The Rye

It's been a terrible week for me online, offline it's been a great week. Got to see some great live music and generally hang out around boats. Hopefully I can rectify the online situation now with The Rye.

Paradoxically, rectifying the online situation means I'm actually missing this band play live now offline on stage at the docks. Life is a battle of decisions. Back to the music. The Rye hail from Galway and are a band of fusions, musically speaking. Taking influences from Cajun, traditional, country and folk genres, the band manage to blend all of these into 4 minute foot-tappin' tunes with aplomb. Made up of members Kevin (Vocals & Guitars), Alan(Guitar, Banjo, Vocals),Cian(Guitar, 5 string Banjo),Barry (Bass, Banjo) and Dessie (Drums) the band have been going for a good few years. They had a weekly residency in The Cellar Bar before expanding further afield. They have done quite a number of gigs including tours of Germany and Electric picnic in 2009.

As for the music, it is as I said very hard to pigeon-hole The Rye. Needless to say that each of the tracks I have listened to have directly reflected the musical influence. However something like "Should I Run" begins as a country song with a lovely crisp guitar solo, but then you have an amazing slow jazz breakdown to end up with something where the two genres just melt together.

"Fly" follows along a similar vein with more obvious bluegrass style and even featuring a Jew’s harp (I think that's a first for this blog).

The third track I want to feature "Dance with You" comes from somewhere else. It’s nothing like the other songs I have listened to so far by the band. It is a slow waltz paced mediation on longing. I particularly like Kevin's almost-nonchalant singing style here.

The band have the usula online presence; Facebook and Reverb Nation for more songs. You can catch them tomorrow night in Galway at the Blue Note at 7 bells. After that...who knows where the road will take them.