The Rechords formed in June 2009 around Tyron Shaw (double bass and lead vocals), Felix Potier (lead guitar and lead vocals), and Leo Francis (rhythm guitar and lead vocals).
Shaw began playing music in 1990 with the Psyclones, a psychobilly band inspired by European groups of the time such as the Meteors, Krewmen, Batmobile, Demented Are Go, etc. Studio and live recordings of the band were recently released by Just Another Normal Guy Records. Around 1994, the Psyclones evolved into the Slingshots after the departure of their guitarist. The Slingshots had a more neo-rockabilly sound than the Psyclones and continued until 1999, when Tyron moved to Melbourne. It was after this move that he joined Hank’s Jalopy Demons before finally forming the Rechords.
Before joining Shaw and Francis, Potier played with the Salt Flat Trio until 2004. He can be heard on Flat Out West (Press Tone International PCD04), the band’s first album (whose career tragically ended in 2000 with the death of its lead singer in a car accident). He also played in the Blue Jays, a band blending Garage, Soul, and Psychedelic influences, as well as with Casket, a Neo-Rockabilly group.
Leo Francis was perhaps the least familiar with the genre, his musical background coming primarily from garage bands, some of them almost experimental. It was when he left his native New Zealand for Australia and met Graeme Thomas, the owner of Preston Studio, that he discovered and developed a passion for Hillbilly and Rockabilly. As Tyron recounts, the band’s formation came about quite naturally: “It all came about really, from myself wanting to form a new act. After a few quite years when Hank’s Jalopy Demons came to a halt when our lead vocalist, Hank Ferguson moved to Berlin I began getting the urge to look at wanting to form a new band based around possibly Western Swing and early Hillbilly. I was contacted by Graeme Thomas (of Preston Records fame) who had also been performing in rockin’ bands since the late 70’s / 80’s and he had introduced me to a young singer he had met, being Leo, we got together and I was blown away by his vocal husky tones and knowledge of the early Hillbilly artists, almost a natural for this style of music. ”
All that remained was to find a guitarist. Shaw continues “I ran into Felix at a gig in town and found that he had moved from Perth about 6 months prior and was now settled in Melbourne, I’d always been a fan and admirer of his guitar work with The Salt Flat Trio, combining his influences of early Rock-a-billy / Hillbilly and Jazz licks. It was then I approached both Leo and Felix about forming a new combo.”
Originally, Shaw’s idea was to have a drummer and a steel guitarist, but after listening to the initial reactions of the public to the group, they decided to remain a trio.
Well, it didn’t take us long to realise that all three voices sat well with each other and that we all had the ability to swap harmonies between certain songs. It was from there that it was decided that rather than one frontman and a band that we’d all take turns at lead vocals and create a group instead of a single vocalists.
From the outset, the group’s strength was having not one, but three lead singers. Shaw explains, “I really wanted to have a shot at doing some lead vocal work as well with this new combo so we all began singing various songs and playing around with harmonies. Well, it didn’t take us long to realise that all three voices sat well with each other and that we all had the ability to swap harmonies between certain songs. It was from there that it was decided that rather than one frontman and a band that we’d all take turns at lead vocals and create a group instead of a single vocalists.”
Listening to the vocal harmonies the group unleashes, it’s no surprise to hear them cite The Louvin Brothers, Stanley Brothers, and Everly Brothers as well as Carl Smith and Lefty Frizzel among their influences.“We’re getting inspiration from early Bluegrass, Doowop, and 50’s R&B as well as the Western Swing thing of course, these would have to be our biggest influences.”adds Shaw.
A few months after forming, the Rechords played their first gig in August 2009 at the inaugural Wintersun Festival in Midura. Things moved quickly for the trio, and in March 2010, Felix, Tyron, and Leo found themselves at Hailstone Studios in Melbourne under the guidance of Paulie Bignell and Jamie ‘Dingo’ Suppa to record seven tracks for the split album Press-Tone Rockabilly Volume 3, which also featured the final recordings of the Salt Flat Trio. Shortly after, the trio recorded their debut album. Shaw was the first to be surprised: “Most bands I’ve been in normally don’t get a CD, let alone a full album produced until at least about 4 years or so together so to have our first album out within 12 months of forming (plus the fact we’ve also recorded a split compilation a few months prior to that on Press-Tone Records label out of Melbourne) is quite and achievement in itself.”
Writing together as a band with all three of us really enjoying input from everyone has been motivating; not always easy, but it’s the understanding and the respect we are developing and have developed that seems to be the glue holding us together.
