Draft:Super Florence Jam

Super Florence Jam
OriginSydney, Australia
Genres
Years active2006–2012
LabelsBird's Robe Records

Super Florence Jam, stylised as super FLORENCE jam, were a four-piece rock band from Sydney, Australia that were active between 2006 and 2012. The group was composed of vocalist and guitarist Adam Krawczyk, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Laurence Rosier Staines, drummer Mike Solo and bassist Alex Tulett.[1]. They were known for their musical virtuosity and genre experimentation[2][3],

History

edit

After placing second in the 2006 Sydney University Band Competition to Cloud Control[4], the band issued a series of independent EPs including "Fisticuffs" (2008) which contained forty minutes of improvised music across two tracks.[5] Super Florence Jam were pivotal in the development of Sydney's progressive rock and experimental scene[6], headlining many early shows of the Birds Robe Collective[7], playing across Australia with artists such as sleepmakeswaves, Ten Thousand Free Men and Their Families, Cog and Bridezilla and performing extended medleys that included covers of works by King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Focus and Jacques Offenbach as well as their own material[8].

In 2009, the band's launched their self-titled EP at Sydney's renowned Gaelic Club with Made In Japan[9]. The EP, mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, catalysed a national tour[10][11] that saw them described in Honi Soit as "one of the tightest bands playing in our city today ... a musical travelogue of madness with the instrumental sensitivity of prog-rock and an injection of garage venom."[12] The same year they were the only rock band to perform alongside the Sydney University Graduate Choir, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Orchestra and harpsichordist Neal Peres da Costa at the 150th anniversary of the Great Hall of the University of Sydney, closing the proceedings with 'Gaudeamus igitur'.[13]. They also supported artists such as Bertie Blackman, Shihad and Philadelphia Grand Jury.

The band followed up in 2011 with 'six singles in six months' that covered a variety of styles[14] and were collected on their next EP We Always Knew It Would Come To This. It secured the quartet radio play on Triple J with 'fiery punk rock track' Irrepressible[4] and was called "explosive" by Italian rock magazine Rumore with comparisons to the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

Super Florence Jam ceased activity in 2012 after a final show with Mental As Anything. In 2020 they released the live album You've Had It Too Easy For Too Long recorded at their 300th show at Sydney's Manning Bar in 2011 and mastered by sleepmakeswaves' Alex Wilson.[15]

Their first two EPs were distributed by MGM Distribution and reissued in 2021 by Birds Robe Records[16][17][18]

Releases

edit
  • super FLORENCE jam (2009)
  • We Always Knew It Would Come To This (2011)
  • You've Had It Too Easy For Too Long (2020)

Members

edit
  • Adam Krawczyk - vocals and guitar
  • Laurence Rosier Staines - vocals, guitar and keys
  • Mike Solo - drums
  • Alex Tulett - bass

References

edit
  1. ^ "Super Florence Jam - MusicNSW". 5 August 2010.
  2. ^ "Super Florence Jam Live at the Pony". 10 November 2010.
  3. ^ "The Progfiles Archives: June 2021".
  4. ^ a b "super Florence jam Announce International Release of "We Always Knew It Would Come To This"! | FrontView Magazine".
  5. ^ "Super Florence Jam". 19 February 2009.
  6. ^ "The Head of My Department: Super Florence Jam". 26 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Hidden Currents - A look behind the scenes of the Bird's Robe Collective". 10 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Jager Uprising/Birds Robe Presents: Squat Club, Captain Kickarse & the Awesomes, i like cats, Triangle and super FLORENCE jam - the Annandale Hotel 15/10/08". 30 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Super FLORENCE jam EP Launch, the Gaelic Theatre, 08/08/09". 22 August 2009.
  10. ^ "Melodic Net - We Rock, do you?".
  11. ^ "Super Florence Jam National EP Tour 2009". 29 October 2009.
  12. ^ https://honisoit.com/archive/print/2010/1009.pdf
  13. ^ https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/6241/annual_report_2009.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  14. ^ "Drum Media Sydney Issue #1052 by TheMusic.com.au - Issuu". issuu.com. March 20, 2011.
  15. ^ "You've Had It Too Easy for Too Long, by super FLORENCE jam".
  16. ^ "Reviews | Super Florence Jam - Super Florence Jam".
  17. ^ "Babyblaue Prog-Reviews: Super Florence Jam: We Always Knew It Would Come to This: Review".
  18. ^ "Aor Melodic Rock Prog Hardrock Indie Singer Songwriter".