Loading details…
B
Artist
Blackhart & Strangelove
1+ albums
about
Originally from Sydney, Tessa Black came to Fremantle in September 2004 to cut some demos with local musician and producer Mark Dixon. After working together for a while they realized they shared some common musical influences, and a similar artistic direction. As a result Tessa moved to the West Coast and the two formed a duo in May 2005, spending the next year playing the local scene under their own names. In 2006 they took the name - “Tessa Blackhart and the Johnny Strangelove Orchestra”, which after a while was considered too long and was subsequently shortened to “Blackhart and Strangelove”. Already a well respected musician on the Perth music scene, Mark has earned his reputation through playing with the likes of local legend Rick Steele, Wayne Green, and many others. With Tessa’s beautifully expressive voice, amazing range and powerful vibrato giving them a unique style and sound, the duo took to writing songs, some of which tackle quite complex personal issues with quirkiness and a dash of “tongue in cheek” melodrama. In early 2007, after writing the best part of an album’s worth of songs, they went into the studio and produced eight tracks, four of which make up their first release, an EP entitled “Don’t Set Yourself On Fire”. Although most of the instruments are played by “The Johnny Strangelove Orchestra”, some notable musicians also contributed to these sessions, including Martin Casey (the Bad Seeds), Ben Franz (the Waifs), Angus Diggs (Jeff Lang, Don W