The album is composed almost entirely of songs written by the band. “Writing together as a band with all three of us really enjoying input from everyone has been motivating; not always easy, but it’s the understanding and the respect we are developing and have developed that seems to be the glue holding us together.” With three lead singers, harmony vocals, and three accomplished musicians capable of writing solid songs, the result is impressive, somewhere between Hillbilly Bop and early Rockabilly. What’s impressive about the band is that they don’t recreate songs by slavishly copying existing styles. Unlike many, the three members of The Records draw inspiration from the musicians they admire to create their music, which makes it more original and fresh. Although the majority of the tracks were recorded as a trio, a few guest musicians were invited to enrich the sound of certain songs. “We wanted to keep our album as much of a trio sound as possible so it was unmistakeably The ReChords but we also wanted some diversity throughout the album thus introducing a couple extra instruments and session players. We had played a show with a traditional Bluegrass band called ‘Redfish Bluegrass’ and had become acquainted with the fiddle player from that band, Greg Field and asked if he would kindly perform on a couple of tracks. So we added some fiddle to ‘Fireball Mail’, ‘Take The Line’ and ‘It Won’t Be Long’ We were also wanting and hearing some Honky Tonk / Rock’n’Roll style piano on two tracks, ‘Save It’ and ‘Hocus Pocus’ and the only man for the job was a guy I had worked with on a recording for a couple of other bands at Preston Studios in Melbourne, Steven Teakle, a great piano player and as we found out, quite the comedian Steven has worked with many, many well known local musicians and across various. music styles but was keen to take up our offer to perform on our debut album. We were also considering some steel/slide guitar on the album but decided against it at the last minute as a group decision.”
In 2011, the Records embarked on their first European tour. They took the opportunity to stop at Lightning Recorders Studio in Berlin and recorded four tracks for an EP released in 2012 on El Toro. Produced by Axel Praefcke and the trio, the record contains two original compositions and two covers: Don’t Be Gone Long (Bob Doss on Starday in 1956) and Hard Up Blues (Blankenship Brothers on Skyline in 1960). Michael “Humpty” Kirscht (Cherry Casino & The Gamblers) can also be heard playing snare drum on To The Pot.
In 2012, the group worked with producer Lindsay Gravina (Rowland Howard, Cosmic Psychos, Living End…) to explore new musical horizons. The Rechords met at Birdland Studios in Prahran to record four tracks: Don’t Know Much, It Won’t Be Long, Annie Leave, and Big White Moon. During these sessions, the trio was joined by Susan Jane Shaw on drums. The resulting four tracks were a great success. The group managed to retain its identity (the vocal harmonies, the melodies, and certain country influences, as in It Won’t Be Long) while combining it with a modern production that, far from altering them, transformed them into timeless songs. The final result, highly melodic and addictive, is very similar to what The Bellfuries were doing around the same time. Despite using a drummer during these sessions, the group decided to remain a trio. As they stated on their website, “for the future of drums as a regular in the band lineup… I doubt it, they work so well without them, why mess with a good thing? But for now, they celebrate the wilder, harder-driven tunes that this EP is launching.”
Nevertheless, one sensed that this EP marked a turning point for the band. While remaining traditional in its form, they felt freer to experiment and less “imprisoned” (although that seems a bit of an exaggeration) by their roots.
The following year, the trio returned to Europe for another tour, playing in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain. Aside from a rather hard-to-find live album released in 2015 (they also opened for Wayne Hancock on his Australian tour that year), fans had to wait until 2017 to hear new songs from The Rechords. Six new tracks were released, spread across three limited-edition singles. On these recordings, the band alternates between songs with a more modern sound (Mockingbird) and a return to their hillbilly roots (Lying Lips), always with the same joy, and always with that meticulous attention to vocals and harmonies (Have You Seen My Baby Tonight). The band toured regularly, including a new European tour that included France, but unfortunately, like for many other artists, the Covid pandemic abruptly slowed their progress. During this period, the trio performed a few streamed concerts before things gradually returned to normal.
Sadly, after a few years, the band announced its breakup in September 2024.
Since then, Tyron has played double bass for a few Kieron McDonald shows, and last we heard, he was recruiting musicians to form a garage band influenced by The Sonics, The Wailers, Benny Joy, and The A-Bones.
Leo formed Leo Francis & The Galahs, a country band that released a single in 2024.
As for Felix, he can be found in Máquina Peligrosa, an instrumental group formed in 2022 that blends surf, garage, and even a touch of psychedelia. He also played in Scarycake, a band described as a mix of “90’s grunge & 70’s prog rock with Latin undertones,” and in the power pop band The Peccadilloes.
The Rechords on Spotify.
The Rechords on bandcamp.
The Rechords on Soundcloud.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
