78 Saab

78 Saab
Origin	Canberra, Australia
Genres	Rock Alternative rock Indie rock Dream pop
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Troy Horse Ivy League Other Tongues
Website	Official website
Members
Benjamin Nash Nicholai Danko Jake Andrews Garth Tregillgas
Past members
Darren Smith Christovac Thompson

78 Saab are an Australian rock band, composed of Ben Nash (Vocals/Guitar), Jake Andrews (Guitar), Garth Tregillgas (Bass) and Nicholai Danko (Drums). The band has been quoted as being influenced by acts such as Rolling Stones, R.E.M. and The Church. Starting out in Canberra, ACT, they have been based in Sydney, NSW, since early 1997.

History

Early years

The band was formed at the Australian National University in the summer of 1995-6 by Ben Nash, Garth Tregillgas and the since departed Darren Smith and Christovac Thompson. To get some gigging experience they entered the Australian National Campus Band Competition in 1996, with the name being picked at the last minute to complete the entry form.

"I used to own a 1978 Saab which I bought off my grandparents for around a thousand bucks when I was at university" explains Nash. "Anyway, we entered a band competition and we had about 3 hours to come up with a name. '78 Saab' got thrown in the ring and for better or worse we've stuck with that name."

At the time the major sponsor of the competition was Sydney label Troy Horse, a recording and rehearsal studio with a record company attached. First prize included an EP to be recorded and released by Troy Horse and a tour of Australian university campuses. On only their 7th live performance, 78 Saab won the competition and proceeded to record their debut EP, Eastwards By Removal.

After its release in 1997, the band prepared for a run of 35 dates to promote the EP. Before the tour began however, Jake Andrews joined the band as lead guitarist after Darren Smith made the decision not to tour.

With the tour finished, Christovac Thompson left 78 Saab and Nicholai Danko (whom the band had met during the campus tour) replaced him on drums.

Recordings

78 Saab were among the first bands to work with Winterman & Goldstein, a management company that started their own label, Ivy League Records. Though the label was initially created to release recordings by the company's founders, 78 Saab were the first band to give them notoriety in a purely management role - a foundation on which Winterman & Goldstein would later achieve international success with The Vines and Jet.

Among the first releases on Ivy League were 78 Saab's "Whatever Makes You Happy" single and their second EP, entitled Hello Believers. A later re-pressing featured all seven songs from both recordings. Hello Believers also featured Robert F. Cranny on additional keyboards, who later went on to work with Sydney artist Sarah Blasko. Though not a full length release, Hello Believers was listed at #93 in the Oz Music Project's Top 100 Australian Albums of the 90s.

In 1999, 78 Saab began working on their debut album with producer Tim Whitten (Powderfinger, Gaslight Radio) at Sydney's Megaphon Studios, recording the song "Sunshine" as the first single. The remainder of the album was recorded with Greg Wales at Hothouse Studios in St Kilda, Victoria. Picture a Hum, Can't Hear a Sound, was released in 2000 on Ivy League Records, and received significant airplay on radio station Triple J, with "Sunshine", "Karma Package Deal", "Smile" and "Jack Frost" all achieving high rotation. Tregillgas was credited as G. Surls on the album and Cranny again featured on keyboards. It is currently out of print, though the band are seeking to make it available on iTunes.

The band's second album, Crossed Lines, was released in October 2004, also recorded by Tim Whitten at Megaphon. Having reverted to their original four piece line-up, the album featured more of their signature alternative rock songs, accompanied by more epic, dream pop-influenced numbers. Singles from the album included "Beat of Your Drum" and "No Illusions", which would give the band its biggest taste of commercial radio play to date.

78 Saab's third album, The Bells Line, recorded this time by Wayne Connolly, was released by Ivy league Records on September 29, 2007. The album's title and chief inspiration was described by Nash as coming from the long drives between his Sydney home and his parent's farm near Orange, New South Wales. Bells Line of Road is the name of the original, pre-freeway road that runs from the outer suburbs of Sydney over the Blue Mountains. "One of These Days" and "Drive" from the album again provided the band with national radio exposure.

78 Saab have recently recorded their fourth album, Good Fortune, released on October 15, 2010. Again recorded by Tim Whitten, the band consider it their finest work so far.

Other Projects

Ben Nash has collaborated with Adalita Srsen from Magic Dirt and performed live with her during the "Tough Love" tour, which featured 78 Saab supporting Magic Dirt.

Drummer Nicholai Danko has performed live with Tucker B's, For Fuck's Sakes and The Cops. He has also recorded with Josh Pyke and Sarah Blasko, with whom he played live in 2003.

In 2009, Garth Tregillgas played bass on three songs for Sydney band Wifey on their "Salt Sugar Fat" EP. Earlier in 2010 he played acoustic & electric guitar with Bruno Brayovic from Peabody at a solo performance.

Discography

• Picture a Hum, Can't Hear a Sound (2000)
• Crossed Lines (October 2004)
• The Bells Line (September 2007)
• Good Fortune (October 2010)

References

• Band profile at Australian Music Online

External links

• Official website
• myspace
• facebook