Grey Daturas
Encyclopedia
Grey Daturas were a noise rock
band from Melbourne Australia known to have formed on stage at their debut live performance at The North Melbourne Town Hall Hotel, in August 2001. The band's final live performance coincided with the closure of the original Tote Hotel in Melbourne on Friday 15 January 2010. Their split was cited as mutual.
. Grey Daturas became renowned for their feedback soaked live performances which incorporated drones, hypnotic rhythmic passages and psychedelic guitar lines, all produced at extreme volumes. The band undertook several tours of Australia, the USA, Europe, New Zealand and Japan before disbanding in January 2010.
Robert Mayson currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Whitehorse, Collapsed Toilet Vietnam, performs solo as It’s Is and under his own name. Bonnie Mercer currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Dead River
, and performs solo under her own name. Robert MacManus operates the record label and touring agency Heathen Skulls. He performs solo under the name Black Widow
and previously played drums and guitar with French doom ensemble Monarch
, .
Vinyl Releases
CDR Releases
Split Releases
Collaborative Releases
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band from Melbourne Australia known to have formed on stage at their debut live performance at The North Melbourne Town Hall Hotel, in August 2001. The band's final live performance coincided with the closure of the original Tote Hotel in Melbourne on Friday 15 January 2010. Their split was cited as mutual.
History
Grey Daturas were originally renowned for performing experimental soundtracks to 16mm film projections by means of electronics, bells, and heavily processed guitars. The trio soon adopted drums and bass, slowly evolving beyond their original noise based improvisations. In 2004, the group's album Dead in the Woods was released on the Crashing Jets imprint, operated by members of Melbourne math-rock ensemble My DiscoMy Disco
My Disco is an Australian rock band.-Background:Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, their first public appearance was performed at The Good Morning Captain, a cafe in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne...
. Grey Daturas became renowned for their feedback soaked live performances which incorporated drones, hypnotic rhythmic passages and psychedelic guitar lines, all produced at extreme volumes. The band undertook several tours of Australia, the USA, Europe, New Zealand and Japan before disbanding in January 2010.
Collaborations with other artists
- Miles Brown of Melbourne prog outfit The Night Terrors performed live with Grey Daturas twice in the absence of Bonnie Mercer.
- Ben Butcher of Baseball performed live with Grey Daturas twice in their early period.
- Dimitra Stankovic of Scratchplate and Aux Assembly briefly played bass and guitar for Grey Daturas in February 2005.
- Matt Heartman of The Coachwhips and Sic Alps played drums in the absence of Robert MacManus for several shows in the Bay Area.
- Tyler Smith of Sticky Children played drums in the absence of Robert MacManus for the majority of Grey Daturas' 2005 US tour.
- Jules Desmond of 1/3 Octave Band played bass for several dates on Grey Daturas' 2007 European tour in the absence of Robert Mayson.
- George Chen of K.I.T. and Chen Santa Maria played bass for several dates on Grey Daturas' 2007 American tour in the absence of Robert Mayson.
- Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
recorded the collaborative album Copper / Silver with Robert Mayson and Bonnie Mercer in 2005. It was voted as one of the best avant rock releases of 2005 by The WireThe WIREthe WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
magazine. - Mammatus of California recorded a collaborative album with Robert Mayson and Bonnie Mercer in 2006.
- Malakat and Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
collaborated with Grey Daturas to produce the second CD of Malakat's Collected Works double album.
Post Grey Daturas
All three members are currently active on the live scene, performing solo and in various ensembles. Bonnie Mercer and Robert Mayson continue to perform together as Breathing Shrine.Robert Mayson currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Whitehorse, Collapsed Toilet Vietnam, performs solo as It’s Is and under his own name. Bonnie Mercer currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Dead River
Dead River
-Florida:*Dead River *Dead River, tributary of the Choctawhatchee River*Dead River, tributary of the Hillsborough River *Dead River, tributary of the Kissimmee River*Dead River, tributary of the Ochlockonee River-Maine:...
