Gretchen Peters @ Liberty Hall, Dublin - 7th Sept 2018

In trying to review a concert from such a special talent, what was shared across the 90 minutes will always lead to thoughts of what was left untouched. The problem for Gretchen Peters is having a body of work that includes so many favourites and so little time! I guess it all comes down to the feeling that it’s not what you leave out, but more what you leave in…

What we do get is a beautifully balanced performance with superb musicianship from the talented band that comprises Barry Walsh (accordion, keyboards), Conor McCreanor (Electric & upright bass), Colm McClean (guitars) and Gretchen herself on acoustic guitar. The understated playing is so beautifully realised, always serving the song and adding just enough interplay to allow for the spaces between the notes. Also, the harmony vocals are very strong and augment a vocal performance from Gretchen that shows her voice to be in superb shape, singing from the heart in a honeyed tone that seduces and soars in all the right places...

The set tonight leans heavily towards the latest release, Dancing With The Beast and this is fully justified. It remains one of the best albums of 2018 and the current tour is in support of this release. Eight of the eleven album tracks are featured during the show with Truck Stop Angel, The Boy From Rye, Arguing With Ghosts and Disappearing Act all coming from very different places but connecting so poignantly; from surviving in a male dominated World to the loss of innocence and youth; ageing and Alzheimer’s - all the way through to taking the decision to disappear from it all.

Gretchen speaks of living with these new songs on tour over recent weeks and says that they have become a supporting band of sisters that accompany her on the road. The new album features songs about females in all different guises and situations, whether dealing with abuse or disillusionment or  deciding to take action and control over their own circumstances.

Fragile, yet strong women, some from the margins of society – others the real backbone of middle America in grappling with the reality of trying to rear a family and try to scrape a decent living in a country that has turned mean and spiteful. 

The references to Trump’s America are veiled behind the stories of the characters in these songs and the ability to endure and maintain dignity is captured with razor like precision in the poetic words of Gretchen as she holds a mirror up to daily constraints and compromise.

Say Grace is a key track tonight and the words, ‘the bible on the table says be of good cheer, but the tv in the corner is screaming you’re not welcome here’, resonate as an echo of the malaise within American society right now. Another key line is contained in the words to Lowlands with ‘but a man who lies just for the sake of lying, he will sell you kerosene and call it hope’. 

Such a vital and honest writer and so much on the pulse of everything that is real.

She speaks of the division and suspicion that was instantly present after the General Election result and the caginess of people wondering which side others were now on… All reflected in the song, Lowlands.

The Blackbirds release from 2015 gets 2 songs included, with the title track itself and the excellent When All You Got Is A Hammer. There are a further 4 songs from the 2013 release Hello Cruel World and the audience greet Woman On The Wheel, Five Minutes, The Matador and Idlewild like lost children returned to the fold.

Earlier in the set there is a Tom Russell song, Guadalupe, which was recorded on their co-release from 2009 and which Gretchen reckons is his most beautiful song. She talks about her coming to Ireland since 1997 (or so) and the fact that her visits are forever wrapped up in memory with the song, On A Bus To Saint Cloud, which she duly performs with a flawless melancholy that would melt the heart of the hardest cynic in the room.

The encore is another cover version, this time the Rodney Crowell song Ain’t Living Long Like This. It includes an extended band workout and a duel between Barry Walsh and Colm McClean as they trade licks and runs on their weapons of choice. At one point, Barry even plays the keyboard with his right foot! 

With the audience giving a standing ovation and fully deserved lengthy applause, Gretchen returns and leaves the stage to stand in front of the crowd to sing Love That Makes A Cup Of Tea. A perfect message of comfort and fellowship upon which to end what was a fine evening of all that is good in live music these days. A masterclass from one of the true greats. 

Review by Paul McGee   Photography by Ronnie Norton

Brent Cobb @ Whelan’s, Dublin - Tue Sept 4th 2018

Tonight,Cobb returned to play Dublin and this Whelan’s gig was entirely different from his last gig which was at the Bello Bar in May last year. He had his band with him this time around, excluding the keyboard player, who was unable to make the trip. The three band members made an immense contribution to the music throughout the show. So, special mention to Mike Harris on guitar, Jay Kott on bass and Olajuwon Jackson on drums. They could be as heavy or light of touch as the song required. Something that distinguished them from other bands whose southern style rock often became heavy metal in the live setting. 

Brent Cobb was an engaging front-man who was full of chat and stories, in fairness something he said he would be from the start. At times it was difficult, for this listener anyway, to catch all of the tale with his Southern Alabama drawl. But enough was deciphered to catch the general drift and to enjoy what was being imparted. For the last few weeks the band had been playing short sets opening for Chris Stapleton and Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives. So,this show gave them the opportunity to stretch out for the first night of their European tour. The set featured songs from Cobb’s recent Elektra/Low Country Sound albums.

There were two support acts on the night with the first, Sands & Hearn, from Cleveland, playing songs from their debut album that was given a big thumbs up at Lonesome Highway. The duo offered sweet harmonies and insightful songs, including American Mind, Crazy Carl, Bus To Abilene and the title track, Time Is A Line. Given their recent arrival in Dublin and the onset of jet lag, they performed their short set with plenty of energy and spirit.

Zack Logan,a Mississippi based country singer,was next up. He was accompanied by a fiddle player and bassist from London who he had only just met. They had learnt the songs from his debut CD, Raised By Wolves, in advance and they did add to his overall delivery. Logan is not yet totally comfortable on stage or else comes across a little shy and had little in the way of easy stage patter with the audience other than allowing that the beer and shots were good. But he had a strong voice and some good songs, including Annalee, Dogs Chase Cars, I’m Coming Home and the title track, Raised By Wolves. Definitely one to watch.

The same cannot be said of Cobb who showed an engaging character and humour throughout the show. The songs were taken largely from Cobb’s recent releases,(Shine On A Rainy Day and Providence Canyon). Dave Cobb (his cousin) produced both albums. One of the songs, King Of Alabama,was dedicated to the late Wayne Mills who was murdered in tragic circumstances and the song, he related, included a writing credit for Mills' son Jack (aged ten). A gesture that seemed very much in keeping with Cobb’s natural empathy and understanding. There was also a highly energised version of Dwight Yoakam’s Guitars, Cadillacs And Hillbilly Music which worked a treat amid his own material. 

There was an obvious empathy between the players and a sense that they were enjoying themselves as much as the audience. Many of the songs were extended and gave Harris a chance to display his skill on Gibson SG, Telecaster and Stratocaster. Particularly some atmospheric slide guitar. While Jackson and Kott underpinned everything with some weighty and dexterous drums and bass. All in all, this four-piece, with Cobb on effective acoustic rhythm guitar,were firing on all cylinders. Cobb did try an electric guitar for one song but said it wasn’t really his instrument and switched back to his trusty Gibson acoustic.

Although the audience was not big in numbers they enthusiastically responded to what they heard. The band didn’t show any disappointment with the sparse attendance and gave a fully-fledged performance including a reluctant encore at the end as Cobb said he disliked false encores where the best songs are saved for such an ending. Whatever the reason it capped a great night of music that leaves one hoping for a return visit in the near future. C2C perhaps?

Review by Stephen Rapid & Paul McGee  Photography by Kaethe Burt O'Dea

Jim White & Clive Barnes @ Whelan’s Dublin - Sun 26th Aug 2018

An artist that can truly be defined as one of a kind. Jim White has a portfolio of six solo records and a number of collaborations since he first appeared on the radar back in the 1990’s. His wealth of life experience is drawn from stints as a professional surfer, comedian, fashion model, cab driver, boxer, preacher and any variety of other jobs such as dishwasher, landscaper, lifeguard, cook, road builder.

Somewhere along the line, he developed as a self-taught musician and has gone on to produce records and had his songs feature in such TV shows, such as Breaking Bad and Rectify. He also exhibits in art galleries and museums across the US and Europe and writes fiction.

As a singer-songwriter, his observational tales are drawn from real life experiences, insights on the human condition, ruminations on the propensity of mankind for self sabotage and a whole bag of other flights of fancy that find their way into his idiosyncratic view of our attempts to make sense of life on this mortal coil.

His live shows are as much spoken word as they are about the music, with the stories behind each song coloured by his wonderfully incisive wit and penchant for the bizarre in the details of each experience. His life has been lived on the edge and this is reflected in his championing of those fated to live on the margins of society. Ironically, we are left with the inescapable truth that the real bums, thieves and villains are living within the social norms of society and responsible for building up the very walls that keep the disenfranchised and fragile souls on the outside. 

His generosity of spirit is shown in the simple fact that he auctions his performance shirt each night at the shows and gives the proceeds to the ‘doctors without borders’ charity. Tonight, his fine blue shirt made €80 as a member of the audience won the stage-side auction after the gig.

The set list is taken from all his releases with five of the songs featured on the latest release from 2017, Waffles, Triangles & Jesus. The other releases get a few songs each and there are two tracks included that he has yet to record. The topics cover his daughter (Bluebird, Sweet Bird Of Mystery), death/murder (A Perfect Day To Chase Tornados, Objects In The Water, The Wound That Never Heals), gimmick songs (Playing Guitars), lives on the edge (A Felony Report Song, Handcuffed To A Fence In Mississippi), relationships (Epilogue To A Marriage), survival (Here I Am, Chase The Dark Away, Prisoner’s Dilemma) and just being alive in the present (Silver Threads, Wonders Never Cease). These are moments of treasured insight, reflection and just great fun. 

Clive Barnes supports on acoustic and electric guitars and performs to his usual high standard of interpreting the songs and embellishing them with a sensitive and restrained dynamic in his delivery. Clive also sings a song of his own, Down To The Crossroads, with Jim sitting in on harmonica, which he plays on a number of other songs to great atmospheric effect in a ‘less is more’ way.    

Jim describes himself as a Pantheist and whatever about trying to identify God in nature, Jim states that writing songs is like therapy for him and that they should reflect who you are. If a great record results from this process then that is a bonus along the way, but it should not be the reason for writing. This was a warm, wonderful evening of songs born from a unique talent and vision. Intimate setting and inspiring to witness it all.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

The Lone Bellow @ Whelan’s, Dublin - 23rd August 2018

There are special moments that linger in the memory and remain, over time, even if we can never fully do justice to their elevated place and presence in the recounting.

Experiences that warm the soul and ensure that we continue to believe in the power of music to heal the spirit and lift the collective to a place of elevated awareness. Call it spiritual or just a bloody good night of spontaneous connection; all that seems important is the sense of community in being present at an event where something special happened.

Tonight, was one of those moments. When you marry a capacity crowd with a band whose power is at a creative peak, then the sprinkling of angel dust is palpable in the room and all are touched by the experience. A Lone Bellow gig has real fervour and intensity and the utter conviction in the performance of the music gives everybody present a sense of place in the grand scheme of things. We are somehow invited to share in the knowledge that our lives are bound by the same Universal glue.

