Lithgow local Isaac Trounce is calling another part of the world home these days, but his roots in the Lithgow Musical and cultural scene have been keeping him busy during his travels.
Leaving Australia to travel and find his path in life, Isaac now calls Poland home and is following his musical passion with the release of his new single in the coming weeks.
When we asked Isaac if he planned to return to Australia in the future, he confirmed that his life is now in Poland, but we are confident he will return at some point, and hopefully have a chance to share his music with the community he grew up in.
Below is a letter from Isaac to the community, we felt this was the best way to present his story, in his own words. It’s a romantic tale of travelling to find ones true path, and in this day of lockdowns and frustrations, his journey into the unknown is inspiring.
An open letter to home…
I’ve always been a musically orientated person. Growing up in Lithgow, I joined whatever music projects were available at Lithgow High School and played roles in the Lithgow Musical Society’s productions for many years. A few months after I graduated high school, however, I was left with a dilemma as many young people are often left with after their secondary education. I was left with the feeling that I was at the most critical crossroads I would ever come to. This was the time I had to decide what to do for the rest of my life. The only problem was, 18-year old me had no clue which road to choose. I fueled my doubt and uncertainty into my music and out of that came a song Waiting. In my naivety I believed that I had written a song about that single point in my life at those very crossroads. That once I knew my path all of the doubt and fear would wash away and I could continue on the right path, crossroad free. When the time came for me to make my decision and choose a course and uni to study at, I did what I thought any sane person would… I procrastinated.
My form of procrastination, however, might be seen as somewhat unusual. As a way of trying to find my true ‘path’ I decided to leave the country and without the pressure of society, find out who I am and where I should be going. Once I had that figured out I reasoned that I could return to ‘reality’ and choose my path, career, degree and onwards and upwards…
For two years I volunteered in hostels, worked in cafes, bars, inns, housing projects, farms and language schools in England, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Morocco and Greece. I returned to Australia with a new perspective. I decided that those crossroads I was at two years before not only were still there but they had all of a sudden gotten a lot more complex. There were paths that I didn’t know existed, going off in every direction and I’d not gained a wealth of experience to find clarity, just more options. I think there are many times in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads and instead of thinking about the journey itself we instead focus on where the path may take us. My song has become a realization of this fact and the understanding that we are always constantly thinking about the ‘next’ thing. I spent so much time concerned about the future and waiting for the next step, I often forgot to appreciate the journey itself and live in the moment.
After my two year adventure, when I returned to Australia, I came to realize that I wanted to make music and I wanted to see the world. Everything else, despite what some people told me, was suddenly not as important to me as living in the moment and trying to live the life I wanted to live.
So after a short time visiting family and friends in my hometown of Lithgow I decided to return to the wanderer lifestyle in Europe. For 6 months I busked my way around Poland, Germany, Netherlands and France and when winter came I took my music off the streets and into the warm pubs of Scotland in cities such as Dundee, Perth and in bars on the Isle of Skye. In January I flew to Morocco to escape the rainy Scottish weather and there I made friends in a small surfing village, Taghazout and played music for guests at the hostel where I volunteered as well as at a local restaurant by the sea. Unfortunately, with the start of COVID, I not only lost my opportunity to play street music and restaurant gigs but also had no way to leave the country and like many travelers at the time, spent several months in lockdown waiting for airports and borders to reopen. After many months I was finally able to get a flight to Europe and in the interest of my love life, I decided to move to Poland to be closer with my girlfriend. Due to the shifting restrictions and VISA complications I decided to apply for a VISA in Poland and after some time settling into my new life I met several fantastic musicians and started a band that is now known as The Embers. In the past month while the band has been taking a short break I have been hard at work in the studio at GMik Studio, Lublin, Poland recording my very first solo release. Artur Kopciowski (Manager/producer and also guitarist from The Embers) has worked closely with me on the mix as well as on a music video that will be out accompanying the songs release.
The journey that led me up to this point taught me a lot about passion, life’s’ journey and expectations. This song is another sort of crossroads for me, a moment in time that I’ve been waiting for. I don’t know where this new path might take me but I’m grateful to all the people that helped me get here and that encouraged me to keep going in this general direction. The song is going to be available on streaming services and down the road a physical copy will be available. If you are interested in hearing my single when it is released you will be able to find it on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and most streaming services. If you would like to hear more about my endeavors you can stay updated by following me on the social media listed below.
Thank you to all those supporting my music and I look forward to seeing you in the near future
Isaac
Facebook: isaactrouncemusic
Instagram: trounceisaac
YouTube: Isaac Trounce
