Blackrock shows how Harte keeps songwriting at his core

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Echo Harte has built a reputation as one of Galway’s most versatile musicians in his time on the local scene – busking, fronting several bands, collaborating with a wide range of acts. But at the core of it is his songwriting, which continues to break new ground as he explores new styles and partnerships.

Echo’s new single is evidence of that development. Released this Friday, Blackrock tells the story of a lockdown romance and incorporates elements of jazz and blues. It features musicians from a band Echo met last year and was polished off recently in a studio in his native Tuam, where he has been tackling a new LP.

“It was finished in Tuam,” he explains. “It started out as a demo at the beginning of 2021. I came up with the chords at home and then met up with a band from Germany that were residing in Galway over the winter months in 2020 – Fred Martin’s band.

“They were busking quite a lot with a very simple setup. They had a bass player, a trumpet player and Fred on the acoustic guitar. I asked them if they would record a demo with me so that trumpet and the bass line that you hear on Blackrock is actually from the demo sessions.

“The trumpet player did it in one take and I felt like I couldn’t replace it. He got it in one and it was perfect… Whatever I did to the mix with the reverb or the EQ, I just couldn’t replace it. I thought about going into the studio and doing the whole thing from scratch like I usually would, but we ended up recording the song around the trumpet and the bass line.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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