Paul Hester (file)
Photo: Capitol Records

Australian police made a grim discovery on Saturday, when the body of 46-year-old Paul Hester, who formed the popular rock group Crowded House with singer Neil Finn and bass player Nick Seymour in 1985, was found in Elsternwick Park near the drummer's Melbourne home, according to Australian daily newspaper The Age. Hester, who'd also played drums with Finn in New Zealand's Split Enz, was reported missing Friday night after he failed to return from walking his two dogs, police told The Age.

Investigators have been able to rule out foul play, saying instead that Hester took his own life. Authorities claim he "attempted suicide" and eventually died from strangulation. Hester was beyond help by the time ambulance personnel arrived at the scene. Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman Liraje Memishi could not confirm various news reports suggesting Hester's body was found hanging from a tree.

Reports have surfaced in the Melbourne Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph claiming Hester suffered from depression and spent eight years in therapy to treat the condition. Both papers are also reporting that Hester and his fiancee, New Zealand singer Kashan, called off their engagement in December. The two had planned to wed this May.

Speaking from London, where he's currently on tour, Neil Finn said he was devastated by the death. "I have lost one of my best mates," he told Australian paper The Daily Telegraph.

After leaving Crowded House in 1994, Hester became a familiar voice and face on Australian radio and televisions shows and opened a tea house in Elwood Beach. Musically, he has collaborated with Richard Pleasance, Deborah Conway (in the group Ultrasound) and Penny Flanagan, and wrote songs with old Deckchairs Overboard cohort John Clifforth. Hester hosted a music show on Australia's ABC network, and had a recurring role as Paul the Cook on the children's program "The Wiggles."

• Crowded House

Neil Finn
Photo: Zoren Gold

It'll be a crowded house indeed when Neil Finn takes the stage in New Zealand next month for a series of all-star gigs set to feature Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and members of Radiohead as special guests.

The former leader of pop group Crowded House will share the stage of the historic St. James Theatre in downtown Auckland for a five-date run (April 2-6) that will celebrate the release of Finn's second solo album, One Nil, which is slated for international release April 9. No U.S. release has been scheduled.

In addition to vocals from Vedder, guitarist Ed O'Brien and drummer Phil Selway of Radiohead will join Finn, as will former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg. Other guests include Tim Finn, Finn's brother and former Crowded House/Split Enz partner, and singer/songwriter Lisa Germano on vocals, piano and violin.

"The concept for these shows is to invite friends whose music I admire to collaborate with me in presenting a week-long musical extravaganza which I optimistically expect to be a blast," Finn said in a press release announcing the shows.

"Given a bit of preparation time and careful planning, it should go far beyond the sometimes token nature of one-off all star shows." All of the guests are slated to perform along with Finn for each of the concerts.

• Neil Finn
• Pearl Jam
• Radiohead
• The Smiths
• Lisa Germano

A blonde Eddie Vedder performed with a broken knuckle on Friday at Boston's Karma Club as the surprise guest of singer/guitarist Neil Finn, formerly of Crowded House and Split Enz.

Though it is unknown as to when or how the injury occurred, Vedder seems to be doing well as he performed such songs with Finn as the Split Enz', "History Never Repeats," and "Stuff & Nonsense"; Crowded House's "Throw Your Arms Around Me," and "World Where You Live"; and Pearl Jam's "Off He Goes."

Shawn Colvin performed as Finn's unannounced guest on Sunday at Austin's La Zona Rosa, and on Wednesday, Sheryl Crow will be joining the artist at the Roxy in Los Angeles. The tour wraps up in New York on November 23 at the Bowery Ballroom.

• Crowded House
• Pearl Jam

Former Crowded House frontman Neil Finn will be showing up in a venue near you this summer, as he tours in support of his new album, "Try Whistling This," in record bins tomorrow.

Finn is currently on a promotional trip through Europe, during which hehas included a 40th birthday party with the album unveiling at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, and a surprise acoustic appearance at the giant Rock am Ring festival in Germany.

