Mike McClellan
DatesSat 18 May 2013
Start time: 8pm
Price: $49 adult, $45 conc., $25 children under 14
The Return of the Song and Dance Man
His songs have earned him an honoured place within the history of Australian music. And now, after years of pouring his creative energies into the marketing and advertising industries, Mike McClellan has has made a long-awaited return to performing and recording.
Mike returned to the road in late 2011 to support the release of his first album of new songs in many years … If Only For a Moment
“I just love performing, always have, and always will”
And the response to his comeback concerts have left no one in any doubt that the fans love having him back. He played the National Folk Festival in Canberra and held the huge audiences spellbound, leaving festival directors all over the country clamouring for his services.
Mike's recent Basement show in Sydney was again a sell-out, along with shows in Melbourne and country NSW. And he has been a regular guest on Richard Glover's ABC Sydney 702 Drive programme – and every appearance causes the switchboard to light up with appreciative listeners delighted to have Mike back.
When Song and Danceman was released in 1974 Mike McClellan was already an established performer on the acoustic music scene. That song topped the charts bringing him national recognition and a following that has remained loyal to his highly personal brand of music for almost 40 years.
His second album, Ask Any Dancer went Gold and Song and Danceman was voted Song of the Year at the Annual Music Industry Awards and became an Australian classic. Then followed a run of hit songs – The One I Love, Saturday Dance among many - which saw Mike touring Australia-wide, and later to the UK and America, gathering enthusiastic reviews wherever he played.
Eventually, weary of the constant travelling, he sought more stability for he and his family. Mike made a highly-successful move into the world of advertising. But in late 1989, he still found time to to release another album
The Heartland, considered by many to be one of his best-ever albums.
2001 saw the release of a comprehensive retrospective of his recording career Time, And Time Again, a double CD containing 35 of his best songs. Later that year also saw a series of standout concerts with his old friends Kevin Johnson (who wrote Rock’n Roll I Gave You All The Best Years of My Life) and Doug Ashdown (Winter In America).
It followed that it was only a matter of time before Mike would record a new album and go back out on the road. And so, with the collaboration of young keyboard player, arranger Stefan Nowak, If Only For A Moment … was born. That it sustains the exceptional quality of his much-loved early work while richly reflecting his growth as a writer is ample testimony to his enduring talent.
And there’s another new album coming in 2013. Already the reaction to a haunting new song I Wonder Who You’re Waiting For, has been quite remarkable. Mike McClellan is back. Well and truly.
