE: Punk, Alternative, Grunge
YEARS ACTIVE: 1993-2000
 
MEMBERS:
  • Adam "A#" Sharp - Vocals (1993-1998)
  • Daniel Arena - Guitar
  • Craig New - Bass
  • Dave Clark - Drums
  • Grant Spencer - Vocals (1998-2000)
RELEASES: 
 
  • Ribbit (1995)
    • 1. Damn Pest
    • 2. The Reason Why?
    • 3. Cataract
    • 4. Phonebox
    • 5. Fractured
    • 6. Harvest Day
    • 7. Frog in a Sock


  • We're Not Punk Enough (1997) - Download Here.
    • 1. We're Not Punk Enough
    • 2. Phonebox
    • 3. Frog in a Sock
       


  • Sleepy Disco (1998)
    • 1. All Funked Up
    • 2. Columbus
    • 3. 30 000 Bpm
    • 4. We're Not Punk Enough
    • 5. Stereotype
    • 6. M W R 

  • Life in the Bus Lane (2000)
    • 1. Crash Tackle Morning
    • 2. Guess Who
    • 3. Something Solid
    • 4. Elmo
    • 5. Scantily Clad
    • 6. Safer
    • 7. Phallic Symbol
    • 8. Damn Pest
    • 9. Bruising Toes
    • 10. Bali Song
  • Compilation-only Tracks.
    • Let's Groove (1996) - on Bust-A-Move '96 compilation
SUMMARY: Beginning as a high school band, Meaneither developed into a gigging powerhouse who played regularly in the late '90s Sydney scene. The band parted ways with their first singer after the release of their Sleepy Disco EP but continued on with a new singer for a few more years until members decided to move on.
 
SHOWS: 


ORAL HISTORY:
CRAIG: It's extremely cliched but I fell in love with music after a friend introduced me to Nirvana in 1992. I was in Year 10 and really wasn't that interested in music at all until this point. Something about the urgency of the band struck a loud chord with me and, like most things I love, sparked a borderline obsession. I joined a metal band (Sanctus), started listening to everything in the heavier genres I could get my hands on - grunge, punk, metal, rock - and it quite literally changed the course of my life at the time.
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
DANIEL: It was high school stuff, a bunch of kids hanging out in the music room at the same time. We were listening to Nirvana, Violent Femmes, Dead Kennedys, and Australian bands like Spiderbait, Regurgitator, Front End Loader, Gilgamesh, Frenzal Rhomb, Nitocris, and Downtime.  
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CRAIG: I'd been in a metal band called Sanctus but metal wasn't my true love. I really wanted to be doing something more melodic and fun. Meaneither was started by three guys in the year below me in high school. From memory I think they wee in Year 10 and I was in Year 11 - maybe it was right near the end of 1993. I heard they were looking for a bass player and asked them if I could try out. Our first gig was a set of covers in the school hall at lunchtime and most of the school turned up to watch. After that we played at Youth Rock, a state-wide school band competition where we were beaten by Silverchair (then called 'Innocent Criminals'). The following year we won, although history was not nearly so kind to us as to them!
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
DANIEL: We won the Youth Rock High School band competition, which got us a photo shoot, some studio time, and a good demo. Our bassist, Craig New, was extremely motivated to get shows so we played a lot. After the high school shows we did the usual rounds of youth centres. Our first proper shows were at Feedback and the Iron Duke, I think. We played at Feedback a lot. 
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CRAIG:I loved playing in Sydney in the '90s so much. I feel like it was a really supportive environment for young bands - there were so many people, often kids, putting on their own all ages shows and lots of venues to play - even if you were building an audience. There were house parties everywhere with bands playing in the lounge room. We benefited from support gigs with lots of other young bands, and tried to pay that forward wherever we could too. There also seemed to be a huge appetite for different styles of music, and it wasn't unusual to see a lineup with three completely different bands playing together.
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
DANIEL: We did a show with The Porkers and Frenzal Rhomb and the crowd went so nuts for Frenzal that they pulled the ceiling interior down above the pit. It was actually super stressful at the time but memorable at least.
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CRAIG: We used to record with a guy who had a studio in his backyard, who was really lovely and gave us loads of time. We recorded a self-titled EP with A#, and then an album with Grant (Life in the Bus Lane). I was by far the least talented musician in our band so I personally found recording difficult in terms of getting my bass lines down accurately. My skill on stage was being able to play to a passable standard while throwing myself around the stage, but that didn't cut it in the studio. I'm sure I particularly drove Dan and Dave mad with frustration at times. I dod remember being really proud of what we got down though - I can listen to it now without cringing, which I can't say about the demo my first metal band recorded.
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
DANIEL: The first version of the band had one EP and a bunch of compilation tracks. The second version had an album that we put out at the final show, which was recorded and mixed in one extremely stressful twenty hour session.  
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


