"What the Hell's Going on Down There" contains 3 new instrumentals, with artwork imagining baffled birds watching our madness.
There is an overall slightly bluesier tone to this collection. Fellow guitarists especially, will notice my occasional dabble with finger style lead on a couple of tracks: 'Elusive Fragrance' and 'Fair Warning' in particular.
The overall 'tone' of Melancholy Moon is, as its title suggests, melancholy, but I hope that the music, and the accompanying single imparts some needed comfort, empathy and peace.
Those familiar with the Western Irish coastal region of Sligo, will recognize the statue depicted on this album cover. Waiting on Shore was inspired by this statue of a woman reaching out in hope and prayer and, as the inscription reads, reflecting "…the age-old anguish of a seafaring people who watched and waited for the safe return of loved ones…"
I will not comment in detail on this mid-2020 instrumental collection, as its title and many of the melodies’ themes should speak for themselves in light of recent and coming events! Hopefully, listeners find a measure of peace in these tunes.
Here is another collection featuring Mona, my favourite guitar beauty! Her creator, Jan Ingar Kvisler, is an excellent Norwegian luthier who specialises in wood and tone, and custom-made her for me in 2007. He, being a man of God, told me that he prayed before each session of working on her creation, that he would make no mistakes. However, to his dismay, he made three significant blunders...
Here is another collection featuring my slide guitar, 'Mona'; only this time 'she' reluctantly takes a supporting role to my vocals! This album was not originally meant to be a Christmas collection, but upon compiling it, its title and theme seemed somewhat suitable for this season, which, although a 'time of celebration' for many, is unfortunately not for all, as evidenced in 'The Little Matchgirl' song (based on the famous Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale).
Someone recently asked me if there is a 'particular theme' to this album. Indeed, there is, although it wasn't premeditated. While some of these tunes had been recorded before as songs and others had been floating in my head for a while, it wasn't until titling and serving them up as instrumentals, I realised that the inspiration for most of the tracks' themes was based on books, or an anecdote found in one.
Here is another collection of instrumentals, and hopefully my listeners will comfortably adjust to its different flavour! As those of you who are familiar with my life story will be aware, I have spent some years in Latin America, and these sojourns have understandably influenced my musical 'receptors', if you will!
The influence of Ireland has inspired much of this material—not in the traditional musical sense, but through its beauty, such as the hue of the Mourne Mountains on the northern east coast and, in the words of W.B. Yeats, "…I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams.".
