Brightest Young Things

All words and photos by Shauna Alexander

It was fitting weather on Monday night, as I trekked to Chinatown and made my way to the Gibson Guitar Showcase to see Platinum selling Irish artist, Declan O’Rourke perform. The drizzle made me feel like I was back in County Leitrim where my Mother is from, riding horses in open fields and listening to the Best of Donovan LP on vinyl while countless family members danced and sang along. Man, those were the days… It’s been almost three years since I’ve been back to the motherland to kiss the blarney stone and imbibe at St. James Gate, so when Svetlana offered me the chance to get down with my roots – I couldn’t resist (the open bar was a nice perk too…)

From his official biography: Declan O’Rourke began his career on the Dublin singer-songwriter circuit in 2000.  He released his debut album under an independent Irish record label in 2004. Declan’s debut album, Since Kaybram, went straight in at fifth position in the Irish charts.  It very soon achieved Gold, Platinum and then double-Platinum status.  Even now, almost four years after its release, it continues to sell steadily. Declan released his long-awaited second album, Big, Bad, Beautiful World, in late ’07 which reached fourth position in the Irish charts.  Big, Bad, Beautiful World has been critically acclaimed.

I say forget Bono, Damien Rice and Snow Patrol, the future of Irish songwriting rests in the hands of Declan O’Rourke. A bold statement, but it’s only backed up by Declan’s precision guitar playing, heartfelt lyrics and true sense of identity not only to his Irish heritage but to himself on the whole.  In fact when Q Magazine asked Paul Weller which song he wished he could have written from the last 20 years, he answered with Declan’s “Gallieo” and it’s not hard to see why.  Declan speaks from the heart with a sincerity not heard on the radio nowadays.  You see Declan’s a true story-teller, in the vein of Bob Dylan, highlighting his experiences with life and love through his music and on-stage banter.

The main highlight of the evening for me, as a newfound fan of Declan’s, was when he preformed a song he had recently written about the Irish famine. Obviously Declan wasn’t around during such a tumultuous time, but he did do his research and talked candidly with the audience about his findings.  His studies helped him craft a surprisingly uptempo ballad that had everyone in the audience stunned, wooed and in awe.  My heartstrings were definitely tugged, entangled, and swooning with adoration.  The song will be on Declan’s third album, due out in the Spring of 2010 but thanks to the internet you can watch a video of it here.

Other highlights of the evening included his performance of a song called, “Just To Be Friends” which Declan introduced as a song about two pencils who became penpals, only to have a third pencil stick his rubber where it didn’t belong.  No one can say Declan doesn’t have a soft sense of humor, that ultimately makes you wonder how many times his heart has been broken.  Other favorite songs from the evening were "No Place to Hide" and the evening's opener, "Sarah (Last Night in a Dream)."

After the show I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Declan for a few minutes to reminisce over the Emerald Isle and talk in detail about his career.  One things for certain, Declan doesn't want to be known as just an Irish singer/songwriter.  He said that he "writes from the heart... it just so happens it happens to be an Irish one."

It should be noted that the atmosphere of the event itself was to die for.  How often does one get to be in a room of less than 50 people, seeing a true artist perform? Combine that with the guitar-lined walls of the Gibson Guitar Showcase and it was a recipe for a perfect evening.  Sure, the crowd was older and more reserved in their appreciation of the arts but there was a genuine spirit of enjoyment and enrichment that isn’t always found at your neighborhood venue.  I'm officially declaring Gibson as my second favorite place in the DMV area (the first being Flying Dog Brewery, of course).

Many thanks to Solas Nua, the only organization in the States dedicated exclusively to Irish contemporary arts for putting this intimate acoustic evening together. They have some great events lined up like the Irish Film Festival on (dec. 10-20^th)and several showings of Disco Pigs (a well-known Irish play turned movie that starred Cillian Murphy) at Flashpoint (916 G Street NW) this weekend.  Visit http://www.solasnua.org/ for more information.

Want more information on Declan (and you should)? Visit his myspace or website.  Enjoy!

Previously in Live DC:

• 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
• 2/7: LiveDC: Augustana/ Graffiti6 @ 930 Club
• 2/6: LiveDC: All Things Go Presents: Reptar/ Casual Curious/ Fort Lean @ Gibson Guitar Showroom
• 2/6: LiveDC: TYCHO/ Beacon @ RNR Hotel
• 2/6: LiveDC: The Kills / Jeff The Brotherhood @ 9:30 Club
• 2/3: Live DC: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ RnR Hotel
• 2/3: LiveDC: Smith Westerns @ Black Cat