In conversation with Eleanor McEvoy

John caught up with the wonderful and ever busy Eleanor McEvoy last week. Eleanor heads off to perform a list of shows in The USA The shows are listed below...

Tuesday, September 10 Williamstown Barn ConcertWilliamstown, MA

Thursday, September 12 Irish Arts Center553 West 51 StreetNew York, NY

Sunday, September 15 The Burren247 Elm StreetSomerville, MA

But before then you can catch her in The Olympia Dublin with her "Womans Heart" legion of female singer songwriters. Wed 28th to the 31st of August. For all tour dates however, you can check out her webpage: http://www.eleanormcevoy.com/tour/ 

1. When and why did you start playing?
I started playing piano at the age of 3....... because it was there I guess. Playing is as natural as breathing to me, it's unthinkable that I wouldn't play.

2. Which instruments do you play?
On stage mainly Fender Telecaster electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and violin. (sometimes I also bring a bass, mandolin or ukelele). I'm also the worlds worst alto saxaphone player!

3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
"Mama, We're All Crazee Now" by Slade. In Irish. For Slogadh. (Yes, really.)

4. Which other famous musicians do you admire? Why?
I love Bruce Springsteen because he has kept it about the music. It's not about pyrotechnics, costume changes or any other gimmicks, he just comes out on stage in jeans and a t shirt, straps on his guitar counts in his stunning band and off he goes.

5. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
Christy Moore, who after Planxty and Moving Hearts emerged as this utterly inspiring solo act, also Paul Brady, for his powerful and varied songwriting. Both have given me wonderful advice over the years.

6. Describe your first instrument.
A fairly old upright piano that sat in our living room. The 'B' above middle C was a bit wonky. It's mildly affected my perception of that note my whole life.

7. What are your fondest musical memories?
I used to love playing and singing with my brother Kieran and my sister Marion. A few years ago when my mother was very ill in hospital, we used to go in and play there and it was great to be playing and singing again with them. It brought back so many memories.

8. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which
Ones?
Yes, my sister was into Simon and Garfunkle, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and my brother was into Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, my Dad was into Mahler, so I had a curious mix of influences. My grandmother's gramophone was in my bedroom and there was an interesting collection of records to accompany it. Sometimes I'd wind it up and blast out "Isle of Capri" on an old 78.

9. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD's?
As regards Irish musicians, I think that the late Rory Gallagher was really something special. I'm also a big fan of Irish singer songwriter 'Mundy' but in general, I am constantly blown away by the talent I see in this country.

10. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
When I perform, I try to capture some magic in the room, auditorium or club. It depends on a lot of things, the sound quality, my own state of mind, most of all the energy and personality of the audience. Mistakes really don't come into it.

11. What advice would you give to up and coming artists?
I'd tell them to try and keep it about the music.

12. How often and for how long do you practice?
It really depends. On the road I try and do an hour or so after the soundcheck. In an ideal world I would do a couple of hours a day.

13. You have a quite hectic career schedule. How do you
balance your music with other obligations - mate, children alone time?
It's all a bit of a juggling act  to be honest and in truth, sometimes I drop one of the balls. I just try and make sure that the ball I drop is never the child......

14. You have over 10 albums now recorded, will you continue
making new albums or will you take a break. Its 21 years now with A Womans
Heart. And the shows are still selling as strong as ever. Where do you see
yourself in 5 years?
Take a break? I'm consumed with ideas! Why would I take a break? I'd like to still be touring, collaborating with interesting singers and musicians. I'd also like to write for film and theatre. I also love the medium of radio, so would like to explore that avenue at some point.

Thank you for your time Eleanor.
John
Pleasure!

Frances Black keeps getting stronger

It's been 7 years since she put out a studio album but this ten-track collection of well-chosen covers, including several classics, positively places Frances Black nicely back into the spotlight; where she belongs. 

