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The fact that Seanie Vaughan’s debut album ‘Altered Vision’ entered the Irish indie charts at no. 5 in early February may have come as a surprise to many. However, on listening to the album it is clear how this came about and it is also clear that this is an album which will grow and grow. Upon listening to the album, we are treated to a work which treads the genres of Rock, Folk and Soul and the variety of influences that encouraged this album are obvious.
At the launch of ‘Altered Vision’ in Dublin’s Button Factory, crowds were captivated by mellow tunes with sombre lyrics but they were aroused and brought to their feet by a variety of up-tempo, almost anthemic songs. It was a performance that was honest, up-lifting and energetic.
Now, Seanie and his 8-piece band take to the road to tour the current album. With dates in The Spirit Store (Dundalk), Whelan’s (Dublin), the Stables (Mullingar) and more to be announced, it is a trek from the rugged shores of Connemara where Seanie and the band hail from but they relish every moment of this; this is truly obvious in their music.
Seanie’s influences couldn’t be from a wider spectrum. He was influenced at a very early age by singers who would come into the family pub in Clifden, Galway and these could range from traveller’s singing about life on the road to immigrant’s who sang of the hard life of a labourer abroad to blues singers with their melodic tones singing american blues. Seanie listened and studied the music of Irish folk singers such as Christy Moore, Freddie White and Luke Kelly and these influenced him heavily over his early teens. In his later teens and now into his mid-twenties, Seanie pays homage to those early influences but also speaks of Rory Gallagher and The Waterboys among his influences.
Seanie sees the great diversity of music as being the true beauty of it, in fact in one of his songs he proclaims “every man has a breath, every man has a song”. Seanie Vaughan and his band are an act that are one in a million. He can grip you with his music, pick you up and take you into the palm of his hand and leave you there until you empathise and have a connection with each and every one of his songs.
