| Band Dallas Bindy Matthew Wally Simon |
The united states of your soul… As a film maker, nothing terrifies me more than a musician’s phone call which begins, “we want you to direct our new film clip. Are you interested?” Terror amplified ten fold when that musician is a friend. WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T LIKE THE TRACK! So with some trepidation I agreed to discuss creating a film clip with Dallas Cosmas, inspiration for the band Dallas Cosmas and the Wonderfulls. The weather was foul that night, fit for a Gothic horror tale. We met in a dingy St Kilda dive complete with lightening flashes across the bay. After a number of ouzos we banged around various ideas about film clips in general, our love of films from the French New Wave and all the while Pandora’s Box sat on the bar, a jewel case containing a CD labeled, “Black Is The Colour.” In the early hours we parted company during a short break in the weather. The next morning as the fog lifted both mentally and atmospherically I found Pandora’s Box lying beside my CD player. I slid the disk in the slot and what I heard amazed me. Black Is The Colour roared from the speakers. The unusual 6/8 time signature was driven along by the powerful drumming from Bindy Cohen, while the song’s haunting lyrics sung by Dallas explored the themes of loneliness and isolation. These two elements were blended together with the explosive guitar work of Wally (Clinton Rankin) and the atmospheric rifts by Matthew Shadwick. After another listen I called Dallas. I definitely wanted to make a clip for the Wonderfulls. Over the next couple of weeks I was fortunate enough to hear the other fourteen tracks which make up the album titled “The united states of your soul.” The beautifully crafted pieces of modern indie pop with a ménage of 70’s pastiche takes the listener on a journey through time. Some tracks touch on current social issues with power and intent such as After The War or the funked Plastic Ono of Ain’t It A Shame while other tracks hark back to the 60’s; Voila Les Clowns and the 20’s with Let’s Make Believe. Finally I went to see the band play live. There I saw how the unique individual personalities of each band member came alive. Wally plays like he is at war with his guitar and at the end of each song I was not quite sure who had won but I knew it had been a great battle. Bindy’s dynamic drumming reminded me both in style and energy of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. She told me once that as a teenager she practiced the drums in the lounge room while her father slept in the chair. I could only surmise that her dad was completely deaf. The enigmatic Matthew gently floats across the fret board with grace and a rye smile while Dallas lights up the stage with his explosive performance on vocals and bass. This is the sound of the united states of your soul… Gene Geoffrey (Film Maker). Dallas Cosmas: vocal,bass,piano,guitar. Other production/performance- Paul Richards,Kate Ceberano,Last Five Minutes,Waking Astoria(Adventures Of),From Hell(pre-production),Astrolab,Julian Crew-Taylor,Rachel Koster,Serge & Destroy,Alec Burns Project,Creature Seed,Russell Morris,Silent Poets. Bindy Cohen: drums,percussion,backing vox. Other works- Kate Ceberano,Mia Dyson,Alec Burns Project,Creature Seed,Yeah Yeah,Silent Poets. Clinton Rankin: noise guitar,vocal,sonics. Other works- Damn The Torpedoes,Kate Ceberano,From Hell,Alec Burns Project,Sponge Puddle. Matthew Shadwick: slide guitar,electrix,backing vox. Other works- Empire Falls(Jessica Lawson),Julian Crew-Taylor,Kate Ceberano,Astrolab,Magnet. Simon Segal: Co-Production,keyboard treatments,vocals. Other studio credits- Wingate Studios,Fulton St,Rye Back Beach Studios,Belair Studio,Studio 52. |
