“"They are the children of the Sun who came of age on November 11, 1975 and their music carries a message for the 'Space Invader' generation. The Goanna Band hail from the beaches of Victoria's West Coast, along the Great Ocean Road, between Warrnambool and Geelong."” - Peter Weineger
— The Age 1982
Goanna are an Australian rock band which formed in 1977 in Geelong as 'The Goanna Band' with mainstay Shane Howard as singer-songwriter and guitarist.
The group integrated social protest with popular music and reached No. 1 on the Australian Singles Charts with "Solid Rock" (1982) and top 20 with "Let the Franklin Flow" (released under the name Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble in 1983). Their debut album, Spirit of Place peaked on top of the national albums chart.
Welcome
There's tall tales and true from a legendary past and the Goanna history book.
It's a big story. There are plenty of updates to come. There'll be re-releases and new releases of old material.
More stories, music, photos, videos and artwork.
Goanna had a lot of people come and go from the line up and the crew over the years. There's plenty of stories to be told.
Goanna never formally finished up.
Nov 16 2020
In 1997, Marcia was at home with her two young children when the powerful documentary, Lousy Little Sixpence, came on the television. Rivetted, Marcia stopped what she was doing and sat down and watched it through. The tragic story…
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Oct 17 2020
In 1997, after discussions with my manager, Helene, we approached Rose and Marcia to see if they would be interested in making a new Goanna recording. Rose and Marcia agreed. It was a good time. Thanks to Dick Verkuil and…
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Sep 25 2020
We’d been crippled by debt so we let all the middle men go and Rose and Marce and I gathered a band of musicians together for one more tour after Oceania.
This time, we joined forces with my…
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Sep 4 2020
Bob Welsh was Goanna’s Stage Manager forever. Bob and Gary Radbourn. Bob turned up regularly to a residency we had on Saturday afternoons at the Station Hotel in Prahran, Melbourne in 1980 or 1981. It began as a conversation and…
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Sep 4 2020
Thirty five years after this gig was recorded, Goanna, in conjunction with Goanna Arts & Black Box Records are proud to release, GOANNA LIVE - CANBERRA WORKERS CLUB 1985
The new release is part of the Desk Tape Series …
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Aug 21 2020
Aug 21 2020
Morrie and I travelled to Los Angeles to do some more work on the Oceania album. I recorded Hideaway, a song I'd co-written with Bill Payne. It was a memorable experience to be in the studio with Bill, the…
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Aug 21 2020
In the middle of recording Oceania, which occupied most of 1984, we took a big band to Queensland for a few shows.
Goanna Band - Late 1984 - Greg Sheehan, Ross Hannaford, Ian Morrison, Marcia Howard, Venetta Fields, Shane…
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Aug 21 2020
What differentiated Goanna from so many other bands was also the presence of two women. Rose and Marce were not only both virtuoso singers and performers in their own right, their harmonies were unparalleled and they were both very capable…
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Aug 21 2020
Into the bold adventure we went. Head first.
Warner's wanted to keep an eye and a tight rein on us so the first recording session was done in Sydney at the newly opened Rhinoceros Studios.
We laid all the tracks…
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Aug 21 2020
Off we went touring Australia, to Sydney, to Brisbane, then by Band Hire Bus overland to Adelaide, lost in outback Western NSW.
James and his band and crew treated us with a lot of respect and we shared some great…
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Aug 21 2020
Then we got word that James Taylor was to tour Australia for the first time. I'd been a big fan since Fire & Rain and the Sweet Baby James and Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon albums. We dreamed…
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Aug 21 2020
Slowly, other gigs like Martini's and then the Central Club and the Prospect Hill became our second homes. The crowds grew and so did our repertoire and reputation.
Our manager, Ian Lovell had us pasting Goanna posters all over Melbourne…
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Aug 21 2020
We left the Great Ocean Road and the Otway Ranges behind and headed for the 'big smoke' of Melbourne, barely a dollar to our names.
We slogged it out doing $50 support spots and late night residencies at places like…
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Aug 20 2020
I'd connected with Ian Lovell around this time and he was giving me a hand. Ian was the promoter that ran the legendary Eureka Hotel. The decision was made to rebuild the band from the ashes. Carl stayed and Ian…
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Aug 19 2020
By 1979, Mike said he couldn't keep going in the band. Rock n Roll was the 'devil's music' and he'd seen the light. He left the band and joined the Revivalist church. Maybe he was right. He went on to…
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Aug 18 2020
Shane Howard & Carl Smith on Bass. Rod Hoe, hammering out the righteous truth on drums. Mike Biscan not in shot. Goanna live in Geelong, 1978.
Photographer unknown. (Grant?)
(By Shane Howard 2020)
Aug 17 2020
Beginnings.
Goanna Live in Geelong, Australia, 1978 at the first Deakin University Orientation Week.
Shane Howard, (El. Guitar & Vocals) Carl Smith, (Bass), Mike Biscan-RIP, (Lead Guitar), Rod Hoe, (Drums).
The first Bass player was actually Rick Griffiths but there…
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WOMADelaide, Botanic Park, Adelaide
A celebration of Spirit of Place, 40 years on. In 1982, ‘the Goanna Band’ flashed across the sky in an era of Australian self-confidence. Their debut album rocked the nation, stoked a fire for Indigenous rights and left a lasting legacy. Razor’s Edge, Let The Franklin Flow, Solid Rock - the entire Spirit of Place album - helped forge a new Australian identity. Shane Howard, Marcia Howard and Rose Bygrave are reliving those treasures and embracing their wandering spirit again as they embark on a year of celebrating their iconic album.
TICKET PRICES ON WOMADelaide WEBSITE
Artwork and Graphic Design: Steve Thomas
Graphic Design: Judi Kenneally.
Graphic Design: Judi Kenneally. Photograph of Arthur Richardson at Pipalyatjara courtesy of 'The Age'.
Graphic Design: Judi Kenneally
Cover Photograph by Peter Dombrovskis. Graphic design by Judi Kenneally.
Artwork by Gerard Dunlop. Graphic Design by Judi Kenneally.
Remastered CD |
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Illustration by Yan Paul. Graphic Design by Goanna Arts
Illustration by Richard Collis. Graphic Design by Judi Kenneally and Ricardo Colliseum.
Artwork by Neil Curtis. Graphic Design by Judi Kenneally.
Graphic Design: Judi Kenneally. Artwork: Margie Fitzpatrick.
Design by 27DC
Illustration by: J Lindt (1880) . Courtesy of State Library of Victoria. (Robert Manne) Design by 27DC
Artwork by: Colin Wightman. Design by 27DC
"The interesting thing about this collection of songs by the members of the Goanna Band is that the composers and performers deal with all the subjects treated by the classical composers. That is to say the Goanna Band are not just entertainers – very good though they are at that level – they are also serious.
They are making their contribution at a popular level to the great debate that is going on in Australia, and throughout the whole world. They are concerned, as they put it themselves, not just with life as it is but with life as it should be. They want us all to have life and have it more abundantly. Their music is about that great human longing. They sing about the spirit of place in Australia: they sing about the dangers of a nuclear war: they sing of the evils of poverty and unemployment. They make pleasing sounds: they sing pleasing things. They, and the members of other similar bands, are helping us all not just enjoy life to the full, but, to see, and hear, more than we have done so far. I hope thousands of Australians will listen to them."
