Nordic but nice

A few years ago there was quite a little stir around the release of Sean Needham’s Loosely Based On A True Story. But as with most debut albums, the trail went cold. I assumed at the time that he’d had enough and was off to licking his wounds somewhere. That, somewhat surprisingly, was six years ago so I had thought that would be the last I would here of him. Not so.

While I had reckoned he had hightailed it back to the highlands of Donegal, he had in fact de-camped to Denmark where he continued his escapades unabated. There were a few rustlings towards the end of last year when his name popped up as one of the nominees at the Irish Music Television Awards and his song ‘A Child Could Save Us All’ was playlisted on Christmas FM. Of course, by this stage, his second album Time Is A Friend had already been released in Denmark where it has picked up enough airplay he reckons, to pay the mortgage for a few months.
It’s given him enough of a breather, apparently, to come over here and play a few gigs to promote the album’s Irish launch. You can catch him over the next few days in Bundoran where he plays at the Astoria Wharf on Thursday September 23, at the Bluestacks Jam Club in Donegal town on Friday Sepember 24 and in Derry where he plays in Sandinos on Saturday September 25.
With the release on Friday September 17 of her I’d Rather Go Blonde album, Eleanor Mc Evoy prepares to play an incresingly rare Dublin show which will be happening on Friday October 8 in the Sugar Club. The lead single from the record has already started picking up some airplay and she’s been popping up for some guest appearances on the like of Ian Dempsey’s Today FM Breakfast Show. The album features eleven new songs, nine of which were penned by McEvoy, one co-write with former Beautiful South man Dave Rotheray and, finally, there’s a cover of ‘Good Times’ by Sam Cooke. It is the eighth album in a twenty year career that has seen McEvoy establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer/songwriters. This album has been mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan who did the breakthrough Mumford & Sons record of this year and has a contemporary relevance. In addition to the Dublin show you can also catch up with her on tour around the country where she plays the Wexford Arts Centre on Saturday October 2, Cobh’s Sirius Arts Centre on Friday October 15, McHugh’s Bar in Drogheda, at the Hallowe’en Arts Festival in Thurles on Monday October 25 and on Guy Fawkes Night – Friday November 5 – in Belfast’s Errigle Inn.
Also putting in an appearance at the Errigle Inn as part of the shortest of stays in Ireland will be Canada’s Blue Rodeo who play there on Tuesday September 28 as well as playing a show in Dublin’s Whelan’s the evening before. Although not hugely well known over here, in their native Canada they have gone from being a national oddity to being a national institution. They first showed up on the radar in the early 1980s when in the midst of an ocean of hair metal bands their country rock sound stuck out like a sore thumb. Going resolutely against the grain they recorded their most acoustic record in the throes of grunge, scoring the biggest succes of their career in the process as the resulting record, Five Days in July, found its way into half a million Canadian houeholds. In the intervening couple of decades the band has picked up twelve Juno awards (Canada’s equivalent of the Meteors), clocked up a platinum disc on every album they’ve released and played three ties at the Winter Olympics. Sticking with their tradition of swimming against the tide they have now, in the age of downloads and streams, released a vinyl double album, Things We Left Behind.
Guitarist Chris Newman, best known for his work with Maire Ni Chathasaigh, is set to release a solo album in November. With a wry nod to his 40 plus years as a working musician it’s called Still Getting Away With It and fittingly the hour long disc is filled with special guests such as Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Simon Mayor, Paul Buckley, his brother Mark and, of course, Maire Ni Chathasaigh. Before it’s release Chris and Maire will be playing some gigs over here including one as part of Cork Folk Festival on Saturday October 2 at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on Wednesday October 6 and in Anaverna House in Ravensdale on Thursday October 7.
Also making a flying visit from Madrid in this case, are the Garrett Wall Band whose latest release Hands And Imperfections sees the band move away from the pop mainstream that proved such a fertile ground for Garrett when he was still based in Ireland towards an altogether edgier, rootsier sound, which still nevertheless, bears the hallmarks of his pop sensibilities, as well as a side order of Motown courtesy of trumpet player Howard Brown and some definite bluegrass tendencies brought to the table by cajon and banjo player Robbie Jones. The Garrett Wall Band will be kicking off their Irish dates with a visit to Forkhill’s Brand New Opry on Friday September 24 followed by an afternoon gig in the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre the following day. They’ll be playing in Kenny’s of Lahinch later that Saturday evening and Sunday September 26 will find them in Mullarkey’s of Clifden. They’ll be enjoying their time in Connemara before settling in for a gig at Paddy Coyne’s in Renvyle on Wednesday September 29 and the short tour winds up the following evening with a show farther down the coast in McCarthy’s Bar in Dingle.