Nick Seymour

Nick Seymour

Seymour of Crowded House
Barcelona, October 2007
Background information
Birth name Nicholas More Seymour
Born (1958-12-09) 9 December 1958
Benalla, Victoria, Australia
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres Alternative rock, rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, record producer, painter
Instruments Bass guitar, backing vocals
Years active 1979–present
Associated acts

Nicholas More "Nick" Seymour (born 9 December 1958, Benalla, Victoria) is a musician, painter, and record producer. He is the founding mainstay bass guitarist in the Australasian rock group Crowded House; and is also the younger brother of Mark Seymour, singer-songwriter-guitarist, of another rock band, Hunters and Collectors.

Biography

Nicholas More Seymour was born on 9 December 1958 in Benalla to Frank and Paula Seymour – both were teachers.[1] He has two older sisters, Hilary and Helen, and an older brother, Mark (born 1956).[1][2] Helen was later a music teacher, and Mark became the founding lead singer-songwriter-guitarist for Hunters & Collectors.[1][3] His mother encouraged all four children to learn musical instruments and sing.[3] When he was a young boy they toured country Victoria,[1] as the Seymour Family Singers. In 1972 the family moved to Melbourne, where he attended Yarra Junction Primary School.[4] He taught himself to play bass guitar. After finishing secondary education he studied Visual Arts at a tertiary institute.[1]

Seymour was a member of various local bands, starting with The Glory Boys in 1979, then The Romantics in the next year, and Scratch Record Scratch.[1][5] In 1981 he joined Plays with Marionettes on bass guitar; which had formed in 1980 with Robin Casinader on drums, piano and Hammond organ; Edward Clayton-Jones on guitar and vocals (ex-Fabulous Marquises); and Hugo Race on lead vocals and guitar.[5][6] The group performed an "aggravating style of jazzy no-wave noise" and broke up in February 1984.[6] Their recordings include one side of a shared single, "Witchen Kopf" (1982), and "Hellbelly" which appeared on a various artists' compilation, This is Hot (1984).[6] A briefly existing group, The Horla, were formed by Seymour (ex-Bang); Casinader; Clayton-Jones and Brian McMahon on keyboards but disbanded by the end of 1984.[6]

Seymour also worked as a set designer of films including, The Leonski Incident (1984), and on the TV series, Carson's Law.[4] At the end of 1984, Seymour auditioned as one of "a long line of bass players" to become a founding member of The Mullanes alongside Neil Finn on lead vocals; and Paul Hester on drums (both ex-Split Enz).[7] He had played to a taped series of tracks previously recorded by Finn and Hester.[7] The group formed early in the next year and included Craig Hooper on lead guitar (ex-The Reels).[7] Hooper left the group and remained behind in Melbourne when the remaining trio travelled to Los Angeles to start recording sessions, where they were renamed, Crowded House.[7][8]

Upper body shot of a 28-year-old man, his head is twisted to face his right. His mouth is open. He has dark, short, curly hair and wears a white shirt. Behind him is the room's closed door with the shadow of his head cast onto it.
Seymour at Wolfgang's nightclub, San Francisco, April 1987

As a member of Crowded House, Seymour provided bass guitar, backing vocals and song writing; as well as artwork for album covers, costumes and stage sets.[1] With their second album, Temple of Low Men (July 1988), he won the ARIA Music Awards of 1989 category for Best Cover Art.[9] He was nominated for the same award for Crowded House (June 1986) in 1987, Woodface (July 1991) in 1992, and Together Alone (October 1993) in 1994.[9] In early 1989, after a tour of Australia and Canada, Finn fired Seymour from Crowded House.[4] According to music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, Seymour's departure was due to Finn blaming him for causing the latter's writer's block.[10] However Finn cited "artistic differences" as the reason.[4] Seymour said that after a month apart, he contacted Finn and they agreed that he would return to the band.[4] He subsequently stayed with the group until their disbandment in 1996.[1]

