by Luke Voogt
After 30 years of shows Mark Shelley and John Robertson have been playing together nearly as long as Simon and Garfunkel.
The Blue Mountains duo brings their tribute to one of the greatest music pairings of all time to Geelong next month.
“We don’t impersonate the characters,” Shelley told the Indy from Coffs Harbour last Friday, ahead of the first show on their latest tour that night.
“It’s a celebration of Paul Simon’s songs and the magic of Simon and Garfunkel.”
The pair has performed original and cover music for decades and began their Simon and Garfunkel act five years ago.
“I’m more Simon than Garfunkel,” Shelley said.
“I do all of Paul Simon’s guitar bits but we share the vocals. It’s just wherever the blend is best.”
Poignant and cleverly-written lyrics and captivating harmonies inspired them to take on the music of the world famous pair, Shelley explained.
“We’ve been working together for so long and the vocal harmony has been so important with what we’ve been doing, so it was just a natural progression.”
Their latest show comes to Geelong Performing Arts Centre’s 325-seat Drama Theatre at 2.30pm on 8 September.
“We normally do the Drama Theatre,” Shelley said.
“It gives us a really intimate show, which is perfect for Simon and Garfunkel.”
The show would focus on Paul Simon’s song-writing and solo career, featuring songs from his album Graceland like You Can Call Me Al.
But the duo would also play ’60s classics like Mrs Robinson, The Boxer, Scarborough Fair and Sound of Silence, Shelley said.
“We just love the music.”
