Showing posts with label Wesley von Grabill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wesley von Grabill. Show all posts

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Endusk

 

ORIGINS: Western Sydney, NSW
GENRE: Prog, Metal, Alt-Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2004, 2008-2010
 
MEMBERS:
RELEASES: 
  • Unreleased Demo (2000)
    • Powder
    • Other unknown songs
       

  • 01 (2004) - Download Here.
    • 1. Four
    • 2. Ecclesiastes
    • 3. Moth
    • 4. Omen
    • 5. Hightide
    • 6. Ink

  • Marching Slow (recorded in 2009, released in 2015) - Download Here.
    • 1. Puppet
    • 2. Marching Slow
    • 3. The Flight
    • 4. Coda
    • 5. September
    • 6. Mad Bitch
    • 7. Turn It Out
SUMMARY: Endusk started as potential 10-piece alt music project before finding traction as a five piece prog-metal band. Formed in Western Sydney, the band predominantly played in Sydney (including a residency at the Excelsior for the Blueprint Sessions) and also did some interstate shows in Victoria before breaking up around 2004. The band briefly reformed with an adjusted lineup in 2008/2009 to create their Marching Slow EP.
 
SHOWS: 
  • Maroubra - unknown date, 2000 
  • Monkeyfest, Lower Blue Mountains Neighbourhood Centre, Blaxland - 16th December, 2000
  • Grounded Festival, Museum of Fire, Penrith - 17th March, 2001
  • Assyrian Fest, Fairfield City Showground, Fairfield - 1st April, 2001
  • Big Day Art II, Lewers Art Gallery, Emu Plains - 7th April, 2001
  • Top Deck Youth Week Festival, Judge's Carpark, Penrith - 7th April, 2001 
  • Gearin Hotel, Katoomba - 20th April, 2001
  • St Marys RSL, St Marys - 23rd May, 2001
  • Great Western Bar, Penrith - 25th October, 2001
  • Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 3rd November, 2001
  • Northpoint Tavern, North Sydney - 16th November, 2001
  • Club 77, Sydney - 16th January, 2002
  • Swamp Bar, UWS Kingswood - 21st March, 2002
  • Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 5th April, 2002
  • Great Western Bar, Penrith - 25th October, 2003
  • Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 20th November, 2003
  • Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 6th January, 2004
  • Transit Lounge, The Metro, Sydney - 7th February, 2004
  • Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 21st February, 2004
  • Bar Broadway, Ultimo - 6th March, 2004 (Launch for .01 EP)
  • The Annandale Hotel, Annandale - 11th March, 2004
  • Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 20th March, 2004
  • Transit Lounge, The Metro, Sydney - 27th March, 2004
  • The Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne, VIC - 27th April, 2004
  • The Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne, VIC - 28th April, 2004
  • The Duke of Windsor, Melbourne, VIC - 29th April, 2004
  • The Evelyn, Fitzroy, VIC - 30th April, 2004
  • Fish Creek Pub, South Gippsland, VIC - 1st May, 2004
  • October Blueprint Sessions, Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 6th October, 2004
  • October Blueprint Sessions, Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 13th October, 2004
  • October Blueprint Sessions, Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 20th October, 2004
  • October Blueprint Sessions, Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 27th October, 2004
  • The Metro, Sydney - 3rd November, 2004
  • The Metro, Sydney - 23rd November, 2004

ORAL HISTORY:
RAE: Music was a massive part of home life growing up and I always knew I wanted to do something with music. Ugh, my supportive dad used to drive me to Johnny Young Talent School. I don't remember ever meeting Johnny Young. I actually hated going. Most of it was not my thing.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ADRIAN: Rachel, Preston, James and myself were studying a music diploma at Nirimba College in Quakers Hill. There weren't many music schools running contemporary music diplomas in those days and this one was pretty good, we actually developed a broader scene with members of the bands Element, Point Laruso, Chase the Sun, and many more out of that college. Rae and James organised a jam one weekend with the aim of starting a funk band, but we were the only ones who showed up, which led to some more progressive rock sounds in the jam! We were all into that sound as well (bands like Tool, Cog, Mars Volta, Skunk Anansie, Bjork) so the songs we started writing moved pretty quickly in that direction. Funk didn't feel like the right vibe for the ideas and emotions we had to get out. We were all super excited by the way we were sounding together and we all became close friends (which we still are!)
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
RAE: We started off as an 11 piece band/concept, really. We were studying music and we thought it would be a good idea to make a huge band. Two drummers, two of everything. And then one day when it came time to rehearse only four of us showed up... I think James, Adrian and I were already loosely acoustic jamming at that point.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: Michael and I used to play in another band called Clobassi which was still together when Endusk formed. The rest of Endusk met Michael at a Clobassi gig where they saw him play and they asked me to get him for our band. He's so essential to our sound, it's weird playing without him.
Preston Peachey, Adrenaline Zine, 2004

