700 kilometers west of Adelaide, in a nowhere-ville called Carawa, four brothers holed up in an abandoned, rat-infested stone cottage in a paddock and started a band channeling a mood and power that had been deathly silent in modern rock for decades.
Bronte McCallum (Singer/guitarist), Sam McCallum (bass) William McCallum (guitarist) and Olly McCallum (drummer), all in their early teens at the time, planted themselves in vast fields under clear skies with guitars bought in pawn stores on rare trips to Sydney, and taught themselves to play their chosen instruments based on their naturally astute talent for melody.
Having the mind-numbing luxury of being a ninety minute drive from civilization in any given direction, they remained uncorrupted by the immediate influences of what the outside world was calling rock in 2002.
Instead, excited by the musically and visually flamboyant ‘70s and ‘90s bands they heard in the form of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Silverchair fluttering through their computer screens, the boys embarked on a vintage rock sound and aesthetic that took them back to the gritty showmanship of musical influences lost in the op-shop hipster rock infiltrating the scene miles off in the distance around them.
This is a band made by instinct and mail order – when they couldn’t buy the music they wanted at the local buy-all general store, the boys ordered a swag of hundreds of CDs that were the drug of choice for their favorite bands and, playing along by ear, patched together a pastiche of grunge, psychedelic rock and an indefinable wall of pure, hard sound.
Five years later, Amundsen’s Flag exploded into the Adelaide night, with a history of booking small shows in country towns dotted around the state, within months they were packing out Adelaide’s best rock venues and forging a name as one of Adelaide’s hottest live acts.
Having worn down the stages in their home state, the brothers drove around Australia shocking unsuspecting audiences in Sydney and Brisbane with their live shows.
A band of brothers who refused to get real jobs and dedicated their lives to making music knowing it means beans for tea. With attitudes and passion like this don’t think Amundsens Flag is going to disappear anytime soon.
Touring in May.
www.myspace.com/theflag
Interests
music gigs mates bands mates beer
Fave Music
Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, Nick Cave, Nirvana, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Fave Movies
The Devil And Daniel Johnson, Lord of the Rings
Fave Books
His Favourite Artists (1)
Men at Work
became a fan last month on the 7th
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