So a song that started as a lazy free session with my friend Ollie in Brighton went from having no explicit plan and ended up being released 2 years later on my ‘Bright’ album in 2012.
I then began touring the material and when on the road in New Zealand I had the chance to rehearse for a couple of days. I took this as an opportunity to attempt to make ‘Ons’ a part of the live set through the use of live looping. 3 days later I Debuted ‘Ons’ live at a show in Auckland. Ons went onto be performed in Asia and Europe.
When I returned to the UK this live video was made:
In 2014 I received a message from a musician I respect and admire very deeply. Her name is ‘Haco’ and she had contacted me to request that I send the sound files for ‘Ons’ to her so she can work them into her own music.
About 18 months later I received further correspondence from Haco, She had finished her new album ‘Secret Garden’ and wanted to released ‘Ons’ with her on vocals. Renamed ‘Whitening Shadows’.
In 2015 Haco toured the UK and we performed the song together.
I found it wonderful to think back on the journey the recording had made from Brighton out to Australiasia and then into collaboration in Japan. But the travel did not stop there.
The filmmaker Karen Vanderborght who is based in Toronto had contacted ‘Haco’ expressing a desire to make a video to the song.
And so here it is:
So from 2010 to 2015 and from Brighton to Toronto via Asia what started as an off the cuff jam session has sprouted wings.
Maybe this is not the end of the journey for the Ons. But I must remember it all started with my good friend Ollie.
May we jam again in good time :D.
Stuart O'Connor 