JAMES: We all studied at Nirimba College, doing a diploma of Music. Preston knew Michael from the area so we started jamming there and did some of our first recordings there. I hadn't played in any bands before that, just high school stuff. I was listening to Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Sevendust, Incubus, and some older stuff like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles, and cheesy funk stuff like Tower of Power. 
James McKenna (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: Endusk was a little more serious than my previous band, Clobassi, in the sense that we had met at music school. Rae and I had a connect through our siblings and Michael and I had been playing together with Clobassi. We were into odd timings, which I hadn't really got to explore previously. My taste was broadening beyond metal and punk, so Endusk let me express these dynamics. We were less worried about genre. It was probably more stable as we were all into it... my other bands were a little garage with just guitar and bass with one of them doing vocals. Having percussion and a dedicated vocalist made it quite different. More people. More sounds. It was also a different vibe too as Rae is a singer, her melodies were very integral to the sound.  
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


RAE: I was listening to a lot of different music to what we were creating. The boys introduced me to plenty of new music, especially their influences. I think also being in a loud progressive band and having a softer voice kind of influenced my writing style and then how I sang. My lyrics were informed by personal experiences and also the experiences of those closest to me. It was (is) a way for me to work through my shit.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

PRESTON: First we did a demo. The diploma at Nirimba meant that everyone had studio time so we tracked our first three or four songs as a demo. The studio there was really good - big treated, isolated room. I was not really a good studio drummer - I had no idea and my dynamics and improv make it kinda sloppy. This demo wasn't released or anything like that.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RAE: The literal meaning of Endusk is 'In night fall' - it's just been the time of day where we've written our stories/music.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Obzine Issue 26, July 2002

ADRIAN: Michael Noel joined shortly after on percussion and it really brought a unique rhythmic and percussive feel to Endusk that not many other bands had. Combined with Rae's inspired lyrics and melodies, we felt we had something pretty special going on.
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: Michael was like a brother. He was the coolest guy I knew and we got to play music together. He added colour and texture. We were pretty relaxed about our writing of parts. We'd feed off each other a lot. I was probably stubborn and he was just so chill and level-headed. He brought maturity in some ways, with him being a little older than me, but he was also a hilarious nerd and dedicated metalhead when needed. He told such great stories. We would just sit and listen to music at my house, or drive around in his cool car listening to music really loud.   
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
MICHAEL: Our style... it's eclectic, ambiguous. Rhythmically, I hope Preston and I can incorporate various techniques and styles from traditional percussion. I've been influenced lately by a lot of Soundgarden, Cog, Butterfly Effect (they're so nice!), Element, Newton's Cradle, Samuel Barber and weird Japanese manga soundtracks. I have a nostalgic love for Alice in Chains, Sepultura, as well as Massive Attack.
Michael Noel, Obzine Issue 26, July 2002
 
RAE: Our first show was in Maroubra. I remember it feeling really awkward. We didn't know what to expect, we'd been stuck in rehearsal rooms looking at each other and then all of a sudden you are all facing the same way - except for Adrian; I clearly remember him playing sideways facing his Marshall stack.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ADRIAN: Our first show was a small club in Maroubra. I was so nervous that I played with my back to the crowd, staring at Preston for the entire gig. It wasn't a great start, but we soon started playing so much that we developed a tight live show pretty quickly.
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
Rae at Monkeyfest, 16th December 2000 (Obzine Issue 18)
 
REVIEW: These guys struck me as having a massive potential, with a fantastic vocalist (one of those rare, amazingly powerful female singers), but I can't really describe their sound - vaguely heavy-ish. Just check them out.
Review of Monkeyfest by Phil Williams, Obzine Issue 18, Feb 2001
 
REVIEW: A really, really, really solid band was this one - matching groove and metal perfectly and coupling it with some great female vocals. If you haven't seen Endusk then I suggest you try and catch them soon, they were easily my all-time most lucky find of the day.
Review of Top Deck by Luke Bartolo, Obzine Issue 20, June 2001
 
Big Day Art II, 7th April 2001 (Obzine Issue 20)
 
REVIEW: Soon enough and after much anticipation, Endusk turned up to calm things back down again. They achieved an excellent acoustic sound with not only acoustic guitars but acoustic bass as well as congas, performing some brilliant songs with a beautiful female voice. 
Review of Big Day Art II, Obzine Issue 20, June 2001
 
PRESTON: We played a Melrose Hall show early on.  
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RAE: Over time we settled into being a band and this affected our writing and how we felt performing.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

 
ADRIAN: Our residency at the Excelsior was a great experience. Cog had pioneered this series called The Blueprint Sessions, which launched their career in Sydney. They were a huge influence on us musically and personally we were stoked to play the same series. For our four-week run we curated different musicians to join us each week, which resulted in some inspired collaborations in the shows. We had Jamie Allen, the singer from Element, and he sang together with Rae for a few songs. Adam Hill (Blak Douglas) joined us to add didge on a few songs. And Michael Rivett, one of the best Jazz saxophonists and Rhodes players in the country, really changed our sound - was amazing to hear. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: It feels great to play every Wednesday night in the same venue, we're pretty comfortable at the Excelsior now after playing quite a few shows there since we started. We don't really have expectations of what will come of this, we're just doing it for the fun and hopefully people will come each week to enjoy what we do. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Adrenaline Zine, December 2004
 
