Luka Bloom » publications 2004
Luka Bloom - Articles, Interviews & Reviews
Luka Bloom Luka's Lullaby
News Four - Community Newspaper - April 2004
Luka Bloom at his gentlest
Rotterdams Dagblad - 15 April 2004
Luka Bloom's Sweet Dreams
Irish Voice - 06 May 2004
Billboard Bits: The Music, Bennett, Bloom
Billboard - 14 July 2004
Luka Bloom Chills Out,
Steals Fest Crowd's Heart and Soul

Irish American Post - October 2004
Luka Bloom On Recording Before Sleep Comes
Frets Magazine - Fall 2004
The benefit of Luka's involvement
The Clare Champion - 19 November 2004
Luka Bloom Returns to Shannon Shores
The Scene - 25 November 2004

News Four - Sandymount, Irishtown, Ringsend Community Newspaper - April 2004

Luka's Lullaby

By Nicola McMahon

The directions Luka Bloom had given me for his house in Blacktrench, outside Naas, were concise and exact, as simple and direct as his songs on his new album 'Before Sleep Comes'. When I arrived at his house I was unsure of where to enter but then I saw Luka smiling and waving me around to the back door. We sat at a coffee table in his airy open-plan kitchen/living-room as sunlight flooded in through the many big windows. "I am lucky with the sunlight," he tells me, "as it makes the country view even more appealing." He has been living in the house since he built it about eighteen months ago and already the garden has been organised along feng shui principles. There are clusters of daffodils here and there and a beautiful bog-oak piece at the very front. He doesn't have a dog or cat because they would scare away the birds, which he obviously loves judging by the birdhouses and the subliminal birdcalls recorded on the album. The surroundings are peaceful, Luka is easy-going and relaxed, we have tea and chat.

Luka Bloom sometimes forgets that some people still know him by a different name. Born May 23rd 1955, Kevin Barry Moore changed his name to Luka Bloom at the age of thirty-two as he headed for America and a new beginning.

"I had been sort of struggling in Ireland and then when I went to America I had this sense of 'newness'. At the time I thought to myself 'imagine if I just arrive here as a completely new kid on the block' and the only way I felt I could really do this was to have this Iggy Pop type name." He explains that he took the name from Suzanne Vega's song 'My name is Luka' and Bloom from James Joyce's Ulysses. The simple act of changing his name allowed him the freedom to express himself in his writing. "I feel like I've revealed a lot more of myself in my songs since I became Luka Bloom. I think in some way I lost some of the old self-consciousness. It's almost an embarrassing thing, to be writing songs but there's something about having a stage name that makes it more acceptable, makes it easier."

His career as a songwriter began at the tender age of 14 and a few of the early songs were recorded by his brother Christy Moore. Luka has been playing guitar since primary school, first when his sister Eilish brought one home and later when Christy bought him a new guitar. Since then music has been his life. "I'm very privileged and that's why it's so important for me to want to give what I can because I know how fortunate I am to have known at such a young age what a great thing this could be, and then to be able to do it. Besides I wasn't much good as a footballer!"

Luka was never drawn to the ballads that his brother was doing but the moment he heard James Taylor, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell he knew where he was heading. "I don't know how it happened because I was just a kid in Newbridge, Kildare, but the minute I heard those guys I instantly connected and that's kind of what I've done ever since."

Over the years he has written and recorded an eclectic collection of songs on twelve albums. This variety can be found in the taut emotion of a song like 'Ciara', the sense of fun in 'I'm a Bogman' and the thundering bongos in 'Monsoon'.

His new album, 'Before Sleep Comes' is yet another change of direction. The idea for this album resulted from a recurrence of tendonitis and another later problem that resulted in an operation for his throat. "I was only able to play very gentle things on my little Spanish guitar and I grew to really enjoy it. I just went down the local Mill where there's a little studio and recorded it over two nights at 11 or 12 at night when everything was very quiet. I deliberately went in there when my voice was tired because I wanted the thing to be authentic, to be very dreamy."

The album is a combination of soothing instrumental tunes such as 'Nora', familiar ballads and whispery original songs such as 'Camomile'. The calm soothing quality of the songs is like having your head caressed before sleep takes over. Luka puts it more poetically in the song 'Before Sleep Comes': "there is a moment of surrender, just before sleep comes, I turn over my life's business to the god of the setting sun." At twenty-eight minutes long the album is just the right length to take the listener to the land of nod.

