Bio
- Tim Henwood - vocals, guitar
- Matt Tomlinson - guitar
- Sam Grayson - bass
- Marty Grech - drums
Once you've 'done it with Madonna', there's no stepping out of the limelight or gently slipping back into obscurity is there?
And The Androids wouldn't have it any other way.....
At the end of last year, their single 'Do It With Madonna' reached #4 on the Australian charts, topped the radio airplay stats and got them a platinum plaque for the wall. Now, The Androids are out to show what other tricks they have up their sleeves. Their self-titled U.S. debut packs a punch with other hits such as the second Aussie single 'Here She Comes' and the power-pop sing-along 'Brand New Life'.
There's been nothing leisurely about the rise of The Androids. The band was less than a year old when 'Do It With Madonna' hit the stores and started everyone talking. The pieces were tumbling into place like part of some celestial masterplan, but let's not wheel out that hackneyed phrase 'overnight success'. "I've been planning this my whole life," says Tim Henwood, The Androids' lead singer and guitarist. Matt, Marty and Tim are old friends who played in various bands together over the years. "We wanted to start up a band that we all wished we'd always been in." Tim explains. Forget that shoe gazing stuff, this band has made a serious commitment to having a good time.
The trio needed another member for their trek into the studio. Enter Sam Grayson. "Sam and I had met when his band supported a band I was in at a gig in Warrnambool." said Tim. "When we were looking for an extra person, a mutual friend suggested Sam". Sam drove to Melbourne for a jam in July last year, on Tim's birthday. "As soon as we finished playing, I shook his hand and said thanks for the best birthday present," said Tim.
And so The Androids were born. Self-financed, with no name and no record deal, the four boys went into the studios with producers Pete Dacy and Adrian Hannan. "We just wanted to record an album - we thought the rest would fall into place, and it did," explains Tim. Right from the start the session was cooking. "On the album you can feel the energy," says Tim. "Everyone loved making the record and they were doing it for the right reasons." Hear that noise? That's the sound of another planet lining up. By halfway through the record, Pete Dacy's partner Keith Ridgway was on board. Without leaving the studio, the boys found themselves with a management team headed by Pete and Keith, and a deal with their label Zinn Records.
Androids are a rock band that isn't afraid to use the trademark tools of pop - strong melodies, story-line lyrics, soaring harmonies as well as taking on the cut n' paste, samples and loops of hip hop. "Some of the songs were ones I'd written before deciding to form the band", explains Tim. "Some were written as we were going along." If you are looking for an insight into the private world of Tim Henwood, be prepared to dig deep. "It's more like a patchwork," says Tim. "There's bits of me, bits of people I know, bits of people I've observed. I'm really conscious of melody and I like to tell a story." "This is the album of my life," says Tim. "Because it's the best songs, and it's the best I'm singing and it's the best bunch of guys."
Two weeks after finishing recording, The Androids were filming the video for 'Do It With Madonna'. The single was at radio in September, on sale in October, in the Top 10 by November and platinum by December. 2003 rolls around, with a new single in the stores in February and the debut album out on April 7th. And of course, there's that small matter of KIIS in Los Angeles picking up the 'Madonna' single before a US release was even in place, hastening the international deal with Universal.
The Androids. They want it all and they'll take it right now, thanks.
Smart ass rock - for the kids.