Press
04-02-1997
Shine On Silverchair, Oz High School Band Sidesteps the 'Sophmore Slump'
By Jennie Punter (Toronto Star)
Sand, surf and sun -- the main elements in a day in the life of most
Australian teenagers this month -- are but distant, really distant,
memories to the antipodean trio silverchair, whose second album, Freak
Show, hits North American stores today.
The high school rockers, whose multi-platinum debut, frogstomp, hit our
shores in June 1995, will likely encounter snow, soundchecks and the
screams of fans during their "summer break," a jam-packed jaunt across
the continent that lands them at MuchMusic headquarters tonight.
The broadcast of the Intimate & Interactive session, hosted by VJ Bill Welychka, begins at 8 p.m.
Television remains the ultimate all-ages venue for the 17 and
18-year-olds whose parents, triumvirates of moms (guitarist-singer
Daniel Johns' mother was the band's first manager) and roadie dads,
have had to accompany them on previous tours that included licensed
rooms.
LIVE DATE
While tonight's show is the only live date the band plays in Canada
this time out, the hearty response to Freak Show's first [North
Amercian] single, the dreamy, slow-paced Abuse Me, and its stylish
video indicates they will undoubtedly return when our climate warms up.
The single, which made its U.S. debut at No. 5 on Billboard's rock
singles chart, climbs to the No. 6 spot on this week's rock radio chart
in Canada, so far silverchair's best territory outside of their
homeland.
And with the debut of the first Australian single, Freak, at the top of
the charts Down Under, the natives of Newcastle -- a coastal city north
of Sydney -- seem to have side-stepped not only the dreaded "sophomore
slump" but also the critical backlash bands often experience after a
massively successful debut.
Which is not to say the trio didn't feel the weight of anticipation
upon entering a Sydney studio last year with producer Nick Launay
(Midnight Oil, The Posies, for Squirrels), whom they first met when he
did an edit of Tomorrow, the breakthrough single from frogstomp.
"The pressure was in the back of our heads but it wasn't a major thing
for us," says Daniel Johns, as the long-distance barks of his "best
friend," a little black dog named Sweep, echo in the background.
"We didn't set out to write an album that was going to sell," he
continues. "It doesn't have a song like Tomorrow. But we hope people
hear it and understand we're not just a one-album band.
"Since making the first album, I think we've found our own little
sound," Johns says. Indeed, more than an ocean connected the early
strains of silverchair to Puget Sound, specifically, the sounds of the
Seattle grunge scene -- Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden et al.
Perhaps true teenage angst, the band's unpretentious demeanor, and an
honest laissez-faire attitude towards chart positions and other
accolades steered silverchair clear of the more critical slings and
arrows that hit bands like the U.K.'s Bush X.
Grunge as an influence seems more acceptable when heard in a band of 15-year-olds as opposed to those almost twice their age.
TRUST ACCOUNTS
And on Freak Show, Johns, drummer Ben Gillies and bassist Chris Joannou
demonstrate an accelerated maturity that has much to do with growing up
while seeing the world, albeit touring with bands like Everclear and
the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, maybe more importantly, expanding their
CD collections -- as any music-loving teenagers with decent allowances
would do.
"Musically, the album was pretty much written the same way," says
Johns, who first jammed on Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin covers, with
his bandmates in Gilles' garage when they were 14.
"But lyrically, it's a lot more personal, more real, about things that
happened to us at home with people or on the road," he adds. While most
of the money the band had made -- reportedly $1 million U.S. each thus
far -- is being held in trust accounts, some of it has helped indulge
Johns' passion for axes.
"I've got about 22 guitars now, and they're all up in my room," he says.
"When we got our first advance in Australia, I bought a nice Gibson. I
like collecting old rare guitars," he continues. "I take about 15 of
them on the road. I write on different guitars, depending on the mood."
"We're just going to concentrate on the music for a while." Johns says,
when asked what he'll pursue after high school graduation.
"If this whole thing is still going, we'll try to make the most of it while we can."