Wolfmother

Infobox musical artist
Name = Wolfmother


Img_capt = Wolfmother performing at the Beale Street Music Festival on 5 May 2007. From left to right: Andrew Stockdale, Myles Heskett and Chris Ross.
Img_size = 250
Landscape = Yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Erskineville, Sydney, Australia
Genre = Hard rock, stoner rock, neo-psychedelia
Years_active = 2000–present
Label = Modular, Interscope, Island
URL = [http://www.wolfmother.com www.wolfmother.com]
Current_members = Andrew Stockdale
Past_members = Chris Ross
Myles Heskett

Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band that formed in 2000 in Erskineville, Sydney. [cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jbfixquald0e~T1 |title=Wolfmother > Biography |accessdate=2008-09-06 |last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo |publisher=Allmusic ] [cite web |url=http://www.wolfmother.net/wolfmother-biography/ |title=Biography |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=The Original Wolfmother Fan Site ] The band originally comprised Andrew Stockdale (guitar, vocals), Chris Ross (bass, keyboards), and Myles Heskett (drums), though Ross and Heskett left the band in August 2008. [cite news |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003836340&inp=true |title=Wolfmother To Continue With New Members |last=Cohen |first=Jonathan |locationNew York |publisher="Billboard" |date=2008-08-07 |accessdate=2008-09-06 ] With the original lineup the band released one album, "Wolfmother", which charted at number three in Australia,cite web |url=http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Wolfmother |title=Discography Wolfmother |accessdate=2008-09-06 |publisher=australian-charts.com ] number 25 in the United Kingdom [cite web |url=http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=934 |title=Chart Stats - Wolfmother |publisher=Chart Stats |accessdate=2008-09-06 ] and number 22 in the United States. [cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=632979&model.vnuAlbumId=1166735 |title= Artist Chart History - Wolfmother |publisher="Billboard" |accessdate=2008-09-01 ]

History

First years and debut album (2000–2005)

Wolfmother made their way into the public spotlight in early 2004, after "years of jamming and anonymity".cite web |url=http://www.wolfmother.com/oldsite.htm |title=Band |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Wolfmother Note: User must manually select navigation menu option "3".] They were signed to Modular Recordings at the beginning of August and throughout the year played a number of dates at various venues (including a tour with Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts), before in September they finished recording and released their first EP, "Wolfmother". The record was relatively successful for such a new band, reaching number 35 in the ARIA Singles Chart.

After "6 months of nonstop Australian and overseas touring", Wolfmother began work on their first full-length album, for which they enlisted the help of Dave Sardy, producer of such records as Oasis' "Don't Believe the Truth", Jet's "Get Born" and The Dandy Warhols' "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". The band moved to Los Angeles in May 2005 and rented a famous recording studio in Hollywood called Cherokee, recording home of such artists as Aerosmith, Korn and Lenny Kravitz. [cite web |url=http://www.cherokeestudios.com/ |title=Cherokee Studios |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Cherokee Studios ] After six weeks of rehearsals at the studio, work moved to Sound City where the album was recorded, a process which took only two weeks. Before the release of the album, the band first gave the public a taster with their debut single; the double A-side "Mind's Eye/Woman" was released on October 16 in Australia and managed to reach #29 in the Singles Chart. [cite web |url=http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=251377&cat=s |title=Wolfmother - Mind's Eye / Woman |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=australian-charts.com ] On October 30, "Wolfmother" saw release in the trio's native Australia. The album entered the ARIA Albums Chart at its peak of #3 and remained in the chart until mid-2007, [cite web |url=http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=33759&cat=a |title=Wolfmother - Wolfmother |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=australian-charts.com ] by which time it had been certified five times Platinum. [cite web |url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Albums.htm |title=Accreditations - 2007 Albums |date=2007-12-31 |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association ]

By the end of the year, "Wolfmother" had won Triple J's J Award for Australian Album of the Year [cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/jaward/winner_2005.htm |title=The J Award 2005 |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Triple J ] , and "Woman" had been nominated for Single of the Year and Best Breakthrough Artist (Single) at the ARIA Music Awards. [cite web |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=2005 |title=2005: 19th Annual ARIA Awards |work=History: Winners by Year |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=ARIA Music Awards ]

International success (2006–2007)

