Artists/Bands [K-L]

NB: If an individual’s Christian or surname is currently unknown this is indicated by an asterisk placed between brackets [*].

LISSA KÄTHE

(aka Lissa Rummery / Lissa Monk)

  • Bands: Blackthorn ▪ Garden2Garden

Piano/vocals/songwriter/bass/piano accordion, harp, drum programming/music director/producer.

The second youngest of seven siblings, and the daughter of a prominent Armidale actor/director and lecturer, Lissa-Käthe Rummery was passionate about music and performance from a young age. She took up piano lessons as a child and continued developing her talent as a student at O’Connor Catholic High School. She was also influenced by members of her musically-inclined extended family, especially her older brother Richard Rummery. Another, perhaps an even more significant influence, was Kate Bush, and in particular her ode to Wuthering Heights. Although Lissa displayed much talent as a musician and writer she in fact failed music in high school because, as she notes herself, she spent too much time creating my own pieces on the piano and not doing the work set. She later attended the Northern Conservatorium of the Arts, majoring in piano and vocals. Around the same time she became interested in the bass guitar, which led to her meeting Nick Monk and ‘Kez’ Watson. Together they played in the Celtic band Blackthorn (ca. 2001), a period in which Lissa discovered her deep passion for Celtic music.

L-R: unknown, Nick Monk, Lissa Monk, Kez Watson

During the early-2000s Lissa-Käthe also became involved in both the musical and technical aspects of some major theatrical productions in the New England region, including the Australian premiere of the spectacular and very successful Richard Harvey and Ralph Stedman’s Plague and Moonflower (Armidale 2003). She participated in several choirs and orchestras, with one highlight being her solo vocalist spot in ‘A Night On Broadway’ (featuring Peter Cousins). Another highlight from around this same period was her involvement in a magnificent large-scale musical performance at one of the Woodford Folk Festivals. Other appearances included local productions of Les Miserable, Orpheus In The Underworld, and Sweeney Todd. She also performed the female lead ‘Marion’ in the Armidale Drama and Musical Society’s production of The Music Man.

In 2006  Lissa-Käthe debuted her compositions in a public concert, comprising a quartet, percussionist, and 4 backing vocalists. The following year she and Kez Watson (along with manager Heather Grigg) undertook a three month tour of the Scotland and Yorkshire. Prior to their departure Lissa recorded a five song EP. Titled Lissa Käthe, it comprises four of her own compositions and one by Grigg’s brother Clay Djubal. The 2007 UK tour was a pivotal period in Lissa-Käthe’s creative development in that it allowed her many new and exciting opportunities. A performance at Lunga Estate near Oban on the west coast of Scotland led to an invitation to a workshop with the famous Scottish fiddler Ally Bain and a performance with Beck Sian at Haworth in West Yorkshire, England. She was also able to meet many of the people she had previously communicated with through the Kate Bush forum, including lyricist/visual artist Nat Hall. After returning to Australia Lissa-Käthe was invited by Hall and his brother Dave (guitar) to collaborate on a long-distance recording project that came to be known as Garden2Garden. After many months of writing and recording via email between Australia and the the Shetland Islands, the trio mixed the resulting album, Airborne, over the winter of 2007/08. It was released in early-2008.

Following her return to Australia Lissa-Käthe completed a Diploma in Film and Media at the Armidale TAFE College. This experience encouraged her to experiment with composing for visual media, and a number of her pieces have been used for student productions. Sometime the following year she returned to Scotland, residing there for several years. Between 2010 and 2012 she played regularly at the well-known Edinburgh vegetarian restaurant, Hendersons. She also performed at the Leith Folk Club. Among her collaborations during her time in Edinburgh was an creative association with Irish flute and lyre player Danielle Roelofsen. In 2010 Lissa-Käthe entered 10 songs in the internationally-renowned UK Songwriting Competition. Seven of these, including an instrumental, made it to the semi-finals.  A further three received commendations from the judging panel. 2010 also saw the digital release her debut solo mini-album, Reach You. Recorded by Stuart Hamilton  at Castlesounds Studios, Edinburgh, and featuring Roelofsen on flute, Reach You also marked the debut of Lissa-Käthe’s production company, Octavia’s Dream Recordings. While still in Edinburgh she digitally-released a single, “Comfort” b/w “In a Loving Heart” (2012), and her first full-length album, Satori (2012). Danielle Roelfsen features in both once again, with Lissa-Käthe performing all other instruments.

By 2013 Lissa-Käthe had returned to Australia. That same year she began a long-running association with One World Music Radio, presenting the podcasts ‘Souls Australis’ and ‘Ancestral Hearts.’ The following year she began teaching music privately and in 2018 completed a Certificate III in Education Support, which has allowed her to provide group lessons in local primary schools. The following year she began a Bachelor of Contemporary Music at Southern Cross University (Lismore, NSW), moving her business temporarily to the nearby township of Wyrallah.

Lissa-Käthe has continued to perform live at various festivals (notably Celtic festivals), private functions, and community events. She has also continued to record and release her music, both digitally and on disc. In recent years much of her music features the harp, an instrument she took up in the mid to late-2010s. This musical output includes the albums Calanais (2018), Bravery (2019), and Harp Dreaming (2020).

