Summoning the beguiling spirit of Laurel Canyon, employing analogue recording techniques, and recording songs in one or two takes to achieve something with a real human touch, California Irish are a new seven piece group hailing from Northern Ireland.
The brainchild of the group is lead singer and chief songwriter Cormac Neeson. The band were hand-picked by Neeson based on long standing friendships, as well as experiences with numerous musical projects within the thriving Belfast music scene.
Cormac states his reason for starting the band and wanting to harness this fabulous sound:
This album is the opposite of boring AI generated no soul perfection. We recorded this album in a room together over four days allowing the music to breathe when it needed to, looking at each other for our cues and feeding off each other’s energy. It felt like a dream…but it’s the most real thing I’ve ever done in music. That Laurel Canyon sound of the late 60s, epitomised by the early Crosby Stills Nash and Young stuff, and the first few Joni Mitchell records, has always felt otherworldly and magical. On our album we’ve tried to access some of that beauty and create our own magic by combining brand new music with an old school recording process.
California Irish consists of: Cormac Neeson (vocals, acoustic guitar, psychedelic cowbell), Susy Coyle (vocals and percussion), Donal Scullion (acoustic, electric guitar, vocals) , Chris Kelly (lap steel, mandolin, acoustic, electric guitar, vocals), James Doone (bass) , Simon Templeton (piano, Hammond, Wurlitzer) and Conor McCauley (drums).
The Laurel Canyon influence also extends to the band’s recording technique, adhering rigidly to the analogue 16 track recording method circa 1969: namely recording live straight to tape at the world-famous Middle Farm Studios under the watchful eyes and ears of producer Pete Miles.
The resulting sound of ‘The Mountains Are My Friends’ flies in the face of modern techniques that often lose the warmth of the original compositions. The production is beautifully mixed with each instrument clear and vocal harmonies to the fore allowing each of the musicians to shine together and as individuals.
Standout songs include the anthemic sounds of ‘Big Questions’ and ‘Live Fast Die Free’ with their catchy choruses. and the gentle reflective laid back sounds of ‘Cant Let Go’ and ‘Hard We Fall’.
On their recording debut California Irish have created a work of sheer beauty with ‘The Mountains Are My Friends’.