Dom Mariani is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Mariani has been a member of several bands since the early 1980s, including The Stems, The Someloves, DM3, Datura4 and instrumental side project The Majestic Kelp. The Stems is the best-known and most successful of Mariani's projects. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described the power pop group as "one of the best live bands on the Australian scene".
In 2005 Mariani was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Awards Hall of Fame. In August of that year he curated a double-CD compilation album, Popsided Guitar: Anthology 1984–2004, which included material from several of his bands. In 2007 United States writer John M. Borack rated Mariani as "one of the top five pop titans of the past couple of decades".
Biography Mariani grew up in Fremantle, Western Australia. Note: User may have to click on 'Search again' and at 'Performer:' add Dom Mariani, Stems, or Strangeloves to search for other titles.McFarlane, . Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Mariani is the son of Italian migrants from Abruzzo,
The Stems (1983–1987, 2003–2009)
The Stems formed in late 1983 with Dom Mariani on guitar and vocals, Gary Chambers on drums, Richard Lane on keyboards, guitar and vocals, and John Shuttleworth on bass guitar.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 17 July 2013. The power pop band's repertoire was mostly original material predominately written by Mariani in the style of "1960s pop/R&B/garage bands", with a few cover versions included. In March 1984 they played their debut gig supporting The Saints and The Triffids in Perth. The Stems built up a substantial local following. In June 1984 Shuttleworth was replaced by Julian Matthews on bass guitar.
In early 1985 the group travelled to Sydney, home of their label Citadel Records, and promoted their first single, "Make You Mine" (May). The track, written by Mariani, reached the top of the independent charts and sold 5000 copies in Australia. "Make You Mine" was the second highest selling independent single in Australia for the year. During this period they recorded their second single, "Tears Me in Two", and an extended play, Love Will Grow (February 1986), both produced by Rob Younger and Alan Thorne. The EP reached No. 72 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described The Stems' early work as "classic slices of exuberant, simplistic garage-fuzz pop".
In December 1985 David Shaw replaced Chambers on drums. The group spent most of 1986 touring Australia. They signed with Mushroom Records' subsidiary label White Records and started recording their debut studio album, At First Sight, Violets Are Blue, with Thorne producing. However, the sessions were disrupted and Mariani took on production duties with Guy Gray. The album was released in May 1987 and became the third-highest selling independent album in Australia for that year. The Stems embarked on another national tour, with appearances on national TV. The lead single, "At First Sight" (February), appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Young Einstein in December 1988. Mariani wrote the track and its follow up singles, "For Always" (May 1987) and "Sad Girl" (September). "Sad Girl" was premiered in a performance on TV pop show Countdown on 12 July 1987 – the show's second-last episode, which was co-hosted by Kylie Minogue and Mike Hammond.
On 31 August 1987 The Stems played what turned out to be their last gig. In October of that year, a proposed six-week European tour was cancelled and the group disbanded. McFarlane wrote; "by that time they had developed into one of the best live bands on the Australian scene". In October 2009 Mariani told The Ages Michael Dwyer, "we were on the charts, getting airplay, very popular. But within the band there was a bit of burnout ... you have these moments where you can't stop thinking negatively and I kept picturing myself pushing a van in the snow. I thought, 'I don't want to be doing that. I'm getting out of here'". The Huffington Posts Holly Cara Price described the group as "one of the most tuneful and tasty garage rock bands of the era. Avid fans of pop, R&B and 60's garage punk, their predilection translated to great punchy songs".
The Stems line-up of Mariani, Lane, Matthews and Shaw played a reunion gig in Fremantle in late February 1997. Adam Connors for The Australian recalled that; "since the disbandment their simple yet unassailable songsmithery endeared them to a huge European music public and propelled them on to play the final Countdown". At the reunion he noted Shaw's drumming was "fluid and driving", Mathews played "his bass like he was oiling a bat", while Mariani and Lane showcased their "fuzzed-out appliances and Beach Boys bah bah bahs".
In 2002 Off the Hip Records issued The Great Stems Hoax – A Tribute to The Stems, which had 19 cover versions of Stems songs performed by various artists.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 21 July 2013. The Ages Patrick Donovan noted the album "highlighted the band's continuing influence" as the contributors were from Australia, Europe and the U.S.A.
In March 2003 The Stems the line-up of Mariani, Chambers, Lane and Matthews reformed for a national tour. They performed periodically over subsequent years making regular treks to both Europe, America and the east coast of Australia. In 2007 they released their second studio album, Heads Up on Shock Records. The Barman at the I-94 Bar website wrote that the work was "accomplished and focussed" and displayed a "heavier, more aggressive edge, plus the odd dark moment, lyrically". The group disbanded again in October 2009.
