Charley Crockett @ The Button Factory, Dublin 5th September 2023

The expectation around the return visit of Charley Crockett is palpable tonight at The Button Factory, evidenced by the size of the crowd in the venue long before the start time. The support act for Crockett’s Europe and UK tour is Oxfordshire-born Ags Connolly, an artist very much championed by us all at Lonesome Highway for a number of years. Connolly, as is the case with Charley Crockett, was hugely inspired by the music of the late James ‘Slim’ Hand and it is little surprise that he includes I Saw James Hand in his thirty-minute set. He draws mainly on material from his most recent album, SIEMPRE, which he explains is more ‘Texas Border’ than his earlier career ‘Honky Tonk’ sound. His booming baritone vocal reaches every corner of the room on Heading South and Overwhelmed from that album and he also includes what he describes, tongue in cheek, as his ‘feelgood number’ I Hope You’re Unhappy.

Texan Charley Crockett’s parting words as he left the stage to rapturous applause at The Workman’s Club in Dublin last October were ‘My first time in Ireland y’all, but believe me, we’re coming back.’

True to his words, Crockett and his five-piece band, The Blue Drifters, are back in town and this time for another sell-out show, but at a much larger venue. The age demographic at the show is also a pointer toward an artist whose sound - christened by him as Gulf and Western - has an equal appeal to all ages. That sound seamlessly blends traditional country, blues, gospel, and rockabilly, and his setlist draws mainly from his more recent albums, THE MAN FROM WACO, MUSIC CITY USA, WELCOME TO HARD TIMES, and 10 FOR SLIM - CHARLEY CROCKETT SINGS JAMES HAND.

The Blue Drifters, decked out in matching black western shirts tonight, have been Crockett’s backing band for a number of years and it’s no surprise that they are on fire tonight. The stage is brimming with instruments including acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, pedal steel, upright and electric bass guitars, drums, trumpet, keys and accordion, with Kullen Fox taking on the role of bandleader, playing keyboards, trumpet and accordion.

The set is packed with crowd pleasers, from the opener, Run Horse Run, to the pre-encore closer, I’m Just a Clown. Music City USA, The Man From Waco, Odessa, and Trinity River are highlights and in the heat of the moment Crockett, mid-song, manages to forget the lyrics of the encore, a sweet version of Crystal Gayle’s Crystal Chandeliers.

‘They call me ‘country’ now, but I was ‘folk’ when I was a hobo playing street corners, and I’m going to be ‘blues’ right now,’ he announces, before launching into a ripping take of T-Bone Walker’s Travelin’ Blues. Other covers that get aired are a trio of James Hand songs, Midnight Run, Lesson in Depression and Don’t Tell Me That and he takes a trip down memory lane and back to the 60s with an up-tempo rendition of Buck Owens’ Act Naturally, and Jerry Reed’s I Feel For You.

Switching from acoustic guitar to banjo, and banjo to electric guitar, and with dance moves that include hip-swinging, pelvis shaking, and sliding across the stage, Crockett is the quintessential showman. But it’s the quality of his vocals, the stellar players around him and the pure energy and soulfulness that they collectively generate, that capture and hold the attention of everyone lucky enough to have attended a memorable performance.

Review by Declan Culliton Photography by Kaethe Burt O’Dea

The Caleb & Reeb Country Band @ The Red Room, Co Tyrone - Sep 5, 2023

The hospitable Sharon & Arnie Loughrin began to open their home, in rural Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland, for bluegrass house concerts several years ago. Since then, the venture has grown to become a well known and popular venue for roots music, particularly featuring bands from the USA, and is a ‘home from home’ for many of them. Arnie’s versatility and hard work has resulted in the building of a spectacular venue in the form of a rustic red brick barn which seats 80, complete with an open turf fire, decorated with quirky farm implements and found objects, and completed with Sharon’s famed quilts. And so, it was a pleasure for Lonesome Highway to return to the Red Room for the much anticipated first Irish tour of the Caleb & Reeb Country Band with their full line up. It’s expensive to put a big band like this on the road, especially when they have to travel from the US, so hats off to promoter Uri Kohen for pulling it all together. Principal songwriter and co-band leader Caleb Klauder is, of course, very familiar to Irish audiences, having first visited here over twenty years ago with his then fledgling Foghorn String Band. It feels like he has returned every year since then, either with various iterations of the Foghorns, or with his partner Reeb Willms. Americana and bluegrass bassist and producer, Nashville based Mike Bub was on his first visit to the lovely Red Room. They were also joined by Louisiana music royalty in the form of fiddler Joel Savoy, from the famous Savoy Family Band. On snare drum was Michael Carroll from California, and the line up was completed by Portland, Oregon’s Rusty Blake on his Sho-Bud pedal steel and Telecaster.

The very tight band (all real pros but also all very familiar with each other) put on a dream of a show with a selection of old fashioned country songs, many penned by Caleb, but all sounding like they could have originated from any part of the last century. As well as being an all round great human being, Caleb is proficient on mandolin and acoustic guitar and is a very prolific songwriter. In the first half of the show we were treated to new songs like Too Far Gone and Gold In Your Pocket, whetting our appetite for the imminent new record. Reeb Willms took lead vocals and guitar for her own compositions, the lovely cowgirl song High Desert Plain and another Western themed one, The Montana Cowboy. They launched into duets on two Buck Owens numbers, the deliciously slow It Don’t Show On Me and then There Goes My Love. Caleb gave us the moving background to the recent passing of his ‘second father’, Duff, and sang the affectionate tribute to him that he has recorded for the next album. He’s Gone Where He’s Never Been Before refers to Duff as ‘a legend that needed no folklore’. Reeb and Caleb’s voices meld together beautifully for a cover of the George Jones & Melba Montgomery hit Please Be My Love, and after another of Caleb’s timeless love songs, Can I Go Home With You, we all take a break for the obligatory tea and buns and chat in the kitchen.

Herded back to the barn by the clang of Arnie’s bell, we were treated to another equally fun set for the second half. Highlights included Reeb’s rendition of the gentle, slow, romantic, cowboy ballad The Faraway Skies, which they dedicated to the much missed Brian Crawford, a friend to all in bluegrass and a fixture at The Red Room. Mike Bub stepped up to the mic with his bass and went down a bomb with his rendition of Jimmy Martin’s I Got My Future On Ice. Rusty Knox treated us to his pedal steel instrumental Freckles, which allowed room for a fiddle break from Joel Savoy. There were more new songs from Caleb, including the fiddle-led Chained By Desire, Shame Shame Shame and the duet Sad Songs. The encore started with Caleb’s solo cover of Norman Blake’s Billy Gray, then eager audience participation in the a capella Surrounded By Love, and finally another new Louisiana-influenced dance song, New Shoes.

It was just a pity there wasn’t room to dance … that’s Arnie’s next project?

Review and photogrphy by Eilís Boland

Eddi Reader & The Alan Kelly Gang @ Ratoath, Co Meath - Sat 2nd Sept 2023

This concert marked a welcome return for Eddi Reader and the Alan Kelly Gang to a very popular venue that had hosted the musicians on previous occasions over the years. It was prior to Covid when the band last came through town and tonight they were intent on making up for lost time with a rousing and uplifting performance that had the capacity crowd delighted with the music and the craic.

Eddi was in fine voice as always, and you can never tire of hearing her sing. Her vocal range was as powerful as ever and the joy of being in the moment shone forth from her gypsy soul. Her wickedly playful sense of humour is never far away and the between-songs banter was always a tonic. Whether she was berating the Irish people for stealing the Book of Kells from the Scottish , with the help of the Vikings, or acting out the part of her Mother back in childhood memories, Eddi commited to the performance with everything that she had in her vagabond heart.

Alan Kelly has been a household name in Irish traditional music circles for over 20 years now and his piano accordion expertise is right up there with the finest musicians that Ireland has produced. His band comprises Sligo guitarist Shane McGowan, singer and flautist Steph Geremia, and Jim Higgins on percussion. Eddi is joined by her husband John Douglas on guitar and vocals and they have been a couple since their marriage back in 2013. He has written songs for Eddi’s solo albums, including  the SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS project that earned her an MBE back in 2006. Tonight, John opened the show with a short solo set that included songs from his new album and cover versions of songs by Prefab Sprout (We Let the Stars Go) and Van Morrison (Across the Bridge Where Angels Dwell), with Eddi on harmony vocals for the latter number.