RAE: The first time we supported Cog in Blaxland was super exciting because we had gone to every residency show they had at the Excelsior. We had our own residency there too and a standout moment was having Adam Hill (AKA Blak Douglas) play yidaki, which was special for us. Ha! Also, we got a call that Tool were listening to our EP to find a support for their tour. Obviously we didn't get it. I was stoked at the thought of them listening to even one bar of our music.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
Banner from the Endusk website, c. 2004
 
REVIEW: Endusk enchants me for the first time. I've been wanting to see them and their progressive metal with low female vocals and hand drums. Their stage presence and energy captivates me for the entire set.
Review of Grounded Festival, Obzine Issue 20, June 2001
 
JAMES: Early on we played the Grounded festival out West, which was a blast. Once we hit the city we played the Metro Theatre a lot by doing our own bills and headlining. This was in the Metro's small room, which had a 200-300 person cap, and we'd bring bands in like Self is a Seed, Sleep Makes Waves, etc.  
James McKenna (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ADRIAN: We had an agent, Edwin Tehrani, who now runs New World Artists. We were his first band. We also had a manager, Jerry Soer, who went on to manage Miami Horror and others. We were also his first act, but I feel this is really what let us down during those years. We needed a more experienced manager to look out for us and make better decisions on how to record, release music, and tour. I absolutely don't blame anyone at all but it still feels like one of my great regrets not managing our career properly. Young bands are full of energy, creativity, and have time to create the art, but without proper guidance it's very hard to play the game right and develop a career out of it. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
RAE: Recording .01 - I remember it being an exciting time. The first time. So grateful to have recordings of Michael playing with us. I found it tough though. I wish I had more time to record my parts and to add other vocals ideas. The song 'Ink' from this EP is special to me. For me, it marked a change in our songwriting and sound.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ADRIAN: For the recording of the first EP, our manager locked in Jonathan Burnside, who was quite well established. But Jonathan left us with a junior, Simon Wegman, who literally started working in studios that day. So we paid top dollar to work with Jonathan but only saw him for one or two sessions to mix the EP. In hindsight, and knowing how things are done now, we really needed a producer to help craft the songs into more radio-friendly hits. Triple J did play the first single, 'Four', which really helped grow the audience, but without ongoing support from Triple J it's almost impossible in Australia to establish a long-term music career.   
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

PRESTON: The demo was called .01 and we recorded it in Coogee at the studio that Adrian and James knew of. Some great dude owned it. It cost a lot but he wasn't around so it was all done with one of his team - lovely guy. It was really fun. We had high hopes for those songs. A guy James worked with decided to start a label and pay for the recording, which was pretty insane and generous of him. It was a weird time as we were all getting into different stuff and moving around a lot more, some of us left Western Sydney. I just remember hearing the EP for the first time and being really disappointed - which says a lot more about me than the recording. As mentioned previously, I wasn't a great recording drummer and we didn't really have the attitude, chops, and whatever else that was needed to make the record we thought we were making. Now I listen back though and remember that amazing time with some of my favourite people. It's great to have that memory and that EP to go with it.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


ANDREW: We played at the Evelyn in Melbourne and in some regional places in Victoria, but mostly - we played shows around Sydney. There was an incredibly healthy scene back then. Other highlight shows were supporting Cog and Regurgitator at the Blaxland Tavern, and selling our our Metro EP launch (which was an amazing experience). Also supporting MM9 at the Annandale during our second phase, and many many shows with other bands like Element. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: There have been... cool little obscure gigs where cool stuff has happened. Like playing in Fish Creek, Victoria with The Grand Silent System, there was only a vocal PA, only our friends were there, it was freezing cold (being the southernmost point of Victoria) and it was the last show of our Melbourne tour so we were all just exhausted and ready to go home, but it was such a memorable gig. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Adrenaline Zine, December 2004
 
 
WES: I've been mates with everyone in Endusk from the beginning of their conception. My stepdad, Dr David Salisbury, taught them all at TAFE. That class was how they formed Endusk. As the years went by, we would do gigs together and I would marvel at the progressive and emotive music they would play. Great time signatures and interesting beats with beautiful yet haunting vocals. Endusk was definitely in my top 3 favourite Sydney bands of all time. My band at the time was Fat Slinky - horrible name but a lot of fun, and very energetic. The singer of Clobassi was in Fat Slinky and the drummer of Clobassi was in Endusk, so it was all incestuous. Looking back at it now, being able to play shows with your mates in other bands is about the best thing you could ask for.  
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ADRIAN: We released Point O.1 and briefly toured to support this EP, which was going really well (the previously-mentioned sold-out Metro show) and we were getting some big support spots too. We'd always had a great friendship with each other in the band but it was quite a volatile working relationship. Wes von Grabill actually has a funny story about him coming to a rehearsal (before he was in the band) and seeing us fight relentlessly for three hours while writing songs. He thought to himself, my band (Keepsake) might never be this good but at least we have a fun time! Haha. So anyway, things were becoming more tense and difficult to navigate within the band. Michael then became quite sick with stomach cancer and, after chemo treatment failed, he sadly passed away. This obviously had a huge impact on us. I don't think we lasted much longer as a band after this - the joy had really left us and we needed a break. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


