About
Martin & Mearns is a country band for hire in Sydney, NSW.
Dave Martin and Chris Mearns are songwriters first, which is why their covers land differently. The two voices sit together, a lead guitarist fills the space around them, and what comes out has a strong pulse to it. They play classics from Neil Young, the Travelling Wilburys, the Eagles, the Bee Gees, Roy Orbison, Mark Knopfler, Neil Finn, Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, the Everly Brothers, Rick Price and Norah Jones, plus a handful of their own. Sets are built around your occasion after a conversation about it, and a drummer can be added as a fourth. Their PA covers a room seating up to 300 and packs into about three metres square. They bring instruments and PA, and they turn up on time.
Watch
The show
Three musicians who are easy to be around, which sounds like a small thing until you've booked the alternative. Dave and Chris sing together and a lead guitarist works around them, and the songwriting background shows in how they handle other people's material. They've played big rooms and small ones and they read both. Older guests and younger ones tend to find something they know in the same set. They arrive organised, they arrive on time, and the instruments and PA come with them.
On the day
An undercover stage area, and three metres square is enough because the PA is compact even though it covers a room seating up to 300. You'll need 240v power run to the stage, enough for two guitar amps and the PA, plus lighting if you've asked for it. Stage lighting can be arranged on request rather than assumed, so mention it when you enquire if you want it.
Performance options
The standard shape is the pair plus a guest lead guitarist, a group of three. From there, a professional drummer can join to give the set more push, which suits a reception or a party more than a dinner. Stage lighting can be added as well. They'll ask what the occasion is and build the package around it rather than handing you a fixed menu.
Insurance and paperwork
Public liability insured
Song list
13 songs
As songwriters we often include a relatively small number of our own songs and in general
BeeGees
Eagles
Everlys
Jackson Browne
Mark Knopfler
Neil FInn
Norah Jones etc.
perform classic hits of artists such as Neil Young
Rick Price
Roy Orbison
Travelling Wilburys
Van Morrison
