The Paradise Motel

The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel. L-R: Andy Hazel, BJ Austin, Merida Sussex, Charles Bickford, Matt Aulich, Campbell Shaw and Esme Macdonald
Background information
Origin	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Genres	Rock, noir, experimental, acoustic, orchestral
Years active	1994 (1994)–2000 (2000), 2008 (2008)–present
Labels	Mushroom Infectious Stolen Inertia Left Over Life to Kill
Associated acts	Drugstore Candy Small Sips School of Emotional Engineering Seaville
Website	theparadisemotel.fourfour.com
Members	Matthew Aulich Charles Bickford Mark "BJ" Austin Mérida Sussex Andy Hazel Esme MacDonald Campbell Shaw
Past members	Matt Bailey Tim O'Shannassy Damien Hill

The Paradise Motel are an independent Australian rock band which formed in Hobart in 1994. They relocated to Melbourne and issued two albums on Mushroom Records, Still Life (28 August 1996) and Flight Paths (4 June 1998) before moving to the United Kingdom where they released a third, Reworkings (27 February 1999), before disbanding in early 2000. The group reformed in January 2008 in Melbourne and issued more albums, Australian Ghost Story (11 June 2010), I Still Hear Your Voice at Night (29 January 2011) and Oh Boy (2 September 2013).

During early 1993 Matthew Bailey and Charles Bickford met each other and formed a friendship based in the "music they played and a shared dark obsession with the fate of numerous women that had disappeared in their home state". Later that year they met up with Matthew Aulich and started song writing together. In 1994 The Paradise Motel were formed in Hobart, Tasmania by Aulich on electric guitar, Bailey on bass guitar and Bickford on acoustic guitar. After playing one concert at Kaos Cafe they relocated to Melbourne in 1995. Mérida Sussex, who worked in the St Kilda Public Library, joined on lead vocals. Their line-up was completed by Mark "BJ" Austin on Hammond organ and Tim O'Shannassy on drums. O'Shannassy had replaced a "succession of other percussionists had passed through" the band.

Their first Melbourne concert was on Valentine's Day (14 February) 1995 at the Carlton Movie House, beginning a penchant for performing at atypical venues. They joined Bruce Milne's management company, The Shining Path, and signed to Mushroom Records which, in 1996, released their début six-track extended play, Left Over Life to Kill, via the label's offshoot, Infectious Records.