To define the music of Lone Bellow as entirely celebratory is to miss the point that there are deeper emotions behind the words that fuel the revivalist, soulful performance of Zach Williams on lead vocals and acoustic/electric guitar; Kanene Donehey Pipkin on mandolin, bass, keyboard, vocals and Brian Elmquist on acoustic/electric guitar, vocals. The added talents of Jason Pipkin (bass and keys) and Julian Dorio (drums), provide a superbly tight base from which everybody can expand the song arrangements and Kanene switches instruments with husband Jason on a few occasions.

There are hidden layers of pain and life lessons learned behind the swell of melody and vocal harmony that leave the audience in admiration of a band that commit to a level of performance that is often breath-taking in its powerful delivery. The vocal dexterity of all three members is something to behold as they feed off the electric atmosphere and deliver fully on the art involved in creating a communal experience through the medium of music. 

The band visit all three releases, concentrating more on the latest, Walk Into A Storm, from last year. The set powers along with new heights being scaled on songs like Deeper In The Water, Green Eyes And A Heart Of Gold, Feather all the way along to the wonderful encore, Then Came The Morning. 

There are so many highlights that it seems churlish to pick out one over another, but the acoustic segment probably sums up the band ethic more than anything, with renditions of Call To War, Watch Over Us and Pink Rabbits (cover of The National song), stealing the moment, especially when the trio leave the stage and mix with the audience to sing off-mike. It is a perfect example of communal sharing and trust and a key element in the warmth shared. It was a privilege to be there.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Rosanne Cash @ National Concert Hall, Dublin - 28th July 2018

Certain things just continue to improve with age and judging by the flawless performance by Rosanne Cash this evening, she certainly deserves honorary membership of that club. Looking resplendent in a bird embroidered Nudie influenced blazer (a Stella Mc Cartney creation for the fashion inquisitive among you!) , Cash and her husband John Leventhal enthralled the large attendance at the National Concert Hall tonight with a one and three-quarter hour set that hardly had a weak moment, vocal or chord (to be honest Leventhal does strike one bum note during Forty Shades of Green to both his and his wife’s amusement!). Cash and her husband are regular visitors to Ireland and she refers fondly to her last appearance, when she was invited to take part in a music spectacular at The Bord Gais Theatre in March 2016 to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising Centenary

With the acoustics at the Concert Hall more sympathetic to acoustic rather than more electric arrangements, both Cash’s stunning vocals and Leventhal’s wonderful guitar work are crystal clear throughout her well-chosen set, which in the main delves into material from her more recent albums, but also includes a few covers and a couple of songs from her early career. She is also due to release her next album in October titled She Remembers Everything and if the song she performed from the album, titled Rabbit Hole, is an indication of what to expect, it will match the lofty standard of her previous three releases. 

Her 2014 album The River and The Thread, was inspired both personally and historically by the Mississippi Delta. Arguably a career best, she opens the show with three selections from the album. First up is Modern Blue, a song of travel and love, written in both Memphis and Barcelona.The Sunken Lands,swiftly follows, written about an area in Arkansas which sank during the earthquake of 1811. She continues with material from the same album by including A Feather’s Not A Bird, inspired Cash tells us, by a visit to her friend Natalie Chanin’s fabric studio in Florence Alabama. While Chanin was threading her needle, she commented ‘You have to love the needle’, immediately giving Cash the idea for the song title.  

While travelling on tour with Johnny Cash in the early 70’s - Rosanne was immersed in rock music at the time – her father was astounded that his daughter was unaware of what he considered, classic American songs. He spent some time listing for her, what he called, 100 Essential Country Songs.  Rosanne’s 2009 album The List, featured songs from his recommendations and she performs both Long Black Veil and Sea of Heartbreak (dedicated to her young niece in the audience). Commenting that she duets with Bruce Springsteen on the album track, she joked that in the absence of Bruce her husband will have to do the honours tonight. Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow from the same album also features later in the set. Blue Moon With Heartacheis is introduced as ‘a song older than my youngest daughter,’ taken from her 1981 Seven Year Itch album. The Bobby Gentry classic Ode To Billie Joe is next, another Delta inspired classic, with Cash recalling how her husband and her visited Tallahatchie Bridge during their travels through the Delta researching for her 2014 album and the haunting feeling the location brought about. A further cover follows, at Leventhal’s insistence Rosanne jokes, with Leventhal switching to piano for an eloquent adaptation of Bob Dylan’s Farewell Angelina.

‘Do you actually think I wasn’t going to play this song’ is the introduction to Forty Shades of Green, following Cash recounting how she visited a second-hand bookshop in Dublin a few years back when she was playing a show at Vicar Street. High on a shelf was a large book titled History of Irish Music. Taking it from the shelf and dusting it down, she randomly opened a page in the book and the title of the chapter was, of course, Johnny Cash. Recalling the tale and singing the song proves particularly emotive for her and she is visibly tearful after the last chord.

Introducing WhenThe Master Calls The Roll, written by John Leventhal and her ex-husband Rodney Crowell, she explains that she begged them to allow her to record it, only to be told ‘it was written for Emmylou’. A few months passed without the song being recorded so she decided to bite the bullet and ask Crowell to rewrite the lyrics with her, which he agreed to do. It’s a beautiful love ballad inspired by Cash’s discovery that she had ancestors on both sides of the Civil War and her delivery is one of many highlights this evening. Seven Year Ache closes the show, remarkably written almost four decades ago before a standing ovation brings the pair back on stage for two encores. First up is Tennessee Flat Top Box which again showcases Leventhal’s exceptional guitar skills before she closes the show to a further standing ovation with 500 Milesfrom The List. 

It’s not an overstatement to describe Rosanne Cash as music royalty. Her song writing ability and vocals aside, she is a spokesperson for artists rights in the industry digital age, a long-time supporter of many charitable organisations, a decorated author and holds a doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music. That aside, this evenings performance is further evidence that, like a vintage wine, she continues to improve with age. A night to remember.

Review and (sneaky) photo by Declan Culliton

Birds Of Chicago@ Whelan’s - 28th July & @ Cleeres, Kilkenny - 29th July

"Most people in my country are good people, we travel every State and see kindness in them all," J.T.Nero informs us, to great applause, leading in to American Flowers,the title track of Birds of Chicago EP recorded in 2017. (I have seen American flowers all across this land, from the banks of the Shenandoah, along the Rio Grande, do not fear the winter blowing in the hearts of men, I have seen American flowers they will bloom again).

It’s the final chorus from the final song performed by Birds of Chicago and as had been the case on their last visit to Ireland barely twelve weeks ago, with the audience joining in, the words echo around the room. It follows what has been an extraordinary evening’s entertainment which kicked off two and a half hours previously with the support slot by The Remedy Club.

Regardless of their talents, performers can only do so much to create the perfect show. The additional ingredient to add that spark to a gig, is an engaging and appreciative audience and tonight certainly hit a high spot both on and off stage. A large crowd was already in attendance when The Remedy Club opened their slot with I Miss You, the opening track from their super album Legends, Lovers & Lost Causes. Long time favourites of Lonesome Highway, the husband and wife duo Aileen Mythen and KJ McEvoy’s performances over the past twelve months have gone from strength to strength and their self-assurance this evening was evident, no doubt buoyed by the positive reaction of the audience from the outset. After four songs from their forty minute set a call came from the back of the room of ‘who are you?’ Their set was going down so well that they neglected to introduce themselves from stage!  Performing as a duo, they have the ability to create a ‘band’ effect, with Mc Evoys splendid guitar playing complimented Mythen’s rhythmic percussion. However, their tour de force are their harmonies, Mythen’s ability to vary her vocal range from honey sweet to seductive blues competing with Mc Evoy’s baritone crooning.

Concentrating on material from the album they play When Tom Waits Up (the ‘legends’ in the album title inspired by Tom Waits we’re told), a rocking Big Ol’ Fancy, the more mellow Last Song. They encore with a killer delivery of the bluesy Image On My Retina (a song recorded in their previous life as B & the Honeyboy), highlighting this accomplished duo’s ability to rock out with belting vocals and a ripping guitar solo. I can hardly  recall the last occasion I witnessed a support act get as rapturous a reception at Whelan’s, further evidence that all the Remedy Club require is exposure, to swiftly move on to a much higher level in the music industry. Equally impressive is the sight of Birds of Chicago’s Allison Russell dancing in the corner to their set, accompanied by her husband J.T.Nero, a lovely touch. 

Unlike their performances at Kilkenny Roots in May, where they included bass and drums in their line up, this time around Allison Russell and J.T.Nero are joined on stage by Steve Dawson, one of the most accomplished and sought after guitar players presently residing in Nashville. A producer, session player and recording artist in his own right, coincidentally Lonesome Highway had posted a review of his latest album a few days previously. Having only arrived from Nashville to Whelan’s in time for the sound check a few hours earlier, due to a re-scheduled flight and despite the jet lag, he opens The Birds of Chicago set onstage alone, effecting some gorgeous swirling slide guitar, to be eventually joined on stage by Russell for a haunting delivery of She Moved Through The Fair. What follows is a one hour and forty minutes set which revisits their earlier albums, includes material from their recent release Love in Wartime and a recently written song. Alright, Alright, from their self-titled debut album is introduced by Nero as the most hopeful song they’ve ever written andFlyingDreamsfrom the same album is described as "a song written in the innocent summer of 2012."

Notwithstanding the heavenly vocal contributions by both Russell and Nero, the musicianship on display is breath-taking, with Russell playing banjo, clarinet and  ukulele, Nero on acoustic guitar and Dawson effortlessly switching from acoustic to electric guitar. A recently written song for their four year old daughter titled You Are Not Alone is introduced by Russell, adding how much she is missing her already. Nero adds the male perspective by retorting "much and all as I adore my daughter, I’m looking forward to my coffee in the morning and wine in the late afternoon, undisturbed and accompanied by reading something or other!" Canonball is mooted by Nero as a song written about the positives and negatives of living in Canada before they perform two songs from the current album, Superlover (adorned by splendid slide guitar by Dawson) and the title track Love In Wartime.Nero then leaves the stage to allow the remaining duo deliver Stardust, with choruses sung by Russell in both English and French. Inspired by her Scottish grandmother, Barley is delivered solo by Russell with hand claps from the audience before they end the set with Real Midnight, a request from the floor and Suger Dumplin’. A further encore was demanded and swiftly delivered with the aforementioned American Flowers. A completely different set list than their Kilkenny Gigs, the three piece more acoustic arrangement is tailored made for the more intimate setting of the Upstairs Room at Whelan’s where, as usual, the sound quality is crystal clear. 

Having just arrived from The States mid-morning, whisked out to RTE for an appearance on The Ray Darcy Show and straight to Whelan’s for the show, they apologised for any jet lag and sleep deprivation induced verbal nonsense that they indulged in. No apologies required, from the standing ovations and the general feel-good atmosphere at the gig, the evening could only be described as a triumph.