WES: I remember going to one of Endusk's band practices. In the living of the guitarist's parents' house, they set up their gear with blankets all over the walls. James and I (both bass players and unofficial best mates) would hang out all the time, even to the point where we've had three of the same jobs together over the years! Anyway, I ended up at their rehearsal with James, and within a few minutes of practice starting, as I sat on the ground in the corner trying not to be noticed, there was arguing, death stares, and immediate stops in the middle of a song as the drummer cross his arms like an angry king unhappy with his round table. Then they would play again, then stop, then more arguing. The singer would get quiet... they would play again, then the guitarist would stop, get mad, and James would try to help communicate the change or idea. Then more playing... and it was all in between these amazing songs. I remember leaving that rehearsal thinking, "Oh my god, that was the most dysfunctional band rehearsal I've ever seen! If my band did that, we would all break up. Yet they kept fighting and, as a result, there came an amazing song." I remember leaving that rehearsal going, I'm okay that my band's songs are not as good as Endusk's songs because that rehearsal was toxic! And my band, we laugh and joke, and have a great time at rehearsal. I will say, this is back when all you could do to record a jam was use a Tascam tape player and a shitty mic. Nowadays you can record everything so well and you can work on changes or new ideas outside of rehearsal, email them to everyone, and then come in ready and open for ideas. So I don't think it would be as dramatic and dysfunctional today. But back then, I'd say that Endusk band rehearsals were very dramatic, so don't forget to bring the tissues for the tears, some good ideas, and a tonne of patience, which I have none of, haha.
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

PRESTON: I just remember some major dysfunction. Rae, Michael and I had all moved into a house in the Inner West. Adrian and James lived in the city. I went through some weird times. I remember we were writing down how we felt about the band. I still have Michael's letter, I think. Mick had previously fought off cancer but it came back when we moved in. I was all ready to be more supportive but then it changed and he didn't have long left. After Mick passed we didn't do anything until years later. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
RAE: I lived in a share house with Adrian, James and a few others. I know, for me, I struggled so I moved out with Michael and Preston and that home life with them was peaceful. Michael was recovering from cancer when we moved in together but, sadly, the cancer came back. We lost Michael and that was devastating. It was a tough time and I don't think Preston and I had enough space for Endusk. Michael was special. I remember our first jam after Michael had passed... Preston and I got home and were loading his drums in through the backyard - as soon as we stepped into the backyard we could smell Michael's incense as if it was burning right under our noses.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JAMES: Michael passing away was probably a big factor in me moving on from Endusk.
James McKenna (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
Tribute to Michael Noel, Endusk Website, 2005

ADRIAN: We got Wes on bass because (I think) James didn't want to do it. Two things helped us re-form - we had stayed friends over those years and friendship was super important for us as a band. Also, Rae had moved to Melbourne after we broke up but when she moved back to Sydney in 2008 we started writing new music and hanging out again. We kept at it and were enjoying what we were creating. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

WES: After my band Superb Lyrebird ended, Endusk decided to get their band back together but I think James had heavy music fatigue from playing in Superb Lyrebird. He didn't want to be in a heavy band anymore, he wanted to do something more electronic and dance-focused. He was on a different path and, to be honest, probably wanted to avoid more drama and dramatic band rehearsals and - as a result - he told Adrian and Preston he was too busy and "couldn't do it". So I guess I was the second option, maybe the third, haha! Regardless of coming off the bench, I was excited to play the songs and have the opportunity to put my twist on these songs while adding some more effects and tones to the music in the way I had developed with Lyrebird. 
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
RAE: I heard whispers of Endusk jams happening while I was living in Melbourne. I heard, one day, James didn't feel like jamming or couldn't jam so Adrian asked Wes to come along. I came to Sydney for a visit, met up with the boys, and we knocked out a track in one night. I think it was about a year later when I moved back and we started jamming again. Time was good for us.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ADRIAN: We had some songs we'd started but never finished years before, so we worked on those and wrote some new ones. This period, I think, was our best creatively. 
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

