Jon Richards Announces Return Of Sessions

"There was a lot of reasons why we had to put the sessions on ice there for a while," Richards told Hot Press. "But I've got the green light to do them again, so we're ready to rock. We're doing our first sessions next week."

Crucial to the Sessions Mark 2 is that Jon will be in a position to play the tracks on his own afternoon show, which runs from 3-5pm every weekday. "We'll record the sessions in the evening," Richards explained, "but I made it clear that from both my own point of view, and for the musicians, it only would make sense putting the work in if there was daytime radio exposure at the end of it. The station have been very good about it. So I've got the agreement that the tracks can be played on the show. I think that makes all the difference."

First to benefit from a revival of what was one of the Irish music industry's most celebrated platforms are the remarkable young English folk singer John Smith, who released the powerful debut album Map Or Direction in 2009 to huge acclaim, and the redoubtable Dave Geraghty, of Bell X1, who has released two powerful solo albums to date, including his latest The Victory Dance. Smith records a special session on Monday night next, with Geraghty down to record on the following evening. The results will be made heard on the Jon Richards Show over the coming weeks.

Most of the leading indie lights of the past fifteen years recorded sessions with Richards in the past, including Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, Josh Ritter, Juliet Turner, Mundy, Jack L, Lisa Hannigan, Adrian Crowley, Gemma Hayes – and far too many more to enumerate here! Now a whole new generation of talent is set to benefit from the Richards' treatment.

"It's great news," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes commented. "So many extraordinary recordings were done with Jon in the studio in Galway – the results in the past have been very special and from what I hear there's a lot of new gear in there, so that the potential is even greater now. I'm really looking forward to hearing the results.

For his part, Richards sees it as part of a wider ongoing campaign to get quality Irish music heard on Irish radio.

"I want to throw down the gauntlet to stations," he told Hot Press. "If we can do this here in Galway, then why can't other stations? Hopefully we inspire them to get on board and to do something concrete for the great new generation of Irish performers who are coming through. That's what we're aiming to do because there is a whole new wave of talent out there."