Root! was an Australian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

formed in 2005. Their music combines

alt-country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

with elements of

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

and

post-modernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wor ...

. They have gained attention through a band member being a former member of Melbourne band

TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...

.Christie Eliezer's Music Business News: Festivals
/ref>

History

In early 2005, Root! began as a series of demos written solely by lead singer Damian Cowell ("DC Root"). In late 2006, guitarist Henri Grawe ("Henri Root") was hired as a tradesperson to build a set of shelves for DC. "Henri came 'round to my house to build me some shelves and I discovered that he was a jazz trained musician". During 2006, the group was fleshed out with Steve Root on keyboards and Barnaby Root on drums. Cowell and Grawe knew each other as far back as 2000 – Grawe had worked with Cowell's former band

on their 2001 album '' De Rigueurmortis''. Their first concert as a group was made at the closing party of Melbourne's Spanish Club on 17 June 2007. Although barely announced, word that an alleged member of TISM was unveiling a new project led to a large, expectant crowd assembling. From there, word of mouth spread, leading to heavy traffic on the band's nascent

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

page, the creation of a fan website entitled ''The Root! Compendium'', and growing demand for an album. Root! appeared at a handful of other performances over the next few months, whilst re-recording tracks for their debut album, ''

Root Supposed He Was Out Of The Question ''Root Supposed He Was Out of the Question...'' is the debut album by Australian rock band Root!, released on 7 December 2007. The album is a mixture of country, rock and comedy lyrics, as well as sections of spoken word. Although the album was ...

.'' In 2008, the band played live with additional musicians Joe Talia (a.k.a. Joe Root,

pedal steel The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

and banjo) and Douglas Lee Robertson (a.k.a. Doug Lee Root, bass).The Root! Compendium – Old News – February 2008
– "I was accompanied to my left by the ..figure of Doug Lee Root on bass and vocals. ..the bassist and singer for Melbourne's much-loved, critically acclaimed Ice-Cream Hands" -DC Root ''Root Supposed He Was Out Of The Question'' was released in December 2007 and featured no singles. During 2008 tours, new material was played including "Get Up Yourself" which became the first single from the follow-up album ''

Surface Paradise ''Surface Paradise'' is the second full-length album by Australian rock band Root! (Australian band), Root!, released on 24 July 2009. The album follows the previous year's Extended Play, EP release ''Get Up Yourself'', of which several refer ...

''.The Root! Compendium – Old News – October, 2008
"See Root! play their forthcoming album ''Root Is The Money Of All Evil''..." In 2009, drummer Barnaby Root left the band and was replaced with Smiley Root. After playing several gigs and appearing in the video for "My Other Bumper Sticker is Intelligent", he left the band to be replaced by Owen Root. Around this time, the album ''Surface Paradise'' was released. After a handful of gigs in mid-2010, Root! announced they would be playing their "Last Ever Show" on 20 August 2010. Although the press release concluded with "... is there a new project on the way? All will be revealed soon. Stay tuned." For the next three years, Cowell, Robinson and Grawe performed as a trio under the name

The DC3 The DC3 were an Australian rock band who were composed of three members of Root!. They were known for lead singer Damian Cowell being a former member of TISM. They released their first single, "I Was the Guy in TISM" in 2010. A remixed and exte ...

. For their one-year anniversary, Root! reformed to open for The DC3 at the Regal Ballroom, 3 February 2012.

Musical style and influences

DC Root and Henri Root claim that their initial common musical ground was the

Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, '' The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band ...

Webcuts Music: Root! The Interview
(Interview) 27 April 2008. Accessed 10 July 2008. and

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...

. DC describes Root! as made up of all the things he loves about country that has been mixed with other genres. It is the "long-winded musical excursion" with "a little wit as well" inherent in country music that allows DC Root to employ poetic, literary imagery and then undercuts it with self-effacing references.

Members

* DC Root (a.k.a.

Damian Cowell Damian Joseph Cowell, also known by his former stage names Humphrey B. Flaubert and DC Root, is an Australian musician who is best known as the frontman for TISM, Root!, The DC3, Damian Cowell's Disco Machine and Arseless Chaps. History Cowell ...

The Age, 7 September 2007 "Out of the question"
/ref>) – vocals, samples * Henri Root (a.k.a. Henri Grawe) – guitar, vocals * Doug Lee Root (a.k.a. Douglass Lee Robertson) – Bass, vocals * Steve Root (a.k.a. Steve Paix
/ref>) – keyboards, vocals * Owen Root (a.k.a. Owen Smythe) – drums – Former drummer for Grin Dogs and Splurge. ;Former members * Barnaby Root (a.k.a. Barnaby Gold) – drums, vocals * Joe Root (a.k.a. Joe Talia, played live only) – slide guitar, banjo * Smiley Root (a.k.a. Derek Smiley, former drummer for Ice Cream Hands)

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Root Victoria (state) musical groups Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 TISM