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singer-songwriter

The Story of Blue Mountains

March 29, 2021

It’s a Monday afternoon and I’m listening to Anais Mitchell’s Young Man in America record. Outside there are birds flitting around the feeders hanging from the cherry tree. The day is grey but thankfully dry.

On Friday the second single from my upcoming album Voices was released. The song is called Blue Mountains and you can listen to it at the link above or wherever you stream your music.

This song is the most straight ahead folk-country thing I’ve ever written. I wrote it quickly on a guitar that I inherited after the passing of one of my favorite people and musical mentor, Vinny Baker. Vinny was a huge fan of bluegrass and country music and I’m convinced there was a lot of that energy still in the instrument when I picked it up for the first time and the song kind of came from that and from his spirit. Strange thing to say, but I believe it.

Check out the great Vinny Baker blazing away on this beautiful Bourgeois guitar:

I’VE BEEN THERE IN A SONG

Around this time I saw the American songwriter Sam Amidon performing in Vicar Street in Dublin, Ireland. He played his song “Blue Mountains” and I was completely spell bound by it. Whatever it was about the mood in the venue and the hypnotic nature of the song and his performance but I felt transported to these Blue Mountains, I felt like I was there.

This feeling stuck with me in the coming days, how it was so amazing that music can sometimes completely lift you out of yourself and transport you into an other world. So this gave me the first line of my song “I’ve never been to the Blue Mountains, but I’ve been there in a song”. That was the song. From there the rest of the song just flowed… I imagined a guy, a simple, clean living man going about his days, working his 9 to 5 just getting on with things… He’s got a good relationship on the go and things are going just fine. But there at the back of his mind is the idea of leaving the whole world behind and moving with his lover to live out his days deep in the Blue Mountains.

That’s it, it’s a very simple folky love song but it’s got some quality of peacefulness and contentment in it that I like and I hope others do too.

“I HEAR A WOMAN’S VOICE ON THAT ONE…”

Before we made an official start on recording the album, I spent an afternoon with producer Hally (Ronan O’Halloran). We sat together in the studio where we would record the album and I played all the songs that I had, just voice and acoustic guitar. I wanted him to hear the tunes and get his feedback and ideas about production etc. After I finished playing Blue Mountains he immediately said “I hear a woman’s voice on that one”. That sounded like a good idea to me so I told him I’d think about who might be around that could work on the track. As luck would have it, one of my favorite songwriters and people, Haley Heynderickx, happened to be on tour in Ireland around the time we are set to start on recordings.

I opened up a few shows for Haley on that tour and even promoted a sold out show for her in my hometown of Mullingar. She and Andrew Stonestreet spent about a week with myself and my wife at our old farmhouse in the Irish midlands. It was a fine time we had. I asked Haley if she would be up for singing on a track with me on the new record and she kindly obliged! The recording turned out really well I think. On the morning of the session we worked on it a little over the breakfast table and played through it a couple of times. It was very easy and relaxed. At the studio we set up together performed it live. I think the album recording is about the third take we did, and listening back now it makes me very happy just how well our voices locked together for the phrasing and emotional intensity. Haley is genuinely one of my favorite artists so it’s just a real treat that we got to make this little audio document together.

I first met Haley maybe six years previously when she was visiting Ireland and performing at some open mic nights. It was just pure chance really that we ended up on the same bill. I was struck by her quality and her spirit then and still am. I was playing a show in Dublin that week and I invited her up to sing a song mid set. Captured here on camera by Musicians with Cameras:

At that time I was recording an album called Outlines, and I asked Haley about singing on a track called Bright White Hearts , we didn’t get to make it happen for that song but it just goes to show that if a thing is meant to be… life is long.

Anyway I really hope you enjoy the song. Thanks for reading and thanks for listening.

