An interview with Gwen Byng on the (late) Australian Record Producer/guitarist: Mark Moffatt. (22nd Nov, 1949 - 6th September 2024)
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Janice: Gwen, although we've yet to meet in person we've built a solid friendship over the last number of years. One of the galvanizing aspects was a connection with the late, Mark Moffatt. Yours being a far more engaged music industry and personal connection; going back to the 1970's I believe? Whilst mine was briefly working with Mark in Festival studios in Glebe recording the vocals of Jo Kennedy who was starring in Gillian Armstrong's film Starstruck.
If you could share with us your first recollections of meeting Mark?
Gwen: My first meeting with Mark was in 1967 at a venue called The Open Door.
It was a disco/youth hangout/drug clinic run by 4BC Talk Back host Hayden Sargent who had for many years been a Minister of Religion.
Mark and his band IRON WEB came to a Saturday morning session where we allowed all the up and coming bands to grab stage time and play to an audience.
His band was a blues band and had some chops.
One of the guys was chatting to me saying they were close to returning to Maryborough/Bundaberg as they were disillusioned.
After talking for a while I made the promise I would try and get them some work.
That morphed into me managing them.
In the political climate in Brisbane at the time, Mark with his flowing long hair and hotted up car was a great target for Queensland Police, so every Saturday they would pull him up and search his car from top to bottom and ticket him to head to Main Roads for a car check on the Tuesday. Imagine that happening every week.
Mark was quiet, gentle and was always teaching the other guys at the Open Door any guitar techniques they wanted to know. He was generous with his time.
While a lot of the Open Door guys idolized Mark, Mark idolized Mick Hadley, who introduced so much music to the Brisbane musos from his home country Britain.
Mark concentrated on his craft from the beginning. Always striving to be as close to perfect as he can be.
I left Brisbane for Sydney in 1969.
Iron Web played all the Blues venues; they weren't really interested in the "pop" discos.
When IRON WEB split they pretty much morphed into the band SPIKE.
Mark was a fixture in the 4BC Big Band which came together on occasion.
CAROLY LOYD BAND was the last Brisbane band Mark was in. He and Carol started the band but after time everyone seemed to be heading in different directions and Mark took that break up to go to England. In England he soaked up all the experiences that music had to offer. He rubbed shoulders with some great musicians and when he returned to Oz brought everything he had learnt and put it into practice.
Janice: Thanks Gwen for that introduction to Mark's beginnings in the music industry in Brisbane. I look forward to continuing this dialogue and you sharing more of his remarkable life.
https://www.facebook.com/OPEN-DOOR-1816343935261322
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