Elora Danan were an Australian
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band from
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
, formed in late 2006 from various other bands in the local scene who had ended including As A Weapon and Alleged. They took their name from a baby character in the 1988 film ''
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist ...
''.
The band's first release was an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) entitled ''
We All Have Secrets'' in 2007. They then followed up with their debut
studio album in 2009, ''
In the Room Up There''. The band split up later in 2009.
History
Early years (2006)
The band's first recordings were some early demos, simply titled "Demo 2006". The release featured two songs, "Stop It, Stop Breathing!", and "I Feel Like Saying More". The second song was featured on a
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...
sampler, and the first song was later re-recorded.
We All Have Secrets (2007)
After recording the demo in late 2006 the band signed to
Boomtown Records, releasing their first official record, the EP ''
We All Have Secrets'' in mid-2007.
The song "Stop It, Stop Breathing!" from the demo was reborn as "Thank God For Their Growth In Faith And Love" on the EP, with the only differences being a piano outro at the end of "Thank God...", making it almost two minutes longer than the original version. All other songs on the EP were based on films.
In the Room Up There (2008-2009)
In mid-2008 the band recorded their first and only studio album entitled ''
In the Room Up There''. The album was released 6 March 2009 and was produced by Adam Spark, guitarist/producer of
Birds of Tokyo
Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia. Their debut album, '' Day One,'' gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Independent Album charts and spending a total of 36 consecut ...
.
Around the time of this recording the band became a six-piece with the addition of guitarist Tim Marley. The recording was finished in August 2008; however, there was an eight-month delay in its release.
Given the delays in the release of the album, Elora Danan have decided not to further the relationship with Boomtown Records.
The band have played many shows with big bands in their short time of formation including local favorites and international bands including
The Getaway Plan
The Getaway Plan are an Australian rock music band, which formed in 2004. Founding mainstays are Matthew Wright on lead vocals, piano and rhythm guitar and Clint Ellis on lead guitar. They were joined in 2014 by Dan Maio on drums, and his bro ...
,
In Fiction
In Fiction were an Australian five-piece melodic rock band from Adelaide.
Having formed in 2005, In Fiction signed to Boomtown Records in 2006 with their debut release '' The Four Letter Failure'' and featured as Triple J's "Next Crop" artist ...
,
Behind Crimson Eyes,
Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles " ...
,
Sprung Monkey,
New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vo ...
and
Saosin. The band also played on the local spot at the
Soundwave festival in 2009, alongside
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the ban ...
,
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
,
Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career prog ...
,
The Subways
The Subways is an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar), Charlotte Cooper (bass guitar, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding-drummer Jos ...
and
Underoath
Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional membe ...
.
Breakup
On 29 May 2009, Elora Danan announced on their MySpace page that they would be disbanding. In an interview with FasterLouder, the band revealed their disapproval of their record label, Boomtown Records, giving a piece of advice to other bands after their experiences; saying "Don’t sign with Boomtown Records!".
In an earlier interview when asked if Boomtown were treating them well, frontman George Green told the website, "Fuck no. Those guys have been making us fold all of The Getaway Plan's washing and doing their homework."
The band also spoke of the economic problems they faced as a small band, "We owe a lot of money to a lot of people". They were even forced to sell clothing through MySpace to get by. The band explained the breakup by simply stating "these guys just don’t want to be in the band anymore" and "its better this way because everyone likes each other more now."
Members
Final line-up
* George Green - vocals
* Isaac Kara - vocals, guitar, piano
* Ryan Smith - guitar
* Tim Marley - guitar
* Matt Thomas - bass
* Jay Rendle O’Shea - drums
Former members
* Caleb Baker - drums
New bands after Elora Danan
* George Green now fronts a new band
Sleepwalker
* Other former members of Elora Danan have moved on to play in several new groups including Robutthole, Arms Like Branches, Eunuch Schools and Into The Sea.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
In the Room Up There'' (2009)
Extended plays
*''
We All Have Secrets'' (2007)
Singles
* "Door, Up, Elevator" (2008)
* "The Greater Good" (2009)
Demos
Demo 2006
* "Stop It, Stop Breathing!"
* "I Feel Like Saying More"
References
External links
Official MySpaceBoomtown Official PageTriple J Unearthed Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elora Danan
Australian alternative rock groups
Western Australian musical groups