That’s it for another year. The exhibitions have come down and the performers have departed from what looks to have been a very successful Arts Festival.
There seemed to be bigger crowds at the shows and wandering the streets than last year, so, hopefully, it’s a sign that we may be turning a corner in this awful recession. Then again, the light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming Iarnrod Eireann express train.
We’ve got the All Ireland Final to lift our spirits over the next few weeks and there’s some great music to entertain as well. We’ve just had the legendary Kris Kristofferson at the Hub and this week it’s the turn of one of the most hotly tipped American singers this year to arrive back in town. Kris represents the musical old guard and Caitlin Rose, fifty years his junior, looks set to take up the mantle in the years to come. They both share that outlaw spark and a listen to Caitlin’s just released album, ‘Own Side Now’, will definitely help you make it through the night.
La vie en rose
Not a lot was known about Caitlin Rose when she played at the Rhythm and Roots festival last May, but since then music journalists, especially in the UK, have been going overboard in their praise. Rave reviews have been coming in for ‘Own Side Now’ and I asked her has this put extra pressure on her on the new tour.
“It raises the stakes a little bit, but the best thing anyone can do when faced with massive amounts of pressure is remind themselves that we've all got growing to do and that there's always room for mistakes. Everyone else's expectations are important, but your own should be top priority. Honestly though, I've been disappointing people all my life, so that's not where my ruin lies.”
Anyone who saw her shows at the festival or heard her impromptu session in The Nore Bar will know that she’s a special talent with the songs and the voice to go a long way in a very tough business. This time round she’s bringing along a third musician as she makes the next step up the music ladder. This works great in intimate venues like Cleeres, but, presumably a larger band will be needed when moving up to bigger shows?
“If a full band tour wasn't somewhere in the future I wouldn't want to tour at all(that would be so depressing ), but if I can cultivate something by going out on my own, or bringing along Jeremy and Jordan, that makes it more feasible for a full band tour in the near future then I'm all for it. Plus, learning how to tour in these smaller groups will help with the larger one later. It's like bunny slopes.”
So is this tour all part of a grand plan to conquer Europe and then the USA?
“There's never been much of a plan. The plan has always been however things work out. We didn't go looking for a UK label, never really even thought to, but ‘Names’ (her record company ) emailed us and they seemed like great people with a great team and they turned out to be just that. I'm not much of a planner. I take things as they come because I've usually forgotten about them when they finally do.”
I spoke to Caitlin a few days before she left Nashville for her longest tour yet in Europe and apologised for interrupting the packing.
“Unfortunately, my bags are not packed(it's not easy to pack like for two months ), but I am headed back in just a week with my guitar player, Jeremy Fetzer and Jordan Caress, who came along last year, who will add bass and background vocals. I can't wait for the show! Last time around was a blast. Family fun with more beer!”
Caitlin takes the stage at Cleeres on Sunday night for a night of family fun and probably a few beers. This is one of those shows where you can say in years to come, when she’s stepping up to accept some music award, “D’you remember the time she played in Cleeres? I was there!”
