Oz rockers Hoodoo Gurus returning to U.S.

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Reunited Australian rock band the Hoodoo Gurus are returning to the United States for their first tour in 13 years, dusting off their melodic garage punk for college kids who are all grown up.

During the 1980s, the Sydney foursome -- beloved legends in the Antipodes -- built a fervent following on the U.S. college circuit with such infectious tunes as "Bittersweet," "Like Wow - Wipeout" and "What's My Scene."

By 1998, singer/guitarist Dave Faulkner, the principal songwriter, was running out of ideas, and disbanded the group. They remained friendly and even played together in a project called the Persian Rugs, which Faulkner had formed with Gurus guitarist Brad Shepherd.

The seeds for a proper reunion were sown in 2001 when the Hoodoo Gurus played Sydney's Homebake festival. In 2004, they released their first album in eight years, "Mach Schau," and launched an Australian tour.

The U.S. trek, which begins with a March 16 performance at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, is an opportunity "to prove to people that we've still got it," Faulkner, 49, said in a recent interview. "We're happy to report we do. But of course, people should see for themselves. They can't take our word for it."

The tour takes in such cities as New York (March 20), Chicago (March 25), Los Angeles (March 28), and San Francisco (March 31). It comes at a time when Australian music is riding a wave in the United States, thanks to such bands as Jet, the Vines, and the Living End. Faulkner was especially proud of Sydney trio Wolfmother's hard rock Grammy last month.

"It just shows how far the acceptance of artists from outside America is getting now in America. It used to be very difficult for anyone to break through that club," he said.

SPORTING HEROES

One of the catalysts for the reunion was the reworking of "What's My Scene" into "That's My Team" as the theme song for Australia's National Rugby League. Faulkner is quite the sports groupie, and has relished using his celebrity to meet footballers and cricketers. He was still buzzing about a recent luncheon with West Indies cricket legend Viv Richards.

The Hoodoo Gurus may also play at the Rugby World Cup in France in the fall, which would occasion a return trip to the United States for more shows, not to mention more glad-handing with sporting heroes.

On the other hand, Faulkner is not "palsy-walsy" with other Australian rockers, such as contemporaries from INXS or Midnight Oil.

"I don't have any issues with them, but I actually don't mingle in those circles," he said. "The fact that someone plays music, I like their music, but I don't necessarily want to know them."

Hoodoo Gurus bass player Rick Grossman -- perhaps the group's busiest member on account of his day job as a drug rehabilitation counselor -- co-founded a group called Ghostwriters with Midnight Oil drummer/songwriter Rob Hirst.

Faulkner's regular-people friends are a long-suffering bunch, he says, putting up with his barroom rants on political issues close to his heart. But unlike Midnight Oil, the Hoodoo Gurus are not outwardly political. Faulkner's favorite songwriting themes are religion and death.

"I'm very anti-religion, actually," he says. "And I don't like authority either. Obviously there have to be authorities, but I'm suspicious of them. And when people put themselves up as religious authorities, I'm doubly suspicious."