The Weatherman is out now!
Image: Supplied
Indie-pop singer-songwriter Hein Cooper has teamed up with Ulladulla / Yuin elder Uncle Noel Butler on The Weatherman. To celebrate the release, Cooper taking us behind-the-scenes whilst recording the track!
“Who is the weatherman? This is the deep question behind the song…Is it the one who’s paid big bucks by large companies to read off a script? Or is it he who feels into nature, into the forest, the wind and the water, the animals and plants? I believe nature has all of the answers to our current issues, and this song is a mantra to tap into those secrets, especially through the indigenous knowledge carried by elders still willing to share” Cooper shares of the track.
Butler adds, “(The song’s introduction) is asking for help, for the creator to send a wind spirit, to bring the different winds from the different directions. The North-East; can you bring the wind? From the North; bring the wind. From the West: only bring a little bit as it can be nasty - the fighting man’s wind. This song is about understanding what’s been given to you, understanding what’s called nature - it’s all there, the answers are all around us, even the weather.”
To celebrate the release, Cooper and Butler will host a single launch show at Barn On The Ridge in Morton, NSW on December 23rd. Joined by special guests Ben Morgan and Jack Willis, tickets are on sale now!
Noel came in to Studio 5 (my recording space on the south coast located in Ulladulla) for a day around 5 months ago to lay down the didgeridoo and sing on the track once we had a production demo in the works.
Recording the acoustic guitar/bass/vocals happened all within a couple of days. I used two microphones to capture close audio and the sound of the room to give the song a vintage feel.
This moment was after all these beautiful people (friends from the community) sang the choir part of the song. We were lucky enough to get a grant to help make this happen.
Documenting the process. This note pad was used to remember good takes to make the recording process easier.
Taking a moment between recording to walk into the forest next to studio really got me into the energy of the song. It was constantly raining which was ironic to the story I was portraying.
The Weatherman is out now!