Moonlight Wranglers

We haven’t been on a stage for just over a year now. It’s hard to get us all in the same room together let alone on a stage or rehearsal room. The last gig we played was magic. It wouldn’t have happened, though, if it weren’t for how much we love James Baker. We knew he wasn’t well and that this would be the last time we’d get to share a drum kit with The Painkillers.

Right from the start of our life as a band James was there. Even if we weren’t sharing a bill with one of his bands you were bound to see him out at a show. Just the fact that someone with his intimidating history in bands with albums that were part of our DNA would be in the same pub as us let alone PLAYING in the same pub was mind blowing. And then you find out just how fkn lovely he is. And how humble. And how he always has kind things to say. And always up for a chat. And never afraid to say he cared about sh*t… Far out! How fkn lucky were we?

We were so lucky. Imagine a little bus with four sticky carpet pub bands (Bonehouse, Tilly Devine, Moonlight Wranglers, Painkillers - killer Hydey lineup) on a jaunt to Kalgoorlie to bravely play to a weekend Kalgoorlie crowd. We had no idea what we were heading into but we had a Scientists/Hoodoo Gurus/Victims/Beasts of Bourbon/Dubrovniks icon among us so whatever confidence building activities were happening were only amplified. Not that he behaved like an icon. On the way home the trailer our bus was dragging all of our gear in blew a tyre not far out of Kalgoorlie and there was a long wait in the 40+ degree heat to get a replacement and get it fixed. James told us stories of times on tour in Europe as though it were no different than being “on tour” with our little troupe. You’d have to wonder if he knew how highly we regarded him.

The Painkillers were the best band in this town for the longest time. In every incarnation they were a fkn freight train rattlin’ toward you carrying a load of wit and skull rattling noise and they propelled you forward like no other combo. Big love to Josh and Sarah. This must be tough.

You can hear a lot of the history of rock n roll in James Baker’s drumming but absolutely nobody sounds like James Baker.

Rest In Peace fine gentleman.

Love
Mitch, Kate, Shane and Corey