Artists/Bands [S]
Scamp to Shearwater ……. 1.
Shooting School to Shoot the DJ ……. 2.
Jo-Ann Simmons to John Solomons ……. p.3.
Some Trippin’ Diggers to Preston Stahlut
Pete Stanley to Sundown ……. p.5.
SOME TRIPPIN’ DIGGERS
(1985-)
An early Trippin’ Diggers line-up: L-R: Matt Hirst, Clay Djubal, Ziggy Mirza
- Contributors: Howard Dawson (vocals) ▪ Marcel Dorney (composer/guitar/music and theatre director, 1998) ▪ Clay Djubal (composer/bass/vocals/keyboards/ drums/guitars, 1985-2008) ▪ Bart Douglass [aka Bart Black] (guitar/vocals, 1986) ▪ Heather Grigg (photography, 1985-86) ▪ Jarred Harriss (vocals, 1996) ▪ Matt Hirst (drums/vocals/composer, 1985) ▪ Doiran James (guitars/vocals/composer, 1985-86, 1997-98) ▪ Travis Kirk (vocals, 1996) ▪ Tom McGhee (drums, 1997-1998) ▪ Nick Miles (composer/lead guitar/vocals, 1985-86) ▪ Siegfried ‘Ziggy’ Mirza (composer/lead guitar/bass/vocals, 1985-86) ▪ Ian Mitchell (drums/sound, 1985-86) ▪ David Morris (guitar/vocals/composer, 1985) ▪ Mark Newton (drums, 1997) ▪ Cassandra Prucha (piano/vocals, 1998) ▪ James Renwick (clarinet) ▪ Jo-ann Simmons [above] (words/lighting, 1985-86) ▪ Des Smith (keyboards,1985-86) ▪ Lynne Stagg (vocals/words, 1985-86) ▪ Ross Stagg [see: Shooting School above] (guitar/vocals/producer/composer, 1985-86) ▪ Alicia Whisson (flute, 1995) .
A creative collective comprising musicians, writers, performers, designers and photographers, Some Trippin’ Diggers was founded in Sydney by Clay Djubal and Jo-ann Simmons during the mid-1980s. Conceived as a collaborative project following the disbanding of Shoot the DJ [above], its name originates from the band that formed on Sydney’s northern beaches in early-1984. Comprising Djubal, Matt Hirst, Ziggy Mirza and Des Smith, the group rehearsed for some six months but never played any gigs. They did, however, record three songs at Emerald City Studios in Brookvale. It was later available on cassette.
TR707 (and Ian Mitchell) †
Clay Djubal had in the meantime re-established S.T.D. Music, Hire and Promotion out of Mona Vale, and as both entities shared the same acronyms, the collective’s name seemed fortutitus. The Some Trippin’ Diggers project effectively evolved largely as a means of creating and recording music. Among the early contributors were Siegfried Mirza and Ian Mitchell (formerly with Shoot the DJ), and ex-Armidalian David Morris (Vice Squad, Health Club), along with Sydney-based musicians/writers Matt Hirst, Des Smith, and Ross Stagg. Additional contributions were made by Howie Dawson, James Renwick, Lyn Stagg and Heather Grigg (photography) The collective recorded a CD of songs recorded during this period (Paralytic with Intelligence) is to be released in late-2023 on the HGWT label.
Some Trippin’ Diggers went into hiatus for several years beginning 1989. This followed the closure of Clayz Kitchen and the Djubals’ separation. Clay resurrected the project in Brisbane while undertaking his Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees at the University of Queensland (1993-1998). In addition to live solo performances around Brisbane, he wrote and recorded songs and music for several theatrical productions and was involved in promoting other musicians and creative artists. For the theatrical work he was assisted at various times by fellow students, and primarily drama students from the The School of English (later known as the School of English, Media Studies and Art History, or EMSAH). This period’s highlight occurred in early-1998 with the creation of a rock musical called The Last Word – a collaboration between Clay, Toowoomba-based playwright Cameron Davies, writer/director/guitarist Marcel Dorney, and a group of undergraduate actors. The musical was staged at the Cement Box Theatre in 1998 by Pandemonium Theatre in collaboration with Aquarius/Gemini Productions. A cassette soundtrack was made available by Have Gravity Will Threaten during the season, and converted to CD in 2008.
