Russell Rocks the House
By Russell Scott Smith
US Weekly (September 3, 2001)

With an ex-girlfriend as his opening act, Russell Crowe and his Aussie band mates launch their first U.S. tour

THERE MUST BE A LOT OF NERVOUS husbands and boyfriends out there," said Russell Crowe as he gripped the microphone and surveyed a crowd of 2,000 from the outdoor stage at Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, Texas. And the handful of men in the audience did indeed look a little uneasy. But that may have been because they were so outnumbered. It was August 11, the second night of the Gladiator star's first U.S. tour with his rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, and for every guy in the crowd, there were five women -- many squealing like schoolgirls. "I really like Russell Crowe," a 50-year-old fan had said the night before. "My husband knows I came to drool."

Yes, Australia's sexiest bachelor is back on the prowl in the U.S.A. Taking a break from his movie career, this year's best actor Oscar winner is on a nine-city tour of small clubs through August 30, promoting his band's first American CD, Bastard Life or Clarity, which will be released on September 11 by Artemis Records. But Crowe, 37, insists there's no need to lock up the womenfolk, despite his considerable reputation as a ladies' man. In just the last year, he has famously romanced Meg Ryan, Courtney Love, Heather Graham and Peta Wilson. But at Stubb's, he reassured worried spouses in the crowd: "There will be no womanizing tonight. We're just going to sing songs and sweat."

Sweating is exactly what happened in Austin, where fans from as far away as the Philippines braved 100-degree temperatures to line up the night before each concert in order to be one of the first inside. (Tickets cost $25, with no reserved seating) From tents set up to protect the waiting hordes from the heat, fans had strung a banner that read HEY RUSSELL, IS THAT AN OSCAR IN YOUR POCKET OR ARE YOU JUST GLAD TO SEE US? One woman from Liverpool, England, showed off a new tattoo of Crowe's name in Japanese characters. "We've seen people up to a month in advance of the show," says Mike Hall, the director of operations at Stubb's. "They're trying to live it before it happens or something."

Crowe's music career has been happening for a while. The New Zealand-born son of two film-set caterers has played professionally since the early'80s, when he went by the name Russ Le Roq and released a single in Australia titled "I Want to Be Like Marlon Brando."In 1984, he formed a band called Roman Antix with high-school buddy Dean Cochran. The friends formed 30 Odd Foot of Grunts 14 years ago, taking the band's name from a sound-effects direction in the script for 1995's Virtuosity, in which Crowe starred with Denzel Washington.

When the thickly muscled Crowe finally strolled onstage at 9:30 P.M., fans screamed as if he were Elvis. As the other Grunts noodled in the background, Crowe -- wearing jeans, a dark work shirt and a healthy crop of facial stubble -- strapped on a black acoustic guitar and launched into "The Photograph Kills," a song he wrote in 1995 about the perils of being a movie star. "The photograph kills and your fame will destroy you," Crowe sang in a Chris Isaak-likc growl. A man shouted "Go, Maximus!" and several of Crowe's female fans screamed, "Take off your shirt!" During the band's first encore on August 11, Crowe disappeared behind the speakers for a moment and then reemerged waving a gold statuette over his head -- apparently his Oscar. The crowd went wild and escalated their cheering during the second encore, when he finally stripped off his shirt to reveal an orange Grunts basketball jersey.

Crowe is used to this kind of warm reception in Austin, which has become something of a second home for him since last August, when the band recorded Clarity in the Texas capital and played a concert at Stubb's that attracted celebrities including Sandra Bullock and Jodie Foster. "I'd rather the band be in a city like Austin than lost in a sort of jungle like New York," said Crowe, who lives on a 560-acre ranch several hours north of Sydney. "Our songs need a bit of space, you know?" For the second straight summer, Crowe has rented a fully furnished house in Austin's affluent Travis Heights neighborhood, and he has been cruising around town on a huge Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer Softail motorcycle. On August 10 Crowe plugged his favorite Texas beer from the stage at Stubb's: "Two words," he shouted. "One starts with an S. One starts with a B. Shiner Bock!" Then Crowe hoisted his long-neck bottle, threw his head back and drained it.

