TWO TONE PONY
Two Tone Pony came from a desire to write, perform and record original Australian music.
DAVID KIRKPATRICK
Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Lap Steel, Vocals. David was literally born on the road - his parents Slim Dusty and Joy McKean were touring Australia and David lived in a caravan for the first 6 years of his life. He subsequently went to boarding school and onto a career as an Emergency Medicine Specialist on the Central Coast of NSW. However, music has always been more than a hobby to him - he has actively played in bands throughout his medical career, including guest appearances with his family on stages from Tamworth to the Opera House. David’s sister Anne Kirkpatrick introduced him to the early country rock scene of The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and John Prine. This, coupled with the rock influences of Neil Young, Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones, has given forth to a style of writing that is hard to define – except that it is heartfelt and original
GREG RICHARDSON
Drums and Percussion, Vocals. Greg wanted to be in a band from the moment the Beatles changed everything. He first started drumming in Desperate Straights a band of school friends named long before anyone had heard of Mark Knopfler’s mob. He played around Sydney and established a rehearsal and recording studio in a dingy city basement. Drumming began to take a back seat as he moved more and more towards recording music and then into a career in radio at SBS, commercial radio in Darwin and the ABC. Lately though Greg has been back behind his vintage Rogers kit and as a member of Two Tone Pony, is loving working on David and Ian’s exceptional original material and interpreting some inspiring covers. He still loves The Beatles, The Band, The Stones and Steely Dan and dreams of Tom Petty, John Prine, Neil Young and Emmylou.
GLENN WILLY
Hammond Organ, Keyboards Glenn was born into a family that was musically obsessed. His parents named him after Glenn Miller, the famed 40’s band leader so his destiny was sealed. His first instrument growing up was an electric theatre organ. By the age of 10, he was performing at the local music shop on Saturday mornings. Glenn was already a fan of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Monkees and in particular the songs of Mike Nesmith who was one of the founders of country rock. For a couple of decades Glenn was content writing and recording songs with friends rarely finding the need play to an audience. That all changed in 2020 when David asked Glenn to add some keyboard parts to some of his songs and eventually invited him to join the band. Glenn has had a lifetime love of the Hammond organ with Jimmy Smith, Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, Booker T Jones, Bill Payne, Belmont Tench, Gregg Allman, Greg Rolie among his favourite players.
GRAHAM PUGLISI
Bass, Vocals. Graham grew up in the era where INXS was the local high school band and a good night out was going to the Narrabeen Antler or Bryant’s Manly Vale to watch Midnight Oil, Australian Crawl, or the mighty Cold Chisel. Music was always there and it became an inspiration. Graham started playing guitar but, when all the strings, except the big E and A broke, gravitating to the bass was a natural progression. Graham didn’t quite abandon guitars though and nowadays follows his passion for collecting those made famous by the biggest names in music history and discovering how to coax the sounds that made them icons. For Graham, Two Tony Pony is a great mix of stunning originals and songs everyone already knows. Far more than your simple three and four chord repetitions. These are songs that tell a story and he’s excited to be a part of it all.
BRANDON SMITH
Fiddle, Lap Steel, Mandolin, Guitar, Vocals. Brandon took up the violin at age 10 inspired by the performance of some music teachers at school. He played in the Townsville youth orchestra and taught himself to play guitar at home. He later moved down to Sydney and joined some local bands including the Rhythm Antics and the Love Handles. Then during the 90”s Brandon was lured to the NSW central coast and started playing in blues and country bands. He picked up the mandolin and lap steel and became a member of Boot Hill and the Midnite Rodeo and The Dog Trap Blues Band. He’s also been a staple at the Tamworth Country Music Festival playing in The Chicken Train Skiffler Band for the last 20 years. Brandon reckons joining Two Tone Pony has given him the opportunity to play great music with great people.