Highlights of the main performance included songs from across Eddi’s back catalogue with Find My Love, Vagabonds, Ay Fond Kiss and Dragonflies (dedicated to Sinead O’Connor) particular highlights. Edie also sang a wonderful version of Mona Lisa in honour of her Mother and the parties that used to take place in their council house back in old Glasgow. Eddi used her Scots brogue throughout and was never short of a skip and a sway in tune with the superb music that the band delivered.

Alan played a series of jigs and reels at certain stages of the song set and the virtuoso musicianship of the band members was both exciting and impressive. Steph played beautifully on flute and whistle in addition to singing with a sweetly toned vocal on songs Navigator (a Pogues song), Get Up Jack, John Sit Down and on the encore, The Garden. An accomplished performer and a fine harmony foil for Eddi in her songs. The guitars of both Shane McGowan and John Douglas were always inventive and the way in which they dove tail around the various rhythms was always engaging. On percussion Jim Higgins provided the engine room and never dropped a beat as he drove the tempo of the songs forward.

Two songs from Alan’s repertoire included the Shetland Sky and the Oblique Jig, while Eddi dipped into the CAVALIER album to pick out stirring versions of Maiden’s Lament and Meg O’ The Glen which finished with some intricate jamming among the players.  Pangur Bán and the Primrose Lass was laced with fun performances and an addictive melody, while Your Welcome Willie Stewart  was another encore tune that had the audience clapping and shouting along to the celebratory chorus.

It was a night to remember and a real triumph for the superb Venue Theatre, nestled in the heart of Ratoath village and providing a consistently high level of variety and entertainment to the local community.  

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Sylvie @ Whelan’s, Dublin - Saturday 26th August 2023

Ben Schwab says that the band has been playing on the road for so long this year, that with only two dates remaining on the current tour he is really looking forward to drinking a few beers and meeting people at the merch desk tonight. Not that you could detect any signs of weariness or burn out in the performance of this very talented trio.

The band name is the creation of founder member Ben Schwab and it is in tribute to his father, John, who once stood on the verge of a record contract back in the 70s before it was all taken away from him. His father was part of the psych-folk band Mad Anthony, and a few years back, Ben discovered some old recordings in a box while cleaning out an old room. Ben decided to put the songs into a modern context and in addition he picked one of the cover versions, a song by Matthews Southern Comfort titled Sylvie, to include on his 2022 album of the same name. That album was a real treat in a year of great music releases and at just seven songs and twenty-eight minutes it remains one of my enduring memories of last year.

Tonight, performing with the talented Laura Jean Anderson on vocals and Keven Louis Lareau on guitar and vocals, Schwab delivers an hour of drop-dead gorgeous tunes, beautifully played and sung with the most sublime harmony vocals.  The short set is entirely satisfying and in no way something that disappoints the rapt audience that hang on every moment. Sometimes that old cliché ‘less is more’ actually makes sense and this was one of those nights. The guitar interplay is incredibly impressive as both Schwab and Lareau dove-tail around the melody and deliver harmony vocals that are very reminiscent of CSN and that old Laurel Canyon vibe that created such timeless music. Anderson is such a beautiful singer and some of her moments are truly special as she elevates the songs to new heights with her vocal warmth and quiet power. At times if one closes their eyes, echoes of Linda Ronstadt spring to mind in the phrasing and tone of her voice.

Most of the songs from last year’s album are played with, Further Down the Road Rosaline, Stealing Time and Falls On Me all building a beautiful atmosphere in the room. The song Sylvie is itself a standout with the understated playing just perfectly judged as Schwab takes lead and Lareau threads rhythm through the wrap-around vocals. The band try out a new song, as yet untitled, and an older song Rina is included as a cover of an original Mad Anthony track. Two other cover songs are performed and the Beatles song Blackbird and the Buffalo Springfield song Flying On The Ground Is Wrong are interpreted with great originally, making them instantly recognisable and yet very much in the fashion of the unique Sylvie sound.

Schwab promises a return visit with a bigger band and I can only put you on notice as the prospect of adding pedal steel and keyboards to this sublime music is simply mouthwatering. The song Are You Coming? opened the show as an invite for the audience to join Sylvie on the journey that was about to unfold – I am so glad that I was along for the ride. Watch this space…

Review and photography by Paul McGee

The Indigo Girls @ NCH, Dublin - 17th August 2023

The last time that Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers touched down in Dublin was back in October 2019, six months prior to Ireland declaring a full lock-down due to the Covid virus. Now, four years on from the World pressing the pause-button on life as we knew it, the Indigo Girls are back in town as part of a short European tour in support of their 2020 release, LOOK LONG.

Traveling as a trio and playing a further six dates in England before a return to America, the addition of Lyris Hung on violin is an inspired choice in adding texture and warmth to the performance. Tonight the set list visits eleven albums in the back catalogue of this much loved and revered duo. Apart from live albums, solo projects, compilations, and political activism, Amy and Emily have released a total of fifteen studio recordings. It is a very rich legacy to their talents as performers and songwriters, and their willingness to put in the hard miles in touring over their thirty-six years on the road has resulted in a compelling live act of both finely-honed craft and a vibrancy in the playing. Their sound is joyous when the guitars are in full flow and those air-tight harmonies kick in. Adding the superbly lyrical contributions of Hung on violin provides a palette of extra colours to the already heady mix of their celebratory sound.

Tonight, as the wonderful songs come and go, it strikes me that one of the most challenging jobs in live touring is that of the guitar technician. The Girls change instruments on every song and the guitar roadie treads a regular path from stage left to deliver freshly tuned instruments in a flawless display of timely delivery. Playing without a rhythm section could be a challenge for many bands but not in the case of the Indigo Girls, who are their own engine room. The intensity in their playing is so impressive as the trio of musicians dove tail seamlessly in-and-out of their parts in the song arrangements.

The Indigo Girls have always addressed the issues of the day, never shirking the injustices that are apparent in their daily experience. Whether it’s gender-related, socially-motivated, or politically-driven, the duo has delivered songs of great empathy and insight when it comes to holding up a mirror to the feelings of their generation and beyond. Highlights tonight include old favourites Least Complicated, Power Of Two, The Wood Song, Galileo and the perennial encore, Closer To Fine, for which the girls are joined by Hothouse Flowers members Fiachna Ó Braonáin and Peter O’Toole. The new album features and included are the songs Howl At the Moon, Look Long, When We Were Writers and Shit Kickin.’ There are other songs that resonate, such as Fishtails, Dairy Queen, Yield, and Share the Moon and when Amy dedicates Go in honour of Sinéad O’Connor, the heart-felt tribute is greeted with lengthy applause. Lyris Hung also features with a superb violin solo that displays her incredible musicianship as she loops foot-pedal parts and phrases into a building sound that delivers a real tour-de-force.

One thing that takes away from the evening is the somewhat ‘formal’ surrounding of the NCH, leading to a restrained atmosphere between songs and the usually upbeat exchange of banter between audience and the band. Apart from the regular ‘thanks, y’all’ there is a lack of momentum building from one song to the next and this could have been due to the passage of time since the Girls were last in Dublin. Some requests were made for old songs that have not been rehearsed or reshaped by the Girls for this acoustic-based tour, but none of this seems to matter as everything draws to a conclusion and the crowd, eventually on their feet, sings along to the chorus of Closer To Fine. My particular favourite, Kid Fears, is not included tonight but one thing is for sure; there is no fear of  the Indigo Girls ever ceasing to be a much loved part of the musical tapestry of Irish people who recognise enduring talent when it presents itself. Hopefully this will not be their last visit.  

Review and phone photography by Paul McGee

Kieran Goss and Annie Kinsella @ Chandler’s House, Rathfriland -16th July 2023

Having been born and raised in Mayobridge, Co Down, a short distance of less than five miles away, it’s something of a surprise to learn that Kieran Goss has never played a concert in Rathfriland before now.  Local promoter Andy Peters has been a great asset to the town for many years past in bringing live music to the area and his more recent activities as a member of Rathfriland and District Regeneration Group, has seen an old bank building turned into a cultural centre which can host musical events, drama groups and a community cinema facility. The venue, Chandler’s House, has turned out to be a really superb space, both intimate and perfectly suited for the type of performance that Kieran Goss and his wife Annie Kinsella are renowned for delivering.

