feedtime | Artist
Feedtime is an Australian noise rock band formed 1979 in Parramatta, NSW, by Rick Johnson (guitar, vocals) and Allen Larkin on (bass, vocals). Initially a duo, they soon became a trio using various drummers until 1982, when they were joined by permanent member Tom Sturm. Despite limited impact at home, feedtime exerted influence in the United States, particularly around Seattle, and is recognised as having "presaged or even helped create grunge. Many bands discovered feedtime through the Seattle college radio station KCMU where DJs and feedtime fans Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman launched the Sub Pop record label. Mark Arm and Steve Turner, assistant DJs at KCMU and founders of the pioneering Seattle grunge band Mudhoney, cite feedtime, alongside fellow Australians The Scientists, as one of their main musical influences. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was also a fan of feedtime. The group's self titled debut album was independently released late in 1985. With grinding guitars and driving beats, their sound was closer to late 60's Detroit bands MC5 and the Stooges, than to the prevailing indie jangle, power pop and new wave sounds of the early 80's period. In reviewing the album, John L. Murphy of PopMatters said they "approached maximum if not R&B than blues-punk. Certainly raw, they reissued sound oddly spacious within unsettling digital clarity. Allen's frazzled bass, Rick's churning 'electric slide guitar, and Tom's primal drums thud like their names: no nonsense, no added frills". Their second album Shovel (1987), which, along with the subsequent Aberrant albums, was released in the United States via Rough Trade records. AllMusic's John Dougan felt it was "perhaps their best album, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Simplistic, crudely played, thuddingly repetitive rock muck punctuated by harsh vocals.. some of the most extreme music to be considered rock & roll ever conceived." The band has released to-date a total of six studio albums, an archival compilation, four EP's, and a bunch of singles. Standout albums include feedtime (1985), Shovel (1987), Suction (1989) and the 2012 compilation The Aberrant Years. The group's frontman Rick Johnson talks of having suffered a nervous breakdown which led to the cancellation of a planned US tour and their temporary break up. In interviews Johnson admits "there was a lot of anger and darkness that underlaid a lot of feedtime's makeup. I had to remake myself or die. Allen felt that he might have to do some repair work as well. ... Some stuff about feedtime involves very hard stuff and needs to be left alone".
Artist Website: wikipedia/Feedtime
Featured Albums: feedtime
Related Artists: Rick Johnson
