Mustang

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"WE'RE NOT COMING DOWN UNTIL OUR DEMANDS ARE MET.... A 5 LITRE CASK OF BERRI ESTATE WINE, 4 PACKS OF CHEESESTICKS, 1 PACK OF 16mg HOLIDAY 50'S AND A HELICOPTER" ANOTHER "SPINAL TAP" MOMENT.IT'S BEEN NEARLY 10 YEARS SINCE MUSTANG FIRST CRAWLED INTO OF THE HAZE OF DRUNKENESS. FEBRUARY 1997, TO BE IN THE BALLPARK.MUSTANG, KINDA STARTED IN 1996 WHEN THEY PICKED UP SOME INSTRUMENTS AT THIS CAT'S BIRTHDAY PARTY IN A PADDOCK ON A FARM IN NORTHERN TASMANIA. IT WAS STONEY, TOBY, DAMO AND ANDY. THERE THEY STARTED FUZZING OUT WITH BIG MUFFS AND WAH-WAHS AND GOT INTO SOME KINDA PSHYCHADELIC TRANCE AND SPEWED OUT OBSCENITIES, MUCH TO THE DESPISE OF THE PARENTS OF THE BIRTHDAY-BOY. THEY TURNED OFF THE POWER AND THAT WAS IT.EARLY 1997 -TOBY, DAMO AND ANDY, WERE JAMMIN' OUT SOME ROCK PARODIES FOR SOMETHIN' TO DO. ONE DAY, RETURNING FROM MELBOURNE OUT OF THE BLUE, STONEY ACCOSTED ANDY IN THE LAUNCESTON MALL AND DECLARED THAT HE WAS ON A MISSION TO START A BAND AND IT WAS TO BE CALLED "MUSTANG".SO THAT WAS THAT, THEY HOOKED UP WITH DAMO AND TOBY AT THE TRADES HALL HOTEL (R.I.P.) AND STARTED MAKING PLANS. AFTER CONVINCING THE LOCALS DOWN AT THE PUB THAT MUSTANG WERE THE GREATEST ROCK'N'ROLL BAND IN HISTORY, THE FOUR DISAPPEARED INTO THE NIGHT AND TRASHED A BLACK METAL PARTY... BIGTIME.RETURNING TO THE TRADES THE NEXT DAY TO GLOAT ABOUT THEIR WAR STORIES, THE BAND OVERHEARD THAT MAGIC DIRT WERE PLAYING THERE. STONEY SAID THAT D.T. HAD PROMISED HIM A SHOW, SO IT WAS BOOKED. THEY NEEDED TO GET SOME SONGS TOGETHER IN 3 WEEKS, AS THEY HADN'T REHEARSED AT ALL! SO, THE KINDA KIND PUBLICAN SAID THEY COULD REHEARSE UPSTAIRS AT THE PUB (WHERE ALL THE BEAUT OLD CODGERS LIVED, R.I.P.). SO THEY GOT A HANDFUL OF TUNES TOGETHER, RECORDED A SCUZZY DEMO ON A FOUR TRACK AND PLAYED OUR FIRST SHOW TO A PUB FULL OF PEOPLE THAT OBVIOUSLY NEEDED THIS KIND OF MUSIC. A SHOW WAS BOOKED A WEEK LATER AT THE SAME VENUE (WHICH BECAME THEIR HOME), AND TO THEIR SURPRISE, THE SAME 350 PEOPLE TURNED UP AND THEN SOME.GETTING COCKY, AND FAR TOO WASTED, THEY LOST SOME SUPPORT IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, BUT THERE WAS STILL A CORE GROUP THERE THAT DIDN'T MISS A SHOW. THEY GOT IT. IT WASN'T ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONALISM, IT WAS MORE ABOUT A LIFESTYLE (AS CORNY AS IT SOUNDS) AND A PLACE OF CONGREGATION.AFTER DOING SEVERAL SHOWS AROUND TASMANIA ON HILARIOUSLY SHONKY FESTIVALS WITH THE LIKES OF THE POWDER MONKEYS, THE ONYAS AND THE HARD ONS ETC. AND A BIZZARE TOUR TO MELBOURNE AND IT'S CHINATOWN PENTHOUSES, MUSTANG TEAMED UP WITH THE HELLACOPTERS WHO, TO THEIR CREDIT, WENT SOMEPLACE THAT NO UNDERGROUND INTERNATIONAL ROCK BAND HAD BEEN BEFORE - TASMANIA. THIS WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, AND SHONE LIGHT ON A SEEMINGLY DISMAL SITUATION.AFTER THIS, THE BAND THOUGHT THEY'D BETTER DO SOMETHING FOR CATS THAT HAD TURNED UP TO EVERY SHOW, SO THEY RECORDED AN ALBUM (DRUNKENSTARS OF THE REVOLUTION) WHICH COST $80 A 4 TRACK. DAMO HAD IT PRESSED AND THE CD'S TURNED UP JUST IN TIME FOR A CD LAUNCH AND WE GOT RID OF HALF OF THEM AT THE SHOW. THE REST WAS SENT TO EXPORTS AT SHOCK WHO MOVED QUITE A FEW UNITS (ON THEIR SCALE!) OVERSEAS, AGAIN TO THEIR SURPRISE. THIS IS WHEN WE "FUCKED OFF TO MELBOURNE."THE MELBOURNE SCENE DIDN'T LIKE MUSTANG MUCH, VICTORIANS HAVEN'T LIKED TASMANIANS SINCE JOHN BATMAN DISCOVERED THEIR SHITTY CITY, AND THEY DENY THAT AUSSIE RULES WAS INVENTED IN LAUNCESTON. THEY