If you’re on Spotify you can follow my artist page here

~ Peter


“Delicate and absolutely stunning” – Ed Smith, Today FM

“Peter Doran and Haley Heynderickx weave a wonderfully gentle slice of folk with their duet “Blue Mountains”. Simply a joy to listen to – The Last Mixed Tape

“Blue Mountains” may be a perfect folk song. Doran and Heynderickx’s voices blend perfectly together. It’s such a chilled out, beautiful folk song that is impossible not to be sucked in by. There aren’t many perfect songs out there, but “Blue Mountain” is one. – If it’s too loud.com (music blog)

Ahead of the release of his upcoming album Voices (out May 7), Peter Doran shares his stunning new track ‘Blue Mountains’. Incorporating elements of folk, Americana and country, he’s joined on the track by American songwriter Haley Heynderickx – Hotpress

~ Peter

Anthem

January 21, 2017

Last week I finished the great book “Sapiens: A brief history of human kind” by Yuval Noah Harari… It’s a wonderful book that I came away from with a better understanding of our species, where we’ve come from and where we might be headed. I highly recommended checking out the book… Some nights after finishing the book I had dream in which I heard or spoke the words “change the anthem”. When I woke I thought this was a cool idea. Around this time I had a new piece of music on the go… So I combined the dream-phrase, the after thoughts of the book and this piece of music together and a new song started to form…

Here’s a snippet from it. Hope you enjoy.

~ Peter

New song in the works… "Anthem" Rewrite the anthem rip up the contract(s) I feel a golden age coming on rewrite the anthem – rewrite the song when the Kingdom falls and the king don't come When the dam won't hold and the water runs When the veil lifts and the pieces fit We trade our skin for a new skin We trade our skin for a new skin Oh – let's play Oh – let's play on Oh yeah let's play Let's play God #singersongwriter #acousticguitar #bourgeoisguitars #irishmusic #originalmusic #indiemusic

A video posted by @peterdoran on Jan 21, 2017 at 7:51am PST


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Leonard Cohen

December 7, 2016

Leonard Cohen considered himself nothing more than a minor poet. I considered him a master. I fell in love, first with his work, and afterwards with the man. I loved the wisdom in his words and the deep calm of his speaking voice.  He could sing too. His voice changed a lot of over the decades, in the end there was little difference between Leonard singing and Leonard speaking.

For me, he was an inspiration, as a songwriter of course, but equally so as a human being. Somehow, Leonard’s brand of greatness seemed like something you could dare to reach out for in a lifetime. Whereas someone like Bob Dylan seems like an altogether different creature, Leonard was human, vulnerable and not perfect. He wrote slowly, carefully. He spoke in the same way. He was drawn to hard work and discipline, and had an unerring commitment to his craft. These same impulses showed up in his spiritual life. In 1996 he was ordained a Zen Buddhist monk following a five year retreat to Mt. Baldy Zen Center near Los Angeles, a well earned break from Boogie Street.

from Leonardcohenforum.com

from Leonardcohenforum.com

In reading about the man and watching many interviews, his humility and humour always shone through above all else. His presence, clarity, his thoughtfulness and charm was always deeply inspiring. Truly inspiring, as in … “this is the type of human being I would like to be someday”. These are the type of qualities I would like to nurture in my own life.


one of my favourite interviews with Leonard Cohen


When he passed, It felt like the death of a friend or a family member. A disturbance in the force. We have lost a master and the world feels darker for his light not being there. But, like Bowie earlier this year, he has left us with a last parting gift. His final album, “You want it darker” is to my mind, one of his best. Lyrically and musically it’s pretty much flawless and the production – courtesy of his son Adam – sounds warmer and truer than maybe anything he’s done. If you haven’t heard the record yet I can’t recommend it enough – so beautiful. I hope it brought him some comfort to know that he was going out with some of his best work. Maybe he didn’t think about those things at the end. Maybe he was just doing what he always did, waking up early and getting to work. He said in recent interviews that he knew his time was coming to an end and that he was simply trying to put his affairs in order; to finish old poems and make sure all his business affairs were taken care of, that his children would be okay.

Leonard Cohen with his young Son Adam.

Leonard Cohen with his young Son Adam.


I am deeply thankful for all the gifts Leonard Cohen gave to the world. Thankful that he continued to work through years of anxiety and depression and come out on the other side. Thankful for his songs and for his Grace. He is gone now to stand before the Lord of song, with nothing on his tongue but Hallelujah. He will be missed.


For further reading I highly recommend Sylvie Simmons excellent book “I’m Your Man”.

My version of “Bird on the Wire” , Switzerland, November 2016

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Sugar Rush – Dublin, June 20th

June 15, 2015

Live in Munich last month.

A week from now, I play The Sugar Club in Dublin city. I last played this beautiful venue in 2006, almost ten years ago, for the release of my first record “Wood”. It’s crazy how much has changed since then. It’s a whole new cast of characters, a whole new bag of atoms, instruments and songs! I was 22 years old then and bringing my very first record into the world. It was a good night and an exciting time. I must have been nervous as hell because I remember breaking a string on the very first song! I never break strings.