Crowe has also become friendly with Texas governor Rick Perry. On August 18, after two concerts in Chicago and an appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show, the Grunts returned to Stubb's for a charity concert billed as a birthday present for Perry's 15-year-old daughter, Sydney. That night, a special guest joined the Grunts' caravan -- 29-year-old Australian folk singer and actor Danielle Spencer who was Crowe's girlfriend from 1990 until 1995. Spencer, who plays keyboards and sounds like Tori Amos, performed six songs and received almost as much applause as Crowe. As his knowledgeable fans know, Spencer and Crowe broke up, at least in part, because of his busy film schedule. "Danny's a young woman, and there's no way I [could] say, 'You must waste your youth on me,"' Crowe said in 1995.

In 1998, Crowe wrote "Danielle," in which he sang "if I could only trust myself/Our love could grow/Danielle, Danny, I love you." He brought the pretty blonde as his date to the Academy Awards in March, sparking rumors that they were getting back together. At a pre-Oscar party, the pair had been harassed outside an L.A. party by Courtney Love, who reportedly had had a fling with Crowe in January. As witnesses looked on, Love stuck her head in the window of Crowe's SUV and asked Spencer, "Are you the girlfriend? Are you the one from Australia?"

If Spencer is dating Crowe, she won't say. She has told Us weekly that she is not seeing anyone at present, and she makes light of her public appearances with Crowe, saying only 'we've done a few things together." At the very least, they seem to be good friends; Crowe invited Spencer on his tour to help her get an American distributor for her first record, White Monkey, which is being released by E M I in Australia on October 9. Crowe's fame certainly has helped the Grunts, which would probably be just another competent folk-rock bar band if not for their movie-star frontman. Crowe, the bands main songwriter, seems to understand his limitations. "As an actor, I can play my 'instrument' on the highest level possible," he has said. "As a musician, I work on a much simpler level."

The Grunts live up to their somewhat crass name on their official band DVD, Texas, which is being sold at shows on the U.S. tour for $50 (or $100 for a signed copy). The 78-minute video was shot during the Clarity recording sessions in Austin last year, and it features 10 songs plus lots of candid moments -- including Crowe doing push-ups, Crowe telling fart jokes and roadies smelling a woman's panties after she threw them onstage.

The craziest thing thrown onstage during the August 18 show was a stuffed koala, which sparked a rant from Crowe about how little the toy looked like a real koala. He then told his fans - as he has at other concerts - to "stop giving us your stuff " The band performed several songs - like "What You Want Me to Forget?" - with lyrics that seemed to be about relationships. At one point, Crowe blurted out "I'm a f --- ing mess. Every one of these songs is about something I f --- ed up."

That outburst aside, Crowe was far from morose. He drank his Shiner Bock and between songs conducted mock interviews with Cochran (the lead guitarist) and the other Grunts, Dave Wilkins (guitar), Garth Adam (bass), Dave Kelly (drums) and Stewart Kirwan (trumpet). "Just think of me as Barbara Walters," Crowe said. "You can cry if you want to."

As the night wore on, the fans seemed to tire of screaming and actually began listen to the music. That's how Crowe prefers it. "I give this my heart," he has said. "I've been writing songs since I was a little kid, and it's really just a part of me."

With Andy Langer & Joe Nick Patosk in Austin; Rob Elder in Chicago

Actor Russell Crowe's band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, was the suprise show-closers at the third Australian Online Music Awards (the ONYA!s), held at Sydney's Basement club August 4. The band, which sells its records online, won two catagories on the night. Its www.gruntland.com took most popular Australian artist site. The band's appearance was kept secret from the 400 people at the club until 9:40 p.m. when it wandered on to resounding cheers.

Crowe, dressed in jeans and workman's boots and nursing a cigarette and a can of beer, launched into "All The White Circles." Afterward, he partied with other award guests including Jon Farriss of INXS, Iva Davies of Icehouse, Dave Gleeson of Screaming Jets and R&B diva Deni Hines.

The next night, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts played at Coffs Harbour Hotel, where Crowe hangs out and took Hollywood buddies Tom Cruise and former love interest Meg Ryan for a drink.

