Kevin McCormack

Meet Kevin McCormack, a 26 year old native of Ireland, who is making quite the splash in the Pacific NW Irish music scene. His high energy, upbeat and boisterous performance style gives way to a quiet, gentle and surprisingly humble persona. An Irishman through and through, he slowly sips a cup of tea as we begin to talk.

When asked about his distinct energetic performance style, Kevin states, “People tell me that a lot, something I’m starting to appreciate. You can take music seriously, but Irish music is fun and you can enjoy it.”

After playing drums for various rock bands in and around Dublin, Kevin moved stateside to New York in 2008 to pursue his music career full time. Little did he know that it was going to be the other side of the country where he would finally get his big break. “I got into the Irish folk stuff from my Dad. I started playing music when I was about 10 or 11,” Kevin states. With early influences of the likes of The Clancy Brothers, Luke Kelly, and even a little Woody Guthrie, it’s easy to tell that Kevin has a passion for the traditional and story-telling style. “I’m a real traditionalist. It’s all about getting across the message of the song,” Kevin says. Working in a bar in Brooklyn, his boss heard him humming a tune and offered him a gig. Fast forward to 2011 and Kevin set off on a cross country American tour that landed him in Ocean Shores, WA for the Irish Music Festival last Fall. “The best gigs are the ones you feed off of and everyone’s having a grand time. At Ocean Shores, people are there to hear the music,” Kevin says. It was one of the best gigs he’s played.

It was there he met Jenna Garvey-O’Brien, the owner of The Terrible Beauty Pubs in Renton and West Seattle, WA. Quickly taken with Kevin’s musicianship and personality, he was offered several gigs there and thus began his nearly six nights a week gigging in and around Seattle. Kevin now is a regular on the schedule at The Terrible Beauty in both West Seattle and Renton, as well as playing weekly in Kell’s Irish Pub in downtown Seattle. In true musician fashion, Kevin hasn’t had a proper day off in over two weeks and is often gigging twice a day.

As busy as Kevin is though, he has managed to find time to begin recording his own album in Seattle. With two demo albums under his belt, this is Kevin’s first real album. Due to be released in June, “An Immigrant’s Letter” promises to be a mixture of the traditional Irish flair that Kevin is known for, such as, “Spancil Hill”, “Rocky Road To Dublin”, “Leaving Of Liverpool” and “From Clare To Here”, but what promises to be a real treat are the self-penned songs that are to accompany those traditional tracks. “People seem to be really receptive to the idea of original material,” Kevin adds, “This is where I am. This is a load of songs about me being Irish and being a folk singer in America. I’m excited about it. Me doing a folk album, a 26 year old guy from this generation, will speak to some people. Hopefully, I’ll have something decent to say at the end of it.” Hooking up with many local talents such as, Liam Gallagher (who so graciously is letting Kevin record his album in his studio) lending his talents on guitar and mandolin. Acclaimed fiddler from Washington DC, Stevie Morris, a string quartet, some uilleann pipes from the Seattle-based Carrigaline Celtic Band, and perhaps maybe a few lads from the Stout Pounders. “There seems to be a great Celtic music scene here I didn’t know about,” Kevin states. “An Immigrant’s Letter” promises to be a fun-filled album with a full sound. Be sure to watch for it’s release in June. It will be available at all of Kevin’s live gigs, as well as CD Baby and on his website as well.



As for the future, Kevin will be touring the Midwest in mid-late summer as a supporting act, as well as touring up and down the west coast promoting his album, “An Immigrant’s Letter”. For now you can catch him nearly any given night either at The Terrible Beauty in Renton or West Seattle, or playing alongside Liam Gallagher at Kell’s Downtown Seattle. Kevin’s website is always up to date with his most current gig schedule, so be sure to check it out. He puts on one heck of a show, and you’re sure to have a memorable time.

“Looking back on the last few months for all intents and purposes, I should be back in New York behind a bar somewhere. I’m here and happy with the way things are going.” No matter where Kevin ends up, he says he’ll always have a base here in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit Kevin’s website at http://www.kevinmccormackmusic.com/fr_home.cfm - 67 music

Occupation:
Musician who sings, plays guitar, five-string banjo and bodhran. Moved to New York three years ago from his home in Dublin.

Did growing up in Dublin have an influence on your appreciation of trad Irish music?
“To be honest, no. I had always liked it from a young age, but ever since I started playing music I was playing drums in various indie sorts of bands while I was in school and college. Singing the ballads only started when I was over here.
“I was working in a bar in Brooklyn, and one day while I was cleaning a few glasses my boss heard me singing to myself and suggested I do a gig in the bar. I learnt a few chords on the banjo and next thing I was playing there every Wednesday.”

When did you get interested in traditional Irish music?
“My dad only had two cassettes in the car. Every year when I was a kid we would drive down to Wexford, and in and around Wicklow we’d lose reception on the radio. It was either the Dubliners or Chuck Berry. Luke Kelly blew me away. Still today nothing moves me more than the raw passion of his singing.
“I guess that’s when the seed was planted. It’s probably 20 years later now, and I’m singing the same songs off that tape for me supper.”

Who are your musical influences?
“As I said, Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. Then the other obvious ones like Christy Moore, the Dublin City Ramblers, the Clancys and Tommy Makem. I just finished reading Liam Clancy’s autobiography. He tells of how he moved to New York in his early twenties and was trying to make it as an actor and singer while living in Greenwich Village. Sort of rang a few bells. And I’ve been getting into the old school American folkies of late, like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.”