 
WES: The first rehearsal went great and set us on a path to recording an album about a year and a half later. We worked those songs to death and yet I still think Adrian would want to redo all of them, haha. Without a doubt, it was one of my favourite recording experiences. Ian Pritchard recorded and mixed it... Ian makes everything more calm and relaxed and enjoyable and he's an amazing engineer and a great bass player. Marching Slow turned out great and the songwriting and bass work on that album is some of the best I've ever recorded, well, at least I think so.   
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ADRIAN: We did a new EP, Marching Slow, and it was a much more mature approach than our first EP. We were a few years older and wiser. I still listen to this EP (Marching Slow) all the time. We self-funded it and recorded with Ian Pritchard (Beautiful Girls, Angus & Julia Stone), who was a friend of ours. There's still things I would change but I'm overwhelmingly proud of what we created - everyone was at the peak of their powers. Tragically, we released Marching Slow without any plan, just to our friends on Facebook... ha. After working on this for so long, it still hurts that we didn't give it the focus it deserved. Again, we really needed a good manager to pull it all together, but I was also planning to move to New York at that time so it probably didn't help with building the band's career.  
Adrian Leighton (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
RAE: Marching Slow was a different experienced to .01. We all grew up a little and individually had done different creative projects. I think also having Wes in the band changed the dynamics, how we wrote together and also the sound. James is a very melodic bass player and chooses really pretty voicings under Adrian's riffs whereas Wes is solid rhythm and his bass, when locked in with Preston, brought a fat and funky sound. The song 'Coda' from Marching Slow is one that I'm most proud of as, like 'Ink' on the earlier EP, it marked a change in our sound. I also really enjoyed Adrian's groove in this song and how it sits over Preston's beat and the choices Wes made with the bass.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
REVIEW: Endusk's track 'Coda' is reminiscent of older Howling Bells... it's a crisp affair, driving by strong vocals of singer/'glam puppet' Rachael Pale and some alternately spacey and chugging guitar.
Review by Matt Hickey, WhoTheHell.net, December 2009
 
WES: I don't think my version of Endusk got to really play that many greats hows. Maybe one show at the Annandale, which was good. I'd seen Endusk previously in the city with Element in a cool, small little venue, and they were amazing, so I was excited to be in the city for a gig with them. Any time Rae was behind the microphone was amazing and I do wish Endusk had catered their sound more around her vocals, which we started to do on Marching Slow. To me that meant, tuning the guitar down and not hitting the cymbals so hard. I reckon if we did another recording it would have really been about making Rachel and her voice on top of the mix.  
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

PRESTON: We had a couple of gigs and recorded six new songs at a nice little space in Annandale. We got Ian from Noisegate to record it and it turned out great. But I had met my now-wife at one of those recent Endusk gigs - she had a visa and ticket to move overseas so a few months later I left Sydney. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
RAE: I think the band fizzled at this point. I may have been the one to initiate it. I had a lot going on personally and just got tired of sound guys and others yelling at me to sing louder, sing this way, sing that way - that kinda shit wears away at you after a while and eventually overshadows the fun you once had when creative with some of your favourite people.
Rae Pale (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


WES: I'd say we finished up because the band didn't have a true manager or a booking agent. As a result, it didn't demand a level of commitment that made it a number one priority and, during that time, Preston fell in love and decided to move to England with his then-girlfriend for a year - a wonderful woman who is now his wife and they have a beautiful child together, so I think it goes without saying that he made the right decision for himself. He had given enough of himself to his band and music and Endusk had run its course. After he returned to Australia, Rae had moved to America with her now-husband and they're still there to this day. 
Wes von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Kreture, Clobassi, Stylus, Self is a Seed, Sui Zhen, Fanny Lumsden and the Thrillseekers, MCP, Milne, E for Echo, Skuzz, Keepsake, Fat Slinky, Superb Lyrebird, Demons to Diamonds, Sickend, Day of the Dead




Saturday, August 17, 2024

Keepsake

ORIGINS: Penrith, NSW
GENRE: Metal, Nu-Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2001
 
MEMBERS:
  • Wade - Vocals
  • Hayden - Guitar (2001-2003)
  • Wes von Grabill - Bass
  • Evan McKay - Drummer
  • Jeremy - Guitar (2000)
RELEASES: 
 
  • Demo (2000)
    • 1. You Are Not Me
    • 2. Lube
SUMMARY: Keepsake were a nu-metal band based in the Penrith area, not to be confused with other (later) bands of the same name. They played fairly regularly in Penrith and the Blue Mountains throughout 2000 and 2001.
 
SHOWS: 

ORAL HISTORY:
REVIEW: Keepsake seem to be getting quite good, and this performance was probably the best I have seen them do. They have a kind of punk/metal type of sound that, I must admit, gets my head moving and foot tapping every time... there were a number of moshers jumping about like a pack of demon-possessed rabbits.
Review from Obzine Issue 15, October 2000
 
WES: We've been together since July 2000 but we had another guitarist back then... We fired him 'cause he couldn't do a gig, then we got Hayden. He's got way better equipment.
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Obzine Issue 19, April 2001
 
WES: Craig (from Clobassi) and I harassed Kris Keeble for about a year to let us put on a gig and finally we did. She liked the Ballyhoo concept, she'd heard about the last one and how it sold out. So we decided to put it on again. April 27th, all ages. One Dollar Short's headlining, then Clobassi, Keepsake, Little More Than You (which will probably pack it out), then Fletcher. 
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Obzine Issue 19, April 2001
 