Playing in Ireland is important to him, especially now that he has written new material and he is looking forward to his gigs in Dublin. After that, he is in America in June to give "the place where the first incarnation of Luka Bloom was born a whole new show."

A live gig with Luka is not to be missed. He captivates the audience with his charismatic performance and afterwards it is hard to believe that what you have heard came from just one voice and a guitar.

Luka Bloom plays the Helix on Saturday 15 May and the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire on Saturday 29 May.

www.news4.ie/april/frame3/luka.htm

Rotterdams Dagblad - Thursday 15 April 2004

Luka Bloom at his gentlest

He went back to Ireland in order to be able to make a lot of noise. But what appears now is a CD with the appropriate title Before Sleep Comes. Luka Bloom at his gentlest: how beauty can grow out of necessity.

Rotterdam - Pain of the heart is a common ailment amongst songwriters. Pain in the hand you don't hear very often. But it is the pain in his right hand that drove Luka Bloom to a series of sensitive songs.

As early as 1979 the Irish singer-songwriter was forced to adjust his style of guitar playing. The reason: a painful and persistent tendonitis. The ailment has haunted him throughout his career. Last year was particularly bad and he could hardly write or play. All he did was gently strum his Spanish guitar, though he was used to really lashing out on a semi-acoustic one. He told journalist Dick Laning in an interview about this: "It was hardly playing, but I began to like it. For about three months I played a few ballads in the morning in a very relaxed way. In this way my own whispering songs started. It surprised me more than anyone that I enjoyed it so much. I, who was always up on stage like an athlete, who enjoyed the power most of all. And now it appears that others enjoy this too, that there is an audience for my quiet side."

'Before Sleep Comes' may have been born out of necessity, it is not the case that Luka has neglected this subdued site until now. "It may be the case that I have grown into this", he admits. "But without really noticing. I have never really allowed myself to really be this quiet. It may be a cliché but no less true for me: this is a new beginning. I've always thought only of the next CD and of performing. I was a performer first, while now I am more of a songwriter. Writing is my first priority now, I write more songs than ever before."

That the CD is to be christened in the Netherlands is thanks to the special relationship the Irishman has with our country. He lived here for a few years, found his way to a bigger audience at Pinkpop in 1991 and recorded his first live cd in Carre. When Bloom was living in Groningen he was still called Barry Moore. There he recorded the album 'In Groningen' (1980). After being the lead-singer in a punk band in the eighties he tried his luck in the United States. On his way to New York he decided to emphasize his new life with a new name: Luka Bloom.

He played on the streets, like he did in Groningen, played a few concerts here and there and recorded the album 'Riverside' there. A number of CDs, international fame, extensive tours of Europe and Australia followed, after which Moore/Bloom at the end of the nineties returned to his homeland, his roots, son and peace. "I went back to my roots in every sense", he says. "The main reason for moving back to Ireland was my son. Also, I wanted to be independent of record companies and to live in the place I find the most inspiring. I lived in cities for twenty years, but I always rented a cottage in the country for a few weeks to write in."

Sitting
As rich and powerful as he can make steel strings sing on stage, as simple and haunting does the Spanish guitar flow on 'Before Sleep Comes'. As dynamic as he can make his voice sound in a song like 'Delirious', as warm does it sound in Blooms adaptation of the traditional 'The Water is Wide'. The opening song, 'My Singing Bird' he even sings in such a dark voice you might think you hear Christy Moore, his big brother, legendary in folk circles.

"I don't like to analyze myself," he reacts. "I do know my voice has gotten softer and more melodic. At my next concerts I will be sitting down for the first time. I am leaving rock and becoming more of a troubadour, more romantic."

The 48-year old singer has shown concern in many of his songs about the world, the environment, peace, but always from the point of view of the individual. "I am not able to change the world, but I do believe in the power of song. My lyrics are about the loneliness, the struggle, the courage and the survival of the ordinary man. Lyrics are everything to me, without good lyrics my music is irrelevant. But I don't pretend too much; they are simple, intimate songs. Where I once tried to change the world, now I mainly try to offer comfort."

Luka Bloom performs in Deventer on 17 April. He will also play a few in-store concerts, e.g. in Amsterdam (18 April)

Dick Laning
www.rotterdamsdagblad.nl
Translated by Jolande Hibels

Irish Voice - Thursday, 6 May 2004

Luka Bloom's Sweet Dreams

"I don't want to go near a studio for a while. I've made enough CDs over the last year or two and I just want to go out and play."

