Showing posts with label Kurt Reichel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kurt Reichel. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2024

Vanity Star

ORIGINS: Penrith, NSW
GENRE: Alt-Metal, Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 2001-2003
 
MEMBERS:
  • Katrina Noorbergen - Vocals
  • James Gatt - Guitar
  • Aaron - Guitar
  • Alan Dodd - Bass (2001)
  • James O'Hanlan - Bass (2002-2003)
  • Kurt Reichel - Drums
 
 
RELEASES: 
  • Self-Titled (2002) - Download Here.
    • 1. Drip
    • 2. Caged
    • 3. Buoyancy
    • 4. New Hypocrite
SUMMARY: Forming out of the remnants of Penrith metal band Cherub Mafia, Vanity Star was a more alt-metal entity that played several shows in the Western Sydney area over the course of a couple of years. The band recorded a self-titled EP but did not release it officially and broke up in 2004 when band members decided to pursue other projects. 

Vocalist Katrina Noorbergen went on to sing in well-known indie band Cassette Kids and competed in Europe as a songwriter in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 (her song came second that year). 
 
SHOWS: 
ORAL HISTORY:
JAMES G.: I met Aaron, our other guitarist, at a house party one night and we got talking about the Deftones album, Around the Fur. We decided to start jamming. Kurt was a mate of mine from playing in Cherub Mafia, and Katrina and Alan were friends of Aaron's from the Hawkesbury area. We just started writing songs and it all came together really nicely and easily. We rehearsed at Kurrajong as Katrina and Alan were out that way. The name 'Vanity Star' was from a Deftones lyric and a general idea of how everyone wanted to be cool.
James Gatt (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
KURT: I was asked by James to come jam in a garage with some mates. We eventually moved from James's garage to Alan's garage, then to Symphonic Sound Studios. We did a few small-time gigs around the Richmond area, a few birthday party gigs, but I wasn't driving back in those days so I didn't always pay attention to where the shows were. 
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JAMES O: There was another bass player before me, I don't know what happened to him but when he left the others asked me to join. I was high school friends with Katrina and Aaron. My first show with the band was a Penrith PCYC gig. It was a metal night. We later played other shows at the Bull and Bush in Castle Hill and Paddy Maguires in the city. 
James O'Hanlan (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

Vanity Star playing a song at Blaxland Tavern, 2002. Filmed by Wayne Bennett.
 
JAMES G.: We just played everywhere we could. Blaxland Tav shows stood out, we were young kids having a blast. We recorded an EP but we never named it. Didn't think that far ahead. The best thing about Vanity Star was writing shit without caring what people though, having fun with mates, and playing music all the time.  
James Gatt (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: The demo was recorded in the Doonside area - we recorded after the change of bassplayers. It was just the only 4 tracks we had - I don't think we had any other completed songs. The cover was a black and white photo of the band members standing around James's car. It was printed on printer paper. Very cheaply done!
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JAMES G.: The band finished when I got asked to join Notion, who I absolutely loved - I couldn't say no. They were a band I saw and fell in love with instantly. Vanity Star was a really good, carefree time in my life and I hope it was the same for the other guys. 
James Gatt (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JAMES O: Katrina went on to be a successful singer-songwriter and performed onstage at Eurovision a few years back! Playing in Vanity Star was a lot of fun, we were really just kids bashing it out in the garage so we never really managed to make it a sustainable band, but it made for some good memories.
James O'Hanlan (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

RELATED BANDS: Cherub Mafia, Notion, Casa Del Disco, The Penny Record Project, Dyasphere, Laura Mosa, The Arbitrary Method, Cassette Kids

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Dyasphere


ORIGINS: Penrith, NSW
GENRE: Black metal, Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 2001-2005
 
MEMBERS:
RELEASES: 
  • Demo (2001)
    • 1. Death of Mankind

  • Demo (2003) - Download Here.
    • 1. Volatile Reality
    • 2. Bury the Hatchet
    • 3. Lunatic

