PEACH gb - Giving Birth to a Stone 2000 (Volcano II: US) cd: 61422-31162-2

This month's feature is UK band, Peach.
Using this link, you can listen to audio files and purchase their recording.

Peach: [as pictured above]
drums - Rob James
bass, backing vocals, and lead vocal - Justin Chancellor
guitar - Ben Durling
lead vocals and guitar - Simon Oakes

In London 94 (21 July 1994 - London UK: Shepherd's Bush Empire), one of the more popular Tool video bootlegs, a shadowy figure appears onstage to take over "Sober" for Paul D'Amour. Trusted with the band's most popular song and hidden by his long hair, the figure proceeds to hammer out a faithful and passionate bass line. A little over a year later and hair much shorter, Peach (www.infopeach.co.uk)'s Justin Chancellor joined Tool again, this time permanently as an unknown, or at least, the lesser known of four hopeful successors in the running.

Peach was formed in 1992 by Durling and James and released Giving Birth to a Stone, a compilation of 3 EPs: Don't Make Me Your God (1992), Burn (1993), and Spasm (1993), in 1994 on Mad Minute Records--a label owned by Justin's brother Jim. The band toured extensively in Europe in support of the recording and recorded a (unreleased) follow-up in 1994. Although the band had built a dedicated cult following, major labels in the UK were learning more towards Britpop, not progressive rock. In 1995, Oakes left the band and was replaced by Roger Sterling. After a tour of Germany, James departed, leaving Justin and Durling to attempt to continue the band, now named Sterling for their new vocalist.

When Paul D'Amour left Tool in October that year to play with Replicants and form Lusk, Tool did not solicit or hold open auditions, inviting only friends and like-minded souls like Pigmy Love Circus (www.pigmylovecircus.com)' Shepherd Stevenson, Kyuss' Scott Reeder, Zaum's Marko Fox, and Filter (www.officialfilter.com)'s Frank Cavanaugh to rehearse with the band. Justin also got the call. Although his résumé or personal relationship to the band was not as obvious as the three other hopefuls, Peach had toured Europe with Tool pre-Ænima in 1993 and 1994.

There have been several (five or more that have released recordings) bands named Peach, the most popular being a band from Seattle recording for Caroline Records (www.caroline.com). Given Tool's purposeful lack of detail in the news coming out of their camp, fans desiring to find out about Justin's band were left wondering if he came from indie rock, celtic, blues, or pop music. Some detail began to leak across the border and in interviews that Justin's Peach were a like-minded progressive rock band.

This curiosity was feverishly heightened during the 1996-1998 Ænima tour when Tool started playing "You Lied" and "Spasm", Peach songs most had never heard generating rumours (also given Tool's purposeful lack of detail) that they were new, in-progress Tool songs. "You Lied (live)", including Melvins (www.melvins.com) guitarist Buzz Osborne, can be found on Tool - Salival (2000). Some fans, however, were able to find Giving Birth to a Stone, leaking it to the Internet and the inclusion of a cover of King Crimson's "Catfood" appeared to be the most obvious Tool-Peach common ground in terms of influence.

Justin has become a powerful creative force in Tool evident by his prominence on Lateralus and the songs he co-wrote for Ænima. Recently, Tricky (www.trickymusic.com) tapped Justin to play on a remix of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" for Various Artists - Verve Remixed (2002). Oakes has gone on to write music and play guitar in Grand Western (www.grandwestern.co.uk) and also writes soundtrack music for the BBC and Sky TV. James is also a member of Grand Western and Jet Boy DC, who opened for Tool as Submarine in Germany. Durling continues to work in the music industry, playing guitar occasionally for The Dukes of Hang-Gliding.

In 2000, Vile Beat Records (www.vilebeat.com) re-released Giving Birth to a Stone featuring new artwork by Tool's Adam Jones. When name conflicts proved to make finding/filing the CD difficult, it was re-re-released in 2002 by Volcano II (Tool's label) under the band name Peach gb (gb = Great Britain).

In late 2004, Peach gb hopes to release Volume II, a full-length unreleased album completed in 1994.

Artists mentioned in this feature: The Dukes of Hang-Gliding, Filter, Grand Western, Billie Holiday, King Crimson, Kyuss, Lusk, Melvins, Peach gb, Pigmy Love Circus, Replicants, Submarine / (AKA Jet Boy DC), Tool, Tricky, and Zaum.

Credits: Band photo from infopeach. Source material from toolshed.down.net, All Music Guide, K. / deadohiosky, and infopeach.