The Dead C – Michael Morley (guitar, vocals), Bruce Russell (guitar, found sound) and Robbie Yeats (drums) – were a central group in Dunedin’s spectacular second musical wind of the mid-1980s to 1990s. Bruce Russell, who had worked in PR for Flying Nun Records and recorded as A Handful of Dust was a central mover in the influential Xpressway Records, the Dunedin tape and singles label, which gathered up the musical mavericks discarded by the increasingly corporate Flying Nun.

After first pressing and releasing their own records and tapes, Xpressway, began licensing associated acts to small American and European indie labels such as Drag City Records in Chicago, Siltbreeze Records in San Francisco and Turbulance Records in Belgium, establishing a presence in those markets that endures to this day.

They’ve released one of the biggest bodies of music ever by a New Zealand group, 22 albums and over a dozen singles and EPs between 1987 and 2012, most recently on the American Ba Da Bing! Label. They are critical darlings in such influential magazines as The Wire.

The Dead C continue to record, tour and play specialist festivals and events in New Zealand, Europe and the United States, including All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2013.

Bruce Russell writes, records, and tours from his Lyttelton base. In 2012 he edited The Audio Foundation published, Erewhon Calling: Experimental Sound in New Zealand.

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Read The Dead C - Why use two chords when one will do? - part 1 - here

Read The Dead C - Why use two chords when one will do? - part 2 - here