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DECLAN SINNOTT

DECLAN SINNOTT

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With a career spanning over 40 years, Declan Sinnott has played guitar and produced music for Irish folk luminaries such as Christy Moore, Mary Black, Sinead Lohan and John Spillane to name but a few. He was a founding member of Horslips and Moving Hearts – two of the most influential trad /electric bands in Ireland, and spent 13 years guiding Mary Black’s career, producing the majority of her music. Since the year 2000 Declan has been guitarist and producer to Christy Moore, who was recently named as Ireland’s greatest living musician in RTÉ’s ‘People of the Year Awards’.

It may seem unusual for a 61 year old to be releasing his debut album, or for him to be offered an unsolicited record deal, but this is a very special album and one that doesn’t follow any generic patterns. Gradually over the last 5 years, Declan has found his voice and grown into the idea of stepping up to the mark in his own right. He contends that his album “I Love The Noise It Makes” could not have been made before now. As much as anything this title describes Declan’s passion for what he does. As Declan explains:

“A lot of what I’ve done has occurred by circumstance rather than design. Working with bands like Horslips and Moving Hearts were on the edge of my musical comfort zone. This was both interesting and challenging. By contrast, the record I’ve made is very much me. The idea that the person singing the song also wrote the song has always seemed to me to be the ideal. I could never see myself recording an album of cover versions and that may be one of the reasons I was so slow to make an album. Many of the ideas for these songs came very intuitively. It was the reverse of my normal process where I’m enthusiastic at first and then become more critical over time. So a lot of first attempts are what you’ll hear on the album.”

From the bright and hopeful opening of “Sun Shine In” to the light hearted and dynamic rhythms of “It’s Just The Noise It Makes” to the hunger and loss of “Me And My Dark Companion” it is a subtle album of exquisite melodies, but it also grabs and captivates the listener. The twelve songs cajole and transport the listener through a sometimes hauntingly real, often desperately hopeful journey that will remain long after the music dies away. It is above all else music to be savoured.

TICKETS

€16.50 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone or creditcard bookings)

AFTER THE GIG

Whelan’s Indie DJ from 11pm til late or you might even catch the end of Jaime Nanci and the Blue Boys in the front bar (9pm, Free).