The Basics (/ˈbæzɪtʃ/ BAZ-itch) are an Australian band, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002, later joined by Tim Heath.
[2] The Basics were formed after Schroeder met De Backer at the March 2002 "going away party" in Melbourne of now LA-based engineer/producer Chris "Tek" O'Ryan.
[3] The event was to see off the young aspiring producer, who was about to depart for Los Angeles, and together with a number of musician friends, the two jammed on some blues-rock standards.
Initially, they played around Melbourne as an acoustic guitar/drums combo, starting at The Opposition in Frankston and the House of Fools in Footscray, where in late 2002 they met Michael Hubbard and later invited him to join them on electric guitar.
Tim Heath joined the group in June 2004, after Hubbard decided to pursue his solo career, which has included being one half of Down Hills Home.
Heath apparently answered the advertisement – which said the applicant "must have a love of 50s and 60s rock'n'roll" – thinking that he would be meeting "a couple of old guys to play with on the weekends over some beers".
Instead, they held a successful 'album preview', where each of the tracks was demonstrated in 'rough form' accompanied by a music video for each (produced by Melbourne photographic artist James Bryans).
The band were invited to play the hugely popular Homebake Festival in Sydney, where they received a great response, after being introduced onto the stage by a short stocky Asian guy with big calves ("one of the highlights" wrote The Daily Telegraph).
Securing an Australian Government grant, they embarked on a two-month tour of Australia, specifically targeting "culturally underprivileged groups" in rural and regional schoolchildren and Indigenous communities.
In 2009, The Basics for the first time enjoyed the support of Australian radio network Triple J, which had reportedly snubbed the band's previous material.
[8] The singles 'With This Ship' and 'Like A Brother' were added to the station's playlist, and momentum carried The Basics overseas for a second tour of the United Kingdom and Norway, and also a series of shows in Dublin, Ireland.
Despite all this promise, the band's album Keep Your Friends Close – produced and part-recorded by Peter Cobbin at London's Abbey Road Studios – though enjoying many favourable reviews,[9][10][11][12] failed to impress Richard Kingsmill, music director of Triple J.
This was in part due to the impending release of a new album produced by De Backer for his Gotye project, and also to reported tensions within the band following the previous year's disappointments.
Melbourne thespian and Dog With Wheels bassist David Bramble – friends with Heath from university days – has occasionally joined the band on tour, playing keys, often while sporting a large moustache.
And Kris Schroeder recorded a solo EP titled, Patience in the Face of Control, before leaving Australia to work with the Red Cross in Kenya for a two-year sabbatical, during which he contracted Malaria.
The band toured extensively across Australia in support of the EP release, featuring shows at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne and the Newtown Social Club in Sydney.
The band performed at Dawes Point for the City of Sydney's New Year's Eve 2015/2016 and a follow-up hometown show in Melbourne at the Northcote Social Club on 2 January 2016.