Live: Americana Artists Coming to Ireland this Autumn\Winter

Getting a little side-tracked here but I thought I would include a post on some excellent americana and alt-country bands that are visiting Ireland in the next few months. Apologies to international readers for being so Ireland-centric but sure you can always come and visit! Also you can assume that all these gigs are in Dublin cause there aint no profit in going outside of Dublin!

Patterson Hood
Where: Workman's Club
When: Sunday 18th November

The lead singer of the Drive-By Truckers has just released his enjoyable third solo album "Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance" which you can stream here. One of my life goals is to see Drive-By Truckers live but this might be just as good. Sadly though, the gig in the Workman’s Club in November is a solo show without his band. Even more disappointing is that he is touring the rest of Europe with Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) and Will Johnson (Centro-Matic, a great alt-country band) who both have recent solo albums out. Now the three of them on one night would have been a great gig. At least one can hope he might do a few Drive-By Truckers numbers. Support is from Irish singer-songwriter Lisa O'Neill.

Ryan Bingham
Where: Whelans
When: Friday 9th November

I'm a fan of Ryan Bingham. The man has many talents. Did you know that he worked on the Crazy Heart soundtrack with T Bone Burnett and won a Grammy for the song "The Weary Kind". Haven't got to listen to the new album Tomorrowland yet but I like the sound of it already:

The Civil Wars/ The Lumineers
Where: Olympia Theatre
When: Monday 29th October

It would be hard not to be aware of The Civil Wars if you keep an eye on the country and alt-country scene in America. They are probably most popularly known for the duet they did with Taylor Swift. Despite that I quite enjoy their gospel tinged americana folk. The support act is what brought my attention to this gig. Similar in style to the Civil Wars, The Lumineers are a three-piece producing lifting americana. Imagine the Arcade Fire as a three-piece and you get the idea.

Band of Horses
Where: Olympia Theatre
When: Saturday November 17th

Band of Horses are becoming quite popular. Even my non-americana loving friends are fond of them. They seem to move easily between alternative-rock and alt-country territory with this new album "Mirage Rock" sounding a bit Grandaddy-esque. You can stream the whole album here. Listen to a sample below.

Frank Turner
Where: Cork, Galway, Belfast and Dublin
When: 6th-9th December

Frank Turner is a folk-punk artist from Winchester in England who is huge in America and England without me having heard very little of him. Did you know he played the Olympic opening ceremony?? I came across him browsing a few American based alt-country blogs. I think they love that bit of punk rolled in with folk melodies. The video will give you an idea of his sound. Fair play to Frank, he is doing an all-island Irish tour to spread that punk-folk word in early December. You can find the details here

Joshua James
Where: Whelans
When: Thursday 25th October

This is a fella I came across just perusing the Whelans website. With a name that sounds like he was an outlaw in the late 1800's. It might be no surprise that his music soundtracks fictional outlaws these days. He has released two albums to date with the third due for release this month. Could be a hidden gem worth checking out.

And a few others....

Kris Kristofferson in December, Trampled By Turtles in November, Alabama Shakes also in November and "The Group" is doing "The Last Waltz" live at the Olympia at the end of that month.