California Irish is a new band featuring The Answer‘s Cormac Neeson. The band tips its hat to the melodic and free-spirited sound from 60s America, a sound that reaches back into a gentler, more empathetic time, as will be evidenced by the release of debut single ‘Big Questions‘ on
28th March through 7hz Productions.
Summoning the beguiling spirit of Laurel Canyon, employing analogue recording techniques, and recording songs in one or two takes to achieve something with a real human touch, California Irish is a new seven piece group hailing from Belfast working their own niche within the world of folk and Americana, and everything in between.
This new group showcase a unique sound formed from a combination of players that initially came together briefly to perform a Neil Young-inspired theatre show production called Re-Harvest, where the musicians successfully performed the classic albums Harvest Moon and Harvest back to back.
The brainchild of the group is lead singer and chief songwriter Cormac Neeson. The band hand-picked by him, based on long standing friendships, as well as experiences with numerous musical projects within the thriving Belfast music scene.
Alongside Neeson on vocals, acoustic guitar, and apparently a psychedelic cowbell, there’s Susy Coyle (ocals and percussion), Donal Scullion (Acoustic, electric guitar, vocals), Chris Kelly (Lap steel, mandolin, acoustic, electric guitar, vocals), James Doone (Bass), Simon Templeton (Piano, Hammond, Wurlitzer), and Conor McCauley (drums)
“This album is the opposite of boring AI generated no soul perfection,” said Neeson. “We recorded this album in a room together over four days allowing the music to breathe when it needed to, looking at each other for our cues and feeding off each other’s energy. It felt like a dream… But it’s the most real thing I’ve ever done in music.
“That Laurel Canyon sound of the late 60s, epitomised by the early Crosby Stills Nash & Young stuff, and the first few Joni Mitchell records, has always felt otherworldly and magical. On our album we’ve tried to access some of that beauty and create our own magic by combining brand new music with an old school recording process.”
The Laurel Canyon influence also extends to the band’s recording technique, adhering rigidly to the analogue 16 track recording method circa 1969; namely recording live straight to tape at the world famous Middle Farm Studios under the watchful eyes and ears of producer Pete Miles.
The resulting sound of California Irish flies in the face of modern techniques that often lose the warmth of the original compositions. Instead, the group opted for a one off and unique shared human experience with musicians who feed off each other’s energy, and create compelling four-part vocal blends around one single microphone in a warm alt-folk celebration. The creative process in turn led to an album’s worth of songs titled The Mountains Are My Friends.
‘Big Questions‘ can be ordered here.