Tonight, to a capacity crowd, the two musicians provide a cosy atmosphere filled with endearing music and story telling that has the audience both laughing and singing along at various stages of the evening.  Kieran reveals that the most recent album, OH THE STARLINGS has been available since just before the pandemic but the opportunity to tour the songs was not possible until this year as a result of the lockdowns. Concentrating a good portion of the concert on this release and the batch of excellent songs, both Kieran and Annie blend seamlessly together on harmony vocals and engage the room with their obvious charm and witty communications. The show opens with We’ve Got Us and the atmosphere is instantly set among the hushed audience who instantly feel part of the performance. The title song of the new album follows and Oh the Starlings is a lovely reflection on nature and the birds that migrate to the West of Ireland every year.

Come Back Liza is a cover of a song written by Harry Belafonte who died in April last. The calypso swing of the song is joyful and the audience are invited to sing along to the chorus. Michael’s Orchard is written around a true story of a Dublin man who took to farming in Co Clare and defied all local expectations by succeeding in growing apple trees on barren lands. It’s a song written by renowned local songwriter Colum Sands. Kieran also looks to his back catalogue of songs that date back to his 1989 debut album and he performs Brand New Star in addition to other popular songs Out Of My Head and Reasons To Love (Heaven On Earth).

After a short interval, an instrumental called The Marble and the Glass highlights the excellent guitar skills of Kieran as he moves fluently and fluidly along the fretboard in a virtuoso display of fingerstyle excellence. There are cover versions of Crying In the Rain (Carole King/Howard Greenfield), dedicated to the memory of Don Everly who died in 2021, Feeling Groovy (Simon and Garfunkel) and the Four Tops classic Reach Out (I’ll Be There). New songs are also given an airing and the reaction is very positive to The Sunny Side Of Me, Silver Lining, and Stop Awhile, Stay Awhile. Another new song, dedicated to the family dog is preceded by a tale about touring schedules and having to leave their canine friend with a neighbour as The Beautiful Bluebell, You And Me recounts long walks by the sea and coming home to a warm and loving home. 

Another cover song Jewel Of The South (Rodney Crowell) is a highlight and delivered with due reverence; the sweet vocal delivery from Annie  both delicate and very captivating.  Other songs performed from the new album include the beautiful Hymn To Love, an adaptation of the WB Yeats poem, The Song Of Wandering Aengus, and the lullaby Time To Go Sleeping, which ends the show tonight.

The short Irish tour that is currently taking place is titled Home For the Summer and with Covid having cancelled 156 shows across 6 different countries for this couple in recent years, it’s really great to see Kieran and Annie returning again to live performance and bringing their obvious talents into the public domain again.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Steve Earle & Roseanne Reid @ Vicar Street, Dublin 29th June 2023

His beard may be greyer and his hair somewhat thinner, but Steve Earle’s performance this evening lived up to the standard of his many visits to Ireland over the past three decades. It’s the final date of his The Alone Again Tour and Earle is in sparkling form. His vocals, guitar, and mandolin work are outstanding, aided in no small measure by a sound engineer whose input results in a crystal-clear sound.

Earle’s choice of support act on the tour is the Edinburgh-born singer songwriter, Roseanne Reid. Her apprenticeship as a young artist learning her trade included attending Steve Earle’s Camp Copperhead songwriting workshop in Upstate New York in 2016. Their relationship developed from there, resulting in Earle sharing vocals on the song Sweet Annie, from Reid’s debut album TRAILS. The invitation to open for Earle on his current tour has given Reid the perfect opportunity to introduce her music, including material from her recently released album LAWSIDE, to a wide audience. The quietly spoken Reid takes full advantage tonight, playing material from both her latest album and debut record to a full house. Support slots can be challenging, but from her opening song, All I Need, she plays to pin-drop silence. Also included in her set are Couldn’t Wish More For You from her new album and I Love Her So from her debut album. Given the rapturous applause at the end of her thirty-minute set, Reid has undoubtedly won over a host of new admirers.

Earle’s setlist is a perfectly balanced selection of material from his two-dozen album back catalogue, alongside several poignant covers. He opens with Shane McGowan’s If I Should Fall From Grace With God (‘one of THE greatest songwriters, I’m singing this one because when he does no one can understand a fuckin’ word he’s saying’) and bookends the show one- and three-quarter hours and two dozen songs later with Jerusalem.  

Now She’s Gone is, tongue-in-cheek, dedicated to ‘what’s her name, wherever she is’ and is followed by Goodbye (‘same girl, different harmonica’). In conjunction with Earle’s good humour throughout are two emotionally charged songs that are performed back-to-back. Introducing Harlem River Blues, he tells of his ongoing anguish and devastation since the accidental death of his son Justin Townes, explaining that his tragic demise was a result of fentanyl-laced cocaine. Also recalled is the passing of Jerry Jeff Walker (‘one of my original teachers, alongside Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt’) with his inclusion of Mr. Bojangles, a song Earle tells us he has been playing since he was fourteen years old.  

Explaining the backstory to It’s About Blood, he speaks passionately about the twenty-nine lives lost on April 5, 2010, following an explosion at the Upper Branch coal mine in West Virginia. Other highlights include Guitar Town, The Devil’s Right Hand and Taneytown and the back-to-back raw blues of You’re The Best Lover I Ever Had and South Nashville Blues. Saving the best for last, he picks up the mandolin and finishes with crowd-pleasers Copperhead Road and Galway Girl, boasting that the latter will be his legacy after his day (‘even if people will probably think some Irish fucker wrote it’).  He encores with two songs, Billy Austin and the aforementioned Jerusalem, ending what has been a spectacular and memorable return to Ireland by one of our most cherished adopted sons. 

Review and photos by Declan Culliton

Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival 2023

The small team in Westport have pulled off yet another successful production, their seventeenth, to continue the high standards of what has been rightly declared as one of the top boutique festivals in Ireland. The weather this year certainly helped to show off this beautiful Mayo town at its best, while the programme was as good as ever.

Pulling off somewhat of a coup, the headlining act was The Kody Norris Show, direct from East Tennessee, currently one of the top bluegrass bands in the US. They certainly cut a dash around town all weekend, clearly loving every minute of their first visit to Ireland (and Europe) and making friends everywhere they went, in their coordinating outfits adorned with tassels & rhinestones. Not only were they dressed in homage to their bluegrass heroes, though, but they also have the musical chops to carry on the tradition. This they did with much humour and aplomb, their newly penned songs (mostly from the pen of Kody himself) demonstrating that they will progress the genre, as well as carry the torch for the traditional material. There has always been an emphasis on old time American (or mountain) music in this festival, and this year was no exception. One of the headliners for the Friday night Town Hall concert was the trio of Austin Derryberry (fiddle) and his wife Courtney (guitar and flatfooting) and Prof Greg Reish (guitar) who are well known exponents of this string band genre, that originated in the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly in the Appalachias. The other headliner that night was Bill & The Belles, a string band trio from Tennessee, who stretch the genre into more pop and jazz territory, much to the appreciation of the sold out venue.

One of the draws of this festival for music lovers is the ancillary programme that runs alongside the (mostly free) day and night time gigs in the pubs. Drawing on their experience of N American festivals, Uri, Tim and Freda have had the foresight to add workshops and allied events to the already extensive choice of gigs. This year included a Square Dance, with tuition for the uninitiated, the Gospel Hour on Sunday morning in the architecturally important Holy Trinity Church, the Red Room Mystery Gig, and two workshops on the Saturday afternoon. The aforementioned Prof Greg Reish, of the Centre for Popular Music in Middle Tennessee State University, is a musicologist and scholar as well as a musician, and gave a fascinating lecture about the restoration of the almost lost tapes of the hugely important old time fiddler, Ed Haley. Austin Derryberry followed this with a workshop on old time fiddle.

