Melissa Fraser - Ferry Captain goes solo

I met Mel when she stepped in on bass for Jackie Marshall. Like me she has a knack for things with compasses and rudders, her day job being a ferry pilot on the meandering Brisbane River. Mel is blessed with a fine pop sensibility, no doubt a grafting from her love of Fleetwood Mac and the Bangles.

We started her album mid 2016 with Phil Smith sitting quietly in the corner of the studio hunched over his Hummingbird, keeping things honest. Along with my ever-present cohort and landowner, Ronny Rindo, we made a really terrific album of country tinged, pop 'n' roll. Due for release in June 2017, it's a work I'm proud of, having let it guide me into areas I don't usually deal with, such as catchy, upbeat 12-string solos and banjo riffs that simply arrive out of thin air.

10 great songs are on it.... I just wish we could agree on the track order. You cant win them all. Well done Mel, Phil, Ronny and all who added overdubs to this project. And thanks to Jeff Lovejoy of Blackbox audio in Brisbane. Your passion and faith is what it's all about.