  • Live Demo (2004)
    • 1. Death of Mankind
    • 2. Godsend
    • 3. Blink
    • 4. Zero
  • Demo (2005)
    •  1. Volatile Reality
SUMMARY: Dyasphere was a Penrith-based metal band started by members Sebastian, Clint and Rob under the name 'Desecration'. The band changed their name and underwent a lineup shuffle after auditioning Patrick Orriss on vocals. They then played shows mostly in the Western Sydney area and got to the final of the Great Western Bar Battle of the Bands competition. Halfway through their lifespan, they added a keyboardist to reflect some of the keys that had been included on their demo by producer Dax Liniere. The band underwent further lineup changes after a final show with guitarist Sebastian but were not able to get momentum again under the name Dyasphere, even though some recordings were completed with new vocalist Ace Brimshore. Members moved on to other projects after this point.
 
SHOWS: 
  • May Babies Party, Werrington Youth Centre - unknown date, May, 2003
  • Unsigned Idol Heat, New Embassy Nightclub, Penrith - unknown date, January, 2004
  • Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 21st February, 2004
  • Unsigned Idol Grand Final, New Embassy Nightclub, Penrith - 17th March 2004
  • Channel Cafe, Penrith - 10th April, 2004
  • Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 27th May, 2004

ORAL HISTORY:
CLINT: Initially the band was Desecration with myself on bass, and Sebastian and Robert on guitars... we then recruited Ryan Fernando on drums and Evan O'Brien for vocals. Not long after we also experimented with keyboards, adding Sebastian's sister Rhiannon to the group. After jamming for a bit and writing a couple of songs we started to promote ourselves online and learn of another much bigger band named Desecration so, with a bit of brainstorming, 'Dyasphere' was born. 
Clint Bertenshaw (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
SEBASTIAN: Back in the 1990s, a group of metalhead friends decided to give the band thing a go. Ashton guitars and 10 watt amps purchased, later the classic Metal Zone pedal for that extra distortion, and Desecration/Dyasphere was born. 
Sebastian Schroeder (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PAT: I can't remember exactly how Dyasphere started. I think there was a 6-12 month break after Cherub Mafia had finished... I'd started dating a girl who was in Seb and Clint's social circle and they wanted me to have a crack and I one up'd them and dragged Kurt along with me after some convincing, which to him was probably more like nagging.
Patrick Orriss (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CLINT: We auditioned Patrick Orriss and immediately wanted him. The same day Kurt Reichel joined the jam and we knew his style was perfectly suited so we parted ways with Ev and Ryan and got ourselves ready to gig. Rhiannon left around this time too and we went without keys until just after we recorded our demo CD with Dax at Puzzle Factory. 
Clint Bertenshaw (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
KURT: Compared to other bands I played in, Dyasphere was definitely more black metal. Angry and heavy.  
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PAT: Clint named the band before I joined. I believed it was a play on the word 'Dyer/Dire', as in consequences, and 'sphere' was in relation to planet Earth. It sounded metal until you knew what it meant, then it just felt a bit cheesy. I wanted to call it Captain Redbeard and the Moby Dicks. They wouldn't budge. 
Patrick Orriss (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SEBASTIAN: The first gig we played was at the Kelts Bar. We were on the bill supporting Tocata, we played our set - which was the best performance from all of us. The crowd was mental that night. After the set we packed out gear off stage; while backstage packing our gear up, we were told that people were wanting us to sign our demo CDs. We thought it was a joke, but lo and behold, there were half a dozen people that we signed our demo for. That was the greatest feeling.
Sebastian Schroeder (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: One of our first shows was a May Babies party at Werrington Youth Centre - it was a party that was put together by a few people that all had birthdays in May. There were like 10 people that all celebrated their birthdays in that month. Wayne Bennett from Withdisdain was a May Baby, they bashed it out on stage that night too! The hall was hired out for the night as a private venue and invites were printed out on flyers and handed out to whomever they wanted to attend. 
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
CLINT: We experimented with some keyboard over the tracks on the 2003 demo and we liked the sound. We wanted to continue it live so we recruited Alan Dodd on keys. Recording the demo with Dax was huge as most of us hadn't been in a studio before.
Clint Bertenshaw (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ALAN: I'd known Pat and Kurt for some time and had played with them in the past. The other guys I knew through social circles. When I was between bands, they asked if I was interested in going to a few rehearsals and testing out how keys and some samples would sound in their songs.
Alan Dodd (Keyboard, Samples), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
REVIEW: Dyasphere are a six piece metal band hailing from the western suburbs of Sydney... This ain't Dashboard Confessional; it's more like Chop-you-up-into-little-bits Confessional.
Review, Kerrang, 2024
 
