It will be a pleasure to be supporting Chris Davidson on the launch of his Debut Album ‘Antidote To Rock And Roll’.
Chris and myself have played shows together for a number of years and it has been a pleasure to see his music progress from Alt/Folk Duo ‘Set Adrift’ to Rock 3 piece ‘Silvertruth’ and finally to his own solo project.
The show will take place at Chequers in Billericay starting with an open mic about 8pm.
So the year has nearly made it’s way through it’s 1st month and I am beginning to find motivation and progress to bounce back from the Apathy that had overcome me.
Photo Taken By Jasper Smit.
I played my first show of 2014 in the Netherlands at the request of the lovely people I had met from previous years on the road.
To be invited to be a part of such a performance was the perfect pick me up that I could ask. Truth be told I was feeling low in confidence and such a gesture to bring me out to mainland Europe gave my music a sense of purpose at exactly the most valued of times. I will try not to get defeatist like I so often do.
Photo Taken By Asmara Cimignolo
The joy of returning to the road even briefly will not be taken lightly. I live for this 😀
But as for the immediate future???
Well I need to plan a lot. The tours do not book them selves and although the help that comes is vast and overwhelmingly appreciated I am getting myself back to the place that demands motivation.
First things first. I am in need of a new tour van. ‘Betsy’ who has taken me from Scotland to Poland and to many other places in-between is very much into her twilight years. The breakdown in Berlin last September was the final sign that things needed to change from here.
So the search is on.
As for new material…..Well to be honest there is little. After the MAMMOTH Release of Go Forth Bright Scenic back in 2012 I have been creatively stagnant. But this worries me not. Ideas will flow when they are ready and for now I think it’s a chance to step back from things and allow me to be whoever the prices allows. I am in a fortunate position where by I can embrace the space (so to speak).
I am still in disbelief of what a year I had in 2013. I know I go on but to say it again out loud is important because it all really happened. Just under 200 shows across UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Poland & South Korea. Fucking bonkers frankly!!!!!!!!
I’m stunned. Thanks again to so many who jumped forth to support me. The list is massive.
Andrea & Luca in Italy, Nick in South Korea, Chieko and Shigeru and Wax and Go and Charlie and Justin in Japan. Karin and Geoff and sooooooo many folks in NZ; Thomas and Sonja and Rob in Netherlands, Monika in Poland. Shulfrie folks and Julie & Greta in Germany. Marylene and Panda in France.
Sooo many folks I’m missing I’m sure. So sorry. This list is longer than my brain scan.
Hopes are for the future to find the itchy feet and scratch like crazy once again in good time. Like the album title mantra 😛
As with the topsy turvy touring life things shift and heave in directions without control or warning.
Not the best start to the year I thought when I found out my debut show of 2014 in Holland has been cancelled 2 days prior to performance. But this is the nature of the beast.
I will still be venturing to Netherlands to perform a private show and hopefully the Friday night show which was scheduled to take place in Tiel will be be either rescheduled for the Sunday or a new location will be found.
Either way it’s a reminder of the unpredictability of this job.
Back in 2012 I released 4 albums on the same day as a part of the Go Forth Bright Scenic Project. 4 albums all overlapping but produced by different people and with a different approach made for each record. The were also released on different formats and 2 of those records have now sold out.
‘GO forth bright scenic’ CD Re-Release Cover
The Albums ‘Go’ and ‘Bright’ both contain songs that I regularly play live and whilst on the road I often have people ask which album the songs ‘Ons‘, ‘Alaskan Sky‘ or ‘Modern Life‘ are featured on. So with this in mind I have decided it’s time to make them available at shows.
‘go forth Bright scenic’ CD Re-release cover
Each Limited to a run of just 444 copies I will be launching these re-issues at my show on 3rd Jan at Club 85 in Hitchin.
Stuart O'Connor 