1ronic Manfred began as a joke. As you would expect when Jason Contos and Harrison Brown are involved, the joke wasn't very funny. Determined to rid the world of Acoustic Singer/Songwriters (ASS) the two friends set about creating a new style of guitar music that was quirky, technical, brutal and visual. Never mind that Harrison couldn’t play any instruments. The pair quickly became very serious about their musical treason, and with nothing but an economics textbook and a flamenco chord progression hit upon their signature sound with glee. The duo began cutting their teeth in the Sydney live music scene, but had to stop because the dentist's bills became too expensive.
Early gigs were marred by noise complaints, broken strings, dubious tuning, extreme intoxication, and a propensity for forgetting sections of songs. The guitarists quickly realised that if they began referring to their music as Jazz, they would not have to play well, look good, or even attempt to be entertaining. This was a crucial breakthrough. Literally overnight (Manfred went Jazz on a Wednesday), their distinct lack of talent was no longer an issue. The three piece line up is rounded off by Julz Lardis, Sydney’s most in-demand drummer. Why a once-in-a-generation rhythmic genius chose this rabble over numerous lucrative professional offers may never be known- though some have pointed out that he had his dreadlocks made in Brazil immediately before joining the group- speculating that the strain of the process must have seriously clouded his reasoning and judgement.
Johnno Seidler of the Sydney Morning Herald called Manfred "the most peculiarly amazing trio Sydney has ever seen...1ronic is a fiesta for the senses and your gut, as sombrero’d lead bandito Jace Contos delights with his grasp of pretty much every language on earth, otherworldly flamenco guitar playing and long rambling stories..."
1ronic Manfred has been variously reviewed as "the single greatest rock band of all time" and "a complete and utter disgrace. I wouldn't piss on fire to put them out." Both are true, and it is this consistency of quality that has led the band to attract an international legion of loyal fans, most of whom struggle to pronounce the name. (It’s actually Juan-Ronic, not One-Ronic.) 1ronic Manfred's debut album "The Power of Juan" was released in December 2010, leaving everybody who hears it with that very same cheeky little wry grin which is slowly creeping across your face right now...
The band toured extensively in 2010, and made connections with fans from France, Germany, Holland, Russia, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Canada. A European journey is booked for mid-2011, and the band remains united around the first fundamental principle of Manfred- that it is possible, in our lifetimes, to live in a world without acoustic singer songwriters.
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