Mike McClellan and Doug Ashdown – Blue Mountains Music Festival 2009

Here is rare footage of two of Australia's finest singer-songwriters, Mike McClellan and Doug Ashdown, performing together at the Carrington Hotel, Katoomba, at the Blue Mountains Music Festival 2009. During the concert Doug and Mike chat with Pat Drummond, who asks them about their early influences and how they got started as songwriters and performers. I first saw them play in 1969 – at PACT Folk – in the old Sydney Corn Exchange building, corner of Sussex and Market Streets, Pyrmont. They mostly played solo, and cast a spell over their young audience in different ways. Doug mesmerised us with his effervescent presence, fabulous voice and fluid strumming on his 12-string guitar, whereas Mike was more understated, and captured us with his beautiful songs, equally fine voice, and polished fingerpicking. They had a big influence on me (Mike taught me to play guitar, and Doug sparked my love of the 12-string). Aside from their solo careers they were occasionally billed together as a duo – 'Mike McClellan and Doug Ashdown' – as I’m sure many of you will remember. For you, this concert will be a trip down memory lane, and for younger fans of acoustic music this may be an introduction to two of the country's most respected singer-songwriters and folk-blues musicians. Here they are, 40 years later (2009) – 'Mike McClellan and Doug Ashdown' – sounding as good as ever! (Nigel Foote)