Musical experimentation makes most of lockdown

The Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Gráinne Cotter’s catalogue of music is a good example of the duality that can exist in a high-quality singer-songwriter. Her solo work is often moody and reflective – she is eminently capable of captivating packed rooms with nothing more than a piano and vocals. And yet there is, by equal measure, a value to the energy and rhythm she can generate when sharing a stage.

Gráinne herself would admit that, in many ways, her band have transformed her act. The Clare native’s background in jazz and traditional music leaves scope for more upbeat material and, as is evidenced by her latest release, she is more than willing to experiment with new styles and ideas.

Gráinne released Jagged Rock late last month – it’s a lively, swaying single that retains the lyrical sombreness of her more stripped-back work, but is musically geared towards packing a dancefloor.

It’s an experimental step-up in production and it benefits from the post-lockdown tools Gráinne now finds at her disposal. Having put effort into improving her understanding of the recording process, she seems willing to take more risks with the studio side of her work.

“The band were all trying to experiment a bit more and everyone’s taken a go at producing,” she admits.

“Over quarantine and lockdown, I finally learned how to use Logic and Garageband and to experiment a bit more with that and the different sounds… Just pushing myself a bit more as a musician.

“It’s mostly Kieran [O’Sullivan] producing. We’d all contribute ideas but Kieran was the one that really interpreted the sound and the style. We’d listen to different tracks from different artists and we’d pick out what we liked and what we wanted so it’s kind of a varied thing.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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