If
everything goes to plan (touchwood!) and the return to normal live gigs
takes place on 21st June, I and my fellow musicians will be ready and raring to go!
I'm getting a lot of enquiries at the moment as well as emails and calls from several bookers who had their weddings and family parties postponed due to Covid last year.
I've also performed this month at 2 open air private functions in Essex and Oxon.
If YOU had your booking postponed from 23/3/20, you can reschedule without any loss to your deposit at a date to suit.
I did several live streaming shows on Zoom and similar platforms throughout the week including Saturday March 20th.
I'm very grateful to all of you for the bookings and I enjoyed meeting you all in cyberspace via Dublin, Liverpool, Glasgow and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Here's a sampler video featuring excerpts from of one of my live streaming shows.
My 1990's tribute to the late, great Jackie Charlton's magnificent contributions to the then, incredible achievements of the Irish national soccer team, has been one of my most played tracks across all streaming platforms since his sad demise. May he rest in peace.
A true legend in his lifetime and beyond.We're all keeping our fingers firmly crossed that the nightmare and great loss and suffering experienced by so many, is coming to an end soon and we're all delighted on the exciting and rapid deployment of the new vaccines.
I wish all of you the very best of physical and mental health during
this troubled time.
My full intention during
this crisis has been to use the negative energy created by the virus into a force
of positivety.
I've been doubling down on my writing and recording projects, learning to play the guitar better! Keeping as fit and well physically and mentally as possible and generally following the message of; 'Keep calm and carry on'.
I got some great news recently from the highly talented musician Kieran Kiely, whom I have had the pleasure of working and recording with on many occasions.
He asked me last year to do some vocals for some songs that feature in a newly released film starring Patrick Bergin and Vanessa Redgrave.
The film 'Finding You' is now on worldwide release.
If you get along to catch it at the cinema, stay for the credits at the end, you'll
hopefully see my name listed for at least a tenth of a nano second!
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It's been 35 years since I released my original 'The Thatcher Song' album.
In it's original format it was initially released as an album cassette and vinyl LP.
In 1988, after the rights and catalogue of Crubeen Records were sold to the Prism Leisure label, an enhanced version of an album (with some tracks omitted and newer ones added) under the same title, was put together including two of my most successfully covered songs, 'Never too old to Love' and 'De valera'.
The brilliant sleeve design was put together by the people who worked on 'Spitting Image', this artwork actually cost more to produce than the total budget for the actual recording of the whole original album, which was a very low budget affair to say the least!
It also featured some new tracks including 'Mother Englands Giro' and a freshly recorded version of my 'Drumshanbo Exile'.
To coincide with the 'Thatcher Song' anniversary single release last year, I wrote, recorded and released a little ditty about our current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
The current version of the track is available via all the usual streaming and download platforms.
I'm currently finishing off writing and recording the
remaining songs for my brand new forthcoming album.
It will
have 10/11 tracks, all originals and I feel it includes some of my best
self compositions
for
quite a while.
It will also feature the newer version of De
valera and a studio version of my song about the story behind the
historical bond between the Choctaw Trible of Oklahoma and the Irish
people worldwide.
My band and I returned back in January 2020 from a hectic but mega fun packed series of corporate gigs across the globe.
Little did we know of the looming pandemic that would soon affect all of our lives in such a collosal way.
It was a fabulous tour conducted at breakneck speed and involved long haul flights galore from Singapore to Las Vegas, including many failed attempts to resist the temptations of the incredible buffet meals on offer at 5 star hotels! it was without doubt, an experience of a lifetime and simply wonderful.
We shared the gigs throughout with a full cast of Riverdance, many with whom we shared meals, jokes, funny stories, soundchecks and rehearsals with throughout.
These remarkably talented dancers had both the manners and personalities to match their expertise on stage.
It was an honour to share the same billing with them.
I was delighted to see that a cover version of a song I wrote back in the 90's 'Never too old to love', has been released again on a 10 cd box set from Foster and Allen.
As coincidence has it, I'm in the middle re-recording a modernised version for my next album.
I'm always very flattered when someone covers one of my songs and I'm grateful that so many artists have done so and thankful that they continue to do so.
I'm around 75% finished with my new album and I'm hoping to release it in June.
I'll also add a couple of the news songs I've written for the forthcoming album.
****
Back in that fateful March of 2020, the St Patrick's celebrations for my band and I had been in full swing prior to the big day, when suddenly both of our gigs were cancelled for the big day itself.
No complaints there though, first things first and doing whatever's needed to play our part in the crisis was paramount.
We had a whale of a time at the 'Hyve group' event in Paddington on the Friday prior and a hearty thanks to all of the staff there for joining in with the craic and making it such a memorable night.
The Saturday gig in Bromley went even better than 2019, thanks to all the staff there too.
'20 Shades of Green' is
a collection of some of the most popularly requested songs at gigs
over the years and also has some originals by me including; 'Sweet
Adare', 'All Changed Utterly' and 'My First Love'.
You can hear the
full album on YouTube via the following embedded player.
The covid crisis brought our beloved football to a stop for a while.
We got back playing again, all be it in empty stadiums.
I love getting along to see and cheer my team along whenever I can, home and away.
Hopefully we'll be able to get back to the Den asap.
I took a leap of faith last week and renewed my season ticket.
Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one.
Come on you Lions!
