Originally from Dublin, I am a Manchester based singer songwriter bringing together the melodic and emotional emphasis of Americana, Blues and Folk roots styles to produce a uniquely resonant, acoustic soundscape that seeks to provide an emotionally rich audience experience. My live performances feature a mix of original songs along with powerful renditions of Classic Blues, Folk and Americana through songs such as ‘Strange Brew’ (Nina Simone/ Billie Holliday) ‘Vigilante Man’ (Woody Guthrie) ‘Me and The Devil’ (Robert Johnson) and ‘The Ballad of Billy The Kid’, played on Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Weissenborn, Dobro and Mandolin. Playing guitar and singing with China Pig takes me into a more rock, post punk influenced musical territories. Sharing songwriting and performance responsibilities with the other members of the band widens the scope of my songwriting and performance experiences too.
I've been playing music guitar since I was about 13. So that's a long time. I'm entirely self taught, mostly from listening hard to music over the years and watching how other people play at gigs and on TV (before YouTube). So it's a big part of my life.
i have an album, The Man From The Moon available on Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify. at the moment I am putting the finishing touches to a second album and i also hope to release an album of protest songs 'Speaking Out! before the end of the summer. i love playing live even at festivals, bars, cafes, house parties, anywherle really, large or small venues.
I'd start with myself. Somehow find the time to do ALL the things I want to do and make it meaningful to other people too. I make music for myself but also because I want to sing and pay to make the world a better place for other people too. Not because I think my songs will change peoples lives but because when I play live I have a unique opportunity to talk to audiences and raise awareness against injustice
Robert Johnson's Come on in My Kitchen is one of my favourites and I still play it now. Such a sad lament.
Robert Johnson, Neil Young, Buffy St Marie, Ron Sexsmith, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Eels, Captain Beefheart, Ry Cooder, Loudon Wainwright, Leon Russel, Bob Marley,
some kind of unexplained, intrinsic inner need to make noise, communicate and engage emotionally with other people. Oh, and I just love the feeling you get when a live performance works. It's like floating above yourself, just kind of watching it all happen.
love is the answer but sometimes you need to shout and get angry to make people wake up from the greed and self interest that surrounds us and distracts us from the real value of life. Connecting with each other.
When it goes well, which happens most of the time these days, I feel like the music is playing through me. I feel able to laugh, talk and sing without effort and everything is just exactly in the moment for me. High as a Kite without the aid of artificial stimulants!
I know not everyone can be paid. There are a lot of people who are paid very well that should bear be paid- but that's just a matter of opinion, but I think at a local level too many venues promoters and audiences expect people to play for nothing. even when everyone else, the sound engineer, that bar staff, everyone else, is being paid. That could be better managed and it would make it a little easier for musicians to keep on committing them selves to improving.
It's early yet, but it's looking good so far. There are so many music sharing sites around it'll take a little time to see how this one will work. But I guess that's down to us isn't it.
Not having time to get round to writing a new song every week.
Apart from attending lots of ticketed events around the country each year I also use my skills and experiences in photography and video to document the music scene in and around Manchester in my Shared World Collaborative Documentary project. find out more at www.facebook.com/sharedworldmusic and www. sharedworld.media
Hard work, enthusiasm, the ability to think about performance, marketing........pretty much everything it's going to take to make an impact. no one can hear you just because you sing a song. you've got to keep singing it, do it in public as many times and in as many ways as you can.
Lots' of really talented people playing around Manchester for example take a look at these women Janileigh Cohen https://vimeo.com/157284829, Caoilfhionn Rose Birley https://vimeo.com/148361832, Caitlin Gilligan https://vimeo.com/157289721 , Toria Wooff https://vimeo.com/202414645 Heidi Dewhirst https://vimeo.com/148221563 Kate Ashton Butler https://vimeo.com/148624395