Live at the Sugar Club at the Wood album launch, September 2006.

Sadly, two of the musicians that played on that night in 2006 have passed away in the last years – Vinny Baker (who was my musical mentor and great friend, and who produced the album we were launching that evening) and Cani Bruton, a fantastic bassist and long time friend who played on my first two albums. Both are hugely missed and have left deep holes in man peoples lives. I’m sure some of their spirit will be in the music next week. In fact, recently I had the opportunity to acquire one of Vinny’s acoustic guitars, It’s a stunning instrument and I’ll be playing it next week, trying to do the great man proud!

The Late Greats. Two hugely talented and deeply missed friends -Cani Bruton & Vinny Baker.

The venue is beautiful with a great vibe and warm, clear sound. I’ve seen some great shows there in the last years. Among them Jazz singer Gregory Porter (one of the most amazing singers I’ve ever heard in the flesh), fellow Irish songwriter Rhob Cunningham, and most recently the mind-bendingly good Snarky Puppy. The room has the feeling of a classy old cinema or theatre, with it’s comfortable tiered seats, oval tables and wood pannelled walls.

The Sugar Club

For this gig on June 20th, I have the good fortune to be joined by the stupendously talented Nicky Brennan on electric gutar and Darren Sweeney on Bass. We’ll mostly be playing songs from the “Outlines” and “Overhead the Stars” records, along with a couple of brand new ones that I’m enjoying playing recently.

With a week to go I’m starting to feel that usual mixture of and excitement that comes with putting on a big show. On a Saturday night in our Capital City… I’m not nervous about the performance, the stage is where I feel the most at home and comfortable… the most relaxed. The songs are in good shape after two months of touring here and abroad. The guitars have just been re-strung. I’ve done good advertising, having put probably more money than is sensible into postering in the city and online stuff too… I’ve individually reached out to almost everyone I know and told them of the gig.

But yet, there is still the worry. The nervousness comes from that little voice in my head that Steven Pressfield calls “resistance”. Resistance appears whenever you try something bold, whenever you create something, whenever you go out on a limb… For me the voice says things like “

1. Nobody’s coming to your show.
2. Nobody cares what you have to sing about.
3. Bob Dylan already wrote all the songs.
4. Everybody is going to see the Script instead.
5. Acoustic guitars are stupid.
6. Art is stupid.
7. Why don’t you get a real job.
8. Nobody’s coming to your show.”

But that’s not real, it’s just the resistance talking, the fear. As an artist you can’t let the fear get to you. Instead we do the show, we keep believing, we make the art, we sing from our f**king hearts and no matter what we a never ever give up. That is the only thing that matters. To have the chance to sing to people and to bring some joy to their evening is a very special thing and I’m thankful for that.

I’m so excited to sing some songs with friends in the Sugar Club next week.

Hope you can be there with us and bring all your song loving friends along.

Tickets on sale through ticketmaster.ie and tickets.ie ( with the latter being the slightly cheaper option)

Best wishes

-Peter

 

Tour Announcement: Ireland 2015

March 19, 2015

Up Close & Personal Promotions Present:

Peter Doran Irish Tour 2015

Mullingar Singer-Songwriter Peter Doran takes his new album “Outlines” on the road from April -June with a series of intimate shows across Ireland, with all roads leading to a headline show at The Sugar Club in Dublin on June 20th. Read More

A week in Germany

March 14, 2015

Photos and journal entries from my recent German tour:

Last September, quite out of the blue, I had a mail from a German lady called Shel, inviting me to Cologne to play some shows. She explained to me that she organises private house concerts and other small shows there, and that artists like Mundy, Mark Geary, Liam O’Maonlai etc. had all played at her place. I’ve always wanted to play shows in Germany so I jumped at the chance! The tour was arranged for the end of February – last month – and I went into it with an open mind and high spirits. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable weeks I’ve ever had, musical or otherwise.

Read More

The death and life of an acoustic guitar

February 20, 2015

With my martin J15 / Photo by Luke Danniells

January 20, 2011.

The fog was heavy and thick and we could hardly see the road in front of us. I was in the passenger seat staring out into the fog, a little nervous now and uncomfortable. This was not a night for driving. Out of the blackness on our left came another car. It cut across the road directly in front of us. It was too close and there was nowhere to go, we swerved, but our car hit the other and we both spun.

