Tom Iansek

Tom Iansek
Born	Australia
Occupations	Songwriter musician record producer
Years active	2006–present
Member of	Big Scary #1 Dads No Mono

Tom Iansek is a Melbourne-based^[1] Australian record producer and songwriter, best known for his work with #1 Dads, Big Scary, and No Mono. Iansek has produced music for Emma Louise, Airling, Lanks, and Slum Sociable.^[2]

Career

2006-present: Big Scary

Main article: Big Scary

In 2006, Iansek formed the folk rock band Big Scary with Joanna Syme. In late 2008, the band went into the studio for the first time, recording six live tracks in a single day.^[3] In October 2008, the duo uploaded "The Apple Song" to Triple J Unearthed^[4] and officially released it in December 2008, alongside a self-titled debut EP.^[3] As of 2021, Big Scary have released four studio albums: Vacation (2011), Not Art (2013), Animal (2016), and Daisy (2021).

2009: Small Time Hero

In 2009, Iansek released his debut album, Top of the Tree, under the moniker Small Time Hero.^[2] Iansek wrote, produced, mixed, and self-released the album.^[5]

2010–present: #1 Dads

Main article: Number 1 Dads

In 2010, Iansek formed the alternative rock band #1 Dads as a side project during downtime, with music that is "more acoustic than electronic in construction".^[6] As of 2021, #1 Dads have released three studio albums: Man of Leisure (2011), About Face (2014), and Golden Repair (2020).

2017–present: No Mono

In 2017, Iansek launched the band No Mono with Tom Snowden.^[7] Snowdon said of the collaboration, "For the past two years, we've been developing songs for this project, which we recently recorded at the Pieater studio in Collingwood. We like similar music and sounds and are great friends. It's been a very intuitive process. That's what this project is really about—exploring and cultivating our artistic relationship; we just follow our ears and our guts".^[8] As of 2021, No Mono have released two studio albums: Islands Part 1 (2018) and Islands Part 2 (2019).

Other work

In April 2017, Iansek re-released his debut album on vinyl under the title Small Time Hero, Top of the Tree for Record Store Day.^[2] In 2017, Iansek said "This is the first album I ever made. There was great joy and excitement for me making it. It was the beginning of my love for the entire music-making process, from songwriting and arranging to capturing the performance. I present it now to unashamedly show the beginnings of my journey into making music".^[2][5]

In 2018, Iansek co-produced The Paper Kites' third studio album, On the Train Ride Home.

Personal life

Iansek has a son, born in May 2019.^[9]

Solo discography

Albums

List of albums, with release date and label shown

Title	Details
Top of the Tree as Small Town Hero	Released: 2009[2] Re-release: 11 April 2017[10] Label: Pieater Format: CD, LP, digital download

Featured as solo musician

List of non-single album tracks

Title	Year	Album
"Reckless" (Vance Joy featuring Bernard Fanning and Tom Iansek	2015	Beat the Drum – Celebrating 40 Years of Triple J
"Take Care of You" (Airling and Tom Iansek)	2017	Hard to Sleep, Easy to Dream
"Not a Fighter" (Airling and Tom Iansek)
"A Day in the Park" (Airling and Tom Iansek)
"Shut the Gate Out" (Airling and Tom Iansek)
"Outgrown" (Anatole featuring Tom Iansek[11]	2018	Emulsion

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2024	Tom Iansek for I Get Into Trouble by Maple Glider	Independent Producer of the Year	Nominated	[12]

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Tom Iansek has been nominated for one award.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2017	Tom Iansek for Animal by Big Scary	Producer of the Year	Nominated	[13]

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating music from the state of Victoria. They commenced in 2005.^[14][15]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2015	Tom Iansek	Best Male Musician	Nominated	[14][15]
2018	Tom Iansek	Best Male Musician	Nominated
2020	Tom Iansek	Best Musician	Nominated	[16]
	Tom Iansek for Golden Repair by #1 Dads	Best Producer	Nominated

References

1. Mosk, Mitch (7 January 2021). "ME. YOU. HEALING". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
2. "TOM IANSEK - Small Time Hero, Top Of The Tree LP". strange world records. April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
3. "Indie Accent Artist Big Scary". Indie Accent. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
4. "Big Scary on Triple J Unearthed". Triple J Unearthed. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
5. "TOM IANSEK Small Town Hero, Top Of The Tree (Vinyl)". JB HiFi. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
6. Mathieson, Craig (2 July 2015). "Big Scary's Tom Iansek on a winner with #1 Dads". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
7. "Tom Snowden and Tom Iansek Team Up As No Mono". purple sneakers. September 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
8. "Introducing No Mono; The latest project from Tom Snowdon & Tom Iansek". Secret Sounds. September 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
9. "ALBUM REVIEWS 1 Dads". Music Feeds. March 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
10. "Small Time Hero, Top of the Tree on Apple Music". Apple Music. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
11. "Outgrown by Anatole on Apple Music". Apple Music. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
12. "2024 AIR Awards Nominees: Genesis Owusu, Cub Sport, RVG, Teen Jesus & More". The Music. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
13. "ARIA Awards Search Results – Big Scary". ARIA Awards. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
14. "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
15. "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
16. "Industry Awards Winners And Hall Of Fame Inductees Revealed + 2020 Music Victoria Awards Nominees Announced With Public Voting Now Open!". Music Victoria. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.