Duck Musique sprung from humble beginnings back in feb 2002 as a guitar duo. Caley, exhausted and poor from too much rock and roll moved in with his father Steve. Their love of Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grappelli and the quintette du hot club de France, provided all the inspiration to establish their repertoire. As the years past so too did the bottles of port, occasional gigs and endless jam sessions that would take place around the kitchen table. In June 2005 the two decided to form a band and recruited Michael Harris on violin and Kelsey James on vocals. After three months of solid rehearsing the band was ready to take on their first spot at the Lomond Hotel. The group has since had many guest bass players such as James Rust, Mark Elton, Andy Ross, Michael Muer and Howard Cannes.

Steve’s long career as a professional musician and songwriter has been diverse. He toured with ‘the Bushwhackers’ (where he met Michael Harris) and Melbourne band ‘The Purple Dentist’, played recording sessions, produced CD’s for many local artists, and composed for film, television and ABC radio.  Steve’s first hit single was in 1966 with a song called ‘Excuses’, which he wrote and recorded whilst in Melbourne band ‘The Kinetics’. Four years later, he was in London with the Australian trio ‘TIN – TIN’, and wrote and recorded the international NO.1 hit single ‘Toast and Marmalade for Tea’. Back in Australia in 1976, he won the Australian song festival with ‘On the Loose Again’. Being a lifelong fan of Django and the gipsy style, ‘Duck Musique’ was the perfect invention and a great excuse to play with his son Caley. 

Michael is a classically trained violinist and Stephan Grapelli aficionado. He started his professional career with ‘The Bushwhackers’, and received a Golden Guitar award for best instrumentalist of the year 1983. Both of the band’s gold records from that period feature Michael’s playing. He toured Australia with ‘Circus Oz’, co- founded festival circuit favourites ‘ The Whirling Furphies’, worked with Australian legend Broderick Smith, and even featured as the on-stage solo violinist in the Melbourne Theatre Companies’ recent production of ‘Cyrano’, with David Wenham. Michael uses the violin to tell stories to great effect. He plays with finesse and flamboyance, and always from the heart.  

Caley has been performing live for 11 years. He has played numerous styles of music ranging from punk rock to country. He has toured nationally and internationally with original music and released three records on independent labels in the punk rock, prog-rock idiom. In 2004 he completed his studies of jazz and popular music at NMIT. Caley has also composed music for film and documentaries. His passion for gipsy jazz began many years ago when he was introduced to the sounds of the great Quinttet du Hot Club De France, and since has been working closely with Steve to realise their passion. Caley brings to duck Musique an energetic, engaging and effortless “je ne sais quoi”!