Sand Pebbles
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Sand Pebbles

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It’s been two years since the last Sand Pebbles record, the A Thousand Wild Flowers compilation released at the instigation of Galaxie 500 and Luna protagonist Dean Wareham, and three years since the last Sand Pebbles studio album, Ceduna. In that time, the Sand Pebbles have found a new drummer, swapped jobs, given up vices and added to the members’ progeny. “I’ve had two kids, written a novel, gone through a lot of emotions … a lot of stuff’s happened,” bass player Chris Hollow says.

Having relocated to a surf beach near Ceduna on the west coast of South Australia for the band’s previous record, the Sand Pebbles opted for a more conventional location for Dark Magic. “Most of it came about through two sessions we did at Atlantis,” guitarist Ben Michael says. “It’s a really beautiful studio – maybe not to look at, but it’s got beautiful old analogue equipment.”

For most of the band, recording in a larger studio wasn’t particularly a significant event. “We’ve recorded on digital before, but I don’t think we’ve recorded to tape,” observes Hollow. “None of us were nervous in the big studio at the time, but [drummer] Wesley [Holland] – who was 19 at the time – was shitting himself!” Hollow says. “Funnily enough, the first song we did was Blue Eyes in Black and White, and he was really nervous on that song because it was the first time he’d recorded in a studio, but on the last song, Spring Time, he was really loose – but on the record, Spring Time is the first song, and Blue Eyes is the last,” Hollow says.

Sand Pebbles albums have a tendency to sound like composite pieces, rather than a disparate collection of songs, and Dark Magic is no exception. According to the band, however, any thematic musical consistency is subconscious at best.  “We did the launch for the last album at the Toff a couple of years ago, and two of the songs on the new album are on that record, so we’ve had some of the songs for a while,” Michael says. “We had about five or six songs written going into the first session, and when you’ve got five or songs written, it’s time to think ‘time to start’, and the rest will take care of itself,” says Hollow.

The title of the album is taken from a track on the record, though could equally have been chosen as a statement on the music itself – not that Michael and Hollow necessarily agree. “Quite a few of the songs have a dark edge,” muses Michael. “And there’s quite a bit of magic on there,” adds Hollow. “I suppose we didn’t really name the album because of a theme or anything. There’s more a touch of folk on the record, so maybe it picks up on that.”

What isn’t subconscious is the demographic spread of the members of the Sand Pebbles’ membership. With the arrival of Holland on drums, it was quickly realised that the Sand Pebbles had members born in the 50s (Andrew Tanner), 60s (Ben Michael), 70s (Chris Hollow), 80s (Tor Larsen) and 90s (Holland). “I can say for me that because there’s all these other responsibilities, music is a really important part of my life – probably even more so,” Michael says. “And everyone’s at a completely different stage in their life, which I think is a really good thing,”

Holland’s ‘passion and drive’ led the band to benefiting from the mixing services of Tim Holmes (Death In Vegas) and Will Caruthers (Spaceman 3, Spiritualized), when he found himself with the opportunity to play both some Sand Pebbles music, which found immediate favour. “That was Wes’ great contribution to the record, getting those guys to do the mixes – and the mixes they came up with were fantastic, just found something we wouldn’t have,” Hollow says.

The contribution from Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips cements the relationship between the duo and the Sand Pebbles that began a few years ago when Hollow sent them a copy of the band’s second record, Ghost Transmissions.  So when Wareham agreed to bring his Galaxie 500 celebratory tour to Australia, the Sand Pebbles was his first choice as support band. “He’s been involved for a couple of years, and he’s never let us down,” Hollow says. “We’re big Galaxie 500 and Luna fans, and he released those records when that sound wasn’t in vogue. And you go back and listen to them now, and they still hold up just as well.”

It was via a posting on Wareham’s blog last year that the latest curious Sand Pebbles fact leaked out when Wareham revealed that Hollow had attended the same primary school as Julian Assange. “Julian and I are the same age, were in the same class,” Hollow explains. “He was just as mysterious and enigmatic then. He was big into the Lord of the Rings. Whenever he felt put upon by other students he would yell, ‘Philistines! You’re all Philistines!’ It made it doubly funny having to go to the school library to look up what it meant,” Hollow laughs.