Offering an "in depth look at the various hues of melody and rhythm that permeate our planet", the inaugural Songs from an Open Road Festival seeks to "explore the sources and examine the influence of what is often referred to as 'global music' at the three day festival from November 17 to 20.
The brain child of Irish music veterans, Pat Neary and Pádraic Boran, Songs from an Open Road was dreamed up 2016, inspired by the discussion of 'movement' as a theme for Galway 2020. The concept was further developed with the aid of Joe Boyd, American music producer and writer, who has worked with some of the biggest names in music including; Pink Floyd, R.E.M, Fairpoint Convention, and many more.
Intrigued by the concept of music evolution during periods where migration was practically non existent, Neary and Boran hoped to highlight the similarity and difference in music from all four corners of the globe.
"You can listen to a throat singer from Iceland and you can think, 'where did that come from?' and funnily enough you will see that there is a kind of line straight across the the Baltic States and that makes you think, 'wow, were all those musicians moving along that line hundreds of years ago?
"In America, the banjo was originally an African instrument, and slavery brought people to America, they brought their own culture with them and that turned into rock and roll. It's not a huge leap to see what happened, but it's very interesting," said Neary.
While the term 'world music' can, at times, be a maligned genre - an "easy bracket" to put songs into - Songs from an Open Road seeks to confront this way of thinking by explaining what 'world music' actually is.
While attending the World Music Exhibition in 2019, Neary was introduced to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artist, Jessie Lloyd, whose music reflects her cultural background and the heavy prejudices her community face in their homeland.
"She's like a powerhouse Christy Moore and a fantastic folk singer. To me, her songs are universal, very simple songs of her upbringing," said Neary.
With the festival reflecting a theme of music moving and meeting other artists and genres, Neary thought of adopted Irishman, Steve Cooney, who originated from Australia before moving to Ireland in the early 1980s.
"I thought then of Steve Cooney, so I asked him would he be interested and luckily he was. Coincidentally, Steve was brought up within the Aboriginal Community back in Australia and he actually knew Jessie's father, but he's never met Jessie, but they will meet at the festival," explained Neary.
The relationship between Japanese musicians and Irish traditional Music, was also something Neary and Boran wanted to explore, as Neary explained, "Japanese musicians who have come to Ireland have integrated with Irish traditional music, it's almost like there's a subculture between the two."
Something those who have seen fiddle player Mayo Yanachi, who has graced the pubs of Galway with her talent over the years, or Kanako O'Brien who Neary first heard busking in the city years ago, will know. A concert featuring both Kanako and Mayo and Clare based Japanese harpist Mareka Naito takes place during the festival, with the trio accompanied by sean nós musicians and Irish traditional musicians, to highlight the integration between the two groups.
US born, Indian raised and London based, jazz musician Sarathy Korwar kicks off a world tour with his concert at the festival, with it being the only Irish show of the tour. Korwar is making waves in the UK music scene, having been described as a "compelling artist" and having been awarded 'Contemporary Album of the Month' by The Guardian for My East is Your West.
Songs from an Open road takes place from November 17 to 20 and features documentary films on cultural music across the world, as well as interviews between former Irish Times music journalist and current editor of RTÉ Brainstorm, Jim Carroll and featuring musicians.
A full schedule of acts, venues and ticket information is available on https://www.songsfromanopenroad.com/
