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David McCormack

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For the American basketball player, see David McCormack (basketball).
Not to be confused with David McCormick.

David McCormack
McCormack at SacAnime in 2024
McCormack at SacAnime in 2024
Background information
Birth nameDavid Liam McCormack
Born (1968-10-25) 25 October 1968 (age 56)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • drums
Years active1986–present
Labels
Member of
  • Custard
  • David McCormack & the Polaroids
Formerly of
  • Who's Gerald?
  • COW
  • Calf
  • Computor
  • Frank 'n' Stein
  • Miami
  • Adults Today
  • The Titanics

David Liam McCormack (born 25 October 1968) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He is best known as the frontman of the Brisbane-based rock group Custard[1][2] and for voicing the character Bandit Heeler in the Peabody Award-winning[3] animated children's series Bluey.

Career

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1986–1989: Early groups

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McCormack grew up in the west Brisbane suburb of Kenmore, Queensland, and attended Ipswich Grammar School. He started his musical career as a vocalist and guitarist in Brisbane blues hip hop rock outfit, Who's Gerald? in 1986. The band included school teachers Paul Medew on bass guitar and Glen Donald on keyboards, and they later recruited Cathy Atthow on drums.[4] They released a cassette, Who's Gerald's Greatest Hits in the same year on their own Gerald Corp Records. In March 1988, they released a single, "Wrestle Wrestle" and had the track, "Pins and Needles" on that year's Youngblood compilation.

Atthow, McCormack and Medew briefly formed Automatic Graphic in 1988 with Scott Younger.[5]

1989–2000, 2009–present: Custard

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Main article: Custard (band)

In 1989, McCormack and Medew formed Custard Gun with Shane Brunn (later in Hugbubble, Vanlustbader) on drums and James Straker (later in Melniks).[6] After a number of performances, Straker left in early 1990, the band was renamed Custard, and Straker was replaced at year's end by Matthew Strong on guitar.[1]

Custard existed for about a decade, with a number of different drummers including Gavin Herrenberg, Danny Plant, John Lowry and Glenn Thompson (later of The Go-Betweens). The band released five studio albums in the 1990s: Buttercup/Bedford, Wahooti Fandango, Wisenheimer, We Have the Technology and Loverama, a number of EPs and singles and a greatest hits compilation entitled Goodbye Cruel World.[7] A DVD video clip compilation called The Spaces by the Side of the Road – A Digital History of Custard was released in 2007.[8]

Custard reformed for a concert on 10 December 2009, as part of the Queensland Proclamation Day, 150th Anniversary Celebrations.[9]

Custard released a new album in November 2015, entitled Come Back, All Is Forgiven, which was followed by 2017's The Common Touch.

The single 'Funky Again' was released in March 2020, ahead of the band's eighth studio album Respect All Lifeforms.

The single 'Molecules Colliding' was released in August 2024 along with 'Someday' in September 2024. In October of 2024 the album Suburban Curtains.

Other 1990s bands

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McCormack, 1990s

McCormack was moonlighting in other bands during the 1990s, which formed in and around Custard's practice rooms. The Cows from 1993 (later styled as COW or C.O.W. – for Country or Western) had Thompson and Robert Moore on bass guitar;[10] as well as Maureen Hansen on vocals, Susie Hansen on vocals and Mark Lowry (twin brother of John Lowry) on bass guitar by 1995.[11] COW released Beard in June 1996.

McCormack, Moore and Thompson recorded with Robert Forster (ex-The Go-Betweens) for his second solo album, Calling from a Country Phone, released in 1993 and toured with Forster as Silver Backwash.[1]

Frank 'n' Stein from 1995 had Moore and McCormack join with his brother Dylan McCormack (ex-Biro) and Ian Wadley.[12] Miami, also from 1995, had Maureen Hansen (also in COW and McCormack's then girlfriend), Nick Naughton on drums and Medew.[13] Miami released two CDs: Costume of Sand (March 1997) and Feel the Seed (1998). Computor was another collaboration between McCormack and Moore,[14] which was electronic sounding and they released a tape called Floppy Disk.

2000–2017: Solo releases, The Titanics, and The Polaroids

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After the break-up of Custard in 2000, McCormack formed The Titanics with his then wife Emma Tom[15] and Thompson and film-maker, Tina Havelock Stevens. The Titanics released Size Isn't Everything (2000) and Love Is The Devil (September 2000).

