My Countrytown: Blake O’Connor – Port Macquarie, NSW

Regional towns are in our blood here at CountryTown! From Ballarat to Toowomba, Bendigo to Tamworth, we love the pubs, the people and the places that make Australia tick. But most of all, we love the amazing country musicians our regional centres produce, like Blake O’Connor.

Since taking out the title of Toyota Star Maker in 2019, Blake has gone from strength to strength. His debut album, Everything I Feel followed. It reached #1 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums chart and garnered a Golden Guitar Award for ‘New Talent of the Year’.  

Other accomplishments include performing at CMA Fest (US) and Buckle & Boots Festival (UK), and opening for artists including Diesel, The McClymonts, Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont, Russell Morris, Adam Brand, Homefree (US) and many more.

His latest album, Finding Light, features the singles Kickin’ A Rock, Soul Feeling and Willin’ and Ready. He split the recording into two distinct sessions. The first half was recorded with Nick DiDia and Adam Eckersley in DiDia’s studio that he co-owns with Bernard Fanning from Powderfinger, and the second, on the NSW Mid Coast with Michael Lynch and Sinead Burgess at the helm.

To get to know Blake O’Connor a little better, we’ve asked what he loves about Port Macquarie, NSW.

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1. The Support!

The ongoing support my town has for what I’m doing musically is incredible! From entering the local town talent quests when I was 10 years old, to playing sold out shows, to searching for extras in my music videos, the Hastings area has it covered! No matter what, I can always count on my hometown show to be the biggest and best on the tour!

2. The Location

Being a professional musician has allowed me to travel a lot, from the rolling fields in the UK, to the deep southern towns in the USA, to the stunning jungles of Thailand and the bulk of Australia. Every time I arrive home to Port Macquarie, it’s still the most breath-taking place of all! It doesn’t get much better then eating fish and chips on the headland overlooking the beaches!

3. Music Videos

We have found loads of locations for music videos that you’d never think were in the area. From the church in Time To Kill, that you could’ve sworn was right out of the Mississippi, was actually filmed at an old butter factory. The cabin in the Little Bit Longer looked straight out of a Californian Desert was actually on a farm in Byabarra, and the 70’s laundry we used in Soul Feeling was in the main street of Port Macquarie.

4. Studio

We recorded half of the album at a Shoehorse Sound Studios in Beechwood (20mins from home in Port Macquarie). It’s an incredible studio, so convenient and owned by a great bloke Michael Lynch! It looks like a standalone tin shed in the middle of a paddock from the outside but that certainly is not the case on the inside!

5. It’s HOME

I have lived in this incredible town since I was 7 years old. It’s where I went to school and it’s where I played music to my first crowd! It is home to my family and friends and whether I’m in the big city or on the other side of the globe, Port Macquarie will always be home to me!

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Keep up to date with everything Blake O’Connor and follow him on Facebook here.
Blake will tour Finding Light in 2023 – see dates here.