The Return Of St. Joan

Even when you’ve achieved national treasure status, embarking on a major world tour after keeping your head down for a while is surely a daunting prospect. Joan Baez, though, has no need to worry. She has to be feeling the love by now, as a second Vicar Street show has been added to her Irish tour, on Saturday, September 27.

A man who has always felt the love live is Kieran Goss who, coming off the back of a slew of extremely successful shows in Belfast’s Grand Opera House, where he rubbed shoulders with Rodney Crowell, Kimmie Rhodes and his old school mate Brendan Murphy, has now taken the time to release Kieran Goss Trio Live. For a man who has forged his reputation as a first class live performer it comes as a surprise that this is his first live record. Although many will think of Kieran in solo troubadour mode, up on stage with just a guitar, a heartful of songs and that trademark big beaming grin, he has chosen to release an album of material recorded back in 2006 when he was performing with Gareth Hughes on double bass and Ann Kinsella on backing vocals. The album hits the shops on Friday June 6 and the entire Gosser back catalogue is released on iTunes on Tuesday July 1.
If you missed the original three-handed shows you’ll have the chance – "for one night only" as the old circus criers used to say – to see the trio at the National Concert Hall, Dublin on the evening of Saturday, June 21. The show is a benefit for the charity CONSOLE, which helps families bereaved by the suicide of a loved one.
Going from strength to strength since the move out of the city centre, Paul Lee’s Musiclee concerts at the Cherrytree in Walkinstown have brought some of the finest folk and traditional players in the country to the stage. On Saturday, May 24 he presents the Dave Munnelly Band. Munnelly is one of the best button box players to come out in years. Technique and speed are leavened by soul and a deep understanding of the heart of the tunes. His brother, Kieran Munnelly, plays the bodhran and a flute bordering on the South Sligo style. Also on show are the multi-instrumental talents of Paul Kelly and Fergal Scahill, and the vocal prowess of Donegal singer Shauna Mullin. The energy of youth meets real ability – with engaging results.
A couple of weeks further along, on Friday June 6, he presents Crooked Still, which is bound to sell out quickly. It’s lovely to see great bands play in intimate spaces – Hayes and Cahill in the Seamus Ennis Centre must have been a joy – but a couple of nights on the trot would be good. The Boston band are celebrated for their deep understanding of American traditional music’s raw melodic grace. Twisting and skewing their natural bluegrass leanings, their most recent release Shaken By A New Sound and debut Hop High reveal them as both fun-loving revolutionaries and sweet traditionalists.
Although Providence, Rhode Island isn’t widely regarded as the most fertile spawning ground for banjo players, it’s home to Larkin Grimm (for the time being at least, as the Memphis-born singer seems more prone to moving around than most). Her hypnotic voice has attracted the attention of Michael Gira’s Young God Records, home to Lisa Germano and Devendra Banhart, and Gira himself has adopted the producer’s mantle for her new album for the label.
He seems awestruck by her in a way that defies conventional record company logic, but then again he always seemed prepared to attest to Devendra Banhart’s talents in a more than usually fervent manner too.
Grimm is locked in the studio at the moment with a motley assortment of collaborators, including labelmates Fire on Fire, and although she is visiting Europe for a few shows later in the year, Ireland, sadly, is not on the agenda.
With festival line-ups for later in the year starting to emerge, London’s Return to Camden announced preliminary details of what it has in store for 2008.
This year’s festival will take place between Friday October 24 and Sunday November 2. Artists confirmed so far include Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’Sullivan, Nollaig Casey, Arty McGlynn, Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman, At the Racket, John Wynne and John McEvoy, The Davey Family Céilí Band and Gerard Butler.
As in recent years, there will be a number of preview events for the Festival. Matt Molloy, John Carty and Arty McGlynn will be playing one date only in London on Thursday June 5. Taking place at the London Irish Centre on Camden Square, the gig will celebrate the launch of their album, Pathway To The Well. In what is one of the most intriguing combinations of talents to team up in recent times, Matt and John explore the rich and varied tapestry of the fiddle and flute tradition of North Connaught, with Arty providing extra artillery onstage.