My name’s Jody Smith. I live in Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia, and I’m the creator behind this site, an archive and fan blog celebrating Australia’s now defunct electronic music / dance music / indie rock label Volition.
I’ve been a fan of Volition since buying my first Severed Heads record, the 1987 Australian release 12″ single “Hot With Fleas” / “Canine” (VOLT NINE).
I was introduced to Severed Heads via their live performance special in 1986 on the 80s ABC TV music programme Rock Arena. My 18 year old mind was blown!
My collection of Volition releases has grown over the years since, but I don’t own the full catalogue and I continue to buy what I can when I come across a record or CD.
By chance, over the years since my introduction to Severed Heads, I’ve discovered via friends and even a former lover that I’m only two degrees of separation away from several Volition artists. Then there are the coincidental connections… Boxcar’s David Smith wrote “Freemason” whilst living in the same part of Brisbane I’ve lived in since moving here in 1995. Sexing The Cherry’s Cherryn Lomas and I went to the same college in Lismore NSW, and many years later lived in the same part of Brisbane at the same time. It’s a small world!
I’d known Andy Rantzen of Itch-e and Scratch-E via Facebook, having some mutual friends, for a few years prior to meeting him for lunch in Sydney in 2012, and some time after I’d mentioned to him that I would love to start a website or blog about Volition.
It was the passing of Volition founder Andrew Penhallow in May 2023 and the subsequent outpourings of love and respect for him online that spurred me on to get this started. It’s at Andrew’s page where you can read about the remarkable man, and the history behind the Volition label.
So, here we are! I hope you enjoy all you discover here, and that you’ll stick with me as I continue to build and post on the site and blog over time. Much love, Jody.
VOLT 2023: A Volition Archive 