A TRIBUTE TO LIAM INGRAM GUTHRIE PENNICOTT | WARP | OCT 17

On the 11th of September Tasmania’s delicate musical constellation lost one of its most luminous stars in the passing of Guthrie’s Liam Guthrie Ingram Pennicott. The man was a force majeure, with a slide technique that’d put hair on the chest of even the most accomplished jazz guitarist and an unmistakably unique, thundering vocal style, Liam also held a gentle and considerate disposition that constantly melted hearts in its wake. Liam’s family, along with best friend and Guthrie band mate Luke Young have shared in writing this tribute to the musician, father, craftsman and audacious, inventive thinker who was Liam Guthrie Ingram Pennicott. 

Liam grew up on a bush block near Deloraine as a child and unsurprisingly became obsessed with drama and performance as soon as he enrolled at Deloraine High. His obsession with music also began to flourish at this age and he began writing and playing in a series of dubiously named high school bands. Says Luke of Liam’s teenage musical preoccupations: “Liam told me on a number occasions about he and his friend Tom Ward trying to learn Nirvana songs on acoustic guitar in high school. The first band I’m aware of was called Powers Ice in the late 90’s. I’ve been told he sang in that band. After that he was in a group called Black Tooth which was some sort of Tool/Rage hybrid with rock riffs and hip hop vocals. He may also have been in Kenny P and the Vomits for a short period of time, but never played any shows with them. Liam was also in a band called Deus Ex Machina with some college friends which was his first introduction to pub gigs and DIY shows.”

When Luke and Liam first met, Liam was drumming in a punk band called Spankpaddle. Could he play drums? “Nope” says Luke, “But like everything Liam did, he did it with style.” Liam played a handful of shows on the kit before they found a full time drummer and he switched to guitar.  “Spankpaddle were great” says Luke, “I was drumming for another Launceston group at the time and our two bands teamed on many occasions to play gigs - we were kind of like sister bands. I have many great drunken memories (albeit hazy ones) of sharing the stage and hanging out at the Batty (now Club 54). Liam left Spankpaddle after a while and that’s when he got into playing the blues.”

Liam then joined a band called The Bathurst Street Blues Progression which later became The Progression. “That was about the time Liam and I started playing together” says Luke. “A lot of those songs became the early Guthrie songs. We formed a group called Bonemotor after the passing of Stu, Liam’s best friend and Spankpaddle lead guitarist. The band was put together to play a memorial show for Stu. We had a couple of good songs, but didn’t last long after that gig. From Bonemotor, The Staunches were born we were a four piece guitar driven alternative rock band fronted by our dear friend Jimi Steele.” says Luke. “The Staunches were actually meant to practise every Sunday at my place but Liam was often the only one to turn up so, after several weeks of smoking ciggies and talking shit waiting for the others to turn up he said he had some songs written on a lap slide and that we should jam on them together. That was in 2008. After a couple of gigs with a harmonica player under the name Liam Guthrie, he decided to ditch his first name and Guthrie was born.”

Luke and Liam’s friendship was always the foundation of their musical collaboration - fans of Guthrie would know that they never ended a gig without high fiving at the end of the set - whether the pair or anyone else considered it to be a decent set or not. 

“Liam was my best friend” says Luke. “He and I were as close as two men could be without being lovers I guess. We were just happy in each others company and were often mistaken as being brothers. At one point when we were living on the road we shared pretty much everything: toiletries, income, expenses, food, cigarettes, you name it we probably shared it. We were brothers in the rock n’ roll sense.”

Liam was also a father who absolutely adored his family and they were incredibly important to him. “I remember when Liam and I were in Alice Springs once for a gig and we were having a couple of beers before the show” says Luke. “We both actually got the news of our partners being pregnant at the same time. He was very proud and just so excited to become a father.” 

One of Luke’s favourite stories about Liam involves a meeting with an A & R rep from a major record label. “We were both very excited as things were moving along really well for the Guthrie, this label was showing serious interest and we had a lot of momentum behind us” says Luke. “Liam was living in Melbourne and I was in Tassie, so he spoke for both of us. My partner was pregnant with our first child at the time and this record man basically told Liam that he needed to find a new drummer because my partner’s pregnancy would hold him back. Liam being the extremely loyal friend he was, ended the meeting shortly after that suggestion and left. The songYou Just Want Blood is about that meeting. Liam didn’t tell me about it for some time but when he did tell me what had happened I felt like he’d written the lyrics to this song for me. I don’t know if he did or not, but I’m claiming it!” says Luke. “Liam was kind and generous, he gave so much of himself to me and never expected anything in return. The more I think about it, the more I realise that the music was always secondary to our friendship.”

-Amanda Laver