Beanbag was an Australian

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band that formed in 1995 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and broke up in late 2002. The group consisted of Phillip "Hirvy" Hirvela on bass guitar, Michael Mullins on lead guitar, Hans "Hunz" Van Vliet on lead vocals, and Phil Usher on drums. In 1999 the group relocated to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, Tennessee. Steven Lewis-Driver assumed the bass position when Hirvy left the band in early 2002. Jesse Palmer also filled in on guitar after Mullins returned to Australia a couple months before the band's demise. They released two albums on United States label, Inpop Records, ''Free Signal'' (2000) and ''Welladjusted'' (2001).

History

Beanbag formed in Brisbane in 1995 as a "hardcore Christian rock group" by Phil "Hirvy" Hirvela on bass guitar, Michael Mullins on lead guitar and Hans "Hunz" Van Vliet on lead vocals. A year later Phil Usher joined on drums. ''Guttersnipe'', a seven-track extended play, was released on independent Australian label Toupee Records in June 1998. It was recorded at Groundswell studio with co-production by the group and Mark McElligott, it was engineered at Sunshine Studios by McElligott. In mid-1999 they were the first act signed to United States label, Inpop Records, which was established in Nashville by

Peter Furler Peter Andrew Furler (born 8 September 1966) is an Australian musician, songwriter, producer and record executive, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Christian rock band Newsboys from 1986 to 2009. Biography Furler was born ...

(of

Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band that has existed in various permutations since its founding in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tenness ...

), his manager Wes Campbell and Brisbane-based businessman, Dale Bray. Their debut album, ''Free Signal'' (2000) included five tracks from ''Guttersnipe'' and new material recorded at Sunshine Studios with McElligott co-producing. Hirvy described how "Some of the newer songs are a bit more melodic but still intense. We've also got a bit of electronica, some Indian tablas (drums) and upright bass. We've always written music with groove in mind, so the new stuff is still old Beanbag, but with some new sounds and more melodic intensity." John Dibase of ''Jesus Freak Hideout'' rated ''Free Signal'' at three-and-a-half stars, and explained that it is "a solid album with intricate, and down-right intriguing songs that may seem unorganized and spontaneous at first, but further listens reveal the method behind the madness." During their time in the United States, Beanbag toured extensively (including touring with

and

Sonicflood Sonicflood (sometimes stylized as SONICFLOOd) is an American contemporary worship music band from Nashville, Tennessee, that has been touted as "The Fathers of the Modern Worship Movement." The group took the name "Sonicflood", a reference to ...

during the LoveLibertyDisco AirDome Tour), were nominated for two

GMA Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee excep ...

, and had songs featured on several television soundtracks. Their second album for Inpop, ''Welladjusted'' (2001), was also produced by McElligott. The band broke up after a van accident occurred while driving back to Nashville. The driver swerved to avoid a deer on the interstate, and the van and trailer filled with their gear ended up in a ditch. Van Vliet was hospitalised for three days with lung damage. With no vehicle, no gear, and no vocalist, they had decided to disband.

Discography

Source: * ''Welladjusted'' (2001, InPop) * ''Free Signal'' (1999, InPop) * ''Guttersnipe'', EP (1998, Toupee) * ''Chubb'', EP (independent) * ''The Dodgey Demo Tape'' (independent)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beanbag (Band) Australian Christian rock groups Musical groups established in 1995 Inpop Records artists