Black Cab (band)
| Black Cab | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres |
Drone Indie Rock, Industrial Rock, Shoegazing |
| Instruments | guitar, bass, drums, electronic programming and treatments |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Interstate 40 Music Stickman Records |
| Associated acts | Lowtide |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | Andrew Coates James Lee Wes Holland |
| Past members | Ashley Davis Richard Andrew Anthony Paine Steve Law Alex Jarvis |
Black Cab is a Melbourne based drone and electronica group. The band is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic rock coupled with elements of Krautrock and more programmed driven beats and electronic soundscapes. The band has released four full length albums and two EPs.
Melbourne-based Australian band Black Cab's principal songwriters are guitarist James Lee and vocalist Andrew Coates, who originally performed together in early 1990s industrial rock group Foil. After an initial collaboration in 1999 produced a limited edition 3 track EP entitled 'Illinois Chapter', Coates moved to San Francisco and began writing what would become the band's first full length album Altamont Diary (2004), a concept album loosely based on the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont Free Concert on 6 December 1969. The album was recorded gradually over a two-year period and was produced and mixed by Melbourne producer Woody Annison when Coates moved back to Melbourne in early 2002. At that time James Lee was playing in Melbourne bands Registered Nurse and The Fergs. The debut album also featured a number of local Melbourne musicians including Richard Andrew on drums (Registered Nurse, Underground Lovers), Andrew McCubbin and Glenn Sharpe on sitar, as well as Adam Cunha from San Francisco mod rock group Helium Angel. On release in mid-2004 the album attracted significant Australian and international acclaim and a full band was pulled together to take the album live. Joining Black Cab for the early live shows was Anthony Paine on bass (High Pass Filter), Steve Law (Zen Paradox) and Alex Jarvis (Automatic). Ashley Naylor (Even) also guested at a number of shows during 2005 and 2006. The band would often play shows to a video backdrop of slow moving images taken from concert footage of the Altamont Free Concert.
The full band contributed recordings for what would become the bands' second album 'Jesus East' which was released in Australia in 2006 on Interstate 40 Music/Pharmacy Records and in Europe in early 2007 courtesy of Hamburg based indie label Stickman Records (home of Norwegian psychedelic rockers Motorpsycho). Guest vocals on the track 13 Days were performed by Japanese LA-based vocalist and performance artist Sayaka Yabuki. The album also featured studio recordings from sitar master Radhey Gupta and tabla percussionist Hermant Kumar. The legendary road manager of the Rolling Stones on their fateful 1969 US tour, Sam Cutler recorded a spoken word for the track 'Valiant' where he recalls life managing and living with the Grateful Dead in the early 1970s. On the strength of international reviews the band received an Australia Council for the Arts International Pathways grant to tour the Netherlands, Germany and Austria in May 2007. A limited edition tour EP, 'Surrender', was released to coincide with the 2007 European tour and featured remixes of tracks from 'Jesus East' by Woody Annison and Steve Law, as well as a number of live recordings from shows in 2006. Many tracks from the Jesus East and Altamont Diary LPs were used in the 2013 feature length documentary on the life of Australian surfer Wayne Lynch directed by Craig Griffin, 'Uncharted Waters'.
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