Jebediah www.jebediah.net
Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow us to introduce to you the Australian rock and roll band Jebediah circa 2004. A little older, debatably a little wiser, but definitely better for it, Jebediah are one of the more stalwart bands on the circuit, surviving 8 years without a line-up change and without taking much of a siesta. Sure, you didn’t get to see much of the Jebs in 03 unless you went to the Big Day Out or lived in WA or the UK, but rest assured that’s all about to change. For Jebediah 2003 was spent having a little breather now that some of the demands of being on a major label have taken a back seat, and writing a new album without anyone peeking over their shoulder.
But let’s have a brief refresher on this Perth based and bred bash ‘n’ pop quartet… Formed in 1995 by Kevin Mitchell (Guitar / Vox), Brett Mitchell (Drums), Chris Daymond (Guitar) and Vanessa Thornton (Bass), Jebediah started out playing the normal gigs young bands do. A school ball here, a band comp there. They stood out a little from the Perth band scene at the time as they were a little brasher than most and seemed to worry more about how high and hard they could pogo around the stage than how to hit that note just right. Things started to get a little silly around April 1996, with a bunch of labels chasing the band, and an eventual signing to Murmur Records (home of Ammonia and Silverchair at the time). The momentum grew with some amazing shows supporting bands such as Presidents of the USA and Everclear, and playing at Homebake and The Falls festivals. Late 96 the debut single “Jerks of Attention” is released, garners the band its first national radio play and the Jebs start hitting the road properly. They haven’t really stopped since then.
In 1997 the band played over 150 shows with bands like Powderfinger and Bikini Kill and somehow managed to fit in recording a debut album “Slighty Odway” which was released in September 97. It scared the crap out of band and label alike by debuting in the national top 10. Slightly Odway was gold by the end of the year, and eventually went on to sell over 150,000 copies in Australia, as well as doing well in Japan and New Zealand.
1998 was business as usual. Three headline tours, a couple of shows with the Smashing Pumpkins, and festivals including Livid, Homebake and Pushover. Some highlights were touring with The Living End in the main support slot, and selling more shirts than The Smashing Pumpkins at the Melbourne show. Jebediah started the new year with their first national Big Day Out run. US Rolling Stone mentions the fact that the band managed to entertain 40,000 people for 10 minutes at the Melbourne BDO without the benefit of a PA. The band managed to get the whole crowd singing the national anthem.
In April 1999 Jebediah entered the studio with US Producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182) to record “Of Someday Shambles” their follow up to “Slightly Odway”. After a difficult birth the band took off to Canada for their first taste of touring in the Northern Hemisphere. Not being ones to mess around they toured NZ for the second time on the way home and hit the road to launch 1st single “Animal” on the general populace. Of Someday Shambles was a darker and more emotional album than the bands perky debut, but was well received, debuting at #2 in Australia – just beaten to number 1 by some upstarts from Brisbane called Savage Garden. A second Canadian tour was slotted in just before the launch of OSS, with Jebediah opening for some (at the time!) unknown band called Nickelback as well as indie kings Bis. Like the band members have always said, they will play with anyone as long as there are more people in the audience than there are on stage!
After their exciting flirt with audiences above the equator, 2002 was spent with eyes on overseas climes. After another quick jaunt around the country with the Big Day Out, Jebediah headed out on their biggest tour yet, taking US indie punk band
The Get Up Kids out as an opener on “Tour De Shambles”. 31 shows, 30 people on the road, rock and fucking roll. While this tour wended its way around the country a deal was being struck in the US with independent label Big Wheel Recreation to license “Of Someday Shambles in the US. As an introduction to North America a split CD and vinyl release with Jimmy Eat World was put out on BWR in September 2000 with a repackaged album hitting the streets in October. The split CD has gone on to sell many thousand worldwide, and “Of Someday Shambles” made quite an impact at college radio. David Fricke (editor of US Rolling Stone) placed the album in his top releases for the year, and Jebediah toured the release hard with a 3 month US jaunt supporting The Get Up Kids and then Jimmy Eat World. 70+ shows, 36000km, a lot of bad food and cheap bourbon, the tour finishes in LA and then the band take a week off and then do a lap of Australia to celebrate with Sleepy Jackson and Magic Dirt in support.
On return to Australia Jebediah also took some of their hard earned dollars and started Redline Records, a proudly independent label run out of WA. Redline has over the years become one of the most respected small labels in Australia, having released albums by bands such as Big Heavy Stuff, Idlewild, Blueline Medic and Bob Evans.
In 2001 Jebediah spent most of the year writing and recording their self titled 3rd album. With Magoo (Regurgitator, Midnight Oil) in the producers chair, this record was more adventurous and perhaps a little more “grown up” than their past efforts. The bagpipe driven “Fall Down” was a top 20 hit, and the album debuted at #8 on the ARIA charts when it was released in March 2002. The band toured it hard, finishing their campaign in 2003 with another BDO tour, with the Jebs playing like they had done a deal with the devil.
Which brings us to the present. 2003 has been spent writing, writing, and writing some more. There have been a couple of diversions, a solo record here, a side project there and a b-side compilation titled “Gleesides and Sparities”. In October Jebediah had a successful UK tour with headline shows in London and Edinburgh and a few supports for Powderfinger at Shepherds Bush Empire. These have only been diversions though, as the band have been working hard getting ready for album #4. Refreshed, revitalised, kings of their destiny and with a batch of tunes to make your heart stop, Jebediah are ready to take things to a new musical level. Now is the time the band take their experiences of the last 8 years and put all the pieces together all over the world.