Sources: Lissa-Käthe (website) • Bandcamp • LinkedIn • Lissa-Käthe Music at Facebook • Lissa-Käthe MySpace page (no longer active) • Lissa-Käthe (correspondence, June 2010) • Garden2Garden MySpace page (no longer active). Images: All photos courtesy of Lissa-Käthe.
Images: Bottom photo – Lissa-Käthe in Stanthorpe, 2024 by Scott Rawstorne (courtesy of Stanthorpe Today 1 July 2024). Copyright ownership of all other photos unknown (from author’s private collection).

KELSEY

(ca. 1972 – 1976)

 

  • Personel: James Arthur(keyboards/vocals) ▪ Bob Jones (guitar/vocals) ▪ Ron ‘Rocky’ Lane (bass/vocals) [below] ▪ Brian ‘Lanky’ Moore (drums/vocals)

One of Armidale’s leading rock band of the early to mid-1970s, Kelsey evolved out of Scamp (which had included Bob Jones, Rocky Lane and Lanky Moore). Brian Moore recalls that the band, which often rehearsed at the Cathedral Hall. had a  repertoire comprising a mix of classic rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s.  Among the bands and performers to be covered were Australians Healing Force, Renee Geyer, the Little River Band, and Ariel, along with overseas acts like 10cc, The Beach Boys, KGB, Fleetwood Mac (early period), Steely Dan, Supertramp, Hot Chocolate, El Chicano, Leo Sayer, and Ashton, Gardner and Dyke. Interestingly the band didn’t play any original compositions.

Kelsey went on to play at most of the major Armidale venues as well as around other Northern Tablelands centres. One of its last regular gigs was the Saturday afternoon session at Tattersall’s Hotel (beginning July 1976).

Following the band’s break-up Lanky Moore and Rocky Lane remained in Armidale, with Moore co-founding the hard rock outfit Constable Green and Moore (with Kim Constable and Chris Green), while Lane put together the stylish Ukiah (later Morocco).  Lane also soon afterwards established Lane Music Co with his brother. Bob Jones in the meantime moved to Sydney where he played in the band Stunned Mullet, before teaming up with Moore (and Constable) to form the Sydney-based power-pop trio The Chooks.

Sources: Clay Djubal (2010) • Brian Moore (interview, Aug. 2010 and correspondence, Sept. 2010) • Neucleus (1976-79). Image: Photos courtesy of Brian Moore† • Wright College advertisement, Neucleus (Armidale) 11 Aug. 1976, 31.

PETER KERR

(ca. 1960 – )

Keyboards/vocals

In 1975, while a student at Armidale High School Peter Kerr co-founded Elsess with Bruce Jones, Peter Makeham,David Lennon and Jon Anderson. Along with the Duval High-based Edge, Elsess was one of Armidale’s leading high school bands. Kerr later played with Bruce Jones in the pop/rock outfit, Kordz, with Doiran James.

Armidale High School (6th Form, 1977). Peter Kerr: second row, second from left. Bruce Jones: second row, centre.
Source: Clay Djubal (2010), Jon Anderson (2010) • Image source: Facebook “Armidale of Yesteryear (1977)” page (NB: 3rd Form in Australia is now known a Year 9). See also Bruce Jones entry for an Armidale High School photograph from 1974 (also with Peter Kerr).

KORDZ

(1979-1982)

  • Personnel incl. Doiran James(guitar/vocals) ▪ Bruce Jones (guitar/lead vocals) ▪ Peter Kerr (piano) [above] ▪ Pat O’Brien (drums) ▪ Peter Williams (bass)

Formed in early-1979 Kordz played its first major gig at the Imperial Hotel, Armidale in May 1979. Utilising the vocal strengths of Bruce Jones and Doiran James, and the melodic timbre of Peter Kerr’s piano playing, the band’s repertoire comprised a mix of snappy pop tunes, rock classics and a smattering of original songs. Kordz established a popular reputation in Armidale and wider New England pub circuit during the late-1970s and early-1980s. Following the band’s breakup in early-1982 Doiran James went on to co-found Crash Landing with Rod Clay.†

Source: Doiran James (correspondence, 2009).
† See Clay Djubal.

ROBERT ‘BOB’ LANE

With Shane ca. 1972

Guitar / vocals / cornet / trumpet

Bob Lane was a member of the De La Salle Catholic College band, Manic Depression, in 1970, along with his cousin Nobby Osbourne. He’d first begun performing as a musician, however, with his older brother Ron in the Armidale City Band, which was led by their father (a tuba player). Both brothers also played brass instruments (primarily cornet and trumpet).  In 1971 Lane and Osborne joined forces with several members of another De La Salle  band, Purple Haze, to form Shane. That band went on to achieve considerable local success over the next two years, including coming second in two regional heats of the 1972 Hoadley Battle of the Sounds, and competing in the Northern New South Wales regional finals at Newcastle (coming third overall).

