Irish Music Magazine - Vol 7 No 7 - Irish News - March 2002
Luka Bloom
Luka's new album got it's premier airing in Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Australia and was released in Ireland on February 1st.
Luka heads off to tour Europe and Australia in March and returns or an Irish tour in May and then it's off to the USA for gigs in
June. 2002 marks his 30th anniversary in the music business, having started off playing support to Planxty in the early 70s.
Cobblestone Upstairs Concerts
3 April 2002
Alyanya Massey is an exciting and
inspiring new talent. Her unique style has been honed in the last 18 months since
she's been writing and performing as a solo artist, prior to that she's been lead
singer with many bands, the most notable being SCRYBE. Alyanya is completing
a Professional Musician Training Course at New Park Music School and will start
a 2 year Diploma in Jazz in September.
But before that, she has a busy time ahead as she’s embarking on an extensive
Irish Tour starting in April and running through the summer. She will also be
touring with Luka Bloom.
www.musiclee.ie/frames/monthly.htm
News from Connemara.net
February 2002 News
Nine Fridays: On the last Friday of every month, over a period of nine months, concerts in
Letterfrack National School have been broadcast on Connemara Community Radio.
The night consists of local talent plus our special guests who will include, Sean Tyrrell, Mairtin O'Connor,
Luka Bloom, The Josephine Marsh Band, John Spillane and many more exciting names.
www.connemara.net/news
The Galway Independent - 10-19 April 2002
Dancing at the Crossroads
Luka Bloom is set to play Letterfrack National School on the 26 April as part of the Nine
Last Fridays series, which runs from January to May and September to December. This unique initiative
was set up to promote music and the arts in local communities. Admission to hear Luka Bloom perform
is a modest €4 and €2 for the unwaged.
Letterfrack National School has been host to a variety of eminent
musicians including Sharon Shannon, John Spillane, Sean Tyrrell, Maire Breathnach, Jimmy Fitz and
Paul Gunning. The name is a spin off on the First Nine Fridays when mothers do nine Fridays for their
wayward sons and daughters.
Leo Hallisey, principal of Letterfrack School describes the event as: "providing spaces for
expression for the local community. It started two years ago and has been very successful in our
community. I would love to see it happen in the other communities".
Before a performance the guests visit the school and spend time with the children. Every child from
second class upwards can play an instrument. The students have made a CD called 'Behind the Mist'
which was produced by PJ Curtis...
www.galwayindependent.com/issue10/news/10_DancingAtTheCrossroads.asp
Hot Press - 03 May 2002
30 years a Bloom-in'
With an Irish tour approaching and a new album in the shops, Luka Bloom looks back on three decades
that have taken him from busking in a pub in Newbridge to the big stages of Europe and America. In this
candid interview with Jackie Hayden the man also known as Barry Moore talks about brother Christy,
overcoming stage fright, finding an original voice, dealings with the music business, the need to combat racism -
and why he remains a wannabe bogman.
This year, Luka Bloom celebrates 30 years as a professional musician. Over those three decades he's fought
many a demon (both internal and external), reinvented himself, struggled for and won universal acclaim,
survived record deals with two major labels, saw the naked racism of the Irish at home and abroad and
overcome the 'Christy Moore's brother' tag. Here, we look backwards and forwards with the artist formerly
known as Barry Moore.
www.hotpress.com
The Limerick Event Guide - Volume 02 - Issue 05 - May 21 to June 03, 2002
In Bloom
Luka Bloom - UCH - May 09
Thursday Night in the formal surrounds of Limerick's University Concert Hall. A stressfree yet animated
Luka Bloom changes guitars (after playing a folk version of Madonna's "Into The Groove") and
remarks: "I'm doing the rare one's tonight lads"
He was doing more than the rare ones though. Supported by Alyanya, who, remarkably, was performing
for the first time, the scene was set for a quiet, acoustic evening. When Luka appeared however, he brought
with him a surge of energy and humour amidst the eerie silence that had existed in the semi-full venue hitherto.
There are few places you'll hear about Luka without the mention of his infamous brother, and so it's
understandable why Barry Moore borrowed Suzanne Vega's Luka and James Joyce's Bloom and became
an icon of folk and ballad himself in places as far away as Australia and New York.
Just back from a recent visit down-under, Luka stumbles around the stage freely. Opening with "Throw
Your Arms Around Me" and skipping efficiently through songs like "Gone To Pablo" and
"Natural Mystic", he jokes how returning to Ireland-election mode, he was tempted to jump back
on the plane to Australia. "Monsoon", he explains, is a "celebration of love, sex and rain ...
a typical Irish folk song". With "Raglan Road", Patrick Kavanagh's lyrics took on a newfound
significance. Luka's voice seemingly channelled the room's energy and accompanied only by the quiet
chords of his guitar, fuelled the song's renaissance.
