Damien Dempsey

On August 15th. 2006 Shots will be released on new indie record label, United For Opportunity (UFO). “I met the guys from UFO at a gig in New York and they seemed to be down to earth and passionate about music, so I’m looking forward to the release of Shots and touching more and more people with the music, and singing all my cares away with Americans,: says Damien of the upcoming stateside release.

Shots features 10 incredibly passionate and heartfelt songs of love, family and politics in Ireland , kicking off with “Sing All Our Cares Away” and going headlong into Heartwrenchland, setting a tone for both listener and for Damien himself – loneliness and troubles versus the power of music. And so it goes: a glimmer of hope in every charm less life, “Not On Your Own Tonight”; and homage to the impoverished, “St. Patrick’s Day”, drug addiction, “Party On”; war and imperialism as epic poem, “Colony”; a love song, “Hold Me”; restless Irish adolescence, “Spraypaint Back Alley”; but the US release also includes a bonus of 3 live favorites recorded December 15, 2005 at sold out Olympia Theatre in Dublin complete with the voices of 2,000 devoted fans singing along with Damien’s husky voice of the people – always spot on and conveying something more – reaching out and pulling us all in.

Album Released March 11, 2005 (Ireland - CLR 002), March 14, 2005 (UK IRL 022)August 15, 2006 (US)

Tracks:
1. Sing All Our Cares Away
2. Not On Your Own Tonight
3. St. Patrick's Day
4. Cursed With A Brain
5. Party On
6. Colony
7. Patience
8. Hold Me
9. Choctaw Nation
10. Spraypaint Backalley Bonus US Tracks: 11. Negative Vibes
12. Factories
13. It's All Good

US Concerts: Damien will be appearing at the Celtic Connections Festival in Boston on June 10th and 11th and will play 3 shows in New York that following week including Sin-e on June 13th and 2 nights at Rocky Sullivan’s.

About Damien Dempsey: There’s likely not a home from Dalkey to Galway where Damien Dempsey is not a household name.

Damien has been singing since childhood, a mandatory activity in the Dempsey home in Donaghmede on Dublin’s Northside. His earliest musical influences were the post-pub singsongs that his parents used to have at their home when he was a child. Good bad or indifferent, everyone had to sing. Today his unique sound reflects the influence of traditional Sean-Nos as well as his musical heroes: Bob Marley and Elvis Presley.

After completing his secondary education Damien went on to the Ballyfermot “Rock School” for 2 years, and unusual place of high reputation that actually boasted its own small record label to which star students would be awarded a “contract”. Damien was chosen for that honor and the EP. The Contender was released in 1995.

In 1997 “Dublin Town”, Damien’s first commercial single, reached No.18 in the Irish charts. Ireland’s HOT PRESS remarked that it was “… an underground anthem for disaffected youth and closet balladeer alike:. A re-recorded version of the song appeared on Damien’s first album: They Don’t Teach This Shit In School released in 2000.

His next release, the Negative Vibes EP, (2002) featured Sinead O’Connor on the titile track and led to an invitation to support Sinead on her 2002/2003 Irish, UK and European tour.

Damien’s second album, Seize the Day, was released May 2003 in Ireland on Clear Records via Sony and entered the charts first week of release at No. 5. It has since achieved double-platinum sales. Released in May 2004 in the UK on IRL, the album was awarded “CD of the Week” in the Sunday Times and received enthusiastic reviews in the National and music press.

Nomenated in 4 categories in the 2004 Irish Meteor Awards, Damien walked away with two, the only 2004 double winner. A documentary, It’s All Good: The Damien Dempsey Story by independent filmmaker Dara McClusky, that followed Damien’s career progression up to the release of “Seize the Day”, was broadcast on Ireland’s national TV station RTE and shown at film festivals in Ireland and New York.

During 2003 Damien toured extensively headlining his own shows as well as supporting Bob Dylan during the Irish leg of his European tour and making his debut appearances at the Fleadh and Womad.

Damien has earned the passionate support of his peers, one of whom is Morrissey who invited Damien to support him on various UK and Irish dates as well as his autum 2004 US Tour. Morrissey went on to sign Damien to his Attack label, and Seize the Day had its U.S. release in October 2004.

His third album, Shots, simultaneously released in Ireland and the UK last year entered the Irish album charts at No. 1, prompting Dempsey to clinch the 2006 Meteor Award for Best Irish Male. The hard-to –please UK and Irish press said this about it…

“…whip-smart lyrical tours de force…his songwriter’s eye for detail astounds…” - HOT PRESS

“Dempsey’s arrow-true voice has a liquid quality…this is bold, compelling stuff” - Mojo

“…not for the feint hearted…extraordinary” - Q

“This is hearty, fraternal embrace of an album” - Telegraph

Our prices are in US Dollars
You can always remove items from the cart.

Convert our Price

Partner with our Shop

Bookmark our Page!