Canary, in Motion

Canary built this project during a long stay in Pai, Thailand. That’s also where she met Gabriel, who came in as her drummer and stayed on as the person behind recording, mix and master on most of what came after. He’s worked with UMMONTE on a few projects since, on and off.

The Thailand chapter alone reads like a small tour. Nine songs, four locations. A jazz house session with “Use Me,” “The Architect” and “On My Mind.” A record store called Vynil, where “Gwen Stacey” and “Rules of Engagement” got their live take. A studio in Pai for “The Catalyst” and “Shattered Palace.” And Canary’s own house, also in Pai, for “Miles Davis” and “Excalibur,” which is the kind of location that only works when a live session stops being a shoot and starts being a room someone actually lives in. That house session is also where Natalia Mischenko (@nataliamischenkon), a bassist from Russia, and guitarist Ronald Barillas Mendez (@ronald_barillas_guitar) joined the band.

That’s the part easy to miss from the outside. A live session isn’t just a song filmed well. It’s a location, a mood, an artist deciding how much of her actual life to let into the frame.

Bali came later, and it’s a different kind of project. Instead of new songs, Canary went back to “The Architect” and “The Catalyst,” two tracks already released, and rebuilt them with a new arrangement and a new band on the ground: Febriyan Rasubala on bass, Adien Fazmail on flamenco guitar, Faustin Gah rounding out the group. Same songs, different room, different musicians reading them their own way.

UMMONTE’s part in Bali was the part that doesn’t show up in the final video. Creative direction from a distance, the full edit, the color, and everything that follows a release once the video is done: EPK, brand guide, feed planning, the promo material that actually gets a session in front of people.

A live session is one deliverable. A release needs a dozen more that nobody sees on stage.

There’s also a making of from the Thailand sessions, and an interview with Canary about the house session in Pai specifically, the process behind those songs and that room.

Same songs, different room, different musicians reading them their own way.

The full catalog, from Thailand to Bali, is up on YouTube.