Sweet Sixteen: Half a Cowcelebrates a musical milestone

Thu 28th Sep, 2006 in Features

There was a time when Sydney was bristling with shop front record labels.  While the likes of Red Eye, Waterfront, and Phantom all duked it out downtown, in Sydney’s alternative hub of Glebe, the effervescent surrounds of Half a Cow reined supreme. Having opened its doors in 1989 as bookstore, it wasn’t long before this colourful and creative enclave saw music filtering onto its shelves. And behind their inner city commercial frontage, the store quickly evolved into the face of one of the most dynamic and interesting independent labels in the country.

But that was a decade and half ago and even though the shop has since migrated into the dusty pages of remembrance, Half A Cow’s founder, Nic Dalton, has maintained the label’s vibrant musical crusade. One hundred and forty releases, and sixteen years latter, Dalton feels it is time to celebrate.  And, having exposed the world to acts like Sidewinder, Crow and Art of Fighting, weathered the advent of digital technology and music downloading, and even talked Bernie Hayes into finally releasing an album, the understated musical veteran certainly has a lot to celebrate.

Throughout its history two things have been readily apparent about Half a Cow Records.  The first is its dedication to music and the people who make it and the second is the label’s earnest desire to get the recorded results out to as many like-minded people as possible.  Both of these values reflect Dalton’s own musical empathy.  Having himself been a part of bands like Sneeze, The Plunderers and The Lemonheads, the musical yardstick he employs for the other musicians is the same as the one he uses for his own endeavours.  And that’s the songs themselves.

“When it all comes down to it, I just have to like the songs,” explained Dalton.  “To me, the recording or production doesn’t matter so much as the songs themselves.  I have to hear something in there.  And the style doesn’t matter either as I have released some rock stuff and some folk stuff and there has been quite a bit of variety over the years.  But if I don’t hear something in the songs, then I don’t really bother with it.”

Over the past sixteen years, Half a Cow have ‘bothered’ themselves with fifty different musical acts.  Some have been Dalton’s own musical ventures while others have been various incarnations of his friends.  There have been releases that originated from unknown bands submitting demos and there have been reissues of classic Australian recordings from bygone eras.  While Dalton talks freely and passionately about the artists and releases the label has been associated with, he is understandly reluctant to play favourites.

“Asking about a standout or favourite act is like asking who is your favourite child,” responded Dalton. “Just being involved with so many great bands and helping them put out records is what really stands out for me.  I have become friends with most of these bands and play music with them.  This is one of those rare occasions where the label boss plays music with the musicians on the label.  And the people who are drawn to Half a Cow seem to be people like me â€” people who have a real love for music.”

And there have been plenty of musical moments for people to love.  Like The Plunderers’ pop power classic Christo and the gorgeous Last Unicorn by Swirl.  Then there is The Love Positions infectious Into Your Arms; a song that went on to fuel The Lemonhead’s world domination.  And let’s not forget Bernie Hayes and Every Tuesday, Sometimes Sunday – an album that must surely rank with the finest Australian recordings ever released.  Which begs the question, why is the ‘Bernie’ that has set the Australian scene on fire a Fanning and not a Hayes?

“I think Bernie is happy doing what he is doing,” laughed Dalton.  “He likes staying at home and isn’t really interested in mounting a big tour.  But you’re right, it’s an incredible album. Putting that record together is one of my greatest achievements. Not just because I had guy with one of the most passionate voices around, but because we were able to pick fourteen songs from a twenty year career and pulled in all his mates to play on it. That recording is not only something I am proud to have released on the label, but I am very proud to have produced it also.”

It has been an influential album in more ways than one.  In the same way The Lemonheads adopted Robyn St Clair’s Into My Arms, the biting Hayes penned classic Made Me Hard worked its way into the hands of The Whitlams to become a musical staple of theirs. And the album has subsequently had quite an influence upon its producer too. When it came time for Dalton to turn his attention to his own debut solo recording, The Home of the Big Regret, he followed a similar path to that of Hayes; surrounding himself with an ensemble cast to carve out a beautiful selection bitter sweet acoustic ballads.

“Bernie did that album just before turning forty and I thought that I should do my debut solo album when I’m the same age,” offered Dalton.  “My rule to Bernie was no electric guitars – make it acoustic. So I thought if I gave that rule to him then I should apply it to myself also. I even took it took it a step further and put banjos and mandolins in every song and made it a real bluegrass flavored album!  That’s pretty good rule for making a record and the Gloomchasers is where I want to concentrate my efforts.  It’s really where my heart is.”

Half a Cow will be celebrating their Sweet Sixteenth this November with shows in Sydney and Melbourne.  Stay tuned to FasterLouder for details