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Jebediah was formed in May 1995 in Perth, Australia's most isolated major city, as far from Australia's other major population centres as it is from the country's Asian neighbours. That isolation has tended to produce curious musical hybrids. Kevin Mitchell (Guitar/Vocals), Chris Daymond (Guitar) and Vanessa Thornton (Bass) met in theatre arts classes at high school. Kevin's older brother Brett had been drumming in local bands for years when he was called in to complete what is now Jebediah. The group's first rehearsals saw them trashing songs by Archers of Loaf and The Muppets until guitarist Daymond stumbled over the riff to "Superhero 6" opening the floodgates to the group's repertoire of brash but tuneful distorted pop. Their first performance, at their high school ball saw them perform covers of songs by Greenday, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, plus one original. The band name comes from Jebediah Springfield, the founding father of The Simpsons' home town. Jebediah won a national campus band competition with the thirteenth gig of their career together in October 1995. Six months later they signed to Sony subsidiary murmur, home to silverchair and Perth's dirty-pop heroes, mmonia. They were signed on the strength of their live shows alone. There were no demo recordings. After establishing themselves on the indie charts with the EP Twitch and a single, " Jerks of Attention," the group's debut album Slighly Odway arrived in September 1997, achieving national Top 10 and platinum sales status. The album was produced by Neill King (The Smiths, Rancid, Madness, Elvis Costello). The album title Slightly Odway is a comment on the slighty odd way they feel they approach life as well as music. In April 1999 they began sessions towards the second album, Of Someday Shambles. ~ Ed. Nimmervoll, All Music Guide |
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