Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Grey Daturas were a noise rock band from Melbourne Australia known to have formed on stage at their debut live performance at The North Melbourne Town Hall Hotel, in August 2001. The band's final live performance coincided with the closure of the original Tote Hotel in Melbourne on Friday 15 January 2010. Their split was cited as mutual.
History [edit]
Grey Daturas were originally renowned for performing experimental soundtracks to 16mm film projections by means of electronics, bells, and heavily processed guitars. The trio soon adopted drums and bass, slowly evolving beyond their original noise based improvisations. In 2004, the group's album Dead in the Woods was released on the Crashing Jets imprint, operated by members of Melbourne math-rock ensemble My Disco. Grey Daturas became renowned for their feedback soaked live performances which incorporated drones, hypnotic rhythmic passages and psychedelic guitar lines, all produced at extreme volumes. The band undertook several tours of Australia, the USA, Europe, New Zealand and Japan before disbanding in January 2010.
Collaborations with other artists [edit]
Miles Brown of Melbourne prog outfit The Night Terrors performed live with Grey Daturas twice in the absence of Bonnie Mercer.Ben Butcher of Baseball performed live with Grey Daturas twice in their early period.Dimitra Stankovic of Scratchplate and Aux Assembly briefly played bass and guitar for Grey Daturas in February 2005.Matt Hartman of The Coachwhips and Sic Alps played drums in the absence of Robert MacManus for several shows in the Bay Area.Tyler Smith of Sticky Children played drums in the absence of Robert MacManus for the majority of Grey Daturas' 2005 US tour.Jules Desmond of 1/3 Octave Band played bass for several dates on Grey Daturas' 2007 European tour in the absence of Robert Mayson.George Chen of K.I.T. and Chen Santa Maria played bass for several dates on Grey Daturas' 2007 American tour in the absence of Robert Mayson.Yellow Swans recorded the collaborative album Copper / Silver with Robert Mayson and Bonnie Mercer in 2005. It was voted as one of the best avant rock releases of 2005 by The Wire magazine.Mammatus of California recorded a collaborative album with Robert Mayson and Bonnie Mercer in 2006.Malakat and Yellow Swans collaborated with Grey Daturas to produce the second CD of Malakat's Collected Works double album.Post Grey Daturas [edit]
All three members are currently active on the live scene, performing solo and in various ensembles. Bonnie Mercer and Robert Mayson continue to perform together as Breathing Shrine.
Robert Mayson currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Whitehorse, Collapsed Toilet Vietnam, performs solo as It’s Is and under his own name. Bonnie Mercer currently plays in Breathing Shrine, Dead River, Paul Kidney Experience, The Dacios, and performs solo under her own name. Robert MacManus operates the record label and touring agency Heathen Skulls. He performs solo under the name Black Widow and previously played drums and guitar with French doom ensemble Monarch.