What a difference a year makes. Luka Bloom had an embarrassment of riches on the souvenir table when his show pulled into Greenwich Village last summer. His CD of acoustic covers, Keeper of The Flame, gave new meaning to bedrock tunes from Dylan and Marley and provided the Dubliner with another hit. His live CD, Amsterdam, provided his fans with something they've been praying for: a recording of the elusive flame that ignites his spirited live shows.

With so much new product to tour behind, the dark confines of the studio would be the last place you'd expect to find Bloom.

What a difference a year makes.

After years of punishing his hands with intricate, aggressive melodies in his live shows, Bloom became stricken with severe tendonitis.

"All I could manage was a very gentle picking of my Spanish guitar," he writes in his liner notes. "I became fond of it, and began to feel very relaxed with this style of playing."

So back in the studio he went, and emerged with Before Sleep Comes, a collection of gentle lullabies played out of necessity. His hands sidelined by his condition, Bloom is forced to relearn his delivery and reinvents himself by creating a softer side. Leave it to Luka Bloom to make a powerful statement out of a hushed whisper.

The disc has been a staple in this reviewer's CD alarm clock for the bulk of the weekend, and I can tell you that it is the perfect companion as the sandman comes-a-callin'. With songs like "Camomile", "Be Still Now", and "Before Sleep Comes", it's not hard to see what this disc is all about.

"I feel like he's singing next to me," said the drowsy missus tonight as I typed this review in the bed beside her. She's got a point. The hushed intimacy is a joy to behold; with its simple packaging and non-existent promotion, it feels like Luka has made a record just for your nightstand.

"This is a CD of non-performance," he writes in the liner notes. "It's purpose is to help bring you closer to sleep, our sometimes elusive night friend."

"I would climb the high high tree and would rob the wild bird's nest / I'd bring back my singing bird / to the arms that I love best," he whispers on "My Singing Bird".

These are lullaby songs for adults, stripped of the saccharine that usually sweetens the kids' stuff that spews from Raffi's guitar....

Anyway, Bloom successfully avoids the soggy premise of some New Age recordings to make a melodious whisper brimming with personality. The acoustic plucking of the traditional tune "She Moved Through The Fair" transforms the melody into a Spanish dreamscape. It is one of the many instrumental interludes in this nine song CD, and it is the crowning achievement on this beautiful collection.

There was a time when the differences between Luka Bloom and his famous older brother, Christy Moore, were like night and day. Bloom's intense finger picking and wrenching vocal delivery enabled the singer to bust out of the shadows of Moore, who has abandoned his hard drinking trad past for the comfortable acoustic rocking chair in recent years.

Moore makes the same impact as his brother with his hushed phrasing, indicating that Bloom might have taken a page from the back half of his older brother's songbook.

On tracks like "My Singing Bird" and "I'll Walk Beside You", it is hard to tell the difference between the two brothers. Age might have finally caught up with Luka Bloom, but he wears it well; the instrument in his throat is displaying a seasoned depth to match the thoughtful, gentle strumming that makes Before Sleep Comes a quiet masterpiece.

For fans worried that tendonitis might rob them of their beloved singer, you can sleep easy tonight. Rumor has it that the singer will be back on the road here in the States in the next couple of months. In the meantime, Before Sleep Comes is exclusively available through the singer's website, accessible by browsing over to www.lukabloom.com. Sweet dreams!

www.irishabroad.com

Billboard - Daily Music News - July 14, 2004

Billboard Bits: The Music, Bennett, Bloom

Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom's latest set, the nine-song "Before Sleep Comes", is due Sept. 27 in the United States via Bar/None Records. Already released in Europe via various labels depending upon the region, the intimate album is, as the title suggests, intended "to bring you closer to sleep, our sometimes elusive night-friend", Bloom explains.

The collection of new songs and traditional ballads was borne of the quieter playing style to which Bloom was limited while recovering from a severe case of tendonitis in his right hand. "After a few weeks of really soft playing, I became fond of it," he says, "and began to feel very relaxed with this style of playing, almost non-playing."

Following a U.S. tour in June, Bloom has a handful of dates in late July and August scattered about Europe, according to his official Web site. His lone U.S. appearance during that time will come Aug. 22 as part of the Milwaukee Irish Festival.

Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
billboard.com

The American Post - Vol. 5, Issue 3 - October 2004

Luka Bloom Chills Out,
Steals Fest Crowd's Heart and Soul


Venus passes by the sun, love doesn't always come to everyone.
The lines are stolen from Luka Bloom, the Irish singer and guitar player who has been stealing into the music world... sometimes under cover of darkness in the theater of the sky when the stars are out and the moon is a slice of pearl on the horizon.

