Tame Impala
Encyclopedia
Tame Impala are a psychedelic rock
band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker
. Their name refers to the impala
, a medium sized antelope
. They like to see themselves as "a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody."
and winning third place that year in the state final of The Next Big Thing. In October 2006 Epstein was replaced by drummer Sam Devenport, Epstein going on to play with Sugarpuss. The Dee Dee Dums went on to win the WA state final of the National Campus Band Competition
. In late 2007 the band renamed to Tame Impala unveiling another new drummer and replacing the two-guitar attack for the more traditional guitar/bass/drums format. Devenport went on to pursue an acting career.
In July 2008 the band signed a worldwide deal with independent label Modular Recordings
.
The signing was soon followed by the release on their self-titled debut EP
in September 2008. Due to Kevin Parker's original artwork there was some confusion with the EP title and many believed it to be called Antares Mira Sun. The artwork is an interpretation of a slide he saw in an astronomy lecture, which demonstrated the difference in size between the stars Antares
, Mira
and the Sun
.
Tame Impala went to number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels (AIR) Chart and number 10 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, with three songs, "Desire Be, Desire Go", "Half Full Glass of Wine" and "Skeleton Tiger" which received national radio airplay on the Triple J
Network. Tours in 2008 included supports for You Am I
, The Black Keys
, Yeasayer
and MGMT
, as well as performances at Southbound, Meredith Music Festival
, and Falls Festival
, as well as a national headline tours in support of their EP. 2009 tours include a sold out 6 date 'Skeleton Tiger' national headline tour, a 5 date UK tour including Nevereverland UK, V Festival
, Groovin The Moo and a stadium tour with The Living End and Gyroscope.
Tame Impala appeared on Triple J's Hottest 100 2008
, their first appearance on the list, with "Half Full Glass of Wine" reaching number 75. The song is also on the Hottest 100 compilation.
Tame Impala’s first single, "Sundown Syndrome", was recorded at Toerag Studios in London, with recording engineer Liam Watson, whilst the band was there in March 2009. "Sundown Syndrome" was premiered by Richard Kingsmill
on his 2009 show on triple j
on Sunday May 10. It was released in July, 2009 on vinyl and electronically along with a cover of Blue Boy's
"Remember Me".
The band embarked on a national tour supporting the single through September and October, 2009.
"Sundown Syndrome" was included on the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated film "The Kids Are All Right
."
"Half Full Glass Of Wine" was used in HBO's hit TV series Entourage as the closing song for an episode.
Tame Impala appeared at Big Day Out in early 2010, performing alongside bands Muse
, The Mars Volta
, Kasabian and Rise Against
, among others.
"Remember Me" appeared at number 78 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2009
.
Tame Impala's debut album, Innerspeaker
, was released on 21 May 2010. In the U.K. it's official release date was 28 June, however iTunes
accidentally made it available to buy immediately (not pre-order) on 12 May. The album was released in the United States on 8 June to general and critical acclaim. Pitchfork
named it Best New Music.
On a interview with Triple J
talking about the album's recent nomination for the J Award
, Parker stated that they have secretly been recording a new album. "Jay and I have been recording pretty compulsively and album number two is nearing potential completion already and I'm so excited about it that I'm having trouble keeping myself from telling you all about it." This comes as a big surprise as this statement was released only months after their debut album, Innerspeaker
, was released.
The band has been busy touring during mid 2010, with their 'Innerspeaker album tour' commencing on 13 May 2010, as the opening band for MGMT
's 2010 American tour. The band returned to Australia to play at Splendour in the Grass
festival, which was followed by a European Tour in July (including an appearance at the Reading Festival) and a national Australian tour in October. In November they returned to the UK and Europe for a fifteen date tour, including their largest London headline show to date which was attended by Noel Gallagher
, Tom Meighan
, Sergio Pizzorno
, Noel Fielding
, Alexa Chung
and Alison Mosshart
, the band then went on to the United States for twenty headline dates including sold out New York, LA and San Francisco. They also received four 2010 ARIA Music Awards
nominations which include, 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Rock Album' for Innerspeaker
, 'Best Group' and also 'Breakthrough Artist'.
On November 29, 2010 Tame Impala's debut album "Innerspeaker
" won Australian youth-oriented radio network Triple J
's highest honor, taking out the J Award
for Album of the Year
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker
Innerspeaker
-Charts:-Personnel:* Kevin Parker – vocals and instrumentation on all tracks, except for:* Dom Simper – bass on "The Bold Arrow of Time", guitar on "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds", sound effects on "Jeremy's Storm"...
. Their name refers to the impala
Impala
An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle"...
, a medium sized antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
. They like to see themselves as "a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody."
