The Mess Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Mess Hall | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | Australia |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Genres | Blues-rock Indie rock Garage rock |
| Labels | Shock Records |
| Members | Jed Kurzel Cec Condon |
| Past members | Anthony Johnsen (2001-2003) |
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock."
| When plugged in and turned up, the duo produce enough energy to power a house full of floodlights[1] The Sydney Morning Herald |
Contents |
[edit] Brief history
Original members Jed Kurzel and Anthony Johnsen began playing shows in 2001 and quickly gained a reputation as an exciting live act.
Their 2003 EP, Feeling Sideways, produced by Matt Lovell (Something For Kate) and Chris Joannou (silverchair), earned an ARIA nomination for Best Independent Release[2]. The same year, Johnsen left the band and was replaced by drummer Cec Condon[3] of The Tremors and Mexico City.
In 2005, The Mess Hall released Notes From A Ceiling after a lot of anticipation. As Well as releasing the single Metal And Hair, the songs Pills And Disco 1 received consistent radio play time on Triple J.The album won an ARIA award for Best Engineer and was included in both Triple J and Rolling Stone's[1] Top 50 Albums of 2005.
The band have played on the same bill as[4] Tenacious D, You Am I, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Strokes, Kings Of Leon and Jet as well as playing at the Splendour in the Grass, Homebake, Falls and Big Day Out festivals. They have toured to Japan[1] and the USA, including performances at SXSW[5] in Austin. The band has such covers on their live set list such as Nirvana's "Breed" and Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick".
The band also find themselves being constantly compared to The White Stripes but Kurzel expresses otherwise. "When we started to do our thing there was no White Stripes around. A lot of people I’m influenced by are a lot of old poor guys from the Mississippi who just play really honest and a dirty sort of blues. That’s where The Mess Hall come from. We really never set out to be a two piece. It was just something that worked out that way"[6].
[edit] Band members
[edit] Discography
 The Mess Hall LP '03 |
 Feeling Sideways EP '03 |
 Evelyn EP '05 |
 Notes From A Ceiling LP '05 |
[edit] Studio albums
- The Mess Hall - CD/LP (2001)
- Notes From A Ceiling CD/LP (2005)
[edit] Singles and EPs
- Feeling Sideways CD/EP (2003)
- Evelyn 7"VINYL/EP (2005)
- Metal And Hair CD/SINGLE (2005)
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Awards
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Engineer of the Year for Notes From A Ceiling
[edit] Nominations
- 2003 ARIA Awards, Best Independent Release for Feeling Sideways[1]
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Producer of the Year for Notes From A Ceiling
- 2006 Jack Awards, Best Live Band
- 2006 Jack Awards, Best Lead Guitarist - Jed Kurzel[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d SONGWRITERS: The Mess Hall. Mushroom Music (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
- ^ The Mess Hall:Poised To Release New Dirty Blues. Faster Louder (2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
- ^ THE MESS HALL - Jed Engine. X-press Online (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
- ^ Untitled Document. Homebake.com.au (2003). Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
- ^ SxSW Welcome An Australasian Talent Influx. Faster Louder (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
- ^ The Mess Hall. australianmusician.com.au (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
- ^ The Jack Awards Nominees Announced. undercover.com.au (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
[edit] External links
| The Mess Hall |
|---|
| Jed Kurzel | Cec Condon |
| Discography |
| Albums, EPs and compilations: Self titled | Notes From A Ceiling | Feeling Sideways | Evelyn | Metal And Hair |
