Eamonn Flynn forges his own brand of Irish soul. The Dublin-born singer-songwriter/pianist got his start with The Commitments, a hit film about an Irish soul band, and has since worked with American blues and R&B stars Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Evelyn Champagne King, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters), The Ray Charles Project, and many more. He also kept a hand in Irish music playing with Shay and Michael Black and Finbar Furey and has played piano and organ for many years at San Francisco’s Glide Memorial Church.
Flynn’s new quartet DUBLINESQUE brings his deep soul and gospel roots together with the Irish music traditions he was raised on.
“Dublinesque is my attempt to recreate the kind of parties we had in my parents’ house, growing up in Dublin,” explains Flynn. “There’d be neighbours and friends, and it would always end up as a sing-song/jam session. Everyone would participate – if you couldn’t hold a tune, you’d perform a ‘recitation’ or tell a joke!
“There was never any delineation between genres of music – whether it was Irish tunes and ballads, soul music, or a Beatles song,” he emphasizes.
The band brings together three talented Bay Area Irish traditional musicians: fellow Irishman Félim Egan (The Black Brothers) on accordion, local favorite Darcy Noonan on fiddle, and from the Basque Country, Spain, Hector Bragado on banjo. “This is my chance to play with some of my favorite musicians and recreate those parties!” says Flynn.
