"I told them that if I was forced to begin my 2009 tour of American in New York, I would have to end it here as well," Bloom told the sellout crowd, which means you will get another chance to see him if you missed him last week.

Bloom never fails to deliver an entertaining show, and you are hereby advised to catch him at a town near you! After playing gigs in upstate New York that include the Turning Point in Piermont on June 17 and Cafe Lena in Saratoga on June 16, Bloom will conclude his tour at City Winery (55 Varick Street, New York 212-608-0555) on June 21.

He will also play Philadelphia's famous World Cafe club and radio program on June 20.

MIKE FARRAGHER
www.irishcentral.com/ent/Irish-singer-Luka-Bloom-a-hit-in-New-York-City-46267282.html

Luka 'chuffed' to be coming back
By STUART DERDEYN, The Province
Bloom sees visit as a chance to reconnect with fans and old friends Luka Bloom recalls amazing times at the Commodore when he visited Vancouver regularly.
Three years shy of his first strum in an American club, he released Riverside on Reprise. Acoustic Motorbike (1992) and Turf (1994) followed and the guy was a regular in new folk circles.
His live shows, frequently on bills with Spirit of the West, were legendary. This city even winds up in a lyric in the touching song "The Man Is Alive" on Riverside.
So why has it been more than a decade since Bloom was here, let alone with a new album getting Canadian release? The stunning Eleven Songs is out on Bar/None this month.
"It's been a while since a CD of mine was released in Canada -- unfortunate," says Bloom. "Vancouver holds an important place in my life and there was a time, in the 1990s, when I had amazing times at the Commodore and visited regularly...."
www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html

Watch ABtv :: Luka Bloom @ Ancienne Belgique Brussels

and

Luka Bloom & Band - LIVE @ Ancienne Belgique Brussels

IRISH SINGER/SONGWRITER LUKA BLOOM TO RELEASE
NEW CD "ELEVEN SONGS" ON MARCH 10TH
1/21/2009

Luka Bloom, the much loved Irish troubador who has been impressing audiences for years with his exhilarating live solo performing style, announces the release of his new album "Eleven Songs" on Bar/None Records on March 10th. "Eleven Songs" is his eleventh album and it is a return to the bold production work of his early critically acclaimed Warner Bros. releases 1990’s major label debut Riverside and 1991’s The Acoustic Motorbike. In the interim he has continued to work up innovative approaches to solo acoustic guitar and his voice has developed an incredible range that rolls from deep bass tones to soaring falsetto.

For "Eleven Songs", which Luka co-produced, recorded and mixed with original Frames’ guitarist David Odlum, he has written a classic batch of songs including the catchy country folk of "On Your Side" and the poignant tour de force "Don’t Be Afraid of the Light That Shines Within You". The record features Luka on a number of different guitars with tasteful backup that includes stand up bass and drums on some tracks and strings and a choir on others but is always centered with Luka’s voice and guitar.

In November 2007, Luka sat down with Odlum to discuss the 20 songs he had to consider for his the next record. The album was recorded at Grouse Lodge in County Westmeath where they were joined by Dave Hingerty (ex-The Frames), drums; Trevor Hutchinson, double bass, Liam O'Maonlai (ex-Hothouse Flowers) and Paul Smith on pianos. Additional musicians included Joe Csibi, who brought a string quartet from Dublin, Kenneth Edge on soprano sax and clarinet, Conor Byrne on flute, pedal steel guitar by Joshua Grange and additional vocals by Sinead Martin, Robbie Moore, and the Gardiner Street Gospel choir.

Says Luka, "By the time we left Grouse Lodge 20 songs became 15, and we knew we were on to something good. And suddenly we were done by mid May, so off we went to Black Box in France again, and over 10 days, 15 songs became 11. We were done and we were, and are, very happy."

The press in Ireland has been enthusiastic about Eleven Songs’ release. Hot Press proclaimed, "Bloom is nothing if not consistent. This is his 11th solo album in a career that stretches back over 30 years and he hasn’t made as duff record yet…it is warm and sepia-toned…The predominant theme is a spiritual one, encompassing love and loss: the crunch track is the wonderfully optimistic ‘Don’t Be Afraid of The Light That Shines Within You.’ Reminiscent of Astral Weeks-era, Van Morrison meets U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.’ It boasts soaring string and the massed voices of Gardiner Street Gospel Choir – a superb synthesis. All told 11 Songs is an album that reveals a superb craftsman working at the top of his game. Savour it."