Review and photography by Declan Culliton

Birds of Chicago. Cleere’s Bar, Kilkenny. Saturday 28^thJuly 2018.

Continuing on their short Irish tour, these beautiful Birds flew from Dublin down the motorway to the medieval city of Kilkenny to land at that infamous venue that is Cleere’s Bar. Always guaranteed a great welcome, the trio of musicians begin their stirring set with Real Midnight, ironically the song that was an audience request late into the Dublin show on the night before…

The atmosphere really started to take off as the experience of seeing this gifted band in a live setting took hold of the appreciative crowd. The new release, Love In Wartime, is given plenty of focus with Superlover, Roll Away, Baton Rouge and the title track itself going down a storm as JT Nero on acoustic guitar and Steve Dawson on acoustic and electric guitars weave around the irrepressible stage performance and talent of Allison Russell. Her passionate and soulful vocal delivery is something to behold in such an intimate setting and she sings with utter conviction in delivering a performance that includes her excellent musicianship on banjo, ukulele and clarinet.

Flying Dreams and Cannonball are both typical of the celebratory nature of the sounds and music on display and when the band bring things down a notch we are treated to You Are Not Alone, a song written for JT and Alison’s daughter. Barley is another superb song that shows the power and tenderness in Allison’s vocals as she builds the tempo with audience handclaps and brings everything to a climax that resembles something akin to a revivalist prayer meeting. 

The delicate Etoile d’Amour (Stardust) is a lovely performance between Steve and Allison as they tease out the melody and dynamic of the song. Ending the set with American Flowers has become something of a favourite these days and the audience participation in the chorus is very much in keeping with the spirit of fellowship that has been a key component of the warmth generated by this night. Birds of Chicago are sublime in their performance and their live show is quite intoxicating

Kilkenny review by Paul McGee

Static Roots 13th & 14th July 2018 – More Than Just A Music Festival

Oberhausen in the Ruhr area of Germany was once again the location for the third Static Roots Festival, promoted by Dietmar Leibeche with more than a little help from his wife Marion and his team of enthusiastic helpers. Held over two days the Festival featured four acts playing on Friday evening and a further seven on Saturday. 

To kick the festival off and for the benefit of those arriving early on the Friday, a StaticRuhrTour had been arranged by Marion and tour guide Robert Gerlings. Taking approximately four hours the tour included a short hike to the spectacular mountain dump Halde Rheinelbe. With glorious blue skies and temperatures reaching the late twenty degrees the hike terminated at a local Budchen (corner shop) for refreshments before a short trip to the World Cultural Heritage site of Zeche Zollverein in Essen, considered to be the most historical coal mine in Germany.

A twenty-minute train trip back to Oberhausen and a quick freshen up at the hotel and it was time to take the short walk to Zentrum Alterberg where the festival was hosted for the second year in succession. With a medium sized indoor auditorium and a tree lined outdoor area for refreshments between acts, it’s the perfect setting to enjoy the music, chill out and mingle with fellow punters and artists. Of note also was the price levels of both the drinks and food, a fraction of what's normally charged at other festivals.

The event could not be any more inviting for Lonesome Highway as the promoter, using a similar philosophy as ourselves, seeks to champion emerging and under the radar artists when selecting his acts.  His bill for 2018 was inspired, offering acts from all the Roots genre with Austrian honky tonkers Prinz Grizzley & His Beargaroos joining acts such as the UK supergroup Bennett Wilson Poole, our own Kilkenny supergroup The Midnight Union Band, Canadian rocker Terra Lightfoot, South Carolina psychedelic folk rockers SUSTO solo front man Justin Osbourne. Wolfe Island Records were well represented by indie folk rockers The Stephen Stanley Band and the stunning young Hadley McCall Thackston, who was originally to perform as backing vocalist with The Stephen Stanley Band but was also given her own showcase slot when Donald Byron Wheatley had to postpone at short notice. Nashville residents Hannah Aldridge, Charley Whitten, Anthony Da Costa and Cordovas completed the line-up.

Memphis born but currently residing in Nashville, Hannah Aldridge must qualify as one of the hardest working touring singer songwriter, regularly crossing the pond to play solo gigs in support of her two albums. The daughter of Nashville Country songwriter Walt Aldridge,she opened the festival with a fifty-minute slot that featured material from both albums including her ‘country cheating’ song Old Ghost, Goldrush and (‘the song I wrote after the worst gig I played in my life’) Burning Down Birmingham, which included audience participation to sing the chorus for her. Always approachable, she hung around side stage for the other evening’s acts, enthusiastically engaging with anyone that approached her for a chat.

Cranking the sound up a notch or two were The Stephen Stanley Band that followed. Previously the frontman with The Lowest Of Low, Stephen Stanley and his band raced through a set containing material from their Jimmy The Moon debut album in the main. Guesting in the band were our own drumming maestro Michael Mormecha (Malojian) and Ger Moloney on accordion. A glorious mix of jangling guitars, crisp keyboards, thumping bass and drums and some killer backing vocals from label mate Hadley Mc Call Thackston. Early REM and The Jayhawks  came to mind. Highlights included Things I Wish I’d Never Seen, Troubadour's Song and their closer Jimmy And The Moon. 

Having modelled his festival on many of the features that work at Kilkenny Roots and often seeking advice from our late friend Willie Meighan, the set by The Midnight Union Band was particularly emotive given Willie’s untimely passing last November.  Playing a larger stage with a superb lighting system and equally impressive sound provided them with a platform not often available to them. Anything but fazed, they played a stormer lead by frontman Shane Joyce, Peter Flynn on keys, Brian McGrath on bass, Cian Doolan on guitar and John Wallace on drums. They treated their travelling fan club to a trawl through their most popular anthems with I’m Your Leader, Moon, But I Am The Night and Behind The Truth all getting an airing. Their set was dedicated to Willie Meighan and poignantly they finished with two songs so close to his heart, Rainy Night In Soho and The Smiths classic There Is A Light.

Canadian roots rocker Terra Lightfoot was the perfect closing act on Friday evening. A powerful vocalist and equally impressive guitar player, her dynamic set was bluesy, rocky, rowdy and badass with a vibe that nodded in the direction of Chrissie Hynde one minute and P.J. Harvey the next. One-minute prowling menacingly around stage, the next minute on her knees effortlessly ripping out blues riffs from her Gibson SG alongside her bass player. Highlights that rocked the room from wall to wall were Paradise and Pinball King, straight down the middle urban blues delivered by her three-piece combo.

Recently married, Justin Osbourne has been on a Euro solo tour with his wife over the past month. His band SUSTO’s album & I'm Fine Today featured in our albums of the year in 2017 with a sound that can only be described as psychedelic Americana, combining layers of instrumentation and vocals across some breath-taking songs. It was interesting witnessing him play stripped down versions of songs such as Hard Drugs, Cosmic Cowboy, Waves and Gay In The South, together with some really impressive new material. His closing song Jah Werx , about community and living in the moment, perfectly reflected the ambience both on and off stage. Given the opening slot at lunchtime on Saturday, he had the audience wooed two songs in with material delivered by vocals that ranged from whispers to whiskey hoarse. Not easy to perform solo for fifty minutes as an opening act but his set was met by pin drop silence from start to finish. Observing how well his albums were moving off the merc desk there’s no doubt he won over a lot of new admirers and rightly so.

Having previously seen Anthony Da Costa perform with artists such as Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz and being unfamiliar with his back catalogue, I had been expecting a fairly low-key affair. His guitar work has always been exceptional and he’s always in demand as a session player but his set which mixed power pop, blues and straight down the middle rock was a revelation.  From New York but currently working in Nashville his relaxed and laid-back stage banter contradicted his intense and technically note perfect guitar playing. Using Danish band The Sentimentals as his backing musicians was a masterstroke, the combined guitar playing of Da Costa and M.C.Hansen was sublime and Nikolaj Wolf on bass and Jacob Chano on drums provided the perfect rhythm section. Sins Of Your Father, Thanksgiving, Neighbours and Anywhere But Here stood out in his fifty-minute set. 

Anyone who attended Andrew Comb’s shows in Ireland last year could not have missed his bass player. Standing well over six feet tall and with a long mane of blond hair Charlie Whitten is a striking young man. From North Carolina but currently living in East Nashville he is very much part of the burgeoning East Nashville music community and released his debut EP Playwright in 2017. Performing songs from the album solo accompanied only by his electric guitar, his set was the perfect mid-afternoon laid back buzz. Casual and relaxed with engaging stage banter, Whitten melted a lot of young lady’s hearts during his slot.

Coincidently, Hadley McCall Thackston’s debut album arrived to be reviewed at Lonesome Highway last week, coinciding with her upcoming performances as backing vocalist with The Stephen Stanley Band both in Europe and Ireland. The album immediately struck a chord and had been practically on rotation in my player all week, so when she was rewarded with her own set in the absence of Donald Wheatly I immediately looked forward to seeing her perform live. Her backing band was The Stephen Stanley Band, the common denominator being that Hugh Christopher Brown, who produced and played on her album. Kilkenny accordion virtuoso Ger Moloney was invited to join the backing band at short notice given that he contributed to her album. With only two opportunities to rehearse prior to her slot and it being her first show in Europe she opened by telling us that she was more nervous than she'd ever been on stage. However, one song in and the nerves dissipated given the audience’s positive reaction. Her beautifully fragile voice absolutely mirrors the content of her song writing and she possesses the gift of sounding like June Carter on songs like Wallace’s Song (Sage Bush) and Amy Winehouse on Devil Or Angel and No.  After performing the album in its entirety, she finished with two well chosen and well delivered covers Ode To Billie Joe and Brass In Pocket.

Bennett Wilson Poole played two sell out shows at Kilkenny Roots in May and there was a homecoming atmosphere in the air with the very large numbers that also attend that festival. I’m unsure whether the air of anticipation and expectation was stronger in the audience or the band as Robin Bennett, Danny Wilson and Tony Poole seemed to be looking forward to their slot every bit as much as the rest of us. Performing as a three piece in Kilkenny, on this occasion they added a bass player and drummer to their line-up. Remarkably, even though their self-titled album was only released earlier this year, the songs already play out as anthems, with the chorus from Hate Won't Win, Wilson General Store and Ask Me Anything all being sung loudly from the floor. Three and four-part harmonies, shared vocals, wicked playing by all the band, the biggest on-stage smiles of the festival and in particular the king of the Rickenbacker Mr. Tony Poole, all combined to bring the house down.

Prinz Grizzley and his Beargaroos are no strangers to Lonesome Highway having played a number of sets at Kilkenny Roots earlier in the year. It was business as usual as they sailed through a set of headachers and heartbreakers, with Chris Comper soaring vocals and polished guitar playing blending perfectly with the silky pedal steel by Johannes Bischof.  Wide Open Country, Fiery Eye’s, Mountains Milk, Irene and I Can See Darkness all even surpassed the studio versions on their debut album Come On In. Sweet honky tonkin’ with a side of knockout blues courtesy of two Austrians and two Swiss (Claude Meier on bass and Andreas Wettstein on drums), these guys have progressed over the past eighteen months from a bar band to an act worthy to grace any festival stage.

