The Stems

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The Stems

Background information
Origin Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Years active 1983–1987
2003
2007–present
Label(s) Citadel
White Label
Mushroom/Festival
Shock
Associated acts The Chevelles, Stonefish, The Rosebuds, The Someloves, DM3, Dom Mariani and the Majestic Kelp, The Summer Suns, The Neptunes, The Shivers
Website www.thestems.com.au
Members
Dom Mariani
Richard Lane
Julian Mathews
David Shaw
Former members
John Shuttleworth
Gary Chambers

The Stems formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1983 and played music that was heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. The band broke up in 1987 and then reformed (twenty years later) releasing a new album in 2007.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

The Stems formed in late 1983 when Dom Mariani, formerly in the band the Go-Starts, was introduced to Richard Lane. Richard had seen Mariani in the final few gigs of the Go-Starts and asked him for some guitar lessons. The lessons turned into jams, the jams into songs, and the decision was made to start the band. A friend, Gary Chambers, was recruited to join the band on drums and bass player John Shuttleworth poached from another local band, the Pink Armadillos and some demo’s recorded. The bands debut gig was supporting The Saints and The Triffids at the Old Civic Theatre in Perth. Their sound was influenced by 60s garage acts ranging from the Electric Prunes, The Standells, The Chocolate Watch Band to The Easybeats. A local Saturday night residency at the Wizbah venue saw throwback covers and a growing list of original songs and a cult following for the band. Shuttleworth decided to leave so a final gig for the band was arranged which drew a large crowd. The success of this gig and freshly written songs saw the band recruit a new bass player, school friend Julian Matthews.

The Stems played at local legendary (and now long-gone) venues such as The Wizbah, The Old Melbourne and The Shenton Park Hotel on a regular basis, the group built up a substantial following in Perth, at a time otherwise dominated by cover bands. During this time they replaced Shuttleworth with Julian Matthews on bass.

[edit] Love Will Grow

Late in 1984 they recorded three songs at Shelter Studios in Perth, "She's A Monster", "Make You Mine" and a version of "Tears Me in Two". The original plan was for this to be a self released single with one track as the A side and the other two as B-sides. A friend of the band who wanted to help manage them told them he would take the tapes to the east coast and shop them around to the independent labels there. There was quite a bit of interest expressed by a number of labels, but the Stems chose Citadel because of the high quality of their releases at the time. In mid 1985 the band went to Sydney to meet up with their new label Citadel and promote their first single "Make You Mine"/"She's A Monster". The Stems first Sydney show was a sold out show with the Painters and Dockers at the Trade Union Club. The tour was perfectly timed with the Sydney inner city scene rediscovering 60s music and fashion. The group met with an enthusiastic response which culminated in a full house at the legendary Trade Union Club for their final show. The single reached the top of the independent charts and also sold 500 copies in England. The single was to be the 2nd highest selling independent single for Australia in 1985, second only to the Hoodoo Gurus' "Like Wow - Wipeout!". During this period they recorded the classic single "Tears Me In Two" single and the Love Will Grow EP both produced by Rob Younger of the legendary Radio Birdman. The EP reached #72 in the national charts[1] and the band played triumphant shows on their return to Perth.

[edit] At First Sight

The band, with a new drummer, David Shaw, on board spent most of 1986 touring to promote their EP, including national tours supporting The Flamin Groovies and the Hoodoo Gurus, and also seeking a label deal. Mushroom Records signed the band and the band booked into Platinum Studios with producer Alan Thorne at the end of 1986. The recording process didn’t go smoothly and stretched from the planned one month to three, with a new producer brought in to complete the record. At First Sight, Violets Are Blue was released in 1987, their first recording for the White label. The album debuted at Number 1 on the Australian alternative charts and 34 on the mainstream charts.[1] It also received national and international critical acclaim and would be one of the best selling Australian albums of that year despite the lack of commercial airplay in the corporate FM dominated 80’s. Leaning toward a stronger pop sensibility the album highlighed the talents of Dom Mariani and Richard Lane as skilled tunesmiths of the guitar pop genre. The album was nominated in the top 100 Australian albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine and the title track "At First Sight" remains a bonafide Australian classic. 1987 also saw the band embark on another national tour, appearances on national television – including playing the final episode of Countdown and the lead single "At First Sight" making the Young Einstein soundtrack. The band seemed to have the world at their feet, an album which went on to become the third top Australian album of 1987. Following the success of the album there was an increase in interest in the band from overseas, particularly in Europe.

Unfortunately, in October 1987, on the eve of a six week European tour the band mysteriously disbanded. Dom's explanation was:

"I was not very happy with the way things were going towards the end of the Stems. We got quite big, and there are the usual problems that happen with that. People tend to drift apart, there are internal conflicts, egos going wild, and bad management was probably the major factor that contributed to the Stems breakup."

Mathews offered a similar explanation

"In the end it was total burn-out. By the time the band broke up, all of us had had enough. Any of us could have quit at any time. There was also this pull to do other stuff away from the band.[2]"

The Stems performed at their last live show on 31 August 1987, but it wasn't officially announced until November 1997.

The Stems released a total of five singles, one EP and one full length album, and set an impressive record with each release reaching No 1 on the Australian alternative charts. The Stems having completed several national tours were perhaps one of the first bands to gain national success while remaining in Perth, and despite never having toured internationally they are held in high esteem in Europe and the US amongst fans of classic 60s and garage inspired rock ‘n’ roll.

The Stems epitomised 80s indie rock, giving it a wider currency. They are one of only a handful of bands (among them the Hoodoo Gurus (half of the original line-up of the Hoodoo Gurus also came from Perth) and The Sunnyboys) that cracked the mainsteam charts with an indie approach in the 80s .

Main singer songwriter Dom Mariani would eventually go on to achieve greater international recognition and become a linchpin of the international power pop scene with his bands The Someloves (with Daryl Mather (Lime Spiders)), DM3 and Dom Mariani and the Majestic Kelp. Richard Lane went on to record with Gary Chambers in The Chevelles and later with The Rosebuds, with Matthews firstly working with drummer Dave Shaw in The Shivers and later with Mariani’s DM3.

[edit] Reunited - Heads Up

In March 2003 The Stems reunited for a national tour an amazing comeback to the local and international music scene. Following the re-release of their classic At First Sight, Violets Are Blue and the release of the Mushroom Soup: The Citadel Years in 2003, the Stems found themselves playing to packed houses across the country, touring Europe, playing the prestigious "Little Stevens Underground Garage Festival" in August 2005, and most recently at the "Come Together Festival" at Sydney’s Luna Park with the cream of Australia’s newest bands in September 2005.

2006 saw the release of another anthology titled Terminal Cool in the United States by the prestigious garage rock and punk label Get Hip Records. The new anthology includes three previously unreleased tracks including the lost gem and title track which fans will recall from their early live sets. Two of the bands tunes were also included in the recent Rhino Nuggets Box set Children of Nuggets which compiles and documents the Paisley Underground and garage rock of the 80s.

2007 Tour Poster
2007 Tour Poster

In 2007 The Stems undertook a national tour alongside Hoodoo Gurus and Radio Birdman. The Stems also released their long overdue second album, Heads Up, the follow up to 1987’s At First Sight, Violets Are Blue. The new album contains ten new original garage rock gems, it was recorded in Perth in the earlier part of 2007 at the analogue and vintage recording compound KingDom Studios and later mixed at Ultrasuede in Cincinnati by producer John Curley (White Stripes, Afghan Wigs, Greenhornes & Ronnie Spector). The Stems are now touring nationally and internationally to promote the new album.

[edit] Members

  • Dom Mariani - vocals, guitar (1983-1987, 2003)
  • Richard Lane - vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica (1983-1987, 2003)
  • Gary Chambers - drums (1983-1986)
  • Julian Mathews - bass (1984-1987, 2003)
  • David Shaw - drums, percussion (1986-1987)
  • John Shuttleworth - bass (1984)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums/EPs

[edit] Anthologies

[edit] Singles

  • "Make You Mine"/"She's A Monster" - Citadel Records (1985)
  • "Tears Me In Two"/"Can't Resist" - Citadel Records (1985) #99 (Aus)
  • "At First Sight"/"Grooviest Girl In Town" (1987) #90 (Aus)
  • "Sad Girl"/"My Beach" (1987) #89 (Aus)
  • "For Always"/"Mr Misery" (1987)
  • "Let Your Head Rest"/"Don't Let Me"/"Tears Me In Two" - Shock Records (1993)

[edit] Compilations

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 (doc), Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W.. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  2. ^ The West Australian (October 26, 2007)

[edit] External links

[edit] Interview links

The Stems
Members
Dom Mariani | Richard Lane | Julian Mathews | David Shaw
The Stems Discography
Studio Albums: At First Sight, Violets Are Blue | Heads Up
EPs: Love Will Grow - Rosebud Volume 1
Anthologies: The Great Rosebud Hoax | Buds | Weed Out!| Mushroom Soup: The Citadel Years | Terminal Cool
Singles: "Make You Mine" | "Tears Me In Two" | "At First Sight" | "Sad Girl" | "For Always" | "Let Your Head Rest"
Record Labels
Citadel Records | White Label | Shock Records | Get Hip Records | House Of Wax | Mushroom Records | Domino Records
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