“One of the freshest bands in Irish traditional music” Séan Laffey Irish Music Magazine

’Superb musicians who engage with their audience to produce a memorable show, definitely not to be missed. Irish Music at its very best.’ Charles Devlin, Director Ireby Festival”

“Having scoured all the text on the digipack of this CD and not been able to find their names, I think it fair to say that The Jeremiahs are examples of that rare breed, four unassuming musicians. I hope this lack of self-publicity is firmly rooted in a confidence that their music will do the job for them. It certainly should be. But let’s also help out a little. Dubliner Joe Gibney takes vocals and adds some whistle; Brian Corry, from Co. Clare, plays whistle, flute and fiddle; Dublin based James Ryan is, amongst other things, the rhythm section on guitar and bouzouki; Jean Christophe Morel, a Frenchman drawn to Dublin by Irish traditional music, does the bulk of the work on fiddle. Getting together in 2013, they gained immediate recognition, winning the Showcase competition at Ballyshannon Festival that year. Two years later, they’ve released this self-titled debut album, including a track, Forgotten Sons, that won the 2015 TradConnect Songwriter Showcase competition. The competition was judged by Christy Moore who picked Forgotten Sons as the song that “tickled my ears the most”.

Forgotten Sons is the only self-penned song out of five on the album. Dealing with the perennial Irish issue of emigration, it has a time honoured line and refrain structure paired with twenty first century lyrics that pull no punches, highlighting the fate of young emigrés who don’t find that better life. It’s an arresting song, delivered by a singer, Joe Gibney, whose voice perfectly communicates the cruel contrasts between hope and despair inherent in the lyrics. If this is a sample of the song writing talent in the band then we should surely look forward to a second album giving prominence to their own compositions.

Of the other four songs on the current album, one is traditional, the band giving their take on Hog Eye Man. They attack it less frenetically than many renditions, still giving it pace, but allowing the bawdy humour of the lyrics more time to register. For the remainder, it’s interesting that none are Irish songs. There’s a fine example of contemporary writing from Edinburgh’s Adam Holmes with his song of the highs and lows of young love, Mary. Dave Sudbury’s 1980s composition, The King of Rome, is steeped in the typically northern England pastime of pigeon racing. The North Sea Holes is a Ewan McColl song from further back, written for 1960’s Singing the Fishing Radio Ballad. All three are strong, well-respected songs and to that extent could be thought of as safe choices. On the other hand, there are widely praised versions of all three against which any new arrangements will be judged. I’m pleased to say that the band’s decision to include these songs is thoroughly vindicated. Joe’s voice adapts unerringly to the very different needs of each song. The instrumental arrangements complement this splendidly, varying from the barest minimum, the first half of Mary for example, to a complex interweaving of driving guitar chords, fiddle and whistle in parts of The North Sea Holes that all but takes over from the vocals. I can honestly say I prefer their version of The King of Rome to the most widely known one by June Tabor. Joe is the only band member given a vocal credit but sections with two and three part harmony are found throughout the songs. If this was achieved entirely by overdubs of Joe’s voice then my respect for his abilities grows ever stronger.

The band’s instrumental prowess takes centre stage on the remaining five tracks, three band compositions and two credited to Finbar English. As with the instrumentation behind the songs, there’s an abundance of excellent musicianship in evidence. Whilst the compositions are unmistakably Irish in flavour they don’t fit easily into traditional categories and are all the stronger for that, keeping the listener intrigued as well as entertained. With the pairing of two whistles or flute and whistle, at times I was reminded of Flook, though I missed John Joe Kelly’s bodhrán of course.

With this album, The Jeremiah’s have shown an abundance of skill, producing both songs and tunes of high quality. The even better news is that all the signs lead us to expect a lot more from them in the future. They’ll be on a short gig tour of the UK at the end of June (dates below) and if you’re lucky enough to be around, you’d be wise to give them a listen. Fingers crossed, by next year, they’ll be booked around the UK festival circuit, they’ll go down a storm.”

