Project Bavaria

Project Bavaria is a Grammy-winning Drakian rock band formed in 1974. Through most of its duration, the band consisted of Vernon Bradley (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jessica Childress (vocals, keyboards), Fred Sondheim (lead guitar), Harry Carson (bass), and Warren Robertson (drums).

The Group's Origins
Before the group formed, Bradley belonged to a band named the Batavians (named after Bradley’s birthplace of Batavia, IL). In 1973, he brought his English-born girlfriend Childress into the group. The move created friction with the rest of the band, who felt her keyboards softened their sound. That issue, combined with creative friction over Bradley’s ambitious plans for the group, resulted in the band breaking up by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Carson (a native of Northern Ireland) and Robertson (of Scottish parentage) backed Irish-born guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Corke in the band Science Project. The band released one single (“Big Bad Lovin’ Machine” b/w “Jimmy’s Space Boogie”) in the fall of 1973. On New Year’s Eve, Corke was hospitalized with a massive drug overdose that resulted in severe brain damage (Corke would die in early 1975).

In January 1974, Bradley and Childress (who would marry later that year) were looking for musicians for a new band when they heard about Science Project. They agreed to invite Carson and Robertson into the band. After a few days, they formed a new band called Project Batavia. However, a club employee misspelled the latter word, giving the band its permanent name. Early reviews were positive, but said Bradley’s lead guitar lacked the style the band needed to reach the next level. Sondheim (who had just arrived from the United States) joined after responding to the band’s grocery store advertisement for a guitar player. With its lineup set, the band began playing in clubs across the islands, drawing enthusiastic reviews. As the group honed its melodic rock sound, Bradley and Childress began writing original material for their set list.

Initial Success & Setbacks, 1975-1979
As word of their live performances crossed the Atlantic Ocean, record company representatives from both sides of the ocean came to the Drake Islands. In November 1974, the band signed with Mercury Records. The band’s self-titled debut was released in 1975, gaining mostly positive reviews.

Project Bavaria set the template for the band’s sound: melodic hard rock with concise lyrics delivered with assertive authority by Bradley and Childress. Bradley’s virile baritone provided an interesting contrast with the keening tenors of other vocalists of the time, while Childress’ vocals were tough and disciplined, with a noticeable hint of vulnerability. Sondheim provided exciting and complex guitar solos, Carson’s bass was melodic but never forgetful of its rhythm responsibilities, and Robertson also maintained the rhythm while delivering interesting drum fills. The band also cultivated its image, with the male members all growing beards. The handsome Bradley incorporated Victorian and Edwardian styles into his rakish wardrobe, while the blonde and attractive Childress provided the group’s sex appeal. The band’s first hit from the album, “Rock n Roll Journey”, hit #6 on the Drake Islands Hit Survey. Two other singles would also make the national charts: “Quest For Gold” (#14) and “Away (Far Away)” (#30).

With the success of their first album, the group recorded their next album, Deuce, in 1976. The sound remained, but the lyrics addressed deeper emotional and even spiritual concerns. The album was criticized for the lyrics, which were described as overreaching and pretentious. The album still sold well, with the hit singles “Let’s Escape” (#5), “Beyond the Sky” (#9), and “Give Me the Truth” (#18). However, it fell short of expectations in the wake of the previous album’s success.

Their third album, Go For the Burn, was released in 1979. The band adopted a leaner sound and more basic lyrics. Despite scoring with the hits “Ask Me” (#10) and “Reaching” (#33), the album was considered a commercial and critical disappointment.

Rise To the Top, 1980-1988
The band spent 1980 figuring out how to rebound from their previous two albums. As they worked on their new album, they began to incorporate elements of New Wave production into their sound; they also learned how to become lyrically sophisticated without sounding pretentious. According to Childress, the band had also finally mastered the use of the studio. The band knew the new album would be “make or break” for them.