In addition to this, punters and musicians alike happily rubbed shoulders all weekend, including impromptu jams on the street and later sessions in the hotels until well into the night.

Sat night’s concert, MC’d expertly again by Kerry Fearon, opened with a too short set from Nashville’s Jacob Groopman & Melody Walker, formerly of Front Country. Melody has become known for her songwriting in particular, and gave her own take on songs that she co-wrote with Molly Tuttle for her Grammy winning album, The Crooked Tree. Fog Holler, another sartorially coordinated foursome, hailing from Portland, Oregon also proved popular tonight and over the weekend with their blend of original edgy bluegrass, their fiddler Lillian Sawyer being particularly impressive. Headliners were, of course, the unforgettable Kody Norris Show, demonstrating why they were voted Entertainer of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year at SPGMA this year.

Europe was represented, as always by the very accomplished and entertaining Rustic Robots (Czech Rep),  Lluis Gomez Bluegrass Quartet (Spain) and Lunch Special (UK). Unfortunately, Lonesome Highway couldn’t get around to seeing all of the acts, which also included the local Rocky Top Stringband, The Pond and the Demolition String Band (US) and Niamh Dunne (Irish folk).

The dates for next year have been announced (June 7-9, 2024) and accommodation books up very early, so put it in your diary and start planning now. You have been warned.

Report & photos by Eilís Boland

Lukas Nelson @ The Academy, Dublin - 23rd June 2023

What doesn’t fit into the header above is the rather lengthy name of the Lukas Nelson band, The Promise of the Real (POTR). Formed in 2008, after a random meeting at a Neil Young concert between Lukas and drummer Anthony LoGerfo, the tale of how the band name came about is very amusing; consisting of a post-concert party that included midnight surfing, a painful encounter with a sting ray, and listening to Young’s On the Beach album that has the track Walk On and the lines ‘sooner or later, it all gets real.’ Being the son of a Country music legend may get you a seat at some interesting tables but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you receive any return invites. You have to earn your own place in the music industry and there is an implied pressure just from the family background alone.

Lukas has been able to not only emerge from any potential shadow that is cast by his father but has walked down his own sunny path of success. His music can best be summed up as Country Soul although growing up with the early influences of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan has also coloured his song arrangements and the extended guitar dynamics that form such an integral part of his overall sound. Lukas Nelson is quite simply a superbly gifted guitarist and on many songs tonight he displays that sublime talent within the song structures that often extend into great band workouts across the five musicians on stage at the Academy.

This is a very impressive return to Dublin for Nelson and he certainly gives everything in a genuinely star-quality performance. His vocal tone is reminiscent of his father at times, especially on the slower numbers, and he can also channel Glen Campbell at other moments. Although there is a new album due shortly, called Sticks and Stones, the bulk of the setlist tonight is focused on the 2017 album, Promise of the Real. Several favourites are greeted by the enthusiastic crowd, with Four Letter Word, Die Alone and Fool Me Once turning up the intensity.  More reflective songs like Just Outside of Austin, Set Me Down On A Cloud and Forget About Georgia show off a more country side of his sound, while the standout rendition of Find Yourself is such a special moment with a powerful and soulful vocal performance added to by some dynamic guitar playing.

The show includes a solo slot from Nelson where he performs three songs on acoustic guitar, again demonstrating his impressive technique and tone on Consider It Heaven, The Breath Of My Baby and a beautifully delivered Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground a tribute to his father’s enduring legacy and a real highlight (plus my favourite Willie Nelson song). The funky side of the band is displayed on Carolina, a song that has an addictive groove, reminiscent of Little Feat, running through the rhythm. Throughout, the interplay between the musicians is superb to witness, the years of playing as an ensemble showcasing their consistently high standards. Lukas Nelson (guitar, vocals) is joined as always by Anthony LoGerfo (drums, percussion), Tato Melgar (percussion), Corey McCormick (bass, vocals), and Logan Metz (guitars, harmonica, keyboards, vocals).        

The upcoming album is featured with the title track Sticks and Stones kicking off proceedings, alongside Every Time I Drink, More Than Friends, Ladder Of Love and Alcohallelujah. These new songs all sound vibrant and alive, which bodes well for the ongoing success of this impressive artist. Encoring with a full-on workout, Something Real was a perfect way to celebrate the band in all their individual brilliance with a drumming and percussion onslaught that was reminiscent of a Santana showcase, added to by bass guitar and warm keyboard melody, before Nelson brings everything up a notch further in a climax that resembles a metal band in full flow. Exhilarating.

Lukas Nelson has real star quality, not only in his guitar playing and his impressive vocal range but also in his humility and the sense of integrity that he communicates in everything that he represents tonight. The promise of the real? The promise has more than been delivered upon and as a live performer, Lukas Nelson is at the top of his game.  

Review and photographs by Paul McGee 

Buddy Mondlock @ The Cherry Tree, Dublin - 17th June 2023

It is good to see the Cherry Tree open for live music events once again. During the two years of Covid lockdown, a lot of similar venues were forced to close their doors and many have never returned to the original activity that they once enjoyed. The upstairs room has been reshaped and the new stage is very impressive, giving an intimate setting and a reduced capacity of 50 guests.

Paul Lee is tonight’s promoter and it’s like stepping back in time to walk into the venue and to see his warm greeting. Paul has been a music promoter on the Dublin circuit for many years, operating in various venues from the Cobblestone to the DC Club in the city centre. He moved to the Cherry Tree in Walkinstown for a number of years also, before Covid forced live music to be consigned to a communal waiting room as we relied only on our memories of what attending an actual gig was like. Happily, those dark days are starting to be replaced by a return to the joys of live performance and the presence of Buddy Mondlock and Mike Lindauer is just the perfect answer for our yearning souls.

Buddy has been a frequent visitor to our shores and has always been given a warm welcome by a country that has the sense of the bard and the poet running through the very lifeblood of the people. His abilities as both a consummate wordsmith and a guitar player of great subtlety are evident to all who have followed his career. His observations of life and love are mixed with wry humour and a sense of understanding when looking at the fragility of us all. A Buddy Mondlock gig is all about community and a sharing of the moment; the power of communication and a sense of unison in being part of a greater whole.

Touring a new album, FILAMENT, sees Buddy joined by the always excellent Mike Lindauer on fretless 5-string bass. Mike is such a lyrical player, very intuitive and always serving the song with his sensitive progressions and warm tone. The repartee between the two old friends is clearly evident for all to see. They are so comfortable in each other’s presence and their musical interplay is seamless. The humour is never far from the surface either, as when Buddy quips that he doesn’t need a tuner for his guitar when he has Mike’s eyebrows as a guide.

The set list tonight is very generous and the two musicians deliver twenty-three songs in total. From the new album, Buddy features nine of the eleven songs and none are lacking in the high standards that he has set over a career of seven albums, many songs written and covered by the likes of Guy Clark, Janis Ian, Nanci Griffith, David Wilcox and the folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.  Highlights from the new album include The Woman In the Window and Come Back First. The former a song about regret, the road not taken and the price of love; the latter is an amusing look at relationships that don’t ever follow an easy path. Another song, Perfect, is dedicated to his wife Polly and recounts the story of how they came to Ireland and married on a beach near Clonakilty in West Cork.

Buddy also revisits his 1998 release, POETIC JUSTICE, and plays five songs from the album, with the sing-along No Choice being a particular favourite among the enthusiastic audience. New Jersey Sunset is another highlight with Mike really stretching out on his bass and delivering some jazz-infused melody lines – such a joy to witness.  A previous album release was THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (2007) and this also features with the superb song Mud (co-written with Guy Clark), joining fine renditions of Nobody Knows Nothing and the excellent encore of I Count You My Friend.

The set also includes songs from Buddy’s 1988 eponymous release and The Cats Of the Colosseum, Amsterdam and his most covered song, The Kid, are all performed with a freshness, as if they are brand new. Two more highlights on the night were Let Me Go and What Do I Know, both taken from THE MEMORY WALL (2013) album. Buddy references the title track of the new album as being a look at how the music business has ‘a way of consuming our pop stars.’ In a career that has straddled over three decades, the obvious talent of Buddy Mondlock continues to shine brightly and the respect in which he is held among his peers is clear evidence that we are blessed by his songwriting and his enthusiasm to keep turning up with a guitar in hand and a smile on his face.

