John Spence was a member of the 1990s band The Fargone Beauties, which turned rock songs into bluegrass songs and whose members included James Gillard of The Flood. Since then John has worked behind the scenes in the music industry but he’s now back behind the microphone with the songs ‘Burning Sky’ and ‘(Everybody Wants to be a) Winner’.
‘Burning Sky’ is the story of young friends who undertake an adventure to the far west in search of mining work. ‘The idea was to dedicate a year or so of hard labour to build a cash reserve to set them up for later endeavours,’ says Spence. ‘But ongoing droughts and tough economic conditions bring about the demise of the town and its industry, forcing some hard decisions about whether to pursue their outback dream, or head back to the city. It is not an entirely fictional story, and based on the ongoing challenges of remote communities in ever deteriorating harsh environments.’
Spence has had a fascinating career that has now brought him back to original music. It was great to have the chance to find out more about all of it, including the story of how The Fargone Beauties came to be. You can watch our chat on YouTube (below), or listen on the podcast.
Listen to ‘Burning Sky’ on Apple Music
