Songbird sessions at navan bookstore
In a new departure for recently opened Blackbird Books, the Navan bookshop and café will host its first ever musical show in its intimate upstairs space at Old Cornmarket on Saturday, 3rd October.
The evening, entitled Songbird Sessions, will see Dublin’s Rosa Nutty join local singer-songwriters Christy Leech - performing his solo project Drawn By Dogs - and Saramai.
Nutty’s debut EP, 'Bunny', which was successfully funded through public support on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, was launched to great acclaim at The Chocolate Factory on Dublin’s Kings Inn Street last month, following which she was named Irish Times New Artist of the Week in August.
“The release's five tracks suggest a musician as comfortable with choral melodies as she is with an acoustic guitar. The EP is augmented by French horn and cello but it's Nutty's voice that shines through,” wrote respected music blogger and journalist Niall Byrne in the Irish Times, while Pure M magazine compared Nutty to Regina Spektor and Cat Power and described the EP as “a warm, engrossing collection of indie folk music”.
Joining Nutty in Blackbird Books will be two local artists who are making strides on the national and indeed international scenes.
Drawn By Dogs is a solo project with roots in New York City by Navan singer-songwriter Christy Leech. Fresh off a 10-date tour in New York and Massachusetts earlier this year, Christy is currently recording his debut EP which will be released in Ireland and the UK in early 2016 by Rooftop Records NYC.
Singer-songwriter Saramai, who grew up in Navan’s Ludlow Street area, also has a debut EP in the pipeline after a quick ascent through Ireland’s musical ranks. Saramai has opened for the likes of Duke Special, Pilgrim St, Fionn Regan, Jack L, The Lost Brothers and Declan O'Rourke and also achieved the honour of being selected as one of Guinness Amplify’s emerging artists this year, playing a showcase gig at the world-famous Róisín Dubh in Galway.
A recipient of a Tyrone Guthrie Bursary award from Meath County Council, Saramai is embarking on a café tour this autumn, the first date of which is the Blackbird Books gig.
Lorraine McKeever of Blackbird Books says: “We were pinching ourselves when we received an email from a record company in New York asking whether we would consider hosting some intimate music performances. We jumped at the opportunity, and can’t wait for Saturday - it promises to be a very special occasion.
“Probably the best bit of our first four months in business has been meeting so many creative people. We have had some of Ireland’s best known writers and indeed Booker Prize winner Ben Okri in the shop in the past couple of months and we’re just thrilled to be able to showcase more of Ireland’s artistic talent by hosting this Songbird Sessions evening.”
Tickets for the October 3rd show, priced at €5, are available from Blackbird Books in Navan. Capacity is strictly limited so those interested are advised to purchase early to avoid disappointment. Call 046-9072399 for more details.