Review by Paul McGee and photography by Vincent Lennon

Hibsen @ Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin - 9th June 2023

Tonight sees the realisation of a dream for both Gráinne Hunt and Jim Murphy. As co-writers of the recently recorded Hibsen album, this premiere launch is everything that both could have been hoping for. Their pairing at an online writing workshop over Covid lockdown has proven to be a match made in the ether as both artists found their collaboration in song to be a joyful and rewarding experience.

Deciding to interpret the fifteen short stories of James Joyce that feature in his 1914 Dubliners novel is a somewhat daunting task. The scale of Joyce’s reputation and writing can only set the most challenging demands of any such collaboration and task. Fortune favours the brave however and it is a testament to the creativity of both artists that the end results are very compelling and a magnificent achievement.

The performance tonight is part of this year’s Bloomsday Festival and with support from the Arts Council, the project is brought to fruition by the performance of all fifteen songs in the beautiful and serene surroundings of the Smock Alley Theatre. Dating back to 1662, when it opened as the Theatre Royal, the history of the venue has witnessed full houses, seven days a week; structural problems over time, intense rivalry from other Dublin theatres, and eventually closure. Recreated as a church in the 19th Century during penal times, the building endured until 2012 when it once again opened as a theatre. It is the perfect setting in which to enjoy the unveiling of this new musical work. Hunt and Murphy are joined by a string quartet which is comprised of the four musicians who also feature on the album; Gerald Peregrine (cello), Beth McNinch (viola), Lynda O’Connor (first violin), and Paul O’Hanlon (second violin).

The remaining musicians on the evening are all members of the Blue Fish Diamond group that was formed by Jim Murphy some years ago and consists of  Axel McDonald (electric guitars), Ronan Quinn (bass), Laura Ryder (keyboards), and Shay Sweeney (drums & percussion). Jim Murphy contributes vocals and plays a selection of three guitars on the night and Gráinne Hunt provides all lead vocals. She is the ideal focal point and first lady of song, with a very accomplished performance throughout, displaying an impressive vocal range and a lovely tone in her convincing delivery of the material.  

It is by no means an impediment if you have not read the original Joyce stories, as each song is brought to life by the colourful arrangements and melodies, together with the well-crafted lyrics. However, there is the added benefit of selected readings from the novel by Irish journalist Frank McNally as a point of reference every few songs. His spoken delivery adds context and augments the musicians’ interplay across the variety of short stories. Such is the quality of the songs that one finds an instant familiarity with the rhythms and the choruses, almost wanting to join with the performers in song as the fine arrangements play out.

Highlights include Two Gallants, The Boarding House, Clay, and Ivy Day In the Committee Room.  The players excel throughout with the string quartet elevating the songs and other musicians rising to the challenge of subtle and sensitive interpretation of the music. The interval break did nothing to interrupt the momentum of the evening and the easy flow of the music built throughout, culminating in a dynamic finalé with the wonderful song The Dead. The intensity of the performance bringing not only an emotional response from Gráinne Hunt but also a cathartic release from the enthusiastic audience that had loved every minute of the performance.

Review and photographs by Paul McGee

Bluegrass Omagh 2023

After somewhat of a ‘blip’ (shall we call it?) in 2022, this much loved event at the Ulster-American Folk Park returned in style on the May 26-29 Bank Holiday weekend. Despite being yet another victim of public funding cutbacks, Richard Hurst and his team in National Museums of Northern Ireland once again managed to put on a superb weekend of music and entertainment, helped by the sunny weather.

One of highlights for the music fan was the annual McConversation, which this year featured one of Ireland’s earliest purveyors of bluegrass, the venerable Niall Toner. His interviewer was the broadcaster and festival MC Frank Galligan, brought back by popular demand after being sorely missed in 2022. Niall regaled the audience with fascinating anecdotes from his long career in bluegrass and traditional country, including how he passed a cassette tape of one of his first compositions to the Nashville Bluegrass Band at this festival in the 90s and it ended up on one of their Grammy nominated albums, TWENTY YEAR BLUES, in 2004. That plea for peace, There’s a Better Way, was performed, along with many more of Niall’s original compositions, by himself and his band at several performances over the weekend.

The American headliners this year were Zoe & Cloyd and The Honey Dewdrops from the US, and Viper Central from Canada. Clearly delighted to have finally made it here after the original 2020 booking was scuppered by the pandemic, Zoe & Cloyd (and band) brought their mix of bluegrass, klezmer and Americana to an enthusiastic audience. Promoting their new release, Songs of Our Grandfathers, Natalya Zoe Weinstein (fiddle) demonstrated her Jewish klezmer influences, while husband John Cloyd Miller (guitar) paid homage to his grandfather, pioneering bluegrass fiddler Jim Shumate, an original member of Bill Monroes’s Bluegrass Boys. The Honey Dewdrops (Virginia), comprising Laura Wortman (frailing banjo) and Kagey Parrish (guitar) were also on their first visit to N Ireland, and their beautiful blend of Americana/folk/bluegrass and original compositions were impressive. Back again after their 2017 appearance, Viper Central were stronger than ever. Their unusual rootsy sound, while bluegrass based, fuses jazz and folk influences into joyous uplifting performances, while they were bolstered by the addition of multi instrumentalist, Jack Garton, on trumpet and accordion! Europe was represented by the return of festival favourites, The Bluegrass Boogiemen (NL) and the equally entertaining Truffle Valley Boys, on their first visit from Italy. The latter are dedicated to paying homage to traditional early bluegrass, which they do with outstanding musicianship, sartorial style and with great humour.

Ireland was also represented by old favourites Woodbine, and newer favourites the Watery Hill Boys, the Broken String Boys, the local Knotty Pine String Band and the new combo, Henry (Janet and Colin). A rare treat was the appearance of Co Down’s Ian Alexander (formerly of Appalachian Strings), who impressed with his original compositions and covers, and his chops on mandolin and guitar.

Poignantly, there was recognition of those we have lost in recent years, particularly the beloved fiddler and all round character, Geordie McAdam, after whom there was a new event created, the Geordie McAdam Open Mic stage, which we hope will become a regular feature.

Debates over the timing of the event continue among the punters, with some favouring a return to the previous early September slot. Unfortunately, the current May dates fall very close to the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, which attracts a similar audience.

Sadly, Richard Hurst will retire soon and it remains to be seen how his legacy will be carried on. Regulars will be hoping for ‘more of the same’, in the hopes that this will continue its reputation as one of the best bluegrass festivals outside of the US. Long may it run.

Report and photographs by Eilís Boland

The Remedy Club @The Workman’s Club, Dublin - 28th May 2023

A new album launch party is always a very joyful occasion to attend. Coming together to celebrate all the hard work and long hours that go into making music and creating an album is really what it’s all about. The sharing of new songs and the fun in playing them to a live audience for the first time is not lost on any of the crowd who turn out in solid numbers to support the Remedy Club tonight. This is their third album release and the title of BACK TO YOU is appropriate, given all the inspiration and perspiration that has been expended by both Aileen and KJ. To have achieved three album releases is reason enough to celebrate in an industry famous for many bodies buried along the wayside.

Aileen Mythen and KJ McEvoy are the creative centre of the band and when they are not performing as a duo, they gather other musicians to help paint the song arrangements with intriguing colours and shapes. Tonight they have invited some stellar players to highlight their new songs and we are graced by the presence of Dave Murphy (pedal steel), Podge Kilbride (keyboards), Phil Gaynor (drums), Shane Fitzsimmons (bass), and co-producer on the album, Gavin Glass who joins the group on electric guitar for four numbers.

As always, Aileen delivers as a charming host and is a dynamic leading lady. Her voice is a beautiful instrument that she uses so well; the rich tones often building to a powerhouse delivery as she compliments the band in full flight. Aileen is always gracious in her praise of others and fulsome in her tributes to those who have helped the career of the Remedy Club. However, at its core, it is Aileen and her husband KJ who drive the entire enterprise; writing the songs, booking the gigs, balancing the books, and dealing with all the marketing and PR that a successful group requires these days in the crazy world of social media overkill.

