ON TRACK…Caimin O’ Shea performing in the Bush Bar, Enniskillen, on Saturday last. Picture: Ciara Jones Photography
Saturday night saw several new bands perform in the Bush Bar, however, an act that isn’t so new was Caimin O’ Shea, though this was his first gig in close to 10 months, as Ryan Smith found out…
24-YEAR OLD Caimin O’ Shea took something of a 10-month hiatus from the Fermanagh and Belfast music scenes where he previously plied his trade, however, last weekend saw the return of the Enniskillen-born musician at the Bush Bar in support of ‘The Hand me Downs’.
“That was actually my first gig in about ten months or so,” he said, “the last gig I played was I-Fest (in Irvinestown) last year, so it’s been quite a while.”
Caimin had played with a group of local musicians in ‘Loveseeds’, however, as that band took an extended break, so did his own playing.
That was a dramatic contrast from close to a year ago when Caimin released several of his own songs onto music-sharing website, ‘Soundcloud’, where the four tracks were available for free download.
And, they collectively managed over 1000 listens.
“I think I got a pretty good reaction from people. I think people might not have been aware of how to download the songs – as there were more listens than downloads,” he explained.
And does he see downloads as an important tool for Fermanagh musicians?
“There are advantages in going out and selling your CDs. Some people prefer having a tangible product, and some people don’t like to download. I think it’s more a matter of taste, but it can be a helpful tool if you want to do things cheaply.”
He went on: “With my own songs, there’s an eclectic mix. There’s some ‘folky’ stuff in there, a lot of pop stuff too. I don’t really like to compare myself to anyone – my biggest influences would be people like Fionn Regan or Johnny Flynn.”
And, with the wind in his sails, expect more gigs, and music, from Caimin.
“Things are going pretty good. I’ll be hitting up open mic nights and gigs up here in Belfast and I’ll try get some gigs down in Fermanagh too. Saturday night was great fun and all the guys who played were great.
“The next release I do – I’ll probably try and go down the more tangible route with a real CD. But because I’ll have to charge for that I’ll try and counter that by doing a free release of a cover track or different arrangements.
“But that’s plans for the next few months,” he concluded.
