SOME 30 years after they disbanded, Wollongong’s seminal pre-grunge rock band PROTON ENERGY PILLS are back with a new 7” vinyl single through OUTTASPACE to fill in the spacetime continuum between drinks.
Best described as an ‘archival recording project’ rather than an official reunion, the PROTONS are amazed to announce the release of two killer new/old tracks, TOMBSTONE b/w REVOLUTION. Both were written and performed by the PROTONS back in the day, among a bunch of songs they never had the opportunity to record and release. They sit perfectly in the band’s noisy, long-haired, high-energy rock style.
The original PROTONS released a couple of seminal 7” singles and an EP in ’89/’90 on the WATERFRONT RECORDS label and also toured as support to MUDHONEY and DINOSAUR JR on their pivotal first Australian tours. Earlier in 2021, a reissued vinyl LP of PROTONS’ original studio recordings on the MUSIC FARMERS label made it to #15 on the ARIA charts.
The story of how the PROTONS came back from the dead is eerily reminiscent of how young American blues fans in the ‘60s went south in search of the blues players from the ‘30s and ‘40s. The PROTONS were reborn – so to speak – after some younger Sydney fans/musos journeyed south to Wollongong in search of the band members. These stealthy pups had long passed live recordings of the PROTONS among each other and formed an idea to properly record the great songs the band never had the opportunity to put down before they disbanded.
The reborn PROTONS features original singer/guitarist (and main songwriters) DAVE CURLEY and STEW CUNNINGHAM with a bunch of younger musicians from a new generation helping out: BRETT HOTTES on bass, GRANT LAWRENCE on drums, and JONNY TURCINSKIS on second guitar.
Both original members are keen to acknowledge it is the ‘not really’ version of the PROTON ENERGY PILLS. Original bassist JAY CURLEY sadly passed away in 2014, making a genuine reunion impossible. But ‘grab yer boards’, as 2022 should see a full album of previously unreleased songs along the lines of TOMBSTONE b/w REVOLUTION – and possibly even some live shows around Australia.
THIS The Sun It Shines...Again!
Back in 2017, I received a pretty random message from a guy named Grant Lawrence. To cut a long story short, he told me that him and a couple of mates (Brett and Jonny) were going to record some old Protons songs and he wondered if Stew and I wanted to come along. I was taken aback, but then considered that it could be a lot of fun and who am I to say no to such a kind offer.
The goal was not to release the songs formally, it was just to record the songs that were never recorded because the band broke up. We thought we might put them up online for free. Just for old time’s sake, no big deal. The recording would be in a garage or lounge room or something else similarly lo-fi. Grant had the same conversation with Stew and guess what? It happened. We set about learning the songs remotely, working off old live tapes of the Protons, sending recordings of separate instruments around digitally so we could get the songs together. It had a good vibe and it was such a thrill to sing those songs with Stew standing next to me, just awesome.
The turning point in this story of course is when Stew was diagnosed with Cancer in 2018. All of a sudden this little project took on a whole new level of importance. We had to get it finished now. These songs have got to be recorded.
So over the course of the next few years in between cancer, a death in the family, drought, surgery, bushfires, break ups, floods and a Global Pandemic, we slowly recorded the songs with the great and wonderful Mr Spence Gill in his studio (not a lounge room), who did it for basically nothing just because he thought it was a cool idea. Final mixing duties were handled by Mo Mayhem at Syzlak Studios.
So while this thing was never planned, it grew it's own legs.
As the news of this getting around, we were offered a spot at a killer event with some great bands I didn’t realise it was confirmed until I saw a post on Facebook advertising a festival with The Proton Energy Pills on the bill. This is the important part...I had mentioned very early on that if by chance we did ever play live again that the name should not stay the same and we should be upfront about the fact it wasn’t really the same band. I know that bands change members like their undies and I am fine with that, but I didn’t feel good about this. If Jay was still with us, my answer to Grant would have been NO.
The day Jay Curley died was the day that I lost hope that The Protons would ever play again. Prior to that terrible day I always held onto the hope that me, Stew, Lenny, Jay and Rich would play together again one day under that name. Even if just in the back room at Richie’s parents house or the band room at mum’s house in Tarrawanna.
So in keeping with that (and with a nod to the bands sense of humour) we will always perform as “Not The Proton Energy Pills” (this won out over ‘The Australian Proton Energy Pills Experience’!).
This ‘reformed’ line up of the Protons is as close as you are going to get but it’s not really the Proton Energy Pills, and we want to be honest about that.This 7” and any other recordings will be put out under the original band name cos it’s easier for all involved and we want to keep that connection to the bands historic recordings and existing online pages, having two slightly different names floating around would complicate things too much, the internet might break etc!!
Ok that’s the back story and the disclaimer, time to rock. This little 7" record is a step back in time to what might have been and a worthy addition to the Protons catalogue.
Big thanks to all involved.
Dave Curley, 2021
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