Women in Music (St Kilda)

Megan Bawden

Megan Bawden is a singer/songwriter who has been singing and playing guitar for more than 40 years. Megan's musical genre is Original indie and Rock/Country.

Megan's bands are as follows:

  • Busload of Faith: This band started in 1991 with Megan singing lead vocals and playing acoustic guitar, Warren Ellis on violin, and James Boddington on double bass. After the first show Tony Pola joined on drums. Megan continued this band with Nick Rischbieth playing bass, Stefan Fidoc playing drums, John Bone playing violin.

  • Basketcase: Cathy Green playing bass, Tony Pola playing drums, Dave Sandford playing piano/saxophone.

  • Cracks of Doom: Pearly Black playing guitar and singing up a storm, Andrew Entsch/Rosie Westbrook playing double bass.

  • Patsy’s Wake: Nick Rischbieth playing bass, Penny McBride playing trumpet, Michael Ward playing drums, tambourine, keys, chains, worry beads. When Megan recorded Patsy’s Wake, she added Cathy Green on backing vocals and glockenspiel, Philip Ricketson on lead guitar and backing vocals, Warren Ellerton on slide guitar. Megan also added an additional track called "When I Run from Cracks of Doom: featuring Pearly Black on vocals and acoustic guitar, and Andrew Entsche playing double bass.

  • Bullshit Honey: Cathy Green played bass and performed backing vocals. Cathy also co-wrote "Neil Young You’re My Hero" (2019). Ian Kitney played drums, Philip Ricketson played lead guitar, Chris Altmann played electric guitar, pedal steel and piano. Rosie Westbrook played double bass. The album Megan made led to a tour of France playing festivals and bars. 

  • Around 2012 Megan Bawden, Rosie Hayden and Vivienne put together a band called The Originals with Vivienne Gay singing, Rosie Haden singing and playing acoustic guitar. This band played originals and covers of songs they love. Rob Wellington joined on electric guitar. They recorded at Atlantis studio in South Melbourne, one of the last recordings made there before they had to move on. The Originals played together until 2020. 

  •  Since 2014, Megan has been singing in pop-punk covers bands The Peptides.

Megan has played gigs at St Kilda music venues including: The Espy, Prince of Wales Hotel, Greyhound Hotel, Dogs Bar, Tolarno’s on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda Bowlo, George Lane, Claypots, Surabaya Johnny's, Pause Bar, Lost. 

"In 1989 I started playing with James Boddington. James played bass and I played rhythm guitar and wrote the songs. I named the band Busload of Faith, playing my songs for the first time. I wanted a show and spent two and a half months visiting Neil Wedd, who was booking the Prince of Wales, asking for a show. Neil blew me off every week until I ran into his back yard and burst into tears. Neil asked what the problem was and I replied that he wouldn’t even give me a chance to fail. Neil called me a couple of days later and let me know that I had a gig the following Wednesday in the Piano Bar at the Prince of Wales."

Busload of Faith, c.1991 - Source: Megan Bawden

"It was at this point that I realised that I didn’t really have a band. After a conversation with James, I let him know that I wanted a fiddle player. Did he know one? James said that he knew of a guy who could play and that he had just returned from Europe. I asked him to get in touch and a couple of days later Warren Ellis turned up at my place and we played. I knew immediatley that Warren would work really well and ran a tape of the rehearsal. I let Warren know that we had a show in five days and to do the best he could. He did. So with an acoustic guitar, a double bass and a violin we began. The first show was at the Prince of Wales in the Piano Bar on a Wednesday night. Even though we didn’t really have enough for a set I pointed out that no-one knew the music so we could just do the first song again."

Megan Bawden, 2009 - Source: Megan Bawden Facebook

"I remember looking out at the audience and realising that the who’s who of the scene at the time was in the audience. This included the Surrealists, Beasts of Bourbon, The Blackeyed Susans, Chris Wilson and many others. We got through the set and at the end Tony Pola from the Surrealists and the Beasts of Bourbon told me he wanted to join the band. I told him that if he turned up for rehearsal and we liked him, he could join us. He did. For the next year or so Tony was our drummer. When he told me he was off to Europe I told him to replace himself at the same level. Enter Jim White. As it turned out this was the beginning of the end. The Dirty Three was created and played their first show in July 1992. This line up of Busload of Faith concluded in December 1992."

Megan Bawden, 2013 - Source: Megan Bawden Facebook

"Warren has said that I sacked him after he decided to take a piss in the middle of a show. Of course, I didn’t do that. Who would? I was pissed off that he’d taken a piss as I thought that he pissed on the band, the audience and the people who were paying us. He said there was friction. There’s always friction in bands. The friction was created by himself not wanting to be truthful. He just didn’t have the guts to say that he and Jim were moving on so he said he was sacked instead. I guess that story suited him better. I’ve always wondered whether Warren took a piss in the middle of any other show.

We completed about 65 shows between September 1991 and December 1992."

Megan Bawden, 2019 - Photo by Tim Chuma -  Source: Megan Bawden Facebook
Busload of Faith
Marilyn Rose Veil Paula Damnzal