you barbarians
Dave Currie once played bass in a Wellington hard rock band called Jones, which enjoyed an intense following for the year or so they were gigging. They were really good, but they shared frontman and guitarist Nick Major with another upstarting local group, Autozamm.
When Autozamm relocated to Auckland, Jones came to an end.
Dave turned to writing a novella then completing a novel a few years later. The themes he felt deeply about in his mid twenties suited this longer form - life, death, the world, politics and personal philosophy seemed too unwieldy to make for good 4-minute rock songs.
Dave was in contact with NY internet pen-pal Ian Ignjic, who he met on an email-based forum for bands and heavy music in the late nineties. They held very compatible views on music. Ian was a mean guitarist - out there on a Vernon Reid/Alain Johannes avant-garde hard rock trip. Becoming friends, in 2005 Dave visited Ian in NYC for a month where they worked on music. They made some recordings and Dave returned home immediately making plans to move to NYC and start a band.
Dave headed back to NY in early 2007, but plans fell through and Dave returned to NZ.
Settling back into Wellington life, Dave took up bass in Eva Prowse’s band where he co-wrote several songs and sang backup. The following year Dave contributed to Eva;s Dad, Chris Prowse’s solo record, Trouble on the Waterfront (which won the Tui for best folk/roots album that year).
On his 30th birthday, Dave’s wife brought him his dream electric guitar. Immediately everything changed, as if snapping back into focus. With the guitar, Dave could translate ideas from brain to sound waves instantaneously. Partial song ideas suddenly came together in a flash. Dave had a body of work together in a couple of months and was finally able to fit into song the themes he chased in longer fiction - life, death, politics and such.
Enlisting friends at home and abroad – including guitarist friend Ian Ignjic, Dave recorded his debut e.p. Helioshiva under the name You Barbarians – due for release August 21st 2015.
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