An analytical approach to the creation of their songs is something Ron Peno and Kim Salmon are both fond of and something that has set the duo apart from other musicians.

"We're not lyrically driven, generally we don't think 'we want to convey this feeling', it's just a piece of music we want to feel," Salmon said.

"When we write a song people think Ron does all the singing and I would do all the guitar parts, but sometimes I give him the lyrics part and he gives me a guitar part.

"I would play and Ron would just sing over the top of me; he will be singing what comes off the top of his head and that's how we put together the first couple of albums.

Salmon said they also used this improvisation process as a starting point for their third album In the Days When The World Was Wide.

The first album in six years, the duo considers the recording a career high, saying it is all about songs that stir the soul.

"It's all about us and looking at things under a microscope," he said.

"It's mysterious. And because it's mysterious, it seems quite magical."

The artists, both with rich histories in the music industry, met in Sydney in 1982 where a joke to make a country record together soon turned into a reality which resulted in The Darling Downs.

Since, then the friends have become renowned around the country for their folk, bluegrass and indie rock and will perform songs from their three albums at The Bridge Hotel on Saturday night.

The info... 

WHAT: Darling Downs

WHEN: Saturday, September 6, doors 8.30pm

WHERE: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine

TICKETS: $15