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:: artist infos
» member profile:
seriousfun
» genre:
Rock >
Classic Rock
» location:
doug osborne
» label: unsigned
» for fans of: Police, U2, Jam, Clash
» latest album:
"Boston Rock & Roll Anthology IV LP"
20 tracks
running time 40
$50
20 tracks
running time 40
$50
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Serious Fun '83
NEWS
*01/25/08 Serious Fun - Serious Fun - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*01/18/08 Serious Fun - Don't Run Away - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*01/11/08 Serious Fun - Seamless - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*01/04/08 Serious Fun - Where You Been - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*12/28/07 Serious Fun - So Very Sweet - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
Doug Osborne solo music:
The Beat (WBCN)
#19 January 1985
by Carter Alan
The Count has been busy, as usual, running his VAR International label and his latest project is the Boston Rock and Roll Anthology Volume 4...highlights include the band Serious Fun which has the elusive talent of writing catchy pop without allowing terminal blandness to set in. "Pasted On Pout" and "Arrest My Heart" are easily the best on the LP and were engineered by local production maestro Andy Mendelssohn.
*12/21/07 Serious Fun - Take A Look demo
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, January 23, 1985
by Brett Milano, special to the Golbe
Boston rockeers launch new album -
Loud guitars and hummable tunes prevail on "Anthology Volume 4," released this week. ... The standout bands - notably Serious Fun and Body Politics - serve up commercial rock with hooks and humor.
* 12/14/07 Serious Fun - Out Of Sight Out Of Mind demo
*Sweet Potato - Vol. 7, Issue 7
Boston Rock 'N' Roll Anthology, Volume 4 -
The first side of Volume Four is more successful. It starts off with a good cut from Serious Fun, "Pasted On Pout" (they also have a song on side two, "Arrest My Heart," ...). This trio goes for a zippy beat and an understated instrumental approach, but the thing that makes it click is the octave-wide vocal blend from Doug Osborne and Stephen Wild, kind of like a more mournful Difford and Tillbrook blend. By holding back a little, the band captures your attention more effectively.
* 12/07/07 Serious Fun - Man Of Steel demo
Boston Rock 'N Roll Anthology, Vol. 4
released February, 1984
With Serious Fun - Pasted On Pout and Serious Fun - Arrest My Heart
Allmusic.com listing
*11/30/07 World Premier on Soundclick! Serious Fun - Love Trap
*Tuesday, April 3, 1984
The Boston Globe, - by Brett Milano, special to the Globe
Twilley reveals his tougher side
Serious Fun's songwriting (and) ambitious pop ... lives up to their name.
*January 13, 1984
The Boston Globe - Weekend by Ernie Santosuosso
...The fans of Serious Fun take their fun seriously. The group whose single is due for imminent release will perform Wednesday at Jumpin' Jack Flash, 88 Queensbury St., Back Bay....
*11/21/07 - World Premier on Soundclick! You Can Cry
*Boston Phoenix - January 1983
Hotline to the Underground - Ms. Janis Reed
"This writer was treated to a private performance at the very private party thrown at the home of the band Serious Fun. It was one of the more serious parties I've been to in quite some time - everyone was so solemn including people from the Phantoms and The Workers. What is this, the new Lou Rude look - instead of laughing and joking everyone sits in a circle and says "groovy, man." Anyway, even though the party was slow, the band cooked. ...
Serious Fun (is) Doug Osborne's new ensemble. Doug has always been a first rate composer and singer and yes, he's still doing his classic songs Jeanette and Cambridge Nights. I've only got the band's demo tape, but hopefully they are stil playing his big WBCN hit from a couple of years back You Can Cry. Liz DeSessa plays the drums and Stephen Wild is on the bass".
*11/16/07 World Premier! Jeanette
Doug played Jeannette with a few bands before Serious Fun recorded this, but Serious Fun really got the dynamic, harmonic, and rhythmic soul of this song.
*11/13/07 World Premier - The Silence
New mix of The Silence from original tracks. Basic tracks were recorded in Boston in 1984, with overdubs in Los Angeles in 1985.
*11/02/07 World Premier! Cambridge Nights. Demo of Cambridge Nights got extensive airplay in Boston on WBCN and WFNX, and this is the first release of the official mix.
*10/26/07 Original 1983 mixes of Arrest My Heart and Pasted On Pout!
All songs © Douglas W. Osborne | redandslow music | BMI dougosborne@dougosborne.net
*01/18/08 Serious Fun - Don't Run Away - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*01/11/08 Serious Fun - Seamless - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*01/04/08 Serious Fun - Where You Been - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
*12/28/07 Serious Fun - So Very Sweet - Live at Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boston, MA, January, 18, 1984
Doug Osborne solo music:
The Beat (WBCN)
#19 January 1985
by Carter Alan
The Count has been busy, as usual, running his VAR International label and his latest project is the Boston Rock and Roll Anthology Volume 4...highlights include the band Serious Fun which has the elusive talent of writing catchy pop without allowing terminal blandness to set in. "Pasted On Pout" and "Arrest My Heart" are easily the best on the LP and were engineered by local production maestro Andy Mendelssohn.
*12/21/07 Serious Fun - Take A Look demo
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, January 23, 1985
by Brett Milano, special to the Golbe
Boston rockeers launch new album -
Loud guitars and hummable tunes prevail on "Anthology Volume 4," released this week. ... The standout bands - notably Serious Fun and Body Politics - serve up commercial rock with hooks and humor.
