Creativity

‘Show Me Down’ Video & Collaboration

A fantastic song written by my good friend David Masson.

Show Me Down. From his album The Dark Corner. (both available to buy on Bandcamp)

I loved this song as soon as I heard it and couldn’t wait to put my vocals on there. It’s the first time I’ve done a duet, and I loved what Masso had done with it. It’s punchy and pithy and lulling. I love the sparseness and then the build. It’s dark and weaving and a bit eerie. I find it exposing and comforting.

A few weeks ago we shot a video to go with the song. A video that was, and is lots of fun and filled with oddness. Testament to the vision and creative skill of Mr Masson who conceived of the whole thing and came back with this….

and it’s also the first time I’ve been asked to choke up yakky stuff for art.

Have a watch and a listen, share and enjoy!

Collaborations! ‘Drink Me’ video session wt Grethe Borsum

oooh …..this song gives me the chills every time I hear it!

Me and the fabulous Grethe Borsum (Get Her Band) sat down a couple of years ago with some beers and whisky, my resonator and a means to record. The intention? to do some songwriting…

Approaching collaborations you never really know how it will go until it does. The best I bring to it is to focus everything I’ve learned as a musician and songwriter and try to stay focussed on getting something to come away with, as well as having an experience that nurtures the creative process….it needs to flow 🙂 Admittedly, I was a teensy bit nervous, mostly because I’m used to writing on my own and it feels so vulnerable doing that with someone else.

It turned out that we had a lot to talk about…as the evening passed we crafted and played, had a chat and beer break, repeated this countless times. The result of which is this beautiful, lullaby of a song I get lost in every time I hear. Drink Me.

Proud. Happy. A genuine marinated shared creative experience.

When Grethe made a trip back to Liverpool last month we got together and recorded this video in Jacaranda, I’m so happy it’s here to share. Thanks to Grethe for her amazing video skills as well as the experience of writing this song together! Also, shout out to Luke Moore who jumped in and did some videoing for us too.

Enjoy x

Luke, Me, Grethe

Special Guest Harmonica! – Cold Coffee Blues.

Updates!

So, 2, 3, or even possibly 4 years ago I made a quip on Facebook regarding having the cold coffee blues…

… once upon a time I would drink my way through a Cafetiere of coffee whilst working/songwriting and drink it dry as it was going cold….now? no, no, I like it hot!

Hence my proclamation.

This was commented on at the time by an old friend of mine from my time on the Popular Music BTEC at Thornes Park College..Mr Ryan Mitchell – Smith, that it would indeed be a great song title. I agreed. I said I’d write it and he said he would play harmonica on it.

Being the kind of person that if I say I’ll do something, I tend to mean it. 10 years may go past but I will carry it and one day, it will be done. And here we are.

Cold Coffee Blues is now a song. When I sat down with my guitar to write one day, that song just fell out, (as easy as knocking over my coffee has been plenty of times). It’s fun, it’s thoughtful, it’s easy and cathartic and made me smile and when I smile playing one of my own songs, its all good! Once I’d finished it I was hoping Ryan would still be up for being a part of this. Lucky for me he was still into it.

Full circle. I’m totally honoured. Ryan has nailed this song. We have some cheeky Blues Harp. His playing is awesome and has really captured the vibe and it’s been on repeat in my headphones for the last couple of weeks. It’s really exciting for me to work with people on my music, and when it fits, it’s magic. Like excited being a kid magic. Things I wouldn’t and couldn’t have done myself. It’s much more fun involving others!

Please go and check out Ryans music, he writes his own songs and plays harmonica for a range of people. Here’s an ace vid from one of his own songs, go check out Youtube for more..

Cold Coffee Blues will be on my next album. I’m recording and working with guest musicians to make it an album I’m happy, excited and proud to share. So far it’s all working to plan 🙂 I’ll be continuing with updates as things happen each step of the way and when I have bits of music to share it will be here first!

Thanks for reading, listening and sharing and don’t forget……..DON’T LET YOUR COFFEE GET COLD.

Jo x

Studio, guest musicians and co-writes..

Hello,

There are things bubbling under the surface at the moment that make me happy to be creative.

The main thing I’d like to talk about today is my studio session with Cello on 2 tracks for my currently-being-record album…

Last month I headed down to Crosstown Studios in Liverpool to work with Jon Lawton again. Love working with Jon, so chilled and interesting, great coffee and an ideal ear to bounce ideas off! This time it was with the company of Luke Moore. I’ve worked with Luke on a couple of occasions on Operation Lightfoot projects and he has many hats but in this situation it was as Cellist, Cellist to contribute and weave some dark, beautiful string tones to 2 of my songs. The songs most fitting for this – Riches to Rags and Say Everything Do Nothing. It’s exciting for me to hear an instrument I don’t play adding sprinklings to my songs. Strings have such a powerful sound and I came away from the studio very happy. So, amidst conversations about zombies, Crystal Maze, Obstacle Races and coffee we put melodies and rhythms down to enhance, enhance, enhance. I had lots of fun being objective about my music and I’m now able to stand back from these songs and enjoy the craft. Being in the studio has to be one of my favourite ways to spend time, especially building my own songs. Onwards!

NEXT UP NEWS!……. I have another fantastic guest musician to announce on another song in the coming week for the album…. I’m going to sit on the details of this a tad longer but this song is on repeat on my phone at the moment and makes me smile 🙂 There will be details of this to come.

On a slightly different note…I did my first ever 10k Obstacle race last month called Wolf Run. Loved it! So much fun, so much mud. More more more. This is my preferred way to defrag and get a body stretch and some fresh air, for this I’m grateful.

Stay creative

JO x

Making of ‘Sharks’ video & upcoming performance 25th November, Liverpool.

Earlier this week I headed out to meet with Luke Moore (my collaborator for Sharks with Operation Lightfoot) and Jazamin Sinclair (multi – artist and in this case, videographer and photographer..) to get filming our video for said song. We wrote the song a while ago now and after piecing bits together are a step closer to releasing it! For this I am excited, I love this song. After brainstorming ideas a couple of months ago and then Luke fine-tuning them, we’re off…………

The morning looked like this… a coffee, chat, catch up and superfood salad… plans and directions decided, satiated and ready to go film….

15037274_10155044639105715_6255953807832621300_n

photo by Luke Moore

photo by Jazamin Sinclair

Pic by Jazamin Sinclair

We ventured various places over the course of the day. The trees, the beach, face down in the sand, avoiding statues, dogs and boats. We squelched down dingy railway alleys and bin alleys in the dark, ran through doors and ended up in the cellar. We had a giggle, drank lots of coffee and after 10 hours had enough footage to allow ourselves sleep. I had an amazing experience working with these two folks. It was easy and fun, and we got stuff done. I’m excited to see the finished edit and to premier at View Two Gallery, Liverpool on 25th November 2016… cant wait to share.

And this is what I looked like at the end of the day…..

photo by Jazamin Sinclair

Creeping from the darkest corners of the cellar I present to you ‘Sharks…Operation Lightfoot featuring Jo Bywater’….the Teaser/Trailer/Taster of what’s to come your way this November….

Here are a few words from Mr Operation Lightfoot himself, Luke Moore..

“It’s been great to work with Jo again after finishing the track earlier in the year. In the video pre-production meeting we talked about a few things that we wanted to try out and put together the framework of how this might look and the footage that we got is even better than I’d expected.

We’re aiming to have the video ready to accompany us at the next Operation Lightfoot performance on Friday 25th November at the View Two Gallery in Liverpool.

The song and video, like the other Operation Lightfoot material, is a great example of how collaboration and working outside the usual comfort zone can be both a creatively enlightening experience as well as produce really strong results.

Jo has been a really strong co-writer, flawless performer and working with her from behind the camera was an absolute joy and I think we were both pleasantly surprised by what we achieved. I’d like to say a big thank you to Jazamin Sinclair, too, who has really done a great job so far and I’m very keen to work with as soon as possible”.

See you there!

Jo x

Quiet Power – Stan Ambrose

Today, I would like to pay my respects to Stan Ambrose. A longstanding host of BBC Radio Merseyside ‘Folkscene’, a Folk Musician and Harpist (that he picked up once retired..) and ever – present on the Liverpool music scene.

I had the pleasure of being invited by Stan on a couple of occasions to be on his show. This involved an hours worth of conversation interspersed with recordings of my songs. My first impression was how softly spoken and gentle he was, humble, listening.. We had insightful conversations before we even began recording. I came out of the whole experience feeling inspired, grounded, listened to and that I’d had opportunities to talk about the spiritual and creative elements of my musical process, what had inspired my choices to play the music I did and what I valued. I felt encouraged and proud of what I do. I have massive thanks to Stan for that experience to connect with someone who values pushing the boundaries in creativity, this also helped me to reconnect with my own values of why, how and what I do.

I find this anchor when I get caught up in the superficial sides of music and ego.

Ever – grateful.

RIP Stan. Thank you for the inspiration and connection. You have influenced many people xxxx

Stan Ambrose