Alsy MacDonald

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Alsy MacDonald
Birth nameAlan Roger MacDonald
Also known asAlsy MacDonald
Born (1961-08-14) 14 August 1961 (age 62)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, drummer, singer
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1976–1989

Alan MacDonald (born 14 August 1961) is an Australian musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band the Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'.

He was born on 14 August 1961 to Bill MacDonald, a professor of child health at

Perth, Western Australia and was close friends with David McComb
.

In 1976, partly in response to the emergence of

cassette tapes
and been through many line-up changes.

In 1981, The Triffids released their first, 7-inch vinyl single, "Stand Up", as a result of winning a song competition run by the Western Australian Institute of Technology.[4] Subsequent releases included the Reverie EP, "Spanish Blue", and the Bad Timing and Other Stories EP. They moved to Sydney, in 1982. The band's first 12-inch vinyl album, Treeless Plain, was released in 1983. The band's line-up stabilised to David McComb (vocals, guitar), his brother Robert McComb (guitar, violin), Jill Birt (keyboards), Alsy MacDonald (drums), Martyn P. Casey (bass).[4]

In August 1984, the band flew to

'Evil' Graham Lee on pedal steel and guitar. Lee having recorded the mini-album, Lawson Square Infirmary with the band members in 1984.[4]

In 1987, the band signed a three-record deal with Island Records, which saw the release of Calenture and The Black Swan. In 1989 tired from the constant travelling and touring, the band dissolved.[4] MacDonald played with The Blackeyed Susans between 1989 and 1990 and upgraded his high school qualifications. He enrolled in law at Murdoch University in 1992.[2]

MacDonald married Jill Birt, the keyboardist for the band. They have three children. Jill is a practising architect who graduated from the University of Western Australia.

After graduating with his law degree in 1995, MacDonald applied for a short-term contract at the

Equal Opportunity Commission in Perth and is currently the commission's senior legal advisor.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Alan "Alsy" MacDonald | Australian Music Database".
  2. ^ a b c "Triffids drummer finds new rhythm for life". Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  3. ^ Holmgren, Magnus; Skjefte, Morten; Warnqvist, Stefan; Simonetti, Vince. "The Triffids". Passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 28 July 2002. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "ARIA Hall of Fame: The Triffids" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  5. ^ "Equal Opportunity Commission - staff profile". Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2007.

External links