After that extremely long previous post on the mechanisms of the music industry, the post today will return the blog to basics; shining a light on some unsigned talent. Today it is Conor Linnie.
Conor hails from Bray Co. Wicklow. Now as far as I know Bray is not known for its scene of folk driven finger-picking musicians or as a sanctuary for the blues. Maybe in Wicklow, it is. However that is what Conor is producing and is set to release on his début album “Astray”.
Conor distinctive style comes from influences like John Martyn, Kristian Matsson and early Bob Dylan. His music moves between straight-up blues to more folk orientated gently paced figure-picking acoustic numbers. As such, his style is reminiscent to me of the contrasts of Otis Taylor and Merle Travis. Getting all that sound out of a simple guitar is quite impressive. The patience, skill and dexterity in composing those elaborate guitar rhythms is not to be underestimated. The skill is evident in the track “Moths”. With perfectly measured lyrics, the song feels like it is perfectly suited to enjoy on a porch on a sunny spring day.
The debut single from the album is Crash Bandicoot Blues. Being a diehard fan of Crash Bandicoot series (personally I recommend Crash Team Racing; that was how I spent most of my leisure time in college) I was hoping that the song would do Crash and the rest of them justice. In fact I had nothing to worry about. Starting off at a terrific pace, the songs leads in with some lovely dobro licks. The lyrics reference rolling boulders, crates of apples and a tiger as a mode of transport. Don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a whimsical piece. Maintaining a bustling, rolling pace yet remaining mellow at the same time, the song is a addictive, foot tapin’ slice of blues. I never imagined one could get so many metaphors out of a Crash Bandicoot game but I’m glad he did.
Conor is set to launch his album on March 16th at Whelans. As always to keep up to date with Conor (in the hope he produces another Crash inspired song), check out this official site here and his Facebook page here.
Photo: ConorLinnie.com
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