A new band from Ireland, The Jeremiahs, will top the bill at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 8th June and Mike Harding has described them as ‘one of the most exciting bands to come out of Ireland in a long time’.
The band won the Best Vocal & Instrumental Album of the Year at Live Ireland last year and one commentator reckons that the four men who make up the band are examples of that rare breed – unassuming musicians. The band was formed in 2013 and they play both traditional and contemporary music in a style that demonstrates their combined abundance of skill.
The four band members are Dublin born Joe Gibney on vocals and whistle; JC Morel from Bordeaux on fiddle and mandola who was drawn to Dublin after hearing a recording of The Bothy Band and moved there to study Irish music; James Ryan whose percussive style of playing on guitar and bouzouki is a hallmark of the band and from Co Clare Brian Corry on whistle, fiddle and mandola. James is also a Sound Engineer – a handy and money-saving talent to have in a band!
The Jeremiahs are superb musicians whose repertoire of songs includes rousing sea shanties, songs of love, hardship and loss with arrangements that vary from the barest minimum to complex interweaving of driving guitar chords and fiddle and whistle.
The story is that this band is not-to-be-missed. The Jeremiahs is an interesting name but from what is known, it doesn’t appear that they will have any difficulty impressing the Irvine audience on Wednesday 8th June. The Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Elsewhere, if you’re looking for music near to home, then take a sail to Arran this weekend where the Arran Folk Festival will be in full swing from 3rd to 5th June. The programme looks good and Arran is always good to visit. Name appearing include Tim Edey, Claire Hastings, young band Talisk and of course Gillian Frame. Just go!