Phil Moriarty is the man even an on-stage heart attack could not stop.
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He and his band The Gadflys, in which he performs with his brother Mick Moriarty, are back with their first album in almost 20 years.
"My mum died two years ago," clarinetist, singer and guitarist said.
"My brother and I hadn't been doing much music, we were living in different cities, living different lives.
"We decided maybe it was time to do a new album.
"We both had songs, so we got started."
But even after the tragic death of their mother they still encountered various pitfalls - including the cardiac arrest Phil suffered while performing in Tathra on Christmas Eve 2017.
Three songs into the first set he collapsed and health professionals applied CPR for nearly 20 minutes while a publican found a defibrillator at the town's surf club.
Phil was taken to the hospital in Bega before being flown to Canberra where he had a battery-powered defibrillator installed in his chest.
This incident left its mark on the seasoned musician and his new record, including that the song he was performing at the time he collapsed - called Love & Despair - became the title of his band's new album.
He had already been soul-searching for some time, ever since the band's bassist Andy Lewis suicided in 2000, but the heart attack left him considering his legacy.
"You wonder what you've left in terms of the musical conversation," the 62-year-old said.
"Except for that occasional person who says 'that one song means so much to me', you do hope to reach other people.
"I think we've got some good songs, whether we've got a world-beating song yet I'm not quite sure.
"I mean Bob Dylan didn't have a hit, but there's heaps of people who think he made a difference."
But the band's resume shows it has left its mark on music in Australia.
They spent three years on Paul McDermott's satirical TV show Good News Week and have backed artists such as Neil Finn, Steve Harley, Glen Tilbrook, Diesel and Yothu Yindi.
Phil said Love & Despair was an attempt by the band to express themselves in the face of the modern world.
"We have a strange combination of a roots take on things with pop-rock sensibilities," he said.
"We came up with the phrase the album sounds like T-Rex on Alligator Wine.
"It's a meaningless catchphrase, but it seems to suit us!"
The Gadflys will perform on Friday, November 15 from 7.30pm at the Candelo General Store, Candelo.
Tickets are $25.