HAYDEN: We'll probably work on something better to release than the demo tape because we know we could do better... The first set of songs Wes wrote pretty much by himself, now we're starting to write more songs, which is top quality stuff, so we're working together as a band - which is good. Our music's slowly changing I think, with the songs we're starting to write. 
Hayden (Guitar), Obzine Issue 19, October 2000
 
WES: The sound was heavy, like metal, but I didn't really understand metal. Wade and Evan loved Pantera but I hated them... so as you can imagine, it was a match made in heaven. For me, Keepsake (which I named) was the band that made me realise I didn't ever want to be in a metal band and it was progressive music that I was wanting to explore. We peaked at the Evans Theatre Show.
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

REVIEW: I didn't expect them to be so metal but there you go. If you like the newer-styled metal of Korn and all their spawn then this'll be for you.
Review from Obzine Issue 21, July 2001

RELATED BANDS: Skuzz, Clobassi, Fat Slinky, Superb Lyrebird, Demons to Diamonds, MCP

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Wesley von Grabill

Wesley von Grabill

  • Skuzz (1999-2000) - Bass
  • Keepsake (2000-2001) - Bass
  • Clobassi (2001) - Bass
  • Fat Slinky (2001-2003) - Bass
  • Superb Lyrebird (2004-2010) - Bass
  • Demons to Diamonds (2011-2013) - Bass
  • MCP (2021-current) - Bass
REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Monday, April 22, 2024

Clobassi

ORIGINS: Penrith, NSW
GENRE: Alt-Metal, Hip Hop, Rap Rock
YEARS ACTIVE: 1997-2001
 
MEMBERS:
RELEASES: 
  • Let's Get Physical (1999)
    • 1. Too Little Too Late
    • 2. Game Over
    • 3. Action Jackson
    • 4. Little Penny
    • 5. Sensitive New Age Guy


  • Clobalisation (2000)
    • 1. Keep on Truckin'
    • 2. Rollback
    • 3. Stretchin' the Friendship 

  • The Bronx Executioner (2001)
    • Keep on Truckin'
  • Full Tilt Boogie (2001) [Unreleased]
    • 1. Unknown song
    • 2. Unknown song
    • 3. Unknown song
    • 4. For All the While
SUMMARY: Clobassi was the brainchild of Craig McVea, who had played in punk bands but yearned for something a little different in the vein of early Beastie Boys. Teaming up with other core member, Preston Peachey, the dynamic duo recruited a series of guitarists to pioneer a heavy alt-metal/punk style that sat comfortably within a wave of late '90s alternative Australian bands (Quadbox, Beaverloop, Dogbuoy). McVea was one of the most visible faces in the late '90s/early '00s Penrith music scene, putting on many All Ages shows and writing regular local music columns for local newspapers and zines, and this helped build a lot of momentum for Clobassi. 
 
In their final years, the band experimented with expanding to include additional members for performances - such as Wes Von Grabill on bass (allowing McVea to focus more on vocals) and Michael Noel on percussion. After 4 years of solid gigging, and recording an EP that then went unreleased, the band members moved on to work on other projects.
 
SHOWS: 


ORAL HISTORY:
PRESTON: I saw an ad for a drummer, could have been in Drum Media, which was was the Bible in those days. I was keen to do more groove stuff and grew up on rap music and r'n'b. The ad said Toe to Toe and Beastie Boys, which sounded pretty cool. I called this guy, Craig... he lived in Leonay and I was five minutes down the road in Emu Plains. We setup a jam at his house in their spare room and we had just a really fun jam. Craig was probably jumping around. He called his friend Jay to listen over the phone (I'm sure it didn't sound amazing). Craig had a mate, Narayan, who played guitar, so we became a band... named after a phallic sausage. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CRAIG: I think it all started at my 18th birthday party in '98. I had The Hassle Brigade and The Shirkers play in my backyard (those were the days when bands didn't start shit about other bands and had a respect for each other no matter what style you were!). Anyways... I wrote a song called 'Wookie' that I wanted to play. So I got some friends together and just did it. Everyone seemed to like it so we played it twice. I had only just met Preston at this stage. He was like, 'fuck, we got to get a band together quick.' A couple of members and gigs later, we stand before you as Clobassi. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Anti-Charisma Issue 3, 2000
 
PRESTON: I think Craig had a real sound and feel he was going for... he would have already sketched-out ideas and I just wanted to rock out. I had been listening to heavy stuff and he introduced me to new music. Really inspired by the Beastie Boys instrumental album The In Sound From Way Out and some 'world' music and 90s stuff such as Nitin Sawney. Craig was into all sorts of music that I got into; a lot of discovering new sounds, new drummers. I was also really into Sepultura so I'm sure that was a big part of our sound too. 
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
PRESTON: Craig was doing TAFE at Nirimba and I was finishing Year 12. Our first shows I was 17, so I had to sit in the coolroom at Kelts Bar, but most of our shows were all ages.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
CRAIG: The fuzzy bass... I copied from a bass player I jammed with once. I used to always quote other bands I liked in my set. I was young!
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
PRESTON: We recorded somewhere in the most Blue Mountains'y house ever. The guy was a super chill hippy who made the best chai on his stove.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

