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Schickel - the facts, the fiction, the band.
Schickel is a band. A band from Adelaide. Adelaide is in South Australia, which is a state in the country of Australia. The southern-most state of Australia, in fact. Unless, of course, you count Tasmania... but who would want to do that?
Anyway, it has been speculated that Schickel is an Australian band. This is correct.
This executively pop rock band was formed and labeled Schickel by Joel Sprigg in 2003, when he materialised a 7-track EP titled "What’s With All The Soup... Mary?" and needed an alias to go under. Some say he just thought of "Schickel" out of thin air. Others claim it is regional German slang for 'Village Idiot'. Others again still allude to the fact that Joel once wrestled a bear. A big bear. He trounced it by strangling it with his mitten-encased hands, and with his (or her) last dying breath, this big bear wheezed "Schickel..."
That never happened.
After a high-school friend, Jason Golding, showed nods of enthusiasm and constructed sentences of "I’m impressed, sir", he (Joel, not the deceased, supposedly gender-ambiguous bear) asked him to join the band on bass, with hopes of further fullfilling the lineup. More home recordings were made, however further ideas of gigging were shelved due to a drummer shortage. Kind of an epidemic, actually. However, this all changed in December 2004, when Craig Bunting took up stick duties as a favour, enabling the band to get out and gig!
This gave Schickel the chance to play the inaugural MusicSA "Louder Than Words" showcase at Flinders University, drawing the biggest crowd without even headlining the event, and being filmed and interviewed for AwesamTV. Not bad for a first gig.
2006AD had the (somewhat debated) 2006th edition of the month of April, wherein Schickel started production of its first LP. Craig had recently announced his decision to end his time in the band, and as such recording duties were performed solely by Jason on bass and guitars, and Joel on vocals, guitars and drums. The 11-track album 'Blue, Green and Tuesday' was released independantly.
Upon completion of the album, Joel and Jason began the search for a willing (foolish) participant to fill the stick-man vacancy found by Craig’s departure. Their prayers were answered by a little man with big sideburns.
His name was House.
Master Hugheth Linnane I (House) joined the band in early May 2007, and joyous frivolities began. Once practice bagan and wonders of his hair calmed down in the overwhelmed hearts of Jason and Joel the guys began gigging regularly around Adelaide at venues such as The Holdfast Hotel, Enigma Bar and Adelaide Uni Bar.
After being together a year, plans began for a new Album, a self-titled 5-track EP to feature new material proven very popular live, like 'I Don't Believe In Egypt', 'Then I Say...' and 'You'll see Me Walk In'.
The Schickel EP will be released in the next few months but can be streamed online now.
Photos by Lana Jaie and David Sprigg.
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