In April 2013 The Stems reformed (with Shaw on drums and Ashley Naylor replacing Lane) for performances at the prestigious Dig It Up! festivals which, curated by the Hoodoo Gurus, is a traveling roadshow featuring classic power pop and garage bands. In March 2014 they played shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
Side projects (1986–1991) During his time in The Stems, Dom Mariani undertook a number of side-projects. One of these, The Stonefish, was an instrumental surf rock group formed in February 1986, which reunited him with Hitchcock (now on guitar and dobro) and Zupanovich, alongside his Stems' cohort Dave Shaw.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 18 July 2013. In March the following year they issued a four-track 12" EP, From 20,000 Fathoms, on Citadel Records. The EP included material written and performed by Mariani's earlier instrumental group, The Go-Starts. However, The Stonefish had disbanded by the time the record was released.
Early in 1986 Dom Mariani formed another alternative rock/power pop band, The Someloves, with Darryl Mather of Lime Spiders on guitar.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 17 July 2013. The Stems' former drummer Gary Chambers soon joined and together with Christian Houllemare (ex-Happy Hate Me Nots) on bass guitar and vocals, The Someloves recorded their debut single, "It's My Time", which was released in June. Late in 1987 he resumed The Someloves with Mather and in September 1988 they issued a second single, "Know You Now". By 1989 the pair were joined by Zupanovich, Martin Moon (ex-Marigolds) on drums and Tony Italiano on bass guitar.
In May 1990 The Someloves issued their debut album, Something or Other, which was produced by Mariani and Mather with Mitch Easter and John Villani. The album appeared on the ARIA Albums Chart Top 100 and provided a single, "Melt" (April 1990), and an EP, Sunshine's Glove (August). McFarlane felt Something or Other was "full of shimmering power pop melodies and glittering guitar sounds". The album and the band won West Australian Music Industry Awards that year. Various personal issues and problems with the idea of touring led to the group disbanding by the end of the year.
In mid-1986 Mariani briefly joined The Summer Suns, which played a blend of 1960s folk rock and 1970s power pop with an emphasis on melody. The band was formed by Kim Williams (ex-Louie Louie, Holy Rollers) on lead vocals, guitar and bass guitar, and had a variable line-up that included Mariani, Chambers and Zapunovich as well as other Perth musicians.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 18 July 2013. In October they issued a debut single, "Rachel Anne", on Williams's own label, Easter Records. Mariani left for other commitments but returned in 1989 for a new line-up of The Summer Suns with Williams now joined by Moon and Steve Kind on bass guitar. They issued a second single, "All Away", in September before Mariani moved on again.
Although The Someloves' Mather was not interested in touring or even performing live, the other members created Dom Mariani's Orange with the line-up of Mariani, Moon, Italiano and Zupanovich to showcase the album. They also recorded a track, "Christ-masonic", for a various artists' compilation, Rockin' Bethlehem: The Second Coming (1990). In 1998 Mariani described how Orange developed, "The Someloves was a loose studio idea ... I was hanging out to play live again but Darryl wasn't into it ... the record company were also putting the pressure on us to go on the road ... The album had been well received, so it was a real shame we couldn't go on with it. So it became Orange". Orange performed The Someloves' and some new material but by mid-1991 Orange had also disbanded. In 2006, Half A Cow records issued "Don't Talk About Us: The Real Pop Recordings of the Someloves 1985–89" which collected together every official recording The Someloves made.
DM3 (1992–1999) In late 1992 Dom Mariani formed DM3 with Toni Italiano on bass and Pascal Bartolone (ex-The Summer Suns) on drums.Holmgren, entry. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Initially, Ian Campbell was an auxiliary member on lead guitar. In May they issued their first single, "Foolish", and followed in September with they eponymous debut album, One Times, Two Times, Three Red Light, on Citadel Records. The album was produced by the band's members. In 1993 Mariani was inducted into the WAMIA ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll of Renown’. In mid-1994 DM3 undertook a European tour in support of these releases, one of their appearances was on 1 July in Denmark at the Roskilde Festival. That performance was recorded and released in May 2013 as Live (Roskilde Festival 1994). In June 1996 DM3's second album, Road to Rome, appeared. It was produced by the band with Mich Easter.
US writer, John M. Borack, rated the album at No. 11 in his list of The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums, as it demonstrated "a sublime concoction of equal parts '90s pop power and '60s melodicism" with tracks full of "meaty, beaty, big and ballsy guitar riffs living in a state of sheer bliss with non-cliched lyrics". An EP, 5 Greasy Pieces, was released that same year, while a compilation of b-sides and out takes, Garage Sale, was issued the following year. US label Bomp! Records also issued a compilation, Dig It the Most, in support of the band's 1997 tour. That year Italiano left and was replaced by ex-The Stems, bass guitarist, Matthews. DM Three's third album, Rippled Soul, appeared in September 1998. In 1999 Jeff Baker joined on guitar but the group disbanded later that year. Price declared that DM3 could "arguably be called the best power pop band ever to come out of Australia".
21st Century music (2002–present)