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Dan Stacey wanted to make sure that the first clip he conceptualized, edited and produced paid homage to the region in which he grew up.

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So the local musician teamed up with York Lane Art Collective, a Stratford-based company run by Kris Von Kleist and Claire Scott, and filmed scenes last fall across Stratford and Perth County for I Want My Life Back. , the first single from his next full album. album in length.

Much of the footage in the video is familiar – Wellington Street, which Stacey and her team used at 6 a.m., century-old maple trees in Upper Queen’s Park, an alley on Ontario Street, the Park Towers apartments as seen from a window facing the River Avon and a farmer’s field just north of Stratford where Stacey was driven after talking to a former classmate at Downie Central Elementary School.

“It’s the beauty of living here,” Stacey said. “The city of Stratford does not prevent artists from carrying out such projects.

There are other local connections in the video.

Stratford Festival actor and dancer Jason Sermoni choreographed stages while Festival actors Bonnie Jordan and Jordan Mah were also involved.

“Everything has come together nicely when it comes to a community effort to make this happen,” Stacey said.

The song, which Stacey started recording in 2003, chronicles the moment he realized he was not leading the life he had planned.

“I was a distorted version of myself and wanted to change that,” he added. “It was a call to arms to combat the state of mind that allowed my downward spiral – a slap in the face to wake me up. As I reread the lyrics, I was convinced that it was time to go back to being who I was as a kid – confident, focused and unapologetic.

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The song was chosen as the first single in part because the title could easily translate to how people are feeling after 18 months of the pandemic.

In the video, Stacey sometimes sings behind glass, which was an idea he had before COVID-19 protocols made it a reality.

“It worked wonderfully in terms of imagery and how it relates to covid times with musicians having to play behind glass,” he said. “Things started to fall into place that I already had in motion.”

Parts of the song have been recorded in various locations over the years, and Stacey finished it in his Stratford home studio, where he used a whammy pedal to “rock” his signature violin sound to suit the short story. grunge vibe he was looking for.

“I was very happy with the way it turned out,” he said. “I had been looking for years and years for a way to make a violin look more like an electric guitar or a hybrid of electric guitar and violin without too much clash or contrast between rock and folk. “

I Want My Life Back will be available on September 10 on all major streaming services, as well as Bandcamp and danstacey.ca. The video can be streamed on Stacey’s YouTube channel.

Stacey’s album, Kid_Who, will be released on October 24.

To watch the video, click here.

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