Synopsis
Steve Connolly played lead guitar on some of the most memorable tracks of the eighties as part of Paul Kelly’s band, The Coloured Girls (later renamed The Messengers). Those riffs from ‘To Her Door’, ‘Leaps and Bounds’ and ‘Before Too Long’ are Steve’s. You’ve been humming them for decades. His sound was as crucial to the tracks as Kelly’s poetic lyrics. Steve’s talent was cut short at the ‘too young’ age of 36 however, passing away suddenly in May of 1995. As time goes by Steve’s tracks and production are being re-recorded. The thread of his influence has been diluted. Other guitarists now play those lead breaks but never with the same touch. Steve held firm views on many topics but that stubborn, opinionated trait was only seeking to push creativity forward, to make the song better, serving the melody. His guitar reminds us there is beauty in simplicity, in saying more with less. Is it craft or art. The debate rages long.
Cover project photo by Mark Ray. Other photographic images courtesy of Stuart Spence, Lawrence Markham, Liz Reed, and Tony Mott in the image gallery below.
Story
Steve Connolly was born into a family of vaudevillians, leftists and writers. He lived fast and loose with a ‘stick it to the man’ vibe. His schooling at the controversial Brinsley Road Free School encouraged the pupils “not to colour in, but to colour out.’ An ideas man from an early age he was focused and determined to forge a musical path for himself. Steve was charismatic and a bit of an enigma, quiet till he knew you better, but always generous with his time.
This documentary is a showcase of that 1980s independent music scene as reflected through Steve’s life. The film is helmed by fans and musicians influenced by his style as well as friends, industry professionals, journalists and venue owners who all discuss the eighties pub rock scene which spawned many successful acts but which lost many more to pressure, stress and substances. A mixed up time where a cold war fear that today might be your last was combined with a great hope that the eighties might be better than the previous decade. But the power structure was still macho and women musicians fought hard to earn an equal footing. In the age before the internet, social media and mobile phones, artists had limited options to publicise their music. The independent live music arena was a shot in the arm for anyone who thought differently from the mainstream and who wanted change. The cultural cringe that had straitjacketed the country was giving way to a feeling that Australia had talent to burn. Paul Kelly was one of a new vanguard of musicians using the Australian vernacular and highlighting our aboriginal history in song. His band mates, The Coloured Girls/ Messengers were the tight knit unit that accompanied him. Comprised of drummer Michael Barclay, bassist Jon Schofield and keyboardist Peter Bull (augmented later with percussionist Ray Pereira), they rode a wave of success for 7 years and 5 albums ending suddenly in 1991.
When the Messengers folded Steve returned to Melbourne. But it was hard to climb back to those heights again quickly. He expanded his skills with the Celtic folk rock of The Troubles as well as recording a demo with Steve Lucas (of X). Never one to stand still he turned his hand to producing, taking the reins for albums with Kaarin Fairfax and Kev Carmody. He had already co-produced Archie Roach’s ‘Charcoal Lane’ in 1989 and found he enjoyed that type of work. He would also play on and produce an EP for Sherry Rich and The Grievous Angels. But by 1994 Steve’s long neglected health began failing. Like many at the time, his dabbling turned to substance abuse and exacerbated an underlying condition. His new band, The Usual Suspects, began working with ex-Divinyls bassist/producer and engineer Tim Millikan. He had recorded all instruments and his voice and was soon to start mixing the album when he fell seriously ill and passed away from a bacterial infection of the heart. His last album was posthumously released.
Steve’s musicality shines consistently across his whole career however. His self-taught guitar style snakes around the melody, embellishing delicately and his use of dynamics, double stopping and feedback serve the emotion of the song. The film dissects pressure, stress and excess in a time where support for mental health was non existent. For his era, Steve was one of Australia’s best guitarists, and yet people largely don’t know the name of the man who created those gems and that in itself needs correcting. The lyric from ‘Too Her Door’ is apt – ‘and his heart was singing like a low down guitar’. Steve’s melody lingers. As a die hard Dons fan he would be pleased with the paving stone that lies at Windy Hill in his honour (original home ground of the Essendon Bombers). This film is a celebration of Steve’s life and musical work and a critique of the period he thrived in.
Thank you to those who have agreed to be interviewed – it’s a long list of independent music greats.
Production Stage
- Development
- Production
- Post-production
- Completed
- Outreach
DURATION: 98 MINUTES
Issue area
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