There is a lot to be said for down time. It was while wading through a career lull, that  Jack Nolan and Rick Grossman gave birth to The Kelly Gang in Rick’s Randwick sunroom a few years back. Ideas were aired, songs were jammed and what resulted is a rollicking mix of traditional rock with an urban country edge, that draws on the myriad of great musical influences of the bands founders. 

Joined by good mates Rob Hirst, drums (Midnight Oil, Ghostwriters), and Scotty Aplin, piano and keys (Waikiki), The Kelly Gang satisfy discerning music lovers looking for songs with substance, melody and a typically Australian rawness.

‘Looking For The Sun’ was recorded in part with Billy Field at the famous Paradise Studios in Kings Cross (they were the last band to record there before it was sold) and with James Cadsky at The Vault in Balmain. With other industry stalwarts, Martin Rotsey, Brad Shepherd, and Steve Clisby lending their talents to various tracks on the album.

The album artwork is a story in itself. In the studio while mixing Jack made a joke about using some of Sir Sydney Nolan’s famous paintings from the Ned Kelly series. The vibe was negative from the rest of the band because of past experience with copyright restrictions.

Jack pushed along and was eventually granted permission from the Nolan Gallery to use three paintings from the series, with “Kelly in The Bush” the outstanding front cover of the album.

The Kelly Gang Are:
Jack Nolan – guitar, vocals
Rick Grossman – bass
Rob Hirst – drums
Scotty Aplin – piano, keys

Looking For The Sun is out on GAP records, through MGM Distribution, July 2004.