Craig Bloxom
| Craig Bloxom | |
|---|---|
Craig Bloxom
Tajin, Mexico 7 June 2006 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Craig Bloxom |
| Born |
31 July 1959 Inglewood, Los Angeles, United States of America |
| Genres | rock/ska |
| Occupation(s) | musician, bassist, guitarist, singer |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitars |
| Years active | 1979–2003 |
| Labels | Green Powderworks Tronador WEA Sony Music Festival Warner |
| Associated acts | Spy vs Spy, Shock Poets |
Craig Bloxom was the bass player/singer of Australian ska/rock band vSpy vSpy which formed in Sydney in 1981 with Mike Weiley on guitar and Cliff Grigg on drums. They became known for tackling political issues including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. Bloxom left Spy vs Spy in 2003, worked as a chef in US/Mexico for four years and now resides in Newcastle, Australia.
Craig Bloxom was born in Inglewood, Los Angeles on 31 July 1959 to George William and Arliene Dorlores (née Dreger). The family moved to Australia in 1965 to escape rising crime in the Los Angeles at the time. After growing up in Perth, Western Australia and later Nelson Bay, New South Wales, he met Mike Weiley at high school and moved to Sydney, where they joined Cliff Grigg, who happened to live in a squat in the inner Sydney suburb of Glebe. As a rent saving device Bloxom and Weiley also moved into Grigg's squat, it also became their rehearsal site.
Spy vs Spy were named for a comic strip, "Spy vs. Spy" in the US Mad magazine, playing their first show in 1981.
The band developed an enthusiastic pub following for their distinctive brand of ska-flavoured indie rock. They performed at many Sydney venues, particularly at the Sydney Trade Union Club, often supporting INXS. They also supported The Clash at the Capitol Theatre and U2 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. They were then taken under the wing of Gary Vasicek, the manager of Midnight Oil and toured consistently around Australia, with forays to England, Germany and two tours of Canada. They achieved gold status for their AO Mod TV Vers album in 1987. Later they achieved a level of success in Brasil after a DJ in Rio de Janeiro began playing a single that developed a cult following with local surfers known as "surfistas". The band has toured there successfully many times and still has a loyal Brazilian following.
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