Who’s on this record anyway?
Well it’s Graeme’s picture on the album cover, because he’s written and performed everything on it, but it’s really been the result of the efforts of a 3-man team. Peter van der Fluit came on board as a colleague at the school with Graeme in 1998. He raised the possibility of recording Graeme’s songs over the summer break (Jan ‘99) in a little suburban digital studio co-owned by Pete and Mike O’Neill. Mike was soon on board helping out with the engineering. The summer break saw them take the first faltering steps in what would eventually become Hammers and Anvils. It took a while longer than the summer to finish it of course - everyone was learning the technology as they went, experimenting with sounds etc and, as the studio was a semi-commercial operation work on the album took place on the odd evening and weekends in between clients. From the beginning this project was both an experiment and a labour of love...just making the best album they could for the hell of it.

By September 1999 the album was nearly finished. The studio had grown to be a full-time concern and had shifted premises. Disaster struck in October when the newly installed, state-of-the-art hard drive suffered a horrifying meltdown. Some, but not all, of the album was backed up - there’s a lesson here kids. Maybe half of the completed work went to the digital happy-hunting ground.

After a period of depression, the boys spent much of the summer recording large chunks of the album for the second time. In hindsight it was a blessing in disguise as they managed to improve a lot of it in the process. By March it was finished. What to do with it?

Back in Dunedin
By the beginning of 2000 Graeme was in Dunedin again, having taken up a position as a lecturer back at Otago University, overseeing their newly created Rock Music degree. Naturally this meant he was busy as hell getting things up and running and the album was left on the back burner for a while. Initially the boys were gong to release it themselves but eventually put that idea in the too-hard basket. By mid year they started to put out some feelers, with Gerard Cosloy of Matador Records USA, soon stepping up to say "yeah, let’s do it" (God bless him). Of course you’re reading this now in mid-2001, so yeah, it took a while to get things sorted with release schedules and one or two hiccups at the NZ end but hey, it’s finally here and that’s all that matters.

What next?
Well, all things are going according to plan, the album will be released worldwide (excluding Australasia) by Matador Records, with NZ/Australia covered by Flying Nun Records/FMR. Graeme will concentrate on touring New Zealand during September/October before heading to the United States (and anywhere else that wants him) through November to January. Graeme already has the next album in hand and hopes to start recording in June. That’s more than far enough ahead for him to be looking at the moment! Let’s get Hammers and Anvils down the birthing canal before we consider anything else. Graeme and his fellow producers are very proud of the album, having carried it along this far. They wait now to see what the world makes of it.