Encore at Cockatoo Island (Your little Group)
2ND is three-piece (guitar/piano/drums) outfit from Sydney’s southwest. In this post-internet age they have chosen to remain an independent artist believing that most of the things record companies do for musicians can now be done by the musicians themselves.Rob Wolfe (lead vocals, guitar) has been writing songs and has been in and out of bands since the age of 15. It was while he was trying to find a bass player that his friend Eric Blair (piano, backing vocals) had offered to play bass. When Rob saw that Eric had piano abilities similar to that of Ben Folds, he realized that it would be crazy not to have Eric play piano. Simon Gregory (drums) was originally a trumpet player with the Salvation Army band. He’d always dreamed of being in a rock band and immediately auditioned for 2ND when he heard that Rob and Eric were looking for a drummer.Rob and Eric had studio time booked to record 2ND’s debut single ‘Don’t Be Gone For Long’ when Simon had expressed interest in joining the band. A week before going into the studio, Simon auditioned and on the strength of drumming to just that one song, he was hired. The only concern was that his wife was pregnant and due around the time 2ND were supposed to record.Sure enough on the morning Rob and Eric arrived at the studio, Simon’s wife’s water broke and she had to go to hospital. She could go into labor at any minute. In spite of that, Simon rushed from the hospital to the studio and did a few drum takes with his phone by the drum kit in case the hospital called. The call came and Simon rushed back to the hospital and watched his wife give birth to a beautiful baby girl, Jasmine. Simon’s drum performance on ‘Don’t Be Gone For Long’ was flawless and you wouldn’t know that he was under that kind of pressure at the time of recording.2ND has since played at several Sydney venues including Cockatoo Island, The Gaelic, The Bridge Hotel and even Villawood Detention Centre. Their debut single, ‘Don’t Be Gone For Long’ is about the subtle beauty that a woman possesses both inside and out and was partly inspired by the movie ‘Garden State’, now available on iTunes, Amazon Mp3 and Rhapsody.2ND live from the Cat & Fiddle Hotel, Balmain, Sydney on 26th April 2008. For more live videos from 2ND go to www.youtube.com/2ndvideos
