Irish singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon found a haven for his unique sound and sensibility in Los Angeles, California, with Grammy Award-winning David Garza producing Ultan’s fifth record, The Starlight Ballroom, which will be released on September 13, 2023.
Conlon has shared the stage with the likes of John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, Jackson Browne, Bryan Ferry, John Grant, Eddi Reader, Patty Griffin and Richard Hawley, among others.
The first single on Conlon's new album is The Old Songs. It was written by Ultan Conlon and David Garza. Conceived during pre-production in Los Angeles when Garza came up with a rousing balladeer chorus, Ultan got to thinking about the sessions in his cousin’s pub JJ Hough’s in Banagher, Offaly. Everyone would get up and sing (sometimes badly ) but it all sounded magnificent. The song represents community and connection, with a dollop of humour thrown in for good measure.
Ultan first met David in LA in 2017. Ultan says: “When I met David and we played some songs together I saw his unbridled energy and talent and knew I wanted to work with him.”
The Starlight Ballroom was a ballroom of romance in Westport, Mayo, which opened in the early 1960’s and closed in 1981. Thousands of people would pack into the hall to see local Irish Show bands and the best international acts of the day. Roy Orbison played The Starlight in 1969 and Ultan’s song, The Starlight Ballroom, ponders the night in question.
Ultan Conlon will play in The Corner Stone, Woodford, on Friday May 19, and in Róisín Dubh, on Saturday June 3.
Tickets from ticketmaster.ie
