Almanac Music: Introducing Heed the Porter (especially today, May 10, because their single comes out today)
I went to uni with many characters. I remain in touch with many of them. One of them, Rick Abraham (whose background I’d like to write about another day, but he was president of Union College and a dead-eye with a water bomb and he has featured on the Almanac site wearing down-trou boxers in the article about ‘Eagle Rock’) put together a band, Heed the Porter, a few years ago – because he loves music and because he loves making music with other enthusiastic (and very talented) musicians. They don’t muck around. They write their own songs. They are so in the spirit of the Almanac. They’re having an absolute crack with gigs, film clips and even now a doco is coming together.
Heed the Porter are a six-piece alt rock/blues band based in Brisbane. They were formed in late 2015 by Rob Mactaggart and Rick Abraham getting together to work on some original songs. Soon after, the very talented Michelle Jackson (a previous NZ Entertainer of the Year) joined them bringing her prodigious vocal talents and she started to push the fledgling band along. It was a matter of belief and drive – and again, a commitment to making music. To doing (as Matt Zurbo says in his piece on the Almanac site yesterday). One of Brisbane leading saxophonists DMAC joined (whose broad range of professional engagement includes playing with Grace Jones, Ben Folds, James Morrison and singing backing vocals for Adele) and the band was starting to take shape. Experienced Brisbane rock drummer Dave Shaw completed the line-up, and the band recorded their first EP “when we were young”. Released in late 2016, it became ABC album of the week in early 2017.
2018 was devoted to writing and rehearsing new songs and in late 2018 they were back in the recording studio working on a second EP. In early 2019 the line-up was expanded to include professional keyboardist Michael Hynes. The second EP is due out in mid-2019, and leans more towards an alt rock/alt country feel.
The first single from the EP “going downhill” (a blues infused tale of despair that recounts the frustration disappointment, and anger of a long term relationship that has lost all purpose), will be released today on the (10 May 2019)
The members have a wide range of influences and musical experience across genres including country, alternative country, jazz, and rock.
Their songs reflect the members’ disparate experiences across life and relationships, expressed through tones of alternate rock and blues genres with country and jazz influences.
Please jump onto Spotify and have a look at their new song.
https://gyrostream.lnk.to/DownHill
www.facebook.com/heedtheporter
www.instagram.com./heedtheporter
About John Harms
JTH is a writer, publisher, speaker, historian. He is publisher and contributing editor of The Footy Almanac and footyalmanac.com.au. He has written columns and features for numerous publications. His books include Confessions of a Thirteenth Man, Memoirs of a Mug Punter, Loose Men Everywhere, Play On, The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story and Life As I Know It (with Michelle Payne). He appears (appeared?) on ABCTV's Offsiders. He can be contacted [email protected] He is married to The Handicapper and has three school-age kids - Theo, Anna, Evie. He might not be the worst putter in the world but he's in the worst four. His ambition was to lunch for Australia but it clashed with his other ambition - to shoot his age.
Had a listen on Spotify, JTH.
Not too bad at all.
Musically, they remind me very much of early 10,000 Maniacs, when the glorious Natalie Merchant was the lead singer.
Gulbo knocks a mug of coffee over the desk … muttering “damn chappish Rick” while trying to give a members stand clap.
Love it …love it even more in a smoky basement with too many bourbons down the hatcheroonie .
Super impressed after listening on Spotify. Great sound, will follow Heed the Porter closely, thanks for this introduction!