Tickets at $10 [AUS] a head were snapped up within three hours. "You could've knocked me over with a feather when Russell asked me if he could play here," publican Marty Phillips said. "He said he wanted an intimate session."

Almost 500 people squeezed into an area designed for 300. The biggest cheer of the night came when the unshaven Hollywood star peeled off his red shirt to reveal a rugby league jumper for Orary Valley - a local team he sponsors. By the end of the night, the crowd had become firm fans of his music.

Other performances during the ONYA! included a stunning set from blues guitarist John Butler as well as Sella One Eleven, Big Heavy Stuff, and David Lane.

Among the 15 winners of the night, voted by 30,000 people online from 60 countries, were Big Day Out, which took most popular music webcast, and Powderfinger for best Australian artist site.

Stone Pony 'Crowes' About Upcoming Show
By Eleanor O'Sullivan
Asbury Park Press, August 10, 2001
Copyright 2001 Asbury Park Press, Inc.

Asbury Park, NJ. -- Yes, it's true: Oscar winner Russell Crowe and his band will perform Aug. 30 at Asbury Park's Stone Pony.

"He (Crowe) tracked us down. Basically, he told his agent, 'I want to play on the same stage where Bruce (Springsteen) played,'" said Domenic Santana, owner-operator of the Stone Pony.

Crowe and his Australian-based band will take the stage around 10 p.m. for a two-hour set, Santana said. The few remaining tickets are $ 25 per person.

Band members are Crowe, Stewart Kirwan, Dave Wilkins, Garth Adam, Dave Kelly and Dean Cochran.

Santana said that Crowe, who won an Oscar for last year's "Gladiator" and filmed "A Beautiful Mind" at Princeton University earlier this year, has had a sold-out tour with his band.

"They're supposed to be phenomenal. We're getting calls from celebrities and people asking if they can get blocks of tickets, or if we have a VIP section. I tell them, 'This is not that kind of place."

Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the box office, 913 Ocean Ave., or through Ticketmaster.

Bigger Than Ben Hur
By Naomi Toy
Herald August 6, 2001

The sign outside promised a night that would be bigger than Ben Hur -- and their Gladiator hero didn't fail to deliver.

About 1000 people packed into the courtyard of the Coffs Harbour Hotel to hear Russell Crowe's musical side with his band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts.

By the end of the night Crowe had the crowd convinced that acting wasn't his only talent.

The gig at his adopted home town proved popular with locals who snapped up the $10 tickets within hours of them going on sale last week.

Long time friend Danielle Spencer and stand-up comedian Russell Gilbert warmed up the crowd before Crowe and the band took the stage.

In his best rock 'n' roll voice, Crowe told the crowd: "We're going to sweat a little tonight. That's what we've decided, if that's OK with you people."

The unshaven Hollywood superstar received one of his loudest cheers when he peeled off his faded red shirt to reveal an Orary Valley rugby league jumper, a local team that he sponsors.

Publican Marty Phillips said he was shocked when Crowe approached him about playing at the hotel.

"You could've knocked me over with a feather," he said. "He wanted a bit more of an intimate session here at Coffs Harbour.

"He's going to have a lot of people here, his family and a lot of friends in Coffs Harbour. Everyone is pretty excited."

The band warmed up earlier on the weekend with a low-key performance on Saturday night at popular Sydney jazz club, The Basement.

TOFOG appeared on stage as the last of five Australian acts at the Australian Online Music Awards, at which it was also the subject of two gongs ö for most popular Australian artist site and most popular Australian fan site.

Crowe's Surprise Show is a KO
By Christine Sams
The Sun-Herald, August 6, 2001

Top-secret: Russell Crowe makes a surprise appearance at the ONYA! awards on Saturday night.

Superstar Russell Crowe gave some unexpected grunt to the Australian Music Online Awards on Saturday night, after making a surprise appearance onstage with his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.

Crowe performed with the band at The Basement in Circular Quay after the group was awarded Most Popular Australian Artist Site at the ONYA! awards.

The band's website, www.gruntland.com, was ranked Australia's No 1 after voting by more than 30,000 music fans across the world.

30 Odd Foot of Grunts beat other Australian artists including Silverchair, Powderfinger, Killing Heidi and Human Nature to the top online award.

