The MESA Chronicles
A powerful storyteller and lyrical craftsman, MESA singer/songwriter David Morgan captured the red-blooded beauty of Western Australia’s Pilbara region in the band’s landmark release Nor West Friends. Morgan’s intimate and affecting narration takes audiences on a driver-seat journey across a fierce yet fragile land, millions of years in the making.
Together with fellow singer/songwriter Steve Spouse, the pair unwittingly penned a timeless, enduring soundtrack to one of the country's most remarkable regions. From the evergreen Fly In, Fly Out, to the haunting trip along the Long Road that wanders endlessly through the Pilbara to international artistic pathways in Vietnam, MESA's creative work maps out an evocative bridge spanning two deeply spiritual locations.
"Our Pilbara songs are evergreen and provide a snapshot of a time when the Pilbara region became famous to the world. If someone in 300 years' time wanted to know what the Pilbara was like, they could learn from our songs."
The Journey
The Beginning
Original Songwriter PartnershipFrom their eighties days in the Karratha based Mugshots long-time friends David Morgan and Steve Spouse pool distinct narrative instincts to capture the raw character of the Pilbara region, crafting award-nominated WAMI compositions like 'Kanaji Binbaku', 'Going Home' and international tourist anthems like 'Warlu Way'. 'Fly In, Fly Out' provided early national recognition when it appeared on the 'ABC Top 100 Australian Regional Songs'.
The Inspiration
From The Pilbara to VietnamMoving across deeply spiritual spaces, Morgan channels the stark, rugged grandeur of the Pilbara and later links it with the rich culture of Vietnam. Inspiration from historical, social and environmental events have been fused to create songs that truly represent global sonic storytelling.
The Recordings
East-Meets-West Studio FusionsTracking evergreen catalog albums between Rocket Studios in Sydney and Soul Entertainment Studio in Saigon. Blending standard acoustic guitar structures with live, traditional Vietnamese instrumentation and creating a deep Vietnam wartime football chronicle like 'Forever We Will Run' which has become an ANZAC day standard.