CRAIG: The high school in Wentworth Falls publicly deemed our first demo as the work of Satan, which is a bit rich considering the cover is a cartoon pic of a skateboarding anus.
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

CRAIG: One of our best or most memorable gigs would have been Blowout '98 in Kiama. During Frenzal Rhomb's set I was on top of the front speakers about 4 metres from the ground with a hose between my legs spraying everybody, yelling, "When the shit goes down ya better be ready!"
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Anti-Charisma Issue 3, 2000

CRAIG: You wouldn't believe some of the fights we had to deal with around Melrose Hall. Me and Preston and Steve Williams got rolled by the Nepean High School Rugby League team after a Melrose show. The band Save Some For Daddy got in some fights with them too. There were a lot of close calls - definitely a lot of kids were getting rolled in Emu Plains. Another time I went to a prom with Joe Cool (Joey Catanzaro) - it was three couples, we were 19 or 20. We all nearly got rolled with baseball bats in Werrington. I was dressed like Neil Hamburger... I shouldn't have done that.
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

PRESTON: Best gig... the first Planet Rock gig with Testeagles went off and one gig at the Melrose was cool - it was our first guitarist's last gig. Our worst gig was when we went to Melbourne and played in the back of this tacky pub and the crowd of two fell asleep. Or at Blacktown PCYC - empty hall, shit sound, my kit was falling apart. I wasn't happy.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Anti-Charisma Issue 3, 2000

PRESTON: Steve was an amazing guitarist and friend but I remember a gig in Katoomba where Craig and I played most of our set as a two-piece before Steve finally showed and played a few songs. When we found Sam he was a solid addition and also a phenomenal songwriter on his own, and a great singer. Kind of felt like he was doing us a favour.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
CRAIG: Prior to 2000, none of our guitarists have ever looked or sounded very Clobassi. None of them have ever given Clobassi much time. And I think that's a good reason why we're not touring at the moment. It just feels like we haven't found him or her yet. It always has.
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Anti-Charisma Issue 3, 2000
 
 
 
SAM: I went to music school with Preston and Craig at Nirimba TAFE. They were a lot of fun. Craig was extremely dedicated to the band and he wrote all the tunes. He was also dedicated to the scene in Western Sydney and was certainly an asset out there.
Sam Parker (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
CRAIG: We were playing in Katoomba with Quadbox. I was really angry at the time and I jumped off my amp and broke through the stage. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Obzine Issue 5, November 1999
 
SAM: We got kicked out of a band competition because Craig broke the microphone.
Sam Parker (Guitar), Obzine Issue 5, November 1999
 
REVIEW: Clobassi have been doing a lot of shows recently and this performance was only a few hours after their warm up in Blacktown. As always they kicked out a happy vibe with their blend of heavy rap and punk pop. Craig was definitely into the performance and sported a pair of headphones for the first few songs. Once again, an energetic performance. Clobassi played new and old tunes with a couple off their new CD which doesn't really have a title at the moment due to copyright infringements on their previous title. 
Mark Alston, Obzine Issue 6, December 1999
 
REVIEW: Finally, it was time for Clobassi to show their stuff. With the main lights out, the coloured lights really lifted the atmosphere, and the mistakable heavy-rap stomping sound filled the hall. Craig, the singer with the fuzzy bass guitar, seemed determined to have fun since putting on this Right Here, Right Now show had cost him many dollars. There was a sizeable mosh and most people seemed to get right into it. At the end of the set, which included songs off their CD, Clobalisation, the crowd's shouting for more was enough to extract one last song out of the band.
Mark and Dave, Obzine Issue 7, January 2000
 
REVIEW: Clobassi's awesome stomping punk/metal/rap sound is too much for any self-respecting skanker to resist. The band is going off and we all dive for a Skankheath T-shirt as it is launched from the stage. The smoke machine has set off the fire alarm, but everyone is enjoying the music too much to care. The set finishes on a high note with 'Keep on Truckin'.
 Dave Schleter, Obzine Issue 9, April 2000
 
WES: I was 16... from the West Coast of America... and Craig was 18 or 19 and already an accomplished musician and performer. My stepdad was Craig and Preston's TAFE teacher and he took me to a uni gig late one weekday to try and motivate me to get more into music and stay in the country. That's where I first saw Clobassi live and they were fantastic. I instantly took notice of Craig's charisma and energy on stage, jumping onto the bar with his bass as Preston smashed his drums with a hint of lag similar to my favourite drummer of the '70s. I remember Craig used to cover his bass in a furry material he customly sewed on (probably because he couldn't afford a good bass and was insecure about it but that creativity ended up making his bass so much more unique and cool than the most expensive bass in the world). This bass-condom of sorts gave birth to him calling his bass THE WOOKIE. To this day it's still one of the most original concepts conceived by us 'humble' bass players.  
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