Biography
Tame Impala were formed from Kevin Parker's original blues/jazz/psychedelic band, the Dee Dee Dums. The Dee Dee Dums consisted of Parker (drums ) and Luke Epstein (guitar), with the band getting second place at the 2005 AmpFestAmpFest
AmpFest - Clash of the Bands is an initiative of a West Australian Youth Advisory Council and has been held in May each year since 2003 by five Councils, in the western suburbs of Perth, comprising City of Nedlands, Town of Claremont, Town of Mosman Park, City of Subiaco and Town of Vincent...
and winning third place that year in the state final of The Next Big Thing. In October 2006 Epstein was replaced by drummer Sam Devenport, Epstein going on to play with Sugarpuss. The Dee Dee Dums went on to win the WA state final of the National Campus Band Competition
National Campus Band Competition
The National Campus Band Competition is an annual Australian national band competition produced by the Australian Association of Campus Activities. To enter the competition, one band member must be enrolled at a participating university...
. In late 2007 the band renamed to Tame Impala unveiling another new drummer and replacing the two-guitar attack for the more traditional guitar/bass/drums format. Devenport went on to pursue an acting career.
In July 2008 the band signed a worldwide deal with independent label Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
.
The signing was soon followed by the release on their self-titled debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in September 2008. Due to Kevin Parker's original artwork there was some confusion with the EP title and many believed it to be called Antares Mira Sun. The artwork is an interpretation of a slide he saw in an astronomy lecture, which demonstrated the difference in size between the stars Antares
Antares
Antares is a red supergiant star in the Milky Way galaxy and the sixteenth brightest star in the nighttime sky . Along with Aldebaran, Spica, and Regulus it is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic...
, Mira
Mira
Mira also known as Omicron Ceti , is a red giant star estimated 200-400 light years away in the constellation Cetus. Mira is a binary star, consisting of the red giant Mira A along with Mira B. Mira A is also an oscillating variable star and was the first non-supernova variable star discovered,...
and the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
.
Tame Impala went to number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels (AIR) Chart and number 10 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, with three songs, "Desire Be, Desire Go", "Half Full Glass of Wine" and "Skeleton Tiger" which received national radio airplay on the Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
Network. Tours in 2008 included supports for You Am I
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
, The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
, Yeasayer
Yeasayer
-History:The band's three core members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder, first came to attention after appearing at the SXSW festival in early 2007. Their first single consisted of a double A-side of the tracks "Sunrise" and "2080"...
and MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
, as well as performances at Southbound, Meredith Music Festival
Meredith Music Festival
The Meredith Music Festival is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the Supernatural Amphitheatre, a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith in Victoria, Australia...
, and Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
, as well as a national headline tours in support of their EP. 2009 tours include a sold out 6 date 'Skeleton Tiger' national headline tour, a 5 date UK tour including Nevereverland UK, V Festival
V Festival (Australia)
The Australian V Festival was an Australian music festival, and a spin-off of the British V Festival. Like all V Festivals, the event was primarily sponsored by Virgin Mobile. In Australia the event was also sponsored by airline Virgin Blue. The V Festival was televised exclusively in Australia by...
, Groovin The Moo and a stadium tour with The Living End and Gyroscope.
Tame Impala appeared on Triple J's Hottest 100 2008
Triple J Hottest 100, 2008
The 2008 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2009. It was the sixteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station, Triple J....
, their first appearance on the list, with "Half Full Glass of Wine" reaching number 75. The song is also on the Hottest 100 compilation.
Tame Impala’s first single, "Sundown Syndrome", was recorded at Toerag Studios in London, with recording engineer Liam Watson, whilst the band was there in March 2009. "Sundown Syndrome" was premiered by Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill
Richard "The King" Kingsmill is an Australian radio announcer and music journalist.He is best known for his work at national youth broadcaster triple j. His career at the station started in 1988 as a producer for station presenters George Wayne, Tracee Hutchison and Tim Ritchie...
on his 2009 show on triple j
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
on Sunday May 10. It was released in July, 2009 on vinyl and electronically along with a cover of Blue Boy's
Blue Boy (DJ)
Blue Boy is a pseudonym for the Scottish DJ, Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore. He is best known for "Remember Me", an international dance hit in 1997. Blackmore first worked as a DJ in Glasgow and London, touring with the British techno outfit The Shamen in 1992...
"Remember Me".
The band embarked on a national tour supporting the single through September and October, 2009.
"Sundown Syndrome" was included on the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated film "The Kids Are All Right
The Kids Are All Right
The Kids Are All Right is a television game show made by Initial, an Endemol UK company, for the BBC. An eight-episode series was ordered by the BBC, and is presented by John Barrowman. The first episode was broadcast on 12 April 2008. It is recorded at BBC Pacific Quay in Glasgow.It shares some...
."
