Martin Furey writes oddly haunting songs already showcased in some style with Bohinta, the band he still fronts with his sister Aine, but here he takes a further step into the ethereal. Its not easy - the songs don't leap up and bite you - but there's something about his anguished voice, the percussive edge and spookily sparse arrangements that gets under your skin.
He combines deep knowledge of the Irish traveller tradition with an original and contemporary take on his singer/songwriter material.
His vocal style has the resonance and ornamentation of the 19th century, yet the melodies and instrumentation are futuristic. A singer with the technique and the nerve to be right out in front.

A fantastic night of original material, Celtic themes, trad twists, beautiful songs, powerful vocals, soulful moods & toe-tapping, handclapping jigs & reels!

On the music scene for long enough to have established the kind of reputation that makes him stand out, Martin is well used to accoloades for his song writing and amazing voice.
Highlights when touring solo and with his band 'Bohinta' include playing Glastonbury, recording at Real WorlStudios, 2 tours of Oz, soundtracks for Independant films and BBC documentaries, plus being included on numerous compilations and projects.
No mean guitar player, he also plays low whistles and Uillean pipes. This is a very talented and entertaining guy!

Martin Furey 2006 Tour Dates

Martin Furey Plays -

Uilleann Pipes
Martin was in his own words "forcibly inducted into the pipes fraternity aged 7" ! With his father Finbar being a 3 time All Ireland champion it was almost inevitable that the pipes would come to play a major role in Martins life and music. Martin did try and avoid being "strapped in" but still learnt extensively from his father and another pipes legend Tommy Kearney. The hard work paid off and despite being one of the hardest instruments in the world to play, Martin is one its finest exponents. You need to use both hands, both wrists, one elbow and a knee just to produce a note as the instrument is actually made up of 3 separate parts. The chanter is the business end as it plays the melody, the drones play a steady note in unison and the regulators play a harmonic accompaniment. Martins set of pipes has a 100 year old chanter from the Dublin workshop of Leo Rowsome, Brian Howard made the drones and Welsh craftsman Alan Ginsberg provided the regulators

Guitar
For as long as he can remember Martin has had a guitar, breaking his first one aged 4 !. The first electric one came along when he was 17 and with it he "made a hell of a noise in the garage". His Dad passed on many finger picking and chord shapes, and Martin learnt a great deal from folk legend Alex Cambell who regularly played with Finbar. Now a days Martin plays an acoustic guitar from the world renowned Australian maker Maton

Whistles
Finbar Furey and Bernie Overton created the modern day aluminium low whistle in the 70's, and its an instrument Martin now plays with immense emotion. Finbar and Paddy Keenan used to create whistle from car aerials but things have progressed and Martin plays a low whistle made for him by Colin Goldie. Martin also plays a recorder whistle supplied by Tim Cranmore

Varichord
The Varichord is a revolutionary guitar accessory invented by Martin, and a must for all serious guitarists seeking originality in chord structure and open tuning. This highly versatile piece of equipment is easy to use and capable of holding any standard chord shape plus 100's of configurations not normally attainable. Easily spanning the fingerboards and reaching across 4 frets, 5 up the neck, the Varichord gives easy access to over 1000 possible chord shapes. It has no problem acquiring the 12 major keys and all their relative minors, sevenths, sixths etc. All this without having to relearn finger patterns. Varichord is quite capable of holding 6 strings or bar chords, although when used with any standard capo it becomes stunningly simple to achieve complex tunings and rapid key changes in live situations. As the Varichord holds only those strings you choose, the rest remain playable behind it as well as in front, greatly reducing loss of fingering position. Varichord is currently used by Porl Thompson (ex The Cure), David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel band) & Andy Partridge (XTC) amongst others.

Phone Mike
01269 597118
for Availability

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