Geoff Ong …”makes soulful pop music bursting with fun, summery, instantly relatable tunes- a perfect soundtrack for fans of summer road trips, hanging out, and eating ice cream.”…sounds about what we all need right now as winter slowly seeps its way into our daily lives. Geoff is also this month’s EBASS / RLR featured songwriter and the timing is perfect as the musician will be heading back to his origins in New Zealand come the new year. I caught up with Ong to talk about his influences, community and to beg him to pack me in his suitcase when he heads back south…
RLR: Tell us a bit about how you got to be involved in this EBASS community. Has it been a good support system for you and your music?
GO: The EBASS community is amazing! I first met Hailey at The Burren’s Tuesday open mic and we became fast friends after bonding over music and songwriting. A little while later, she started EBASS, and the rest is history! I think EBASS is a really huge asset for the singer-songwriter community in Boston. A strong sense of community and kinship is so key in a music scene. I feel like sometimes people can view it as a competition, but it’s important to realise that we are so much stronger together and that collective success is just as awesome as individual success.
RLR: In that same vein, a big part of what Red Line Roots stands for is collaboration, community and bringing folks together and fostering an environment where artists help each other. How do you feel about that preservation of unity and family sentiment in the folk music community around your own town or city?
GO: Exactly as I said before – a sense of unity, community, and family is SO important for a community of artists. When you think about what the roots of folk music are, it all comes from storytelling and sharing music with one’s community. And it’s awesome that Red Line Roots are working to continue this! The world needs more organisations like you!
RLR: If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) musically, who would it be? –
GO: This is such a difficult question! But probably D’Angelo.
RLR: What is 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and also, who is 1 ‘lesser known’/independent artist or an album that you are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about? –
GO: One record that really shaped me when I first started writing music was Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams. SO many feels in that album. I’m still really trying to capture that depth of emotion in my music! – A record I’m listening to right now which I really love is Time/Space by Charlie Lim. He’s a singer-songwriter based in Singapore, and does some of the coolest stuff I’ve heard lately! Time/Space is a double album – the first half is more traditional singer-songwriter-y stuff, and the second half is all future-funk and space-R&B and rocketship-soul. Amazing.
RLR: Aside from making music, are you able to make time for any pastimes or other activities?
GO: Yes! I really love photography and videography. I spend some nights and weekends shooting gigs, which is like double awesomeness because I get to go to a gig AND I get to take photos!
RLR: What would you want people to know about you aside from your musical endeavors?
GO: That I’m SINGLE HAHAHAHA *starts crying* No but actually I dunno! I think I would want people to know that I’m an advocate for the arts and that I’m a cool dude who is happy to offer help where it is needed. This is a hard question!
RLR: Anything else you want to plug?
GO: Yes! I’m moving back home to New Zealand in January, so I’m having a farewell show on December 2 at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge! Also playing will be Julia Mark, Maxwell Bailey, and Zilla (who if you haven’t seen before, you NEED TO SEE).