Paddy Casey brings his engaging blend of folk rock to the Craic stage – you’ll read more about the Craic on this week’s lead arts page — following up on his U.S. turn last year when he was featured as MTV artist of the week. “I am the bastard son of Prince and Van Morrison mixed together,” replies Casey when asked how to explain his sound. “The stuff I listen to ranges from Parliament to classical. I try to make every track different. “I don’t think I have a genre, which might actually be my problem. I was always into Prince when I was younger and I always loved how the texture in each track was different. I like a lot of music and I want to make as much as possible.” His new album, Addicted to Company, breaks the mold of your run of the mill singer songwriter coming from the Dublin scene nowadays. Casey has a sweet voice and soul to spare, and the combination comes across more like Al Green than the “green, green grass of home.” He is looking forward to his return to the States and applauds the Craic festival as an innovative showcase for a troubled industry. “A lot of people are in trouble,” he says of fellow musicians. “Records aren’t selling. Albums are already disappearing. People take the songs they want now. Kids will spend money on a Playstation instead of a record. They just want one song. “This festival will be a nice way to get artists from Ireland noticed. We need that right now. The last 10 years have been glory days over here, but now things have changed.” For more information on this great festival, log onto craicfest.com or myspace.com/craicfest.