The album Something for the Pain (formerly released in Australia as Spantronics, available through MGM), and was released on September 25th 2006 through Proper Records in the UK (also under the name Something for the Pain).


This is the latest CD release for Doc Span , the American-born / Australian-based blues harmonicist and singer, and his creative partner, Somerset, UK -based multi-instrumentalist/producer, Matthew Cang .

Matthew - whose track record extends from teenage membership of the late-period Sensational Alex Harvey Band through a spell managing London's legendary JAM Studios to his current status as a highly respected soundtrack writer and producer of library music for TV and film - first encountered Doc on a visit to Queensland a few years back. Friendship with Matthew eventually resulted in creative collaboration and ‘Something For The Pain’, which was largely written and recorded on the Sunshine Coast over one summer, mainly on a laptop on Doc's back porch in the Queensland rainforest.

Gritty, lyrical, groove-laden, with roots not only in the blues, but also the indigenous music of Australia and contemporary electronica, Something For The Pain consists of 11 original compositions which flavour contemporary grooves with a pervasive blues twist, blowing boundaries at every turn: geographical, genre-wise and in terms of the experience and careers of the two musicians involved. But the union has paid dividends.

Doc spent September '06 in the UK doing a few shows, promoting Something for the Pain and recording a new album with Matthew in his Somerset studios.


You can listen to a recent podcast interview from BFBS Radio 2 UK with Doc and Matthew playing selections from Something for the Pain acoustically: Raven’n’the blues

Doc will be performing with a new band, Doc Span Blues, doing live versions of the material from Something for the Pain, by Matthew Cang and Doc Span.


Hopefully Matthew will be in Australia for a tour in 2007.

View from Doc Span's verandah

Matthew's describes the genesis of 'Something for the Pain'

I met Doc a few years ago in Queensland, Australia, and we soon realised that we wanted to work together.The only problem was that I lived on the other side of the world, in England.

So we came up with a plan… I wrote a few musical ideas and sent them to Doc. He began writing lyrics to them and shortly after that, I flew out to Australia and we spent the next month writing together, using a laptop, face to face on Doc’s verandah overlooking the sub-tropical bush of south-east Queensland.

After bringing the recordings back to the UK, I managed to persuade some great musicians to contribute to the songs:
Simon Clark, Des Welstead, Joe Cang, Carmen Daye and Steve Baker all giving invaluable contributions – a huge thanks to them all. Doc and I kept in touch, mailing most days, and I would regularly mail rough mixes to him, so we could discuss and change things as necessary.

The world really was a smaller place for us, being able to communicate like that. We had a good time making this album – hope you like it.

Matthew