Target reached!
We’re so thankful for your support in helping us achieve £1500. Our third and final ...
Help Us Finish Our New Album (Indie/New Wave)
Ryton, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Aim
We need your help to finish and release a professionally-produced album of weird pop music in the North East.
What’s the project?
North East weird pop band Amateur Ornithologist are raising money to support the recording and release of our third album.
Previous albums Birdwatching and Building the Bird were solo projects for Daniel Clifford, but this new collection will be made with the AO band and in-demand North East producer, Harbourmaster.
Once it’s recorded, we’ll release the album on streaming sites and as a CD, cassette and digital download. We’ll host exclusive events for backers and keep you updated with our progress.
Why do we need your support?
Most AO members are neurodivergent (autism, ADHD, dyspraxia), disabled and/or have long-term health conditions. This can make maintaining jobs and saving money difficult. Some of the band are unwaged, on benefits or work in insecure roles.
The first two AO albums were funded through Daniel's savings... but there isn't enough left this time. Live performances and streaming sites don't bring in much money either. We've managed to pay for 4 days of studio time already and have recorded the majority of the album, but won't be able to complete it for a January 2024 release without your help.
Maddie and Daniel during AO's live show at The Globe by AndiChrist19
How will this project help?
Working on the album has huge mental health benefits - encouraging the band to express themselves, collaborate, visit new places and socialise.
Developing the album’s material and seeing the project to completion supports the growth of self-confidence and provides a recent example of work.
Collaborating encourages skill sharing; developing employability and transferable skills including project delivery, communication and IT.
Working as a group in Harbourmaster’s supportive studio helps less experienced members become more familiar with recording and sets them up to offer session musician services to other artists.
The wider North East music sector will benefit - we’ll employ Harbourmaster and session musicians. We’ll hire a launch event venue and sound engineer, and book support acts.
Birds Fly Over Me from the debut album Birdwatching
Why not wait until the album is finished?
Without your support, there's no guarantee we'll be able to finish the new album. You’ll help grassroots artists collaborate on a new body of work - and get exclusive rewards in return.
We'll make you feel part of the project with photos, videos and progress reports. But if that isn’t enough, you can visit the studio and even feature on the album!
We’ll share the album with backers before the official release - hosting an exclusive listening party and sending out copies as soon as we can.
We’ll host a launch party at a The Globe, Newcastle venue on Friday 19th January 2024 and perform songs from the new album. You can even get AO to put on a special concert for you and your guests - an acoustic gig in your living room, a lunchtime concert for your workmates or a show for your clients.
What will this Crowdfunder pay for?
- recording time with Harbourmaster at his South Shields studio
- buying percussion instruments to enhance the album's sound
- mixing and mastering of the finished recordings
- CD and cassette production
- venue hire for the album launch party
- Crowdfunder fees and reward postage
Hermit Phase single from second album Building the Bird
How can you trust the money will be well-spent?
Daniel has managed arts and education projects over 17 years for local, regional and national organisations. He has worked in a range of art forms and delivered a festival for emerging artists, film screenings and gigs.
He has already released two Amateur Ornithologist albums on low budgets; working with session musicians. With AO now a full band, musician costs are lower. Harbourmaster will engineer, mix and master the album, ensuring a professional product.
On top of their musical prowess, AO’s expanded line-up brings sound recording, photography, filmmaking, graphic design, and visual art skills to the project.
Praise for Amateur Ornithologist
"a real post-punk poetic masterpiece" - Sistra
“You can’t help but smile from the very start… there’s a touch of The Monkees in its blissful rise and fall” - NARC.
“made me remember how great music can be” - Frankie Francis, Amazing Radio
"an album that is simply chock full of pop songs” - The Crack
"bold and captivating approach to both songwriting and production" - Mystic Sons
Who are Amateur Ornithologist?
Amateur Ornithologist are a weird pop group based across Tyne and Wear. Starting as the solo project of artist Daniel Clifford, AO has grown into a band who appear live as anything from a three-piece to an octet.
Amateur Ornithologist have earned comparisons to Talking Heads, The Beach Boys and local heroes Field Music due to melodic instrumentation, lush harmonies and nostalgic vibe.
The band’s many neurodivergent members use music to express themselves articulately and create moments of understanding for people in similar circumstances.
AO launched their second album, Building the Bird, in 2022 with their sold-out live debut. The album saw the band place 2nd in the Indie category at the Radio Wigwam Awards 2022, and received support from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, NARC Magazine and a host of radio stations and blogs.
Find out more about Amateur Ornithologist in the Spark documentary Birdwatchers by Daniel Russell.
Band members:
Daniel Clifford (vocals) has released two solo albums as Amateur Ornithologist and an album with Harbourmaster under the name Squares. He has mentored emerging artists across a range of art forms and projects.
Chris Perriman (bass) released two albums with Baker Island, headlining Evolution Emerging Festival and touring Scotland and England with the band.
Liam Slack (keys, drums, vocals) plays drums for Reservoirs, who have recently released their first EP Kids These Days, plays bass in Fashion Tips, and has toured extensively.
Madeleine Smyth (viola, vocals) has released two EPs of electronica, had a film screened at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and played Stockton Calling.
Louis Young (guitar, glockenspiel) is one of the youngest members but has already been commissioned to create music for an audio drama series by award-winning producer Jay Sykes.
Rob Bailey (saxophone) is a seasoned musician who takes a lead at The Globe’s Am Jam sessions to ensure attendees are supported to improve their performance and improvising skills.
Georgia Forster-Adams (guitar, vocals) is a relative newcomer to playing in bands, but brings rhythm and lead guitar skills and a distinctive vocal talent to the group.
Harrison Mitchell (drums) is the newest and youngest member of the band, bringing drumming experience and ability in the studio far exceeding his years.
What can you expect from the album?
The album is written and arranged, with 10 songs that cover subjects as diverse as the Cottingley Fairies, natural disasters, and curtain twitchers. The new songs bring together acoustic, folk and orchestral influences with post-punk, goth and pop.
Here are some more clues to how the album will sound:
- Daniel invested in lots of synth plug-ins during the January sales, which will give us a wider range of sounds to play with. He's also been working on his string and woodwind arranging skills.
- Chris has adapted an old bass guitar into a fretless so we can achieve that 80s Kate Bush/Peter Gabriel atmosphere, and he's keen to add the ghostly sound of his melodica to some tracks.
- Liam's piano and synth playing shifts from melodic to noisy, depending on the needs of the song. He's encouraging the band to explore key and time signature changes.
- Louis provides melodic lead lines and classical acoustic skills, and has recently rediscovered a love for the glockenspiel - or "Tuney P" as he calls it.
- Maddie has been experimenting with running her viola through effects pedals and finding new ways to use her instrument. Her ethereal vocals showcase her love of artists like The Cocteau Twins.
- Rob plays alto, tenor and baritone saxophone and has been adding counter melodies, harmonies and texture to the songs.
- Georgia contributes rhythm guitar parts that add a depth to the tracks, creeping up on you with riffs that will lodge themselves in your memory.
- Harrison approaches the songs with versatility - arranging drum parts that compliment the feel of the tracks perfectly, showcasing his dynamic playing.
We’ll also have guest musicians from the North East music scene lending their talents to the project.
Thanks for reading! We hope you support our project and spread the word to your friends and contacts. Message us on social media if you have questions.
This project successfully funded on 15th September 2023