The Smith Street Band

The Smith Street Band

The Smith Street Band at Rocken am Brocken Festival in Germany 2015
Background information
Also known as Wil Wagner & The Smith Street Band (2010–2011), Lee Hartney Sex Drive
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genres Folk-punk, punk rock, pop punk, pub rock
Years active 2010–present
Labels Jackknife Records, Poison City Records, Asian Man Records, SideOneDummy Records, Uncle M Music, Banquet Records, Poolhouse Records
Associated acts Wil Wagner, Wil Wagner & Friends, Bomb the Music Industry!, Being Amazing!!, Apologies, I Have None, The Go Set, The Hawaiian Islands, Kill Whitey, Jeff Rosenstock
Website thesmithstreetband.com
Members Wil Wagner
Lee Hartney
Michael "Fitzy" Fitzgerald
Chris Cowburn
Past members Tom Lawson
Jimi O'Loughlin

The Smith Street Band are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, in which the Smith Street of their name can be found. The band have released two EPs, South East Facing Wall and Don't Fuck with Our Dreams—released in 2010 and 2013, respectively—and three studio albums, No One Gets Lost Anymore, Sunshine and Technology and Throw Me in the River—released in 2011, 2012 and 2014, respectively.

History

The band formed in 2010, composed of singer/lyricist/guitarist/keyboardist Wil Wagner, guitarist/backing vocalist Tom Lawson, guitarist Lee Hartney, bassist Jimi O'Loughlin and drummer/backing vocalist Chris Cowburn. Initially named Wil Wagner and The Smith Street Band - an allusion to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - the band changed its name in 2011 to signify a change to a whole-band songwriting style.[1]

Their debut EP, South East Facing Wall, was released on Jackknife Records in 2011 and was reissued in 2013,[2] while both albums were released on Poison City Records.[3] Both albums received critical acclaim in Melbourne.[4]

In 2012, the group announced their Young Drunks tour, which ran from January through March, with Bomb the Music Industry! and The Bennies as support acts.[5][6][7][8][9]

In March 2013, Wagner announced All Tomorrow's Shoeys, a three-day music festival held at Hobart's Brisbane Hotel. Curated by Wagner, the festival included Luca Brasi, The Bennies, Grim Fandango and Lincoln Le Fevre.[10] Later that month, the band participated in the "Tram Sessions" program that involves the recording of live performances on Melbourne tram routes. The program organisers explained: "One day we asked ourselves, hmm, if only there was a band who' s name encapsulated an iconic Melbourne street which also happened to be along an iconic Melbourne route who had a typically route 86 sound... And then it came to us. The Smith Street Band!"[11]

In August 2013, the Don't Fuck with Our Dreams EP was released. The EP's title track was inspired by the events prior to a show from the Young Drunks tour in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, in which the guitarist from The Bennies was the victim of a near-fatal stabbing. The song was performed to end the band's show at The Fest event in Gainesville, Florida, US in late 2013.[12]

In June 2014, The Smith Street Band announced Jeff Rosenstock from Bomb the Music Industry! would produce their third album, being recorded in July 2014 in the small town of Forrest, Victoria.[13] The album is titled Throw Me in the River and was released on 31 October 2014.[14]

In January 2015, the band released a single titled "Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face", which was inspired by the actions of then-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his government, particularly its stance on asylum seekers.[15] The single was released on 7" vinyl and as a download, with proceeds from its sales until the end of February going to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.[15] The song directly impacted sales of the band's album Throw Me in the River, which rose to number 105 on the Australian Albums Chart.[16] At the end of January, the band toured across Australia on the 26-date Get High, See Everyone tour alongside PUP, Great Cynics and Apart From This.[15]

Band members

Current members

Former members

Discography

References

  1. "The Smith Street Band Interview". Kill Your Stereo.
  2. "The Smith Street Band – South East Facing Wall 7" 2nd pressing out now!"". Jackknife Records. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  3. "The Smith Street Band 'Sunshine and Technology' Pre Orders available NOW! Plus new track! Hear it in this post!". Chucking a Mosh. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  4. Wilson, Alex (6 September 2012). "THE SMITH STREET BAND – Sunshine and Technology album review". The Music. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. "The Smith Street Band announce 'Young Drunks' tour". ABC Online. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  6. Egging, Kiel (3 December 2012). "The Smith Street Band Australian Tour January–March 2013". Music Feeds. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  7. "The Smith Street Band Announce 'Young Drunks' Tour". AAA Backstage. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  8. "The Smith Street Band tour kicks off tonight". Bombshellzine.com. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  9. "The Smith Street Band Announce More Shows, All Ages and Supports of Young Drunk Tour". Chucking a Mosh. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  10. "All Tomorrow's Shoeys 2013 Lineup Announced". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  11. "The Smith Street Band – Sigourney Weaver | Tram Sessions" (Video upload). Tram Sessions on YouTube. Google Inc. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  12. Mike Plante (2 December 2013). "The Smith Street Band LIVE @ THE FEST 12 3 November 2013" (Video upload). Mike Plante on YouTube. Google Inc. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  13. "Jeff Rosenstock to produce new Smith Street Band LP". PunkNews. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  14. "The Smith Street Band release album details, more exclusive footage". FasterLouder. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 Baroni, Nastassia (12 January 2015). "The Smith Street Band Tell Tony Abbott To 'Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  16. Cashmere, Paul (17 January 2015). "ARIA Albums: Meghan Trainor Title Is Australia's No 1 Album". Noise11. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
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