As it was at Milwaukee's Irish Fest in August, where Bloom's debut at the popular Celtic celebration seemed to have caught the audience by surprise, taking them on an excursion into the recesses of the heart where love lives and breathes and dies. As the final notes died away, it lifted them to their feet.

After several days of boisterous, roaring and sometimes blaring music, Bloom led his audience into a different zone.

"The scene here is unbelievable," Bloom said. "Dancing, pipes, drums. We arrived Friday and after three days, I decided to do a chill-out show, a Celtic chill-out zone."

It worked. Drawn by his rich voice and his wonderful guitar work, the audience followed Bloom into the zone, entranced by the Irish singer-songwriter-poet. Some may have nodded off briefly. That the moon was rising over Lake Michigan with a gentle breeze was kissing the shoreline only 100 yards away made the performance even more memorable.

Bloom began with his song "Innocence" followed by a tune he wrote to his girlfriend when she went on holiday for three weeks to Brazil. "I tried to be very cool about the trip, but I was afraid she would meet a dreadlocked, guitar-playing, soccer-playing, dancing Brazilian and I would never see her again, so I wrote the song and put it on the answering machine," he told the audience to a round of laughter.

He followed with a mix of his own compositions and songs written by other artists, including "To Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan and one by, of all people, L.L. Cool J, "I Need Love". Both of these have been on his earlier albums. The rap song was toned down and interpreted by Bloom as a love ballad, an ode to the dream woman that all men seek but seldom find. It was a remarkable feat of musical talent and interpretation and drew a heavy round of applause from the fans of things Irish.

"It's a very lengthy song and I did it to say, 'Hey, don't write these guys off.' They have something to say," Bloom explained later.

Much of his performance was filled with music he has not yet recorded, ballads such as "Primavera", a work about a beautiful Portuguese female singer. With his new CD, "Before Sleep Comes", set for release in September, Bloom appears to be sticking with his roots in Co. Clare, however. The CD is a collection of his own songs such as the beautiful "Camomile" and traditional tunes such as "My Singing Bird", both of which he performed.

Luka and Tommy Fleming "I primarily wanted to make the gig mellow," said Bloom later, as he waited for the "Scattering", the fest-ending gathering of musicians. "I didn't want to hit people with the music."
[photo: Luka Bloom and Tommy Fleming]

Mellow it was, but his performance still felt powerful and dynamic, the songs floating up to the heavens as if the whole world could hear them. The recurring tendonitis in his right hand, which has compelled him to moderate his strong guitar playing, seemed not to be an issue. Last year, the ailment forced him to start writing and playing what he calls "whispery songs". They became "Before Sleep Comes", which has garnered a four-star review from the Irish Times.

A relative unknown musical talent in the United States, eclipsed, perhaps, by heavier sounds and bigger hype, Bloom has large following in Ireland, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He is a man of re-invention, renaming himself when he first arrived in the United States in 1987 where he landed in Washington, D.C., and began playing clubs. He eventually moved to New York, playing such venues as the Red Lion and being typecast by a Rolling Stone review as a "folksy Irish rocker". His new first name came from the song "My Name is Luka" by Susanne Vega and the surname from the main character in James Joyce' book, Ulysses.

Before his American immigration, Bloom was Barry Moore, singer, songwriter and guitarist from Co. Kildare who began his career by touring English clubs with his older brother, Christy Moore. Bloom as Moore had a music career that spanned several decades and included rock music, ballads, pub performances and creative arrangements of songs by ABBA, Dylan and the Cure, among others.

"In Ireland, you would have to book tickets in advance to see him perform," said Eilis Fitzpatrick, who, with her Australian husband, Daniel Morris, were waiting for Bloom after his Milwaukee debut. The couple had just moved to Milwaukee and she wanted to say hello to Bloom, a friend of her family in Kildare. "He is very popular there."

Bloom thanked the audience for bringing him to Irish Fest and was given a standing ovation and demands for an encore, which Bloom obliged. With tours of Australia, Europe and America contemplated next year, Bloom’s popularity seems certain to rise.

For more information about Bloom, check out www.lukabloom.com.