KJ is such a superb guitarist and his lyrical playing style is delivered with such apparent ease. The reality of course is so different as the long hours of practice required to attain such a high standard can never be taken for granted. Tonight KJ looks very sharp indeed in his hat and waistcoat and is the perfect foil for Aileen as she drives the band's energy to deliver increasingly high-performance levels all round.

The new songs sound great in the setting of the Workmans Club. The rhythm section of Phil Gaynor and Shane Fitzsimmons is locked in tight to the groove and provide the power that drives the beat along, embellished by the creative runs of both Dave Murphy on pedal steel and Podge Kilbride on keyboards. It is the dynamic guitar of KJ that stands out of course and his interplay with Gavin Glass is also a highlight of the evening.

The new album has twelve new songs and tonight we are treated to live versions that really excite the enthusiastic audience. The album title and song Back To You is dedicated to Layla Kay, the daughter of Aileen and KJ and it is played again as part of the encore on the evening. Roll With It is a recent single and is delivered in real style, while the song It’s Alright is dedicated to the enduring memory of Gavin Ralston, a fellow musician and friend who died in 2019. The real highlight of the set is a quartet of songs that really build on the atmosphere and have people dancing along to Texas Sky, Boleyn’s Blues, Worthwhile and I’m Going Home.    

A very enjoyable night of great music, delivered with style, and a timely reminder of the great talent that we have in Dublin among our music community. Buy the album, you will not be disappointed. 

Review and photo by Paul McGee

Morgan Wade @ Whelan’s, Dublin - 24th May 2023

There can be no doubting the increasing buzz around the music of this upcoming artist. Ever since her album RECKLESS was released back in 2021, Morgan Wade has been growing her reputation with a strong touring ethic and an ability to capture the imagination of an audience who like authentic song writing and her open honesty in performance.

Tonight Whelan’s is packed with admiring fans and, on the last date of a short European tour, Wade is joined on guitar by Clint Wells, a Nashville based musician and producer who plays in her regular touring band. The stripped down nature of the performance is a perfect setting to gauge the talents of this artist; nowhere to hide in such an intimate venue; just two stools and three guitars placed centre stage, and an expectant crowd that dwell upon and sing every line of Wade’s songs.

The set is confined to twelve songs over a seventy minute performance focused heavily on the RECKLESS album, with nine songs taken from that very successful release; it was re-released in 2022 by Sony and featured a further six tracks not on the original Thirty Tigers release. Her vocal tone has great character and personality with an edge that reminds me at times of Amy Ray from the Indigo Girls. Wade certainly strikes an image of the single-minded rebel, someone who will not suffer fools and who has a clear idea as to where she is heading.

Her songs are mainly focused around relationships, usually at the point of breaking, or else viewed through the rear view mirror of reflection and lessons learned. Wade also sings about such issues as addiction and recovery, with an honesty that has brought her many accolades for her open approach. Her song, The Night, reflects on the topic of wellness with the lines “I won't shut my mouth, is it a rule down in the south, that you can't talk about your mental health.” She further explores the issue on the sister song The Night (Part Two), with the words “ I'm at war with myself, Battered and bruised from my mental health.” Such honesty in the face of ongoing temptation can only establish Wade as a strong role model for others of her generation who are facing up to inner challenges and decisions regarding life choices and the peer groups that they call friends.

Songs like Run, Last Cigarette, Matches and Metaphors, Mend and Take Me Away are all received with open arms by the audience and the atmosphere is one of communal celebration with the music. It is on the more reflective numbers, such as Don’t Cry and Met You where Wade soars and shows the talent that will continue to lift her above many of the other emerging singer songwriters who are building careers in what can be a very unforgiving industry. There is a new album due later this year but the only reference to this is the inclusion of new single Psychopath in the set. Wade also includes an older song Crossing State Lines which is very engaging. It first appeared on the 2018 release Morgan Wade and the Stepbrothers.

Wade strikes me as somewhat shy in the face of her admiring fans and her between song stories tend to focus around touring anecdotes and the banter with Clint Wells. There is no encore tonight which leaves many disappointed fans hoping that Wade might appear at the merch table where t-shirts are selling in healthy quantities. Despite the low key ending, tonight proves that we are in the presence of a real talent who will continue to forge her own path and build upon the instincts that have gotten her this far on her personal journey. 

Support act Kat Hasty played a short opening set and was well received by the audience. Her vocals were a little light in the mix and increasing crowd noise did her no favours, but she endured with songs like Where The Wildflowers Lay and Burn It Down hitting the mark with those who came to listen.

Review and photo by Paul McGee

Jerry Leger@The Court House, Bangor, Northern Ireland

Despite the disappointing turnout, Jerry Leger was nonplussed. It was the Canadian singer-songwriter’s second only visit to Ireland, and his first time in the newly opened, refurbished and repurposed Court House in Bangor. The Open House not-for-profit organisation has done a magnificent job in turning the defunct listed mid-Victorian bank (and later courthouse) building into a superb venue, comprising a bar and mid-sized gig room on the ground floor, and the spacious but cosy Drawing Room bar on the first floor, with views of Bangor marina and harbour from all the windows. Jerry happily took to the floor there, with the backdrop of the early summer sun setting behind him over the sea, and gave it his all, as is his reputation as a hard working touring artist, with or without his band.

He proceeded to treat the small audience to a selection of songs mainly from his two most recent albums - NOTHING PRESSING (2022) and TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW, his 2019 opus that was scuppered, along with so many other artists’ projects, by the pandemic. He mostly let the songs speak for themselves - well crafted numbers like Kill It With Kindness, Nothing Pressing and Recluse Revisions needed no explanation. Occasionally, we were treated to amusing anecdotes by way of introduction, like the fact that Dead Radio Stars was inspired by his father’s love of radio dramas while growing up in Newfoundland without a tv. There was a song from his 2008 album, which he described as his ‘Gordon Lightfoot’ phase, and he aptly dedicated it to the late singer-songwriter. A cover of Bowie’s Janine followed his endearing tale of how big an influence that icon was on him as a teenager, doing cover songs in a local coffee house. We were transported back to 2010 for Dreamer, Pretender, his girlfriend’s favourite song off the TRAVELING GREY record. Revealing that his songs are generally only partly autobiographical, he admitted that his girlfriend is referenced in The Great Unknown, ‘she’s got a lot of those records/you’ve been dying to hear’.

Almost two hours on, armed only with his vintage monogrammed acoustic Guild guitar, Leger encored with Jeff Tweedy’s You Are Not Alone, a song covered by Mavis Staples recently.

 Leger claimed that ‘he was giving it at least 86% tonight’. For the audience, many of whom were leaving as firm new fans, it felt like 186%.

Review and photo by Eilís Boland

Kilkenny Roots Festival

Seventh Heaven @ Kilkenny Roots Festival 2023

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, The Kilkenny Roots Festival once more lived up to its standing as the premier roots festival in Ireland. With a hybrid-genre line up that catered for all tastes, it was little surprise that the venues were teeming at the majority of both the ticketed acts and the free trail. It wasn’t possible for Lonesome Highway to get around The Marble City to see all the artists but here are seven that particularly hit our sweet spot.

1. Freeman’s Country Carvery @ Cleere’s

The Honky Tonkers from The Rebel County transformed the backroom at Cleere’s into a Robert’s Western World Nashville experience, with over two hours of classic country music. Joined by the sweet-voiced Anna Mitchell for a number of songs, the six-piece band is on a noble journey to keep real country music alive and kicking in Ireland.

2. Florence Dore @ Billy Byrne’s

Classy, sassy, and full-on, Florence Dore and her razor-sharp band of Mark Spencer on guitar, Jeff Rigby on drums and Bonnie Whitmore on bass, lived up to all expectations with a set that overflowed with positive energy and was laced with catchy hooks.

3. Kassi Valazza @ Kyteler’s

A laid-back set of cosmic Americana from Californian Kassi Valazza mainly featured material from her upcoming album KASSI VALAZZA KNOWS NOTHING. Her crystal-clear vocals and deft playing from her two-piece band were enthralling, rich and hypnotic.

