Wolfmother - Biography
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2004-2007
Biography
For those not familiar with the genesis of Wolfmother, a potted history is provided below.
Andrew Stockdale met Chris Ross at a party at his house through a mutual friend early in the new millennium. Upon Stockdale's observation of Chris' synth collection and general home studio setup, the two got together a week later for a jam. The music created was as far from what one might call "rock'n'roll" as you would expect - more a French disco jam with various people jamming in and out on instruments over a sampled beat. Not much happened for the next few months except for the original creation of "Woman".
The jamming went on and on for months on end. There was no vision in sight, it was more or less a mantra of sounds where those involved would search for the unknown. No song structure, no songs, and no singer. The incubus of the first Wolfmother record lay dormant for almost a year until Stockdale put together a 5-track demo with Ross' colleague, with Myles Heskett playing drums on one of the tracks.
Shortly afterwards, Stockdale rounded up Heskett and Ross to be the band for a debut performance of the demo at The Hopetoun. The gig went off - it was the first venue where they had had played "Woman" live - and, encouraged by the reception, the three decided to give it another shot and do another gig. In preparation for their next performance, they decided to make a new demo and write a few songs together. This demo ended up becoming the EP featuring "Woman", "Dimension", and "White Unicorn".
The next gig was at Vic On The Park as a support slot. Upon arrival at the venue, the then-band of Stockdale, Ross, and Heskett had no name. At the last minute, Ross suggested the moniker Wolfmother from a Tom Robbins novel called "Skinny Legs" he had been reading, and both Heskett and Stockdale reluctantly accepted the title. As history would have it, the name stuck.
Four years of touring and playing hundreds of concerts around the world ensued, along with their major label self-titled debut selling at multiple platinum volumes and garnering awards along the way. Wolfmother the thundered to an untimely full-stop, as the creative tension within the band spilled over into the private domains of its founders.
With the best of Buddhist intentions, Ross and Heskett moved on in 2009 to let Stockdale, in the public mind the embodiment of the band, continue the Wolfmother tradition. Now back in Brisbane, a connection was made with Dave Atkins from The Resin Dogs, who agreed to play drums on a few new demos. Atkins recommended a young musician from the Gold Coast, Ian Peres. According to Stockdale: "This kid walks into my studio and pretty much plays every Wolfmother song to the tee!" The final piece of the puzzle was provided by guitarist Aidan Nemeth, who convinced Stockdale to make the new incarnation a four-piece.
Cosmic Egg is then made in Los Angeles at the Sunset Boulevard Studio with Producer Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Nine Inch Nails). The songs that comprise the record come together from different times and places, geographically and mentally - according to Stockdale, at the time "some of the songs were written rather spontaneously during the last 2 weeks of tracking, some have been floating around in one form or another for 2 years."
Fittingly, the title for their sophomore effort relates to the age-old black hole theory of optimism, where the implosion of a star doesn't instigate a disappearance or destruction, rather a new beginning of a new universe.
Worldwide, the new Wolfmother was the biggest selling Australian band of 2010. They played all the great festivals in North America and Europe and supported AC/DC on the biggest-selling tour in Australian history. The stress of extensive touring and time away from family got the better of Atkins, who left on amicable terms. Will Rockwell-Scott, from The Mooney Suzuki, assumed his place behind the drum kit.
Wolfmother returned after a brief hiatus in 2013 with a new full-length in 2014, entitled New Crown.
Andrew Stockdale met Chris Ross at a party at his house through a mutual friend early in the new millennium. Upon Stockdale's observation of Chris' synth collection and general home studio setup, the two got together a week later for a jam. The music created was as far from what one might call "rock'n'roll" as you would expect - more a French disco jam with various people jamming in and out on instruments over a sampled beat. Not much happened for the next few months except for the original creation of "Woman".
The jamming went on and on for months on end. There was no vision in sight, it was more or less a mantra of sounds where those involved would search for the unknown. No song structure, no songs, and no singer. The incubus of the first Wolfmother record lay dormant for almost a year until Stockdale put together a 5-track demo with Ross' colleague, with Myles Heskett playing drums on one of the tracks.
Shortly afterwards, Stockdale rounded up Heskett and Ross to be the band for a debut performance of the demo at The Hopetoun. The gig went off - it was the first venue where they had had played "Woman" live - and, encouraged by the reception, the three decided to give it another shot and do another gig. In preparation for their next performance, they decided to make a new demo and write a few songs together. This demo ended up becoming the EP featuring "Woman", "Dimension", and "White Unicorn".
The next gig was at Vic On The Park as a support slot. Upon arrival at the venue, the then-band of Stockdale, Ross, and Heskett had no name. At the last minute, Ross suggested the moniker Wolfmother from a Tom Robbins novel called "Skinny Legs" he had been reading, and both Heskett and Stockdale reluctantly accepted the title. As history would have it, the name stuck.
Four years of touring and playing hundreds of concerts around the world ensued, along with their major label self-titled debut selling at multiple platinum volumes and garnering awards along the way. Wolfmother the thundered to an untimely full-stop, as the creative tension within the band spilled over into the private domains of its founders.
With the best of Buddhist intentions, Ross and Heskett moved on in 2009 to let Stockdale, in the public mind the embodiment of the band, continue the Wolfmother tradition. Now back in Brisbane, a connection was made with Dave Atkins from The Resin Dogs, who agreed to play drums on a few new demos. Atkins recommended a young musician from the Gold Coast, Ian Peres. According to Stockdale: "This kid walks into my studio and pretty much plays every Wolfmother song to the tee!" The final piece of the puzzle was provided by guitarist Aidan Nemeth, who convinced Stockdale to make the new incarnation a four-piece.
Cosmic Egg is then made in Los Angeles at the Sunset Boulevard Studio with Producer Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Nine Inch Nails). The songs that comprise the record come together from different times and places, geographically and mentally - according to Stockdale, at the time "some of the songs were written rather spontaneously during the last 2 weeks of tracking, some have been floating around in one form or another for 2 years."
Fittingly, the title for their sophomore effort relates to the age-old black hole theory of optimism, where the implosion of a star doesn't instigate a disappearance or destruction, rather a new beginning of a new universe.
Worldwide, the new Wolfmother was the biggest selling Australian band of 2010. They played all the great festivals in North America and Europe and supported AC/DC on the biggest-selling tour in Australian history. The stress of extensive touring and time away from family got the better of Atkins, who left on amicable terms. Will Rockwell-Scott, from The Mooney Suzuki, assumed his place behind the drum kit.
Wolfmother returned after a brief hiatus in 2013 with a new full-length in 2014, entitled New Crown.