Goanna (band) - Biography

Biography

The Goanna Band was formed as an Australian folk rock group by singer-songwriter and guitarist Shane Howard in Geelong, in 1977. Alongside Howard, the original line-up was Mike Biscan (guitar), Richard Griffiths (bass guitar) and Rod Hoe (drums). During their early years the line-up changed numerous times, with only Howard as the mainstay. In 1979, the group consisted of Howard, keyboardist & vocalist Rose Bygrave, lead guitarist & vocalist Warwick Harwood, bass guitarist Carl Smith, drummer Gary Crothall and vocalist & harmonica player Ian Morrison. They recorded the independent 12" EP, Livin' on the Razor's Edge as The Goanna Band. The four track EP was produced by Broderick Smith, ex-The Dingoes, and released on the EMI subsidiary label Custom Press. By 1981 the band was now Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Warrick Harwood, Peter 'Brolga' Coughlan on bass guitar, Marcia Howard vocalist & synth player, Graham Davidge electric guitar and Robbie Ross on drums.They had shortened the name to Goanna and with their increasing popularity they attracted the interest of major record companies.

They supported James Taylor on the Australian leg of his 1981 tour with Rose, Marcia & Shane invited to sing backing vocals in part of Taylor's set. It was here where they met Billy Payne (Taylor's keyboard player) who would later become the producer of their second album. In February 1982, they signed to WEA Australia, and also established their own music publishing company Uluru Music headed by Helene Faiman. The band released its single, "Solid Rock" in October. According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten day camping trip to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples.

I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived. —Shane Howard

WEA was at first reluctant to issue it as a single and even Shane initially had a few doubts about whether commercial radio was ready for such a weighty political subject but then Howard insisted on its release to make a statement on the European invasion of Australia. "Solid Rock" peaked at No. #2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, remaining in the Top 50 for 26 weeks. It also reached No. #31 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and appeared on the Hot 100. Goanna released their debut album, Spirit of Place, in December. It was produced by Trevor Lucas, a member of UK folk rock group Fairport Convention, who had returned to Australia in 1979. Spirit of Place reached No. 2 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart, within two weeks of its release and remained there for 10 weeks alternating with Midnight Oil's 10,9,8,7etc. album for the #1 & #2 spot. It also reached No. 179 on the US Billboard 200. For the album, Goanna were Bygrave, Peter Coughlan on bass guitar, Graham Davidge (ex-Little River Band) on guitar, Harwood, Howard, his sister Marcia Howard on backing vocals, Mick "The Reverend" O’Connor on keyboards and Robert Ross on drums. An ever-changing lineup saw Harwood reluctantly leave the band. The follow-up single "Razors Edge" released in April 1983 reached #30 on the national charts.

On 13 February 1983, Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble performed "Let the Franklin Flow" at the People for Nuclear Disarmament Concert in Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The ensemble included members of Goanna and fellow folk rock group Redgum, Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil (now Australian Federal Minister for Education) and Lucas. In May, "Let the Franklin Flow" was issued as a single with Lucas and Jeff Campbell as producers. Howard, the song's writer, was credited as F. River. The single reached No. 12 nationally. Proceeds supported the Tasmanian Wilderness Society's campaign against the proposed damming of Tasmania's Gordon and Franklin Rivers for a hydroelectricity project. Howard physically supported the protests by joining the picket lines. The B-side of the single, "Franklin River – World Heritage", was written and recorded by the Society's director, Bob Brown who later became a senator and the leader of Australian Greens.

On 19 April 1983, Goanna won three Countdown Music and Video Awards for their work in 1982: Spirit of Place won 'Best Debut Album', "Solid Rock" won 'Best Debut Single' and the band itself won 'Best New Talent (Johnny O'Keefe Memorial Award)'. "Solid Rock" is the first charting rock record to feature extensive use of the didgeridoo, one of the world's oldest wood instruments, played by Billy Inda (No Fixed Address) and Bobby Djabanunga. The follow-up single, "Razor’s Edge" (a 1982 reworking of their 1979 EP's title track) was released in April 1983. The more acoustically based folk-rock track reached No. 36.

By late 1983 Goanna included new guitarists Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool, Mighty Kong) and Russell Smith (Company Caine, Mighty Kong) with Robert Ross replaced by Geoff Bridgford the (Bee Gees),(Jim Keays Band) on drums. In October they released a third single, "That Day (Is Coming Sooner)", which peaked at No. 67. Surprisingly WEA dropped the band from the label. Howard then travelled around the world looking for other record companies to pick them up. During this time he visited Ireland, the home of his ancestors and experienced another cultural awakening.

The whole experience of traveling through aboriginal Australia and awakening to that cultural reality made me ask the question, okay where do I fit here? In this landscape, in Australia, I'm not aboriginal, I'm not of the land, I'm not of this country - so I came from somewhere else. It made me want to look at where my own people had come from. —Shane Howard

The band were just on the verge of signing a worldwide deal with CBS, when Warners in Australia contacted them and re-signed the band,who then spent much of 1984 recording a new album at John French's 'Fast Forward' studio in Melbourne,'The Music Farm' studio in Byron Bay and also in Los Angeles at George Massenburg's 'The Complex' studio with Little Feat's keyboard player Billy Payne.The band's second album, Oceania, produced by Billy Payne, was released in April 1985 and reached No. 29. The first single from this album, "Common Ground", had been released in December 1984 and peaked at No. 42. The second single, "Dangerous Dancing", released in May 1985 only reached No. 91. Throughout 1985, the band toured relentlessly in support of the album, with a constantly revolving line-up of members, including at one stage ex-Little River Band drummer Derek Pellicci. The band then released a non-album single, "Song for Africa", dedicated for famine relief, in September but it failed to chart. WEA dropped Goanna from their roster again.

On 13 July 1985, Goanna performed three songs for the Oz for Africa concert (part of the global Live Aid program) – "Common Ground", "Song for Africa", "Solid Rock". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US. In September, still promoting Oceania and the newly released "Song for Africa", Howard went "walkabout", and the band was forced to cancel $20,000 worth of bookings. Before Christmas 1985 they reformed with Ross Hannaford (guitar) and drummer Des "Animal" McKenna (of Hey Hey It's Saturday fame) to play a cameo on the hilarious Whittle Family Band's "Christmas Comet-y-Clam Bake" show at the Palais in St Kilda. Eventually a disillusioned Howard had travelled to South Australia to perform with indigenous musician and didgeridoo player Bart Willoughby (No Fixed Address). With Howard no longer involved, Goanna effectively disbanded but reformed for one final farewell tour of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania with aboriginal band Coloured Stone in October 1986. The final gig of the tour was on 25 October 1986 for the Baha'i Concert For Peace at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre. The live version of "Solid Rock" featured on the re-mastered release of "Spirit of place" comes from this performance. The final line-up consisted of Shane & Marcia Howard, Rose Bygrave; Dave Stewart drums; Jo Imbrol bass; Simon Curfy and Selwyn Burns guitars; Bunna Lawrie, Bart Willoughby, Tony Lovett and Nicky Moffatt on Didjeridu & percussion: Bill Dart F.O.H sound and recording engineer for db Concert Sound. On 24 & 25 January 1987 yet another final fling occurred when much the same ensemble played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival sponsored by Yamaha Music Australia.