THE RONSON HANGUP Release “Centaurus”, The Title Track And 2nd Single From Forthcoming Album

The Ronson Hangup – whose members have played in The Anyones & Dallas Crane, The Church, Paul Kelly’s band & Even, Courtney Barnett’s band and more – release “Centaurus”, the title track and second single from forthcoming new album

Centaurus album out Nov 3

Following the glorious jangle and harmonies of first single “Waxes and Wanes”, “Centaurus” shows off the group’s heavy side!

Album launch Sat Dec 2 at the Workers Club

Melbourne psych-pop supergroup THE RONSON HANGUP – featuring members of The Anyones & Dallas Crane, The Church, Paul Kelly’s band & Even, Courtney Barnett’s band and more – have today released the second single from their forthcoming new album Centaurus. The single, which is the album’s title track, shows off the band’s heavier riffing side and is a marked contrast to the glorious jangle of the album’s first single, “Waxes and Wanes”. The harmonies are still there of course, so it’s sort of 1968 Hollies/1971 Graham Nash underlaid by some 1969 Led Zeppelin. It’s a killer track.

Both singles are available now, and the album available to pre-order, from the group’s Bandcamp page. CENTAURUS will be launched Saturday December 2 at the group’s favourite haunting ground, The Workers Club in Fitzroy, with tickets on sale now. 

The Ronson Hangup formed around the partnership of STEVE PINKERTON, former frontman of The Anyones (aka The Everyones in the US) and current longtime drummer for Dallas Crane, and ASHLEY NAYLOR, much-loved Melbourne guitarist who recently joined The Church (he plays on their new album The Hypnogogue), is a longtime member of both Paul Kelly‘s band and The Rockwiz Orchestra, and who has fronted popular Melbourne trio Even since the early ’90s.

Joining Steve and Ashley in the group are drummer DAVE MUDIE (best known as Courtney Barnett‘s long-term drummer), bass player LUKE THOMAS (The Pictures, Central Rain, etc) and vocalist ERICA MENTING who has worked with The Golden Rail and others. 

The tracks on Centaurus were written either collaboratively by Steve and Ashley, or by Steve solo – and they were brought to life by the musicianship of each of the band members. Co-founder and former member MAL PINKERTON trades guitar riffs with Ash on six of the tracks. 

Guests on the album include award-winning classical guitarist SLAVA GRIGORYAN, acclaimed jazz pianist TONY GOULD AM, JANE PINKERTON (sister of Steve & Mal) who has spent many years with The Australian Opera, and pedal steel guitarist SHANE REILLY (Lost Ragas, Tex Perkins, Beck). 

The Ronson Hangup‘s self-titled debut album was released in 2010. The group’s name is a tip of the hat to Mick Ronson from David Bowie’s Spiders from Mars band in the 70’s. The sound is ’60s-’90s rock inspired; sort of The Hollies meets The Stone Roses via Simon & Garfunkel, Zeppelin, Bowie and Cheap Trick, and echos of both The Anyones and Even abound. The new album was partly recorded with Wayne Connolly at Head Gap Studios and mixed at Albert Studios while the remainder was recorded and mixed by Steve at his home studio.

THE RONSON HANGUP
Steve Pinkerton has been on the Australian music scene since the late 90’s as lead singer of The Anyones, a power-pop band who enjoyed high rotation on Triple J, as well as the support of Mushroom, before securing a deal with US label TeePee where their label mates included The Brian Jonestown Massacre. 

They toured extensively including multiple US tours (as The Everyones) supporting Jet, who were at the height of their Get Born album success, as well as their own headline shows. Steve subsequently joined Dallas Crane and has been drumming with them for the past 10 years. Dallas Crane have had a busy touring schedule over recent years and supported the likes of Kiss, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick and Teenage Fanclub.  

Steve grew up in a musical family. His mother, a piano teacher, received a scholarship to the Sydney conservatorium at the age of 14 – but her career was thwarted by her suffering with schizophrenia. Steve’s sister made a career with the Australian Opera while Steve and his brother, Mal, learnt Flute and Cello respectively while at school – before moving on to drums and guitar and starting their first band.

Steve also plays drums with The Grapes (featuring Sherry Rich and Ashley Naylor) and he was lucky enough to play drums on the Sports’ final tour alongside Steve Cummings, Andrew Pendlebury, Martin Armiger, James Black and Mark Ferrie. He has since written an album with Andrew Pendlebury which is planned for release later this year.

Ashley Naylor has led Melbourne pop and rollers Even – whose latest album, 2021’s ARIA Top 20-debuting Reverse Light Years was described by The Guardian as a “cornucopia of glam stompers, magnificent power pop and epics” – since the mid-’90s. He is also a long time member of Paul Kelly’s band, The Rockwiz Orchestra, and country-jangle pop duo with Sherry Rich The Grapes, and recently replaced Peter Koppes in The Church, whose acclaimed new album The Hypnogogue he plays on. At the same time as The Ronson Hangup prepare for the release of their new album, Ashley is readying his new solo guitar instrumental album and his solo live band. 

Dave Mudie is best known as Courtney Barrnet’s long term drummer but he remains one of Melbourne’s most active musicians. He currently also plays in Super American Eagle with Brent DeBoer of the Dandy Warhols and has an ongoing solo project under the name L.A. Mood. 

Luke Thomas came to prominence when he joined You Am I guitarist Davey Lane in the meaty beaty trio The Pictures. He has since gone onto lead his own projects Deserters and Central Rain. 

Erica Menting is a singer-songwriter-instrumentalist who has been a member of bands including Tigermilk, Duckdive and The Coincidents. She has worked on albums by The Golden Rail and Nick Batterham and currently play with Nick Batterham and Central Rain as well as The Ronson Hangup.

Mal Pinkerton was one of brother Steve’s partners in crime in The Anyones. While no longer a member of The Ronson Hangup he was involved in the creation of the new album.

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