Hermitage Green

I am sure you are sick of me talking about the Volvo ocean race week thing this week. The good news is I will talk of it no more....cause it's over. I might mention it again in 2015 when the race hopefully returns. Anyway, one of the delightful products of getting out this week was coming across a few bands I had never heard of before. One in particular is Hermitage Green.

For a band that only formed in July 2010, Hermitage Green are an exceptionally popular band, well going on Facebook likes (if that isn't a solid measure of popularity, I don't know what is). It may have something to do with the band featuring not one but two Munster players; Felix Jones (Bodhran) and Barry Murphy (Bass) but let's not be sceptical here. Along with Barry's brother Dan, (Guitars, Dobro, Harmonica), Darragh Griffin (Guitars) and Darragh Graham (Banjo), the band was formed out of sessions in the Curragower bar in Limerick. To the music then. Similar to the last post on The Rye, the style of Hermitage Green takes influences from both traditional Irish as well as bluegrass and roots from across the pond. Dan Murphy probably described their music best in an interview last year as "Like a hoor! There is something there for everyone!" and there certainly is. The band started out doing covers but have started to introduce a few originals into their sets which I’ll concentrate on here.

I recently read "The Sisters Brothers" and the song "Gibson" would fit in nicely with that film adaptation. Actually it would be perfect and would be handy when I get my fantasy job of musical supervisor on the Michael Mann directed adaptation. Anyway the song, like all great roots songs contains a well crafted story that draws you in. The structure is perfect along with the harmonies. The blend in which the bodhrán and the dobro work so well together demonstrates how close the musical traditions are but also how well these can work together when symmetrically arranged. The dobro playing by Dan, I think in particular adds that sense of sorrow to the lyrics of the song.

The second original of theirs, "Live On" is a more poppy affair. Again the arrangements are so well structured. Two guitars, an egg shaker and a bodhrán but a real wholesome sound comes out. The use of the bodhrán in the breakdown in the song proves how versatile an instrument it can be (if you're good at it) and Felix does a lovely job here.

The Soundcloud or Youtube page (whichever you prefer)have a few of their covers, of which, grounds for divorce stands out for me. Also find endorsements by Brian Blessed and semi-endorsement by Bricktop from Snatch.

You catch up with all things Hermitage Green related on their website and the Facebook.