Thomas on crest of a wave with debut album

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

A songwriter who has paid his dues in Galway’s open mic circuit, Thomas McPartland will launch his debut album upstairs in Róisín Dubh next Thursday, August 4. Sing Me to Shore was recorded in Willow Sea Studios in Galway, and ended up being a different album to what Thomas originally envisaged.

“It took a year and a half from the start of the recording to end of the process,” he explains. “Longer than I thought it would be. Initially I thought it would just be me and guitar, and certain things, but it kept getting bigger and turned into a full band album.”

The sound of Sing Me to Shore changed as Thomas called on an impressive cast of players from the Galway music scene. The record features Dave Shaughnessy from My Fellow Sponges on drums and the unique guitar stylings of Dylan Murphy and violinist Darren Concannon from A Band Called Wanda. It was produced by Will O’Connor from Grounds for Invasion, who also played keyboard and electric guitar for good measure.

“I was delighted to get them – my dream team of players!” Thomas says.

Thomas McPartland first found his feet as a performer at the Róisín Dubh Open Mic night, and is still a regular punter at the weekly showcase.

“There are 20 acts and it’s such a great night,” he says of the platform. “You don’t know what to expect, there’s always something totally out there. Monologues, comedians, people you’ve never heard of who turn up and blow your mind. I go there every Sunday if I can.”

It made sense, then, for Thomas to launch his debut in the upstairs room where the Open Mic is held.

“It’s kind of like a second home – I’ve played in there nearly as much as I have in my own bedroom!” he says. “Most of the songs from the album I played for the first time in that room.”

Sing Me to Shore opens with With You in Mind, a song that sprung from an overseas hangover.

“For two summers in a row, I went on holidays with a bunch of musician friends,” Thomas says. “The first time was a pretty drunken affair – you can imagine, five lads going to Berlin. I tried to take it easy the last night, but then I woke up and I’d missed my flight. I had to wait in the airport for 12 hours.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.