Red Raku

Biography

One Good Friday...

Red Raku began after a chance meeting between guitarist John Hedigan and vocalist Clare Bowditch at a festival on the banks of the Murray River .

The story goes that shortly before midnight on Good Friday 1998, Clare became aware of a certain someone plucking his guitar beside her. He said his name was John, she started singing along, and the rest (including the part where a toothless, half-naked stranger serenaded them with his very special version of "Cluckold Hen") is history.

And so it happened...

Back in Melbourne the next week, John and Clare hooked up for their first true jam. John happened to live with Marty Brown, and Marty happened to be one of the finest drummers who ever lived (with John), and so, Red Raku quickly became a trio. Marty also happened to have a bedroom recording studio, and as Clare and John happened to have a few songs up their sleeves, their first album Sweetly Sedated was recorded and released in under a year, along with the help of their fine friends Rachel, Andy, Warren and Mathew.

And kept on happening...

With the support of local community stations such as RRR and PBS, and stores such as Melbourrn'e Ishka, Red Raku were able to move enough copies of Sweetly Sedated to allow them to quickly record their second album, Roda Leisis May, again produced by Marty Brown under his label Watershed Records. Guests on this record also included Defah Dattner, Pete Cohen (Soda Stream) and Myfanwe Alderson. Released to a crowd of millions at the Corner Hotel in June 2000 (we're talking mum, we're talking dad, we're talking aunties, cousins...), the album never really got the chance it deserved, because Clare headed off to Canada for a year three days after its release.  To read what it sounded like, check out the "Reviews" section, and to hear it, have a look at the “Sounds” section.