ABOUT THE MEN
There are Men With Day Jobs everywhere – lurking in sheds, garages, basements and other subterranean caverns. A whole subculture of blokes with real lives, work, families… but in amongst all that, nurturing secretly original musical endeavours which are often surprisingly impressive. Sometimes they’ve learned from experience to keep their ideas fresh by shunning the fulltime path.
Take for example Men With Day Jobs, a Sydney-based trio who reformed in 2000, when Rod Crundwell, Paul Fenton and Stafford Sanders, three fiftyish ex-bandmates, got back together and started writing and recording new songs. But their story goes back to the late 70s, when they quit the safe day jobs to hit the road with a band called “Winter” - seeking fame, fortune and groupies. They didn’t find those but they did make a few TV appearances, including a film clip on Countdown - in mullets, moustaches and sailor suits.
Since then Rod and Paul have kept up the live work – playing with some great groups and backing some big names. Stafford has avoided the gig scene for years, but written lots of satire for the ABC, musicals for schools, a draft novel and screenplay.
The Men reckon they’re making better music than ever – songs with real diversity and lyrical strength. But whatever happens this time around, they won’t be giving up the day jobs. Well, otherwise they’d have to think of another name - and as any muso knows, that’s much harder than actually playing the music.
Dreams and Tinsel(2008)is the second Men With Day Jobs CD, the eponymous first released in 2004). These newer songs were written from 2001-2007, recorded mostly in Paul’s “Fen-Den” in western Sydney, mostly using MacLogic 7-8 and various other stuff. We’ve tried to keep a semi-live feel on the CD, using first or second takes of whole tracks rather than copying the faultless bits. So if it sounds a bit rough at times, that’s because so are we. We write across an eclectic pop range, and assume people do sometimes listen to the words.
WHO DID WHAT on Dreams and Tinsel
ROD CRUNDWELL (Day Job: Loan Shark) wrote words and (especially) music; he played all the keyboards, nearly all the bass (both bass guitar and keyboard), and some electric guitar. He sang lead in his willowy and/or waspish way on 2, 7, (co-)8, 10, (co-) 13, and 15, and harmonies. He dabbled enthusiastically in the melting-pot of pop, did lots of arranging, interfered in the production, mixed drinks, suppressed latency and kept us entertained with wildly improbable stories from the road.
PAUL FENTON (Day Job: Pool Hustler) wrote music and words; he played all the kit drums, fish and other percussion, most of the electric guitar including most lead breaks, bass on 8, sang good-lookin’ macho lead on (co-)3, 5, (co-)8, 9, 11, (co-)13, and 16, plus b.vox. He kicked in with rocky and rustic riffs, laboured heroically with the bulk of the production burden, tinkered with drum sounds, took programming lessons, issued taciturn emails, chuckled, maintained the fridge and held off the dog.
STAFFORD SANDERS (Day Job: Spin Doctor) wrote music and (especially) words; played all the acoustic guitar and some of the electric; also djembe (African hand drum, a.k.a. “that f***ing bongo”) on 1 & 14. He sang hyperactive lead on 1, (co-)3, 6, (co-)8, (co-)12, (co-)13, and 14, and many harmonies . He frolicked in folk and funk feels, wrestled with cover design, printed obsessive lyric sheets and action lists, went partly deaf and mostly mad, whooped, fainted and made stupid jokes in techo moments.
TONY LATIMORE co-wrote the lyrics to 3 and 11 and had the good sense to otherwise give us a wide berth.
RUTH CONLEY sang great girly vocals on 4 and 12 and is (a) a real pro and (b) the sort of maniac we can relate to.
KEN STEPHENSON – another veteran of the sailor suits - added manic mandolin on track 3 from faraway Melbourne and chuckled indulgently over the phone at our IT illiteracy. He also put both our CDs on his fearless indy website www.backpocketrecords.com
STEVE WILSON at Reaktor gave us his usual high-quality final mix/mastering job.