"Eleven Songs"' stellar track "Don’t Be Afraid of The Light That Shines Within You" expresses Luka’s feelings at the beginning of 2009 and honors the yearly feast on February 1st in his hometown of Kildare, Ireland when groups of people gather to welcome the beginning of Spring and celebrate Brigid, the Patron Saint of Kildare who was the goddess of love, poetry and justice in pre-Christian Ireland. Luka says, "Every year we gather to welcome the light into our world; and to hope that more light will shine in the world; and that someday out of the darkness of war, hunger, greed, poverty, will come the light of community, sharing, justice, music, dance, peace and love. I wanted to write a simple song to share with everyone in Kildare, and light a spark for change. He wrote the song around 2000 and for years only sang it in Kildare, but in 2008 he felt a surge of energy around this song and recorded it for Eleven Songs. Luka continues, "This song is my prayer for the world, and I send it out at the start of this exciting and dangerous year, with love and hope in my heart for our shared future. Songs can also be prayers, blessings, and they can be a spark to ignite something beautiful in anybody. January 2009 could mark a great beginning. I hope it is"

The critical praise for "Eleven Songs" has also included a "4 Star" rave in The Irish Times. ".he's sizzling like a neophyte who's just discovered the magic in a newly minted song. Sure, there are traces of Bloom's trademark percussive guitar style and his political instinct on Fire, but the rest is a highly personal journey: fingering stillness and, most of all, what it means to live comfortably in one's own skin. Acoustically, Bloom has created a space that serves his meditations well..this is a collection that doesn't so much assault the senses as infiltrate them, lingering long after the final note has sounded. A quietly triumphant return to his roots."

Returning to the raw live sound of his earlier records and brimming with inspiring lyrics and sumptuous melodies, Eleven Songs reminds us why Luka is such a master of the concert stage and you can hear the pleasure that was had by all the participants in the album's perfect grooves.

howlinwuelf.com/html/news.asp

> FaceCulture Video Interview with Luka Bloom - 15 May 2007

Greetings everyone,

I hate watching violent movies. Always did. whenever I find myself watching one, I look through closed fingers, and wait for the hard parts to pass. That's what it was like last night trying to watch the new DVD for the first time. I loved the bits in the documentary section where I'm playing with friends, or walking with my sister; but I couldn't be looking at or listening to myself talking so much. The only part of the DVD I could watch without freaking was when I was playing guitar, because it's the first time I've watched myself do that, and I still have no clue what I'm doing, which is a bit of fun.

What I'm saying is I would never have done this. Only for members of my family and a few people close to my family, the DVD would never have happened. Niall, Usna, Turlough, Anne, and all the people they assembled, made this happen.

They started to ask me about it 3 years ago and I didn't want to know about it. Just let me write songs and sing them and I'm happy. But the lads just thought it was time for this, and they persisted. I thought they were mad.

So many great people came over to Dublin for a mighty night in the Helix. From all over the place. We had a lovely time.

I'm not going to go into the details of the delay in getting the DVD finished, but I'll just say there were serious issues with the Helix gig from a technical perspective. We lost all but 50 minutes of the gig. I was prepared to let the project go, but Niall and Usna persisted, and in time they rescued enough of the show to consider finishing.

Then I got the idea of bringing a few people round to the house for a Saturday afternoon, to get a different buzz.

Then we approached the lads in Holland about using the documentary...... And all of a sudden nearly 3 years later here we are.
2 gigs, a bunch of songs, way too much of me talking shite.
I can't watch it, and I never will again.

But for people who like these things, I hope the DVD satisfies your curiosity.

And I hope you enjoy the songs, and the shots of the Burren.

I've learned something from the DVD, and I'm grateful for that.

Its great to sing and play music. But maybe not so great to be trying to explain yourself. Maybe there's no need. Maybe it is best to sing the song, and then shut up. I think so.

See what you think.

This was a long tough road, especially for Niall and Usna at Union Station Productions. I thank them and admire them for their resilience and conviction. And I thank all the people who helped put the 2 gigs together.

But most of all, I thank the people who took time and trouble to travel to Dublin to attend the Helix gig.

We really hope the wait is worth it for you now.

It's great to have it done.

Right so, I'm off to make a record...
God bless,
Luka

A Conversation with Luka Bloom

Luka Bloom recently released a 2 DVD, 1 CD set entitled "The Man is Alive". It includes two concerts — one in Luka’s house in Nass, Co. Kildare and the other at the Helix in Dublin, along with a question and answer session. It also includes the Dutch documentary "My Name is Luka" and a CD with songs from the concerts. Luka recently spoke with Cindy Reich from "Celtic Connections" via phone from his home in Naas on a rainy evening in March.

Luka Bloom performs Open Up Your Arms
on Dutch TV show 'Vrije Geluiden' - Nov 2005