One look at Cordovas and you get the picture. Dietmar had been working on getting these dudes booked to play for months and they were the perfect curtain closer for the festival. Facial hair of Biblical proportions, head to toe denim and mops that haven't encountered a comb or barber in yonks, they could be The Allman Brothers circa 1972 and they have a sound to match.  With a band that boasts four lead vocalists you’d expect some God gifted harmonies and they certainly delivered on that front, but what also hit the biggest spot was their musicianship to match. All I Found, Southern Rain and numerous Grateful Dead type instrumental jams went down a storm before they closed their set and the festival, accompanied by Anthony Da Costa and Charlie Whitton on stage, with a blistering version of Neil Young’s Down By The River.

Dietmar had again invited Jeff Robson from Canada to act as MC and credit to him for his knowledge of the bands and informative stage announcements. With eleven acts to soundcheck and a number of bands having multi vocalists the quality of the sound throughout was also exceptional. Hats off to Alex Shulte who got it spot on with every act.

I'm not sure that any other festival ends up with a sing song out in the open, with both musicians who played the festival and punters alike taking turns to belt out songs from all ends of the spectrum, some delivered to perfection and some bordering on the unlistenable but the perfect finale to a fun filled couple of days.

A final word again about the promoter Dietmar. His one objective is to bring people together to enjoy quality music in an environment where artists and punters mix, share a drink and good food, talk music and put aside the worries of their worlds for a few short days. He achieved that and much more at what we accurately described last year as a ‘’boutique festival’’. It happens all over again on July 12th & 13th of 2019. Tell your friends, but not too many mind, this is one festival we do not want to get too big!

 Review and photography by Declan Culliton

Ags Connolly @ The Cobblestone, Dublin - Friday 13th July

Making his first performance and visit to Dublin Ags Connelly told that he had Irish antecedents such as Sean Connolly and Patrick Connolly. His parents lived here, he explained, before he was born but he’s never been in the city before. He was here to play a few of his songs (from his two fine albums) to a few of the faithful. This was a stripped back performance that took the songs back to their roots with just Connolly’s powerful voice and guitar. This gave the words even more prominence and show that he is a writer of compelling country songs that are very much as true to its real spirit as if he had been born and raised in his spiritual home of Austin, Texas rather than Oxfordshire, England. Mind you his accent soon gives him away even if the beard and Johnny Paycheck ball cap suggested differently!

Ags delivered an 18 song set that included A Good Memory For Pain, I’m Not Someone You Want To Know, The Dim And Distant Past, Trusty Companion. The latter he mentioned had been requested at both funerals and weddings and caused him to wonder if those requesting the song had actually listened to the lyrics. How About Now, the album title song was one he hadn’t played in a long time but reckoned he should. It was, he mused, his father’s favourite song of his. Also from that album he played When Country Was Proud - a song that the magazine Country Music People had selected as one of the best country songs of recent times. However he felt that as it was a sentiment that was a fairly common theme with songwriters these days that may he shouldn’t have.  He also played the song he’d written about on of his heroes I Saw James Hand. He said there was a live version of the song on YouTube where James Hand was in the venue when he played it (a second time as it happens as Hand had just walked in). From the latest album Nothin’ Unexpected he included such titles as I Hope You’re Unhappy (song brimming with positivity he laughed), Slow Burner, When The Loner Gets Lonely, Neon Jail, I Should Have Closed The Book. From that album he also sang Loudon Wainwright 111’s I Suppose. Wainwright he noted was perhaps his favourite songwriter and that many of his songs easily fit into the country genre.

Other songs, other than his own, that he included were Johnny Paycheck’s (another hero) Slide Off Your Satin Sheets. He also followed his James Hand song with one of Hand’s Over There That’s Frank. He was also road testing a couple of new songs and he hoped would be on his next album which showed that he has not lost his muse and good material. Throughout he was in good humour, something that was, perhaps, at odds with some of the lyrical content of his songs, but it made for an enjoyable evening of song and story that is rooted in these shores but translatable to any location and lover of country music as it was and should be. As Ags said "thank you folks" - rather, thank you Ags.

Review and Photograph by Stephen Rapid

Lindi Ortega @ The Grand Social - Dublin, June 2nd 2018

Returning to the Dublin stage the first time in a number of years Lindi Ortega said that in the future she hoped to spend more time in Ireland rather than passing through for a single show. She has an Irish mother and a Mexican father and felt an affiliation with the country. She had just arrived here and was still suffering from jet lag but that didn’t in any way take away from a solid and memorable performance. She was accompanied by her friend and long time live lead guitarist “Champagne” James Robertson and drummer Sly Juhas. The duo provided an interesting and effective bedrock over which the revived Ortega gave a strong and renewed vocal delivery. The lack of a bass player wasn’t readily noticeable as the bottom end came. largely, from the bass drum. She explained that she had considered quitting the music business, finding it heard got make headway in the current crossover-pop climate.

Living in Nashville had exposed her to some good times and friends but she was up against a corporate commercial bro-country ethos that seem to have little time for women artists and less for her. This experience was recalled in the song Tin Star. Through the 16 song set she covered songs from various stages of her career with, naturally, t he bulk of choices from her recently released album Liberty. Some of the album’s songs included ’Til My Dyin’ Day, The Comeback Kid, Lovers In Love (which she describes as a very rare bone-fide love song), though Pablo was another such theme inspired, she said, by her recent marriage (and also Antonio Banderas - especially in the film Desperado but not to tell her husband). The songs from Liberty also included the title track and her Spanish language version of Violeta Parra’s Gracias A La Vida -  singing in the languages something that she was nervous about doing until it seemed the perfect closer for this song cycle of redemption and for people travelling the “stormy seas of life,” The overriding theme of this album.  

She also quipped how she had mentioned to Roberston that she wanted to include a certain death song in the set and she laughingly recalled that he had asked which one as she had at least 10 such songs to choose from. Old favourites like Cigarettes And Truckstops also got an airing. That song was written about wishing she could be in LA with her boyfriend of the time but ended up being a song rather than the actuality of doing just that! Bluebird and Ashes were other well received tracks from her previous releases.

Though Ortega is undoubtably the star of the show it was obvious that the dexterous and exploratory guitar playing of Robertson was a draw in it’s own right. Something akin to the sonic stylings of fellow Canadian Daniel Lanois. He rarely played chords rather added lines, riffs and sounds that enhanced the mood of the songs. Likewise the drums were not confined to a simple, solid beat but rather explored the possibilities of the full kit. Ortega herself added rhythm guitar on occasion on her newly acquired white Fender acoustic. Most of the songs she performed however just holding the microphone and singing the best we’d heard her to date.Overall, then, this was a reaffirmation of Ortega’s talent and determination to get herself and her music across. Both were done to satisfaction from both sides of the stage.

Review by Stephen Rapid  Photography by Kaethe Burt O'Dea

Peter Bruntnell @ Cleere’s - Kilkenny 31st May 2018

A regular visitor to Kilkenny, Peter Bruntnell has been performing in The Marble City solo, with full bands, duets and trios over many years, his most recent being a whistle stop tour with his full band at The Roots Festival in 2017 where he played four times over that weekend, all to adoring crowds it has to be said.

Tonight’s show is advertised as a trio. Joining him on stage are Iain Sloan of Wynntown Marshals fame who plays pedal steel, electric guitar – beautifully it has to be said - and backing vocals and Danny Wilson on upright bass, whose playing is equally impressive. It’s a format that Bruntnell has toured previously with in the U.K. as evidenced by their note perfect delivery throughout. However, the three-piece format increases to four before the end of their opening forty-minute set when local accordion virtuoso Ger Moloney joins them on stage and four became five towards the end of the evening when the man with coolest Gretsch guitars Clive Barnes, also makes an appearance. 

This evenings setlist reflects the stage format. Whereas his last gigs with his full band featured some of the more rockier songs in his vast back catalogue, this evening concentrates on some of his more tranquil material, ideally suited to the semi acoustic set up. His opening set includes Clothes of Winter, Sea of Japan, Bluebeard, Domestico and John, all from his excellent 2008 album Peter And The Murder Of Crows, and all impeccably suited to the bands composition. False Start and one of his most popular songs Cold Water Swimming, all from the same album are also included in his second set. In fact, before his band members make their way back to the stage for this second set we are even given a master class in Bruntnell’s ability to perform solo when he launches into the gorgeous Caroline, the closing track from his latest album Nos Da Comrade. End Of The World and Long Way From Home also from the current album, both feature when Sloan and Williams return to the stage.

The Cats Laugh Comedy Festival is about to kick off in Kilkenny and the laid-back stage banter this evening includes many comical moments of its own, from comments about musicians being financially supported by their wives to the somewhat portly Sloan commenting as the slimmer Clive Barnes takes the stage ‘he’s a handsome lad, if you stretched me out I’d look like that!’.

The show allows has its more sombre moments with two dedications to the late Willie Meighan, including the crowd favourite By The Time My Head Gets To Phoenix,enhanced by cracking guitar playing by Barnes and accordion by Moloney and the superb closer Have You Seen That Girl Again.

It’s difficult to even consider a particular highlight in such an outstanding performance but his delivery of the delightful Widows Walk,with haunting pedal steel by Sloan, is simply spine chilling and a wonderful memory from a special night.

Credit must also go to local musician and sound engineer Peter Flynn whose contribution on sound and the pin drop silence from the floor all added to a quite stunning evenings entertainment. 

Another Peter Bruntnell show and another standing ovation for one of the finest artists to emerge from the U.K. music industry in decades. Why he isn’t a household name is beyond comprehension, the plus side being that we get to see him appear in smaller venues on his regular trips to Ireland. 

Review and photography by Declan Culliton

Various Artists @ Pappy & Harriets - April 2018

Pappy and Harriets is a restaurant, bar and music venue founded in 1982 which stands at a site once called the Cantina It is located in Pioneertown which was built as a film set for westerns back in in the 1940’s in San Bernardino County in California. It was used as a backdrop in over 50 TV shows and films. For a time the venue was closely associated with the LA alt. and traditional country music scene. These days however the acts are much more diverse and Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Eagles of Death Metal and the Queens of the Stone Age have all played in the venue.  

Though I have known about the venue for some considerable have never had the opportunity to visit. On a recent trip to the area it was a must visit. The first night we made the trip the acts playing were The Banditos, Lillie Mae and Tyler Childers. A large area of the venue is take up with those who have booked a reservation table to eat, drink and enjoy the show. As in many such venues the stage is not raised from the floor and so once a number of punters gather in front of the stage it’s pretty much impossible to see anything other than on the monitor that hangs in the restaurant. The sound however is good.

The Banditos to these ears sound like a Southern rock version of the Janis Joplin band. Singer Mary Beth Richardson is upfront while the boys boogie behind her. Reviews have also mentioned ZZ Top and the Alabama Shakes so that should give you an idea of the overall feel. Not exactly my thing but effective and well received. 