Read More

Exceptional Irish Songwriters: Damien Rice

February 11, 2015

In this series I take a look at some of my favorite Irish songwriters. Some you may know, others you may not. With any luck you’ll make some new musical friends along the way… Please enjoy… Mr. Damien Rice


Damien Rice – Manhattan.
photo by Lisa Carpenter Photography

There Once Lived a Beast and Beauty

I remember it well… The first time that I saw.  He was wearing a duffel coat the color of sand, hood-up like a monk. It was a winter night in Mullingar and Damien Rice was opening a show for a songwriter called Hally, who had just released an album called “A fascination with Poppy”. I was around seventeen years old, with a great love for music, but no particular interest in songwriters. But something about this Rice guy caught my attention. It may have been his intensity? his voice? the songs? Probably all three. There was  a sense of mystery about him, a story… That story was that he had walked away from a band seemingly on the edge of success (Juniper), travelled around Europe, and even spent some time living as a farmer in Tuscany. So far, so romantic. Read More

A Film-Maker, A Songwriter and a Grandmother walk into a Room…

August 25, 2014

Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for free newsletter here

Last month I had the pleasure of spending a day with Myles O’Reilly, an Irish Film-Maker whose work I’ve been a fan of for a long time. I knew that good things would come from the day but the resulting 11 minute film is greater than I could have ever wished for. I am so excited to share this with you:

“Brilliant 11 minutes. So much more than a music video. Bone-marrow Irish but some how also Universal. So Fine.” – @Stilpix via Twitter

Read More

Meet the Muse:

August 14, 2014

Things are busy in Doran-Ville at the moment. “Outlines” is finished, artwork, videos and shows are all on the way. But this weekend is a very special one for me on a personal level. My good lady Therese and I will celebrate our 12th anniversary as a couple. This is starting to get serious!

Excuse me while I bite your head off.

Read More

Diving with a clear mind + Album release dates

July 23, 2014

Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for free newsletter here

Swedish high diver Arvid Spangberg at the 1908 Olympic Games from the fourth Olympiad.

I was chatting with a friend recently, let’s call him Brian – because that’s his name – we were listening to my soon-to-be-released album “Outlines”. I told him that I was starting to feel a bit stressed out about what to do next. The recording process had been so natural, organic and peaceful the whole way through, but now that the record was done I was starting to feel overwhelmed about next steps. Read More

Video: Live From a Dublin Café

July 9, 2014

Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for free newsletter here

New songs “Things You’re Dreaming of”, “Always Kind” & “Tug”, filmed live in Dublin May 2014.

A few weeks back, I played a show at Bewley’s Café Theatre, one of my favourite venues in Dublin. Musicians With Cameras, the good people behind the “Every Little Thing” video, were in the crowd on the night and made this short musical film:

“From the opening swaying notes of ‘The Things You’re Dreaming Of’, Peter Doran’s music seems to fill the venue as the soft ambience of shimmering guitar backing the songwriter’s gently performed vocal. With the camera work cutting from Doran and his band performing to reactions from the captivated crowd, the musician’s clear talents are visually conveyed to great effect.”

– The last Mixed Tape Blog


Enjoy the Video? Feel like being awesome?…

Help us get the music to more people by sharing the video on Facebook / Twitter / etc.  Grab it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thiu_o-SpRo

I hope these songs bring you some kind of joy. ~PD


 Credits:

Filmed at Bewley’s Café Theatre, by Luke Byrne and Stephen Allen, Thursday 29th May 2014. Edited by Stephen Allen

All songs by Peter Doran. Performed by Nicky Brennan (Electric Guitar), Darren Sweeney (Bass) and Peter Doran (Acoustic Guitar & Vocals)


I’d love to hear your thoughts on the songs and the video! Would you like us to do a show in your town? Write to me at peterdoranmusic[at] gmail [dot] com or use the comment box below. I will get back to you.




“Outlines” – New Record is DONE

July 2, 2014

Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for newsletter & get free music here

Here, in this little house, we made a record.

 “Outlines”, the fourth album from Peter Doran is due for release this Autumn.

