The Mary Stokes Band have announced five shows, at the 2015 Guinness Jazz Festival.

Opening with a Friday night appearance on October 23, Mary and her band will perform twice daily over the weekend, in Counihan’s Bar, on Pembroke Street –a venue that Mary has made her own over the years at Cork’s biggest annual weekend music bash. In addition to Friday night, gigs will take place in the afternoon and the evening, on both Saturday and Sunday. Packed houses are expected at what have become legendary Guinness Jazz Festival gigs!

Meanwhile, Mary Stokes and Brian Palm have been working with sound artist Stano, who has produced the Mary Stokes Band’s new single ‘Mattie Won’t Write’, and a second song 'Fire And Ice’. Both tracks are set for release this month.

Inspired by a fragment from Alan Lomax ‘s field recordings Blues In The Mississippi Night (1948), a prison work camp chant entitled 'Oh I Wonder Why Mattie Won’t Write' was re-worked and recorded by the Mary Stokes Band.

Stano produced the tracks and in his own inimitable way, has given the songs a completely new flavour, outside the blues idiom.