Next up was a short set from Lillie Mae. The four piece band included her brother Frank and her sister Scarlett on great Telecaster and mandolin respectively. They were joined by a bassist (Tanner Jacobson) and ran through some songs from the debut album plus a couple of new numbers. The half hour set was a little too short really get fully into the band.

Tyler Childers and band were the headlines (Mae was touring with him) and its interesting to see how quickly Childers has gained fans and headline status. His album was produced by Sturgill Simpson and it was obviously well known with the fans there who cheered and recognised many of the songs. Indeed the slightest mention of any relation to drink and/or drugs garnered a huge cheer. This was Americana and in the singer/songwriter tradition with the band (including the night’s only steel player) able to rock out as the song dictated. Childers spoke between songs telling stories and anecdotes but due to his accent and the rowdy audience it was often difficult from our position to make out what was being said. Whatever it was well received and he had the audience up dancing by the end of the set. An act to catch if they come your way.

The next night was one I was looking forward to as the opening act was Casey James Prestwood and The Burning Angels. A traditional country act whose album Born Too Latewas one of the year’s best. Prestwood has released several album in the Bakersfield/ LA Country Honky Tonk sound although the band are from Denver, Colorado. The band arrived onstage decked out in Manuel (or similar) suits and opened the evening with a set of original songs and well-chosen the covers. longtime bassist and drummer Jeff Martin and Kevin Finn were a spot on rhythm section with guitarist Andy Hamilton and steel player Dave Barker filling out the sound with all the right licks. Casey James Prestwood has the requited nasal twang to his voice and is an animated frontman who gives a good all round performance. At the end if the set they were joined by the night’s headliner Leslie Stevens for a couple of songs including a spirited Ooh, Las Vegas.

Leslie Stevens and her all woman band were up next, although headlining that took the middle slot. They were joined by a guest steel player who played on a couple of tracks with the band. A number of additional guests joined the band on vocals. They did an acapella version of Neil Young’s Helpless as well as such songs as Depression, Can I Sleep, Everybody and Old Times. There was a strong vocal female presence in the audience for the band who largely dissipated when they finished playing. A varied set that would be hard to place genre wise but one that was well received by the audience.

The final act was a singer/songwriter Isaac Opatz. He played with a guitarist, bassist and drummer and the sound was again more like indie rock than anything vaguely roots but what they did they did with an enjoyable quirkiness. The set included an enjoyable if slightly off the wall version of Warren Zevon’s Carmelita. The audience had noticeably thined out by this time andf we also need to head out so we made our exit for a long drive back to our base.

Review by Stephen Rapid  Photography by Kaethe Burt O'Dea

Ten Stand Out Performances and Songs @ Kilkenny Roots 2018

Rachel Baiman & Molly Tuttle Wicked Spell (1)

Perfection personified both vocally and instrumentally by these exceptional young artists. Wicked Spell from Baiman’s Shame album was one of many peaks but anything from their setlist could have been highlighted. Faultless!

Birds of Chicago Love In Wartime (2)

The title track from their recently released album that will certainly feature in our Best of 2018. Gorgeous vocals courtesy of  Allie and J.T. and the first act to sell out both their shows at Roots. For anyone that missed their Kilkenny gigs the good news is they are back in Ireland in July for more of the same!

The Blasters One Bad Stud (3)

Anyone even thinking for one minute that these guys would be only going through the motions were left in no doubt for the word go. Vocally Phil Alvin sounded no different than decades back, rhythm section of bassist Jon Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman set down a killer groove throughout and Keith Wyatt got the Lonesome Highway nod as guitarist of the festival with his blistering solo on their closing number One Bad Stud! 

(left to right 1,2,3)

The Sleepwalkers Wichita Lineman (4)

It felt like being transported from Kytelers in Kilkenny to Robert’s Western World on Broadway in Nashville for this master class in Western Swing and Country Classics by our very own recently formed supergroup of David Murphy, Clare Sands, Kevin O’Shea, Cian Heffernan and Declan O’Shea.  A rendition of the classic Jimmy Webb song that Glen Campbell would have been proud of.

Mary Gauthier Soldiering On (5)

A performance that even surpassed her normal excellence with songs and tales that both moved and enthralled and appeared to be savoured equally by the artist and audience. Material from her recent album Rifles & Rosary Beads was outstanding, in particular this opening track from that album.

Bennett Wilson Poole Ask Me Anything (6)

A performance that fully lived up to expectations from these three amigos with the collective adroitness to create lyrically astute songs with hooks and rhythm that catch and reel you in on first listen, all enriched by killer jingle jangle Rickenbacker playing by the most senior of the trio. This particular song has been on Lonesome Highway’s playlist since the release of the album and they delivered it to perfection.

(left to right 4,5,6)

Prinz Grizzley and his Beargaroos Wide Open Country (7)

Austria may be better renowned for classical rather that country music but it has struck gold with these honky tonkers. One of the busiest acts of the weekend playing three sets including a double helping at the ‘wind down’ friends and promoters afternoon session at Billy Byrnes. Also voted best looking band of the festival by the large female contingent by all accounts! 

Seamus Fogarty Carlow Town (8)

Festival opener Fogarty has suddenly become a cult hero with his witty and poetic song writing. The opening act of the festival and an act much loved and encouraged by our great friend Willie Meighan. His live shows more than justify his growing fan club and his yarn of an overnight in Carlow Town with its jocular lyrics and electronic loops and beats brought the house down.

Whitney Rose You Don’t Own Me (9)

Melting heat and melting hearts at Billy Byrne’s for Whitney Rose’s first Irish dates. A throwback to late 50’s and early 60’s Nashville sound when the use of the two words pop and country in the same sentence did not send you scrambling for the pause button. Her extended version of the Lesley Gore hit from the early 60’s was stunning.

Peter Oren Throw Down (10)

The perfect lunchtime set from the affable and articulate young man with the dreamy baritone vocals and equally engaging stories and songs to match. Shades of Bill Callahan in his low fi set list that not surprisingly included most of his excellent recent album Anthropocene. Throw Downjust about shaded Canary in a Mineas the highlight of his set.

(left to right 7,8,9, 10)

Special Achievement Award

The festival offered so many musical highlights but the highpoint of the weekend was without doubt Del Day, Con Crean, Alan Treacy and Sinead Fitzgerald arriving at Cleere’s on Friday afternoon after their epic and €10,000 + fund raising cycle. Extraordinarily they did not encounter a single rain drop on their eight-day adventure.  No doubt Willie Meighan was still working his magic and looking after them. Heroes one and all and testament of how the festival has in the past - and continues to – create friendships, bonds and camaraderie way beyond our collective love of music. 

Review and photography by Declan Culliton

The Legendary Shack Shakers @ Grand Social - Dublin - Friday 3rd May 2018

JD Wilkes led his Legendary Shack Shakers onto to the stage before a healthy gathering of the faithful to deliver another exhilarating show. They opened in acoustic mode with Wiles on banjo, new guitarist Gary Siperko on acoustic guitar, upright bassist Fuller Condon and Preston Corn on percussion complete the line-up. The later pair appear on the band’s latest album After You’ve Gone and have both toured with the band previously while Siperko has replaced the departed Rod Hamdallah. He immediately makes his presence felt from the start with some fast and furious guitar breaks that bring comment from Wilkes who plays up the guitarist’s skill with mock jealousy. 

The material played on the evening came from all parts of the their career to date including the most recent album After You’ve Gone and the solo JD Wilkes album Fire Dream as well as traditional songs and blues covers. Sugar Baby was a Dock Boggs song. Others included Silm Harpo’s Hip Shake which was an extended showcase for Siperko, one that allowed all the band to stretch out. As with many of the best live bands these songs take on a whole different persona when performed in front of an audience. Songs came from the debut album Cockadoodlerdon’t which was released back in 2003 (Devil’s Night Auction, Hip Shake), through The Southern Surreal (Mud), Swampland (Old Spur Line), Pandelirium (Jipsy Valentine) as well as from the Dirt Daubers’ album Wake Up Sinners. All given, with this current line-up, a new lease of life and a different musical patina.

Without losing their edge these songs were somewhat less visceral than of yore - a fact that Wilkes noted when asking the audience to come closer to the stage front stating that their drinks would be safe from sprayed bodily fluids that were a feature of the band’s shows over the last 20 years. Since founding in 1995 there can be no doubt that the intensity and sheer volume of the stage show has changed since that time but the performance still retains that exciting edge that sees Wilkes remain one of the most underrated frontmen of recent times. He is compulsive, a can’t take your eyes of him, band leader. He is continually throwing shapes, pulling faces and making contact with his audience while giving those onstage with him space to deliver their end of the bargain. No less so than when Siperko switches to a big red Gretch for the main part of the show and displays a speed and fluidity of playing that perfectly matches Wilkes hi-energy delivery. 

Wilkes is a top notch harmonica player and the smallest of instruments again showed how it can be, in the hands of a master, a sonic match for any other instrument. His first instrument he told us came from his Grand-father and he wondered how many other mouths had it been in before he got it! He is also a collector of vintage harmonicas and brings out one from his collection that has mini-horns attached to increase it’s volume pre amplification! He also plays the banjo on a number of songs. At one point he summons a young lady friend up to play banjo and add backing vocals for a couple of numbers. 

The Legendary Shack Shakers lived up to their reputation and delivered a set of blues and roots songs that displayed an evolving entity and testament to an other worldliness, steeped in regional musical history where entertainment and story telling were a fundamental element of a live performance. This they achieved with style, and in Wilkes’ case, no little sweat and toil, creating a performance that demanded the audience forget their day-to-day worries and lose themselves in the time that stood before the stage. 

Set list in JD's hand writing.

Review by Stephen Rapid  Photography by Kaethe Burt O'Dea

Nashville Cast @ 3 Arena, Dublin

The TV series, Nashville, has proven to be a great success ever since it first hit our screens back in 2012. Now, as the sixth series plays out, the decision has been taken to pack up all the guitars and head off into the sunset. There is something quite poignant about a show ending when it is still very popular but perhaps that is the best time to end the love affair in order to retain the happy memories?

Returning to Dublin, just 10 months since their last appearance, Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor) and Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley) continue to bring the WOW factor and this was a night that left everyone feeling like they were a part of one big happy family. 

The very enthusiastic crowd are fully invested in each of the performers and cheer along every song and story shared over three hours in what proved to be a really enjoyable night. Given that the cast who make the trip are the same as last year, the risk of repeating the same lines is always a concern, but happily no such thoughts could be further away as the attitude of these actors/artists is fully focused and they turn in enthusiastic and honest performances that display impressive talents throughout.

Each performer takes the stage in a solo capacity for a few songs, before being joined by another of the principal actors, either to sing together or to take over for the next section of the show. This formula works very well and the smooth handovers add greatly to the momentum of the show which never flags as we build towards the end of the evening. The live set stretches to 28 songs with plenty of new material in order to keep the fans guessing and there were less than 10 songs repeated from the last time the entourage played here. 