The Last Word Band: L-R – Marcel Dorney, Thom McGee, Clay Djubal
During the remainder of the 1990s Clay completed an MA and began a doctoral thesis in drama (he was awarded a PhD in 2005). He continued to write and record music in collaboration with other musicians, notably Marcel Dorney, Cassandra Prucha, and Katoomba (NSW)-based songwriter/musician Doiran James. A double CD collection of songs from this period (The Larrikin Demofestos) was released by HGWT in 2008. His academic work took precedence from the early-2000s, however, and the Some Trippin’ Diggers project did not continue into the new millenium. He began the Northern Tablelands Music Industry Archive in 2009 as a tribute to the region’s rock musicians who were active in the years before and during his time as an New England-based entertainer in the 1970s and 1980s. His first success in promoting prominent New England musicians occurred in 2010 when Have Gravity’s press release for Lissa-Käthe Rummery was published in the Armidale Express.
Some Trippin’ Diggers. “You Got Me.” (1984) From Paralytic with Intelligence.
Some Tripping Diggers. “Come Down” (1994). From The Larrikin Demofestos.
Some Tripping Diggers. “Time Will Tell” (1994). From The Larrikin Demofestos.
Some Trippin Diggers. “Amy Lee.” (1996). Guitar: Marcel Dorney. From The Larrikin Demofestos.
“You Got Me” recorded at Emerald City Studios, Brookvale NSW (Clay Djubal, vocals/bass; Matt Hirst: drums/vocal; Des Smith: keyboards; Ziggy Mirza: guitar/vocals) ▪ “Come Down,” and “Time Will Tell” Recorded in Everton Park, Brisbane. (Clay Djubal: all instruments and voices) ▪ “Amy Lee” recorded in Stafford Heights, Brisbane. (Clay Djubal: voices/bass/keyboards/drums; Marcel Dorney: guitars).
Clay Djubal and Marcel Dorney (1998)
- Discography [PDF]
Source: Abstract derived from AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource. Images: Top photo courtesy of Heather Grigg • Bottom photo courtesy of Quest Newspapers • ‘Last Word Band‘ photo by Geoff Squires • all other photos courtesy of Clay Djubal.
PRESTON STAHLUT
(1958 – )
Preston Stahlut (ca. late 1970s)
- Bands: Doll Q ▪ Guerilla ▪ The Inmates
- Also associated with Vice Squad
Guitar/bass/vocals/songwriter.
Raised in Potts Point and Edgecliff in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Preston Stahlut moved to Armidale in late-1976 or early-1977 to join some friends in a band [unknown]. His mother and two sisters joined him in late-1977. Stahlut’s extraordinary prowess as a guitarist was immediately acknowledged within the local music scene and he was a regular invitee to jams. During this period he was a central figure in the Guerilla jam collective, and a number of sessions were held on the veranda of his mother’s house, situated near the New England Highway adjacent to the New England Girls’ School (N.E.G.S). In early-1979 the newly formed Vice Squad recorded several songs at one of these jam sessions, with Stahlut on bass and backing vocals.
With The Inmates *
In 1979 Stahlut joined The Inmates, replacing the band’s first guitarist, David Morris. The other members were Simon Morgan (vocals), Peter Newell (bass) and drummer John Solomons [above]. Although lasting little more than a year together The Inmates established itself as one of the most dynamic live acts to have ever come from the town. While essentially a punk band, Stahlut’s scintillating guitar work set band apart from the genre (i.e. no lead solos) and in this respect his influence on emerging guitarists in the town was significant. After The Inmates disbanded Stahlut put together Doll Q with local identity and drummer, Darrell Mitchell (aka Dirty Dan). He also continued jamming with many local musicians. He is remembered for a memorable duet with Jen Anderson at Lingus’ (a short lived venue near the old cinema in Beardy Street) and he also jammed with Tommy Emmanuel on several occasions when the guitar virtuoso was in town.
Sometime around 1981 Stahlut moved to Sydney and set about establishing himself in a number of bands and as a session musician. His whereabouts during the remainder of the 1980s and early-1990s has not been ascertained. He is, however, known to have moved to Grafton, New South Wales, sometime in the 1990s. One of the bands he was associated with was The Detectives. He is also believed to have taught music at the Grafton TAFE during the late-1990s/early-2000s. His song ‘The Truth About Questions‘ appears on the album Cocktail, which was produced and released in 2003 by NCI Music (the North Coast Institute of TAFE, Grafton).
Have Gravity Will Threaten 