Graeme Downes -  "Hammers and Anvils"

Welcome to Graeme Downes’ first solo album! Its taken a while and it’s a bit of long story how it came into being, but here goes. First up there’s a bit of background.

If you don’t know Graeme’s previous work with the Verlaines then here’s a quick overview:

Formed (in any sort of meaningful way) in 1981 as a three-piece, the Verlaines soon began their recording career with the fledgling Flying Nun label. This relationship continued through the 80’s spawning several singles and albums (see discography below). All the while through this period Downes was studying at Otago University, completing a Bachelor of Music degree and then embarking on a Phd in 1987. As the Phd was nearing completion the band got a little more full on and signed with LA-based label Slash. Two albums were completed with Slash Records before parting ways. Returning to NZ the band recorded what (at that point anyway) was to be it’s final album, "Over the Moon"(1996) which was released by Sony NZ though never released in the States. For all intents and purposes the band called it a day in ’97, with drummer Darren Steadman leaving for the UK. The band has never officially broken up and have recently performed at the Otago Arts Festival 2001 in Dunedin, as part of a series of concerts celebrating Dunedin bands, with performances by the Chills, Snapper, Dead C and many others. The concerts were in association with San Francisco radio station KFMU and were broadcast live on the internet. By coincidence the band are all pretty much back in the same city but there are no plans to reform for anything more than the occasional performance.

…Graeme’s movements…
After recording "Over the Moon" Graeme found himself broke and jobless. An offer came up at a Rock and Roll Polytechnic in Auckland, so he left Dunedin and headed north. Graeme’s departure, coinciding with Darren’s (to the UK), meant that the band was effectively over, but naturally this didn’t mean that the songs stopped coming. Despite the pressures of full-time employment Graeme kept hammering away and demo-ing songs on the trusty 4-track, piling up a backlog of material. What to do with it next was the question. Enter Peter van der Fluit and Mike O’Neill (both of Screaming Mee Mees fame).

By September 1999 the album was nearly finished. The studio had grown to be a full-time concern and had shifted premises. Disaster struck in October when the newly installed, state-of-the-art hard drive suffered a horrifying meltdown. Some, but not all, of the album was backed up - there’s a lesson here kids. Maybe half of the completed work went to the digital happy-hunting ground.

After a period of depression, the boys spent much of the summer recording large chunks of the album for the second time. In hindsight it was a blessing in disguise as they managed to improve a lot of it in the process. By March it was finished. What to do with it?

…Back in Dunedin…
By the beginning of 2000 Graeme was in Dunedin again, having taken up a position as a lecturer back at Otago University, overseeing their newly created Rock Music degree. Naturally this meant he was busy as hell getting things up and running and the album was left on the back burner for a while. Initially the boys were gong to release it themselves but eventually put that idea in the too-hard basket. By mid year they started to put out some feelers, with Gerard Cosloy of Matador Records USA, soon stepping up to say "yeah, let’s do it" (God bless him). Of course you’re reading this now in mid-2001, so yeah, it took a while to get things sorted with release schedules and one or two hiccups at the NZ end but hey, it’s finally here and that’s all that matters.

…What next…
Well, all things are going according to plan, the album will be released worldwide (excluding Australasia) by Matador Records, with NZ/Australia covered by Flying Nun Records/FMR. Graeme will concentrate on touring New Zealand during September/October before heading to the United States (and anywhere else that wants him) through November to January. Graeme already has the next album in hand and hopes to start recording in June. That’s more than far enough ahead for him to be looking at the moment! Let’s get Hammers and Anvils down the birthing canal before we consider anything else. Graeme and his fellow producers are very proud of the album, having carried it along this far. They wait now to see what the world makes of it.

via Slash
Ready to Fly album 1991
Way out Where album 1993

via Sony NZ
Over the Moon album 1996

Songs on compilations:
a number of songs on various Flying Nun compilations, also
"Heavy 33" on No Alternative
"Some Fantasy" (Wayne Elsey/Doublehappys) on Red Hot and Bothered

Graeme Downes solo releases:
"Patience is Gone" (cowritten/performed w/- Barbara Manning) on Barbara Manning in New Zealand 1998
"Two Fat Sisters" (Clean) on God Save the Clean, Flying Nun 1998