In 2001, McCormack released a solo album of electronic songs The Matterhorn.[16]

In 2002, McCormack recruited a backing band called The Polaroids. Together, they released the albums, Candy (2002) and The Truth About Love (2004), and the DVD Save Dave: David McCormack and the Polaroids Live At The Hopetoun Hotel Sydney June 2003 (2003, DVD)[17]. McCormack reunited with The Polaroids in February 2024 to record 8 songs. This collection was released in June 2024 as a vinyl only EP called “Get Old” on Das Kong.

In 2006, McCormack was one of the two weekly 'mystery' guests on the Australian television show RocKwiz on SBS One.[18]

In November 2006, under the guidance of JJJ, McCormack assembled a band to perform a concert at the Tivoli in Brisbane as a tribute for the late Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens. Early in 2007, McCormack then went into the studio to produce a tribute album to the band, called Write Your Adventures Down.

In October 2009, McCormack released the album Little Murders.

Since 2009, McCormack has been responsible for many film and television scores including The Tall Man, Rake, Redfern Now, House Husbands, Wild Boys, and Blood Brothers. Additionally, McCormack has also composed film scores for Alex Proyas's Garage Days[19] in 2002, and for Daniel Krige's West in 2006.[20]

2018–present: Voice acting ventures

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Since 2018, McCormack has starred in the critically acclaimed ABC Kids Australian animated television series Bluey, voicing the titular character's father, Bandit Heeler.[21] He was initially approached to read what he assumed would be merely "a couple of lines," only to voice the character for the entirety of the pilot. McCormack performs his voice work for the series remotely in Sydney, and his voice recordings are then sent to the production company in Brisbane. He does not hear any other voice actors or view footage while recording, and does not alter his own voice to produce Bandit's dialogue.[22]

In 2023, he voiced the character Orbo in the Max American adult animated television series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.[23] The series won a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony for "its unparalleled ability to seamlessly unite childhood bliss with meaningful life lessons."[24]

Discography

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Albums

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List of albums, with selected details
Title Details
The Matterhorn
  • Released: 2001[16]
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Das Kong
Candy
(as David McCormack and the Polaroids)
  • Released: August 2002
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Das Kong Pty Ltd
The Truth About Love
(as David McCormack and the Polaroids)
  • Released: 2004
  • Format: CD, LP
  • Label: Laughing Outlaw Records
Little Murders
  • Released: 2009
  • Format: CD digital
  • Label: Das Kong
Get Old
(as David McCormack and the Polaroids)
  • Released: 2024
  • Format: LP, Digital
  • Label: Das Kong / Sonar Music

Filmography

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Year Title Role
1996 Dead Heart Justin
2000-2001 Pizza Spriuker, Middle Class Homeboy
2002 Garage Days Himself (with The Titanics)
2005 Blue Water High The Band
2012 Rake Rock Band
2018–present Bluey Bandit Heeler (voice)
2020 Heroes Of Goo Jit Zu Terrack (voice)
2023 Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Orbo (voice)

Awards and nominations

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ARIA Music Awards

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The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1999 Andrew Lancaster and David McCormack for "Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)" by Custard Best Video Won [25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c McFarlane 'Custard' entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  2. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) McCormack, David[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. ^ https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/bluey/
  4. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) WHOS GERALD[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  5. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) AUTOMATIC GRAPHIC[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  6. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) CUSTARD GUN[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) CUSTARD[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ^ Mathewson, Catriona (21 November 2007). "Cream of the Custard". The Courier-Mail. News Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  9. ^ Mengel, Noel (10 October 2009). "Powderfinger and Custard pay homage to Queensland music". Brisbane Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  10. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) COWS, THE[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  11. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) COW/ C.O.W (Country or Western)[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  12. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) FRANK ?N? STEIN)[permanent dead link‍] [sic] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  13. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) MIAMI)[permanent dead link‍] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  14. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) COMPUTER[permanent dead link‍] [sic] entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  15. ^ "Thinker, tailored". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 September 2002. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Matterhorn, The". Sanity. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  17. ^ "David McCormack And The Polaroids – Save Dave - Live At The Hopetoun Hotel Sydney June 2003 (2003, DVD)". Discogs. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Jade McRae and Dave McCormack". RocKwiz. Season 2. Episode 14. 11 March 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Garage Days (2002) Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  20. ^ "West (2007) Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  21. ^ ABC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "Bluey". ABC KIDS. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  22. ^ Stafford, Andrew (16 May 2019). "Custard's Dave McCormack on voicing Bluey's dad: 'I'm popular at school drop-off time'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  23. ^ Khanna, Aryan (22 September 2023). "Bluey fans rejoice as Bandit joins Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake as The Scarab's boss Orbo". Sportskeeda.
  24. ^ https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/bluey/
  25. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 December 2019.

Sources

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