Biography (Wikipdedia)
Greg Arnold was lead vocalist with Melbourne band, 13 at Midnight, which released a single in 1986 "She Sells Sanctuary", followed by an album in 1987 Warring Tribes.
Greg Arnold released a solo album Super with Tricycle in 1999 that enjoyed extensive airplay on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
A second album was released in November 2006, Lost Marie, a collection of melodic short stories. Arnold said "I’ve been banging on about myself for about twenty years... I thought it was about time to make something up." These are lyrical ballards about a cast of ex-cons, car-jackers, philanderers, disaffected Sydney émigrés, elderly musicians, delusional romantics, and conspiracy theorists, accompanied with acoustic instrumentation provided by Ian Kitney on the drums and Pete Haydon on brass, percussion and supporting vocals.
Arnold has two children and so performs regularly at an annual "child-friendly folk rock-cum-BBQ jamboree" which, according to Justin Slater from acoustic group, Junior, provides an opportunity "To get the kids along and get them involved in art and music and at the same time enjoy your time listening to some music rather than just sitting around worrying about your superannuation and how you remember the good old days."
In 2006 Arnold wrote the song "Close My Eyes" for the Australian Red Cross and recorded the song with former Midnight Oil drummer, Rob Hirst, and Paul Greene. The song has received considerable airplay across Asia. Arnold said This song was inspired by the realisation that it is so easy to ignore all the terrible news in the world. The onslaught of images one sees and hears via various media outlets can make us emotionally immune.
From 2007 to the present Greg Arnold performs as part of a trio Greg Arnold and the Lost Marias which also features: John Bedggood (Bernard Fanning) on fiddle, mando and piano and Ian Kitney (Tim Rogers) on the drums.
Greg Arnold has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in English Literature) from Melbourne University and a Masters of Education (Arts Administration) from RMIT. He is a lecturer in music in the Bachelor of Australian Popular Music program at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE and continues to write songs, perform, and produce records for other bands and musicians including Melbourne indie-rock band Skipping Girl Vinegar and Canadian folk rock singer Kelly Pettit.
New Record (2012) (the AU Review)
The Swamp Dandies
Title "FALL"
A surprisingly happy union of southern acoustica and 60s-70s pure pop, The Swamp Dandies, combine the permanent talents of ARIA Award winning singer-songwriter and APRA Songwriter of the Year; Greg Arnold with John Bedggood (Bernard Fanning and The Wilson Pickers) and Monique Zucco (Canvas). Previously of Things of Stone & Wood, Arnold’s recent work includes producer credits for Stonefield, Skipping Girl Vinegar and Carus Thompson.
Sounding like a Mark Twain character walking down Carnaby Street in 1966, The Swamp Dandies blend fiddles, mandolin, gospel piano and stompy drums with sweeping pop melody and harmonies.
While this is the band’s first album, they have been touring since 2000, when they formed as an acoustic version of Greg Arnold’s Tricycle to support the release of the ABC play listed album “Super”. After countless national tours they have finally made the journey into the studio to record this astonishing orchestral folk pop debut. Tracked by David McCluney at Melbourne’s Atlantis Sound, mixed and mastered in Nashville by Brad Jones and Jim Demain.
The album is a colourful emotive journey with plenty of pocket sized melodic and harmonic feasts, like the charming ‘Tomorrow’ and the Georgia Fields’ duet “Tumbling down”. First single “Olivia” tells the tale of a Nashville waiter who’s days are spent pining for a visit from Livvie and “Until You Fall” is a Let It Be-esque ballad of Spector-ish proportions with all of the strings and brass and none of the hand guns. “The Deal” is a dark ocean journey, whilst “Are You True?” is a slow swampy suspicious rock out.
