A brief history of Imaginary Band
In 1997 the haunting debut EP The Fable was played on Australian
national youth radio network Triple J, and lauded as "classy and promising" by Rolling
Stone magazine. The EP Space Invaders is “...somewhat part
Radiohead, part Alex Lloyd and part Queen...A very bold sojourn for a totally independent
artist, it'll be interesting what he'll bring out next” - OzMusic Project. Next was the
debut album called Beyond
the Gift, praised as "...one of the most impressive releases perhaps
made in 2000 thus far...This is one very good album that should get a lot more exposure
than it probably will" -hEARd Online Magazine October 2000. "Tasmanian act Imaginary
Band... has developed his talent through three EPs before his debut album Beyond the Gift.
A mix of guitar-driven band performances and moody programmed solo tracks, the album
is melodic, personal and diverse. Beyond the Gift is a work of a burgeoning talent." - The
Mercury, Hobart, Oct. 2000.
The acclaimed debut album went on to receive distinguishing airplay on Triple J. In 2001,
Duncan concentrated on writing and recording material that would take Imaginary Band to
the next level, meanwhile releasing singles from the album to community radio stations in
Melbourne and Sydney, RRR and 2MCE. DJs loved the tracks A.I. and
You Crossed the Line. With these singles Duncan included an additional
track, a remix of Faerytale Lessons (you can listen to it here).
In 2002 Imaginary Band provided some of the music, including the title tune and
incidentals, for an independent Tasmanian production, Scott Lawson’s film debut
Life Goes On. In mid-2002 Duncan moved to the UK and after a hiatus
of recording began again on the cusp of 2003, also working on incidental material for the
new Scott Lawson film with the working title
Forced Impression. To listen to music
that will appear in this film and others you can go here.
2003 and 2004 proved productive years with Duncan collaborating and performing with a
number of local and overseas acts in person and via the web. These included covers band
Bone Idol, originals band Culm providing vocals for a new album, and
the South West's "Best Night Out" winner, DJ Ben Wijay in a yet to be released recording. Also in 2004, Duncan did the vocals for a big Pink Floyd'ish track by Schmange, a Canadian-based guitarist/songwriter. The song was Going Home
from his new album "PhaseIV Chronicles".
This whole surge in productivity extended to
Duncan's writing and recording, with many new songs emerging and importantly, being
completed to at least demo standard.
In 2005 Duncan's vocals were lent to the work of Leeds writer/producer/remix duo
Kicksorter, while he formed an originals and covers duo
Freewheelin with guitarist/songwriter Keith, which then became a trio with bassist Rob. Duncan also gained interest from
locally based digital satellite radio station Apple FM, who in their support for new local artists promised to follow Duncan's
career as it develops. Before they went under.
Duncan continued working with Scott Lawson, completing the entire soundtrack for his award-winning short film Dark Decisions. In 2006, while Dark Decisions screened throughout the world, Duncan started developing more as a solo player, venturing to small musical gatherings around Devon, and expanded his web presence with a new myspace site (myspace.com/duncanalex), a new solo website (www.duncanalex.com), and via joining the Lemonrock gig guide website. He also began work on Scott Lawson's next film project, Jimmy's List, already shooting in Banff, Canada.
In 2007, Duncan provided vocals for several tracks for Ben Wijay. now based in Melbourne, Australia. Duncan also made his 4th EP - the 6-track charity EP Glitch.