The 2005 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on January 26, featured a record six songs by Wolfmother: "Mind's Eye" (#6), "Joker & the Thief" (#9), "Apple Tree" (#16), "Dimension" (#37), "Colossal" (#39) and "White Unicorn" (#84). [cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/history/2005.htm |title=hottest 100 2005 |work=History |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Triple J ] On March 6, "Rolling Stone" published their Annual Readers' and Critics' Poll results, in which Wolfmother were featured a number of times. The band featured in the following readers' lists: Top 10 Albums ("Wolfmother", #1), Top 10 Singles ("Mind's Eye", #1; "Woman", #9), Artist of the Year (#2), Best Band (#1), Best Tour (#2), Best Album Cover (#1), Best Hard Rock/Metal Band (#1), Best Rock Artist (#1), Best New Artist (#1), Year's Biggest Hype (#1) and Best Video ("Mind's Eye", #2). Frontman Andrew Stockdale also featured in the poll for Best Dressed (#3).

The band's next single was "White Unicorn", released on February 26, which performed worse in Australia, peaking at #33. [cite web |url=http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=204538&cat=s |title=Wolfmother - White Unicorn |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=australian-charts.com ] The band released a second EP, "Dimensions", on March 2. "Wolfmother" was not released outside of Australia until April 24 in the United Kingdom, May 2 in the United States and Europe on June 12. In the UK it peaked at #25cite web |url=http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=558 |title=Wolfmother - Wolfmother |publisher=Chart Stats |accessdate=2008-08-15 ] and in the US at #22. [cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3066288&cdi=8612445&cid=05%2F20%2F2006 |title=The Billboard 200: Wolfmother - Wolfmother |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher="Billboard" ]

Thanks to the success of their albums and singles, Wolfmother's music has been featured in many video games, films and commercials. "Love Train" featured in an iPod commercial; "Woman" was included on such video games as "Guitar Hero II", "MotorStorm","Pure","Tony Hawk's Project 8" and "NHL 07"; "Dimension" featured in the film "School for Scoundrels" and in video games "FlatOut 2" and "Rugby 06"; and "Joker & the Thief" appeared in films "Jackass Number Two" and "Shrek the Third" and video games ' and ', as well as commercials for both Mitsubishi and Peugeot cars.

The band performed at big-name festivals throughout North America and Australia in 2006, including SXSW, Big Day Out, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Roskilde Festival, Lowlands, Splendour in the Grass, Fuji Rock Festival, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds Festivals, V Festival, Download Festival and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival where they were cited as the 'breakout' band of the year. [cite web |url=http://www.wolfmother.com/articles/nyp_feature_0604.htm |title=Heavy Duty |accessdate=2006-08-02 |author=Getlen, Larry |date=2006-04-30 |publisher=New York Post ] On September 25, bassist Chris Ross' wife had a baby, which meant Wolfmother had to cancell or postpone many of their upcoming tour dates. During this break, Wolfmother released their final single from the self-titled album, "Joker and the Thief", which peaked at #8 in Australia, their highest position to date. The band resumed touring on November 4 in the United Kingdom. Wolfmother also won three awards (Best Breakthrough Album, Best Rock Album and Best Group) from five nominations at the 2006 ARIA Music Awards. [cite web |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=2006 |title=2006: 20th Annual ARIA Awards |work=History: Winners by Year |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=ARIA Music Awards ]

On November 14, when legendary hard rock band and Wolfmother influence Led Zeppelin were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, they asked Wolfmother to appear as their guests. The band covered Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown", a common song on the band's set lists of previous and subsequent.

The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on January 26, 2007, in which Wolfmother appeared twice (" Woman (MSTRKRFT Remix)", #55; "Love Train", #80). [cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/history/2006.htm |title=hottest 100 2006 |work=History |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=Triple J ] On February 13 it was announced on that the band would be playing at the Download Festival in June as the third headliner on the first day (Friday June 8), after Velvet Revolver and DragonForce respectively.

