John Blek Friday 4th December

John Blek

Friday 4th December

Jerry Moynihans

We are delighted to welcome John Blek back to Clonmel, for his bi-annual visit to town.

John Blek is an artist with a story to tell. With his timeless emotive voice and layered fingerstyle guitar you will be
transported from scene to scene as his expansive songbook unfolds.
John Blek is Cork City born and bred currently residing only a mile or two from his childhood home but listening to his
music you can hear the influence of travel and experience. His parents, both of whom were primary school teachers,
had to bribe him to stay in school after his 16th birthday with the promise of a new guitar on the completion of his final
exams. Such was John’s belief in his ability and chosen path in life that he was willing to forgo the more traditional
education sought by his peers. This conviction carries through to his art. His music is written from such a personal
place that it creates the sense that he grew up with these songs, that they are in his blood– and in a way he did, they
are his thoughts, his words, his sounds and his stories. Though not all autobiographical, like many of the great
painters, an element of the artist exists in every portrait.

John Blek is an Irish troubadour in the truest sense of the word. Dedicating himself to his craft and the development of his own new tradition whilst remaining true to those who have gone before him. With a voice that can go from an intimate whisper to a room rumbling roar Blek can steal an audience away. He claims to be a lifelong journeyman but is an incredible fingerstyle guitarist and a master storyteller.

It all began for him in the passenger seat of his father’s Hiace van. Parked in the driveway running the battery down listening to cassettes from Jim Croce, Willy Nelson and The Beatles. These formative musical experiences unknowingly laid the foundation for John’s self lead musical education. Later the discovery of Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan, Nick Jones and Neil Young added more fuel to his fire. He began writing his own music at 15 for no other reason than that he found it frustrating and false trying to learn and imitate other musicians’ work. That was the start of his pursuit of his own unique voice.

While Blek is a solo artist he regularly collaborates, and indeed will write new music with collaborators in mind. As a result, it never feels like another artist is merely gate crashing his music instead it works as a beautiful harmonious meeting of artists who understand each other. Recent collaborations include Kris Drever & Kit Downes who both join
John on his album “On Ether & Air”, Joan Shelley who embodies Laura, one of the characters in Blek’s duet “The
Body”, Nathan Salsburg of the Alan Lomax Archive who, with John is currently investigating lesser known folk songs
that traveled from Ireland to America in the mid 1800s with the support and funding of the `Arts Council of Ireland and
fellow Corkonian Mick Flannery who duets with him on Revived a single from the 2020 album “The Embers”.

PRESS QUOTES

“A lovely sounding thing” – Roddy Hart, BBC

“A force of nature” – The Irish Times

“a master of subtlety in realms of folk-informed pop.” – The Thin Air

“His talent is shining brighter with every album.” – John Creedon, RTÉ