In 1986 Seymour, Finn and Hester were also members of The Rock Party, a charity project for The National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), which included many fellow Australasian musicians including Finn's older brother, Tim Finn; GANGgajang members Geoff Stapleton, Robbie James and Mark Callaghan; Models members Jenny Morris and Sean Kelly; Reg Mombassa (Mental As Anything), Eddie Rayner (ex-Split Enz), Mary Azzopardi (Rockmelons), Andrew Barnum (The Vitabeats), Lissa Barnum, Michael Barclay, Peter Blakeley, Deborah Conway, Danny De Costa, Greg Herbert (The Promise), Spencer P Jones, John Kennedy, Paul Kelly, Robert Susz (Dynamic Hepnotics) and Rick Swinn (The Venetians).[5] The Rock Party released a 12" three-track single "Everything to Live For", which was produced by Joe Wissert, Phil Rigger and Phil Beazley.[5] In 1990 Seymour and Hester joined Chris Bailey Combo with Bailey on lead vocals (ex-The Saints), Dror Erez, Tony Norris and Chris Wilson.[5]

After Crowded House separated, in November 1996, Seymour joined latter day band mate, Peter Jones (who had replaced Hester in 1994), in a pop rock band, deadstar.[5][11][12] That group had formed in August 1995, as a side project, by Jones on drums and percussion, Caroline Kennedy on lead vocals and guitar; and Barry Palmer (of Hunters & Collectors) on lead guitar and, initially, on bass guitar.[5][11][12] With Seymour aboard they toured the United Kingdom and recorded their second album, Milk (August 1997).[11][12] He left deadstar at the end on 1997.[11][12] While still in deadstar, Seymour had worked on Mark's debut solo album, King Without a Clue (October 1997), alongside band mates Jones and Palmer.[1][11]

Seymour produced the debut album, Neither Am I (October 2000), for Irish band Bell X1.[13] He had moved to Dublin, and helped establish Irish bands, Juno Falls and Vesta Varro as well as recording a rock band, The Walls. In 2003, he re-teamed with Hester to form another group, Tarmac Adam.

Following the 2005 death of Crowded House drummer Paul Hester, Seymour reconnected with Finn and followed by performing on his third studio album. Through time, this project converted from a solo project into the fifth Crowded House album. In 2007, Neil Finn, Mark Hart and Nick Seymour reformed Crowded House, adding Matt Sherrod as drummer. The album Time on Earth was released in June 2007 and the group started a world tour in support of it.

Seymour composed the score for the 2012 documentary The Summit.

In 2013 he guested, along with Pete Roudolo, Steven Mogerly, Conor Murray and Hot House Flower Liam Ó Maonlaí on Rónán Ó Snodaigh's album of songs in Irish, Sos. The band was called The Occasionals.

Personal life

Nick Seymour was married to Brenda Bentleigh in 1989: they separated in 1993.[1] In 1997 or 1998 Seymour moved to Dublin, where he had bought a home.[14] He later established a recording studio, Exchequer Studios, with Brian Crosby of Bell X1.[14] Seymour and his partner have a child.

References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Seida, Linda. "Nick Seymour Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2014. Note: user may need to click on 'Credits' tab to access additional information.
  2. ↑ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). National Library of Australia. 1 August 1956. p. 12. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Artists :: Mark Seymour". Australian Music Online. Archived from the original on 20 December 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Denton, Andrew (16 July 2007). "Neil Finn and Nick Seymour". Enough Rope. ABC TV (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 17 February 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nick Seymour entries at Australian Rock Database:
    • Crowded House (1986–96, 2006–present): Holmgren, Magnus; Meyer, Peer; Bouchard, Gary. "Crowded House". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
    • The Rock Party (1986): Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan. "The Rock Party". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Chris Bailey Combo (1990): Holmgren, Magnus. "The Saints". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 8 January 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • deadstar (1995–97): Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Wood, Kelly. "Deadstar". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McFarlane, 'The Wreckery' entry. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Sutton, Pollyanna (10 July 1986). "Making way for Crowded House". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). National Library of Australia. p. 3 Supplement: the good times. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. ↑ McFarlane, 'Crowded House' entry. Archived from the original on 6 April 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 ARIA Music Awards for Crowded House:
  10. ↑ Nimmervoll, Ed. "Crowded House". Howlspace. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 McFarlane, 'deadstar' entry. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Demalon, Tom. "Deadstar – Music Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  13. ↑ O'Sullivan, Jazmine. "Bell X1 Paul Noonan". themusic.com.au. Street Press Australia. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  14. 1 2 McGreal, Edwin (17 May 2010). "Interview: Crowded House bass player Nick Seymour". The Mayo News. Dermot Berry. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
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