January 31st, 2009 - Chasing Bailey

“We knew we were going places from there,” says drummer Kurt Bailey, 21.

“We had to go somewhere from there!’ laughs 19-year-old vocalist/guitarist Daniel Conway.

Back in 2001, Chasing Bailey were still known as The Baileys, and each member was in their early-to-mid teens – indeed Daniel was only 12 when the band’s manager spotted him at a talent show and invited him to play with the group of young musicians she was looking after. He succeeded in convincing his father that moving from their home in the Queensland town of Caboolture was a good idea, and upon arriving in Tamworth headed straight to the Bailey household. There he met Kurt and his sisters – vocalist/guitarist Charlene and vocalist/mandolin player Crystal – as well as bassist Lindsay Dallas, and started jamming.

“We just knew there was something there,” smiles Daniel. “It just felt so good.”

Despite their tender ages, each had a rich musical upbringing. The Bailey siblings were weaned on rock’n’roll standards and country music artists such as Patsy Cline, Daniel had been playing guitar and singing songs his father recommended to him for years, while 21-year-old Lindsay comes from a long-line of respected country musicians – his grandfather is legendary Golden Guitar winner, Rex Dallas.

Enrolling in a local scheme known as the Talent Development Project, from 2001 to 2002 the fledgling outfit refined their craft. They moved from playing covers to writing originals; they learned about stagecraft and image; and, at the end of the course, came to the attention of a number of influential figures at the graduation concert. Gigs were offered, which lead to more shows and, ultimately, record label interest. All of which probably explains why, in his Year 10 exams, Daniel was more concerned with writing a song on his shirt