George Houde
www.gaelicweb.com/irishampost
Photo: Luka Bloom and Tommy Fleming at the Scattering in Milwaukee
www.bugsoft.com

Frets Magazine - The complete acoustic guitar package - Fall 2004

Luka Bloom On Recording Before Sleep Comes

By Michael Molenda

Although the very thought tends to piss off studio engineers in a major way, the most transcendent and evocative recordings often have nothing to do with high - class microphones, expensive preamps and compressors, vintage mixing consoles, digital-audio manipulations, or other technological hoo-ha. Nope. The performances that shoot through your eardrums and into your heart and soul are usually documents of pure emotion - imperfect little moments in time where an artist was touched by angels and the result was captured in a form that could be shared with others.

Life intervenes in the process, as well, because an artist can't unleash an emotionally stirring performance if he or she is a blank slate (or in a blank state). In this creative stew of existential circumstance, Luka Bloom was truly blessed with misfortune and inspiration as he recorded Before Sleep Comes. The album concept was triggered by tendonitis, which rendered Bloom's right hand fairly useless, forcing him to lightly pluck ballads on a nylon-string acoustic in an extremely relaxed manner he defines as "non playing".

"I found myself writing these really soft, whispery pieces of music on my Spanish guitar," he relates. "I was just playing around, being really quiet, and not thinking about making a record. But something about the songs was very seductive. They reminded me of [pianist] Keith Jarrett's "The Melody at Night, With You" - a solo-piano album he recorded at home when he was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. It's so laid back, because that was all he could play. And that got me thinking that it's very hard to find music that's easy to listen to right at the end of the night. So I decided to record my sleepy little songs, and go into the studio absolutely exhausted at two o'clock in the morning to ensure the pieces sounded authentic."

The vibe factor was so critical to Bloom that he decided to record the songs live, near his home at The Old Mill in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. "It's really an old mill that's used as a gallery for exhibitions and other events," says Bloom. "I had actually done a couple of shows there, so I was familiar with the sound of the room. This guy, Mark Gavin, had set up a simple Pro Tools system in the space, and that was perfect, because I just wanted the sound of me playing and singing in a room. So, while the floorboards were creaking, and the wind was howling, I just plugged in and played these simple, late-night songs I'd written. Everything was a first take, in-the-moment kind of thing. The songs are really anti-performances by a very tired singer."

To record Bloom's way-past-midnight confessions, Gavin hung two unidentified condenser microphones from the mill's ceiling, took a direct line from Bloom's $350 Fender nylon-string acoustic, set up a single vocal mic, and miked an Ashdown bass amp that Bloom uses to reproduce the drone of a DADGAD tuning that he lowers to C. The sessions were completed in two evenings - with a total of approximately eight hours of recording - and the tracking phase cost Bloom around $200. For mixing, Bloom took the Pro Tools files to his old friend, Brian Masterson - the brains behind the very famous Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin.

"Brian has been involved in my last four or five records, so there was a certain comfort zone in bringing him into the project," says Bloom. "I told him, 'I want the room, I want the wind, and I want the floorboards. I want this recording to be very imperfect, but I want it to sound lovely. I want it to sound like people are present in the room, and they can feel the atmosphere of the room, and the night, and the lateness of the thing.' He was a bit shocked at first, but he totally got into it. I just told him to put on his 1960s ears and things would be fine [laughs]. And he gave me back something beautiful."

Never planning to seriously release the project - as he felt it would appeal to "only 200 or so insomniacs" - Bloom stuck a few audio files on his Web site and offered the sessions for sale. The cosmic joke was that he immediately sold 9,000 copies of this "fragile, raw, and delicate work" with no marketing effort, and ultimately garnered a label release.

"This record is the most painless thing I've ever done, and there's something about the simplicity of it that's really connecting with people," he says. "And it has taught me something, as well. You see, I'm a very organic kind of guy in the sense that I recognize a tune, I write a song, I tell a story, I sit on a stage, and I deliver a performance. And, somehow, when I'd come to make a record, I'd feel the need to dress everything up and 'produce' it. But now, I have this imperfect little jewel telling me that the best thing I can be in the world is myself - no matter how simple and intuitive my work may be."

www.fretsmag.com

The Clare Champion - Friday, 19 November 2004

The benefit of Luka's involvement

The troubadouring Moore brothers are no strangers to Clare - in fact they could call the place a home away from home, such are their longstanding links with the county. After all, Christy told us is his famous song for all the ages that "if it's music you want go to Clare". These musical links go all the way back to the early days of the Lisdoonvarna festival and before that even. Christy’s introduction to ceoil in Clare came when he was working in the bank in the mid-sixties - now he's one of the most bankable musicians on the circuit.

