Photo: supplied/ Szim
Back in 1992 cult Portland garage rock trio Dead Moon skipped the chance to play with Nirvana to instead do a 20-show tour of New Zealand, gaining many ardent fans here in the process.
This month sees the release of Going South, a double LP of live recordings of the band's gig in Invercargill, to mark the 30th anniversary of that tour.
Singer and bassist Toody Cole formed Dead Moon with her husband Fred Cole and drummer Andrew Loomis back in 1987. They returned to play in New Zealand in 2016 after drummer Loomis' death. Fred was to pass away the following year.
Going South will be launched at a special tribute event at Tāmaki Makaurau's UFO on 9 September.
"It was the most fun and the craziest tour we ever did, it was amazing ... Nineteen shows, all over New Zealand," Cole told Kim Hill.
"The crowds were so amazing, everyone was so enthusiastic. They were kind of like sitting back because I think word had gotten round that we were older and we were kind of getting billed as this punk rock band, and they thought 'yeah, right - we'll see how hard core that can be!'... and I think we surprised everyone, and the response was incredible."
As the tour progressed, the word spread, she said.
"Every place that's got a smaller intimate music scene, word gets around, people talk and share what was going on - this was way way before internet or all of that. So word got around and a lot of people had heard about us before we got there."
Dead Moon continued with the plans for the New Zealand tour, despite being offered the chance to open with Nirvana because Fred had strongly imbued a belief in them that no matter if a bigger opportunity came along, if you had already committed to something, you respected that commitment and didn't let people down, Cole said.
Their strong work ethic was part of the Dead Moon reputation. It was really key to how the band was able to make it, she said.
Both Fred and Toody had grown up poor - in the 1950s and early 60s, when America was still post-war, and "nobody had any money", she said. So to get by they were used to pitching in, picking up chores and odd jobs, using what was to hand and making ends meet through elbow grease.
"We met super-young at 18 and got married shortly thereafter, and we were just a great team. We just worked extremely well together and accomplished an amazing amount in the 50 years we had together."
Dead Moon - Fred Cole, Toody Cole, Andrew Loomis Photo: supplied
In the late 60s they spent about a year and a half living in the Hollywood Hills' renowned Laurel Canyon, rubbing shoulders with stars and musicians such as Janis Joplin.
Later, for a period in the 1970s, Fred decided to try to become a bush pilot and they lived and home-schooled their kids in a cabin they built in the Yukon area of Canada.
Toody still lives at a property they set up together, before Fred died.
"We moved out there, lived in a tent first, and then built this funky clubhouse kind of thing, then built the big house, and finished that all off together... in '83 I think."
She described it as rough hewn and "unusual", and said living there now it was like a museum set up with their touring memorabilia displayed.
"While I'm there I feel like Fred is always there, and it's one of the really amazing things that we did and accomplished together, it's my pride and joy."
