American Pastoral

evin Welch makes a long-awaited solo return to Ireland (he’ll be playing in the UK too but what the hell, we’re getting him first) in October for a run of dates to introduce us to his new solo record A Patch Of Blue Sky, which was released in July.

Kevin Welch grew up in Oklahoma and came to music early, touring as a teenager with several bands before moving to Nashville in 1978 to work as a songwriter. Singers such as Solomon Burke, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Linda Ronstadt were using his material. At the same time he was hard at it playing the local clubs, performing with John Scott Sherrill and the Wolves In Cheap Clothing, The Roosters, and finally his own band - The Overtones. His popularity grew and in 1988 he signed a deal with Warner Brothers. In 1990 the album Kevin Welch was recorded and two years later Western Beat. Not long after that he formed the Dead Reckoners with Kieran Kane and began one of the most fruitful writing partnerships of his career. The band spawned a label – Dead Reckoning – and served as a foothold for his later work.
In 2004 Welch teamed up once again with Kane and fellow Dead Reckoning artist Fats Kaplin to produce You Can’t Save Everybody. The trio followed this up with Lost John Dean in 2006, to general acclaim. Lost John Dean reached number one on the Americana charts, and picked up nominations for several awards including Duo/Group of the year at the 2006 Americana Honors and Awards. The group toured extensively in Australia, Europe, Canada and all over the United States.
At that point most of us would nuzzle down into a more or less comfortable routine but Welch started to feel that maybe Nashville was no longer the most fruitful place to be and in the spring of 2008 he left town for the hills outside of Austin Texas. In early 2010 he then joined with friends and colleagues Jimmy LaFave, Sam Baker, Slaid Cleaves and John Fullbright at the start-up (and upstart) label Music Road Records, and self-produced A Patch Of Blue Sky, his first solo record since 2001’s Millionaire. Featuring 10 new songs, all written or co-written by himself, the album is an ultimately hopeful journey from darkness to dawn.
While he’s here you’ll find him at Portstewart’s Flowerfield Arts Centre on Tuesday 5th October, at the Real Music Club in the Errigle in Belfast on Wednesday 6th October and at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Thursday 7th October. He makes his sole foray south of the border on Friday 8th October when he plays at the Cherry Tree Inn Walkinstown and by Saturday 9th October he’ll have skipped back north for the final date of the Irish leg of his tour at the Bronte Centre near Rathfriland.
The 4th annual Galway Americana Festival, subtitled ‘Go Wild In The West’ takes over the City of the Tribes from Wednesday 15th to Sunday 19th September 2010. This year’s festival aims to recreate the pioneering spirit that sent Irish and other Europeans into the heart of America. The line-up includes an impressive cast of pioneering Irish and American musicians, writers and producers, such as Henry McCullough, Charles White (aka Dr. Rock) and Jim Rooney.
Fittingly the festival kicks off with a show on Wednesday 15th September in the Crane Bar which features The Unwanted, whose line-up crosses the Atlantic divide just as much as their repertoire spans it. The same evening sees the Bierhaus play host to Galway’s Mad Uncle Harry who play old-timey bluegrass. Thursday 16th September serves up helpings of Fred & James, two guys with acoustic guitars playing cover versions of well-known Irish and American songs at Massimos while at Monroe’s Tavern you can get yourself a slice of Mouse McHugh, who now heads up country rockers The Timber Tramps but who will be playing solo for the evening, while back at the Crane Bar the inimitable Freddie White will be appearing.
Things get serious on Friday night when Henry McCullough joins Left, Right & Centre, otherwise known as John Quearney, Ed Deane and Noel Bridgeman onstage at the Roisin Dubh for an evening devoted to the music of blues giants such as Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and BB King, while upstairs you will find songwriter Joe Pug. Over at Massimos you’ll hear the Cartoon Thieves play everything from dirty swamp blues to straight up rock and roll, while in Monroe’s Tavern, the infectious Without George will be performing. If you’re in the mood for some bluegrass you’ll want to check out the Molly Hicks in the Crane Bar. Ex-Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton plays upstairs in Monroes.
Former Galway resident Mo McMorrow returns from Austin to play in the Bierhaus on Saturday 18th September, while over at the Roisin Dubh there’s a celebration of the music of legendary Nashville musician and producer Jim Rooney. Keeping toes tapping at the Crane Bar will be Joe Fury and the Hayride while the Sumbrellas will be in charge of keeping the joint jumping in Monroe’s tavern.
Nashville’s favourite songwriter Buddy Mondlock plays an afternoon gig at Cava Restaurant on Sunday 19th September while down at the Crane Bar one of Belfast’s favourite sons, Desi Wilkinson, and Lena Ullman have put together Buffalo In The Castle, described as ‘an exercise in Paddy meets Hillbilly’.
Meanwhile in County Monaghan the team that bring you the Flat Lakes Festival have organised the Last of the Summer Wine Cowboy Dance in the Flat lake Butty Barn at Hilton Park on Saturday 25th September where the crowd will be entertained by the Niall Toner Band, Slowfoot and Miss Paula Flynn and Her Fancy Men. Hogs will, apparently, also be roasted. Sounds tasty!