The Paradise Motel

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Paradise Motel


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Origin = flagicon|Australia Hobart, Aus.
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Genre = Indie pop
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Years_active = 1995 – 2000; 2008-
Label = Mushroom
Associated_acts = Drugstore, [http://www.stolenrecordings.co.uk/artists/candy.html Candy]
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Current_members = Charles Bickford Matthew Aulich Matt Bailey Merida Sussex Tim O'Shannassy BJ Austin
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The Paradise Motel were an Australian band active from 1995-2000. According to their MySpace page, the band reformed as of 2008.

Band members

Charles Bickford (guitar, organ), Matthew Aulich (guitar, organ), Matt Bailey (bass), Merida Sussex (vocals), Tim O'Shannassy (drums), BJ Austin (guitar, organ) - As of 2008 - Esme MacDonald (bass) - Damien Hill (drums)

History

The group formed in Hobart, Tasmania in the early 1990s, with Bickford, Aulich and Bailey. They moved to Melbourne in 1995. They found their new lead singer, Merida Sussex, working in the St Kilda Public Library. They were soon signed by Mushroom Records, and released an EP, "Left Over Life To Kill". This was soon followed by a remix EP, titled "Some Deaths Take Forever", consisting of experimental remixes of tracks and outtakes from the original produced by the band themselves; 2,000 hand-numbered copies were produced.

For a time they were managed by Bruce Milne under the name of his company "The Shinning Path".

In 1997, The Paradise Motel released their first full-length album, "Still Life". A limited edition of this album came with a bonus disc, titled "Junk Mail", consisting of one 30-minute track of outtakes. Several singles followed, as did a second album, "Flight Paths", whose sound was somewhat more mainstream and less sparse than the early work. The band then relocated to London, though did not record again, and broke up in 2000.

The Paradise Motel's instrumentation featured two guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, drums and a Hammond organ, and occasional accompaniment from a string quartet. Their aesthetic was one of sparseness and melancholia, punctuated by bursts of manic loudness; or, as they once said in an interview, "the violence and the silence". Their lyrical subject matter often veered towards the melancholy and macabre, which resulted in comparisons to Nick Cave and Mazzy Star, as did Sussex's vocal style. Much of the Paradise Motel's songwriting came from Charles Bickford, whilst Matt Aulich was responsible for the string and instrumental arrangements in some of their tracks.

The Paradise Motel's cover of The Cars' "Drive" appears in the soundtrack to the film of "He Died With A Felafel In His Hand". Their early song, "German Girl", also appears in the film but not on the soundtrack compilation.

After they disbanded in 2000, Aulich, Sussex, Austin and O'Shannassy remained in the UK - Aulich played guitar for indie band Drugstore for a period before returning to Australia and marrying, he has one child. Sussex concentrated on forming [http://www.stolenrecordings.co.uk/artists/candy.html Candy] . As of 2006 she remains in the UK, and is involved with the running of the Stolen Records label. Mark Austin furthered his studies in architecture and married Gina Morris (ex-NME journalist and briefly a member of stereolab) in 2002, they have settled in Melbourne. Austin plays in a number of local Melbourne bands, as does Bailey. Tim O'Shannassy completed a PhD in music and literature in London, and taught at a number of colleges in New York.

Bickford lived in Melbourne for a period, before returning to the UK where he still resides. He married Lauren Zoric in 2004. In 2005 he appeared as the resident expert on a weekly ITV program about antiquities, "The Golden Lot".

In 2008 recording began on the band's third album - working title 'ISHY VAN' or 'I SHY VAN' - a record that will be complete by the end of 2008. The record's subject matter is disappearances. The band will play Australian shows in spring/summer 2008. As of 2008 the bass guitar is played by Esme McDonald and the drums by Damien Hill.

Trivia

*"Left Over Life To Kill" was named after the autobiography of Dylan Thomas' widow.
*"Some Deaths Take Forever" was named after a graffito on the wall of Brisbane band venue The Zoo.
*In their early gigs, The Paradise Motel often covered The Triffids' "Raining Pleasure", though never released a recording. The track of this title on "Some Deaths Take Forever" is mostly a heavily processed instrumental, with few recognisable vocal fragments.

elective discography

*1995 "Left Over Life To Kill" EP
*1996 "Bad Light" Ep
*1996 "Some Deaths Take Forever" EP
*1997 "Still Life"
*1997 "Junk Mail" - limited edition bonus album
*1997 "(Please Keep Me Safe)" EP
*1997 "Left Over Life to Kill" (UK only)
*1997 "Heavy Weather" (4 track digipack, MUSH01730.2 (DINF014), Mushroom Records)
*1997 "Calling You" UK single
*1998 "Derwent River Star" (4 track digipack, MUSH01778.2 (DINF021), Mushroom Records)
*1998 "Watch Illuminum" UK single
*1999 "Hollywood Landmines" UK single
*1999 "Flight Paths"
*1999 "Drive" UK single
*1999 "Reworkings"

External links

* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=204799393 Paradise Motel MySpace page]