Baxter Stone is an Australian singer songwriter and played in powerful seminal Australian rock bands Primitive Painters, LipStick Jack, Two Dollar Moon, Lagermorph, and more.
Baxter has had a key role in recording and production of original material and ensuring that many of these musical outfits have had releases on vinyl or cd. He has engaged in numerous live performances on both as a musician and production/tour manager on tours throughout Australia.
Baxter's first band Primitive Painters came to notice with a song written by the band called "Undertow and appears on the Greasy Pop compilation album, "An oasis in a desert of noise" released in 1985. The album was considered and still is a classic compilation of great songs and was released only on vinyl. It featured other now internationally known luminary Adelaide bands: The Spikes, The Mad Turks From Istanbul, The Primevils later better known as Bloodloss & Exploding White Mice. "Undertow" received considerable airplay on 2MMM (later 3D) a public radio station and 2SA/FM a commercial station.
Touted as the next big thing by the local media, Primitive Painter's went onto supporting big Australia acts, Paul Kelly, Ice House and Boom Crash Opera and the next step was to record an album.
Work started late 1987 and work on the album went happily for about a month, then the multi-tracking machine in the studio they were recording in broke down. Unfortunately in Adelaide 1987 technicians for repairing 16 track recording equipment were in short supply in Adelaide. Many months went past and a dispute developed between the Producer/ Sound Engineer and the band over the delay and also about what record company to sign with. The band having to employ some gentle legal action to get back the 2" master tape. Work restarted on the album practically a year later.
Primitive Painters produced one album "The Sea of Art" which released on cassette, vinyl and CD by the Greasy Record Company/Festival in 1990. Also a single was released in 1990 The Bismark Girls b/wThe Sea of Art under the Greasy Record label.
The record received rave reviews in the Australia media including very high profile reviews in On the Street and RAM magazine. The band toured the Eastern States to promote the album. However sales while good never lived up to the expectations on the band and then unfortunately while recording a second album, Greasy Pop went into Liquidation. Festival Records took over the rights and pretty much shelved the next project. Personal relations in the band started to sour and Baxter shed his Rod Tyler persona emerged in Melbourne using his middle name "Baxter" and a new last name "Stone". For a short while Baxter performed solo around Melbourne. Upon seeing Jim Gamack a superb songwriter perform. Baxter and Jim formed a band LipStick Jack and LipStick Jack was the logical consequence of the dynamic guitar dueling of Jimmy Gamack and Baxter Stone.
"Lipstick Jack brandished a musical sword with songs that twist in your brain for days".
Lip Stick Jack released an acclaimed album called “Flesh Fetishes and Eccentrics†on Siren Records in 1996 and Baxter’s song “Big Rotten Science†had frequent TV airplay on the acclaimed ABC music program ‘Rage’ & 'Recovery'. Also Baxter's song "Born to Ween" was a one of the most played tracks on Melbourne's 3RRR in 1996. Getting to number 3 on the Triple R chart. However the band suffered from personality clashes and after a mid tour argument. Split upon their return to Melbourne, as their star was ascending they were dissolving. Nothing could be more frustrating than seeing your songs played on TV and hearing them on the Radio and the band members not really even speaking to each other. However a new moon was rising.
In 1998 Baxter formed Two Dollar Moon with Jim Gamack from Lip Stick Jack and this band went onto releasing 2 cds on their own label Coal Face these being “On the outgoing tide’ recorded by John Watson of The Family and “King of Dodgy City†recorded by Paul Thomas from Aussie band “Wedding Parties Anythingâ€. Baxter compiled a compilation of both albums and some unreleased recording called the "Reward for the Apprehension and Capture" in 2003.
Two Dollar Moon was a widely respected band, popular amongst fellow musicans and local radio personalities. Supporting on many occasions the bigger bands like the Weddo's and the Dirty Three. Two Dollar Moon also headlined many of their own shows. Two Dollar Moon songs was a regular feature on the airwaves of the coolest radio station in the world, Melbourne's 3RRR. Also Two Dollar Moon appeared on the Channel 31 TV show Speaker Box.
Two Dollar Moon amicably split in 2002 after Jim Gamack, a founding member and respected songwriter decided he needed a long break from the music business. Jim had been living a double life as a key member of Siren's Entertainment staff and Baxter was also achieving a similar level of burn out doing production management for festivals, tours around Melbourne, Victoria.
Two Dollar Moon are one of Baxter's favorite outfits and Baxter still includes a few Two Dollar Moon written by Jim in his sets. Mostly "Man from Mogadishu" and "King Of Dodgy City" and sometimes "Fire in the hold". In fact all of Two Dollar Moon songs whether penned by Baxter or Jim are well received when Baxter performs them live. Two Dollar Moon was a great band with an inherent strength in the maturity and emotional depth of the tunes.
Baxter went on the play for two other bands, a folksy rock renegade outfit called Lagermorph, fronted by notorious poet come sport and political commentator Phil Doyle. Also another interesting outfit called Running into Plaster with Adrian Morgan the bass player from Two Dollar Moon.
Since 2003 he has performed as a solo artist, and since 2008 is based in London working, writing, producing and performing.
Baxter's wry, humorous and feeling songs have amazed audiences across three continents.
His first solo cd “Between Sticks and Stones†sold well and sold out! More copies will more get pressed in the future.
However a new CD is available: Recorded during rehearsal for a gig at the African Centre in Convent Gardens in which Baxter was asked to perform by world renown Jimbre percussionist Joe Legwabe and Joe brought along Marco Rojas on Bass. Baxter's actress wife Jillian O'Dowd also sang backing vocals. Originally recorded purely for Joe and Marco the hear the songs again before the gig. Baxter listened to the tape some weeks later and liked what he heard. Some mixing and basic editing later the result is a suberb almost live recording of 10 of the best of Baxter's live tracks. Including three great Two Dollar Moon songs and three great new songs and a few of the best songs from his first cd.Baxter has called the CD Album Amsterdam Bikes after one of the more recent songs a song loving based on his experience has a hapless and hopeless bike rider in the city of bikes. The front cover features a picture of a multi story car park for bikes.
Details on how to purchase copies will soon be announced on this site.
Cheddar Man is his most recent song. Written on the Easter weekend 2009.Other songs on this website are a combination of songs from Baxter's first CD.
Between Sticks and Stones. These being two of the best received live songs The Tora Bora Blues and The Best Rooster in Show.Amsterdam Bikes also a newish song recorded with Adrian Morgan from two Dollar Moon and a new version of The Man From Mogadishu one Jim Gamack's of Two Dollar Moon classics also recorded with Adrian. Also two of the aforementioned live recording. Digging up Fools Gold a great song from the first CD however this version is the better recorded version of the song and Stigmata another one Baxter's penned Two Dollar Moon classics.
Enjoy
To view more stuff on Baxter Stone go to
www.myspace.com/baxter_stone
Other myspaces to check out are:
http://www.myspace.com/thetwodollarmoon
http://www.myspace.com/lipstickjack
Email contact for non myspace members is
[email protected]