Of course, there are the key favourites like Hand To Hold, where Charles Esten & Clare Bowen leave the stage and walk through the crowd before returning to relative safety (Esten remarks that "Irish women are a lot stronger than they look"). He is the most charismatic of performers and holds the attention of the female population with passionate performances of songs like Sideshow, Good Rain Or Jesus, Sanctuary and He Ain’t Me.

There are great combinations with Sam Palladio and Chris Camack on guitars playing Right Where You Want Me, Goin’ Electric (a new song yet to be screened) and Don’t Come Easy, which features Palladio behind the drumkit.

Jonathan Jackson hints at where his future focus might lie with wonderful vocal gymnastics during his cameo and songs like Keep Asking Why and A Shock To The System display his guitar skills, while a cover version of the Simple Minds tune, Belfast Child, is superbly delivered and most affecting. But it is the killer version of Unchained Melody (the Righteous Brothers classic) that really brings the venue to its feet in a standing ovation, as Jackson puts everything into a quite compelling performance.

There are The Exes from the TV show performing Borrow My Heart (Palladio, Bowen & Jackson), Fade Into You (Palladio & Bowen), Wake Me Up In Nashville and Adios Old Friend (Palladio solo), that have the crowd singing along, but the really spine-tingling highlights are captured by Bowen performing When The Right One Comes Along, which has an intro of the Irish traditional song She Moved Through The Fair; Jonathan Jackson paying tribute to Dolores O’Riordan with her song No Need To Argue; Esten speaking of the faith, hope and redemption that carries us through hard times as he dedicated the song Sanctuary to his Father.

The music of the show will endure and the fellowship of community is the abiding message as all the principal performers take to the stage for the final encore, I’ve Got A Life That’s Good. It is a very appropriate message to leave with Dublin on a night where a lot of emotions were on display and a lot of joy was shared between lovers of good music and what felt like old friends.   

Review by Paul McGee   Photography by Ronnie Norton

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Whelan’s - 20th April 2018

It only seems like yesterday since Courtney Marie Andrews played last at Whelan’s, one of the final dates of her 2017 tour on the back of Honest Life, the album that finally got the prolific young artist from Phoenix Arizona much deserved industry recognition. Touring since the age of sixteen as a busker, guitarist in Damien Jurado's band, a solo artist and more recently with her band, Andrews freely admits to having no fixed abode and often using the services of Airbnb for accommodation on the few periods that she is not on the road. That previous show in Whelan’s, which included material from the about to be recorded album, was actually August 2017, when she announced that she was heading directly to Los Angeles to record a new album after she performed at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville in September and would be back in Dublin shortly. True to her word, her return show and only gig in Ireland, is to promote that album titled Let Your Kindness Remain, recorded in a week with mainly first takes featuring material and themes quite unlike its predecessor. Honest Life, as the title suggests, was personal and soul searching with Andrews unlocking the door to her inner feelings and frailties. Her latest album is entirely wider lens and reflective, dealing with political issues, mental illness and a plea for empathy in these turbulent times. The material was written while Andrews, a self-confessed eavesdropper and people watcher, toured the States observing the dismantling of middle class America and the trail of destruction left in its wake.

She opens her set this evening with two low key and sombre tracks from the album, the beguiling Long Road Back To You and I've Hurt Worse, a sarcastic view on a loveless relationship. Her band members Dillon Warnek (guitar) and Greg Diarra (keyboards), together with her long-time rhythm section of Alex Sabel (bass) and William Mapp (drums) are note perfect, the material honed to precision by the hectic touring schedule prior to recording the album. Andrews - an accomplished musician in her own right -  switches between acoustic, electric guitar and keyboards. A prolific songwriter - she wrote three tracks for Honest Life in one day - her setlist this evening taps strongly into the material from the latest album which finds her departing somewhat from the more folky and acoustic leanings of her earlier work, to a more soulful and fuller sound. Gospel singer C.C. White features strongly on the album and her inclusion appears to have motivated Andrews to challenge herself vocally and the outcome this evening is quite spectacular. The rockier songs Two Nights In Buffalo and Kindness Of Strangers find her powerfully hitting and stretching notes that she may not have attempted a year back. Material from Honest Life also features with the hypnotic Table For One, Let The Good One Go and How Quickly Your Heart Mends all performed. Two songs - Near You and Sea Town - that were included as bonus tracks on the coloured vinyl release of Honest Life are also welcomed inclusions, further evidence of the substantial body of songs that she's written in recent years. The attention to detail by both Andrews and her band is a joy to behold, every lyric and note rehearsed and performed meticulously. Letting the music do the talking we are three quarter way through her set before she pauses to enter into gentle banter with the audience, reminding us how Whelan’s is one of her favourite venues.  

With hardly a pause from ending the main set she's back on stage for a three song encore. A stunning delivery of Honest Life, accompanied by only Warnek on guitar, is followed by a return to the stage by her band for the rousing crowd pleaser Irene. Tailing off with a cover of Little Feat’s Willin’, it’s hardly a coincidence that the same song featured in many of Linda Ronstadt’s live concerts at the height of her career.

Minutes later Andrews is at the merchandise desk, meeting, greeting, posing for photos and signing albums. Based on the length of the queue it's fair to say that a large percentage of the gathering were also buying her albums, with both Kindness and her recent re-release No One’s Slate Is Clean priced at a modest ten euro. A wonderful evening by an artist that connects with the music of past decades - early 70’s particularly - and who would undoubtedly have been a household name in those days when a cash rich industry rewarded the artist as well as record label executives. Given that Andrews in still only in her late-twenties let’s hope she continues to blossom and gains the recognition she richly deserves. Some folks just have it all!

Review and photograph by Declan Culliton

Jess Klein@ Whelan’s Upstairs - Sat 3rd March 2018

The Easter Bank Holiday weekend is perhaps not the best time to try and draw an audience out to listen to live music, when so much is planned around taking a trip out of Dublin and/or family time. However, tonight there is a very healthy turnout for Jess Klein, an excellent American artist who has played here a number of times in the past and is always a welcome returnee.

The support act of Beki Hemingway and husband, Randy Kerkman, on guitar open the show and for many in the room this is an introduction to Beki’s superb vocals, confident stage presence and impressive song writing. Beki took her moment to confirm just how talented she is with songs like Two More Hills, My World Is Out There, Not Excused, highlighting her impressive vocal range and tone, coupled with her soulful delivery. A new song, We’re Not Going Anywhere, feels right at home with the older songs and the gentle, Because, written for Randy, together with the lovely Thank You For The Rain are further evidence of an artist comfortable in her creative space and moving forward.

Jess Klein is blessed with musical gifts that become so apparent and immediate in a live setting as she plays a set on solo guitar that runs some 80-odd minutes and showcases her insightful lyrics and superb vocal talent. The audience remain fully concentrated on her performance throughout, despite the fact that the upstairs venue is currently undergoing a make-over to give it a new lease of life and the lack of heat in the room has some reaching for their jackets and coats to remain warm. However, this does not take away to any great extent from the glow of the evening as this consummate performer delivers a set that is balanced between new songs from her upcoming record and old favourites from her extensive back catalogue.

The new material is very strong with Mammal, In Dreams, Kid (a song written to her younger self), A New Thanksgiving Feast (a commentary of our times), For The Girls and Tougher Than I Seem (dedicated to Emma Gonzales, the young student and survivor of the Parkland, Florida, who spoke at the March For Our Lives event recently) really sounding fresh and vibrant.

Her ability to dissect the human clay that holds us together is one that gives her songs an enduring quality. Jess performs a spoken word poem titled Chicken Soup which is a beautiful tribute to her grandmother and the generations of immigrants that went before her in risking life to seek better opportunity elsewhere. It is a moving and poignant piece delivered with utter conviction and passion and also deals with the mindless vandalism and racism that is all too prevalent in the divided United States these recent times.

The set is nicely varied between these serious issues, affairs of the heart and the levity of songs taken from her impressive body of work. The sultry, sexy performance of Soda Water is balanced against the road song spirit of Travellin’ Woman, while Ireland and Riverview are performed with great skill and measure. In a nice touch, Jess performs Shonalee with support act Beki Hemingway on harmony vocal and Randy on second guitar. It is a fine performance that sums up the generosity of this artist and a typical example of the kinship felt in the room. 

The set ends with fan favourite, Little White Dove, before an encore of Beautiful Child brings everything to a very satisfying conclusion, greeted with warm applause from the appreciative audience.

It was a great night to sit back and enjoy the craft of these superb artists, spent among people who were there to listen and enjoy the thrill of live music.  

Review by Paul McGee  Photography by Paul Dolan

Country 2 Country @ 3Arena, Dublin - March 9th to March 11th 2018.

Once again, the C2C Festival rolled into Dublin City to deliver 3 days of music, 12 very different acts and a very big advert for the wide range of tastes that defines Country music in this modern age.

The 3Arena venue is appropriate for the size of this event and the logistics around band turnover and stage performance timings are all handled with the utmost professionalism. Given that this event has been running since 2014 you would expect nothing less as it has grown in popularity and size.

The very diverse mix of fans from all corners of Ireland and beyond, add to the colour and spectacle but if you look below the surface, there are many reasons why this juggernaut should not deliver. The over-priced, warm beer in plastic containers and the poor selection of food over the course of the weekend make the event somewhat lacking in key areas.

Also, the pairing of established Country acts with young, upcoming hopefuls does not always work as the gap in interest between sections of the fans that attend is too wide. This manifests in excessive noise levels during the performances and the ignorant, boisterous behaviour by some groups of fans (clearly the worse for wear), takes away hugely from the enjoyment of the experience overall.

I understand that groups travel for the entire weekend and stay at local hotels. However, treating the 3-day event as an excuse to dress up in Cowboy hats and boots, wear overpriced t-shirts and shout at ever increasing volumes above each other is not my idea of fun.

There is incessant checking of mobile phones, taking endless selfies and recording snippets of the performers that will, in all probability, be deleted when sobriety returns. Maybe the realisation dawns just how much more enjoyable it would have been to just listen to the music and watch the acts perform in the moment? Somehow I doubt it.

Emmylou Harris summed it up perfectly during her set, that was marred by incessant loud chatter and just bad manners by groups of fans, when she asked "Does anybody remember Country music?" It is such an appropriate comment when one realises the manner in which this music genre has grown from the margins to become mainstream and it incorporates new tricks such as loops, click tracks, rap, electronic beats syncopated into the rhythms, sharing more with urban beat music than anything resembling the original roots of rural struggle and the simple dreams of the common folk who struggled to make a life. The simple messages are still there buried deep in the lyrical sentiments of some songs where God, Family, loyalty and doing the right thing are still purveyed as the polemic.

Friday

The festival kicks off very early and the hassle in getting to the venue on time is very evident as the initial small crowd continues to grow while the early acts perform.

