Tanamera

Band Members

Current line-up

Stewart Hume (bass)

J.P. Saunders (vocals)

Tim Gallaway (guitar)

Oliver Blythe (drums)

Website

http://www.myspace.com/tanameraband

Formed

June 2009, in Alstonville, NSW, Australia.

History

Tanamera began with a bang.

But that bang was the door slamming, as the last member of experimental band "Socratic Method" stormed out of the practice studio in 2008. After a year of infighting and a revolving door of vocalists, the promising outfit met a final demise. “When Mayer (the last vocalist) finally bailed, Tim and I knew that was IT. There was nothing left to salvage now,” said Hume.

But Hume and Gallaway kept in touch. “Maybe he’d call me, or I’d call him, sometimes we’d run into each other, like, just around you know, sometimes we’d meet up, you know how it goes. But yeah, we kept in touch,” said Gallaway.

And they kept in touch, until, in early 2009, fate played its hand. A hand of Jack of clubs, and a Ten of Spades. And the Jack of clubs was Gallaway, and the Ten of spades was Hume, and the card table was the living room of Hume’s house. And the card game was a jam session, and they were playing for chips. Round chips of progressive rock. And we were the winners.

After the aforementioned card game, Hume and Gallaway decided to “try the whole band thing,” again. Their experience in “Socratic Method had moulded them like musical pieces of clay; massaging in determination, spinning in people management skills on a wheel type apparatus, and lacquering them with colourful brushes of vigilance, before placement in the hot, hot kiln of Tanamera.

And so the search for members began.

Hume had heard of a drummer that lived in the nearby forestry plantation. Hidden away down a 3km dirt track, by the alluring Tosha Falls, in a secluded grove of Appleberry trees, was the Blythe house. And Oliver Blythe was the drummer. Blythe had been looking for a progressive rock outfit to get involved with, so as to push his already adept drumming skills to their limits and beyond.

And so the duo became a trio, and the trio started playing, working on some initial tracks already penned by Hume and Gallaway. But no sign of a vocalist. The trio penned and recorded demos of 5 tracks (Proximity, Julienne, Crazy, Triangles, and Eko, which has not been re-recorded), but still no sign of a vocalist.

A vocalist was proving to be hard to find. And without a vocalist, was there any point in continuing? Maybe. Well maybe every second week. Yeah well I guess there is. And yes, yes there was.

For out of the dark recess of potential dissolvability came the bright light of possibility. Possibility in the form of a letter. A letter for Jury duty.

Hume had been summoned to join the Justice League of Lismore City Council, and the case he was to jure for, was the City VS Saunders. Legal reasons prevent us from delving in any depth as to what Saunders had done to the City, but regardless, Saunders beat the City, owing largely due to the position of Hume. Thankful for his now found freedom, regardless of the anklet he was now forced to wear at all times for 6 months, Saunders felt indebted to Hume. So Hume cashed in that debt, in silver coins of lyrics, and wadded notes of vocal licks.

And so the duo, that had become a trio, became a four way triangle.

They moved into the “Tosha House”, Saunders penned lyrics to the existing tracks, and with Eko returning to the cutting room floor, quickly wrote another 3 tracks (Engaging The Enemy, The Cuzza, Chance Of Fate). The speed and success of the writing process enforced to the group how well it had clicked into place. “It was such a refreshing change, to have 4 band members that worked so well together, after the nightmare that Socratic had become. We actually WANT to hang out together! Its awesome,” said Gallaway.

In early October 2009, the band was offered a spot at a local Skate comp after party, after the pre-booked band had pulled out at late notice. The group accepted. But now they needed a name. After much deliberation, Tanamera was coined.

Tanamera –Aboriginal - “Tana” meaning Red, “Mera” meaning Earth Tanamera – the area in Malaysia where the last remaining indigenous Malay reside. The Tanamera Malay are a deeply spiritual and ritualistic tribe, who frequent the use of natural substances for hallucinogenic purposes. Tanamera – Malay - the state of conscious dreaming. Tanamera – brand of herbal scented body wash and mens care products used by Blythe when on tour. Tanamera – progressive rock, Alternative metal four piece band from Alstonville, NSW, Australia.

Their first gig was a great success, measured by the crowd response and after show support. Their second show which followed a week later, the North Coast National band comp, was also a success. But a lesser success, measured by their placing second. But second was enough to score a recording deal with a local studio, so in the ensuring months, Tanamera started work on their debut album.

They took initially took in 8 tracks, and wrote the final 2 tracks, “Jub Jub”, and the album title track “In The Shadow Of The Beast” in the studio. The album was completed in early 2010, recorded at Old Dog Studios with Al Pegg, and mastered by Dave Neil at Modern Mastering. It was released on April 15, 2010.

Trivia

“Jub Jub” and “Proximity” feature a sample of Hume’s then unborn baby’s heartbeat played in slow motion.

The track is called “Jub Jub”, as that was the nickname for Hume’s foetus.

The wind sound on Jub Jub is a manipulated recording of Saunders and Blythe competing in blowing smoke rings while taking a break at the studio.

The whispering that can be heard during “Jub Jub”, and at the beginning of “In The Shadow Of The Beast” is Hume and Blythe reading out washing instructions for Galloway’s signature skinny jeans. Blythe’s whispering is reversed.

The track “The Cuzza” is named as such as the song is written about Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man”, who is an extended relation to Saunders.

Discography

In The Shadow Of The Beast Tosha Records, 2010