Musician writing album about Ballina wants your help!
As part of the Ballina 2023 celebrations, indie musician Laurie Shaw will visit Ballina during Ballina Salmon Festival week and write an album about the town, past and present.
He’ll soak up the festival atmosphere; learn about the towns’ history; sup pints; meet the local characters and will miraculously release it in late September as the ‘Ballina album’. Who knows what Ballina folklore (Archies curry chips, the Belleek woods flasher etc.) will be immortalised in song? How cool!
Shaw will also perform songs from the album at the October Nights Festival in Ballina Arts Centre on October 28th.
About the album Shaw says: “On the ‘Ballina album’ I’ll be approaching it very much as an outsider and trying to make sense of the place through its locals and its history. I really like the idea of the past, present and future of Ballina and juxtaposing its modern history with its folklore”.
Shaw, a musician, film-maker and artist, is originally from The Wirral (near LIverpool) and now lives in Cork. The respected Nialler9 music website described him as “the most prolific artist in the world”. By the age of twenty-three, he had released a staggering eighty albums including seven in 2022. Shaw has already drawn comparisons to musical luminaries like Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Elvis Costello, Arctic Monkeys and Jarvis Cocker. He has previously performed at festivals including Electric Picnic, Body & Soul.
The Ballina Album project has already secured some funding from the Ballina 2023 Community Events Fund and from a number of private donors. The project is welcoming further donations to assist with the production of a specially commissioned magazine and video.
Ahead of his visit in July, Laurie has already started researching the town and is urging people from Ballina to get in contact with him with suggestions for the album. Shaw says: ‘Tell me what’s unique about Ballina; the historical, weird, funny, odd aspects about the town; the local heroes; the crazy nights; the famous and infamous people; Ballina folklore’’.
Should members of the public be interested in submitting stories or making a donation to the project, they can email ribbonleggs@gmail.com.
Visit:
www.totallydublin.ie/sound/sound-prolific-laurie-shaw