Luke Coombs is a young Country artist making his name at the moment with a hard-working band of musicians who turn-in a solid performance in backing his strong vocals. It's all baseball caps and beards and there are quite a few lookalikes in the early crowd. Luke has a debut release and sings mainly from this as songs like Beer Can, One Number Away; When It Rains It Pours and his breakthrough single, Hurricane are very well received by the younger audience that seem to know all the lyrics as they sing with great enthusiasm. Coomb's remarks that " Growing up in the States you would never think that there were this many Country fans". His is a popular performance and sets the tone for the rest of the night.

Kip Moore follows with a really confident and hard-hitting set that really works the crowd in an impressive display of catchy rock-oriented numbers and a personal dynamism that leaves no doubt as to his abilities to win over an audience. He has a real charisma and over eleven tracks, he visits all three of his releases to date, as his 5-piece band play with a real cutting edge.

Songs like Wild Ones, Beer Money, Just Another Girl, Last Shot, Come And Get It and More Girls Like You clearly go a long way to winning new admirers in the crowd. A fine acoustic version of his song Hey Pretty Girl is performed with great confidence and the final song, a stripped-down acoustic version of Guitar Man, closes what has been an impressive performance.

Sugarland has just reformed as a working duo over recent months, having taken a break while Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush pursued solo projects. Having released 5 albums over a period of six years, Sugarland is very much defined by the wonderful vocal talents of Jennifer Nettles. She is a confident and consummate performed and strides the stage with a bravado and an élan that carries everyone along for the ride. The 6-piece band are all very competent musicians but the fact that this is their first live performance after a 5-year absence is somewhat evident at moments during a set that runs for 15 songs and covers all the popular chart hits in the career of Sugarland thus far.

Opening with the appropriately-named Find The Beat Again, the energy of Nettle and the mandolin of Bush are always to the fore as they perform favourites like Stuck Like Glue, Want To, Little Miss, Incredible Machine, Already Gone, All I Want To Do, Baby Girl, Something More, Want To and the joyous Settlin'. There is a new song, Still The Same, that is well received and will no doubt figure in the charts very soon. However, it is the more thoughtful performances from Nettles that remain in the memory, when she displays her full vocal power and emotion on the songs, Stay and Unlove You. These vocal performances steal the show and confirm where the real power behind this band lies. A welcome return and a performance to remind us that country music always wanted to deliver popular songs that could become radio hits and bring happiness to many...

Headline act, Kasey Musgraves, takes to the stage with a completely new image and in place of the cowboy hats, boots and sequenced outfits she now wears a sophisticated look of a contemporary woman who has taken her place in the world. Her 6-piece band equally are dressed down in black outfits and play in a restrained tempo that reflects the thoughtful and considered set of 18 songs, including material from her upcoming release, Golden Hour.

Kasey speaks of her love of Dublin City and her joy at returning and this is no idle attempt to win over a home crowd as she genuinely seems excited to be playing here again. Her sound has moved on from the tunes that announced her to an unsuspecting public back in 2013 and many of the new arrangements are not what you would call country in the strict sense of the word. Not that this should bother Kasey as her reputation as a considered and talented songwriter is well established. As she grows as an artist she will bring her loyal fan base with her.

The performance tonight does not really peak unfortunately and the set unfolds with occasional lulls in the pacing of it all. Perhaps the crowd are feeling the effects of the previous few hours but there seems to be a spark missing somewhere. Having said that, Kasey gives an honest performance and sings beautifully on songs such as Keep It To Yourself, Stupid, Fine, My Mamas Broken Heart, Late To The Party With You, It Is What It Is and Follow Your Arrow - all firm favourites.

The new songs from Golden Hour are received with polite applause as numbers that will grow into firm favourites over time; Love Is A Wild Thing, Velvet Elvis, Butterflies, Space Cowboy, Slow Burn and Rainbow (sung for her Grandma - her favourite song). Kasey asks the crowd if anyone comes from a small town, to which she receives a big show of hands. She follows by stating that " well you all know that feeling of growing up in a place with shit to do all day" - to which she gets the biggest cheer of the night. A poignant encore of Broken Merry-go-round puts this comment firmly in perspective and you realise that many of these newly crowned stars who have found great success and wealth beyond their small-town dreams still carry that essential DNA throughout their careers.

Saturday

The second day offers more variety over a four-hour ride that delivers the old tradition, mixed with the new direction that Country music has taken...

Midland open proceedings and this 3-piece group are joined by a drummer and guitar player to augment their live sound. The band has been receiving much cover in the media and produce a set that displays close harmonies and melodic tunes, taken mainly from their debut album, released in early 2018. There are a few cover versions in the set with Tom Petty remembered (American Girl), a taste of John Mellencamp (Life Goes On), plus Alabama's Dixieland Delight. Their breakthrough song, Drinkin' Problem, is very strong and goes down really well with the crowd. Gator Boys, Burn Out and Altitude Adjustment are other strong songs in a short set that help to win new friends and lay the groundwork for a return visit in the future.

Margo Price is the real deal and with two cracking Country releases to her name, she is a welcome addition to the line-up today. Taking the stage with her regular 6-piece band she looks terrific in her white trouser suit, embroidered with red roses and cowboy hat. Playing a strong set, Margo delivers Don't Say It, Do Right By Me, Tennessee Song, Weakness and A Little Pain Never Hurt Anyone, all building up a fine set that gradually wins the noisy crowd over, after a slow start.

Cocaine Cowboys is a real standout with Margo mounting the rostrum to play a second drum kit and really pound out a driving rhythm, while the band members stretch out and deliver extended solos on guitar, pedal steel and keyboards. It is a touch of psychedelic country that goes a long way to confirming her creative muse and individuality. Since You Put Me Down and Four Years Of Chances give added weight to her blossoming talent and the hard struggle to make it as a musician of real value has been completely worth the time taken to get here.

A cover version of Proud Mary, the Creedence classic, is a tour de force and Hurtin' On The Bottle includes a segue into the Willie Nelson classic, Whiskey River, as she brings the set to a close with a great exit that sees her joining the audience to hand out red roses to the cheering fans.

We are then in the company of true Country royalty as Emmylou Harris takes the stage with an understated entrance and no lavish backdrop. She is the true queen of Country music and looks every bit a star as she walks her impressive band through a back catalogue that is packed with so many wonderful songs. The playing is sublime and the balance of sound is the best of the night by, excuse the pun, a Country Mile.

Phil Madeira (acoustic guitar, accordion & piano), Will Kimbrough (electric guitar), Bryan Owings (drums), Chris Donohue (bass) and Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle, mandolin) turn the night into something really special as the play off each other, around the melody and above the rhythm with understated class. Orphan Girl, Making Believe, Red Dirt Girl, Wheels, Michelangelo, Shores Of White Sand all show the pretenders to the crown just what it takes to become a true legend. Cover versions include Pancho & Lefty (Townes van Zandt), Get Up John (Bill Monroe), Have You Someone In Heaven Awaiting (The Stanley Brothers) and Old Five 'n' Dimers Like Me (Billy Joe Shaver). A song she notes that she now feels old enough to play.

Emmylou Harris performs with such sublime grace and honesty and Across The Great Divide and Boulder From Birmingham close the show in real style and this wonderful performance would have been better suited to an appropriate venue people could pay due respect and reverence.

Headlining act, Little Big Town, are clearly the key attraction that most people have been waiting for and they get a great welcome on taking the stage. However, the decision to start their set with Rocket Man (Elton John) is a strange one, even if it displays the excellent harmony singing that these four musicians have honed over many years of singing and performing together.

This band has paid their dues with many successful releases and a touring ethic that has seen them win increasing numbers of fans around the world. They have a commercial, radio friendly sound and favourites like Drivin' Around, Pontoon, Happy People, Front Porch Thing and Little White Church all come and go in a wave of positive affirmations and smiles from all concerned.

It's two years since the band played C2C and they are well up for this return visit. the backing musicians provide an impressive wall of sound for many tracks, over which the members of LIttle BIg Town sing solo slots and join together to harmonise superbly. But it is on the stripped down, acoustic part of the show where they show their true colours and deliver some real quality, with covers in tribute to recently passed legends Don Williams & Glen Campbell. they also play I'm With The Band which includes a section of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. The line "I was born with a suitcase in my hand" is very appropriate as it sums up the life of the nomadic musician where despite all their recent commercial success, this band revisit their origins in impressive style. The rest of the show is taken up with a series of further hit songs including Tornado, Day Drinking and Girl Crush. It is all delivered with a style that may stray from strict Country roots but is well embraced and received all the same.

Sunday

The final night of the weekend and proceedings kick off with Brett Young, a Country Pop singer who comes from California and has an engaging stage presence, which proves to be very popular with the younger members of the crowd. A baseball cap and a winning smile go a long way and this singer has an excellent voice to go with the image. His debut album is featured with songs like Mercy, In Case You Didn’t Know, Like I Loved You and his breakthrough single, Sleep Without You, featured in a snappy set that is very well received.

Old Dominion is a 5-piece band from Nashville and they deliver a rousing set that really lifts the crowd with a sound that is very much contemporary country with strong rock leanings and some hip-hop elements. Matthew Ramsey (lead vocals) is a very confident and personable front-man and Trevor Rosen (guitar, keyboards), Whit Sellers (drums), Geoff Sprung (bass guitar), and Brad Tursi (guitar) play with a fervour and drive that wins many friends. The guitar work of Tursi is especially strong and worthy of special mention.

With two albums and a growing reputation they play, among others, Break Up with Him, No Such Thing As A Broken Heart, Song for Another Time, Nowhere Fast, Wrong Turns, Hotel Key, Be With Me and Written in the Sand. Tight band sound, strong players, a good sense for a clever lyric and a bright future.

Kelsea Ballerini is a 24-year-old artist who has been getting great success Stateside. With two releases she has a confidence that is clear as she works hard to get the crowd on her side. Her pleasant personality helps her grow into the performance and her songs - Love Me Like You Mean It, Yeah Boy, Unapologetically, Miss Me More, Get Over Yourself, I Hate Love Songs, Legends and In Between are all examples of a Country Pop sound that will bring her increasing admirers for what she does. Influences such as Britney Spears, Taylor Swift and perhaps, The Dixie Chicks run through these arrangements and her voice is powerful enough to drive her 4-piece band and to also sing some solo acoustic numbers which endear her to the crowd.

Faith Hill & Tim McGraw are the headline act chosen to close C2C this year and given their place as Country music’s President and First Lady, it is a fitting honour. They have been dominating the Country music charts since the early 1990s and their Soul2Soul tour has proven to be the most attended tour in any musical genre and the highest grossing American tour in country music history.

