John McDougall has been writing songs ever since picking up the guitar in his early teens. He immediately saw the opportunity for story telling, exploring ideas and emotions with words and music. His bands have included The Hulamen, whose 1982 EP ‘Beer and Skittles’ received critical acclaim, and The Tombolas, a fantastic funky joke jam band. Then came the commercially successful, famous for 5 minutes, Holidaymakers. John wrote ‘Sensible Shoes’, the song on the B-side of that hit.
That was followed by collaborations with other artists like Annie Crummer, The Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra, and Peter Marshall's solo project Peter & The Wolves.
John has kept on writing, recording, and playing so he has 30 years of material to dip into. That means songs of heartache, protest, love, and some really silly songs. Songs that reflect the wide, wild, and weird lives we live.
Now John’s band is known as simple ∞ animal, and he has been in the recording studio with John Niland (keys), Annie Ruddock (vocals), Stephen Jessup (guitar), Murray Costello (bass), and Tim Robinson on drums. They're all really looking forward to the Eel P release party on 27 November at Meow, and to having some great special guests joining them on stage – Peter Marshall from the Holidaymakers, Bill Lake from The Pelicans and many other great bands, and Kerry Wood. It’s going to be an Eelman Records extravaganza!
Tickets from Moshtix