He starts a tour of Australia and his native land New Zealand later in June before heading to America. After the U.S., it's on to the U.K. for September and a full scale European tour starting in October. Finn will be introducing his new band which consists of down under mates Robert Morroe on bass and Michael Barker on drums, and Irishman Nile "Herbie" Mackin on keyboards.

This is Finn's first outing since breaking up Crowded House two years ago.

Here's where Finn wil be playing:

• 7/18 - Orlando, FL, @ House Of Blues
• 7/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
• 7/20 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues
• 7/22 -New York, NY @Irving Plaza
• 7/24 - West Hampton, NY @ The Galaxy
• 7/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
• 7/26 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 7/27 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
• 7/29 - Montreal, PQ @ The Cabaret
• 7/30 - Toronto @ Guvernment
• 7/31 - Detroit @ St. Andrews
• 8/01 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
• 8/03 - Minneapolis, MN @ Guthrie Theater
• 8/05 - Edmonton, AB @ TBA
• 8/07 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
• 8/08 - Seattle, WA @ TBA
• 8/09 - Portland, OR @ TBA
• 8/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 8/12 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Lobero Theatre
• 8/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
• 8/15 - Las Vegas NV @ The Joint
• 8/17 - Pheonix, AZ @ Cajun House
• 8/19 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
• 8/25 - Dallas TX @ Deep Ellum Live
• 8/27 - Austin, TX @ TBA
• 8/28 - Houston, TX @ Ariel Theatre
• 8/29 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues

• Crowded House

Former Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has tapped revered music video directors Valerie Faris and Johnathan Dayton to film the video for "She Will Have Her Way," the first single off Finn's upcoming new album, "Try Whistling This," which arrives in stores on June 16.

Faris and Dayton will be shooting the clip with Finn this weekend in Simi Valley, California. The husband-wife team has directed such award-winning clips as "Tonight, Tonight" [1.3MB QuickTime] for the Smashing Pumpkins and their handiwork can be currently seen in Scott Weiland's video for "Barbarella."

Finn, the voice behind such Crowded House classics as "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong," worked on his solo debut over the course of the last two years, enlisting help of Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie and Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and recording in studios from New York to his home studio in Auckland, New Zealand.

• Crowded House

Crowded House were briefly reunited last week much to the delight of unsuspecting fans at the Esplande Hotel in Melbourne, Australia.

Australian music industry columnist Christie Eliezer described the crowd as "dumb-founded when Neil Finn and Nick Seymour walked on stage to join former drummer Paul Hester. The band had been billed as Hessie Shed, a project of Hester's, playing in conjunction with the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

The reunion was part of a TV special hosted by Hester, who had left the group not long before they announced they were disbanding late in 1996. Eliezer reports that the trio performed "Sister Madly," "Karekare," "Not The Girl You Think You Are" and "Leaps And Bounds," the latter with Paul Kelly who was also on hand.

Hester's own show will be debuting on Australian TV later this year.

• Crowded House

August 12 [12:00 EDT] -- Melbourne, Australia's Hunters & Collectors are reportedly back in the studio after a hiatus that saw guitarist Barry Palmer recording and touring with his other band, Deadstar, and singer/guitarist Mark Seymour record a solo album produced by Palmer.

Australian columnist Christie Eliezer reports that a CD's worth of new Hunters & Collectors material has been recorded and is currently being mixed. She adds that tour dates are being planned for January.

Meanwhile Palmer has confirmed to Australian magazine Drum Media that his Deadstar bandmate Nick Seymour (brother to Mark and best known as a member of Crowded House), left Deadstar last month because Nick and singer Caroline Kennedy (formerly of Plum) weren't seeing eye-to-eye. He added that Seymour's melodic approach didn't mesh with Deadstar's "Slimy sexy approach."

Both the new Deadstar album and the aforementioned Mark Seymour solo project, long since recorded, have yet to be released. The delay is at least partially due to the restructuring of their Australian record label, Mushroom which is now being distributed by Sony.

• Crowded House
• Hunters & Collectors