Some bands jump bandwagons. Others are already on the street, polishing their razor riffs and slamming power pop harmonies when the bandwagon ploughs through. Bodyjar is one of those bands, and they’re standing taller than ever.
Melbourne’s established kings of the blistering, singalong punk anthem started honing their craft when most of the world was into rock of a more grave and dirty hue.
“We were all into similar stuff at high school: The Descendents, All, The Ramones, The Hard-Ons,” remembers front man Cameron Baines. “Nirvana and Pearl Jam were massive so it was always hard to find bands to play with ‘cause they were all into the Seattle thing.”
Cameron, bassist Grant Relf and guitarist Ben Peterson emerged from the ashes of Helium (they released one album in 93). Drummer Ross Hetherington joined in 95 and Bodyjar began to build a formidable reputation on the explosive all-ages pub circuit of Melbourne.
With their first album, 95’s “Take A Look Inside”, allegiances were forged with a web of indie record labels worldwide, a network hungry for new blood to spread as far afield as Europe, the USA and Japan.
“Bands like Green Day and Offspring were just starting to make waves and they were making it easy for us to get international release deals,” Cam says. “We had the album ready to go at the right time.”
They’d also impressed all the right people, from The Descendents (who produced the album on a timely visit south) to Face To Face and No Fun At All, who took Bodyjar to Japan, Europe and Canada in 95/96.
“We were stoked,” says Ross. “Our first album and we were travelling the world with all these great bands. We started to make a lot of good friends.” No kidding. Blink 182, Bodyjar and Pennywise were the powerhouse, triple-headed sound of things to come when they toured Australia together in 95.
The “Rimshot LP” followed in 96 and Bodyjar took to the world again: Canada, Japan, America’s east coast, one step ahead as the So-Cal skate-punk bandwagon thundered around the corner.
Album three, “No Touch Red” was slammed down in Montreal over 12 days and mixed by All’s Bill and Stephan in Colorado. “We were straight off tour and playing everything really fast,” Cam chuckles. “But I'm really proud of that album anyway.”
“Remote Controller” swamped the alternative airwaves and the “Strange Harvest” EP kept the momentum rolling as Bodyjar continued to count their blessings: Snow Jam in Canada, CBGBs in New York, Summersault across Australia with Rancid, The Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth and Beck, Warped with Royal Crown Revue, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Pennywise.
But it was time for Bodyjar to examine their international affairs. “I wanted to consolidate,” says Cam. “We just didn’t know what was going on from one country to the next.”
There were problems at home too, and Ben Peterson opted out after the finale of the 1998 Big Day Out with Marilyn Manson, Hole and Korn. “It was really disheartening,” Cam says, “but we’d already demoed eight of the best songs we’d ever done so Ross, Granto and I decided to go on.”
Enter guitarist Tommy Read (ex-180 Discord), Bodyjar’s new addition of May 99. “He's been a godsend,” says Ross. “He fit the bill really well and he's given us a good kick up the arse. Tommy knew all the harmonies and lots of guitar stuff so it was a cruisy transition.”
Recharged and liberated from company ties, Bodyjar toured the east coast and kept the new songs coming. Soon after signing to EMI, there were 33 demos in the can with a spectacular short list for their fifth and finest LP.
“How It Works” took shape at Melbourne’s Sing Sing studios in January 2000 with final mixes by veteran rocker Tom Lord Alge. Kevin “Caveman” Shirley mixed the first single, “Not The Same” and hot Australian producer Kalju Tonuma (28 Days, Screaming Jets, iNsuRge) added texture, grunt and a sense of adventure to Bodyjar’s new lease of life.
“Kal’s cool, he’s got great ideas,” Cam says. “He’s good at thinking of little harmonies, extra melody parts. He'd come up with some freaky ideas sometimes”. “He brought out this keyboard,” Ross recalls, “and we’re like ‘Hang on, man, we’re not a synth band!’ But the keyboards are almost subliminal. He knew the operative word was rock. In the end we’re playing better, it's more thought-out and it’s a way stronger album than what we’ve done before.”
From the triumphant radio riff of “Not The Same” to the knee-trembling chorus of “Fall To The Ground” and the apocalyptic buzz-saw showstopper “Running Out Of Time”, Cameron Baines can’t help but agree. “How It Works” finally brings the sonic reality in line with the lofty Bodyjar legend.
“It’s kinda been two years in the making from writing the first song to finishing it. It’s a stronger set of songs, it’s more melodic. I wanted an album that didn’t have any filler and we’ve got it. Every song counts.”
