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The NFO has done many gigs
over the years, which makes for many weird and
wonderful experiences. NFO are at their best when
the right groove takes on a life of its own, as
the band cross into musically unrehearsed territory…creating
an atmosphere that the audience really feels a
part of, because it is being created right before
their eyes. All manner of things can take place
during their shows… which the audience are
a big part of. From people getting their gear
off, to extreme displays of passion, the NFO audience
are an endless supply of unexpected behaviour…god
bless em! And the NFO lads have been there to
see it all. Read on to get a more in depth look
into the experiences and people behind the music.
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CLICK
ON A MEMBERS IMAGE TO SEE HIS DETAILS. |
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A very brief history of NFO:
Marcus Alexander and Pete Harrington
had played in several Melbourne bands together,
when they decided to do an acoustic duo for a
bit of fun. Calling themselves ‘The Nudists’
and playing some laid back, groovy tunes at several
venues around town. During this time, they were
also writing material for their new original project
‘Nude’, which at that point was a
much heavier affair, quite a contrast to the Nudists.
A hotel in Mornington were looking
for a 3 piece band to play, so The Nudists were
lucky enough to enlist ‘Dr’ Dorian
West to come and play bass and percussion, which
added a lot more groove to the Nudists' sound.
The 3 piece Nudists also began
playing at an inner Melbourne suburb venue in
Yarraville, The Commercial Hotel, where the in-house
sound guy (Geoff ‘Furry’ Pennington)
turned out to be a great drummer as well, so he
began jamming along, making the Nudists a 4 piece.
Meanwhile, Nude were also playing
around Melbourne, with several changing members,
who included the fantastic talents of Pete Wanliss,
Rexx Fernandez and ‘Jazzy’ Jamie Ferguson,
and also gained a manager in Sheri Martin of Power
Bitch Management.
This pool of great musicians
was quickly becoming a big family so The Commercial
Hotel often saw the amalgamation of the Nude guys
and the Nudists with several other muso friends
regularly joinning in for extended Jam sessions.
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| MEMBER
NAME - |
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Marcus
Alexander |
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| INSTRUMENT(S)
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Voice/Bongos/Percussion/Acoustic
Guitar/Screaming and staggering about. |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Marcus
is the much loved charismatic front
man with the magic voice tones. He
also provides some mean ass bongo
frenzied percussion solos and occasional
crazy dance moves.
He has worked in live theatre and
even featured on many voice overs
for radio & TV. |
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| MEMBER
NAME - |
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'Dr'
Dorian West |
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| INSTRUMENT(S)
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VOX
Continental, Trumpet |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Dorian
is the man behind the NFO spacey keyboard
atmosphere and divine horn solos.
With an extensive musical history,
he spends much time in his own recording
studio (Sci
Sonic). He has the rare gift of
being able to play any musical instrument
ever invented...he can even play the
ones he has not played yet! |
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| MEMBER
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- Jamie
the Intrusive
- 'Jazzy J'
- Handsablur Ferguson
- Hairy ass monkey
Darren Fairborn (for tax
purposes) |
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| INSTRUMENT(S)
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The
drums, the whole drums and nothing
but the drums. |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Jamie
has a natural rhythmic sense, which
makes the drums seem like an extension
of his body...playing since the ripe
old age of 10, he lays out the grooves
that really are the back bone of the
NFO. He is also a very witty and funny
bugger. |
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| MEMBER
NAME - |
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'sweet'
Pete Harrington |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Pete
has been playing since he was 12 years
old and has a love of the guitar that
has ruined many of his relationships.
We feel it’s for his own good,
and ours, as he is the heart of the
band and is commonly referred to by
the band as ‘Sweet Pete’.
His passion for the perfect sound
is a big part of what makes the NFO
the sublime entity it has become –
whatever the hell that means! |
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| MEMBER
NAME - |
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Rexx
Fernandez |
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| INSTRUMENT(S)
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Bass,
Bass loops and general mayhem. |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Rexx
is the low swirling sound generator
of the NFO, he loves nothing more
than extracting impossible sounds
from his bass guitar. A computer wizz,
he has his own recording studio and
spends much time doing what he loves
best... making music - Checkout
Rexxs DoofNation site. |
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| MEMBER
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Peter
Wanliss |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Wanno
comes from the classic Jimmy Page,
AC/DC style school of rock, where
his blusey hard rockin sounds blend
perfectly with the NFO, giving the
live shows the Wanno edge. Often playing
in bare feet, he loves performing
live, throwing in over the top 'Spinal
Tap' antics with much laughter from
the audience. |
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| INSTRUMENT(S)
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Sax,
Flute. |
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| A
WORD ABOUT- |
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Being
one of the very few Australian musicians
to earn the honour of a Grammy Award,
Greg brings his very tasty sax/flute
sounds that punctuate the NFO soundscape.
Greg rose to fame as a member of 'Men
at Work' and has countless incredible
stories to share. |
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This naturally lent itself to jamming
the songs out and taking the music to different places during
the live shows. This combination of groovy tunes and musical
exploration proved to be very popular, often attracting full
houses to the regular Thursday night shows.
With up to 7 members all cramming into the
small venue, and the crowd loving every second of it, this
combination was too good to ignore…it was the birth
of the NFO…we just needed to find a bigger venue!
Hearing about the popularity of the band,
the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne offered us a four
week fill-in gig on Sunday afternoons, while the regular band
went on holidays. NFO broke the Sunday bar taking record by
the third week… the rest is history!
NFO have since been joined by Greg Ham,
(saxophone, flute, harp), of Men at Work fame, and have played
every Sunday to very enthusiastic, large crowds at the Espy.
They have also released two live CDs, two original EPs and
an album.
NFO have also appeared at major venues
such as The Forum theatre, The Metro, The Odeon at Crown,
as well as many festivals and even do the occasional trip
to Mt Hotham and Falls Creek in the Victorian snowfields for
some high altitude funky grooves.
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