Bodyjar: global and local impact, and music industry model

April 2011 was the last month of operation for iconic Melbourne venue, The Arthouse.  as part of their last drinks celebration, Bodyjar reunited for their first of two shows since their ‘The End Is Now’ break up tour – concluding in December 2009. [sidenote: i was fortunate enough to catch their last (at the time) Victorian show at the Corner Hotel. they sold out two nights there in a row, and it was absolutely fantastic.]

Bombshellzine posted interviews with Grant Relf (bass) and Shane Wakker (drums) prior to their final show.  when asked the question “What was it about The Arthouse that has made it stand out from other venues over all these years?”, two very ‘distinct’ and ‘local’ answers were provided:

GRANT: “The arty stood out from the rest because they gave every band a go. ie: THEY GAVE A SHIT!!!!!”

SHANE: “Its run by good people who know what it’s all about, and you can go to the Arthouse to see local or international bands up close and without any bull. Good times!”

it can be said that a venue such as that was The Arthouse is closely aligned with Melbourne music culture, and demonstrates how tight knit the Melbourne music scene is.

however, the music industry as a business is not always sympathetic to this culture. despite How It Works and Plastic Skies achieving gold status in Australia (their two major label releases), taking their show globally was often their own responsibility. a 1998 interview brings this to light:

Why do you do it [tour internationally, particularly in Europe] if it costs you so much money?

CAM: “Well you have to get out there and let people sort of know that you’re out there and you’re not going to be able to just go over there and fly to every city and do it straight away. You sort of have to build it up I guess.”

this is not to say their tours haven’t been successful: they can be seen as Australian melodic punk rock ambassadors, boasting fans among world famous groups such as The Ataris and Thrice.  the music industry model they chose to pursue in their earlier years was one which involves a lot of hard work, time, and collaboration with other artists.  while this hard work was rewarded with a major label deal, by 2005 the band described the painful process of “losing your drummer, record label and leaving your management for no other reason than needing to feel like a real band again.”

it is also drawn into question whether their major label exposure helped their international image.  when asked about the impact of having Not The Same on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, Cam mentioned:

“That was pretty much the only way people knew who we were in America. We didn’t get any radio play there, so that was pretty much the only exposure we got. That’s how we got signed to Nitro in America, and how we ended up doing the Warped Tour in the States – we got heaps of emails about it, referencing the game, it helped a lot. We got paid bugger all for it, but the exposure we got was awesome.”

receiving fans from Not The Same’s exposure was a positive from the inclusion of the song in THPS3, but it’s long term impacts to their music career can be seen as minimal. for instance, How It Works was their last album released on a US label, thereby destroying any momentum gained with their US touring (notably on the Warped Tour and with Blink 182) and airplay achieved in the US – limiting further mainstream exposure on a global scale.

while Bodyjar were able to attain a reasonable level of success on a major label in Australia, they eventually scaled back overseas tour in their later years. and while their strong ties to Melbourne and Australian music is a positive legacy to have, their only real global legacy is the influence of their music and the fans they have made.  while this is also a fantastic legacy to have, limited worldwide commercial success may see them remembered as an Australian only band.