about ROOT!

July 12 2009
Who or what are ROOT!? From vague Internet rumblings in 2007, to playing in seedy bars, fancy venues or large music festivals, several CD releases, numerous appearances on local or national radio, to an upcoming national TV spot, ROOT! have steadily risen from obscurity to slightly less obscurity. ROOT! are currently comprised of four permanent members - DC Root (vocals), Henri Root (guitar), Doug Lee Root (bass) and Steve Root (keyboards). But what is ROOT! all about? Settle in, get comfortable and read on...

ROOT! - the story so far - part 1...

As dusk descended on 2007, a tumbleweed blew into town from the wide open prairies of suburbia...

On July 17th, the crowd gathering for the closing night of Melbourne's legendary Spanish Club were startled to witness the debut performance of ROOT! - the newest, yet somehow oldest sound to come out of the backblocks of Melbourne - and within a handful of gigs in the remaining months of 2007, ROOT! became the focus of growing fan and media attention. Both Melbourne's daily newspapers soon featured articles in their entertainment pages, and ROOT! were described by famed comedian Tony Martin on his national radio program "Get This" as "the hottest band in the country." Such interest was unheard of for an unknown, unsigned act. But ROOT! are not like any other unknown, unsigned act.

Firstly, under the cowboy hats, there's lined, road-weary faces that speak of many rock miles. Then there's the speculation over singer DC Root's shadowy past. Then there's the reports of their riveting, rollicking performances, combining authentic swinging country rock with poetry, biting social commentary and post-modernist hip hop beats and samples. ROOT! are a "new" band, yet they have the air of lost innocence about them.

DC Root dismisses the rumours about his past with an apocryphal story:

"One morning I woke up and I was a country singer. You can't be a proper country singer until your looks have gone. I checked in the mirror, and that confirmed it."

But how does Root explain this sudden transformation into the front man of a rock band?

"Some people claim that I must have met the devil at the crossroads, Robert Johnson-style. Well, I did, actually. It was the corner of Springvale and Cheltenham Rds at the local Bunnings."

Here DC met Henri Root, former College Of The Arts-trained multi-instrumentalist and composer. Henri spent his earlier youth as an itinerant musician in Europe, playing guitar in legendary Barcelona underground punk band "The Rottenmeyers" and also in his native Germany as a member of the experimental Bremen collective "Planckspanke". Upon returning to his adopted Australia, Henri had all but turned his back on music, and was working as a carpenter when his chance encounter with DC - reportedly he was consigned to build a set of shelves - led to their songwriting collaboration.


After writing songs in seclusion for two years, the pair recorded a series of demos - featuring DC on vocals drums and samples, and Henri on guitars, which led to the formation of a fully realised group, which they called ROOT!

To flesh out the group, Henri called upon his network of former College Of The Arts associates. Through this connection they found Steve Root - a classically trained piano prodigy who had played with, among others, Eric Burdon, Thelma Houston, Glen Shorrock and the underrated local band Tarmac Adam. Now largely working as a television theme composer, Steve was so entranced by songs such as "Spring Me Out Of Caroline Springs, Caroline" and "Shazza And Michelle" that he agreed to adopt the collective surname and contribute superbly authentic honky-tonk piano and organ bass to the tracks.


In turn Steve Root recommended his opinion of the best drummer on the local scene, the man called Barnaby. Winner of a national drumming title at the tender age of 19, he had spent subsequent time living and playing in New Orleans before returning locally to play jazz and blues with a host of artists including Jeff Lang, Bob Sedergreen, Paul Williamson, and Kerri Simpson.

Incredulous at being adopted by these "proper musicians", DC Root described his initial reaction:

"I thought they were joking. I suspect they still are."

With Barnaby and Steve contributing their effortlessly authentic groove to Henri Root's visceral country-punk guitar, DC Root's rambling, misanthropic stories burst into life.

The demos were hastily re-recorded during breaks between the band's first few shows. This forms the basis of the album "Root Supposed He Was Out Of The Question", released in December 2007.

ROOT! - the story so far - part 2...

If you made it this far, well done. 2008 and 2009 to come soon...