ONE OF Galway's finest singer-songwriters, Ultan Conlon, the fascinating talents of Maja Elliot, and Hanahazukashi, as well as alternative folk, and indie, will be seen and heard at the next series of Citóg nights in the Róisín Dubh.
The opening Citóg show for November takes place tomorrow with the headline slot from Yawning Chasm, the alternative, left-field folk and singer-songwriter project of Galway's Aaron Coyne. The Boa Melody Bar website described his music "dreamy melancholia" accompanied by "gorgeous [mandolin/guitar] finger-picking, casio, and a haunting use of delay/reverb and shortwave radio that gives the songs the feeling of being beamed in from afar."
Also playing is Hanahazukashi, who has lived in the US, Europe, and Asia. A couple of years ago, while in Japan, she found a harp and wrote some songs about Fukui-shi, curtains, eikaiwas, breathing, relationships, castles, socks, and translation troubles. Her music has been described as "TEFL folk".
Support is from Aidan Breen.
Loughrea singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon headlines the Wednesday November 11 Citóg. His albums Bless Your Heart and Songs Of Love So Cruel have won praise from music critics and bloggers. Hotpress's Olaf Tyaransen called Bless Your Heart “the best Irish debut since Damien Rice’s O”, while Songs... was declared “an impressively simple but classy album,” by Music-News.com, and as “deep and meaningful, bristling with emotion and passion, not a duff track," by Whisperinandhollerin.com
Ultan's music has been played on RTÉ, Today FM, and Newstalk, and on various BBC radio stations, and was also featured in the independent feature film Songs For Amy. Support is from Sam Clague and Patrick Conneely. Admission is free.
The final Citóg of the month takes place on November 18 with the Son Of The Hound headlining. It is the stage name of singer-songwriter Michael McCullagh, and is a translation of his surname McCullagh, from the Gaelic Mac Cu Ulaidh, meaning Son of The Hound of Ulster. He plays alternative folk music, drawing on Irish and American bluegrass, and has been likened to The Pogues, The Decemberists, and Josh Ritter.
Also playing is Maja Eliott. Born in Arabia of Swedish/Irish/English descent, she began playing piano by ear at the age of five. At 12 she made her first BBC TV appearance, and encouraged by composer David Hellewell and his wife Monica, performed extensively in her teens, including a tour in Hong Kong and China.
Today her music mixes classical, modern jazz, ethnic music, pop, and avant garde. Her vocal inspiration comes from traditional singing of Ireland and Arabia. Recent performances have been in San Francisco and Venice where she performed solo and with the group Current 93.
Support is from Keith McNamara.
Doors for all gigs are at 9pm. Admission to all gigs is free. See www.roisindubh.net Follow Citóg on Facebook and Twitter.
