Three musicians walked into a bar … and The Drongo and the Crow was born. In a random chat over a beer at Hudson's Great Western Hotel, we uncovered a shared love of Australian heritage music and the stories behind the songs. And, thanks to publican Kath Luke, that's where Leon, Ken and Mark put on the Drongos' first performance.
Since that meeting in 2016, the Drongos have played in pubs, clubs, aged care centres, retirement villages, community markets, civic events, radio stations, on TV and at music festivals across Victoria's west, in South Australia and as far north as Townsville. We've released three CDs.
The current line up is:
Leon Conway - accordion and vocals
Squish Davis - percussion and vocals
Craig Collas - violin, mandolin, vocals
Mark Russell - double bass, electric upright bass, autoharp and vocals.
Which one is the Drongo, and which one is the Crow?
We never tell, but thanks for asking. The band took its name from the bush music classic “The Drovers Dream”, in which:
"The Drongo and the Crow
Sang us songs of long ago"
We think that sums us up nicely.
Past members
We thank past members Matthew Myers and Ken Smith (percussion) and Lindsay Thomson (violin) for being part of The Drongo and Crow family. Your contribution to the band is greatly appreciated.