Singer songwriter Alan Lawlor has appeared on The Voice in Ireland and received glowing praise from the likes of Sharon Corr, Kian Egan of Westlife, Bressie and Brian Kennedy. Back with new single ‘Keeping It On‘, I sat down with Alan to find out more about him.
Introduce yourself (yourselves) and your hidden talent!
My name is Alan Lawlor,Im a singer / songcollector and military musician from Ireland. My absolute love is to collect songs from all across the world like in the old folk tradition here in Ireland and marry them with traditional irish sounds and sometimes mix in a few contemporary sounds to give them a bit of an edge alongside the traditional sound or visa versa mix a bit of the traditional sound with a more contemporary folk sound to try and appeal to a wider audience and keep that tradition of songs being passed down through the years going.
hat made you decide that music is the right path for you?
When i was a kid my dads side of the family were huge folk singers and song collectors. I loved how my life was so enriched by singing these songs and added to every occasion.As i got older my tastes became broader and i began to play many instruments like the guitar, clarinet, whistle bodhran,drums etc.The brit pop era in Ireland and the UK was probably my favorite time and songs like dont look back in anger from oasis really resonated with me as like myself the gallaghers grew up with the Irish tradition of singing at family occasions.I remember Noel saying how his mam inspired the lyrics “stand up beside fireplace ,take that look from off your face” was from his younger years and his mam encouraging them to sing folk songs whenever there was a family party in their house.Finding out that that had the same influence on them to go and make the music that we all know and love today always gives me a great sense of pride in trying to keep the tradition going.
What would be your dream support gig?
Bonus points for place/venue.Dream support gig for me would be a slot at the fairport cropredy convention thats held every year in oxfordshire since 1976.I love what theyve done over the years as a folk rock act and how theyve come together every year to keep the folk tradition alive and give their lifelong loyal fans something to look forward to.They seem like an audience id definitely like to connect with.
What’s in store for you for the rest of the year?
This year I hope to get back to doing some gigs and work towards the release of my debut Album Roots. Covid has had a devastating effect on all aspects of my musical career so i hope that things get back to normal soon so i can continue gigging near and far and bring all the new songs ive found to new audiences.
Tell MoggBlog viewers about your latest release! What’s the inspiration behind that?
My new release is a song i found in Canada! When i heard it for the first time i felt like it was a song that would really resonate over here.Like every other song i collect I went and put my own stamp on it and when it was finished thought “This song could really work and appeal with a wider audience” and if so help pick up some fans that otherwise weren’t into folk but might buy into me and see what else is on offer when my new Album Roots is released”. Unsuspectingly they might find they love the songs and low and behold the love of songs being collected continues and finds a new audience that continues to grow.
You can find Alan Lawlor on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bandcamp.
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