Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats

Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats.

Last Year’s Tune.

Grace Emily.

Saturday 4^th April.

Review By Allison O’Donoghue

I arrived early for the Skyscraper gig on the Easter long weekend. It took a while for the Grace Emily to fill, so the first set was directed to only a handful of people, which lead singer/guitarist Stan Woodhouse & Co. used as a sound check.  I can literally see why they named themselves Skyscraper – Stan’s got to be at least 6ft 4in tall, as well as fellow band member guitarist/vocalist, Oskar Herbig who towers over everyone.

Skyscraper Stan and The Commission Flats gave us three sets featuring material from their debut crowd funded album, Last Year’s Tune - an interesting mix of influences - from country to rock to hillbilly blues with bits of contemporary funky jazz thrown in for good measure– obviously it’s a fusion of sounds. Crowd funding is all the rage at the moment, sourcing sponsorship deals or donations to cut an album, and with a little help from friends and fans, it can happen. It's not surprising crowd funding has taken off. It’s almost rebellious. If record companies don’t or won’t take risks to invest in new artists, what choice do bands have? They can hope that a song might go viral (wishful thinking) and/or get picked up by a major (dreaming), and hope to cut through the din/white noise of the Internet - stab-in-the-dark approach.  

Last Year’s Tune was recorded at Melbourne’s Woodstock recording studios and mixed in New York by Greg Calbi and Skyscraper Stan has taken the album on tour to promote the album, it’s always handy to have a product to sell to punters as they pick up new fans along the way. I feel sorry for musicians nowadays, it’s so much harder than it used to be. Once it was, get a band together, do a few gigs, cut a demo, get signed to a label, get a manager and off you go. Unfortunately, the movers and shakers have become risk averse. Gone are the risk takers. Well, its lucky Skyscraper’s friends and fans took a risk, because on the strength of the album they’ve been signed to The Harbour Agency with a distribution deal with MGM - so it’s already paid off.

Skyscraper Stan delivers a tight, sharp set of songs filled with pensive tales of lost loves and hard days/nights out in the rain again.  I really like the song Bruce, dedicated to a friend of theirs who is always one step away from bankruptcy. Know how he feels. I liked it when they played it live but it hooks me in after I’ve listened to it a few more times – it reminds me of Johnny Cash. Which is a good thing, it’s a hybrid, and not too shabby to be compared to the man in black. A song dedicated to and entitled Woody Guthrie shows their influences, but sounds nothing like a Woody track, instead, it’s an ode to another great man.

Woodhouse hails from NZ, although he’s all but wiped out his accent, with only the occasional hint seeping out. Interestingly, somehow he’s managed to develop a deep and resonant laidback sleepy Aussie drawl that seems to envelope every tune. Featuring on the album are the Sharard sisters, Lia ad Gemma, who have towering voices that really enhance and compliment the boys on Anyway You Please and Last Year’s tune. I Fell Over is another relatable tune, with lyrics depicting hard times and fear of failure, something even the super confident suffer from. The more I listen to Last Year’s Tune, the more it grows on me.

I know their name is a reference to Stan’s name and height but it reminds me of an old pal of mine who used to make up band names like; Sammy Automatic and the Turnstiles. (Aww, darling Rick).

With a great backing band and Stan’s powerful voice, coupled with the charming banter going on between him and Oskar on stage, who also has a great voice - I’m pretty sure Skyscraper Stan and The Commission Flats will go far. They’re off to Nashville sometime soon to promote Last Year’s Tune and thanks to the likes of Keith Urban who has made country music, well, more urban, I’m sure Skyscraper will fit right in. I wish them well.