Faith Hill is one of the top-selling and most-awarded female artists of all time and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Tim McGraw has sold more than 50 million records and dominated Country charts with 43 number one singles worldwide. Their appearance at C2C is in support of their first ever album together, The Rest of Our Life, and they arrive with a 10-piece band, a huge stage production and an incredible visual spectacle. The capacity crowd is really excited as the stage clock counts down the seconds and then, suddenly, we are in the presence of husband and wife duo Tim & Faith who open with a full-on version of the I Knew You Were Waiting (Aretha Franklin/George Michael). The pacing of the show is brilliantly planned with the couple singing seven numbers together in a tour de force of vocal power and sweet harmonies. This section of the show includes excellent new song Break First, plus old favourites The Way You Love Me, Like We Never Loved At All and The Lucky One.

Faith Hill takes the next part of the performance and delivers a set of six songs that are simply breath-taking and spine-tingling in performance. Her vocal range and incredible delivery are something to witness in a live setting and Free, This Kiss, Breathe, Wild One, Stronger (stunning & soulful) and Piece Of My Heart (Janis Joplin) are given everything by this superbly gifted singer. The applause that rings around the arena is prolonged and deserved as she welcomes back her husband to join her on a great rendition of Angry All The Time.

Tim McGraw then takes his solo section and performs a selection of songs, including One Of These Nights, Real Good Man and Shotgun Rider, ending with a terrific performance of the standout, Humble & Kind. It is at this point that the stage goes dark and everyone is expecting the next part of the show to reunite both artists for a storming finale. However, the darkness on stage is replaced by torchlights as stage hands rush to respond to a loud bang as a microphone falls to the floor. It emerges that Tim has become faint and has fallen to his knees while trying to walk off stage. There is a prolonged break while the audience awaits news of events and most expect the show to continue.

Sadly, this is not to be and Faith returns to the stage surrounded by the full band and announces that Tim is severely dehydrated and will not be able to continue with the performance. She speaks of the rigours of a hectic touring schedule and apologises to everyone while promising to return to Dublin in the future. The audience is generous in their support and applause rings around the venue as people mask their disappointment over not being able to witness the concluding part of what has been a very enjoyable and impressive concert. There is a reason why Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have attained their status and the talent and passion is evident tonight for all to see. They played 17 songs over 100 minutes, more than enough to have left everyone satisfied and it is a tribute to their enduring skill as performers that we all just secretly wanted a little bit more. 

The cynics among us may find the premise of their show just a little too cloying and adolescent with all the lingering smiles and gentle caresses, especially in front of thousands of people; but that would be entirely missing the point. They carry it all off with such gentle ease and aplomb and it is hardly smething that you could fake in front of so many fans on a regular basis. They perform in an honest and openly sincere way and appear very much in love and in the moment.

A great spectacle, backed by a superbly rehearsed and talented group of musicians. Hopefully Tim recovers well and cuts back on his punishing exercise regime which cannot be healthy when visiting three countries within 72 hours. Until the next time ... and hopefully there will be a next time!

Country 2 Country - Dublin 3Arena - March 9th to March 11th 2018.

Weekend review written by Paul McGee  Photography by Ronnie Norton

Marlon Williams @ Whelan’s 24th February 2018

The first thing that's noticeable about Marlon Williams as he arrives on stage this evening to a packed Whelans is how tall he is. Decked out in narrow legged trousers that barely reach his ankles, white socks, black Dr. Martens shoes and a tight fitting brown shirt, his fashion sense is very much the early 70's suede head look. It's his third occasion to play Whelans and with his smooth plush vocals and crack band he doesn’t put a foot wrong from start to finish of his ninety-minute set. A chorister in his childhood before discovering Hank Williams and taking a fancy to all things honky tonk, it's difficult to characterise his music, though he seems content to be placed in the Americana pigeon hole at present.

His second album Make Way For Love was released only last month. Inspired by his breakup with Australian artist Aldous Harding late last year, it is ‘heart on the sleeve’ material from start to finish and even includes a co-write by the 27-year-old New Zealander with his former partner. It’s also an exceptionally strong album and it features in the main this evening, in a setlist that also dips into his debut self-titled album from 2016, together with a couple of interesting covers.

On stage Williams moves between guitars, keyboards, accompanied by his band Yarra Benders, whose members are Gus Agars (drums), Dave Khan (guitar, keyboards, electric violin) and Ben Wooley (bass, vocals). Collectively they manage to create an orchestral effect by times, replicating William’s studio sound to absolute perfection, their backing vocals and harmonies where relevant being particularly notable.

The tear jerker Can I Call You, with its deft call and response vocals between Williams and Wooley, works wonderfully. Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore (the Aldous Harding co-write), Make Way For Love and Love’s A Terrible Thing, all from his latest album, feature Dave Khan adding atmospheric violin to Williams silky vocals. Also performed from the album are the set opener Come To Me, Beautiful Dress, I Didn’t Make A Plan and What’s Chasing You.

What is refreshing about the material is the lack of anger in the songs given their backdrop. They’re confessional, aching, questioning and heart wrenching and delivered so passionately by Williams and his colleagues. The powerful lines from Love’s A Terrible Thing ("People tell me, boy, you dodged a bullet. But if only it had hit me, the I’d know the peace it brings") best sums up the heartache that motivated the material on the album.

A cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy follows a similar ‘lost love’ theme but despite the melancholy subject matter the performance throughout is upbeat and delivered by an artist quite obviously enjoying himself as much as the few hundred punters. Given that the newer material may not be familiar to many in attendance, its no surprise that the biggest cheers of the evening follow the two stand out tracks from his debut album, I’m Lost Without You and Dark Child. You might not expect an Olivia Newton John song to feature but William’s finale is the Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten written Carried Away, immortalised by the Australian singer in the early 80’s and like everything else concerning tonight’s show, it works a treat.  

No doubt Make Way For Love, as it gains further exposure in the coming months, will be a strong candidate for album of 2018 for many and judging by the reaction of those lucky enough to attend this evening this show should also be a contender for gig of the year. Wonderful stuff indeed!

Review and photographs by Declan Culliton

Anna Mitchell @ Whelan’s - 16th February 2018

What a difference a few years can make. Almost three years ago to the day Anna Mitchell launched her debut album in a small room upstairs at The Workman’s Club to a modest attendance. Fast forward three years and Mitchell and her band are launching a new album and selling out gigs on her mini-tour in support of this excellent newly released self-titled album.

Tonight’s well attended gig Upstairs in Whelan’s features two support acts, Harrisburg Pennsylvania indie folk singer Marie Danielle and the Cork based Patrick Freeman Band, who also feature on stage with Mitchell. Both perform really impressive sets before Mitchell and her four piece band – Brian Hassey on bass, Patrick Freeman and Alan Comerford on guitar and Fionn Hennessy Hayes on drums - take the stage. Mitchell is positioned centre stage behind her characteristic Nordpiano 2 keyboard. Kicking off her set with the closing track on the new album Come Home it's instantly noticeable how far she's progressed in those short few years since her debut album launch.

What is particularly impressive with Anna Mitchell Mark 2 is the mix of her trade mark ballads with more aggressive full on material and this evenings offers the perfect mix of both. Aided in no small measure by the strength of the material from her new album and by a super tight band, her self-assured stage presence combined with her honey sweet vocals wins the audience over from the word go. Never Learn, All These Things, Radio Waves, Get Out from the latest album all feature alongside Better Life, a song which particularly showcases her wonderful vocal range. The Sarah Siskind song Lovins For Fools – also from her current album -is one of four covers featured in the set alongside The Carpenter’s Superstar, Mary by Big Thief and the Jefferson Airplane classic White Rabbit.  She revisits her debut album Down To The Bone by performing both What’s A Fool To Do and When My Ship Comes In but the biggest cheers of the evening follow her delivery of her latest single It Pours and the raucous/care free set closer Dog Track.

Mitchell always had the vocals and the talent, she's now got the songs, band, work ethic and most importantly the confidence that has seen her grow from a young lady with tremendous potential to the finished article. Get the album and get to see her live, it’s most unlikely she’ll be playing venues this size for much longer.

Review and photograph by Declan Culliton

The Mavericks @ Vicar Street, Dublin - Wednesday 7th Feb 2018

Returning in triumph to the venue they played a couple of years back (a somewhat less than successful visit at that time) The Mavericks again re affirmed their status as one of the world’s best live bands. The band came onstage to a suitable musical introduction that sets the tone for the following performance. Much of the material was taken from their most recent albums Brand New Day, Mono and In Time. There were a few back-catalogue numbers during the set as this version of the band largely rely on the material they recorded since reforming in 2012. Songs from their earlier phase are largely unknow to their current US audience, a predominantly younger demographic than the UK it would seem. Over here it is more likely to be the opposite with the pinnacle of their recognition being the big hit single Dance The Night Away (taken from their 1998 album Trampoline).

Many of the songs tonight also featured in their live album All Night Live from a couple of years back. That album and this show highlights the Cuban, Mexican, Ska, Roots and Rock elements of their music all underpinned by the powerhouse drumming of Paul Deakin. The band played Bruce Springsteen’s All That Heaven Will Allow and Neil Young’s Harvest Moon alongside their own inventive and inviting material written, in the main, by Raul Malo solo or as a co-writer. A rarely played song included in the early part of the show and one much appreciated by this writer was the early CMT favourite What A Crying Shame. It was a point of recognition for many in the audience, one that remind them how much they appreciated the band’s varied musical career.

Aside from the lead vocals of Malo which were, and have always been, a stand-out of their shows it was the combined talent on display that struck home time and time again. The twin guitars of Eddie Perez and Malo duelled throughout the even and often added a hard edge to the sound. Also crucial is the keyboard playing of Jerry Dale McFadden who also brings moments of levity with his onstage dancing and corralling the audience to clap in time. Add to that the undeniable contribution made from long-time live accompanists Michael Guerra on accordion and acoustic guitar, Max Abrams on saxophone and Ed Frieland on upright and electric bass. They were joined on this tour by Cuban trumpet player Julio Diaz. All got their turn in the spotlight and on the stage. The interaction between all of the players allowed then to extend and jam on the songs to bring the best out of them and for everyone the obvious enjoyment they got playing together. 

It was only after the tenth song that Malo addressed the audience and he did so by referring to the current state of division and disunity in America. Stating how important it was that everyone “ keep the conversation going.” He also addressed gun violence in the States and specifically the recent massacre at a show in Las Vegas. He dedicated the next song to the victims of all such mindless violence with a passionate and heartfelt version of the Bee Gees song How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? For the encore Malo returned to the stage and sang two songs accompanied by his acoustic guitar and both of these showed just what a powerful instrument his voice is. The first song was agin another pointed assessment of the current political turmoil that exists in America with Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A Changing followed by the hopeful message of the title song Brand New Day from their last album.

The band rejoined him then for the final set of songs that was extended due to the fact that all were having a good time here tonight. There was a high-octane version of Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell followed by an all-action, full on All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down to round off an exciting evening. The Mavericks were without doubt on top of their game and showed themselves capable of playing whatever music they cared to perform but that their Latin-tinged Americana is unique to them.Everyone went away tonight in the knowledge that they had witnessed something rather special.

Review by Stephen Rapid  Photograph by Kaethe Burt-O'Dea