Other notable highlights included "'Bogman", where Luka came closest to sounding like his elder.
"You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time", whose familiarity certainly added spice to the occasion,
sounded surprisingly complete, a testament once more to Bloom's voice.
Shortly after another impressive interpretation with Elvis's "I Can't Help Falling In Love", Luka asked for
our participation with the chorus of "Sunny Sailor Boy", a song written by the Waterboy's Mike Scott.
The Newbridge man followed with a more upbeat "Rainbow Day". Joking about his brief stay in Limerick
as a student, in the days when "my life ambition was to be a second year student", Bloom began
singing "Black Is The Colour". In a similar feel to the Raglan Road, you found yourself immersed in
the song rather than instinctively comparing to "definitive versions" by Luke Kelly or Christy, in this
instance.
Returning for the encore and explaining the story behind each song as usual, Luka dedicated the title track of
one of his earlier albums, "Acoustic Motorbike", to all those who protested earlier in the week to
reclaim the streets. Finally then, after almost 2 hours of song and story, Luka finished with "Gabriel"
from his current album, inspired by his 18-year old son. Fading rhythmically with his guitar pedal, he added an
almost contemporary feeling to the unhurried song. Brilliant.
Comprehensive and absolute, Bloom glided easily between old Irish songs and modern cover versions.
Fearing a poor sounding song more than a scarcity of originality, his imaginative and creative approach
ensured the Luka Bloom live experience is one you definitely won't forget.
Live Review by Tommy Finneran
The Kerryman - Thursday, May 02, 2002
Luka plays the NEC while Danu have a date in Abbeyfeale
By Stephen Stack
Luka Bloom has undertaken an extensive promotional tour in support of the
album, bringing him from Australia to Europe and finally back to Ireland.
He is now gearing up for his upcoming Irish tour, which includes a date at
the National Events Centre, Glen Eagle Hotel Killarney,
on Friday May 10.
Luka Bloom is the younger brother of folk legend Christy Moore. Bloom
performed on the Dublin pub scene in the 80s without broader acceptance but
after dropping out of college, he played in folk clubs around Europe as
Barry Moore and even recorded three albums which are no longer available....
This promises to be a gig not to be missed.
unison.ie/kerryman
Waterford News & Star - Friday, May 03, 2002
LUKA BLOOM
Just back home from Australia where he enjoyed a hugely successful concert tour, Luka Bloom is
getting ready to embark on an Irish tour throughout the month of May and it includes a date at The
Forum, Waterford, on Saturday, May 11.
The year has been a really busy one so far for Luka Bloom. His new album Between The Mountain
And The Moon, was released at the start of February, to great critical acclaim.
He undertook a series of high profile radio, TV, and Press interviews to promote the album and shortly
afterwards it was off to Europe for a series of live concerts.
archives.tcm.ie/waterfordnews/2002/05/03/story8107.asp
Munster Express Online - Friday, 10 May 2002
Luka Bloom comes to Waterford
Luka Bloom makes his first Waterford appearance in a number of years on Saturday, 11th May at The
Forum as part of his nationwide tour.
By 1998 Luka's time with the corporate world of major labels was at an end. He had three albums with
Warners in the early 90's but it was his one album stint with Sony in 1997 when the good times turned to
bad. In his own words: "Let disappointment turn to bitterness, transform disappointment into opportunity."
Since 1998 Luka has been steadily building a cottage industry in Dublin - making his own CD's
and licensing them to independent labels throughout the world. Luka has launched his own
website www.lukabloom.com which has already
received well over 400,000 hits.
He has also been working 'quietly' on his new album Between The Mountain and The Moon
for the last two years. Obviously his new found approach has worked well. "I have never had
so much joy in any recording process", he enthuses. "Every day was productive, every
person who came into the studio brought something magical to the project." What was his
highlight of the album? "Obviously having the opportunity to sing with Sinéad O'Connor
was a joy to me."
In the last two years Luka has played in the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland,
Ireland and the UK.
Tickets for this one off performance cost 19 and are on sale from Next Door Off Licence, The Glen,
Waterford. Doors open at 8pm.
www.munster-express.ie/020510/fun.htm
The
opener was "Exploring The Blue" followed by "Gone To Pablo". "Sunny Sailor Boy"
invited and received some audience participation but there were not too many singers in the house that night!
"Rainbow Day" inspired by a walk along the Sky Road going west out of Clifden, Connemara had
us singing along 'not too bad' according to Luka! Next was "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" with
Luka telling an amusing tale of early childhood visits to the Cinema to worship his hero John Wayne in cowboys
and Indians movies. Amazing how just one bullet could be shot and POW !!! four indians were lying dead!