CRAIG: "A#" (as he liked to be called) was our vocalist. He left the band amicably after a few years and Grant Spencer came on board with a very different vocal style.
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

GRANT: I met the boys through a friend who went to uni with me. I replaced their singer just before they released their EP. Music-wise for me, Faith No More and Front End Loader were getting flogged... My first show was the goddamn EP launch. Packed out Sandringham Hotel. Crazy introduction. I managed to disappoint a lot of old fans! The original dude was very punk and didn't really sing - more kinda rapped and barked. I was a classically trained singer. Hilarious. I got to change things up a little but I tried to stick to the style where I could. Gig was still great though.
Grant Spencer (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

DANIEL: Around 1998 we had the usual set of disagreements and everything blew up. We kicked on for another couple of years with another singer, Grant. Stylistically, the band got less punk, more rock. 
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
GRANT: Life in the Bus Lane was my first proper experience of recording an album so it was super interesting for me. I didn't realise how much of a grind it could be. I also screwed - I hate the vocals on it because all my recordings were lost somehow and I had to bash through them all at the end of the weekend and my voice was toast. I was not up for what recording can be.  
Grant Spencer (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
DANIEL: In 2000 I had a meltdown keeping up with my university workload and had to leave. There were some attempts to keep the band going but it kinda crashed out there. We did a big farewell show. Possibly on a boat. 
Daniel Arena (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


REVIEW: When the news breaks of the pending demise of a band, you know you have to be there at the last-ever pub gig. From home-recorded demos and gigs at the local roller-rink to compilation contributions and self-released CDs, Meaneither have been there and done that in their relatively short five years, and so feel that it is time for the last hoorah; to move on and let someone else get sucked into this Sydney live-performance scene. Hard-core Meaneither fans were up front in their dozens, equipped with both still and video cameras, feeding off the energy that Craig, Grant, Dave and Daniel were giving out, and giving back their own in return... Meaneither are four seriously excellent musicians just out for a little gun with Craig and Grant doing their fair share of jumping up and down... Meaneither did not disappoint either those of us here for the first time or the die-hard supporters, with stand-out tunes that included 'Phone Box' and 'Frog in a Sock' from their first Ribbit demo, and the encore 'Let's Groove Tonight' (yes, a cover in their own inimitable fashion!). There is another gig after this, a harbour cruise in the next week or too.
Review of Hopetoun show (18th Feb 2000) by PC (Jacky) Gleeson, Music Reviews Website

GRANT: Dan let me know when were out at dinner. He'd just thought it had run its course.
Grant Spencer (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

CRAIG: I think we just weren't really progressing, and everyone had other things that were starting to take up more time. We had some great opportunities for a small band, like headlining the Annandale Hotel and a few festival slots, and getting to tour to other states a couple of times, but it never translated to wide radio play or big support slots or better headlining gigs. There were a lot of other bands of our size who were happy to stay at that level (a couple are still playing now) but I think we all just moved on to other things.
Craig New (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
GRANT: The main thing I like to remember when I think of Meaneither is playing random shows in weird places with three other very different people. We played at a Skate Park in Sefton - random All Ages gig that was entirely chaotic. Kids running around, lighting randomly about the place... typical thing for Craig New to organise. We were an odd combination of people but it was just a lot of fun.
Grant Spencer (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

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