PAT: We played a final for a Battle of the Bands comp in Penrith. Seb's daughter was born the day after and we all thought that was a big effort from the bloke to turn up. I think it was our first show was Al on keys too. 
Patrick Orriss (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: A few shows stand out in my memory - one was the Battle of the Bands in Penrith at Great Western bar. The other was our final show at Blaxland Tavern. We also did a few gigs at Great Western Bar on a Wednesday band night, I think we played like 4 or 5 shows there. We did a party gig for Clint's birthday, might have been his 21st.  
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

CLINT: Winning our heat of the Penrith Underground Idol was a highlight, as well as laying the finals. We didn't win but having Glen A. Baker say that, whilst it wasn't his thing, we were good at what we were doing - well, that's a win to me! 
Clint Bertenshaw (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: I think the band stopped due to Sebastian, our lead guitarist, having a baby with his girlfriend at the time. He was working twelve hour days and he needed to quit the band. We never bothered to find another guitarist to replace as the band started with him, Clint and Rob. If one original member leaves, the band name gets left behind. As we were all working full time jobs, we were all becoming less available to jam, practice, and write new stuff. I think we were all having girl troubles at the same too, haha. 
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

CLINT: Our farewell gig up in Blaxland was memorable. We had Daryl from Tocata jump up and do our song Volatile Reality with us. After that gig the band didn't immediately break up. Pat left to join the Black Arts Movement and Seb left as his daughter was born. Alan stepped up to guitar and we recruited Ace Brimshore as our vocalist. We jammed with this line up for a bit but it didn't make it out of the rehearsal room.
Clint Bertenshaw (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SEBASTIAN: With the band dynamic having six members, all with songwriting capabilities and different musical backgrounds, there came a time where I felt that I needed to move musically in a different direction and so I left the band. 
Sebastian Schroeder (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ALAN: We attempted to continue Dyasphere after Pat and Seb departed by changing the line up. I moved to guitar and Ace came in on vocals but it unfortunately didn't continue on. 
Alan Dodd (Keyboard, Samples), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ACE: I first saw Dyasphere at a band comp above the Embassy Hotel. Ended up going to their farewell gig... they were looking for a replacement vocalist. I hit them up online via Yahoo Messenger. Went for a try out and ended up in the band. I was in the band for maybe 6 months, maybe a year. The funny thing is we got booked at the Backdoor at Penrith Panthers Club for the Dyasphere comeback show and we randomly broke up... can't remember why. While I was in Dyasphere I'd started another banded called Thoughts of Yesterday, so when Dyasphere broke up Thoughts of Yesterday ended up on the Backdoor lineup and Clint the bassplayer from Dyasphere filled in on bass for us. 
Ace Brimshore (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ALAN: My favourite memories of the band are the camaraderie, the support from friends and family of the band, and also the laughs (including the cheeky prank here and there). And I'll always remember the energy and atmosphere of the Kelts Bar farewell show.
Alan Dodd (Keyboard, Samples), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Cherub Mafia, Dark Sorcerer, Vanity Star, Laura Mosa, The Arbitrary Method, Tocata, The Black Arts Movement, Many Ions Apart, Silenced/Last 2 Die, Voice of Chaos, Vendetta Symphony, Thoughts of Yesterday, My Life Of Yours, Chair Like Issues, SpearJustice, Not Another Sequel Just Another Prequel, Hate Injection, Chaos Trigger, Kincaid, Infernal Ruin
 
