Heavy Weight Champ

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Heavy Weight Champ
Left to right, Luke Copeland, Dean Miller, Grant McCulloch
Background information
Origin	Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Genre(s)	Hard rock
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Sic Squared Records
Members
Grant McCulloch Dean Miller Luke Copeland

Heavy Weight Champ is a three piece heavy rock band from Perth, Australia. Formed in 1999, the band's early sounds were akin to influences such as Tool, Deftones and Pearl Jam. The group has so far released two EPs and a full-length album.

Contents 1 History 2 Discography 3 Other recordings 4 Videography 5 External links

[edit] History

Founding band members Grant McCulloch (vocals/guitar), Dean Miller (drums) and Brad Alexander (guitar/vocals) had played in several rock acts in country Victoria including Cringer, Notbigwotbox and Strange Neighbours in the early 1990s. Toward the end of that decade the members were playing together in the alternative rock band Meld; the decision was made to move from their home towns of Wangaratta and Corowa to Melbourne to pursue their musical goals. Following a visit to Perth, the group decided to move there due to Western Australia's lifestyle and burgeoning musical scene. Ads were taken out for a bass player and after several auditions the group found Luke Copeland. Mid-1999 Alexander quit the band and returned to Victoria leaving Heavy Weight Champ without a primary guitarist. After auditioning numerous local players to no avail McCulloch took over primary guitar duties.

In late 1999, in only its second Perth show, Heavy Weight Champ took out the Grosvenor Hotel's "Twenty Minutes of Fame" competition. Over the next few months the band would win several more titles before going on to represent Western Australia at the National Campus Band Competition finals in Sydney. The band finished third overall. With the studio time won from the competition, Heavy Weight Champ recorded their first EP Two Triple Zero at Perth's Pinnacle Studios with producer Forrester Savell. The EP was released mid-2000 and would go on to chart in the Australian Independent Record Companies Association charts Top 20 for almost a year.

After an extensive national tour in 2001 with Karnivool along in support, Heavy Weight Champ would return to the task of writing in 2002 with the purpose of maturing their heavy sound. Toward the end of that year the band went into Watt Studios with Jarrad Hearman; trialling new tracks the result would be the WAMi- nominated "Grey Filters" double A-side. Released mid-2003, the release showed a new fragility in the band's sound with the track "Grey". The release also contained radio edits of the singles and two live tracks. Heavy Weight Champ would capitalise on "Grey Filters'" positive reception in the Australian heavy music community with extensive tours with bands such as The Butterfly Effect, The Mark of Cain and Grinspoon.

During 2004 the band turned its focus inward. Weighing up the mounting costs of national tours and the need for another release, the decision was made to forgo the benefit of another EP and instead bunker down to write a full-length album. Beginning with the few post "Grey Filters" tracks that had been written, the band proceeded to work on album material at an upstairs studio in the central Perth suburb of Subiaco. Questions began to arise as to the band's future and break-up rumours emerged as Heavy Weight Champ retreated from the live scene to commit to the writing process exclusively. In late 2005 the band entered Perth's Loop Studios with Jarrad Hearman to begin work on Lo-Fi Funeral. Material would be tracked and mixed throughout November and December before the final mix sessions took place at Melbourne's Sing Sing Studios in March 2006. The first single "This Revolution" was released to radio in April with the album issued mid-May.

During 2006 Heavy Weight Champ returned to live performance. Lo-Fi Funeral enjoyed critical and market acclaim and saw Heavy Weight Champ head out on the national circuit several times.

Heavy Weight Champ played its final performance on 14 December 2007 in Perth.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Other recordings

Other Heavy Weight Champ recordings include...
Live set 06 - Live set broadcast on Triple J in September 06, tracks performed were Worth Your Weight in Gold, Part Two: The Effect and Olympiad - as yet unreleased
Bipolar - Demoed for the Lo-Fi Funeral sessions, as yet unreleased
Live set 04 - Recorded for the Sic Sessions Volume One album, a collaboration between Heavy Weight Champ, Subtruck and Antistatic. Live tracks released on this album were Filters, Breach and Two Triple Zero
Jeri Ryan - Demoed for the Two Triple Zero sessions and released on the 2000 Next Big Thing compilation

[edit] Videography

Worth your Weight in Gold - Directed by Grant McCulloch
released 2006

This Revolution - Directed by Grant McCulloch
released 2006

Filters live - Directed by Andrew Ewing
released 2004

Down - Directed by Chris Frey
released 2000

[edit] External links

• Sic 2 label website