Name Val Haller | Role Musician | |
 | ||
Died December 16, 2012, Los Angeles, California, United States Albums Deviation, Let Your Backbone Slip!! Similar People Wayne County & the Electri, Savage Republic, Jayne County, Henry Padovani, The Flying Lizards | ||
Valslist Sun Seekers
Val Haller (born Adrian Osborne) (1952 - 16 December 2012) was a British musician. Primarily a bass guitarist, he was also a vocalist, keyboardist, and composer. Haller played with Wayne County & the Electric Chairs, The Flying Lizards, The Lords of the New Church, Paint and Savage Republic. He was half of the duo Autumnfair.
Contents
- Valslist Sun Seekers
- Val Hallers Top Indie Bands
- Career
- Death
- Wayne County and the Electric Chairs
- Mystere 5s
- Flying Padovanis
- Flying Lizards
- Autumnfair
- References
Val Haller's Top Indie Bands
Career
Haller grew up in the west of England. An orphan, he was raised by a minister and his wife. He moved to London and in 1975 formed the Rockets, recruiting guitarist Andy Colquhoun, later of the Pink Fairies.
Haller was a founding member of the Wayne County & the Electric Chairs, and the one constant member through the band's history. As part of the burgeoning punk scene the band were subject to gobbing and were forced to take a brief hiatus after Haller developed hepatitis as the result of a direct hit into his mouth.
Wayne County and The Electric Chairs released an EP Electric Chairs 1977, plus a single on Illegal Records. This was followed by "Fuck Off"/"on The Crest", recorded as a single for Safari Records and supported with a European tour. In 1978 the band released their first, self-titled album, as well as an EP, Blatantly Offensive'. The band performed the song 'Paranoia Paradise' in the movie Jubilee by Derek Jarman. Prior to the band's third album, Haller bought a synthesizer and began learning it. In subsequent rehearsal sessions with the group he would often opt to play synthesizer or Farfisa organ instead of bass. After the band's third album, County departed, returning to the US.
The Electric Chairs continued as a 3-piece of Haller (bass, keyboards, vocals), Henri Padovani (guitars, vocals) and J. J. Johnson (drums, percussion). A single, "So Many Ways" (on which Haller took lead vocals) / "J'attends Les Marines", was released in late 1979. The record, produced by David Cunningham, took a more electronic and atmospheric direction. However the band couldn't sustain themselves commercially, and fell out with management and label. The three former Electric Chairs then formed a new group, the Mystere Five's, with vocalist/guitarist Chris Reeves and non-musician Marc "Frenchy" Gloder. A single, "No Message"/"Shake Some Action", launched Gloder's label Flicknife Records. A second single, "Never Say Thank You"/"Heart Rules The Head" soon followed. Both were well received but by 1980 the band moved on to other projects. Haller contributed synthesizer to the Flying Padovanis debut single "Western Pasta"/"Vas Plus Haut", released in 1981 and formed Paint with vocalist Jonathan Hughston.
Paint never took off and Haller was soon recruited by The Lords of the New Church to play keyboards on a tour. On his return he joined Johnson in The Flying Lizards, playing bass on two songs on the 1981 Fourth Wall album, "In My Lifetime" and "A Train".
Haller relocated to Los Angeles in 1983, working as a motorcycle messenger to get by. Within a couple of years he hooked up with Thom Fuhrmann of Savage Republic to form the duo Autumnfair, who were accompanied by a revolving line up of Savage Republic associates. The band ceased operating in 1989, however a 10" EP Glaciers And Gods was released in 1991.
In 2002 an Autumnfair retrospective CD Autumnfair – 1986 - 1989 was released.
In 2007 Haller joined a reformed Savage Republic. An EP Siam was released, followed by an album 1938 and the band toured widely including the North East United States, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Greece.
In March 2010 Fuhrmann stated that AutumnFair would return to the studio to record.
Death
Haller died in Los Angeles on 16 December 2012.