March | 2012 | Stuart O'Connor

0 Studio Diary Part 2

So since my last studio diary I’ve had many days meeting up with Chris Hollis.

Studio Shot 1 - Resonator and Acoustic Guitar Taken by Chris Hollis

We’ve taken on the mammoth task of trying to sift through material for the 4th record. At my last count the number of potential songs sits at over 50. I seemed to find plenty of time to write whilst on the road and off. This is the polar opposite to my experience going into the 3rd album where I simply had 12 songs in mind and that was what ended up on the record.

Many say the 4th record is the one where things tend to go wrong for many bands and artists. I remember once sitting with a good mate during a long night of jovial conversation. We put the theory to the test and found many bands maybe did seem to falter. But in the end it’s all subjective mumbo jumbo and why I’d feel the need to put pressure on myself with superstition I don’t know.

Studio Shot 2 - Musical Mess taken by Chris Hollis

The material is a real mixed bag. Some songs come directly from the road. Often out of live improv and loops. Some have been in the set for over 6 years. Never feeling right or ready to make the cut for previous releases. Some songs are fresh and loose. No specific route to send them; This can be a good and bad thing. Some songs are sparse and delicate whilst others have ambitions of grander and multilayered arrangement. Some feel very throwaway whilst others have such specific and personal intend that it feels like my deepest priority not to fuck them up.

Studio Shot 3 - Playing my dad's old nylon string guitar. Taken by Chris Hollis — Studio Shot 3 - Playing my Dad's old nylon string guitar. Taken by Chris Hollis

Being back off the road has given me many opportunities to play with other instruments and even other guitars. Like one left to me by my Father. This is also the first guitar I ever picked up and the guitar I’m holding for my first album cover.

The subject matter as a writer has felt strangely urgent yet as a person I feel a little less starry eyed and naive. A little more wisdom coupled with the sense of awareness that time is more limited than ever juxtaposes itself personally (as pretentious as that sounds to say it).

I’m aware that I may sound like a broken record if I keep singing about the same things. But the truth is my life hasn’t changed too much over the last couple of years. I was on the road most of the time and most of the time for the 4 years prior to that. New places have of course brought together many new experiences but in a way it all becomes one big mess of random. So the songs themselves I guess are reflecting that.

Studio shot 4 - Getting Folky with Mandolin and Banjo

I hope the material will be a little more stark and honest and a little less cryptic than it has been previously.

In the end having the time to come off the road to make this record has worked ok thus far.

Although how I’ll feel when it’s done and what the end result will be is still a mess I’m hoping will unravel over the next month or so.

0 Japan Tour Blog – 13/12/11 Cafe Mignon, Honancho, Tokyo

The gig that turned into what will be one of my most joyous memories of the Tokyo leg.

For much of my duration in Tokyo I’d been lucky enough to be housed by my friend Callum Grant. A legend of a man who is a budding musician himself. Many post show rituals would involve a quite whisky or two whilst the world would slowly be put to rights. Often we would bypass some of the issues considered to be pressing by some and the debate would stray into more personally urgent matters. For example the pros and cons to weather or not a zombie should be entitled the right to run.

Running Zombies - Weird or Wonderful?? It's an epic debate only underpinned by global warming and one or two other things

Anyway aside from Preparation for Zday. We had a show together in the wonderful Cafe Mignon located a short bus ride from Callums apartment. There we were joined not just by Eric Gebow who is a steady drummer and experimental effects wizard but also Adam Erdossy who has joined me multiple times with his Baritone Sax.

And to add to the mix was Brett Gillen who opens the night with a short but very entertaining set. He plays as a part of the group Samishi Cowboys and has been actively writing and performing where ever his work takes him.

Next up was Callums Whisky Tales. Well Callum and Eric to be precise. Now about 2 3rds of the way through recording their debut album and fresh off of a host of recent shows in Tokyo the band have developed to be super tight. The atmosphere in the cafe was really intimate and the audience are so closely involved in the performance that Callum’s ukulele songs really worked wonders for the atmosphere. Callum also embraced the intimacy well and invited audience member Shoichi to contribute to the songs on Guitar and a self made recorder looking device.

Erics playing on his pre war vintage kit were tasteful and methodical yet spontaneous enough to work in audience clap alongs and at one point a duet with Shoichi with he and Eric both playing Omnichords.

Shouichi Tomomori - Guitar, Omnichord, Flute

By the time it came to my set I was honestly overwhelmed with the turn out for the show and with the feeling that a great collection of people were crossing paths and that I was lucky enough to be a part of it. Member of the audience included Kodo Drummers who were in town with their own performances.

Eric joined me on the kit for the first couple of songs before Daniel Karras stepped into improvise.

I blasted through a couple more numbers with Daniel and we were then joined by Adam. Shouichi was also a guest musician for the duration of my set adding lines and textured to my set on a host of various instruments.

The set was mostly older material in order to give the guest musicians the possibility of having a slight if only distant connection to the material.

A brief moment or two of the night are captured here from Callums iPhone. You can get a perspective of just how small Cafe Mignon is and also you see that the entire night was a dreamscape soundtrack for Adam’s baby son who managed to sleep right through the whole thing 🙂

A Clip of ‘Map of Shibuya’ From Cafe Mignon

0 Photo’s from London by Rob Mchale

Taken at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen. Hackney, London – 22/2/2012

0 Japan Tour Blog – 12/12/11 – Club Goodman – Akihabara

Into my final week of shows in Japan I once again return to Club Goodman.

I again hear my friend Goga play who is awesome with his style and l loops. We toured in the UK together and to hear peoples reactions to his shows was always fun as two very different cultures would clash.

Gogatech in Action - Reunited after our time on the road together in the UK

For the final show we did together in the UK. Goga joined me for my encore and I threw him a curve ball of playing an instrumental in the Key of D. We jammed it out and for me personally it was a nice moment.

I hadn’t touched on this piece again until I had some time to focus on completing it. This time came earlier into the Japan run and it was with this performance that I was able to open with the song now titled ‘World is Plenty’. Of course it was dedicated to Goga.

Club Goodman Setlist - Only unreleased material except one song.