SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. – After working with the likes of Paul McCartney, Howard Jones, Dave Gilmour. and Robert Palmer, British born, Australian-based producer Andy Ross has stepped from behind the console to create 

“…a hugely ambitious project…the album includes a collection of ten songs deeply rooted in British rock of the 1970/80s with nods towards the subtle mix of sonic washes and accessible rock sensibility which characterise the work of Pink Floyd, 10cc, Yes, Godley & Creme and Howard Jones – the latter of whom features in the movie and who has worked extensively with Ross. The documentary interleaves interviews with a wide range of thoughtful people with the story of a man who leaves his work and goes searching for meaning in his life.” – Sunday Arts Magazine (Australia)

The music on the album, The Fear Engine (out now), encompasses elements of alt rock, cinematic, and pop music as each of the ten tracks is framed around a different question introduced by dialog aiming to illuminate The Fear Engine, an unconscious driving force within us. Recorded at his home studio in Sydney, Andy Ross plays all the instruments plus vocals on The Fear Engine album with the exception of saxophone, he left that task to John Helliwell (Supertramp). After all, his father was Ronnie Ross, a renowned British musician who not only played sax with many jazz legends (and played sax on Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” and The Beatles "Savoy Truffle") but who also taught the sax to a young David Bowie. 

In the film, a cross section of people from artists (musician Howard Jones, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, photographer Laura Solomon), scholars (professor Hugh Montgomery, philosopher Alastair Rylatt), innovators (founder ‘Choir With No Name’ Marie Benton, green builder Steve Epstein) to everyday people and children attempt to answer ten probing questions on the nature of human behavior, while an ordinary man in a suit and carrying a brief case with a silver ball representing his subconscious fears hovering around him (also on the album cover), walks from a city into the wilderness - a metaphor for the human desire for significance.

Currently screening at film festivals across the globe, “The Fear Engine” documentary has won recent accolades including Winner of the Festigious International Film Festival Los Angeles 2020, Award of Excellence at The IndieFEST Film Awards 2020 for “Documentary Feature” as well as “Contemporary Issues & Raising Awareness,” Finalist at Oniros Film Awards, Semi-Finalist Los Angeles Film Awards 2020, and Official Selection at Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2020.

The documentary is in consideration for the London Independent Film Awards, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, Portland Film Festival, International Independent Film Awards - Spring Session, Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival, Paris Lift-Off Film Festival, UK Film Festival – London, International Film Festival of Wales, Sundance Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival.

The Fear Engine is Ross’s second documentary film. His first “Well Beyond Water” about climate change won best short at Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival in 2010.