Birth name James Moginie Role Musician | Name Jim Moginie Years active 1971–present | |
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Born 18 May 1956 (age 67) ( 1956-05-18 ) Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer Labels Virgin Music, Reverberama Associated acts Midnight Oil, Silverchair, Sarah Blasko, End of Fashion, Neil Murray, Kasey Chambers, Neil Finn, The Break Albums Alas Folkloric, Church of the Open Sky, Handbook for the Hopeless Movies Midnight Oil: Diesel and Dust Similar People Profiles | ||
Jim Moginie and the Family Dog Live at The Bombie Bar
James Moginie (born 18 May 1956) is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter. Moginie has two children – Samuel Moginie (born 1987) and Alice Moginie (born 1989).
In addition to Midnight Oil, Moginie has worked and performed with many notable musicians from Australia and New Zealand, including Silverchair, Sarah Blasko, End of Fashion, Neil Murray, Kasey Chambers and Neil Finn. Moginie has also played live with his band The Family Dog comprising different members at times, including Trent Williamson, Kent Steedman, Paul Loughhead and Tim Kevin.
He has also released three solo works.
The four-track EP Fuzz Face was recorded in Moginie's small home studio with Midnight Oils' producer Nick Launay and released in 1996, with fellow Midnight Oils bassist Bones Hillman contributing under the pseudonym "The Family Dog" – a term that Moginie would later use for his live band.
Alas Folkloric (2006) is Moginie's first full-length solo album and first release after Midnight Oil disbanded. The album features contributions from Martin Rotsey and Rob Hirst, as well as Paul Dempsey in Something for Kate on the track "Halfway Home", and was released through the Virgin Music label.
No Vans Mary by Shameless Seamus (Moginie's folk pseudonym) was released in 2010. His interest in the traditional music of Ireland has deepened and his 7 piece band Shameless Seamus and The Tullamore Dews released the live in the studio Ballroom Of Romance CD in 2012. Both are available through the Reverberama label. Moginie also sings and plays bouzouki and guitar with a smaller group, The Tinkers, with core members Alan Healy (tenor banjo, bouzouki, vocals) and Evelyn Finnerty (fiddle, vocals).
Moginie is still active in record production, recently co-producing Melbourne band The Fauves latest LP When Good Times Go Good released September 2008 and working with Bill Chambers, Lyn Bowtell, Blind Valley, Leah Flanagan, The Backsliders, The New Christs, Jordan Leser, Catherine Britt, Kate Plummer, Love Parade and numerous others.
He is currently touring and recording with Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey and Brian Ritchie in The Break, whose surf rock album Church Of The Open Sky was produced by Moginie and released on 16 April 2010 on the Bombora label, distributed by MGM. The band's second release Space Farm, a more adventurous and psychedelic work including Jack Howard on trumpet, was also produced by Moginie and was released worldwide on 15 March 2013 through the Sony Music label.
With Brian Ritchie Moginie in 2013 and 2014 has been performing live with the ACO Underground (Australian Chamber Orchestra) performing in Sydney, Banff and New York City.