oliver downes

Hola!  Guten tag!  Bonjour!  Buongiorno!  Privyet!  Nǐ hǎo!  Kon'nichiwa!  Namaste!  As-salāmu ʿalaykum!  Shalom!  Hi!

My name is Oliver Downes and I’m a singer-songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia.  I play piano and write songs that blend intricate piano playing with hummable melodies and thought-provoking lyrics.

I’m raising funds to complete my second album, ‘The Wheel’, and need your help to get it finished.

I began writing songs for ‘The Wheel’ in between the recording sessions for my last album, 'Ultraviolet', in late 2015. Some find their roots in personal events while others respond to the big issues of our times such as the displacement of people across national borders, over-consumption and climate change.  However, all of the songs that I’ve included deal in some way with impermanence, and the ways in which people cope with the ephemeral nature of everyday life.

I wrote half of the songs in between teaching music, gigging, touring and otherwise living life, while the other half were finished during a 5 week songwriting residency I undertook at the Banff Centre for Creativity and the Arts in Alberta, Canada, in late 2017.  This was an incredible opportunity and the catalyst for a huge range of musical explorations and collaborations which are finding their first expression with this album.

To realise my musical vision, I've put together a wonderful group of young Melbourne musicians, who over the past year of rehearsing, touring and gigging, have helped me develop and shape my ideas while leaving their own unique musical fingerprints on each song.

You’ll hear the drumming of Jack Towers, the sweet vocal harmonies and phat double bass of Loz Irwin-Ray, the strumming (and siiiiick licks) of Joshua Kreusler, the tootling and rip-snorting (that’s the technical term) of Madeleine Novarina (alto sax) as well as the hugely versatile skills of the inestimable Jess Foot (oboe and cor anglais).  You can get a taste of their handiwork here.

Meanwhile, the hugely talented sound engineer (and backgammon player) Mischa Herman has been the man behind ‘The Wheel’.

Of course all of these wonderful people need to eat!  Every dollar pledged towards my funding target will go directly towards paying for the amazing musicians that appear on the record, the sound engineering, post-production, art and design for the album and its associated merchandise.

In return for your support, I’ve put together some great rewards, including vinyl, concert entry, the option for me to cover your favourite song and some fun house concert-esque type gigs!  It’s my hope that 'The Wheel' will thrill and inspire music lovers of all backgrounds, so please do share this campaign with friends, family and other audiophiles!

Thanks for checking out my campaign and I’ll hopefully see you at a gig soon!

Oli

Recording: $5000

Musicians fees: $2000
Mixing: $3000

Mastering: $1200

Album artwork: $600
CD and Vinyl Design: $400

Printing of 250 CDs: $500
Vinyl Pressing: $1000

= $13700

As you can see, making records is an expensive game!  Note that this is a broad strokes budget that does not include myriad associated minor costs nor any payment to myself.

Any amount pledged in excess of my Pozible target will go towards these listed production costs.  Every pledge counts!