| Siobhán’s debut at Symphony Hall in Boston with The Chieftains Siobhán O'Brien - Hailing from Limerick, Ireland Siobhan O'Brien has been entertaining audiences with her individual unique voice, and her personal style of songwriting.. No newcomer to the entertainment field, Siobhan made her first audio recording at the tender age of six, with an old sea shanty. Siobhan has roots from four generations in the music industry. Most notably, she is the niece of Ireland's Sixties music legend, Brendan Bowyer.Her vocal style has been described as "caressing a lyric with sophisticated simplicity." In 2008 Siobhan has performed in concert as a guest vocalist with the famed Irish group The Chieftains at Boston Symphony Hall USA, and was invited up on stage by Sharon Shanon to perform songs from her new CD at a Charity Event. She has also appeared in shows supporting such acts as: Christy Moore, Donavan, Henry Mc Cullough (Wings), Maria Mc Kee, The Cranberrries,Pete Cummins (Fleadh Cowboys/Nanci Griffith/Chieftains and many more. Siobhan's new CD 'Songs I grew Up To' includes special guest appearances by several of Siobhan's musical friends including ~ Paddy Moloney (The Chieftans) Pete Cummins(Fleadh Cowboys/Nanci Griffith) & (Irish music legend) Brendan Bowyer. One of the tracks from the CD 'All My Trials' has been picked up for inclusion on a compilation CD called "Stay In The Box 3" by British Company MATCHBOX RECORDINGS BOSTON GLOBE INTERVIEW (Short Version) MARCH 14th, 2008 Siobhán O'Brien finds her own voice with a new cd of cover songs By Linda Laban Globe Correspondent When Siobhán O'Brien heard that the Frames frontman,Glen Hansard had won the Oscar last month for best song for 'Falling Slowly' his duet with from the film 'Once', she was so happy for him that she cried. Her father told her he had heard the company that makes the guitar Hansard favors had seen him playing his battered old instrument at the awards show and offered him a new one."I was going, 'Don't take the guitar, don't take the guitar,' O'Brien recalls from her home in Limerick. She got her wish.Her father said Hansard had declined.That's Glen. I knew he wouldn't take the guitar,says the Irish singer-songwriter. O'Brien seems to need her heroes unsullied and intact; she isn't into the glitz and the glamour of success: "I just love doing this" ,she says of making music.O'Brien met Hansard 15 years ago when they bonded over a mutual love of Bob Dylan. Around the time, Dylan had invited O'Brien, a plucky girl with a strong, delicately tremulous voice, to sing his song "The Fox" on stage in Dublin with him.That song is just one of many covers - from Harry Chapin's "Shooting Star" to Brian Wilson's "In My Room"- that O'Brien recently recorded for her self-released covers record "Songs I Grew Up To". I never in my life thought I'd do a covers album. Writing was such a huge part of who I was and who I wanted to be seen as. The letting go had to happen, O'Brien says.I realized I was limiting myself. 'I was probably ignoring what I can do best.'Tonight at Symphony Hall, O'Brien will sing some of those cover songs when she appears as a guest of the Chieftains. Pete Cummins, asked his friend, The Chieftain's Uilleann Pipes player Paddy Moloney, to play. Moloney says he was astonished when he heard O'Brien's voice on tape.'I was blown away. I thought she's brilliant, you know? I can't understand why she's not at the top,she has a beautiful voice.When you have a voice like that,you should get on with it!' O'Brien's back story includes ties to one of Ireland's biggest pop stars: Her uncle Brendan Bowyer was a show-band superstar in the 1960s before relocating to Las Vegas to become a successful performer. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company To read this whole interview go to this Boston Globe link: http://www.boston. com/ae/music/articles/2008/03/14/siobhn_obrien_finds _her_own_voice_with_a_new_cd_of_cover_songs/ |
Contact Us at littleredhenmusic@gmail.com |
| Siobhán's Dad, Brian O'Brien with Anthony Foley (Irish Rugby Player) with the William Mullhall's portrait of Bob Dylan. The Irish Rugby Team gave this to Brian O'Brien (manager) on his retirement , as he was a Dylan fan.. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 |
| Siobhán O'Brien backed byThe Chieftains at Symphony Hall Boston Mass, USA Paddy Moloney introduces Siobhán on stage Photos by Metta Myers ©2008 all rights reserved |
| re |
FROOTS MAGAZINE REVIEW
by John O'Regan June 16, 2008
Siobhán O'Brien's new LP
SONGS I GREW UP TO
Limerick born Siobhán O'Brien has made a
commendable name on the Irish and American folk
circuits doing primarily her own material. What lifts
her apart from the trillion Vega acolytes is a razor
sharp sense of tunnel vision coupled with a compelling
stage presence. That is just one side of Ms. O'Brien's
output - the other is this project Songs I Grew Up To.
Consisting of material common to the American folk
revival of the late '50s, 60s and 70s and gleaned from
her familial record collections this is homage to
Americana from a cosmopolitan Irish viewpoint. In
essence it resembles the best elements from a rough
cross between an Alan Lomax collection and Bowie's
Pin Ups where songs almost considered beyond
standards are revitalised. Take All My Trials for
example, here rendered as a simple evocative homage
to freedom from social oppression, her pure voice
recalls Joan Baez but with an extra bittersweet tinge.
The Fox known from Burl Ives and schooldays
songbooks is reinvigorated with Pete Cummins' Dylan
like backing vocals and Paddy Moloney's pipes and
whistle light up the Long Black Veil. However while
big honchos make guest slots the main game is
Siobhán O'Brien's doing - hers is a rich supple voice
honed from years of practise and she knows her
traditional ballads too offering a delicious resetting of
the Lakes of Ponchartrain. Using her characteristic
taste and experience SONGS I GREW UP TO offers a
role model inhow to honour the daunting Americana
songbook yet imprint ones own personality on such a
project. This is quite a challenging dare and to Ms.
O'Brien's credit she pulls it off admirably. The results
are powerfully moving and make Songs I Grew Up To
quite an event in the process.
| Join Our Mailing List Contact Information for ~ Siobhán O'Brien littleredhenmusic@gmail.com |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 |
