M.E. Baird (Matthew Ede Baird) is a remarkable and somewhat mysterious talent who has had a long career existing mainly on the fringe.  Not only is M.E. Baird a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, and musician, but he is also an artist and relentless thinker who creates artwork as unique and captivating as his music. From his deep, lamenting voice and beguiling songs to his thought-provoking artwork, M.E. Baird is an artist in every sense.  Originally from Melbourne, M.E. Baird has lived in many places since, each a unique chapter in life, art and the other, and has been based in Bundjalung Country (Northern New South Wales), Australia, for the last decade. 
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MUSIC

M.E. Baird began his musical career in Melbourne in the early 1990s, becoming a part of the city's post-punk, rock, and dark folk scene. He has written, recorded, co-produced, and released five critically acclaimed solo albums, as well as several recordings under various band names. For a time, he also performed and recorded under the pseudonym "Lionel Lee." In addition to his songwriting, Baird has composed short musical pieces for television, short films, and his own audiovisual projects, blending his art and music.  Early in his career, he was fortunate to share the stage with some of Australia’s most influential musicians, including Roland S. Howard, Spencer P. Jones, Chris Wilson, Ian Rilen, and Ed Kuepper, all of whom had a profound impact on his career. Baird's latest release, 'Spinning Man,' has also received critical acclaim, particularly for its experimental approach to songwriting, which was heavily influenced by the poems of Dylan Thomas and Anne Sexton.

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ALBUM PRESS

"The slowly developing, intimately held tracks, which are neither folk nor country, but maybe a Cohen/Cave-inspired interpretation of both, are meant for the small, dark, alone spaces of your life. Being also a visual artist,  there is no surprise that his songs are often described as possessing a distinct visual richness and depth, where each song can be like cinematic vignettes."  ★★★★ - Sydney Morning Herald

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​"Deeply emotive, whether in the carefully crafted lyrics, the music itself, or his deep, lamenting, singular voice, emotion drips from everywhere; it trickles down walls and pools on the floor. It aches and hurts...and it’s beautiful."  ★★★★ - Rythmns Magazine

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"His songs are visually rich, possessing a novelistic quality that is dark and warm. The music of M.E. Baird cajoles and challenges. Images flow and tunes beguile. A treat."   ★★★★ - The Music Collective

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"Baird speaks of lost loves and scarred hearts, and while he paints life in a harsh light, he still finds something to hold onto, be it a memory or dream not yet faded. This dark folk at its finest, sad, bitter, and beautiful."  ★★★★ - The Brag Magazine, Sydney

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​"There is a haunting quality to M.E. Baird’s music, a type of dark folk and blues noir that permeates the songs.  Baird knows how to balance the beauty successfully and the despair."  ★★★★  - The Music (Australia)

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ART

As a visual artist, duality, absence, and memory have been at the core of and dominated M.E. Baird’s three-decade-long practice. This idea of duplexity stems from his upbringing—a childhood that, on one hand, under the influence of his father's family was full of adventure, creativity, curiosity, and freedom to express, while the other was a tyrannical and oppressive Irish Catholic ethos of his mother that denies the creative spirit and self-expression – can there be rectification?  M.E. Baird has won several prizes and exhibited widely. He was recently awarded 1st place in the Maritime Art Prize, Australia (2023), with his piece 'The Loner' from the Ghost Boat series.  M.E. Baird has also worked in urban design and architecture, including art direction for film, television, and digital media.  

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ACADEMIC WORK

M.E. Baird also has a background in art, design, architecture and creative philosophy.  For two decades, alongside his passion for music and art, M.E. Baird held various academic and lecturing positions at several institutions, including RMIT University in Melbourne, the UNSW College of Fine Arts & Design (COFA), the UNSW Built Environment Department, the University of Sydney, and Deakin University in Victoria and has received several awards in recognition of his teaching and lecturing excellence. At Deakin University, his passion for creative thinking and the creative process led to his appointment as a Creative and Teaching Scholar, where he contributed to the development and delivery of evidence-based teaching methods for students studying art and design. This role also included writing several course outlines and materials focused on creative philosophy, memory, and the creative processes across various art forms, including art, design, architecture, film, music, and literature.

 

Although he is no longer involved in university-based academic work, M.E. Baird continues to pursue independent research on creativity. He is also available for creative consultations, private lectures, presentations, workshops, and one-on-one or small-group mentoring.