Crowe agreed to perform at the ONYA! ceremony to pay homage to the thousands of fans who regularly log on to his band's website.

But his appearance was kept top-secret until last night, and the audience of about 250 at The Basement reacted with shock and surprise when he walked on stage about 9.30pm, nursing a cigarette and a beer.

While waiting for his microphone to work the actor laughed and joked with the audience and said: "We're having a great fucking time here."

He then launched into the single All The White Circles. The band performed two songs from their album Bastard Life Or Clarity.

Crowe looked relaxed and happy on stage. He was dressed in a black shirt, jeans and work boots, and sported an unkempt beard.

His unexpected performance was greeted with screams and whistles from the stunned crowd.

And he stayed on late into the night, drinking with other personalities including singers Jon Farris of INXS and Deni Hines.

The Oscar-winning actor's singing performance was also watched by music fans across the world, during a live webcast.

After his brief gig in Sydney, Crowe flew to Coffs Harbour yesterday morning, in preparation for the band's only full-length Australian performance - at the Coffs Harbour Hotel last night - before they embark on their American tour next week.

The hotel is a favourite drinking hole for Crowe, who lives in the nearby village of Nana Glen.

Russell Chases His Rock Dream
By Phillip Koch and Sarah Blake
Sunday Telegraph, August 5, 2001

Reluctant movie star Russell Crowe finally came out of self-imposed hiding and performed with his band, Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunt, in Sydney last night.

The Oscar-winning Gladiator star and his band were the headline act at the Australian Online Music Awards at The Basement in Circular Quay. "I think they were quite honoured to be asked to close the awards ceremony," producer Lisa Treen said.

Crowe last week secretly rehearsed in a factory at Alexandria to prepare for the performance.

Treen said the Coffs Harbour-based actor asked organisers to keep details of his performance secret in the lead-up to the gig ö and he was billed as a mystery "major international artist".

The actor headed to The Basement for a rehearsal at 12.25pm yesterday ö and treated children riding their skateboards outside to an impromptu performance.

With two security guards leading the way, Crowe refused to answer questions.

Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunt (TOFOG), who cancelled a gig at City Live at Fox Studios last week, head to Coffs Harbour today to perform at a local pub ö with tickets to the concert costing just $10.

And the first thing Crowe will see when he enters the Coffs Harbour Hotel tonight to play for a crowd of his proudest supporters will be a 1.5m-high portrait of himself.

The pale-blue mural of Aussie superstars, with him as its centrepiece, was installed a month ago in the pub where Crowe regularly drinks.

"It's a great, old, rambling country pub. It's just perfect," Crowe's Sydney-based music publicist, Anouk Van Meeuwen, said of the star's favourite watering hole.

It's so perfect that Crowe, Coffs Harbour's most famous export and supporter, chose it for a warm-up gig before tomorrow heading to the US for a tour with TOFOG, with whom he has been writing music since 1984.

Publican Marty Phillips, who has shared a beer with Crowe and some of his high-profile mates since buying the hotel five years ago, said the star was drawn to the pub because he could relax there.

(Thanks to Andrew / www.news.com.au)

Crowe Starts Tour in Hometown Bar
Sydney, Australia (AP)
August 2, 2001

Oscar winner and part-time musician Russell Crowe isn't too big to support his hometown bar in Australia.

The ``Gladiator'' star's rock 'n' roll band, Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts, begins a sold-out North American tour next week.

But Crowe decided to launch the tour with an Australian performance at his local bar in Coffs Harbour, 360 miles north of Sydney. The coastal resort town is best known as the capital of the nation's banana-growing industry.

Crowe called the owners of the Coffs Harbour Hotel last weekend with an offer too good to refuse.

``He said: `I want to do you a favor. ... I want to play the band there instead of in Sydney,''' hotel partner, Ray Alaban, said Thursday.

``It's a favor to the whole town. He's trying to put money back into the town which is great. You can't knock that can you?'' Alaban said.

Crowe owns a ranch in the hills outside Coffs Harbour.

The hotel had 1,000 tickets for the Sunday night show priced at $5 each. They were sold in hours.

After the performance on Sunday the band will fly to Austin, Texas for the start of a 14-stop North American tour.