Michael Fix and Mark Cryle join forces, creating a unique musical perspective on Australian history. People and events are bought to life in song; whether singing of the Aboriginal fast bowler Eddie Gilbert or the doughty St Patrick Day's protesters confronting police batons in Brisbane in 1948, or Ronald Ryan, the last hanged man in Australia. When Mark sings about visiting Sideshow Alley at the Brisbane Ekka as a child and a Dad, every word rings true without any cloying sentimentality.
Both Mark and Michael are multi-instrumentalists and seasoned performers, and both are passionate about keeping Australia’s chequered history alive - the good, the bad and the ugly - revealed through a catalogue of important original songs.
The result is a powerful insight into the thoughts and feelings of the people involved, as well as a unique and fresh understanding of the events themselves.
Mark Cryle
Once described by the Courier Mail’s Noel Mengel as “one of the best songwriters in Australia”, Mark Cryle (with a PhD in Australian history) first came to prominence in the 1990s as the principal songwriter with the band Spot the Dog. Since then, his songs have featured on Mark’s own solo recordings, a tribute album (I’ve Got a Heart) comprising versions done by prominent Brisbane musicians and a duo project with Carmel Newman and with his band Asleep at the Reel – winning awards and garnering radio airplay nationally. In addition, Mark’s songs have been recorded by other artists including Murphy’s Pigs, The Poachers and Tulca Mor.
Michael Fix
Put an acoustic guitar into Michael Fix's hands and the emotional possibilities of music are suddenly released. This remarkable composer and musician has the power to capture and convey emotions and experiences with ease. Over the past 30 years, he's released 16 albums, several DVD's, songbooks, and EPs, and has established himself as one of Australia's finest guitarists and composers, (with over 1000 published works), performing regularly at festivals across Australia, Europe, UK, and Asia. He's won numerous awards for his music, including three Golden Guitars for Instrumental of the Year.