Crashpalace

vocals and guitar - Marcus Maloeney lead guitar - Jeremy "Jezza" Taylor keyboard - Dean Thomas bass - John Kelly drums - Peter Constantinou The future which Melbourne group Crash Palace is facing is one every band dreams about. After slogging around the traps for several years, a demo they recorded caught the ear of their now-manager, who summoned them to America, secured an international record contract, sent them into the studio and laid

lead guitar - Jeremy "Jezza" Taylor
keyboard - Dean Thomas
bass - John Kelly
drums - Peter Constantinou

The future which Melbourne group Crash Palace is facing is one every band
dreams about. After slogging around the traps for several years, a demo they
recorded caught the ear of their now-manager, who summoned them to America,
secured an international record contract, sent them into the studio and laid
plans to launch them internationally. That's about to happen, but before it
happens Crash Palace are enjoying dusting off the cobwebs playing low-key
gigs around Australia, their first in a year, their first under their new
name.

It all sounds like a dream come true, and is, but the year Crash Palace have
spent making that dream come true has meant hard work, and a lot of
commitment, to their music and each other. Being in a rock band, dreaming of
an international career is one thing. When that potential manager comes out
of the blue and tells you it's yours to have, but you have to leave your
comfort zone, your friends, your fans, everything and put it all on the
line, it's a huge leap of faith to take. Most people take it step by step.
Sometimes not all the band members survive the journey. The decision was
harder for some members of Crash Palace than others. But they all made it.

They used to be called. Paradime. One by one they'd taken up their place
around singer/guitarist Marcus Maloeney - bass player John Kelly, drummer
peter Constantinou, lead guitarist Jeremy "Jezza" Taylor. When keyboard
player Dean Thomas arrived to become the last piece in the jigsaw something
clicked into place. It didn't take a man with a big cigar to come along to
tell them they had 'something'. When that man came along he came in the
shape of Geoffrey Schuhkraft, who like the Crash Palace-to-be, had cut his
teeth in the backroom of the Australian music industry, but in more recent
years has worked in America, developing the contacts that now come into
place on Crash Palace's behalf. Schuhkraft heard Paradime's demo, recognized
that 'something', offered to become their manager, and arranged for the
group to go to America.

In the studio, recording their album for Trauma Records (home of Bush and No
Doubt) the group was presented with a huge challenge. Their producer also
heard that 'something'. He felt there was 'something more'. He challenged
the band to put aside the songs they'd been playing for several years, the
songs which had won them their manager and contract and their American
adventure. Their producer encouraged the group to make a new beginning. They
took the challenge. The songs they've recorded, the songs they're playing
now, are the songs they then sat down and wrote. When they were finished
Paradime was completely gone. They had became Crash Palace.

What isn't gone is the apprenticeship they served as Paradime. Over and over
Australian groups have shown that the thing they have over their
international contemporaries is that they can really really play on stage.
Australian bands have to cut it on stage. Crash Palace come from that
Australian music tradition. When the whole world discovers this group most
Australians haven't even heard of they will straight away hear and know that
Crash Palace are Australian.

What do they play? If you wanted to find a group that summed up the
post-grunge era of rock, you'll find it in Crash Palace. They play with that
energy and sincerity which won rock back its heart in the grudge era. Tucked
inside that energy are the kind of melodies commercial radio will fall over
themselves when they eventually hear them. In front is a Michael Stipe-frail
lead singer, with considerable presence. It's no accident that this dream
come true has fallen in their lap.