In
Press, 3 April 1996
- The Earthmen - Stealing Time Again,
- by Paul Lovatt
|
"I
think there's a crazy kid in everyone, you know, like the little kid who sees his favorite
band at the top of the charts - I think even when you get older and you play in bands and
make records, that little kid is still there, still wanting to get to the top of the
charts." - Scott Stevens Melbourne
pop meisters The Earthmen surfaced a few years back amidst the influx of neo-Mancunian pop
bands influenced by the then English pop movement characterised by the likes of The Stone
Roses, Inpiral Carpets and The Happy Mondays. The band released several singles and EPs on
the small Summershine label, subsequently touring the US and UK before an aborted album
and line-up changes saw the band in limbo for most of 1995. The Earthmen have now signed
to major label Warner Music and a new album and tour is planned for the near future. Paul
Lovatt recently spoke to vocalist Scott Stevens about the fall and rise of his own band.
"The Earthmen were first unearthed by
Triple J's sessions after a friend sent in a demo of the band," Scott says. "It
was funny, it was like one of those dodgy tapes recorded on a cassette recorder stuck in
the corner of the room and we didn't think it would even get a listen." The Earthmen
subsequently recorded two tracks at The Triple J studios which became the band's first two
singles on the small Summershine label. Teen Sensations and The Fall and Rise Of
My Favorite 60s Girl followed and their issue in the US and the UK became the impetus
for the band to tour.
Several line-up changes resulted in a
relatively quiet year for The Earthmen in 1995, though the band did record an entire album
early in the year which didn't quite meet the production standards the band were looking
for and thus was shelved.
"The Summershine thing was great, but
it was time for a change. So we sent a few tapes around and at the time we were doing a
showcase for Polygram publishing in Sydney and Warner offered to sign us, which was pretty
exciting, and kind of weird", adds Scott, "because we didn't expect a major
label would want to sign us."
The band's signing to major label Warner
Music at the end of last year has resulted in a busy schedule ahead for The Earthmen. Scene
Stealer, the first single from the band's forthcoming full length major debut is
currently receiving a healthy dose of radio airplay and the album itself is currently
being recorded, its release scheduled for sometime later in the year.
"It's good in the sense that it's like
lauching a new band," says Scott. "You know we've had our time releasing some
indie stuff and gaining some experience, we've had some time to grow up a bit...I mean
music is everything for us. When we released our first 7 inch vinyl single, I thought
'cool, a 7 inch, some of my favorite songs of all time come out of a 7 inch vinyl' and at
that point in time, that was one of the most exciting things that could have happened to
us. The Summershine thing was great because we got to release some stuff on vinyl as well
as CD, the kind of stuff that if you're into a band, it's really nice to have." |