4. Carson McHone @ Cleere’s

Playing to a pin-drop silent room, Austin’s Carson McHone accompanied by Shannon McGrath, performed material from her most recent album, STILL LIFE.  Carson’s crystalline vocals and slick guitar work presented the songs in a stripped- back and impassioned format, emphasising her elegant lyrical style.

5. Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection @ Ryan’s

The London-born and Nashville-based pedal steel supremo’s mesmerising set genre hopped between prog, folk and freeform instrumentals. Aided by guitarist Sean Thompson and ambient spiritual jazz player Rich Ruth, they cast their musical spell far and wide.

6. Chuck Prophet @ Kyteler’s

A much-loved and charismatic guitar slinger, Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express’ much-anticipated return to Kilkenny brought the Festival’s curtain down in fine style. Pumped up and enjoying every moment as much as the packed house, Chuck and his band sent us home sweating, with ringing ears, and grinning broadly.

7.     Fantastic Cat @ The Set

On their first visit to Ireland, Fantastic Cat wowed the late-night Set Theatre audience on Saturday night with their blend of high energy pop/rock/folk songs, performed with verve. Their individual songwriting talents merged superbly, along with their harmonies and truly staggering instrument swopping.

Photography and review by Declan Culliton and Eilís Boland

Blue Fish Diamond @ The Workman’s Cellar - 10th February 2023

It’s always of interest when a local band play in Dublin city and tonight the healthy crowd is a sure sign of the increasing popularity that Blue Fish Diamond is achieving. It’s always been a great city for ‘word-of-mouth,’ and the reaction from the room tonight was one of unreserved enthusiasm for the music.

Jim Murphy formed Blue Fish Diamond and their 2018 debut, FROM DARK TO LIGHT, launched them on the local scene as a band with plenty of musical talent and a shared vision in making a statement. The current six-piece includes Jim Murphy (acoustic/electric guitar/vocals), Axel McDonald (electric guitar), Laura Ryder (keyboards/piano), Shay Sweeney (drums/percussion), Ronan Quinn (bass) and Matilda O'Mahony (vocals).

Their sound is Inde-Folk with plenty of subtle interplay and sweet melody laced through the song arrangements. Jim Murphy takes on the lead vocal duties and his tone is clear and impressive. He reminds me at times of the superb Dave Cousins who fronted the Folk Rock band, The Strawbs, back in days of yore. Laura Ryder is a very gifted keyboard player and in addition to her fine display tonight, she also played as the support act, with her band called Laura Ryder Ampersand. They played as a four-piece with drums, bass and cello supporting the somewhat idiosyncratic songs and interesting lyrics of Laura.

The rhythm section is very strong and provides the basis for the other band members to play around the groove and tempo. Axel McDonald is a very talented lead guitarist with a lyrical playing style and a fine tone.

There are a number of new songs included in the set tonight and they will no doubt form part of the new album that is due to be recorded later this year. Highlighted are songs titled, Tonight, The 1980s, Universe, Radio Silence and Gracepark.  Other songs that featured were Stranger Things Have Happened, Servants To A Hand and Pretty Country Boy.

The band released a second album in 2021 called FROZEN STARS ON THE NIGHT and they feature a few of the songs in Sunshine In My Brain, and Morning Star. The debut album is also visited and Hey, Hey is a firm favourite along with the show opener Salvation Call and the encore of Time To Go which contains the immortal lines ‘ Everybody knows when it’s time to go, But we all want one for the road.’ Well, tonight we joined in the collective celebration of live music played with both energy and style.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Emily Scott Robinson / Violet Bell / Alisa Amador @ The Grand Social - 29th January 2023

Perhaps a Sunday night at the end of January is not the most sought after date in the calendar of live music events. However, if you were one of the lucky ones to have ventured out on this cold night, you certainly found a rewarding cure for those January blues.

Dublin provided the finishing post for a European tour that included dates at both the AmericanaFest UK in London, and an appearance at the legendary Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Touring with Emily Scott Robinson were the multi-talented Violet Bell, a duo based in North Carolina, and Alisa Amador a Boston artist who sang in both English and Spanish.

The concert was split into two separate halves, with both Violet Bell and Alisa Amador performing separate sets before an interval break, followed by Emily Scott Robinson who captivated the room with her considerable talent. Throughout the concert the performers called upon each other, in different combinations, to join in the performance of certain songs. This made for a very fluid and engaging dynamic as the pairings brought rich layers and subtle colour to the superb songs and their performance.

Alisa Amador took the first set and her easy stage presence had the audience on her side immediately. She has a winning personality and a natural charm. Her opening song, a cover version of the 1934 classic, PS I Love You (Jenkins/Mercer), highlighted a sweet jazz influence in the delivery. She also played a superbly seductive Bossa Nova song titled Slow Down, and sang in beautiful Spanish on other songs, Nada que ver, Milonga Accidental and Extrano – all highlighting her lovely pure vocal and deep connection with the music. Another song, Timing was played to great reaction and this is included on her 2021 EP, Narratives.

Violet Bell are from Chapel Hill in North Carolina and they are Lizzy Ross (vocals, guitar, banjo) and Omar Ruiz-Lopez (violin, guitar, banjo, mandolin). They first played together in 2016 on a live recording and subsequently released a number of excellent albums as well as becoming husband and wife. Their performance is beautifully timeless as they dovetail around the sweet song melodies and harmony vocals. The songs are focus on their latest release, Shapeshifter and include Meet Me In the Garden,  All the Stars, Fisherman’s Daughter and Junkie.  The album is based around the tale of the Selkie, mythological beings capable of changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. It is bound up in Celtic folklore and forms the basis for many old tales from the sea.  

Another song, I Can’t Say Nothing is powerfully affecting; a protest against the racial inequality that is all too prevalent in society. Their set is concluded by a rousing performance of House, a song that captures their spontaneous Folk Roots vibe to perfection. Lizzy has a very impressive vocal range with a lovely tone in her delivery. Omar is richly talented and comfortable on a range of instruments and sings so subtly in support of Lizzy throughout. A very impressive performance and one that was warmly received.

Emily Scott Robinson finds herself at a point in her career when her hard years of selfless touring are beginning to return a deserved dividend. A recording contract with Oh Boy Records was a big stepping stone and her wonderful song-writing gifts and keenly observational lyrical style has placed her in a position of deep respect among her peers. Her vocal tone is quite beautiful with a clear soprano voice that can send shivers down the spine at key moments in her delivery. Her set includes some of her fan favourites in Westward Bound, Things You Learn the Hard Way, Cheap Seats and the song that brought her to the attention of the Prine family and Oh Boy Records, The Time For Flowers. Emily’s latest project is a six-song EP titled Built On Bones. It is a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and it focuses on the magic and power of women in the guise of the three witches. The cycle of life, death and rebirth is visited and the witches are central in their roles as healers, seers and earth mothers. Tonight the four songs performed are Old Gods, Double Double, Sleep No More and the haunting Men and Moons. The harmony vocals of Emily, Alisa and Lizzy (as the witches), are completely captivating and complimented by the eloquent violin melodies of Omar.

Emily finishes her set with the superb Lost Woman’s Prayer, a celebration to the enduring power of female friendship and kindred spirit. The finale sees Emily joined by Omar on violin to perform Hymn For the Unholy a new song that is both moving and poignant. Another classic from the blossoming talent that continues to engage and inspire all who come together in admiration of her creative muse.

Tonight was all about community and the extended musical family. Even if the musicians have been surviving on a diet of “pure love, excitement and caffeine” while on tour, it proves to be a recipe that can be repeated the next time we are graced by such wonderful, uplifting evenings.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Lisa O'Neill @ NCH, Dublin - 26th November 2022.

The NCH has been a friend to Lisa over the years and she is fulsome in her praise of the venue and the support it provides for Irish artists. Tonight sees a performance that has Lisa inviting eight musicians to join her, in various combinations, over the course of two different sets. She starts off with her tribute to dockland workers, Rock the Machine, a song that is much loved by her fans and greeted with great enthusiasm as it sets the tone for the evening.

The stage area is decked with no less than nineteen separate lights, six of which are lit in old-school lampshades and the balance, a mix of LED bulbs. There are also a few chairs and a couch strategically placed to give the stage that feeling of being at home in your living room. It certainly adds real atmosphere to the homely feel and warmth of proceedings.

