Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes made their own way and their own ways through the 90s.. Nobody stood near them. They played extensively around Australia at Festivals and in pubs and theatres and on the newly national youth broadcaster and community radio. Never on Commercial radio but often on television. They cut through with wit, flash and weirdness and flew their freak flag for four albums backed and pumped out to Australian music lovers by Universal Music. They won through without being indie in nature or grunge by texture or demeanour. They had ambition, power and style. They also had grooves and bounce and Dave Graney used street slang and literate word bombs to fully state his case.
This band is a Black Statesman-73! Caprice! Leaded!! Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes played every kind of festival and tv show that was open to the all the the mid 90s in Australia.. They had chart albums, Gold discs and ARIA awards. They had an audience that came to see a show and hear music that could’t be gotten anywhere else. Flash , wit and textured grooves were always to be had on a night or day out with Dave Graney ’n’ the Coral Snakes. They were an island for groovers in the grim grunge years. The Soft ’n Sexy Sound. Dave Graney on vocals, Clare Moore on drums, Rod Hayward on guitar and Robin Casinader on keyboards were the original players who recorded Night of the Wolverine in 1993. A minimalist , semi acoustic album for the most part, it still stands as a classic in Australian Rock music. From any era. Stu Thomas from the mistLY will be joining proceedings to play bass.
The fourth album from Graney and the White Buffaloes/Coral Snakes, “Night Of The Wolverine” included the classic groover “you’re just too hip, baby” as well as the hypnotic title track (two versions) and the lyrical marvels and intrigues of “I held the cool breeze” and “three dead passengers in a stolen second hand Ford”. There were allusions to literary figures like Jack Kerouac in “Maggie Cassidy” and old Hollywood icons such as Wallace Beery (I’m just having’ one of those lives) and Ava Gardner ( Mogambo).
Where Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes went, only they themselves could follow , which they did with the top ten album “you wanna be there but you don’t wanna travel" in 1994 and the ARIA laden, Gold Record certified “soft’n’sexy sound” in 1995. This disc featured the classic “rock’n’roll is where I hide” Their swan song album came in 1997 with the most dream like release of all “The Devil Drives”. Needing a single for this latter release, they threw down the glam stomper “Feelin’ Kinda Sporty”.
Notes and feels from all these releases will be ringing through the air at this 2023 run of shows.