Released in 1981, Unkept Promises drew overwhelmingly positive reviews. The New Wave elements refined the band’s sound without softening it, while the ballads gained muscle through the band’s mature songwriting and mastery of the recording studio. The album garnered five Drake Islands hits, with the first single “Follow the Night” becoming the band’s first Number One hit. The follow-up single “Hold On” would also hit Number One, staying in the top spot for eight weeks, tying a then-record. Subsequent singles also enjoyed chart success: “Running Toward Daylight” (#2), “What My Heart Needs” (#5), and “Hungry For You” (#8). Other songs also received substantial album-rock airplay in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

In the wake of Unkept Promises’ success, the band went to work in 1982 on Rebels Within the System, which continued the previous album’s pattern of solid songwriting, hard-driving rockers, and powerful ballads, with the songs taking on a more political bent. Rebels Within the System was released the following year to great commercial and critical success. The band’s cover of the Moody Blues’ “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock n Roll Band)” spent 8 weeks at Number One in the Drake Islands in 1983. “The New Direction” would also hit Number One and become an anthem of the islands’ independence movement. Three other singles would chart: “Beyond These Borders” (#3), “Love Divided” (#7), and “Hanging On For My Life” (#15).

1985 would start with the band performing at the Independence Festival Concert in Glendale. They then wrapped up work on their new album, Under the New Flag. While not as critically praised as its predecessors, the album still sold well and garnered several international hits. The album’s lead-off single “Emotional Rush” would be the band’s 5th Number One hit on the Drake Islands Hit Survey. Other hits were “Coming Down Hard” (#2), “Dark Corners Of My Love” (#4), and “Haunted” (#9). The band also performed at Live Aid in London. Their astonishing September 1985 concert at the Cameron Center was released on video, becoming a best-seller.

In 1986, Bradley and Childress decided to launch solo albums while the rest of the band participated in sessions with other bands. While Bradley’s Thought And Creativity was a commercial disappointment, Childress’ Lives of the Contessa was successful, setting her vocals against more pop-oriented material. Childress also made headlines by posing nude for Playboy with her band mates (who stayed fully clothed, except for Bradley in one shot).

The Band's Decline, 1989-1994
In 1988, the band released Different Shades. The album incorporated pop and even country elements in some of the songs. Although the band were commended for making an effort to experiment with its sound, the album was criticized for being diffuse when it tried to be different and formulaic when it stuck to the band’s strengths. The album garnered three hits, “Guided By the Wind” (#9), “All Out Love” (#14), and “The World Beyond” (#29). The follow-up album Pressure Point (released in 1991) was similarly criticized, with its only Top 40 hit, “My Lover”, hitting only #21. Although sales remained respectable, the band was increasingly seen as an arena-rock dinosaur.

The 1994 album Threesquare tried to make sense of the grunge sound that was popular at the time. Unfortunately, they were unable to convince critics and the public that they were not merely aging rockers trying to hook onto the latest fad. The album garnered no hits and became the band’s worst-selling in its history.

Hiatus & Comebacks
After Threesquare, the band went on hiatus. Bradley and Childress spent most of their time travelling around the world, while the rest of the band stayed in the Drake Islands, mainly as session musicians. Childress also released her autobiography, Confessions Of the Contessa, where she described her life as a rock star, as well as her open marriage with Bradley and her numerous sexual relations with celebrities of both genders (most notably future Drake Islands President Russell Bentley). In 1999, the band released a five-disc box set, Four Beards And a Blonde: A Quarter Century of Progress, which included the newly-recorded hit single “Forward” (which hit #6 in the Drake Islands, and received album-rock radio play in the United States), which showed the band still had the capacity to rock when they wanted to.

Since the start of the new century, the band has toured sporadically, performing mainly in smaller venues. In 2003, Sondheim amicably parted from the band; he was replaced by former Diamond Drillers guitarist Desmond Sharpe.

In 2009, Project Bavaria was recognized for their music by being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They also returned to the studio for the first time in 10 years to back Rick Webster on “Let’s Start This Fire”. The song made its performing debut at the Silver Celebration Concert on 1 July at North Atlantic Properties Stadium in Glendale; it hit the Number One spot on the Drake Islands Hit Survey three weeks later.