CAN'T HANDLE IT. THEY ALSO CAN'T HANDLE IT WHEN TASMANIANS COME OVER AND STEAL AWAY THEIR THUNDER. MUSTANG DID IT. AND ARE STILL DOING IT. WITH THE HELP OF A FEW LOCAL HONCHO'S, THEY SNAGGED SOME PRETTY GOOD SHOWS. THEY SLEPT ON A COLD FLOOR IN A KITCHEN OF A MATES PLACE AND QUAFFED CASES OF CHEAP CHAMPAGNE. THEY THEN WENT TO BRISBANE AND HOOKED UP WITH LOCAL HELLPIGS "STRUTTER" AND "THE ONYAS", ENOUGH SAID ON THAT ONE! THEY THEN DESTROYED A PENTHOUSE IN COOLANGATTA WITH THE AID THEIR FIRST DECENT WAD OF CASH AND MORE BOOZE THAN SHOULD BE CONSUMED.AFTER A COUPLE OF SHOWS WITH THE "HELLACOPTERS" IN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE, STONEY LEFT THE BAND, ENTER SCOTTY HORROR (SURFIN' POOBARS) AND JAWS (THE ONYAS & CASANOVAS). MUSTANG THEN RECORDED "CHAMPAGNE AND PILLS" FOR THE "FULL TOSS" LABEL RUN BY RICHIE RAMONE. THIS SPARKED A BIT OF INTEREST IN THE BAND, BUT IT WASN'T THE KIND OF MUSIC THE BAND WAS PLAYING AT THE TIME.MUSTANG, WITH NEW LINEUP, WENT BACK TO BRISBANE AND TEAMED UP WITH THE "GIANTS OF SCIENCE" FOR SEVERAL SHOWS, AND REALISED THAT SCOTTY WASN'T THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB. ON THEIR RETURN TO MELBOURNE, JAWS SPLIT TO THE U.S.A. WITH "THE ONYAS" AND LEFT THE BAND AS A THREE PIECE, WHICH RECORDED SEVERAL DEMOS AT THEIR HOUSE IN THE HOOKER STREETS OF ST. KILDA.TOBY AND ANDY SPLIT BACK TO TASMANIA AND KEPT PLAYING UNDER THE MUSTANG NAME WITH STONEY, REJOINING ON BASS, AND A CURIOUS LITTLE MONKEY (TODD) WHO JUMPED UP AND SUNG A FEW TUNES. THE MAIN VENUE AT THE TIME WAS A MEXICAN RESTAURANT, RUN BY A PAKISTANI WHO STAMPED EVERYONES HANDS ON ENRTY WITH THE STAR OF DAVID...??? DAMO HUNG IN MELBOURNE AND FLEW TO TASMANIA TO RECORD FOR THE 'FULLMOON CRAZY' 7" WHICH WAS LATER RELEASED ON 007 RECORDS IN THE U.S.WHEN BACK IN MELBOURNE THE BAND WAS A SIX PIECE WITH ANDY, TOBY, STONEY, DAMO AND TODD (THE THEN NEW SINGER) AND GROG DRUNKARD ON KEYS. THEY PLAYED SEVERAL SHOWS AND STARTED DEVELOPING A REAL FOLLOWING UNTIL ALL THEIR GEAR WAS FLOGGED FROM THEIR VAN AND WAS NEVER RECOVERED. THE BAND TO THIS DAY HAS NEVER RECOVERED FROM IT. THEY STILL HAVE TO BORROW AMPS. DAMO THEN WENT ON A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY. SQUIZ TOOK ON THE ROLE OF BASSIST, AND THEY PLAYED SOME KILLER SHOWS WITH THE LIKES OF THE 'DWARVES'. DAMO CAME BACK FROM EUROPE AND QUIT. HE THEN JOINED THE 'CASANOVAS', SQUIZ REMAINED ON BASS.PLAYING STACKS OF SHOWS AND GAINING THE REPUTATION OF THE "BEST LIVE BAND IN MELBOURNE", THEY RECRUITED MANAGER SALLY DICKSON. STONEY LEFT THE BAND AGAIN, AND THEY RE-RECRUITED JAWS ON 2nd GUITAR. THEY THEN SIGNED A PUBLISHING DEAL WITH 'TORN AND FRAYED' AND WERE HUNTED BY SEVERAL LABELS IN AUSTRALIA AND ABROAD. TODD JOINED "WARPED" WHO WERE DOING EXTENSIVE TOURING AT THE TIME, AND HAD TOO MUCH GOING ON IN HIS QUEST FOR FAME. HE WAS SACKED. JAWS JOINED THE "CASANOVAS" ON DRUMS SO HE WAS REPLACED WITH STONEY.... AGAIN.... GETTING THE PICTURE?SINCE THEN, TODD REJOINED....AND WAS SACKED... AGAIN, WHEN HE JOINED THE "BLACKLIST" ON THIRD GUITAR. THE 'STANG PLAYED WITH THEIR TEENAGE METAL HEROES "PUNGENT STENCH" AND "DISMEMBER", AND MOST RECENTLY ROCKED OUT WITH "CRUCIFIED BARBARA". & "HARDCORE SUPERSTAR".BUT RIGHT NOW MUSTANG DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANY MORE CHARITY SHOWS, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE GETS WHAT THEY DESERVE. AND FROM MUSTANG IT AIN'T NUTHIN' SO DON'T BOTHER. JUST GIVE THEM THE FUCKING CASH SO THEY CAN GET ON WITH IT, ARSEHOLES.