                                                                                                                                                                                         
CRAIG: Playing the Opera House steps with Preston and Sam was a great memory. Another favourite memory was stage diving at Melrose Hall and not face planting it. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
REVIEW: Clobassi rocked as hard as they could. They pulled out all the crowd faves: Keep on Truckin', Too Little Too Late, Stretchin' the Friendship and Wookie, to which the crowd moshed up a frenzy. The Daily Planet bouncers soon cottoned on to this and realised what they were meant to be doing, and formed a barrier in front of the band so that no one would get too close to the stage. Bassplayer/vocalist Craig pulled out all his usual moves, stroking his furry bass and jumping about like an acid-crazy maniac, causing the crowd to get very excited indeed. I think Clobassi were my favourite band of the night.
Luke Bartolo, Obzine Issue 11, June 2000

SAM: The Testeagles support at the Daily Planet was chockers and the crowd was amped. Neither of the others drank so I got the whole rider. 
Sam Parker (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

WES: My favourite Clobassi memory was at the Melrose Hall. Skuzz supported and Clobassi headlined. We did 2 newspaper photo shoots for the gig and put up posters everywhere. It was packed. They performed their first EP and at one point Craig put down his bass, and the guitarist and Preston kept playing and he jumped into the crowd. They carried him and passed him down from the front of the stage to the back of the hall and then back onto stage again without him ever touching the ground. That was a full house! And perhaps the peak of Clobassi's powers.
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

CRAIG: Preston was a weapon. We just couldn't settle on a guitarist. Michael Noel played final year or so with the band; he was awesome. We were at our best then. I think of Michael regularly; such a beautiful soul. We were lucky to get the time we did with him. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

REVIEW: Clobassi kicked arse at the Grounded Festival. Craig was jumping around so much I half-expected him to crasgh through the stage. They were joined by a member of Sickend with percussion and a small brass section, which really added to their heavy funk-laden sound.
Daniel, Obzine Issue 12, July 2000
 
PRESTON: We guested Michael Noel on percussion and this is how I met Michael and he later joined Endusk. We also had Wesley Von Grabill join on bass towards the end when Craig wanted to run around and go crazy.  
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
WES: Craig was nice enough to let me play bass for him on stage a couple of times. Once in the back alley of a High Street Penrith venue and once at a Grounded Festival. Both times I was shitting in my pants. 
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 


REVIEW: The almighty legends of local hip-hop-rock, Clobassi, made their way up in front of the Blaxland audience. They rocked. If you haven't seen them then I honestly don't know what's wrong with you. As always the band made themselves interesting to watch, with Craig adding demonic-sounding scats to some of their tunes, as well as leaping from the top of the P.A. during 'Rollback'. Another standout of their set was the song 'Wookie', where crowd members were invited onto the stage to say their cheesiest pickup lines, with invariably comical and bizarre results. The band ended on the epic masterpiece 'Keep on Truckin'.
Luke Bartolo, Obzine Issue 12, July 2000

SAM: I ended up leaving the band because I was living in the Inner West and didn't have transport. Lugging gear on the train wasn't really an option. Preston was the Uber then, but it just ended up wearing a little thin. 
Sam Parker (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

REVIEW: It's the second Grounded Festival, it's Craig's birthday, and he doesn't look like a hung over man after enduring a night of partying. He's all smiles as Clobassi fly onto the stage with a presence I have never seen from them. A new guitarist, guest rapper, and Prestons' new kit make for a fresh set from these funk rap rockers. 
 Reviewer, Obzine Issue 20 June 2001

BILLY: I came to be in Clobassi through Karen Booth, ex-sax player for Clobassi. I was good friends with her. She hooked me up, they needed a guitarist so I said yeah, I'll try out. They tried a couple of guys, they got me two practices in a row or something. Craig actually asked me if it would be cool to have two guitarists and I kinda of said 'nah', cause when it comes time for recording, and you'll see why on the new CD Full Tilt Boogie, I like to have a good range of what I can do.
Billy Brown (Guitarist), Obzine Issue 22, September 2001

CRAIG: Our new guitarist Billy has really injected his musical personality and character into the band. I love it. I don't think I've seen all of what he can do yet. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Obzine Issue 22, September 2001

PRESTON: I think the band just faded and fizzled as we moved onto other stuff. Craig did Fat Slinky and I did Endusk. We were all pretty close friends though. We had a basketball team called Team Larraby.
Preston Peachey (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

CRAIG: We didn't release or sell our last EP Full Tilt Boogie. We moved onto other projects... I didn't really wanna do prog rock but I loved what the other band members went on to do. Everyone started their own direction - some went punk/ska, some went prog rock. All great musos. 
Craig McVea (Vocals, Bass), Noise Levels correspondence,2024

RELATED BANDS: Kreture, The Shirkers, Fat Slinky, Endusk, Day of the Dead, Sickend, Skuzz, Germ Warfare Specialists, Samegma, Jugular Cuts, Scratch Habbit, Carnage Flail, Irrelevant, Lucy & the Pheromones, Moonbombs, Spankin' Brothers, 1000 Slimey Things, Superb Lyrebird, Cumflood