Ashtray Boy
Founded in 1984 in Sydney as the loose school band "Ashtray Boy and his Country Cousin" ASHTRAY BOY mastermind Randall Lee earned his first musical merits with The Cannanes, which he left in 1991 to found Nice. During a study trip to Chicago Lee reactivated his old school band: together with Dave Trumfio (now w/ The Mekons) on bass, J. Niimi on drums and Liz Phair (vocals) he recorded the album The Honeymoon Suite.
Back in Australia, the following three albums were recorded with both the US formation and his Australian band.
Randall Lee is a picture-rich, accurate and somewhat eccentric storyteller who, as a marine biologist, locates many of his songs in the sea.
In addition to their debut in 1993 and their tenth album Painted By The Mouth in 2015, and albums number two through four (Macho Champions, Candypants Beach and Everyman's Fourth Dimension), half recorded with the Chicago and half with the Australian band, there are five albums that were recorded in different formations, at different times and in different countries (Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, New Zealand) and then shaped into coherent albums by Lee.
The Australian core formation currently consists of Randall Lee, wife Carla Bruce-Lee (sic!) and Mark Yoshizumi.
Ashtray Boy on JellyFant / The Bouncing Corporation
TOGETHER
LP
THE EURO
CD
THE KING´S BUCCANEER
CD
... THERE´S YOUR HEART
CD
TOGETHER (LP * JellyFant 2013 * cat# jayf 08) * file under Indie Rock
THE EURO (CD * JellyFant 2003 * cat# jayf 02cd) * file under Indie Rock
Late Night Mating Game / Fleisch und Gemuse / Hache de Sleaze / Me Signomi / de Kievit / Ontem NoJantar / Arrivederci Baby / Monsieur Aurevior / VIP 600 / H20 Conversations
Ashtray Boy: Randall Lee, Carla Bruce-Lee, J. Niimi, Jo Packer, Tim Maher and André Hartmann.
Remixes of VIP 600 and H20 Conversations by Greg Wadley.
Recorded in Sydney, Vancouver and Voerde.
Recorded after their 2000 tour in different languages - plus two remixes. Dedicated to the common European preservation and a small Australian Kanguru.
THE KING´S BUCCANEER (CD * Bouncing Corporation 2000 * cat# Head 19) * file under Indie Rock
Wisecrack in Paradise / VIP 600 / Spectres Glasses / Wild Esky / Bonjour Tristess / Room 50 at the Fez / Smack The Pit / Farmhand / Session Fly / 1st Day of the Year / The King´s Buccaneer
Ashtray Boy can be: Randall Lee, Jay Niimi, Jo Packer, James Dutton, Ian Wadley, Carla Bruce, Tim Maher, Neil Johnson, Thomas Tallis and Jason.
Recorded in Melbourne and Chicago.
Like almost all Ashtray Boy albums recorded over different years and in different line-ups.
THERE´S YOUR HEART (CD * Bouncing Corporation 1999 * cat# Head 16) * file under Indie Rock
Underwater Conversation / La Rue Obscure / With Silken Gloves / Crusty Singers in Crapped Cut Bands / Atomic Pimple / Casablanca 1975 / Chiltern / Lunar Modul / Fish Came and Planned / Koala Boy / Useless Window / Refridgerator Dressed in Nylons / Kev and Phaline / The Whip
Ashtray Boy have been: Randall Lee, Jay Niimi, James Dutton, Jo Packer, Ian Wadley, Andy Creighton, Dave Trumfio, Tim Maher, Carla Bruce and
Stephen O´Neil.
Recorded in Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago and Olympia.
Like almost all Ashtray Boy albums recorded over different years and in different line-ups.
VIP 600 (from The King´s Buccaneer)