One of the Nations most beloved songstress, Frances took the albums title from the Faith Hill declaration of womanly independence ‘I Would Be Stronger Than That’. Produced by long-time Ray Davies sideman Bill Shanley. Who does a great job in unison with Frances on re-deilvering well known song on another spectrum.

The LP includes a version of Sheryl Crow’s ‘Strong Enough’, which is currently gracing the airwaves.  From get go the record introduces Elton John's composition ‘Love Song’ from Tumbleweed Connection, followed by a lavish version of Carol King’s Tapestry classic ‘It’s Too Late’. From the same era comes James Taylor’s poignant ‘Long Ago And Far Away’ is sublimely captured by Black.

Our Favourite track is 'Rise', a little gem that showcases Frances' ability to take the thread of a fine song and weave it into something uniquely her own. Just superb. The album is aptly  titled as its stronger she is getting, proving she has yet, still so much to offer.

8/10

In conversation with James Cramer of Tupelo

Tupelo are an exciting, original, acoustic roots act consisting of an eclectic line-up of instruments which includes banjo, guitar, fiddle, double bass, mandolin, harmonica and dobro. 

They have just announced a 4-track EP teaser "Ballerinas Call" taken from their upcoming studio album PUSH ON which was produced by Joe Chester and mixed by Greg Calbi  (Beth Orton, The National, Fallout Boy, Bruce Springsteen) and gets its official release in early 2014. But for now the EP ‘Ballerinas Call’ showcases the variety and musicianship from one of Ireland rising bands and it out Sept 6^th on iTunes. We caught up with front man James Cramer to see what he has been up to and what his influences are.

James is the second on the left with the banjo. 1. When and why did you start playing? I heard Van Morrison singing when I was 9-10 and it dragged me in . 2. Which instruments do you play? I play guitar , banjo , harmonica and bozouki. 3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?  I learned 'In to the mystic' on the guitar. 4. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?  I admire Andy Irvine for his commitment to the song , Van Morrison for his soul and singlemindness and Bruce Springsteen for all those songs and showing people how to put on a SHOW. 5. Which famous musicians have you learned from? We played some gigs with Imelda May a few years back and we were having a pint after the gig and she said 'Just keep going , it'll happen' . There is no better thing in life when perservence and belief collide. 6. Describe your first instrument.  My first instrument was a piano my Nana bought me when I was about 3-4. She came from the tenements in town in Summerhill and then they moved to Cabra . She told me she never had the money to buy her children an instrument or send them to lessons so she saved up and bought me one. I wrote my first songs on that piano and I suppose that's where it all began. 7. What are your fondest musical memories? I started a band when I was 14. I booked us our 1st gig in Frazer's in O Connell St in Dublin. We had 2 songs together , so by booking the gig it put the pressure on . We rehearsed every day all day that summer and we had 20 songs ready for the big gig! We soundchecked and everything was great , we went off for a bag of chips and came back to go and do the gig , the bouncer wouldn't let us in to our own show. We were all 14,15,16. The promoter had to sneak us in up the back stairs. 8. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones? Yes , all I listened to was old music when I started out and still do mainly. Country , Gospel , Blues and proper R n B . When I got into Van I was reading up on what he used to listen to. So what you do is you go back , you must go back, and its a treasure trove for a kid who has not been exposed to this ever. I used to listen to on repeat Leadbelly 'Midnight Special' album, Hank Williams'Cold Cold Heart ' album, and John Lee Hookers ' Collection' over and over. 9. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD's?  I love Pete Seeger , Bruce , Dylan , Van, Liam Clancy , Luke Kelly , Tommy Makem, Richard Thompson, it goes on , how long is this interview! The Stones and Them are my band's. Current ones are The Avett Bros , Bon Iver, Band of Horses, Old Crow Medicine Show. 10. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?  Mistakes happen , but that's where rehearsal and an understanding as a band comes in . Sometimes a mistake brings something great because it opens up a space and some thing needs to fill it , and that then creates spontaneity which is the 'Magic'. 11. How often and for how long do you practice?  At least 2 hours a day sometimes 4-5 . 12. The new EP has a very different sound to it from the  older material, how did this transition occur or did you make the decision as a band to try a new sound? It wasn't a conscious thing its just the songs I was writing at that particular time were different to the first album , like the songs I'm writing now they are totally different to the new album coming. There is no point making the same album again, you have to keep it moving for the band , your audience and your sanity. Thanks, James

