New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dublin native and Philadelphia resident, John Byrne leads his eponymously-named band. Their new record A
Shiver in the Sky, recorded at Spice House Sound in Philadelphia and produced by long-time collaborator Andy Keenan, shows his band of multi-instrumentalists vibrantly executing ten new originals. Strings, horns and guitars escort Byrne's vocals through a set of songs about living and pushing forward through negative times. The album comes out today, and he released a new video for "Hold That Against Me". The song is about his brother's fight to be accepted as a gay man in the Ireland of the 90s, he wrote it after the Marriage Equality referendum there a couple of years ago in which same sex marriage was overwhelmingly supported by the people of Ireland.
Following up After the Wake (2011), Celtic Folk (2013) and The Immigrant and the Orphan(2015), A
Shiver in the Sky focuses on triumph over trauma. Of this set of songs Byrne says, "Things will happen to you, and they can be immensely painful, but they will pass. And if you don't let them break you there will be a new version of yourself that emerges and has learned the skills to live with this pain. There are cautionary tales, songs about dealing with addiction, about immigration, about relationships of all kinds, about facing prejudice, about leaving things behind. They all ultimately carry a similar message, that living carries with it the possibility of balancing out regret or mistakes that you've made with a future that contains something brighter. The
Shiver in the Sky is the past, it's the remnants of trauma, it never fully leaves us, but it fades with time."
With influences ranging from
Tom Waits to Planxty, John's songwriting honors and expands upon the musical and lyrical traditions of his native and adopted homes. Critics have called his writing "powerful, deeply moving work that will stay with you long after you have heard it" (Michael Tearson-Sing Out). Both as a solo/acoustic act, and a full 6-piece band, John logs in over 150 shows per year, building a loyal and devoted following. John spent 2017/18 recording and releasing an album of folk songs with his father John Sr. Released under the name John J.Byrne and the Twangmen, the album has been included in the
National Folk
Music Archives in Ireland.
Byrne's songs are rich with the sounds and themes of Irish tradition, one that survives in a modern world… full of raw strength… puts me in mind of an Irish Alejandro Escavedo" Sing Out
"The Vibe of it (The Immigrant and the Orphan) is, at once, as rough as rock and as elegant as a calm ocean..each song on this album carries an honesty, integrity and quiet passion that will draw you into its world for years to come" No Depression
"One of the few musical artists today who truly manage to be traditional and modern at the same time." Philadelphia Inquirer
"He's good, period, with material that's edgy yet accessible in a Luka Bloom meets
Bob Dylan kind of way." Philadelphia Daily News
