“You don’t wanna mess with that dude. Give him the microphone, let him sing, then get the f**k out of his way.” So said Dave Grohl about singer-songwriter Mark Lanegan who is coming to Galway in the New Year.
Through his 30 years in music Mark Lanegan has been a member of Screaming Trees, Queens Of the Stone Age, and The Twilight Singers; a collaborator with Greg Dulli in The Gutter Twins; a co-vocalist with Isobel Campbell; and a solo artist of distinction. His musical palette has been as varied, encompassing hard rock, grunge, alternative-rock, country, roots, and even here and there, touches of electro.
Mark Lanegan and his band will play Galway’s first major gig of 2015 at the Seapoint Ballroom, Salthill, on Thursday January 15 at 8pm. To whet the appetite, the Galway Advertiser presents this playlist of five Essential Songs from across all stages of the man’s career.
Screaming Trees - ‘Nearly Lost You’ (1992 )
Lanegan began as vocalist with Screaming Trees who were part of Washington State’s proto-Grunge scene. They came to wider prominence in the 1990s when this song was featured on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe’s grunge/Seattle movie, Singles.
Queens Of The Stone Age - ‘No One Knows’ (2002 )
After Screaming Trees and a 2001 solo album, Lanegan joined Josh Homme’s band and co-wrote, with Homme, this song - arguably QOTSA’s most famous track. Lanegan also appears in the video directed by Dean Karr and Michel Gondry.
Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell - ‘Time Of The Season’ (2010 )
Lanegan has recorded three albums with the former Belle and Sebastian co-vocalist. This track from Hawk captures the pair at their most Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra-ish.
Mark Lanegan - ‘The Gravedigger’s Song’ (2012 )
Lanegan resumed his solo career in 2012 with the album Blues Funeral. This is theopening track, performed live in studio for American radio.
Mark Lanegan - ‘Floor Of The Ocean’ (2014 )
From Mark’s latest solo album Phantom Radio, released in October, this song is a lyrical reflection on a life lived on the hard shoulder: “Clear eyes, can’t avoid the searchlight/Hope that they don’t find me/Find me where I’m lying.”
The concert is a ‘Róisín Dubh presents...’ event. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net, the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street, and The Róisín Dubh.