Senakah; Human Relations doesn't disappoint

Rob Hopes surging vocals all across this soundscope is vastly impressive. Matched in places by Yvonne Conatys lush harmonies and dual lead lines, Human Relations lives up to all expectations that their debut album 'Sweeter than bourbon' left on the listeners palate. 

The albums stand out tracks for me are Training Wheels and Ugly, but it flows so well you can make up your own mind about that one.

The video for Ugly has already attracted over 280,000 hits on YouTube and is well worth checking out. The less exaggerated hype around this band, unlike Daft Punk ( in your face best thing since sliced bread), is realised in this stunning second attempt. 

Ian O Doherty; EP review

Ian O'Doherty is a modest Kerryman who is releasing his first ever musical piece. In the form of an EP titled Never In Colour. The ep is a surprising delicate introduction to the kind of singer songwriter that channels the likes of Damien Rice and Tom Baxter in one sweeping blow. 

The opener 'The Temptation of Eve' stuck with me after I heard it driving home late one night from a gig in Dublin that I had to review. Rte Radio 1 I think was where I heard it. Resting comfortably on the airwaves, it is a song that has a rather sexualised lyrical sub context, yet is sang with such passion that it eludes any notion of vulgarity that exists in popular music today. Its not like Rhiannons sub context or Nicki Minaj thats for sure! There is a class here that is eloquent and graceful, poetic even :

"In the cool of the morning, I can feel your skin, slide as silk, guilty as sin, over my body. Oh you came without warning, I let you in, blinded by near skin, I was burdened again, and I let you go to work on me..."

Insofar as debut releases go, this EP should be a decent stepping stone to engage people and gather attention in order to gain a momentum simply on the title track as tracks 2 and 3 fall flat slightly. Last song Somebodys Hands On My Skin embodies a Fleet Foxes energy that saves the EP for me and redeems O'Doherty impressively. 

I feel this is only the beginning for this Singer Songwriter. Armed with a watered-down coffeehouse troubadour voice that will sit well as background music, O'Doherty may have to raise the bar ever so slightly to find his own identity for his Long Player as he wears his influences prominently on his sleeve. But if the ep is anything to go by, he is honing in on a craft of confessional story telling that will appeal to a certain niche. The con is with a voice that lush, a more mainstream stance would not go astray to veer away from being ostensible. 

Listen to the entire ep here.

JOHN SHEAHAN: A DUBLINER : MONDAY APRIL 15th RTE ONE 9.35PM

JOHN SHEAHAN: A DUBLINER  : MONDAY APRIL 15^th RTE ONE 9.35PM

The documentary film John Sheahan: A Dubliner is a revealing and beautifully made portrait of a man who was an integral part of the national institution that is The Dubliners. As Barney McKenna once said, John is the ‘memory chip’, the part of the band who never forgets, ‘the mortar between the bricks’ that kept the band together.

John Sheahan was perhaps the most unlikely member ofThe Dubliners. His quiet nature and classical music training set him apart from his fellow group members. Now at the age of 73 he has reached a major turning point in his life. All of his friends that he once shared the band with in the early days, Luke, Ronnie, Ciarán and Barney are now sadly dead and he has finally decided to close the book on the life of The Dubliners after fifty years of recording and touring.

Sheahan is a deep thinker, a quality musician, composer and a poet with a passion for words.  At the age of 25 he was set up for life with a pensionable job as an ESB draftsman. He worked by day and played music by night. In 1964, to the dismay of his father who was a member of An Garda Síochána, he packed in the day job to go full time with The Dubliners.

