In December 2005, Yorkie and Rob came up with the idea to form a new band with a bunch of good muso’s who didn’t take themselves too seriously. The lads approached another mate Tony, who liked the idea and joined as bass-player. At the time all three were busy with other music commitments so the intention was to form a band as a side project for a bit of fun playing the occasional bar gig on a Sunday afternoon.
In February 2006, the guys began to look for a lead guitarist. Lee, who had only arrived in Australia from England a couple of months earlier, showed up for an audition and the rest as they say, is history. There was an instant musical and personal chemistry and people immediately began to take notice. The Prairie Oysters had become a tight musical unit boasting four part vocal harmonies backed up by slick guitar work and a rock solid rhythm section. It’s pretty hard to nail down a particular style of music The Prairie Oysters play. They tend to cross many borders giving their audience a variety ranging from Country, Southern Rock, Rockabilly, Tex-Mex, Blues and Rock’n’Roll.
Yorkie came up with the band name while holidaying in America. He saw “prairie oysters” served up in a Texas restaurant and asked what they were. For some strange reason, he thought it made the perfect band name and for some even stranger reason, the whole band agreed. That speaks volumes about the band’s sense of humour and how it’s all about playing music “with balls” and having a good time.
Melbourne has always been a tough market for Country Music. The Prairie Oysters are rapidly changing the culture as their shows attract diverse crowds including many who don’t normally listen to Country Music. Their first show in May 2006 at the Ferntree Gully Hotel blew the punters away leaving the hardened Rock'n'Roll crowd wanting more.
Since then they have continued to make new friends wherever they go rapidly becoming one of the more popular bands in the Melbourne music scene. Needless to say they have become more than just a “Sunday Arvo Band”.
While The Prairie Oysters have been busy working and making a name for themselves, they have also managed to give their time for free to some very worthy causes. The guys have been collaborating with local organisations putting on shows for rural communities suffering the effects of the drought and bushfires. The band also gives its time, along with other Melbourne bands on Good Friday to play at Rock’n’Roll dances to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal; an institution in Victoria
In December 2006, Victoria was in the grip of one of its wildest summers. Bushfires burned across Gippsland and the North East blanketing the state with a brown smoky haze for days. Soaring temperatures in the high thirties and forties made life hard for many people and all this during a drought that wasn’t letting up. People in the cities became aware of the seriousness of the drought as water restrictions were raised to unprecedented levels. Of course this was nothing new for people in the bush who had been on level 4 restrictions for years in many cases but for the Prairie Oysters, it gave them their first glimpse at the human cost of the drought.
Yorkie: “We were booked to play at a wedding in a town near the NSW border. But the reception was cancelled because the drought had dried up the family’s finances. The bride’s Mum was so upset when she called us. We offered to do something special for them but she wouldn’t hear of it and didn’t want to put us out. We’d been hearing about the hard time people were having in the bush but really hit home.”
Tony: “It got us thinking about the things farmers must be going without to make ends meet. We came up with the Rain Dance idea not long after that and we’ve been going to tiny communities and putting on free shows. Although we hope we don’t have to do too many Rain Dances in the future, these gigs are by far the most rewarding we’ve done in the 30 odd years we’ve been in the business. We’ve met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends and we’ve been humbled by peoples resilience”
In December 2006, the guys placed ads on rural websites looking for local organizations that would be interested in joining forces to host a Rain Dance in their town. Within a week, two Rain Dances were organized; the first in Mathoura NSW in February 2007 followed by Lockington, Victoria the following March. Both occasions were a success with each gig attracting around 200 people who chatted, shared a yarn or two, danced and just let their hair down.
So began a successful series of gigs, taking The Prairie Oysters across Victoria and Southern NSW and collaborating with local community groups. Venues are organized at a local level while the band organizes publicity distributing press releases to local newspapers, radio and TV stations to give the event coverage. On the actual night, the band cranks it up and put on a four hour family event for free.
During this time, after a Rain Dance in Gippsland, the guys were approached by a volunteer from Aussie Helpers who told them all about the work they do and the stories of depression, family breakdowns and the tragic suicide rate. They were inspired by the story of founders Brian and Nerida Egan and amazed at the hard work put in by volunteers and the miles they travel to lend a helping hand and a pair of ears to listen with.
Inspired by the work of Aussie Helpers and touched by the situation in the bush, the band went into the studio and wrote a song called “When The Dust Settles”. The song tackles the issue of depression with its message of opening up to those who matter in your life and not suffering in silence.
When The Dust Settles was released in April 2008 and is a totally independent production. CDs are sold at gigs or via the band’s online shop. Proceeds of the sale of the single will be donated to Aussie Helpers who continue to fight poverty and depression in the Australian bush.
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