At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, Wolfmother won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Woman". [cite web |url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=wolfmother&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1 |title=2007 Grammy Award Winner - Best Hard Rock Performance |accessdate=2008-07-19 |publisher=The Recording Academy] On March 30 it was announced that Wolfmother had written a new song entitled "Pleased to Meet You" especially for upcoming film "Spider-Man 3", for which it was featured in the . On may 28 the band performed on Pinkpop's mainstage. On June 28 the band headlined at Summerfest, "The World's Largest Music Festival", in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finishing up their US Tour in Detroit, Michigan to an abundantly enthusiastic crowd on June 30. On July 7, they performed on the Australian leg of the Live Earth concerts in Sydney. Stockdale said in an interview "That will be our last show for this album. We will find out what a green note sounds like on the next record." [cite news |url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/03/30/1174761796385.html |title=Now rock plugs into solar |accessdate=2007-04-07 |author=Dunn, Emily |date=2007-03-31 |publisher=Brisbane Times]

Wolfmother released their first DVD on September 1 in Australia, September 10 in the UK and November 20 in the US; "Please Experience Wolfmother Live" features footage from the band's performance at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Other live shows, music videos and an interview are included in the bonus features. [cite web |url=http://www.wolfmother.net/2007/08/20/please-experience-wolfmother-live-dvd/ |title=Please Experience Wolfmother Live DVD |accessdate=2007-08-24 ]

econd album (2008)

On April 12, 2008 Wolfmother played at the Andy Warhol "Up Late" program after taking a 9 month break from touring. Four new songs were played: Back Round, Violence of the Sun, Monolith, and Inside the Mountain.

Despite an earlier article by Rolling Stone Magazine which stated that the band were currently recording their new album and that 10 songs had been chosen, [cite news |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/11/19/wolfmother-hard-at-work-on-cinematic-epic-new-album/ |title=Wolfmother Hard at Work on “Cinematic, Epic” New Album |date=2007-11-19 |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher="Rolling Stone" ] it was confirmed on a [http://www.wolfmother.net Wolfmother fan site] that the band had not began proper recording sessions for the album yet. [cite news |url=http://www.wolfmother.net/2008/07/19/petition-response |title=Petition response |date=2008-07-19 |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=The Original Wolfmother Fan Site ]

On August 1, it was announced that Dave Sardy, who produced the band's debut album, would be producing the new Wolfmother album and that an extensive pre-production phase was about to start with a release planned for early 2009. [cite news |url=http://www.worldsend.com/ |title=Dave Sardy To Produce New Wolfmother Album |publisher=Worlds End Producer Management |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-11 ]

Breakup and lineup change

On August 4, following the band's performance at Splendour In The Grass, popular Australian radio station Triple J speculated that rumors about the band were true, with a lineup change imminent. An interview was scheduled by the station, though later canceled by the band's manager, stating "The band is dealing with some internal issues at the moment. They’re hoping to resolve them in the next few weeks but in the meantime it just wouldn’t be appropriate for any member to be doing any interviews – even with Triple J." On August 5, in a statement to Undercover, manager John Watson announced that a change was coming, explaining "Unfortunately I can't make any comment other than to say that as soon as the band has clear future plans they will issue a statement and we hope to be able to do that in the next week or two". [cite news |url=http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=5872 |title=Is It All Over For Wolfmother' |date=2008-08-05 |accessdate=2008-08-15 |publisher=undercover.com.au |author=Cashmere, Paul ]

On August 7 the band's record label, Universal Records, announced that drummer Myles Heskett and bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross had decided to leave the band due to "irreconcilable differences," and that Stockdale planned on searching for a new line up over the coming months as well as continue work on new material. [cite news |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/wolfmother_disband.html |title=Wolfmother Disband |accessdate=2008-07-08 |date=2008-07-08 |publisher="Ultimate Guitar" ] Ross and Heskett played a one-off show as "Doom Buggy", accompanied by their friend, Spod. Ross and Heskett are now working on their (as yet untitled) new band. [cite news |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/08/11/former-wolfmother-members-turn-focus-to-doom-buggy-side-project/ |title=Former Wolfmother Members Turn Focus to Doom Buggy Side Project |date=2008-08-11 |publisher="Rolling Stone" |accessdate=2008-08-11 ]

