Irish band Knoxville Morning confirmed for NYC's Craic Fest

Knoxville Morning, based in Ireland, has been added to the bill of the Craic Fest that takes place this week in New York.

This folk rock outfit began life as a solo side-project of Band on an Island’s Ciaran Dwyer, before growing into something far bigger. Joined by fellow Band on an Island members Stefan Murphy (the Mighty Stef), Gavin Elsted (We Are Losers), Brian Gallagher (Humanzi), Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey (Super Extra Bonus Party), Deirdre O’Hagan, Rachael Caffrey and Laura Caffrey, they have created an inviting blend of folk, country and Americana, a classic sound with an Irish twist draped in Dwyer’s intuitive storytelling.

Textures of Chicago blues and Greenwich Village folk blend to form the band’s sound. “Should have stayed at home/shouldn’t have gone outside/there’s murder in my local/wanted posters on the wall,” Dwyer sings over a maudlin piano on “Chelsea Bards,” evoking Leonard Cohen’s earlier work.

In the song, he “whistles Tom Waits” -- shadowing him would be a more appropriate description. The song was written in honor of Stanley Bard, the former owner of the legendary Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.

The album Knoxville Morning is steeped in American music, borne out of criss-crossed trips throughout our nation.

“I ended up with a bunch of songs after going away on a trip. I was going to put it out as a solo record but the more I worked on the songs, it became clear there was more to them so I got a lot more people involved and it turned into something a lot bigger,” says Dwyer.

“The record is a mix of stories about the people I met, the strange places I ended up in and the pretty crazy things that happened while I was away. It’s not an album full of American clichés, it’s an album celebrating the great people and places that I encountered along the way, and celebrating the friendship and brotherhood that exists among a small group of people sharing an experience as amazing as traveling across a country.”

Knoxville Morning will be joining the bill at the Craic Fest in the Mercury Lounge, 297 East Houston Street in New York City, opening for the Lost Brothers and the Tossers on March 8 at 9 p.m. There will be an after party at the Sixth Ward, 191 Orchard Street with Dwyer playing live.

Visit www.thecraicfest.com or www.knoxvillemorning.com for more information.

Catch Knoxville Morning's video for 'Knoxville Morning' here: