By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
HE’S been heading north for more than 25 years but now country singer and songwriter Graeme Connors is coming down south for the first time in a while.
The trip will be a reconnection for the multi-award winning musician who visited Geelong six years in a row for performances in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“This show will give us the chance to reconnect with a lot of people there from the outset,” Connors told the Independent.
“It’s funny the nostalgic sort of feeling that you get after 25 years. You never think of these things at the time, you have no idea that there will be a time when it becomes nostalgic.”
Connors’ landmark 1988 album, North, proved to be the platform for his four-decade career, spanning 17 albums and garnering him an ARIA, Golden Guitars and international songwriter awards.
“I hold the album North very close to me. It’s about the place I come from and the state that inspired it,“ Connors explained.
His back catalogue includes an extensive and impressive array of songs for other artists including John Denver, Jon English and Slim Dusty.
Connors’ longevity, however, had surprised him.
“I had a heart attack two years ago so I’m getting away with murder,” he chuckled.
“But I’m still writing; it’s just part of life.”
So much so that a new album is in the creative throes, utilising all the digital advantages modern technology affords, none of which were around when he recorded North.
The album has since been digitally remixed and mastered from the original multi-tracks, but live performance is still the source of the fire that still burns for Connors.
“You had to be more prepared as performer when you went into studio because you had to nail it.
“With digital you can take a breath out or change a note. That’s why live performance to me is still so challenging and wonderful.
“Touring is such a great enjoyment because it reconnects me with a part of industry that has changed so dramatically.
“You can give of yourself in a live performance with the opportunity to talk about where you was when you wrote the song, what you were going through, why the song exists.
“Plus, we have five top-line players on stage and these guys double up on instruments, so people get to see great musicianship at close quarters.”
Connors plays Geelong Performing Arts Centre on 30 July.