"Half Full Glass Of Wine" was used in HBO's hit TV series Entourage as the closing song for an episode.
Tame Impala appeared at Big Day Out in early 2010, performing alongside bands Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
, Kasabian and Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, among others.
"Remember Me" appeared at number 78 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2009
Triple J Hottest 100, 2009
The 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day 26 January 2010. It is the seventeenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J....
.
Tame Impala's debut album, Innerspeaker
Innerspeaker
-Charts:-Personnel:* Kevin Parker – vocals and instrumentation on all tracks, except for:* Dom Simper – bass on "The Bold Arrow of Time", guitar on "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds", sound effects on "Jeremy's Storm"...
, was released on 21 May 2010. In the U.K. it's official release date was 28 June, however iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
accidentally made it available to buy immediately (not pre-order) on 12 May. The album was released in the United States on 8 June to general and critical acclaim. Pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
named it Best New Music.
On a interview with Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
talking about the album's recent nomination for the J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
, Parker stated that they have secretly been recording a new album. "Jay and I have been recording pretty compulsively and album number two is nearing potential completion already and I'm so excited about it that I'm having trouble keeping myself from telling you all about it." This comes as a big surprise as this statement was released only months after their debut album, Innerspeaker
Innerspeaker
-Charts:-Personnel:* Kevin Parker – vocals and instrumentation on all tracks, except for:* Dom Simper – bass on "The Bold Arrow of Time", guitar on "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds", sound effects on "Jeremy's Storm"...
, was released.
The band has been busy touring during mid 2010, with their 'Innerspeaker album tour' commencing on 13 May 2010, as the opening band for MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
's 2010 American tour. The band returned to Australia to play at Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
festival, which was followed by a European Tour in July (including an appearance at the Reading Festival) and a national Australian tour in October. In November they returned to the UK and Europe for a fifteen date tour, including their largest London headline show to date which was attended by Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
, Tom Meighan
Tom Meighan
Thomas Peter Meighan is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist for Indie Rock band Kasabian.-Career:Meighan has been the lead vocalist of Kasabian since the band's inception in Leicester in 1999...
, Sergio Pizzorno
Sergio Pizzorno
Sergio Lorenzo "Serge" Pizzorno is a British guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the indie rock band Kasabian. He became Kasabian's lead song-writer after the departure of Christopher Karloff....
, Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
, Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung is an English television presenter, model and contributing editor at British Vogue.She currently hosts Gonzo with Alexa Chung for MTV UK, and is scheduled to host Thrift America for PBS in 2011...
and Alison Mosshart
Alison Mosshart
Alison Nicole Mosshart is an American singer, songwriter and occasional model best known as the lead vocalist for the indie rock band The Kills and blues rock band The Dead Weather. She started her musical career in 1995 with the Florida punk rock band Discount which disbanded in 2000...
, the band then went on to the United States for twenty headline dates including sold out New York, LA and San Francisco. They also received four 2010 ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
nominations which include, 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Rock Album' for Innerspeaker
Innerspeaker
-Charts:-Personnel:* Kevin Parker – vocals and instrumentation on all tracks, except for:* Dom Simper – bass on "The Bold Arrow of Time", guitar on "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds", sound effects on "Jeremy's Storm"...
, 'Best Group' and also 'Breakthrough Artist'.
On November 29, 2010 Tame Impala's debut album "Innerspeaker
Innerspeaker
-Charts:-Personnel:* Kevin Parker – vocals and instrumentation on all tracks, except for:* Dom Simper – bass on "The Bold Arrow of Time", guitar on "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds", sound effects on "Jeremy's Storm"...
" won Australian youth-oriented radio network Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's highest honor, taking out the J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
for Album of the Year
Live
- Kevin Parker – vocals, guitar, kazoo
- Jay "Gumby" Watson – drums, backing vocals
- Dominic Simper – guitar & synth (previously bass)
- Nick "Paisley Adams" Allbrook – bass (previously guitar & keys)
Studio
- Kevin Parker – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keys
- Jay Watson – drums, keys, guitar
- Dominic Simper – percussion, bass, guitar, effects
EPs
- Tame Impala [H.I.T.S. 003] - Hole in the Sky (August, 2008) (12" vinyl) (limited re-issue April, 2009)
- Tame Impala EPTame Impala EPTame Impala is the second EP by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It reached number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels Chart and number 10 on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart. Three singles were released from the EP: "Desire Be, Desire Go", "Half Full Glass of Wine" and...
- Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(September, 2008) AUS #82
Singles
- "Sundown Syndrome"/"Remember Me" - Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(July, 2009) (7" vinyl) - "Solitude Is Bliss" - Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(April, 2010) - "Lucidity" - Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(July, 2010) - "Expectation" - Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(December, 2010) - "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind" - Modular RecordingsModular RecordingsModular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
(February, 2010)