Jukebox Gypsy and Resurrection Fern will be coming to the Midlands this weekend as part of their 2010 tour. The double bill will play to audiences in Skelly’s Bar, Ballymahon on Saturday July 10 at 10pm and the Snug Bar, Athlone on Sunday July 11 at 9pm.
These free gigs will see UK-based group Jukebox Gypsy joined on stage with Athlone-based folk group Resurrection Fern. The tour will be made extra special by the blending of these two engaging groups. Over the last few tours in Ireland a chemical bond has developed between Jukebox Gypsy and Resurrection Fern, allowing the members of both bands to interchange, yet keeping each other’s distinct styles true and vivid. As a result, all members will be playing in both line-ups.
Formed in 2007, Jukebox Gypsy started as a three-piece from Liverpool. Having toured extensively through Britain and Ireland, they now consist of five members and have recently released their critically acclaimed debut album with Irish distribution and management. Jukebox Gypsy have become a household name on the Irish folk scene playing high profile venues such as the Roisin Dubh (Galway ), Whelan’s (Dublin ), and The Stables (Mullingar ). In September 2009 they made their festival debut in Ireland, playing at the Electric Picnic. Jukebox Gypsy are known for their eclectic song writing and high-energy shows. With an international line-up (English, Dutch, German, and Irish ), they are able to blend English and American folk, country, bluegrass, and Celtic influences into a show of five-part harmonies and simple punching songs.
Jukebox Gypsy are on their fourth and most comprehensive Irish tour yet.
Resurrection Fern was formed in May 2008 by Bean Dolan, it was a project to see where a non-percussive instrumentation with no electrickery involved might have taken his songs, as seen on their first album, Earth Rising. The new album, Transcend Mortality out on June, has moved on from this to include both elements in the songs. The new songs have strayed from the sound of the debut album by taking in a lot more sounds and percussive elements but the familiar alternative acoustic style of Resurrection Fern is still scattered throughout. They have been branded with several genres including alternative folk, minimalism, indie, acoustic earth tones, experimental, and many more...but they all hold folk very close to their hearts. It's apparent underneath the flow of the songs, both on their debut album, Earth Rising and in their live shows.
Bean Dolan writes the lyrics and song structures, but almost everyone else has their own projects on the go as well. As a result, some live shows can end up having a three or four band bill, and never need to stray outside a core group of musicians, as all musicians seen in Resurrection Fern also feature in the other groups and projects.
