About Us

The band came into being back in 1989 as a vehicle for a.d's original music while he played with other bands.

a.d. and a couple of friends played live sometimes, labelling the band The Jordans. They didn't think they were very good but they enjoyed their two or three gigs.

a.d. kept the band name when he put out a tape of his own through the UK fanzine Red Roses For Me, even though the other guys only played on one song, as it seemed easier to relate to a band name than a set of initials.

Following the premature demise of the first lineup of the Steinbecks, a.d. had a bit more time so more songs got written and things happened.

Dan Goldwag of Sonorama Records approached the band for a demo tape with a view to putting out a single. A demo of eight songs, creatively named 'eight', was put together, impressing Dan enough to come back with an offer to put out a CD.

a.d. did just about everything on the album himself, including the cover artwork and recording the 13 songs on his 4-track, which he bundled up for the Fedex man late 1996, to return some months later as Katydid. The album did okay in the U.S. and Australia, receiving some nice reviews.

A lull ensued for a couple of years while a.d. focused on other things, producing new material every now and again, some finding its way onto friends' compilations.

A prolific songwriting period in 1998-99 saw a.d. produce all the songs for the second album - The Hallelujah Mine. Long time friend and fellow musician Shane Hill joined a.d. for weekly jam sessions, which at some stage got extended to include working on the album on Sundays; Shane had joined the band.

a.d. relocated to the country and created an enhanced recording space with Shane's assistance. The new location sported very few neighbours, but was far enough away from Shane's urban habitat to slow down the actual recording process. The album stalled temporarily, although the duo managed to invest enough studio time to put out a couple of songs for the Airpop and Red Roses For Me compilations.

2000 was the year in which an enduring management and label relationship was formed with Consonant. The latter is primarily a small IT consultancy that decided to turn its project management resources and knowledge of the Internet to mentor and develop non-mainstream performers. Suddenly the album was back on the front-burner, a drummer and bassplayer were recruited, promotional work was done. Business cards, stickers, banners, radio appearances — all the mad trappings of the music business — materialised out of thin air. The Hallelujah Mine was completed, mixed, mastered by Ross Cockle at Sing Sing in Richmond, then released in a fine evening's entertainment at the Central Club.

Many adventures ensued with that lineup before the band returned to a creative simmer once again. Songwriting takes time, it seems. In early 2009, Shane is enjoying being Family Guy, and a.d. is working on the new album, entitled Small Things @ LightSpeed. With input from a bunch of honorary and actual Jordans, completion is barely a month away. We've even got the CD cover designed. In the next month or so we'll start planning for a release and shows. This year should be interesting indeed.