, and performs solo under her own name. Robert MacManus operates the record label and touring agency Heathen Skulls. He performs solo under the name Black Widow
Black Widow
Black widow is a common name of some spiders in the genus Latrodectus.Black Widow may also refer to:-Fiction:* Black Widow: A Novel, a 1981 novel by Christina Crawford...
and previously played drums and guitar with French doom ensemble Monarch
Monarch (band)
-History:The band was founded in 2002 in Bayonne, France. In 2005, they released their debut, a double CD with three tracks. Since then the band have released new albums almost annually; additionally, they have also released various EPs, singles and splits with Moss, the Grey Daturas and Elysiüm...
, .
Discography
CD Releases- Dead in the Woods CD (Crashing Jets, 2004)
- Path Of Niners CD EP (Heathen Skulls, 2006)
- Dead in the Woods CD (US re-issue, Crucial Blast, 2007)
- Path of Niners CD-EP (UK re-issue, Rocket Recordings, 2007)
- Dead in the Woods CD (Japanese re-issue, SMD Records, 2008)
- Return to Disruption CD (Heathen Skulls, February 2008)
- Return to Disruption CD (Neurot RecordingsNeurot RecordingsNeurot Recordings is an independent American record label founded by members of Neurosis and Tribes of Neurot. The label was founded to release the side projects of Neurosis and its members. It has since expanded to a fully functioning label, releasing music from artists...
, February 2008)
Vinyl Releases
- Owly Claw Hammer 12 inch EP (Emperor JonesEmperor JonesEmperor Jones is a small Austin, Texas based independent record label founded in 1995 by Craig Stewart. It has released albums by acts such as Alastair Galbraith, The American Analog Set, Roky Erickson, Thuja, ST37, The Mountain Goats, Stick Men with Ray Guns, Peter Jefferies, Pip Proud, Rusted...
, 2007) - Barren Planet 7 inch EP (Heathen Skulls, March 2009)
- Return to Disruption 12 inch LP (Heathen Skulls, June 2009)
CDR Releases
- The Grey Daturas CDR (Black Mountain/Sonic Advisor, 2002)
- Live Volume 1 3 inch CDR (Diagnosis... DON'T! reCoRdings, 2003)
- Live Volume 2 3 inch CDR (Diagnosis... DON'T! reCoRdings, 2003)
- All I See is Nothing CD-EP (Diagnosis... DON'T! reCoRdings, 2005)
- Live at the Rob Roy Hotel 2 x 3 inch CDR (Diagnosis... DON'T! reCoRdings, 2006)
- Blood Trail CD-EP (Heathen Skull, 2006)
- Live in Austin CDR (Diagnosis... DON'T! reCoRdings, 2007)
Split Releases
- Yellow Swans / Grey Daturas Australian Tour EP CD-EP (Heathen Skulls, 2005)
- Grey Daturas / Shearing Pinx Cassette (split with Shearing PinxShearing PinxShearing Pinx are an Experimental/Punk rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Formed in 2005, the band is made up of Nic Hughes and Jeremy Van Wyck ....
) (isolatednowwaves, 2006) - The Black Plague CD (split with Wolf EyesWolf EyesWolf Eyes is a post-industrial/noise band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.-History:Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000...
) (Heathen Skulls, 2006) - The Black Plague 12 inch LP (split with Wolf EyesWolf EyesWolf Eyes is a post-industrial/noise band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.-History:Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000...
) (Conspiracy, 2006) - Dawn of the Catalyst 12 inch EP (Split with France's Monarch) (Throne, 2007)
- Dawn of the Catalyst CD-EP (Split with France's Monarch) (20 Buck Spin, 2007)
Collaborative Releases
- Copper / Silver 2 x CDR (collaboration with Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
) (Jyrk, 2005) - Copper / Silver 2 x 12 inch LP (collaboration with Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
) (Olde English Spelling Bee, 2006) - Collected Tracks 2 x CD (collaboration with Yellow SwansYellow SwansYellow Swans were an American experimental electronic noise band from Portland, Oregon. The duo are renowned for their improvisional approach to music, creating a unique experience for each live performance. They describe their music as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both...
and MalakatMalakatMalakat may refer to:* Kakaki, metal trumpets used in the traditional musics of various African cultures* Ma malakat aymanukum, an Arabic phrase that appears in the Qur'an...
) (Sweat Lung, 2009)