Eamonn McCormack
Dublin, Ireland
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About
Eamonn McCormack
"Kindred Spirits"
True Talent Records (cat. No. TTR009) For availabity check www.eamonnmccormack.net
Irish International blues-rock guitarist Eamonn McCormack who has toured, recorded, and played with Rory Gallagher, Jan Akkerman, Johnny Winter, Nils Lofgren, and Walter Trout to name but a few. New album "Kindred Spirits" due out early 2008 with serious special guests (including Rory's last studio performance) and a welcome return back to the world blues-rock circuit after a hiatus that saw him greatly missed.......
Press Release - Press Release - Press release - Press Release - Press Release
Eamonn McCormack
"Ireland's Best Kept Blues-Rock Guitar Secret"
It was a hot summer's evening in Amsterdam, the fresh smell of tulips in the air, and the ecstatic audience of the sold out stadium were in for a real treat. Eamonn was about to give a performance of a lifetime even to the point of challenging the headliner ZZ Top to match it. But as the young Irish guitarist delivered his third encore, his band sensed there was something wrong, all of a sudden he seemed very distant as he held his guitar high in the air, sustained notes ringing out with applauded approval as he exited to the stage right, walked down the backstage ramp and faded into the darkness of the night, literally vanishing off the face of the earth not to be seen again for nearly eighteen months.........
Nobody knows what happened! Here was Ireland's world class, up and coming blues-rock guitar contender, respected by his peers, selling albums by the truck loads. Yet there and then, on that night in Holland he just quit, walked away from it all. Was it the large crowds that scared him? No, why should it? He had played on Rockpalast to a captive TV audience of thirty five million, performed at Parkpop festival to a live audience of half a million. Throughout this period some confirmed sightings had Eamonn chilling out at the Zen monasteries of Tibet, captaining a beach volleyball team in Southern California, amateur mountain climbing and jamming with local musicians in Mexico City. When confronted Eamonn says "I just needed a long break from the road I was touring for practically ten years non stop. Reports of my disappearance were greatly exaggerated, I still continued playing and writing throughout my hiatus".
More recently, Eamonn has emerged as owner/founder of True Talent Records a successful indie label specializing in developing young Irish rock artists like Leanne Harte and Glyder. And now, finally comes the release of Eamonn's first album in seven years which includes unreleased material, and the guitarist has vowed to return full time back to the road touring again. The album is called "Kindred Spirits" and features special guests; the late great Rory Gallagher (his last ever studio performance), Jan Akkerman, Herman Brood and Keith Donald.
Chesley Milikin the very man who discovered and managed the late Texan guitar slinger Stevie Ray Vaughan to the top, was quoted as saying the following; "The world blues-rock guitar market has become very stagnant, it's full of pretenders, Stevie Ray look-alikes and sound-alikes, but what's really needed is something different. Somebody who plays with their own innate style and that "Shiver up your spine passion". Sadly that's very hard to find today, however there is Walter Trout in the States and you got Irish guitarist Eamonn McCormack in Europe, now, they both have what it takes to break through someday.......
One prominent German music journalist sums it all up when he was moved to write;
"Since nineteen sixty nine I've reviewed live music and on one hand I can count the amount of great guitar players I have encountered that really play with that heart-felt electrifying intensity as though the very guitar in their hands is about to burst into flames. Eamonn McCormack is one such player".
Although no-one especially Eamonn would call his music new blues, you can't; the blues was never new, it came from somewhere few in this day and age could find and fewer want to. But to anyone less than thirty Eamonn is fresh, and exciting. He plays a Blues blends current rock. He plays his own songs and a few songs from legends but as if the legends were alive today. So if you are a White Stripes fan who wondered who the hell Sun House was...or a rock fan who wondered who first played that Primal Scream.... The Killers..... Bullet for My Valentine's riff first? And you can listen without prejudice...Eamonn McCormack should be able to help you out as regard to what the blues should be...........not what it was.
Eamonn McCormack Biography
Eamonn was born in the center of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland and was raised on a North side Suburb.
He started out on the acoustic guitar at nine years of age. Earliest influences included Slade, Cat Stevens, Neil Young and Rory Gallagher. By twelve he was singing along with his guitar and performing at church folk masses.
Soon, finding the church music somewhat restricting the young teenager acquired his first electric guitar (a Guild Starfire) progressed to lead guitar and joined a local garage cover band prior to playing his first paid gig. By now influences extending to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Thin Lizzy and Dutch group Focus.
At sixteen Eamonn performed live on a national Irish radio show. Around this time he also won a major high school competition performing his own material.
After a short stint playing in various bands throughout Ireland, Eamonn headed off to the U.S.A. where he performed extensively. There he broadened his musical horizons, gained vital stage experience and absorbed fresh American music and cultural influences. This blended together nicely with his earlier influences.
Returning to Ireland after four years traveling and performing in the States Eamonn was by now developing a very unique sound and style all of his own. This style was solidified whilst Eamonn performed extensively under the stage name "Samuel Eddy" establishing himself across Europe, the hard way, through a grueling tour schedule. Samuel Eddy and his band were rewarded for their efforts as they garnered the reputation of Major European Music Festival Favorites.
Eamonn recorded three critically acclaimed studio albums that sold very well confirming that an exciting young up and coming World Class Guitarist was emerging out of Ireland.
Throughout the Nineties also saw a young Eamonn play, tour and record with many of his earliest guitar influences such as Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Jan Akkerman (ex. Focus ) and Nils Lofgren. Another highlight of this period was Eamonn and his Bands unforgettable performance at the Parkpop festival in Holland to an audience of around a half a million people, sharing the bill with Robert Plant and more .... Eamonn also got to play the prestige Rockpalast in Germany which was televised and broadcast right across Europe.
Eamonn and his band have been described by the press as "A Modern Day Power Trio" and performances both live and in the studio are greatly strengthened by his rock solid Irish rhythm section consisting of Pat Cannon on bass guitar and top Irish drummer Grant Nicholas.
Early 2002 Eamonn toured in Europe with Californian Blues-rock guitar ace Walter Trout and New York guitar slinger Popa Chubby as well as recording 8 new tracks engineered by Paul Thomas ( U2, Phil Lynott ) in Dublin before finishing the year successfully with a blinding show opening for the legendary ZZ Top in Amsterdam.
After the Amsterdam concert Eamonn decided to take a break from the road, travel the world, write some new material, jammed with various artistes in the USA and back home set up the successful Indie record label True Talent Records developing young Irish Rock talent such as Leanne Harte and Glyder.
A new Eamonn McCormack album is out now on the True Talent label titled: "Kindred Spirits" featuring tracks with special guests Rory Gallagher, Jan Akkerman, Herman Brood and Keith Donald and now with Eamonn returning to the road full time with enough material ready for the next album. It should prove to be a very busy time for this unique Irish guitarist covering territories across Europe, the U.S.A and Canada, Japan, parts of Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Eamonn is a true artiste, a master of his craft who always performs with that heart-felt passion synonymous with true Irish music legends in the making...
www.eamonnmccormack.net
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