Now fifty years later it’s a new dawn for John.  He has all of the memories neatly packed away into different compartments and is ready to tell his side of The Dubliners story. John Sheahan is an eyewitness to a colourful chapter in Irish history that has formed a large part of our national identity. He has taken a road less travelled and thankfully has survived to tell the tale.

Produced by the award winning Scratch Films and directed by five time IFTA winning director Maurice Sweeney, John Sheahan: A Dubliner is a treasure trove of rare Dublinersarchive some of which has never been broadcast in Ireland before and contemporary performances with Damien Dempsey, Declan O’Rourke, Charlie McGettigan, Máire Breatnach, Seán Keane and Neil Martin.

Wayne Brennan releases new single + video - Roots in These Lands

Irish Singer/Songwriter Wayne Brennan has been super busy the past few months from winning first prize in the Sean McCarthy ballad contest in Co. Kerry in August to winning this year’s RTE/RAAP awards in the Traditional Irish/Folk category. 
www.waynebrennan.com // https://twitter.com/waynebrennan

The competition saw hundreds of applications coming in from all over the country which were judged by a panel which included Mary Black, Fiachna Ó Braonáin Hothouse Flowers, Ciarán Tourish of Altan, Gerry O’Connor, Eamonn Lenihan, and Niall Carroll. The shortlist was announced during the week and the final competition was held in the RTE Studios and broadcast live on the John Creedon show on RTE Radio 1 Thursday 20th September.

Check it out below! It showcases this artists wonderful fingerstyle plucking and winsome vocal delivery on a track that should be hand selected to be used in connection with Irish Tourism! (thats why I think anyway!) Brennan is a stunning representation of the talented folk singers from this fair Isle!

Here is the official video:

Brennan released his critically acclaimed debut album ‘In My Hands’ in May 2009 and spent 18 months opening for acts such as Jack L, Mick Flannery, John Spillane and The Gypsy Kings. He then successfully headlined his own Irish nationwide tour in 2011. His TOP 20 Debut Irish chart Single “And I Love” received over ½ million hits on YouTube to date.

Wayne took over a year out to write his forthcoming 2nd album titled ‘Live, Love, Sing and Dance’. He has travelled and written this album in Bali (Indonesia), Italy, Fuerteventura (Spain) and Ireland. This highly anticipated follow up album is due for release in early 2013. Prior to this the official release date has been set for the Song that has seen Wayne receive the well-deserved accolades his fine musical craft demands.

GiftedLive streaming here now!!

Gifted Live are giving people the chance to watch a fabulous gig tonight from the comfort of their home and given that horrid weather outside isn't it a grand idea! Check out the Live Music Show below! Starts its live stream from 9pm GMT!

Line up is as follows:

2100 Show Goes LIVE!!!!
2101 CATHY DAVEY, NEIL HANNON + Guests
2120 ROISIN O (Acoustic Stage)

2135 The Walls (Pre-Record VT)
2140 MORE THAN CONQUERORS
(Main Stage)
2200 SABRINA DINAN (Acoustic Stage)
2209 Stephen James (Pre-Record VT)
2215 THIS CLUB (Main Stage)
2242 A Song For Lily Mae (Pre-Recorded VT)
2248 SHANNON & the SHORTCUTS (Acoustic Stage)
2258 Hermitage Green (Pre-Record VT)
2305 RYAN SHERIDAN (Main Stage)
2350 Closing Show!!!

The Lost Brothers are far from lost

The Lost Brothers.. where does one start to even explain the utter joy this album "The Passing of the Night" brings. From opening track 'Not Now Warden', their harmonies instantly impress and captivate you. To the second bar stool toe tapping Saloon style 'Bird In A Cage'. 

