Niall Teague and Padraic Joyce release new single ahead of upcoming album and tour
'Gifted singers, musicians and songwriters' - Sharon Shannon
Formidable Galway-based folk duo Niall Teague and Padraic Joyce will release their new single ‘What Will We Be’, this Friday, March 3. ‘What Will We Be’ is the title track from their latest album, which is due to come out on Friday, March 24. This latest project turns over new ground in folk, Americana and acoustic music with the best of past and present folk, and traditional songwriting at its core.
Niall and Padraic have honed their craft as songwriters and performers since their partnership began in the musical melting pot that is Galway city. With the success of their well-received 2020 release ‘Taobh le Taobh’, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, the duo were spurred on to record this new album which represents many years of their artistic development.
The album Features Niall and Padraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc O'hÉanaigh on double bass, and a deft Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle.
‘What Will We Be’ features contributions from percussion wizard Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady ) and haunting melodies on vocals, guitar and fiddle. There are touching themes of love and hope threaded throughout the track ‘Come Away with Me’ which features a beautiful interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies. People, places and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on tracks like ‘Martin and Tom’, ‘Guitar Gold ‘, ‘Memories of You' and 'Achill Island'.
The influence of David Henry Thoreau's novel 'Walden' looms large on the tracks 'Simple and Wise' and 'Walden', with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their heart. The album moves seamlessly from minimalistic folk ballads like ‘Galway Ghost’ to swirling, string-laden arrangements on 'Neptune'.
Throughout the album, each scene has been thoughtfully painted both lyrically and melodically, resulting in a rich and beautiful acoustic sound. Much of the album's collaborative work and development was supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble 'Treo'. It was recorded at Paddy Jordan Recording Studio, Labane.
Niall and Padraic will soon embark on a tour which will include performances at Matt Molloy’s in Westport (March 30 ), Saint Thomas’s Church in Dugort, Achill (March 31 ), Kilworth Community Centre in Cork (April 20 ), and An Taibhdhearc in Galway with string ensemble ‘Treo’ (May 19 ).
Visit www.niallteagueandpadraicjoycemusic.com/ for more.
