User:Kielytp
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| Stowaway | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Classic/Progressive Rock/Metal |
| Members | Tim Kiely Bob Cheel James Hodgson Tim 'Mick' Jarvis |
| Past members | Tom Gammage Sophie Gammage Greg Scott |
Stowaway are a four piece classic/progressive rock and metal band from Birmingham, England, famous among its growing cult fanbase for their poetic, often surreal lyrics, symphonic meldoies and meshing of hard and soft rock. Formed in mid 2006 (the band themselves often cite July 2nd as their founding day), the band's current lineup was born initially out of another, earlier cousin group, Silent Phenomenon, and has since gone on to become a respected underground musical act in its own right. Joining a growing list of new acts emerging from their school including The Echo Theory, 4 Minutes 33, The Refuge and Swerve, Silent Phenomenon are now becoming a recognised act in the rock underground, even though they remain virtually unheard of outside their hometown of Birmingham. The band is currently in the process of recording its first four-song EP, 'Welcome To Neo-Bohemia', expected to be generally released as of New Year's Eve 2006 (subject to change). After this it will resume recording of its debut album, the name and general release date of which is yet to be confirmed.
Contents |
[edit] Forming The Band (July 2006)
The decision to eventually form a rock band was one that the two co-founders of the band itself, Tim Kiely and Tom Gammage, had pondered upon frequently in the months before October 2005. Both were new converts to the fresh wave of interest in British rock music that dominated this particular decade, and both had also been won over by the 2003 hit film 'School Of Rock' starring Jack Black. Riding on this fresh wave of enthusiasm, the boys became aware of a school charity event, 'Battle Of The Bands', in which several promising acts including the Argos Disease, AB-CD (a spoof/tribute to classic rock band AC-DC) and Sooj and the Strippers had attempted to garner interest and launch their careers. Intending to compete in the next contest in July 2006, the boys (who were aged fifteen and fourteen respectively at the time) recruited several of their friends who shared their interest, eventually settling on Bob Cheel, James Hodgson and Sophie Gammage, Tom's younger sister. The allocation of roles followed soon after, as the band members purchased a variety of musical instruments. Kiely became the bassist and, eventually, the lead singer, while Gammage and Cheel took up the roles of the two electric guitarists, one playing ryhtmic and the other shredder positions, respectively. Hodgson became the band's keyboardist and Sophie the drummer. After swiftly becoming profecient with their chosen instruments, the band (at this time known as 'Didaskaloi') decided that their best chance at success in Battle Of The Bands would be to perform a well-known cover of an already famous rock song. A number of possibilities were listed, including songs by U2, Black Sabbath and Guns N Roses, but eventually, in order to accomodate the fact that Kiely was still only learning to play bass guitar at the time, the band settled on the beginning selection of 'Bittersweet Symphony' by the Verve and 'Who Are You' by the Who. Rehearsals commenced shortly afterwards.
[edit] Naming The Band
After a further six months of rehearsal the band had bulked out its library of covers considerably, and had begun to write and perform its own material. However, it was also agreed that the band needed a name change, as 'Didaskaloi' presented itself as a clunky (sometimes unpronounceable) title. A number of alternatives were suggested, including 'The Puch', 'Hodgy's Marching Band', 'The Disgusting Black Minstrel Effect' and 'Foliage In Overhang', many of which were dismissed as clumsy or ridiculous. In the end the matter was settled by Cheel, who allocated a list of eight possible band names based on an essentially random combination of words. When it came to a descision between 'Promised Vision' (favoured by Kiely) and 'Silent Phenomenon' the band voted upon their new name. 'Silent Phenomenon' won with four of the five available votes, and the band have retained the name to the present day.
[edit] The Silent Phenomenon Mythos
Reknowned for their sense of humour, the members of Silent Phenomenon share a number of in-jokes and running gags, many of which have become propogated by the band members by way of humour as an official 'mythology' of sorts. This mythology is supported by most of the band's official sources, including their website. These stories include, among other things:
Cheel's age of 306 and his origins as a farm hand in Alabama in 1700. How Cheel recieved his current guitar as a Valentine's Day gift from Richard Ashcroft. Gammage's existence on the Earth as the reincarnation of AC DC's lead guitarist, Angus Young. Gammage's former career as a solo artist during which he recorded a 3-hour single containing an 80-minute guitar solo. Kiely's distant blood relation to a leprechaun. Kiely's posession of a special memrobellia box in which he stores various momentos of his career as a rockstar, including the skull of former Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain. S. Gammage's dual use of her drumming brush for both drumming and brushing her hair. Former bassit Greg Scott's tragic death as a result of a drugs overdose in January 2006 (see below).
Many of these stories are satirical refrences to several personal idiosyncracies of the band members themselves (such as Kiely's Irish heritage or Gammage's love for long, wild guitar solos). Of particular significance in the band's mythos is an old willow tree that grows in the grounds of their school in Birmingham. Often referred to simply as 'The Tree' it was under its branches that the band held the first meeting of theirn career, and is held in a quasi-religious regard by Gammage in particular. The Tree itself has now become a recognised symbol of the band, its shape being the insparation for the band's famous geometric logo. The Tree was also the insparation for 'The Tree Song', a bonus track included in the band's debut EP, 'The Saga Of Alice Cunnington'. To date it remains the band's first and only joke anthem.
