I must admit to my lack of knowledge about Melbourne musician Simon Juliff who's just released his first solo album Stars.

Simon shuffled around the local indie music scene in early 2000 when he and his brother felix played in a band called The Roys who played around the pubs and released an EP on in-fidelity records owned by Bruce Milne of Au-Go-Go records fame. Bruce wasn't the band's only fan, long-time Paul Kelly drummer Peter Luscombe produced the Roys' records. Earlier on in the late '80s Simon Juliff was part of a short lived band the Evil Dead who only played live a couple of times and recorded a single that was never released.

The Evil Dead shared members with the Powder Monkeys and Hoss, two revered Melbourne underground rock groups who'd formed out of the much-mythologised earlier group God, of My Pal fame. Simon had gone to school with Tim Hemensley from God/ & Powder Monkeys and Sean Greenaway of God & Yes Men, and he was good friends with Joel Silbersher, from God and Hoss. It was joel who produced and played on the Evil Dead's unreleased single (just an idiot/life is like a reefer) and it was Dog Meat records that was meant to release it. And now, over thirty years later, joel has produced and played on Simon Juliffs first solo record, and Dave Laing's newly restarted Dog Meat is releasing it.

With a sound somewhere between T. Rex and Big Star, Simon Juliff's album Stars is an excellent collection and certainly worthy of your listening pleasure. Simon Juliff joins Dr Gonzo to present his album Stars on 3CR's And This One's Introduced By... 

Please support the artist and check out the album HERE