| Things of Stone and Wood | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Indie rock Folk/rock |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Members | |
| Michael Allen, Greg Arnold, Justin Brady, Tony Floyd | |
Things of Stone and Wood (sometimes abbreviated to TOSAW) are a well-known Australian band which had their first show in 1989. They are perhaps best known for the song Happy Birthday Helen (released 1992). The song was about singer/songwriter Greg Arnold's girlfriend, whom he later married. The band won best new talent at the 1993 ARIA awards.[1]
Their song Happy Birthday Helen reached #9 on the Australian Singles Chart and #91 on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1993.
Happy Birthday Helen was parodied on ABC's The Late Show in 1992 as We've Just Run Out of Melbourne Cliches.[2]
They were all ex-students of Eltham College.
Members of the band are:
While their debut album The Yearning spawned a number of singles, received much critical acclaim and went gold, their follow-up Junk Theatre (which featured the singles Wildflowers and Churchill's Black Dog) failed to equal its success, despite Wildflowers becoming the most played song on Australian radio in 1994. The disappointing sales saw them part ways with their record company, Sony.
Their third album, The Man With The Perfect Hair (a reference to the host of The 7.30 Report, ABC journalist, Kerry O'Brien), was an independent release and the last of their folk-rock type music, as they headed down a Beatle-esque path, becoming a three-piece at the same time. The band's fourth album Whirligig was released in 1995 before the band went on a lengthy hiatus. Greg Arnold released a solo album Tricycle in 1999 and Things of Stone & Wood reformed in 2002, releasing a best of album featuring the new single Ship of the Damned. The album failed to sell in great numbers, as did the new album that followed, Rollercoaster. Greg Arnold writes most of the songs for the group.[3]
Greg Arnold released a second solo album Lost Marie in 2007. Things of Stone and Wood continue to reform for shows sporadically. Greg spends his time as a music lecturer at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, working as a producer, and recording acts such as Junior, Chloe Hall, Carus & the True Believers and Skipping Girl Vinegar.