[edit] The Greg Scott-Era (November 2005-January 2006)
One short-lived but memorable episode in the band's history is the brief introduction of fellow musician, Greg Scott, as the band's bassist in November 2005. The basic idea was to use Scott as a full-time bassist, leaving Kiely, who was still only a novice at the time, to concentrate more on his role as lead singer. However, as Kiely himself continued to gain profeciency with his instrument and advanced more as a musician, it threw Scott's presence within the group into question. Also, Scott's musical tastes differed somewhat radically from the rest of the group, as his influences tended more towards goth rock or death metal bands such as 'Manowar', 'Rammstein', 'James Blunt' and 'Children of Bodom'. Eventually, these creative differences with the rest of the band, coupled with the fact that Kiely was now skilled enough with a bass guitar to play and sing simultaneously, led Scott to leave the band for pastures new in January 2006.
One long running myth in the story of the band, largely propogated by guitarists Gammage and Cheel, is that at roughly the same time Scott left the band he died tragically of a drugs overdose. Although this was originally intended as a joke, the news of Scott's death has caused alarm and distress among a number of fans, who have been reported to send their condolances to the band's official website. It has also caused confusion among Scott's close friends, who know him to be very much alive and well. The issue was eventually laid to rest in an official statement by Kiely, who made it very clear that Scott was not dead and that he remained on friendly terms with the band. The myth of Scott's death, however, has since become one of the band's chief running gags, and remains a part of the official 'mythology' of the band, as created by Gammage.
"It means that we're like any other band." Gammage says when asked about the story, "Syd Barret died of a drugs overdose, so now we're on the same level as Pink Floyd! We're just continuing a long tradition."
[edit] 'The Saga Of Alice Cunnington'
On the 5th of June 2006, thanks to contributions from Gammage's father to the project, the band finally came into posession of a recording deck, purchased cheaply from eBay, and got to work recording their debut four-song EP, 'The Saga Of Alice Cunnington', usually shortened to 'SOAC'. The EP consisted of a 'trilogy' of songs that Kiely had written the previous Summer, whilst attending a Summer School for the National Academy for Gifted and Talanted Youth (NAGTY). It recollects his feelings of ecstasy, betrayal and eventual resignation when he became romantically attracted (though his feelings were not reciprocated) to a girl of his own age named Alice Cunnington, giving the trilogy its title. Kiely had already written the lyrics in their entirety, and had a tune in mind for each one, particularly the opening and closing numbers 'Glass Heart' and 'Insomniac'. But since the band was not formed at his stage the project lay dormant for a further six months until Kiely contacted Gammage after the forming of the band and sent him the lyrics via MSN Messenger, seeking Gammage's help in ressurecting the idea.
Gammage reportedly liked the lyrics and immediately set to work recording possible tunes for the songs. These 'Prototype Recordings' also won favour with the rest of the band after hearings by Cheel and Hodgson. However, problems arose when Gammage insisted that 'Glass Heart' be composed with nothing other than an acoustic guitar, angering some of the band members who felt they were being sidelined. Cheel, with Kiely's help, eventually managed to persuade Gammage to include the rest of the band and rehearsals began in earnest. Starting with 'Glass Heart', Gammage's original idea remained virtually intact despite the transition to electric instrumentation, and has since gone on to become one of the band's signature songs. However, the remaining two songs, 'Ramblings Of A Lovesick Mind' and 'Insomniac', underwent dramatic changes in the months that followed.
'Ramblings' was unique as a song, included in 'SOAC' as an intended bridge between 'Glass Heart' and 'Insomniac'. It consisted of an interior monologue with a musical backing, as Kiely recited his troubled feelings about his unrequieted love. As a result it had no vocal 'tune', as such, and its instrumentation was kept deliberately minimalist, with nothing except a piano and repeated arpeggios on Cheel's electric guitar, in order to convey the feeling of being inside Kiely's mind. Gammage's original idea of a blusey, single-string backing track on an acoustic guitar was changed to a slightly more pensive, whimsical tune by Cheel, but otherwise 'Ramblings' was perfected without much difficulty.
'Insomniac's development proved rather more drastic. Here Gammage's original idea was changed the most, swapping the slightly angsty, violent sound used in the Prototype for a gentler, slower but no less emotional sound, accompanied by a varied collection of Pink Floyd-esque sound effects synthesized by Hodgson, including the sound of thunder, rain, wind and breaking glass. Cheel also persuaded Kiely to change the name of this new incarnation of the song, fearing that 'Insomniac' was already the title of a released Green Day album. Kiely swiftly changed thereafter to the 'The Sleepless'. With all three songs now perfected, the band set about linking them into a whole continuous musical performance.
Recording of the EP will start on the 10th of July 2006. It is expected to be generally released at some time in August 2006, although this is subject to change.
