Folk
Live Review: December Sounds: David Keenan / Malojian / Seamus Fogarty / Elise – St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny
The third night of December sounds in St Canice’s Cathedral, presented by Rollercoaster Records (Kilkenny’s primary record shop and meeting place for Kilkenny’s music heads), was in aid of both Amber Women’s Refuge & The O’ Neill Centre. The line was initially announced as Elise/Lemon Cello/Malojian/Seamus Fogarty & special guest , the news of which …
Exclusive: Mara Simpson records a beautiful version of Fault Lines in session for Backseat Mafia
Indie/alt-folk singer-songwriter Mara Simpson released her beautiful album In This Place back in September, which saw her add elements of neo-classicism as well as a good slab of analogue synths to her story-telling, which came out on the Downfield Records, a non-profit label set up by Mara herself. The exceptionally talented alt-folk artist Mara Simpson …
Tracks: Ring in the shortest day with the fine English folk of Craig Fortnam’s ‘Witchy Grid’/’God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’
IT’S BEEN a productive and busy year all round for Craig Fortnam, the man known best perhaps for his role in the English contemporary music ensemble, North Sea Radio Orchestra; he’s been on sabbatical from that fine outfit all year but so very busy in other musical guisings. If you’ll permit me to track back …
Live Review: Mick Flannery + Susan O’Neill / John Blek – The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny 12.12.2021
Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill were set to have one date in The Watergate Theatre Kilkenny, which was a sell out, but due to new Covid restrictions which have brought venues back to only 50% capacity it had to be split into four shows over two days. This being an early evening show and a …
See: Thomas Dollbaum arrives fully formed with the Carveresque folk-blues of ‘Florida’
BORN and brought up in somewhere he notes as being Nowhere, Florida – trouble is indeed, a lonesome town – and currently using the musculature god blessed him with as a construction worker in New Orleans, Thomas Dollbaum has brought his sights to bear upon the world of music with an absolute heart-wrencher of a …
Album Review: String duo Balladeste shine with sublime ‘Beyond Breath’
Balladeste are string duo Tara Franks ( cello) and Preetha Narayanan ( violin). Their much anticipated sophomore album, ‘Beyond Breath’ was released earlier this year in October 2021 to rave reviews, and quite frankly , it’s really no surprise. A reflective collection of new compositions taking inspiration from a set of Indian devotional songs from the …
See: C Duncan brings the hymnal delicacy of ‘The Wedding Song’ to end the year – watch the animated lyric video
DELICATE Glaswegian songsmith C Duncan has doubled down on the glitter of last month’s single, “Alluvium”, with just one more song to round off the year and to keep you abreast of happenings connected with his next album, due in the new year on Bella Union. The track is called “The Wedding Song” and it’s romantic, …
Live Review: Dani Larkin / Brona Keogh – Upstairs Whelans, Dublin 5.12.2021
Ian said:“Tonight i was back at Upstairs Whelan’s to see Dani Larkin, one of Irelands most exciting artists emerging on the contemporary and alt folk scene. Opening the night with a short set was Brona Keogh who, while in-between songs, would get lost in her own conversations. These proved to be quite funny, really warming …
See: Beans on Toast leads us in a celebration of what it means to be ‘Humans’; he’s on tour, too
WITH his new album of acoustic optimism, Survival Of The Friendliest, out as of Friday gone and the first leg of a tour crisscrossing the islands already under way, London troubadour Beans on Toast has brought us one final single of homespun warmth, with a video starring Beans, his wife Lizzy Bee and daughter Wren …
Premiere: Eucereon releases the beautiful melancholic indie-folk of ‘Go’
UK/US based indie folk singer, songwriter and producer Eucereon has unveiled her new single ‘Go’. – written in Denmark, produced in the UK and released in the US, and we’re delighted to be able to premiere it right here on Backseat Mafia this morning. Of the track, Eucereon says “Go is about codependency masquerading as …