SPINNING MAN
A SIX-TRACK SONG AND SONIC JOURNEY BY M.E. BAIRD WITH JAMIE TREVASKIS.
M.E. Baird and Jamie Trevaskis have created and recorded an astonishing set of songs and soundscapes comprising this left-of-centre, immersive, cinematic recording.
As a singer-songwriter, M.E. Baird has always been driven by a love for words and a deep reverence for how words and language can be expressed in song and how to support them sonically. Jamie Trevsakis who possesses an unfathomable depth of sonic creativity and skills as a composer, musician and producer has created the perfect foil to M.E. Baird's words and sparse melodies.
The name 'Spinning Man' came to M.E. Baird via a paragraph from Dylan Thoma's poem, The Authors Prologue.
'How I, a spinning man,
Glory also this star, bird
Roared, sea born, man torn, blood blest.
Hark: I trumpet the place,
From fish to jumping hill! Look:
I build my bellowing ark
To the best of my love
As the flood begins,
Out of the fountainhead
Of fear, rage red, manalive,
Molten and mountainous to stream
Over the wound asleep...'
(Extract from The Authors Prologue, Dylan Thomas. 1954)
The Writing and Recording of Spinning Man
During the writing and recording of Spinning Man, M.E. Baird was undergoing treatment for advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. COVID was also well underway. In between treatments, he would periodically walk with his elderly kelpie-greyhound dog 'Gracie' to the local cemetery on the highest hill of the New South Wales historic township of Bangalow. There he would wander through the aisles separated by religious domination and read aloud from various authors and poets to those silently resting in their undercrofts as the evening sun would slide from the distant horizon. These walks and readings were not only respites, they would inspire some of the songs that would eventually surface in Spinning Man.
Recording started in September 2022 in Jamie's studio, Tape-Land. The sessions took place as a series of short but intensive two-day sessions to accommodate M.E. Baird's energy levels. Beginning on a Friday morning and ending on a Saturday evening. Tracking was done live with virtually no retakes. No other musicians were present or allowed. Jamie and M.E. Baird did all guitars, additional instrumentation, sounds and other obscure sonic gems in complete isolation free from outside ears and influences, with no gimmicks or trickery. The songs were completed sequentially and mixed on the day to capture and lock in their emotive and experimental power. These days of intense creative immersion at Tape-Land upon Mt Nebo would were not only respite but would represent some of the most fulfilling and satisfying sessions for Jamie and M.E. Baird.
About M.E. Baird & Jamie Trevaskis
M.E. Baird began his musical career in Melbourne in the late 1980's continuing through to 1998 as part of the inner city Melbourne rock and post-punk scene before leaving Australia for the UK and Europe to expand upon his musical and art education. He returned home and relocated to Sydney in 2000 to pursue an academic career in art and design. His music career would take a short break until 2004 when he returned to Melbourne and began writing songs, recording and rereleasing music. Back in Melbourne, he hit the ground running music-wise and would go on to write and record four critically acclaimed solo albums including numerous recordings with other bands. During this period he would also get to share the stage, tour with and open for some of his favourite musicians, including, Roland S Howard, Spencer P Jones, Kim Salmon, Brian Hooper, Ed Keupper, Sarah Caroll, Chris Wilson and Ian Rilen. His biggest accolades, however, would come under the assumed musical nome de plume of 'Lionel Lee', a binge-drinking, bar-brawling gothic country wanderer with his band of ravaged vagrants known as the Lionel Lee Three and Lionel Lee's Curse. Sadly, Lionel's time would come to an abrupt and tragic end. But that is a whole other story. M.E. Baird has also contributed songs and composed original soundtrack work in film and television.
Jamie Trevaskis is a stalwart of the Brisbane independent music scene. Not only is he an astonishing musician, and producer, but he has also owned two of Brisbane's most iconic venues starting with the Troubadour and later the Junk Bar with his partner in life and music Mia Goodwin. Jamies, iconic studio Tape-Land, nestled in the lush eucalypt forests of Mt Nebo, west of Brisbane has captured (on tape) some truly great Australian musical works. With a recording and producing career spanning more than two decades, his credits include artists such as Robert Forster, Colin Lilly, Hugo Race, Rob Snaski, Ben Salter, Sime Nugent, Leanne Tennant, Halfway, Mexico City, Ghostwoods, Karl S Williams, M.E. Baird and the list goes on. As a musician, songwriter, composer, guitarist and saw player, yes he is a saw player with a highly unique method and approach to his instruments, Jamie has contributed to countless recordings and band lineups including Rob Snaski's Brisbane band. His solo musical projects include the ephemeral 'It's Magnetic' featuring Mia Goodwin on vocals and Ben Ely (Regurgitator) on Bass. His most recent solo project 'Crying' sees Jamie composing immersive and dreamlike soundscapes with spoken word.
Below, M.E. Baird & Jamie Trevaskis., Brisbane 2024. (credit Vladimir Roudakov)
