“This three-piece band popped up, pretty brash, finding their way, with influences that were both the classic stuff that I liked, and also a good swag of what was happening in Seattle, and Minneapolis.” Kent got to know the members of You Am I – which at that time comprised Rogers, his brother Jaimme on bass and Mark Tunaley on drums – and began to do the band’s live sound.
When Tim Rogers’ artistic relationship with his brother fractured for the last time, Kent was drafted in as the band’s bass player. Kent had already witnessed You Am I’s notoriously volatile on-stage antics – which included fist-fights between the Rogers brothers, and Tunaley hurling his cymbals in frustration – and agrees that those antics contributed to You Am I’s popular reputation.
“We’re all passionate guys, and we don’t take too much shit, and we fight for what we believe in,” Kent says. “So things can get passionate in our band – and a little bit of danger in a rock’n’roll band can be a healthy thing.”
After releasing a series of now-classic EPs on Timberyard Records, You Am I found itself swept up in the feeding frenzy that following in the wake of the commercial success of Nirvana’s Nevermind. “You’re only learning how to be a band, let alone learning how the music industry works, or how a career should work,” Kent says, reflecting on those halcyon days. “I remember there were some bands – like Killing Time – who were really hyped, and got everything thrown at them. Unfortunately it was too much for those guys, and it didn’t work out – so it was lucky that that didn’t happen to us.”
With the help of astute management, You Am I managed to insulate itself reasonably well from the cannibalistic interest of the music industry. In 1994 You Am I released its debut full-length album, Sound As Ever. Featuring the singles Berlin Chair and Adam’s Ribs, and produced by Sonic Youth’s Lee Renaldo, Sound As Ever was replete with ‘60s-style rock’n’roll riffs and saturated with youthful exuberance and passion.
“That album’s certainly a time and a place,” Kent muses. “There’s some fun stuff on there, but it’s a young band, and there’s a heavy reliance on riffs. It’s got that traditional rock feel, but it’s also pumped full of the energy that came out of Seattle.”
Not long after, You Am I headed overseas for its first international tour, supporting Soundgarden on that band’s 1994 US tour. “That was great for learning how to play on a big stage, night after night,” Kent says. “A lot of rock’n’roll isn’t art, it’s being a tradesman.” At the end of the tour, with the band once again perilously close to implosion in the face of the pressures of touring, compounded by Rogers’ intense personality, You Am I headed into the studio in New York to record its second album. While Sound As Ever located You Am I in the classic rock tradition, Hi Fi Way demonstrated the maturity in Tim Roger’s songwriting, drawing comparisons with Pete Townshend and Ray Davies. Kent describes the recording of Hi Fi Way as a case of “blink and you’ll miss it – it was seat of the pants stuff”.
While Rogers was initially disappointed with the results, Hi Fi Way would cement You Am I’s reputation as one of the shining stars of the Australian music scene. Renaldo’s production efforts – which Kent attributes to his empathy with the band’s musical influences and style – added another layer to Rogers’ razor-sharp songs.
“[Renaldo] knows all the rock’n’roll folklore, but he’s also deep down a classicist,” Kent says. “Ultimately I don’t think Lee wanted to mould You Am I into anything that You Am I didn’t want.” It was around this time that Rusty Hopkinson replaced Tunaley on drums, further developing You Am I’s live and recorded sound. “Once Rusty joined it opened us up to playing music that maybe Mark couldn’t,” Kent says. “Rusty can do that big, rolling thing that The Who can do, and which Tim and I love.”
On You Am I’s next record, Hourly Daily, You Am I traded riffs for pop sensibility, creating a record that was more Village Green Preservation Society than Who’s Next. “By the time we got to Hourly Daily, we’d realise we could spread our wings,” Kent says. “We afforded ourselves a bit more space and work out what we could do, so we created something with a bit more thought, and different arrangements.”
This month You Am I heads back on tour to promote the re-issue of Sound As Ever, Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily. In addition to remastered versions of the original albums, the re-issues feature previously unreleased tracks dating back to the early ‘90s. While fans may have hoped for more demo material, Kent says what’s around isn’t generally fit for release. “It’s just three guys standing around, trying to work it out,” he says dryly. “It sounds kind of messy and crap. But we’ve found some tracks that we didn’t realise existed. So as long as people’s expectations aren’t too high, they should be pleasantly surprised.”
BY PATRICK EMERY