In late-1976 Lane joined his older brother Rocky for a year in Scamp before going off to play with another local band, Chainsaw. The Lane brothers also set up their own music store in 1977. Situated centrally in the Armidale Mall, Lane Music Co provided a specialist service for contemporary musicians in Armidale and other nearby centres and further established both brothers as leading industry practitioners during the 1970s and 1980s.

With Shane (Armidale High School dance, 1972)
Source: Clay Djubal (2010) • Brian Moore (interview, Aug. 2010). Image: Photos courtesy of Brian Moore†

RON ‘ROCKY’ LANE

Rocky Lane (L) with Bob Jones in Kelsey

Bass guitar / cornet / trumpet /vocals

Ron Lane, better known as Rocky, started performing as a brass musician with the Armidale City Band, which was for many years run by his father (a tuba player). In the early to mid-1960s Lane co-founded the acoustic folk trio Artisans with Ralph Monley and Greg Goldsmith. The group, which played a mostly folk repertoire, later morphed into one of Armidale’s first electric bands, Firebirds. This was followed in 1970 by the five-piece Mantra, which included Lane’s cousin Garry Osborne on drums. Ralph Monley’s brother, Brian, also joined as keyboardist after Greg Goldsmith left.

In late-1972 Lane, Bob Jones, James Arthur and Brian ‘Lanky’ Moore formed Kelsey, arguably the town’s premiere band during the early to mid-1970s.  Jones and Moore had previously played with Lane’s younger brother Bob in Shane.

After Kelsey disbanded in 1976 the Lane brothers joined forces to form Scamp with Lanky Moore and keyboardist Clive Gregory (formerly a member of the John Grigg Quartet). Scamp remained together for about a year. Rocky then went on to play with Alias, while Bob joined Chainsaw and Brian Moore co-founded Constable Green and Moore.

In 1977 Lane set up Lane Music Co in the Beardy St Mall with his brother. The business quickly established a reputation in Armidale for stocking the latest music equipment and technology, providing the town and nearby centres with a level of service and expertise typically available only in the larger Australian cities.

Source: Brian Moore (interview, Aug. 2010). Images Photos courtesy of Brian Moore.†

DAVE LENNON

  • Bands incl. The Allniters ▪ Club Ska ▪ Elsess ▪ The Igniters ▪ The Jumpers ▪ Strange Tenants

From the ‘Montego Bay’ video*

Dave Lennon’s first band is believed to have been Elsess, an Armidale high school band which formed ca. 1976. After leaving the town in the late-1970s Lennon joined The Jumpers (1979-1980), possibly the first Australian band to dedicate itself to ska music. He later joined the newly-formed Strange Tennants (previously The Catch), a Melbourne-based ska band formed by Ian and Bruce Hearn. The band played its  debut gig at the 1981 Lygon Street Fiesta and quickly established a popular following in the city. Accorded favourable reviews for the release of its self-titled debut mini album (recorded only weeks after the first gig) Strange Tenants began receiving airplay on alternative radio and soon afterwards started touring nationally.

Lennon left Strange Tenants in 1983 to join The Allniters, a Sydney-based ska band which had already established a formidable live reputation and was a particular favourite at the city’s Sussex Hotel (a centre for the mod scene, and later the ska/bluebeat and dub scene). Lennon’s involvement with the band was luckily during its peak commercial period, which began with the release of “Montego Bay,” a cover of the classic Bobby Bloom song. This was followed by the LP D-D-D-Dance and another single, “Love and Affection.” All three releases went into the Australian Top 40, with ‘Montego Bay reaching #10 (an earlier single, ‘Hold On’ had reached #15 on the Sydney charts). The Allniters released two more singles – “Screaming Dreaming” (1984) and “I Saw You First” (1984) before disbanding in early-1985.

During his career Dave Lennon has played with all the major Australian ska bands, the only musician to have done so. His other affiliations include The Igniters (an Allniters offshoot) and Club Ska.

In 2000 Bantam Books published Lennon’s Rude Boy Train, a first person (gay) sex, drugs and music romp that centres on Connery, a drummer with ska band The Intensifiers. Drawing on his own (and other’s experiences) Lennon takes the reader back to the Australian pub rock era of the early-1980s. As the band bounces between success and failure while constantly touring the country, so too Connery bumbles and stumbles his way through a succession of boyfriends.

The Allniters ca. 1984. Dave Lennon (back row, centre)
Source: Australian Rock Database (online) • Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. • ‘Allniters‘ Wikipedia • Boomerang Books.com. Images: Top photo courtesy of The Allniters  • Rude Boy Train image courtesy of Bantam Books • Bottom photo courtesy of www.nostalgiacentral.com] †

have gravity will threaten

† Copyright for this image has either not been ascertained or we have been unable to locate the owner . If you are the copyright owner and want the image removed please contact this website. To see HGWT and the NTMIA’s copyright statement go to the “About the Northern Tablelands Music Industry Archive” page.

Northern Tablelands Music Industry Archive


One Response to “Artists/Bands [K-L]”

  1. […] and http://www.myspace.com/garden2garden, or find out more about her career through the Northern Tablelands Music Industry Archive at Have Gravity Will Threaten […]

    Press Release « Have Gravity Will Threaten said this on June 7, 2010 at 10:47 am

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