Do you think there is more of an appreciation of Irish trad music in Ireland or the U.S.?
“I’ve never sang ballads to audiences back home. And I get mixed responses from both Irish and American audiences over here. Some of my best gigs have been to off the boat Paddys in Woodside and also to almost solely American crowds in Brooklyn or Times Square. Every gig is different.”

What is your fan base like over here?
“Fairly small at the moment. We have a Sunday night residency in Kitty Kiernan’s in Brooklyn and we have a steady crowd coming down to that. At the end of the month I’m heading out on tour with my cohort Aaron Lowry. We have 29 dates across the Midwest in an Irish chain, Claddagh. We’re really looking forward to that, and hopefully we’ll pick up a few new fans along the road. For more information and tour dates check out http://www.kevinmccormackmusic.com.”

Interview by Molly Muldoon

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/In-Focus-Kevin-McCormack-a-traditional-Irish-musican-based-in-New-York--VIDEO-128458688.html#ixzz1jtOebDex
- The Irish Voice

Occupation:
Musician who sings, plays guitar, five-string banjo and bodhran. Moved to New York three years ago from his home in Dublin.

Did growing up in Dublin have an influence on your appreciation of trad Irish music?
“To be honest, no. I had always liked it from a young age, but ever since I started playing music I was playing drums in various indie sorts of bands while I was in school and college. Singing the ballads only started when I was over here.
“I was working in a bar in Brooklyn, and one day while I was cleaning a few glasses my boss heard me singing to myself and suggested I do a gig in the bar. I learnt a few chords on the banjo and next thing I was playing there every Wednesday.”

When did you get interested in traditional Irish music?
“My dad only had two cassettes in the car. Every year when I was a kid we would drive down to Wexford, and in and around Wicklow we’d lose reception on the radio. It was either the Dubliners or Chuck Berry. Luke Kelly blew me away. Still today nothing moves me more than the raw passion of his singing.
“I guess that’s when the seed was planted. It’s probably 20 years later now, and I’m singing the same songs off that tape for me supper.”

Who are your musical influences?
“As I said, Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. Then the other obvious ones like Christy Moore, the Dublin City Ramblers, the Clancys and Tommy Makem. I just finished reading Liam Clancy’s autobiography. He tells of how he moved to New York in his early twenties and was trying to make it as an actor and singer while living in Greenwich Village. Sort of rang a few bells. And I’ve been getting into the old school American folkies of late, like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.”

Do you think there is more of an appreciation of Irish trad music in Ireland or the U.S.?
“I’ve never sang ballads to audiences back home. And I get mixed responses from both Irish and American audiences over here. Some of my best gigs have been to off the boat Paddys in Woodside and also to almost solely American crowds in Brooklyn or Times Square. Every gig is different.”

What is your fan base like over here?
“Fairly small at the moment. We have a Sunday night residency in Kitty Kiernan’s in Brooklyn and we have a steady crowd coming down to that. At the end of the month I’m heading out on tour with my cohort Aaron Lowry. We have 29 dates across the Midwest in an Irish chain, Claddagh. We’re really looking forward to that, and hopefully we’ll pick up a few new fans along the road. For more information and tour dates check out http://www.kevinmccormackmusic.com.”

Interview by Molly Muldoon

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/In-Focus-Kevin-McCormack-a-traditional-Irish-musican-based-in-New-York--VIDEO-128458688.html#ixzz1jtOebDex
- The Irish Voice

Dublin balladeer taking NYC by storm

By Brian Donohue
Dublin musician Kevin McCormack, presently making a name for himself in NYC.
Dublin musician Kevin McCormack, presently making a name for himself in NYC.

Dublin native Kevin McCormack has been turning heads throughout the five boroughs recently with his lively and energetic sets, putting his own spin on Irish classics and American folk songs, from the bawdiest of drinking songs to the quietest of laments.

McCormack's love of traditional ballads started after hearing the voice of Luke Kelly on his father’s two Dubliner's cassette tapes in the car, on their yearly trip down to Courtown, Co. Wexford. Over the years McCormack has collected an extensive repertoire from greats such as Kelly, Moore, Makem and Clancy.

“My biggest influence is Luke Kelly; I wouldn’t say I sound like him, but I would like to sound like him!” he laughs.

McCormack spent his early musical career playing drums in various Indie bands around the Dublin scene, all the while quietly mastering the classics on the side, for his own personal enjoyment. In the summer of 2008 he moved to New York City and began working at Ceol in Brooklyn.

His start as a ballad singer in the Big Apple came one Wednesday evening at Ceol, when his boss asked him to get up and belt out a few tunes. After encouragement from the other patrons, he did just that. A few songs in, it was clear to everyone that McCormack had something special, and his gigs were soon a regular happening at the Brooklyn pub.

The Dubliner is currently gigging extensively throughout New York City, with a Sunday night residency at Kitty Kiernan's in Brooklyn, where he plays guitar, 5-string banjo and bodhran, mostly as a duo with Virginia transplant Aaron Lowry on guitar and backing vocals.

McCormack is headed to the studio to start working on his first album in September, but before then he can be seen at live music venues all across the boroughs, starting at Kitty Kiernan’s this Sunday for the special Memorial Day session. For more information visit KevinMcCormackmusic.com. - The Irish Emigrant

"They're very good..." - Some Drunk