In the late 1970s Phil McKellar worked at the Australian Broadcasting Commission (later renamed as
Australian Broadcasting Corporation).[1] In 1978 a fellow worker, Steve Adam, invited him to join an experimental music outfit, the Informatics, alongside Ramesh Ayar, Valek Sadovchikoff and Michael Trudgeon.[1] Trudgeon explained their stance "We were driven by a love of the possibilities of what synthesizers and sequencers could do... Quite often the songs were shaped by the textures and rhythms that this new and exciting technology could generate. I think we were more interested in what we could experiment with rather than compete with well-established genres. The future looked exciting."[1] In August 1982 McKellar issued a solo track, "Some Good Things to Do", which was compiled on a give-away
cassette, Fast Forward 12, with Fast Forward Magazine.[2]
From 1990 to 2000 McKellar worked as live music producer for national youth radio station,
Triple J. McKellar later recalled "I'd been recording a lot of stuff for Triple J – Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers."[3] In April 1994 a demo version of "
Tomorrow" by Newcastle teen band,
Silverchair, won the Pick Me competition.[3] McKellar produced the group's debut single at the Triple J studios in Sydney, he remembered "It sounded amazing and it was a strong song and as it got whittled down [from its original seven minutes] it focused it more and more... I guess it was obvious to me there was definitely talent involved."[3] From 30 October 1994 it peaked at No. 1 for six weeks on the
ARIA Singles Chart.[4] At the
ARIA Music Awards of 1995 "Tomorrow" won
Single of the Year, Highest Selling Single, and Breakthrough Artist – Single.[5] McKellar was nominated as Producer of the Year.[5]
^Hung, Steffen.
"Silverchair – 'Tomorrow'". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Archived from
the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
1995 Producer of the Year winner and nominees:
"17th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from
the original on 23 February 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2015. Note: User may be required to access archived information by selecting 'The History', then 'By Award', 'Producer of the Year' and 'Option Show Nominations'.
1997 winners and nominees:
"Winners by Year 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
1998 winners and nominees:
"Winners by Year 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
1999 winners and nominees:
"Winners by Year 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
2002 winners and nominees:
"Winners By Year 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
2004 winners and nominees:
"Winners by Year 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
2007 winners and nominees:
"Winners By Year 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from
the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
^Broome Musicians Aboriginal Corporation; Kimberley Aboriginal Art and Cultural Festival (1993),
Stompem ground, ABC Music. National Library of Australia, retrieved 10 November 2015
Grinspoon: Holmgren, Magnus.
"Grinspoon". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from
the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
Spiderbait: Holmgren, Magnus.
"Spiderbait". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from
the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2015.