BAND TREE:

PICS:



Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Kurt Reichel


Kurt Reichel

REGION: Cranebrook, NSW

Monday, April 8, 2024

Cherub Mafia

ORIGINS: Cranebrook, NSW
GENRE: Nu-Metal, Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2001
 
MEMBERS:
SUMMARY: Cherub Mafia were a metal band that came out of Cranebrook High School. They began playing shows after transitioning from playing covers to their own original songs. Internal tensions within the band led to a new name, Hardkore Pawn (HKP for short), before things eventually fizzled out. They did not do any recordings.
 
SHOWS: 
 
ORAL HISTORY:
KURT: Ryan, Aaron and myself went to the same high school and in our mid teens we started hanging out at the Backyard Cafe and socialising with the old Mondo crew. Scott and Patrick came around to my place one day where we were jamming in my garage. They were listening to us play and asked us if they could join and complete a five piece band. We were totally up for it, jamming together on Metallica, Slipknot, Korn, and Sepultura covers. One day we decided to write our own songs... we all had our input and then the songs were born.
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
SCOTT: Pat, Kurt, myself, and Ryan used to hang out at the Backyard Cafe with everyone else. I think Pat and Ryan were keen to start a band... We just started fucking around and one night at Pablo's (Save Some For Daddy) joint we were all pretty soused and I pointed at a Christmas decoration his mum had in the house of all these little cherubs pointing violins downwards. I said, "It's a cherub mafia". 
Scott Belshaw, Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: My earliest memory of a show was a gig in Blaxland Community Hall. Small venue, only a crowd of maybe 30 people, and 3 bands - all local. A lot of hairspray went into my hair, to try and make it stand up straight like an '80s mohawk!
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
REVIEW: Cherub Mafia was an assault. I found their influences a little too obvious, but no doubt with time these guys will have a lot more to say for themselves.
Review of Monkeyfest, Obzine Issue 18, February 2001
 
 
SCOTT: It was great times. I was like 16 and going to the Great Western Bar for the open mic night where we'd scam jugs and then win the case of beer and hammer it afterwards. 
Scott Belshaw, Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: Chris McMahon from Thy Art is Murder was a groupie and wanted so badly to be a part of the band. We didn't know where he would fit in, so we just had him as a stage performer doing whatever he wanted to get the crowd going, and he would help out Patrick with growling vocals. 
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

REVIEW: Then there was the circus bonanza that was Cherub Mafia. It was somewhat strange that the most hyped and successful band of the day was only fourth in a lineup of seven bands. Sprinkling their set of brand spanking new originals with one or two covers (including a great version of Coal Chamber's 'Loco'), dressed in an assortment of bright colours and bizarre costumes, and throwing out free slices of cheese to the punters, they managed to pull an astoundingly huge crowd. One of their original songs, 'Serenity Suffering', really impressed me too.
Review of Judge's Carpark show, Obzine Issue 20, June 2001

KURT: It was just a bunch of fun hanging out with the best of mates all the time, having a reasonably large following, being recognised by people around town. We even put a colour theme together... I was Blue, Ryan was Red, Scott was Purple, Pat was Green, and Aaron was Orange. We wore those colours on stage and Ryan loved Slipknot so much that he wore a red jumpsuit on stage.
Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Thy Art is Murder, Vanity Star, Dyasphere, Tocata, The Black Arts Movement, Laura Mosa, Evolvar, The Arbitrary Method, Casa Del Disco, Notion