By Tanya Steele
A little piece of Christmas and a cross-continental collaboration will be screened at this year’s Knox Christmas Carols on Saturday 14 December.
Accordion player James Hampton wrote the sweet piece of music with author and lyricist Connor Bowman from Ireland.
“I met Conor on a songwriting forum during the 2020 lockdowns. Conor is an author and lyricist and was looking for someone who could write music for his lyrics,” Mr Hampton said.
Over the course of the year, the duo wrote about 50 songs together and by Christmas time, the song A piece of Christmas Tree was born.
“In December 2020, he sent me the lyrics for Piece of Christmas Tree,” Mr Hampton said.
“The lyrics struck me as meaningful, they are about two people who are apart at Christmas time and planning to reunite the following year – they seemed especially fitting because of the lockdowns.”
The song itself came about quite quickly and Mr Hampton said he wrote the whole thing in about 15 minutes.
“It doesn’t always happen that easily for me,” he said.
The artist recorded the song the following year and began looking into options for a music video.
“I really wanted to pay for an animation company to make something, but it was out of my budget,” said Mr Hampton.
He then decided to make a very basic animation himself.
“It was fun learning about animation, and I put a lot of time and effort into it.”
“It gave me a new appreciation for graphic design and animation. I’m amazed at what people can do.”
The animation is fun and colourful and features an all-star Christmas movie cast with nods to Macaulay Culkin, Will Ferrell, Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincoln in the clip.
The song will be screened at this year’s Knox carols alongside a bevvy of free entertainment with community choirs, dance academies, the Royal Australian Navy band and more will performing.
Knox Carols is a free event welcoming the community to come together to enjoy the spirit of Christmas and a magical evening of entertainment.
Knox Carols by Candlelight will take place on Saturday 14 December 2024 from 4 pm to 10 pm at Wally Tew Reserve, Ferntree Gully.
It is a drug, alcohol, smoke and vape-free event. Knox City Council asks attendees to leave pets at home. An ATM is available on-site.
There is no public parking at the event.
Where possible please consider walking, riding or taking public transport to the event.
A free shuttle bus will run between Ferntree Gully Train Station and the event on a continuous loop.
Please note that the shuttle is unable to accommodate electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Download the shuttle bus timetable.
Accessible parking is located via the Burwood Highway entry.