Lisa introduces performing artist  Kú (Kilian), at this early juncture and he performs a few songs on acoustic guitar, accompanied by Adam Holohan of Ispíni na hEireann, on banjo. Kú has a very traditional vocal style and delivers strong renditions of both Finnegan’s Wake and Murphy Can Never Go Home, in his set. He also plays a Christmas single that has just been released, titled Kú’s Khristmas and his set is very well received.

Next up to the microphone is the excellent Seamus Fogarty, home from his London base to lend his talents to the evening. He sings and plays with an easy confidence and includes well known favourites Carlow Town and Ghosts from his repertoire. A new song, Never Stopped Loving You (?), is also delivered before the audience is invited to break for an interval, have a drink and a visit to the merchandise stand in the foyer.

The second half of the show continues with Lisa introducing the superb Colm Mac Con Iomaire and he gives a virtuoso display of violin dynamics across a few tunes. Colm introduces his foot pedals and loops as ‘The Recession Quartet’ and they certainly serve him well in creating an impressive sound from which he can create additional melody and harmony parts on his violin. One musical piece is dedicated to the topic of the Israel/Palestinian crisis and the story of two fathers from opposite sides of the conflict who each lost a child to suicide bombers. Their joint efforts to broker peace from the tragic losses has also been the subject of a recent book written by Colum McCann, called Apeirogon. 

Lisa finally takes her place front and centre as the concert enters the final part of the evening. She highlights the new album that is due to be released early next year, All Of This Is Chance, and she previews a number of songs from the recording with Old Note, Birdie From Another Realm, Goodnight World and Silver Seed. Her banjo and guitar accompany her unique vocal style, and whether one finds her phrasing and delivery either full of authenticity or simply too earthy, there can be no doubting the depth of feeling that comes through in the performance. Lisa is very close to nature and sings of the magical qualities of rural Ireland, the silence and the joy of being close to the land and the deeply held conviction that there is a healing balm that surrounds us if we only take the time to let it in.

She visits previous albums with the songs Blackbird (2018) and Pot Hole In the Sky (2016), while her version of the Ivor Cutler song, Squeeze Bees, is  an interesting addition. Lisa also performs a very different version of the classic Come Back Paddy Reilly(Percy French), with the slow arrangement bringing out the poignant message in the lyrics.  If there is one observation to make, then the pacing of the show would have been more balanced with Lisa taking the central role sooner on the evening. While very generously giving time to her invited guests, she takes from her own performance dynamic and the sacrifice made by the inclusion of such diverse artists moves some of the focus away from her own talents.

Lisa has the backing of the very talented Joe Doyle on upright bass, a very lyrical player, and a number of other musicians also sit in on different tunes, with some of the names escaping me in the introductions. There is accordion added during Seamus Fogarty’s set and keyboards play along with Lisa – both talented individuals, with percussion on one song provided by one of her brothers. We are also treated to the wonderful whistling technique of Larry Beau on a few songs and he was a joy to behold as he dovetails and soars on the melody.

Lisa brings the night to a close with her wonderful interpretation of the Bob Dylan song, All the Tired Horses. She was asked to record this song for the final episode of the classic Peaky Blinders tv show which ended earlier this year and her dramatic performance is filled with rueful regret and passionate conviction. Such an entertaining night, from many aspects, and one where the very warm and engaging personality of Lisa shines brightly for all to enjoy.    

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Cowboy Junkies @ National Concert Hall - Dublin, 17th November 2022

Over a career that has spanned thirty-six years, you may be excused in thinking that the assembled musicians are treading water to a certain extent at this stage.

Happily, such assumptions are completely groundless and the finely honed talents of these five players are clearly at the peak of their collective powers if tonight’s concert is typical of their performance dynamic. The beautiful surroundings of the National Concert Hall provide the perfect location for a band who themselves are both elegant and ageless. Siblings Margo, Michael and Peter Timmons are joined (as always) by founder member Alan Anton and  multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird, who has performed on almost every album the band has released.

It's a huge testament to their enduring popularity and talent that the band has continued over all this time to forge a singular path through the shark infested waters of the music business and has been releasing albums on their own label, Latent Records, for many years now. Their discography of both studio and live recordings is one that sets the highest standards and there are many compilations also released that bear witness to their legacy.

Tonight, Margo is very enthusiastic about performing in a live setting, post-Covid, and mentions all the challenges that everyone has faced during the two ‘lost years’ of the pandemic. It has been a time for reflection and for also acknowledging the role that we all play in each other’s lives. Margo has always ensured that both the band and the extended family maintained a strong work–life balance and this fiercely held independence that Cowboy Junkies protect, stands as a beacon to every other band who look to follow in their footsteps.

The night is broken into two sets, the first of which is shorter, containing seven songs, and the band perform for close to three hours, including the interval. Margo talks about the fact that they are here to sell albums, and there is a focus on the new release, SONGS OF THE RECOLLECTION,  a collection of nine cover songs that have meant something to the band over the years. Cowboy Junkies has always performed cover songs, right back to their breakout album from 1988, THE TRINITY SESSION. However, the band just doesn’t faithfully follow the original song versions instead they interpret them in a fashion that instantly places the unique sound and stamp of the Cowboy Junkies arrangements on them.

The latest release includes artists as diverse as Bob Dylan and The Cure, balancing them with others like David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and Neil Young. The first set tonight included three of these cover songs, interspersed with three originals. They opened with the Bowie classic, Five Years, which they put their own magical slant upon while also sticking closely to the original. The early inclusion of their interpretation of Sweet Jane (Lou Reed) followed, an iconic song that is much loved and one that identified the band as a new act to watch when they first played it back in 1988.  Another early inclusion was Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning and while the band played as proficiently as ever, dovetailing around each other as each song melody unfurled, there was a sense of being in the lower gears of their power, not helped by the venue sound that saw the vocals of Margo somewhat drowned out when the arrangements lifted and became louder in delivery.

After the interval, we were treated to four songs that very much raised the tempo of the evening, with All That Reckoning (Part One), Missing Children, Escape Is So Simple, and Lay It Down providing the wonderful soundscapes of layered guitars and hushed intimacy mixed with Margo beginning to hit her stride in front of the microphone. The band really doesn’t engage with the audience on any level; no eye contact or spontaneous smiles – leaving it all to Margo as the key focal point regarding communicating; witty asides, comments, observations, and stories to regale the enthralled audience.

The pivotal moment in the second set arrived with the wonderful intro to Lay It Down, the band locking into an extended passage of building the performance – Peter Timmons on drums and Alan Anton on bass perfectly in the pocket of subtle support while Michael Timmons and Jeff Bird created a tour de force of reverb and delay on their guitars, delivering great atmospheric wall-of-sound moments in their resonance and tonality.  There followed an acoustic set of three songs with Black Eyed Man, Rake and Powderfinger, the latter two songs written by Townes Van Zandt and Neil Young respectively. It proved a special moment in the show, with Margo delivering beautifully nuanced vocals and both brother Michael and Jeff Bird accompanying on a selection of guitars, mandolin and harmonica. It was almost like being in a quiet back room of your favourite pub with a fire blazing on a cold winter’s night.

Margo spoke of her reputation as the queen of sad songs and her natural storytelling ability highlighted a tale of being at a private party with Aslan as the entertainment. When the singing became spontaneous in the early hours, and amidst the celebrations, Margo was pressured into taking a turn; her rendition of I’m So Lonesome, I Could Cry had everyone exchanging somber glances as the mood dipped, instead of continuing the revelry. 

The concert wound down with 'Cause Cheap Is How I Feel, followed by an invigorating rendition of Hunted and the gentler, Good Friday.  The final song Blue Moon, as always,  remains a highlight and Margo took her bow before returning for a superb encore that twinned Misguided Angel with Walking After Midnight, the perfect ending to what proved to be a triumphant return to Ireland for this inspiring band of enduring quality and refinement. Whether it was country soul or psychedelic blues workouts, Cowboy Junkies remain at the top of their craft as they continue to define new territories for their unique sound to explore.

Review by Paul McGee Photography by Declan Culliton