What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
Unfortunately the musical landscape is such that I don’t have a career in music per se. I work as a teacher during the week. I live a double life of sorts, a musical Clark Kent if you will.
Can you introduce us to your musical history?
My father was always playing music in our house growing up. There was always a guitar knocking around and he had a brilliant CD collection which featured loads of different types of music. I grew up playing guitar with my friends in the estate and that turned into a band and we began playing at peoples parties in pubs. After college I formed a band called Come On Live Long with some friends and we released two albums and toured alot which was a huge experience for me.
What’s the live music scene like in Dublin right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (Bar you of course)!?
The scene in Dublin is amazing. Despite a raft of small venue closures in the last few years the scene in Dublin continues to flourish. A few acts that I draw great inspiration from would be Robert John Ardiff, Louise Gaffney, Junior Brother, The Bonk and Kevin Fowley.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
I’m lucky in that I don’t rely fully on music to support myself so I can’t speak to the difficulties in full. However, alot of my friends continue to struggle to make a living from the sale of their work and I think alot of reform needs to happen particularly within the streaming industry. I think models like Bandcamp are a much fairer way of buying and selling music.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I recently bought one of those cash counters that you’d often see in 90’s action movies, I’m sitting pretty!
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
I like comté, I like cheddar, I like philadelphia.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture as an artist? Discuss….
Not really. I think if you are honest with the listener and you can tap into that well where common human experiences dwell then people will always know where you are coming from.
Do you subscribe to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
Yes I do. I believe that the bits on the Brunch ice cream(not sure if they are unique to Ireland or not) have been gradually reduced by 1 bit each year since 1963 and soon it will only be the ice cream left and the world will be a lonely place without it.
What was your best experience on stage?
I played a gig a good few years ago with my old band Come On Live Long in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin which was really special.
What was your worst experience on stage?
While on Tour in Toronto, Canada with a band we played to nobody in a dive bar.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
My birthday was celebrated on the wrong day and it was 10 years before my mother checked my birth cert.
What are the next steps you plan to take to reach the next level? (album release)
I’m hoping to be able to tour my new album around Ireland and hopefully further afield.
What can you tell us about the new album?
The album is called ‘Sorrow Won’t Find Us’. It features 9 songs and each song is a short story of sorts. The album is written in the vein of Dubliners by James Joyce in that each song stands on its own two legs but is also part of a whole thematic piece.
What was the recording process like?
So enjoyable! I got some of my brilliant musical friends and we recorded most of the album live in a beautiful studio called The Meadow in Wicklow Ireland. I made a conscious decision not to overthink any facet of the process and once I was happy with the songwriting I decided to let the songs be taken in any direction in the studio. Once you make that decision, the recording process becomes quite liberating because you aren’t tied to specific way of doing things.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I think it’s always important to play new songs live before going into the studio. I didn’t do this for a lot of songs that I recorded for the album with the result that these songs didn’t make the final tracklist.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
No, I think this album is an accurate snap shot of where I’m supposed to be at the moment.
Thanks for joining us today Dotts.
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