NEW ALBUM 'SPINNING MAN'
" 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! "
(Extract from 'The Authors Mystical Prologue’, by Dylan Thomas. 1952)
Late in 2019 and halfway through a national tour supporting his fifth solo album TIME, M.E. Baird became ill and was subsequently diagnosed with advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. In February 2020 he underwent surgery just as the world was about to succumb to the pandemic. Post-surgery, M.E. Baird was declared cancer-free. However, the cloud of uncertainty around the performing arts and survival in a new and unknown future would become a primary focus. Twelve months into the pandemic, things would take an unexpected turn for the worse, when follow-up scans revealed that the cancer had not been completely eradicated and had spread throughout his body. The eventual prognosis was not in his favour and M.E. Baird would have to undergo another twelve months of therapies. In the winter of 2021, and between treatments, he began work on a series of songs, initially as a distraction. However, it quickly became apparent that this process was far more profound. These sessions of writing expanded into a manic phase of producing not only a bag of potential songs for an album but intriguing artworks and short audio-visual pieces. This black 'bag' of songs would become his latest release 'Spinning Man'.
By late 2022, M.E. Baird had completed all therapies and was clear of nearly all cancer. However, the total eradication would now require him to adopt a wholly new approach to life and a profound change in attitude to how he would approach and produce his 'art'.
ABOUT M.E. BAIRD
M.E. Baird is a remarkable and somewhat mysterious talent, not only is he a skilled singer, songwriter, and musician, but he also creates artwork as unique and captivating as his music, from his lamenting voice to lush cinematic songs to his intricate thought-provoking artwork. M.E. Baird is a creative who is most comfortable on the fringe, particularly when it comes to music and songwriting. Early in his musical career, he was fortunate to share the stage and learn from some of Australia's most gifted shadow dwellers that included Roland S Howard, Spencer P Jones, Ed Keupper, Kim Salmon, Ian Rilen, Louis Tillet, Conway Savage, GOD, Chris Wilson and Sarah Carroll. As a songwriter, he has written and recorded five critically acclaimed solo albums, and numerous other recordings with bands and musical monikers. He has also contributed songs and composed original soundtracks for film and television projects.
M.E. Baird also has a background in fine arts and design and to help fund his music and art career has held various academic positions and lecturing roles at several art and design schools and universities in Australia over the last two decades. Originally from Melbourne, M.E. Baird has lived in many places since and has been based on Bundjalung Country (Northern New South Wales) Australia for the last decade.
PREVIOUS ALBUM PRESS
"His songs are visually rich possessing a novelistic quality that is dark and warm. The music of M.E. Baird cajoles and challenges.
Images flow and tunes beguile. A treat."
★★★★ - The Music Collective
"M.E. Baird's live performances are nothing short of compelling with his deep lamenting vocal style and singular stage presence."
Holden Hill Music
"There is a haunting quality to M.E. Baird’s music, a type of dark folk and blues noir that permeates the songs. Baird knows how to balance the beauty successfully and the despair on 'Time' and as a result, this is an album that should fit nicely in the record collections of fans of songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Will Oldman."
★★★★ - The Music (Australia)
"The slowly developing, intimately held tracks, which are neither folk, nor country, but maybe a Cohen/Dylan inspired interpretation of both, are meant for the small, dark, alone spaces of your life. Being also a visual artist, there is no surprise that his songs are often described as possessing a distinct visual richness and depth where each song can be like cinematic vignettes."
★★★★ - Sydney Morning Herald
"Deeply emotive, M.E. Baird is driven by emotion. Whether in the carefully crafted lyrics, the music itself, or his lamenting singular voice, emotion drips from everywhere, it trickles down walls and pools on the floor. It aches and hurts...and it’s beautiful."
★★★★ - Rhythms Magazine
"Baird speaks of lost loves and scarred hearts, and while he paints life in a harsh light, he still finds something to hold onto, be it a memory or dream not yet faded. This dark folk at its finest, sad, bitter, and beautiful."
★★★★ - The Brag Magazine, Sydney