‘365: Stories + Music’ the acclaimed epic cross artform collaboration of by Aidan O’Rourke (Lau), Kit Downes (Mercury Prize nominated ECM recording artist) and Scottish author James Robertson to tour UK including special Glasgow Celtic Connections concert
New tour dates performances in; Castle Douglas, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and London
O’Rourke’s music and Robertson’s stories as created for the 365 project are encased within a specially created immersive installation designed by Yann Seznec to continue to tour Scotland throughout 2020
Public can subscribe now to receive a new tune and story for free by email every day of 2020 in innovative piece of public art
Lau fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, harmonium player and pianist Kit Downes and acclaimed author, James Robertson have announced the next chapter in the 365: Stories + Music story, confirming new live UK tour dates for 2020 including gigs in Castle Douglas, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and London.
Reveal Records will issue a physical and digital release (30 CD box set) on 14th August 2020 featuring all of Aidan O’Rourke’s 365 recordings. This limited edition (of 365 copies only) box will be available exclusively from the label’s website and artists concerts, whilst a digital edition will be split into 30 volumes for streaming from music platforms such as Spotify, Google and Apple Music. More details of the boxset will follow along with pre order in April, to coincide with the concert tour as outlined below.
The Story So Far
In 2013, James Robertson – one of Scotland’s leading authors – set himself the challenge of writing a short story every day for a year. Each story was to be 365 words, no more, no less. It became an enchanting, roaming collection of fairytales and memories and provocations published in 2014 by Penguin as 365:Stories. That was only the beginning.
In 2016 Scottish fiddler and composer Aidan O’Rourke (of Lau) wrote a tune every day in response. The result is a major new body of 365 tunes – a significant addition to the Scottish traditional music canon. O’Rourke’s fiddle tunes are sparse and emotive; his playing is renowned for its lyricism, here paired with kaleidascopic harmonies from Mercury-nominated Kit Downes on harmonium and piano, guitarist Sorren Maclean and harpist Esther Swift.
INSTALLATION
Robertson’s stories and O’Rourke’s music now form a touring installation designed by inventor Yann Seznec in collaboration with design team Old School Fabrications. The installation is a piece of art in itself, beautifully crafted from wood and brass with no digital screens in sight encasing the spoken-word recordings of all 365 stories: Robertson reads many himself, and other storytellers provide rich and varied accents from artists, actors and young people around Scotland including; Gerda Stevenson, Cathy Macdonald, Matthew Zajac and Kate Molleson.
The free to enjoy installation, which allows up to six people at a time to browse through all 365 stories and listen through headphones, was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Book Festival supported by Creative Scotland and PRSF, and launched in August 2019 and continues its tour of Scotland including; Celtic Connections, Paisley Book Festival and The Tobermory Book Festival on the Isle of Mull.
SUBSCRIBE TO 365
Readers can now also receive a daily story and tune to be delivered to their email inbox. With no need to buy a CD or book, the 365 Stories and Music will arrive every day free of charge – a daily miniature piece of public art. A son might sign his mum up to receive a tune and short story every day via email. A tourist might fall in love with Scottish fiddle playing. Couples will nod in recognition to one of James’s wise tales; children will get the creeps from his ghost stories; budding composers might feel inspired to create their own 365-day challenge.
Sign up to 365 Stories and Music here: https://three-six-five.net/Subscribe
365: Music + Stories created in partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival, with support from Creative Scotland, PRS for Music Foundation’s The Open Fund, the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Literature department, BBC Scotland, The Hope Scott Trust, The Centre for Voice in Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Poetry Library, Reveal Records, An Tobar Arts Centre and Penguin Books.