* 12/14/07 Serious Fun - Out Of Sight Out Of Mind demo
*Sweet Potato - Vol. 7, Issue 7
Boston Rock 'N' Roll Anthology, Volume 4 -
The first side of Volume Four is more successful. It starts off with a good cut from Serious Fun, "Pasted On Pout" (they also have a song on side two, "Arrest My Heart," ...). This trio goes for a zippy beat and an understated instrumental approach, but the thing that makes it click is the octave-wide vocal blend from Doug Osborne and Stephen Wild, kind of like a more mournful Difford and Tillbrook blend. By holding back a little, the band captures your attention more effectively.
* 12/07/07 Serious Fun - Man Of Steel demo
Boston Rock 'N Roll Anthology, Vol. 4
released February, 1984
With Serious Fun - Pasted On Pout and Serious Fun - Arrest My Heart
Allmusic.com listing
*11/30/07 World Premier on Soundclick! Serious Fun - Love Trap
*Tuesday, April 3, 1984
The Boston Globe, - by Brett Milano, special to the Globe
Twilley reveals his tougher side
Serious Fun's songwriting (and) ambitious pop ... lives up to their name.
*January 13, 1984
The Boston Globe - Weekend by Ernie Santosuosso
...The fans of Serious Fun take their fun seriously. The group whose single is due for imminent release will perform Wednesday at Jumpin' Jack Flash, 88 Queensbury St., Back Bay....
*11/21/07 - World Premier on Soundclick! You Can Cry
*Boston Phoenix - January 1983
Hotline to the Underground - Ms. Janis Reed
"This writer was treated to a private performance at the very private party thrown at the home of the band Serious Fun. It was one of the more serious parties I've been to in quite some time - everyone was so solemn including people from the Phantoms and The Workers. What is this, the new Lou Rude look - instead of laughing and joking everyone sits in a circle and says "groovy, man." Anyway, even though the party was slow, the band cooked. ...
Serious Fun (is) Doug Osborne's new ensemble. Doug has always been a first rate composer and singer and yes, he's still doing his classic songs Jeanette and Cambridge Nights. I've only got the band's demo tape, but hopefully they are stil playing his big WBCN hit from a couple of years back You Can Cry. Liz DeSessa plays the drums and Stephen Wild is on the bass".
*11/16/07 World Premier! Jeanette
Doug played Jeannette with a few bands before Serious Fun recorded this, but Serious Fun really got the dynamic, harmonic, and rhythmic soul of this song.
*11/13/07 World Premier - The Silence
New mix of The Silence from original tracks. Basic tracks were recorded in Boston in 1984, with overdubs in Los Angeles in 1985.
*11/02/07 World Premier! Cambridge Nights. Demo of Cambridge Nights got extensive airplay in Boston on WBCN and WFNX, and this is the first release of the official mix.
*10/26/07 Original 1983 mixes of Arrest My Heart and Pasted On Pout!
All songs © Douglas W. Osborne | redandslow music | BMI dougosborne@dougosborne.net
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Doug Osborne - guitar/vocals/songs
Stephen Wild - bass/vocals/songs
Liz DeSessa - drums
Stephen Wild - bass/vocals/songs
Liz DeSessa - drums
Why this name?
In a band meeting! We each brought in as many name candidates that we could come up with, and this was chosen by vote.
Do you play live?
We played many gigs in clubs around Boston in '83 and '84. The first was at Jumpin' Jack Flash (later T. T. the Bear's Place), and the last was at the legendary Rat. The second to the last gig was at The Paradise opening for Dwight Twilley.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
Digital distribution is great for our purposes - anyone who might remember Serious Fun can get the songs easily and cheaply.
For new material, it's a blessing and a curse. Again, access is unlimited and affordable, but it's hard to get to the point where an artist can be properly compensated for a song without the marketing and distribution a major label can provide.
And if you're a major label, stuck trying to sell CDs through CD stores...your're in deep doo doo.
For new material, it's a blessing and a curse. Again, access is unlimited and affordable, but it's hard to get to the point where an artist can be properly compensated for a song without the marketing and distribution a major label can provide.
And if you're a major label, stuck trying to sell CDs through CD stores...your're in deep doo doo.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Not for this material. They can't think beyond what was a hit yesterday. And they have lost record stores and radio as distribution and promotion.
Band History:
This is the original Serious Fun!
Not the acapella group in Boston that adopted the name, or the Los Angeles based cover band. And we have nothing to do with The Knack!
Not the acapella group in Boston that adopted the name, or the Los Angeles based cover band. And we have nothing to do with The Knack!
Your influences?
A three piece band with slammin' drums, rocking guitar, and deep rhythmic bass in '83? I'd have to say The Police, U2, the Jam, the Clash, but on the pop side with great melodies and sophisticated harmonies. People said at the time that they heard everything from Rush to Joni Mitchell to Talking Heads in Serious Fun's music.
Favorite spot?
Boston, MA
Equipment used:
Doug - '65 Fender Strat, Legend 50 tube/SS hybrid amp, pedals (MuTron Vol/Wah, MXR Dyna Comp, MXR Chorus, Boss Flanger, etc.)
Steve - Fender P Bass, Fender Amp
Liz - Sonor black drum set
Steve - Fender P Bass, Fender Amp
Liz - Sonor black drum set
Anything else...?
all songs © Douglas W. Osborne | redandslow music | BMI