At First Sight They Look Like Any Other Garage Band Ladies and Gentlemen The Stems

At First Sight
They Look Like Any Other Garage Band
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Stems!

Interviewed by Jessie Lilley

The re-emergence of Australia's garage phenomenon known as the Stems fills me with great joy. A particular favorite, "Can't forget that Girl' is, in my opinion, one of the few songs worth listening to in the slick and suit-created music scene of the 80s. In a time when creativity seemed to be at an all-time low, the Stems drilled holes in the concrete walls surrounding the major labels and leaked in despite the best efforts of corporate dullness.

Dom Mariani and Richard Lane, students of 60’s garage punk, R&B and pop had the chops to write great songs. That, combined with their purportedly electric live shows put them a cut above. Native to Perth, Australia, the Stems made news in hometown venues such as The Wizbah, The Old Melbourne, and The Shenton Park by being original in a mainly cover band world.

In the mid 80s they trekked to Sydney and their new label Citadel to promote their first single “Make You Mine”/”She’s A Monster.” Finding that Sydney at that time, was rediscovering 60’s music and fashion proved to them that timing is, after all, everything. A packed and enthusiastic house at Sydney’s legendary Trade Union Club greeted the boys at their final show that trip. Along with recording the “Tears Me In Two” single and the Love Will Grow ep (both produced by Rob Younger of Radio Birdman fame), the Stems went on to rock several national tours. They remained “at home” in Perth and still managed to gain international fame, being held in high regard in both Europe and the US (not to mention Australia!) amongst we fans of the classic 60s and 70s music scene.

Each of the Stems’ 5 singles as well as their 1 ep and 1 lp, reached No. 1 on the Australian alternative charts. Their debut album though, and their first for the White label At First Sight Violets Are Blue was released in 1987. It received critical acclaim internationally and wound up one of the best selling Australian albums of that year despite the lack of commercial airplay in the corporate FM dominated 80’s. Not surprising then that it was recently named in the top 100 Australian albums of all time by Rolling Stone.

Late in 2004 I got a package from my Australian publisher Serena Nathan. She had sent along a CD she thought I might enjoy, just for fun. Holy God, it was the Stems! These guys define 80’s indie rock by being one of only a handful of bands (among them the Hoodoo Gurus and The Sunnyboys), to crack the mainstream charts: they looked to be going all the way. At the height of their fame and on the eve of a 6 week European tour they mysteriously disbanded. I tried to find out why.

Jessie Lilley: So Dom, tell me about you.

Dom Mariani: I'd previously been in a dead end band that had the usual problems.

JL: Such as?

DM: The Gostarts - kind of Mod meets new wave

JL: Gad! Right away you’re in trouble. What did you want to do with your music?

DM: I was heavily into 60's music and was discovering a whole new scene of underground sixties music after buying Nuggets and Pebbles compilations in '81. Obscure 60's psychedelic garage groups like the Electric Prunes, the Standells and the Chocolate Watch Band were a revelation. I wanted to form group combining some these influences with some of the more classic 60'stuff and bring them into the 80's. The Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Easybeats, the Monkees and 60's soul were big influences on us as were the Ramones. It was all about writing classic pop tunes.

JL: How and when did the band form?

DM: The Stems were formed in late '83. Richard Lane and I were the first to join forces followed by Gary Chambers later replaced by Dave Shaw on drums and Julian Matthews on bass. Our first show was with the legendary Aussie punk band "the Saints." We played local pubs and clubs for around 18 months building a healthy local following until we were signed to release our first single She's a Monster/Make You Mine on the very hip Citadel label. Shortly after its release we moved to Sydney in May '85 for 4 a month stint. The timing was perfect for the Stems. The single went to number 1 on the alternative charts, played lots of shows, built up a sizeable following and returned to Perth as heroes.

JL: What came next?

DM: We released another single later that year, "Tears me in Two" followed by an EP "Love Will Grow" in Feb '86 both produced by Rob Younger (Radio Birdman) which also topped the Alternative charts. We continued to tour nationally and were eventually signed to a major. "At First Sight Violets are Blue" was released on Mushroom records in May '87. The album and title track charted well reaching the top 20 nationally. Our popularity was at all time high, we were touring constantly to the point of exhaustion. Finally, something had to give and on the eve of a European tour the band split: poor management and internal friction the culprit.

JL: That’s a damned shame. What the hell happened?

DM: The added pressure of constant touring created tensions between some of the members. I became dissatisfied with the management and with one of the band members so I quit and the band broke up.

JL: So? What happened next?

DM: The band reunited after 10 years for a one night performance in '97 and reformed in March 2003 for a national tour followed by a European tour and most recently for Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival in NYC in August. We've just completed another East coast tour and are now recording a new album.

JL: Is it done yet?

DM: We’re about 2 thirds of the way through. Hopefully we’ll have it done by September, but the plan is to release it early in 2006. There’s also a retrospective titled “Terminal Cool” that’ll be released in the US through Get Hip Inc. sometime in September.

JL: When do I get my review copy?

DM: February or March.

JL: Any plans to hit LA?

DM: We plan to tour Europe next April/May and hopefully we’ll get to the US for a few shows also.

JL: Thanks for filling us in love. I’ll be watching my in-box for news of a West Coast gig.

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