Critical response

While the band has gained much success, reception is divided. A "Total Guitar" review calls Wolfmother's music "ruddy marvellous", [cite web | url = http://www.wolfmother.com/articles/total_guitar.html | title = Total Guitar (UK) - Album | publisher = Total Guitar | author = Ascott, Phil | accessdate = 2007-06-04] and "Pitchfork" praises them for "how capably they strike a balance between meaty vintage metal and crisp, stoner-rock melodies". [cite web | url = http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/23309-wolfmother | title = Wolfmother: Wolfmother: Pitchfork Record Review | publisher = Pitchfork Media | author = Byroum, Cory | date =2006-04-25 | accessdate = 2007-06-04] Others hold that their music is too derivative of 70's rock; a "Stylus Magazine" review states "everything there is to say about them is best said by immediate reference to another band and Wolfmother always come up short in the comparison", [cite web | url = http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/wolfmother/wolfmother.htm | title = Wolfmother - Wolfmother - Review | publisher = "Stylus Magazine" | author = McNally, Patrick | date = 2007-05-02 |accessdate = 2007-06-04] [cite web | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews/album_review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002424827 | title = Wolfmother | publisher = Billboard | author = Philip, Sven |accessdate = 2007-06-04] An "Allmusic" review is more critical, calling their music "precious, inarticulate, [and] confused" [cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47B16D84DAD7F20CE932C4BC7947EF71DDF40E8870A29491BDFBA3C54D95B79EF45FA8781B5E577B366ADFF2EA2160ED2C0ED50F6DF632D5DF0&sql=10:llf5zfa5eh4k~T1 | title = allmusic (((Wolfmother > Review))) | publisher = "Allmusic" | author = Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |accessdate = 2007-06-04] when compared to that of their musical influences, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has stated that he is a fan of Wolfmother. [ [http://www.citizeninsane.eu/s2006-08Mojo.htm Source ] ]
Alice Cooper has described Wolfmother's sound, stating they are "like a teenage Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf kind of band". [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/gig-reviews/alice-cooper/2007/07/02/1183229014162.html Alice Cooper - Gig Reviews - Music - Entertainment - smh.com.au ] ] Wolfmother has responded to the accusations about the perceived derivative nature of their music, with Ross saying " [We] don't pretend that we're [Led Zeppelin/Black Sabbath] ...There's similarities in our sound, but we're not trying to emulate them at all.." [ [http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/video_news/wolfmother_react_to_people_comparing_them_to_led_zep.html Wolfmother React To People Comparing Them To Led Zep | News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com ] ]

Despite previous criticisms of the band, The EG magazine section of The Age newspaper listed Wolfmother's debut album at number 4 on its list of Top 10 Australian Albums, with each of the selections dubbed the best 'highlights of the decade'. [The EG, in THE AGE, April 18, 2008, pg. 13]

Influences

While Wolfmother has been identified as being influenced by '70s rock bands such as Black Sabbath, their official Myspace lists their influences to include mostly '60s groups such as: Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who, as well as newer acts, including The Avalanches, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon and stoner metal band Kyuss. Surprisingly, they also featured the French electronic group Daft Punk in their myspace list of influences. [ [http://www.myspace.com/wolfmother MySpace.com - Wolfmother - Sydney, AU - Tropicale / Psychédélique / Rock - www.myspace.com/wolfmother ] ] Andrew Stockdale also lists The Doors as a major influence, stating they were one of his favorite bands growing up. [ [http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Lifestyle/Features/Wolfmother/ The Hard, Fast Rise of Wolfmother: Gibson Interviews Andrew Stockdale ] ] During Stockdale's appearance on ABC's My Favorite Album, Stockdale stated AC/DC's T.N.T. to be a favourite, claiming it gave him "shivers". [My Favorite Album, December 12th 2006, Australian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC). More info at: http://www.abc.net.au/myfavouritealbum/top100.htm]

Discography

Albums

*"Wolfmother" (2005)

ingles

*"Mind's Eye/Woman" (2005)
*"White Unicorn" (2006)
*"Dimension" (2006)
*"Woman" (2006)
*"Love Train" (2006)
*"Joker & the Thief" (2006)

Members

*Andrew Stockdale – vocals, guitars

Former members

*Chris Ross – bass, keyboards (2000–2008)
*Myles Heskett – drums (2000–2008)

Awards

References

External links

* [http://www.wolfmother.com Wolfmother official website]
* [http://www.modularpeople.com/wolfmother/ Wolfmother label page]
*
*
* [http://www.wolfmother.net The original Wolfmother fan site and forums]
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/the-hard-fast-rise-of-wolfmoth/ Gibson.com interview with Andrew Stockdale by Ellen Mallernee]
* [http://www.timeoff.com.au/index1.php?area=Archive&pg=42&subarea=5416&sel=5416&showcontent=5416 Time Off interview with Andrew Stockdale]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wolfmother Wolfmother] at Rolling Stone
* [http://www.kevchino.com/interview/wolfmother/45 interview with Paul Anthony] Kevchino.com