Scarymother

Members

Former members

History

Scarymother was formed in 1990 by Andrew Gillespie (singer) Tim Burcham (drums) and (Bruce Moulton). Gillespie and Moulton had a rudimentary four-track demo and played it to Burcham who was flatmate of Toby Messiter (keys). Burcham was studying jazz at the Sydney conservatorium at the time, and was immediately impressed with Gillespie's unique style, and the clever songwriting on the demo.

Previously Tim Burcham and Dorian West had played in cover bands, playing many pub gigs while still at school. (1985–89). In 1986 Tim Burcham, Dorian West and Toby Messiter played in a band called 'Nocturnal' with Keefe - Davidson - West on guitar and 'part-time model' Karen Flemming on vocals. Burcham, West, Messiter and Andrew Gillespie all studied at North Sydney Boys High School. in 1989 Messiter and West signed to CBS/Sony Records with another band called 'Wildland'.

Burcham and Messiter lived in a North Sydney terrace house nicknamed boystown, with Gillespie being a permanent visitor. The tune "Who Are You" was written by Gillespie, Burcham and Moulton in the lounge room in 1990.

There are some contributing factors that produced the sound of this band:

1. Playing together in pubs from such an early age (15 onwards)
2. Studying at the same school
3. Living together for two years in North Sydney after high school
4. All members' fascination with movie soundtracks

Within 12 months, Gillespie, Burcham and Moulton recorded two demos at [Damien Gerard] studios (then in Ultimo). They recorded under the name 'Circus' with Dorian West helping out on bass, Messiter on keyboards, and Keefe-Davidson-West on lead guitar. The demo gained some interest from RooArt. The tracks "Snakes" and "Who are You" were included on the two demos. The name 'Circus' was dropped after learning there was already a Sydney act with the same name. At this time (1990-91) original manager Dave Sykes lived at boystown and was instrumental in helping the band get organized over the next two years. Sykes had gained experience to this point as previous owner of Damien Gerards, Stage Manager, Front of house, in-house engineer at Kardomah cafe and Kakadu Night club.

Final demo, final line-up and band signing

In late 1991 Dave Syked suggested Antony Brown as a possible member after hearing him play at a club called Kakadu, a historic gig in Darlinhurst Sydney. The band organized a rehearsal and were blown away with his playing. Antony was impressed with the bands material and he joined as lead guitarist. The band rehearsed for an upcoming demo, again to be recorded at Damien Gerard Studios

Around the time of the final demo, the band also played a gig at night spot 'Springfields' formerly known as Manzil room in Kings Cross. It was their first outing and was a bit of disaster, with technical problems delaying their appearance for nearly 2 hours.

At around this time Bruce Moulton decided to leave the band due to study commitments (psychology) and to travel.

In early 1992 the band recorded their final demo, which was later released as an EP. The demo featured tracks "Backyard Swamp", "Walk in the Park" and "Burn it up". To this point it was the band's seminal recording after years of playing and recording both together and as individual musicians. Shortly after recording the demo, Dorian West toured and travelled to the US to record with Australian band 'Boom Crash Opera'. The demo received lots of airplay on TripleJ, with added interest and airplay on TripleM and even 2DayFM. Andrew Gillespie organized some amazing artwork, which was done with a cinematic poster theme. The name 'Scarymother' was chosen after the name of one of their songs at that time.

In late 1992, as a result of the demo, the band was signed to:

The band released the demo as an EP and began extensive touring, a habit which continued for the life of the band.

First singles

In late 1992 and early 1993 the band recorded two singles "Who are You" and "Lord of the Flies" with Australian producer Mark Opitz, whose credits include such acts as:

The singles were recorded at the most sophisticated studios in the Southern Hemisphere (at the time) called 'Rhinocerus Recording Studios'. The band filmed two film clips with director Neil Mansfield. Producer Matt Wallace (Faith No More) re-mixed both singles, and again, the band received much airplay. As polished as the recordings and film clips were, and despite the success of the singles in terms of airplay, it was probably a turning point in terms of creative direction for the band.

Notable gigs

Scarymother continued to tour heavily and supported such acts as:

Full-length album

Scarymother felt that for their first album Tai Laeo (Thai for "Already Dead") they wanted a greater role and freedom in production, as well as better drum sounds. Dorian West had become good friends with producer-engineer Rick Will after working with him in L.A. Will was chosen to produce and engineer their first album, recorded at studios 301, Charring Cross, and mixed at Metropolis in Melbourne.

The band recorded 17 tracks in 10 days, but reduced it to 11 songs for release. The bonus track "Jazz Blood" was a jazz arrangement of Blood and was recorded by West and Tim Burcham, While Andrew Gillespie was doing vocals at Charring Cross.

Track listing is as follows:

1. Ma Laeo
2. Lord Of The Flies
3. Filth
4. Puke
5. Looking Down
6. Backyard Swamp
7. Who Are You?
8. Tai Laeo
9. Nuggett
10. Blood
11. Dog Song

Tai Laeo received a cooler reception by radio, probably due to it being way ahead of its time, heavier, and a change in direction artistically. The album received great reviews in print media. After living and mixing the album in Melbourne in late '93 the album was released in the middle of 1994.

Grunge?

The band's release coincided with the grunge (or 'Seattle' sound) movement, and they were compared to some of these bands, despite the use of keyboard sounds and programming, cinematic ethos and complex lyrics.

Quite a few reviewers recognised the greater depth of the band.

Final tour, management problems, and demise

Just before the release of Tai Laeo in mid-1994, the band decided to part ways with long-term friend and manager Dave Sykes. Their extended management with ATI was also as a result, null and void.

The band joined three other Australian bands for a national tour, with all four bands promoting their first full-length releases. The bands were:

In an act of revenge for not re-signing with ATI management, the band was denied the majority of money owed from the tour. This and a further power play to remove Gillespie by ATI management led to the demise of the band. Years of solid touring also took their toll. The band was starting to generate key momentum in Australia, and further record interest from the US.

Final demo

With the band in disarray both personally and professionally, they still had some support from Mushroom publishing and received funding to record and submit a demo for a second album. The demo was recorded at Charring Cross studios in Sydney, and featured five entirely new songs.

Mushroom expressed a lack of confidence in the band due to their lack of management, and this was probably the final nail in the coffin. Scarymother disbanded at that point. Several attempts were made to revive it, but it seems they fulfilled the title of their album. Antony Brown, Toby Messiter and Andrew Gillespie formed a new project called "Floating Me" and released a critically acclaimed album in 2011. It is rumoured that drummer Tim Burcham has currently returned to join them, while Dorian West remains an in demand session player and musical director for several TV shows.