His younger brother Luka has carved a niche for himself on the same circuit and has played many gigs in Clare down the years. Only last year Luka showed his support for those protesting against the use of the airport by the US military by visiting the Shannon Peace Camp. His song Fertile Rock became an anthem and benefit song for those opposed to the building of an interpretative centre in Mullaghmore, while last year he also joined forces with Christy to play a benefit gig in the Armada Hotel organised by his nephew who lives in Spanish Point.

Now, Luka is on his way back to Clare for another benefit gig that takes place in Glór on November 19. He has been busy touring these past months with shows in the United States, Belgium, Holland, Finland and of course here at home. He will be performing songs from his current album, Before Sleep Comes, and showcasing new material.

This concert is being sponsored by HSF Health Plan, the new name for the Hospital Saturday Fund, which moved its national office from Dublin to Ennis in 2003. HSF is a health cash plan which has been in Ireland for 55 years and provides an inexpensive way to offset the everyday costs of a visit to the dentist or optician and also helps financially at times of illness, for example when a hospital stay might be necessary. Being a not for profit company, HSF is able to channel some of its surplus funds through its Charitable Trust to medical charities, hospitals and hospices. Since arriving HSF has provided jerseys for the Eire Og youth Gaelic football and hurling teams, and brightened up the Clare Road by sponsoring the flowers on the roundabout and in the beds near their offices in the new Clare Road Mall.

When the new offices were officially opened in October 2003 by the Mayor of Ennis, an opportunity was taken to make donations to five local medical charities, including Caring for Carers. It was making this link with Caring for Carers which inspired HSF to think of a way in which the organisation could be even more identified with Ennis and County Clare," said Keith Bradley, chief executive "What has been a really big coup is that Luka Bloom is going to appear and give his services for what we know will be a great evening," said Sharon Phelan, HSF office manager and the local contact for the show.

Nuala Fitzgerald will also be performing in the show with Luka. She is a Dublin woman who has lived and worked in Canada for some years. She is a noted actor with many films and television programmes to her credit. She will be performing Cupla Focal, a piece which she devised herself. She has chosen her favourite pieces from great writers and delivers them with warmth, sincerity and fun. Completing the trio is Alyanya. A young Dublin singer songwriter, she has been touring with Luka Bloom for the past couple of years, and is currently working on her first album.

John Kelly
www.clarechampion.ie

The Scene - Issue 37 - Thursday, 25 November 2004

Luka Bloom Returns to Shannon Shores

The River Sessions is about to enter it's sixth month! And as an early celebration of the half year marker we're welcoming back he who was first to play - Luka Bloom.

Luka was first to give us a taste of the magic that is The River Sessions, a magic which has been sustained over the past short months by such brilliant artists as Liam O'Maonlai, Mundy, Declan O'Rourke, Juliet Turner and Don Baker to mention but a few.

And now, due to the indelible impression he left behind the pressure was on to chase him down and secure another date with this much loved Kildare man. He's been a busy man since we saw him last in June between dates in Europe and the States and more recently recording a new album. And now, before he disappears again to master his latest CD, he has agreed to come our way! Luka Bloom will join us on board Moon River at The River Sessions on Thursday 25th Nov!

He sold out in June in a matter of days and no doubt he'll do the same again, so I recommend that you book as early as possible. See below for booking details.

Here's what Luka has to say about his last year to date, "This is a gas old year indeed. It started with uncertainty; with tendonitis restricting my guitar work, and then a throat problem which caused the sudden cancellation of my Australian tour.

"It's a weird thing when you are gearing up for travel and songs only to be stopped in your tracks. So I went quiet. Through these quiet months, I got into a new writing groove. I have penned a lot of songs now and yes, the work on the new CD has already begun."

Luka has since toured the States and with more dates in Europe under his belt he's gearing up to get back into studio to put the finishing touches to his new CD. We wish Luka the very best with the new album and thank him for taking time to come and play for us at The River Sessions before returning to the confines of studio. If you are in search of a chilled and intimate evening of music with Luka Bloom while sailing down the majestic Shannon, then grab a stool and get on board the unique Moon River and relax in the magic of The River Sessions.

Luka plays The River Sessions, Moon River, Carrick-On-Shannon on Thursday 25th November. Tickets, priced at €18, are available at Murtagh's House of Fashion, Main Street, Carrick-on-Shannon or call 071 9620098. Doors open at 8pm, sailing at 8:30pm and returning to quay at 11:30pm.

If you are interested in being kept up to date on all up-coming gigs please email Aoife at: riversessions@online.ie and check out www.riversessions.com for more information.

Aoife McCormack
www.scene.ie/issue37/luka_bloom.shtml



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