My fourth album, “Outlines” has crossed the finish line! The album was mastered on Monday by Roger Seibel of SAE Mastering,  in Arizona. Roger did an amazing job and the record sounds absolutely gorgeous! I chose Roger because he has mastered albums from many of my favourite singer/songwriters including Bill Callahan, Alela Diane, Laura Veirs, The Decemberists and Elliot Smith. He’s pretty much the man for this genre of music. Read More

Musical Values in a digital age:

June 19, 2014
Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for newsletter & get free music here.

Photo by Sergey Sergeev (Wet Plate Collodion)

Some thoughts on abundance vs scarcity, & the values of recorded and live music in the digital age:

Read More

Shooting the Lighthouse: Video Day 1.

June 11, 2014
Written by Peter Doran for peterdoran.com. Sign up for newsletter and get free music here.
__________________________________________________________________________

On shoot for “The World is Wide” Video – Photo by Lucy Jones, June 8th 2014.

I’m feeling a bit hyper and caffeinated this morning. Last night was another late one. It came after a long but enjoyable day of trekking and adventuring with Lucy Jones and John Hennessy of Kerbute Productions (Video-makers extraordinaire). It was day one of making a video for a song of mine called “The World is Wide”.  The song is about two children with adventurous hearts. We spent the day at Howth, a picturesque village on the outskirts of Dublin.

Read More

Things You’re Dreaming of (Rehearsal Video)

May 23, 2014

With a show coming up next week in Dublin, we took to the serious business of rehearsing…  The day was bright and warm, a day for playing outdoors. So that’s what we did! Nicky had a camera, so we decided it would be a fine idea to make a video. You can check it out below. If you enjoy it, and we hope you do, please share it on your preferred social media platforms !

The Song is “Things You’re Dreaming of” and will be on the new album “Outlines” which is comes out this Autumn.

Read More

Exceptional Irish Songwriters – Emmett Tinley

May 15, 2014

In this series I take a look at some of my favourite Irish songwriters. Some you may know, others you may not. With any luck you’ll make some new musical friends along the way… Please enjoy… MR. Emmett Tinley

“Remember what was beautiful, not the dark inventions of your burning sorrow” – Polichinelle, The Prayerboat.

BALLAD OF A TIN MAN

Emmett Tinley is one of my favourite Songwriters. Irish or otherwise. He makes insanely beautiful music and has a voice that simply soars … I first heard this voice was on an album called  “Polichinelle” by “The Prayer Boat”. Emmett was the band’s singer and principle songwriter. It’s a gorgeous record, stunning. In my opinion there are no weak songs on Polichinelle, and it contains a number of absolute gems. Read More

The Rattle in your Puzzle Box

May 7, 2014

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Recently, I went through a bit of an Alan Watts obsession. He got me thinking about the self, the ego and all that good stuff. A lot of these ideas spilled out into a song called “Puzzle Box”.  The finished song will be on my new album “Outlines” which is coming this September. For now though, for a taste and a tease, I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of the song in raw form. Read More

Dreamland for the Evening:

April 30, 2014

 

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Avalon Theatre, Catalina Island, 1993. Gelatin silver print.

I’ve been going to live gigs since I was 12 years old. Music doesn’t get any purer than a magical live performance. What could be better than looking your hero in the eyes and having them sing right to your soul. Last weekend I went to three different gigs, in Mullingar, Waterford and Dublin. Over the three nights I saw four very different songwriters and one band.  Every one of them had a story of their own and each one was trying to move as gracefully as possible through the maze that is the music business…

Read More

You want the Moon?

April 24, 2014

“Last Night I was dreaming about you my love, last night I was dreaming of you. In the morning you didn’t materialise, in the morning you didn’t come true” – Peter Doran , “Moon”

Come close, I’ve got a new song for you…

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary. ”
― George Bailey

Read More

Exceptional Irish Songwriters – Pearse McGloughlin –

April 16, 2014

“You and I have hearts that are lonely hunters” – Pearse McGloughlin, “Spherosphere”.

I decided recently that I would take more care with this little website of mine. The plan is to add something new here each week. I want the site to grow, to give value, to entertain! Today, I want to introduce you fine people to some new music. Read More

Zen & the art of album making

April 9, 2014

09.04.2014

“What would you do, if you were to, start over?”

As I get close to finishing my fourth studio album I find myself thinking a lot about my first. I released “Wood” in 2006, I was twenty two. As I wrote in the last post, the album that I’m working on now has been recorded in a place that I have a history with. It was in this small house in the country that I made some of my first recordings; we started recording “Wood” there around 2004. My thoughts go back to that time now. Read More

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