The album, from the very start to finish, is pieced together with a tenderness and understanding that is missing quite a lot these days. 

It is also worth noting how utterly cool the album cover is, especially on the back where the track listing is printed. (See left) I love how they play on the Title 'The Passing of the Night' and include phases of the moon throughout the night. Then again it is their effortlessly clever attention to detail that makes this album) from the cover right through to the music) such a triumph of all sorts. 

Although Irish (Oisín Leech and Mark McCausland), the duo formed in Liverpool in 2007. Since that union, The Lost Brothers have brewed up a steady catalogue of well-crafted, melodic songs that hark back to a time when life was simpler. 

They both grew up surrounded by music and continue to take their life-long knowledge of crafty songwriting, infused with their native Irish roots, into whatever music they happen be absorbing at the time. 

There are songs of desperation and hope on the new album, which was produced by one half of Jack Whites 'Raconteurs'; Brendan Benson. So expect a truly polished sound throughout, with pristine production and attention to detail, from each mandolin note to every strum of guitar. It makes for a rather sublime listen. 

The Passing Of The Night is a storybook of songs to nestle nicely into ones collection, and my oh my is the journey an enjoyable one. If you have The Everly bros, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and other luminaries from that era of music, you will find yourself indulging profoundly on this collection of songs.

Stand out tracks:

Not Now The Warden, Bird In A Cage, Tumbling Line.

8/10

Radio Active Grandma

The Radioactive Grandma (Johno Leader, Peter Donohue & Ben McCarthy) are an original alternative indie acoustic rock band from Co.Cavan, Ireland- originally hailing from Peterborough, (Cambridgeshire) UK, and Dublin Ireland. 


They have their own style of original energetic acoustic driven alternative pop/rock music using nothing more than 2 guitars and a box.


From opener "The Game" to choppy closer "The Walls Have Ears"; The Radioactive Grandma deliver songs using sparse instrumentation but with heaps of passion and ability. With brilliant stand out tracks like 'The Game' (has echoes of Bon Iver and The Travelling band, which by all means is a fine testament to this Irish outfit) to 'The Walls Have Ears' - the vocal harmonies quickly become the major hooks. 

Midway through and coming to the end, the album  keeps a steady solid flow with each track becoming an extension of the one before.

What The Radioactive Grandma sound like is the result of a chance meeting between Editors & The Frank & Walters, who hang out and decide to have one big acoustic jamming session. So for what it is: It's a stellar acoustic effort with very basic minimal instrumentation and production, that after a few listens begs for the repeat button on its stand out tracks. I do feel though, that it could've been a stellar-great-magnificent-who-the-hell-are-this-band!?- album, if it wasn't for the sparse production and overzealous repetition due to the 'two guitars and box' situation. (And if they left out that snappy cajun from some of the tracks- the album might have flowed better for me. It just got too much half way through). 

From track 2 to 5, Instrumentally speaking, the band rely too much on quick pro quo starts to the songs with snap shot muted guitar strum or bass note intros for most of the songs. In each case; the chord progression is implied with a non varied simplified structure comprising a combination of quickly strummed chords, single notes and palm muting. A bit of a change would have benefited and prevented the listener from drifting off. Percussion wise, I would have liked to hear some standard drumming in place, as opposed to the cajun throughout the whole record, which again gets very repetitive. (Literally most of the songs have the exact same intro; which gets immediately samey). For instance; I am a fan of Ryan Sheridan but what I don't like about his work is that is starts to get that 'Samey' feel to it. There is a slight case of it here. Having said that; it does work tremendously well with certain aspects of the record, such as the song highlighted at the beginning. 

Overall the album is a fine testament to what a couple of lads can do on what appears to have been a shoe string budget record, that might have been great had a high end production been within reach. So for what it is; it's got 2 or 3 stand out tracks that would appeal to the repeat button. I'd recommend you take a listen.

Download 'Another Wasted Line' for free here.

Check out the album here. Or listen below.