Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes

Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes is an instrumental psychedelic progressive rock band from Sydney, proud as punch about their third EP, Falsimiles From The Facts Machine. The new record sees the band at their most frantic; their heaviest, loudest and fastest. A dense wall of panic recorded to tape and mixed at home.
The band started when founding members Phil McCourt and Alex OToole met in high school and spent a number of years jamming in small rooms with a series of collaborators, producing music under several monikers including Felonius Funk, Suspicious Fishes, Oyster Moisture and Dr. Gonzo. In 2005 the group solidified as a four piece (including bassist Hugh Munro - also of said high school) and set out into gigland under the name Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes. They recorded a four track EP -containing the prophetic instrumental Nothing More Important as the closing track - and when their second singer in as many years disappeared, they scratched their heads and went back to jamming in small rooms.
Determined to continue the captains work, the band decided to press on regardless. Embracing their newfound instrumental-ness and general lack of vocal-ism, they tightened up their live act as well as developing their songwriting skills as an equal trio. Over a long run of gigs through Sydney pubs and clubs, adjectives like blues-rock and punk were gradually replaced with things like psychedelic, experimental and progressive until the band went back into the studio in late 2007 to record a self titled 7 track EP showcasing the change that had begun within camp Kickarse.
2008 and early 2009 saw Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes touring their self proclaimed instrumental psychedelic progressive rock to anyone that would listen. Gigs at the Gaelic Club, Annandale Hotel and Manning Bar; rave parties and warehouse doofs; an entire soundtrack for Channel 9 kids TV series Lab Rats Challenge; a tour up the coast to Brisbane and back; an authentic country-town-community-hall-mushroom-freak-out-party; the bands sound evolved as they peddled their wares until they sold out of CDs and had to write a new one.
Thus Falsimiles From The Facts Machine. Written, performed, produced, mixed, designed, constructed and photographed entirely by the band, this new EP is a prime example of the fact that Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes are willing to put in the hard work. Launched to a steaming full house at Sydneys Excelsior Hotel in November, the new record sparked a busy live schedule for the band including a 10pm mainstage slot at High & Dry Festival as well as an overfilled back room set at the Annandale in early December.
Well received by community radio and crowds alike, the band is ecstatic with the response so far to their Facts Machine. But as always, the band looks to move forward. After the years end madness described above, the band hid from everything in small rooms on big hills to get their shit together for a new decade. Shit like demos for a new record, lullabies, pipe organs, and sessions for a future release of home recorded b-side material. The band and its members are increasingly involved in a number of side projects including Distant Fence and other collaborative recordings with other Sydney bands in and around the Birds Robe Collective. If anything in this world is definite, its this: there is a lot more music to come from Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes.