Mick Medew
Robert Michael Medew is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted The Screaming Tribesmen, which formed in Brisbane in 1981. Medew has written or co-written a number of independent hits, "Igloo", "Date with a Vampyre" and "I Got a Feeling", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks college charts.
Mick Medew | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Michael Medew |
| Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Associated acts | The Wolf Gang, The 31st, The Screaming Tribesmen, Mick Medew and the Rumours, Mick Medew and The Mesmerisers |
Biography
Mick Medew as lead vocalist and guitarist formed a straight-ahead hard rock band, The 31st, in Brisbane in 1979, with Ron Peno (ex-The Hellcats) on vocals, Tony Robertson (ex-Credits, ex -Wasted Daze) on bass guitar and Chris Welsh on drums.[1] They were joined by Brad Shepherd (ex-Fun Things) on guitar in mid-1980. Medew and Peno co-wrote "Igloo" and "Stand Alone".[2]
In early 1981, Peno and Welsh left (eventually forming Died Pretty), Robertson and Shepherd joined The Hitmen in Sydney and Medew formed Screaming Tribesmen in Brisbane. Medew recruited John Hartley (ex-Fun Things) on bass guitar and backing vocals and Brad's younger brother Murray Shepherd (ex-Fun Things) on drums.[1] Screaming Tribesmen had a variable line-up and relocated to Sydney.[3] They had a number seven hit single on the Alternative Songs (formerly Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks) with the Medew-penned, "I Got a Feeling" in 1988.[4][5]
In 2008, he formed Mick Medew and the Rumours, after a sabbatical from the music industry, with Ash Geary on guitar and vocals, Paul Hawker on bass guitar and Chris Dixon on drums. The band released a debut album, For Your Love, on I-94 Bar Records in 2009, then toured the east coast of Australia in 2010. They went on hiatus in 2011.
In 2011 the "classic" line-up of the Screaming Tribesmen re-formed to play dates on the east coast of Australia and release re-mastered version of their classic recordings Date with a Vampyre, Top of the Town and Bones and Flowers.
On 30 March 2015 he was awarded the prestigious GW McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Queensland Music Awards.
Since 2011, Medew has been performing with a new project, Mick Medew and The Mesmerisers. This band features ex-Screaming Tribesmen members Brian Mann (guitarist/producer), drummer Michael Charles. Bassist Lois Andrews completes the line-up. They released a self titled debut album in 2013. Their follow-up, "Open Season", was released in June 2019 on I-94 Bar Records.
References
- General
- McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2010. Note: Archived (on-line) copy has limited functionality.
- Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic.: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.[6] Note: (on-line) version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition, and appears to have an 'Internal Service Error' as from May 2010.
- Specific
- Mc Farlane, 1999, 'Screaming Tribesmen' entry.
- "Search results for "Stand Alone"". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- Holmgren, Magnus. "The Screaming Tribesmen". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ""I Got a Feeling" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- "Screaming Tribesmen > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- "Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 29 January 2010.