How to play the demos..
Broadband: Just left-click on the name of the song in the DOWNLOAD button and your chosen player (i.e. Media Player or RealPlayer for instance) will start downloading the mp3.
Dialup: (for Windows) right-click then select Save Target As, save to your Desktop, then double-click on the file to play with your player.
If you have any comments about the songs, please feel free to get in touch.. feedback

Check out Mike & Bill's videos..
Just when you're getting used to one medium, another comes along! Check out Mike & Bill's fumbling beginnings at the moving image game on the new Videos page.

I always thought The Kid is Cool could've been written with the Kids Under Cover organisation in mind. It might've been too - my late wife Helen wrote the lyrics. Anyway, another failed contender for the latest Breathing Space EP for your contemplation. Fiddler Nic Lyon, (who also features on The Jacket) pulls off a magical solo which is worth the price of admission. Enza Pantano likewise helps out on the BVs.

I wrote OMG for the Christchurch Relief Concert that was held here in Melbourne in whatever month. Well, maybe I didn't write it specifically for that, but it's the only public performance of the song so far and it was played to three punters and a dog. Perhaps it exemplifies my confused attitude towards The Almighty but it also captures the way a lot of Christchurchians might be feeling on a daily basis. (This was recorded on my trusty Zoom - I'm in the process of recording a band version).

The Jacket Formerly Known As Prince didn't make the cut for As Well so I'm hanging it out here to dry. It's a song that was written for a movie about The Pretty Things legendary tour of NZ back in 1965, or more particularly, drummer Viv Prince's jacket's tour. The words were written by Chris Grosz, (who's now living happily ever after in Auckland) and Jack Craw. I still haven't given up hope that the film might happen one day..

Song For Marilyn is the third in the series of Rosewood songs that Bill has written about the 2009 fires that devastated Bill's partner Rosemary's property in Strathewen and took the lives of so many in that small rural community. This one's dedicated to Rosemary's late twin sister, Marilyn, and was recorded here at the recently rechristened Pinewood Studios. See the video..

Chants R&B, or simply The Chants, in Christchurch in February 2010 for their second reunion with Tim Piper taking the guitar duties. (See February's Stop Press) These three songs were recorded live at Radio NZ's Christchurch studio during an interview with on the Afternoons with Jim Mora show. (Check out the link for the entire interview on the Chants R&B page).

Chants R&B with Tim Piper taking the guitar duties recorded this live at Radio NZ's Christchurch studio

Chants R&B with Tim Piper taking the guitar duties recorded this live at Radio NZ's Christchurch studio

So, this is hardly new - in fact, this particular 'morning after' version of I'll Be Gone in the key of B was recovered from the Spill sessions we did at Ross Ryan's studio late last century - but I've included it on compilation CD we're sending to a couple of venues where Bill and I are playing soon, and I thought you might like to hear it too.

Again, this ain't new - but hardly anyone has heard it, so I thought it was worth posting here. My Dad Said is a song I wrote and performed, and it appears on the extremely worthy Fatherhood CD, which was released a year or two ago. Time flies. Some real stars appear on the set, including John Butler, Paul Kelly and Tex Perkins.

I can't tell just by listening who's playing the sax line, but undoubtedly a sax player could, just as I, as a guitarist, could probably guess who it was playing a particular guitar line. (I guess that's me playing the guitar in this piece by the way). The odd sound at the start is made by a bunch of gulls disturbed under the partially constructed West Gate bridge. I'm not sure whether it's before or after the fatal collapse - I don't understand Gullish..

This first track of Bill's was co-written with a mutual song writer friend, Byron K. Called Somewhere Down The Track it's a jaunty but wistful song, looking forward to better times in warmer climes, coming just 'down the track'. Byron has a warm and appealing voice, and Bill's done a great job arranging, playing on and recording the song in his Glen Iris home studio. I did the finishing touches here at AMS

This second song of Bill's is an instrumental that deserves to be on a sound track for something for goodness sake! It's called Jenwah (after our former manager, Jenny), and features some breathy flute by our flauty friend, Pip Robinson. I'm sure we'll record it again, but it sounds pretty nice as it is.

The Girl Has Got A Gun came about when we were testing Robbo's new, (well, it was new then), electronic drum kit. I asked Robbo to hit everything he could, and then he and I just had a bash in the key of A. (Robbo bashed and I was in the key of A). A quirky little narrative popped into the frame and Bob's yer uncle. Daryl helped out with some keyboards the other night - thanks Daz

Daryl Roberts, the most recent inductee to the Spectrum lineup, has his own band of course, Hey Gringo. He invited Spectrum to appear on his composition, You Know What I Mean, which is going to appear on the next Hey Gringo offering - Three.YKWIM has the sort of loping groove that suits Spectrum quite nicely, so I think you'll like it.

Since I've had the studio upgraded, I've been struggling to get things working quite the way they were before, and the demos have been shunted to the back of the queue as a result. I'm pleased to say that things are settling down now, so to celebrate I'm putting this modest piece of atmosphere up for your consideration. The sound effect is called pc room, hence the otherwise apparently abitrary title.

This is the second track from Bill's Twang to be sampled on this page - the first was Somewhere Down The Track. I guess this track is a little more typical of the overall feel of the album, with Bill's sense of the absurd well to the fore. That being said, there's a couple of stylistic left turns on the Twang set that will surprise and delight you. Write to us and let us know what you think.

And now the third Twang track already! You probably think you're starting to build up a picture - but you're wrong! Bill's got some really laid back offerings as well. George Koves' voice is prominent in the backing vocals dept. and Bill's naturally playing a host of guitars. Robbo plays drums on all the tracks and plays congas on this one as well - you can almost see his golden locks, can't you?