They are one of the biggest rock bands in Australia and yet, they have never had similar success in North America (a fact that doesn’t escape drummer Jon Coghill, who recently said, “It’s all right to hate Americans, you know ­ ‘USA, USA,’” he said during a recent ARIA awards ceremony.) Try to put his talk aside for a second and look at the band. The band that has sold millions of discs in Australia; the band that captivates a live audience, even when they are the opening act.

In retrospect, Coghill’s anger, if it is about the band’s inability to break in this country (and not some sort of political statement ­ or maybe even if it is), is somewhat deserved. Consider that they are about to release their latest, Vulture Street, in North America at the same time that their first hits collection, Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger 1994-2000 (which actually includes a few new songs, making it a 1994-2004 collection) is making an impact on the Australian charts.

In the past year, the band has released three CDs (including a live CD) and a DVD, and after 14 years together, during which they have sold out arenas throughout Australia, they plan to take a sabbatical in 2005, but likely not before they hit North America for some shows in February and March 2005. The band members plan to take a break. Frontman Bernard Fanning plans to write songs and possibly do some solo shows.