“First up is an absolutely brilliant album by a group called, The Jeremiahs. They are based out of Ireland covering the entire country from Dublin to Clare, along with one Frenchman! The four lads are wonderful together musically, and their vocal work is nothing short of astounding. This is the sound of real Irish music. And these four young players are pointing a new direction. They are singing brilliant trad-based Irish and English tunes along with a modern vibe. Their instrumental work is superior. The vocals are not like the Clancy Brothers, or any of that. They are the real deal with some really well done harmonies. Of the 10 tunes, one of our favorites is The King of Rome, about a poor man in the west of London who raises racing pigeons. If that doesn’t sound like an uplifting, almost miraculous song—you’re wrong. If there is any justice in a world filled with injustice, The Jeremiahs will be huge. You can see some of their work on YouTube. This is a band to be reckoned with, now and in the future. We hope that major festivals like IrishFest in Milwaukee, and Dublin, Ohio will get ahold of them, pronto. Magic. They will be in America soon, and we can’t wait.”

“The Jeremiahs - Self-titled
One of the new breed of bands who use Trad as a hoop to hang their hat on, The Jeremiahs are to be commended for the boldness of their decision to take by in large the root of original composition, rather than beat reels, jigs and songs from the native tradition into submission. Their’s is a light handed, considered approach where for the most part the music and songs are allowed the chance to breathe, giving them a freshness and vitality not always heard on albums of this type.

Jazzy bass provides the intro to the opening track, The Luggites, and the tune and tempo is picked up thereafter by whistle and fiddle giving the set a great sense of space. Every note can be heard with sparkling clarity. ‘Mary’ is a lovesong with a vocal that is mindful of Seán Tyrrell which goes into overdrive at around the two minute mark, but is no less good for that. There is a sense of thoughtfulness running through this music and its arrangement from start to finish, which falls short but once. With previous versions by both June Tabor and The Unthanks coming close to perfection, it has to be said that the melodic liberties taken with The King of Rome do not serve the song as well as I’d expect. Taken on balance, though, it’s only a minor and a very personal cavil.

Using the tradition as a starting point for personal invention carries with it responsibility for what has come before and the song, ‘Forgotten Sons’, is a magnificent payback. It details the lives of those who have left and have slipped under the radar and are to be found sleeping in doorways on the Kilburn highroad and in cities all over the UK and further afield. There is a nod to the past and the ballad tradition, but a stark reminder also that the Celtic Tiger was never an equal opportunities employer.

There is passion and skill a plenty on this album, more than enough to suggest and ensure that The Jeremiahs have a long and fruitful career ahead of them. On this evidence, I for one am a fan and look forward to seeing these guys live before too long. Go out and buy the album. You won’t regret it. An impressive debut, and no mistake! ”

“THE JEREMIAHS - THE JEREMIAHS
Private Label
This Irish quartet has been making a name for itself rather fast over the two short years since its founding. Together, Joe Gibney (vocals, whistle), Brian Corry (tin whistle, flute, fiddle), James Ryan (guitar, bouzouki) and Jean-Christophe Morel (fiddle) make a sound that can best be described as a fresh and healthy blend of the traditional and the contemporary.
From the outset, on their debut CD’s first offering – band-penned tune The Luggites – you know you’re in the presence of four gifted musicians, and you can feel their accomplishment in the confident phrasing and skilled blending of dynamics, which engage the listener right away. There’s a comparable sense of being completely at ease with their instruments and musicianship pervading all five instrumental tracks on the album, which probably needs no further comment beyond recommendation, although I’d be tempted to single out the sensitive bowing on Injee for special mention.
However, on balance I feel that it’s on the disc’s five songs that the Jeremiahs arguably show their strongest hand, especially in the art of arrangement. It helps, of course, that singer Joe has a fine command of range and expression, and that his voice can cope well with a wider range of material than one might expect to encounter in the repertoire of an Irish band. There’s a well-paced take on Dave Sudbury’s perennial narrative The King Of Rome, vibrant renditions of Ewan MacColl’s tribute The North Sea Holes and the shanty Hog’s Eye Man, and for contrast Adam Holmes’ love story Mary, although many will judge the disc’s highlight to be the self-penned Forgotten Sons, a plaintive song of emigration inspired by a documentary on the forgotten Irish in England.
A thoroughly commendable debut disc, whose only (small) failing is the white-on-grey colour scheme chosen for the digipack, which renders the lyrics and track notes less than ideally discernible (at least to these ageing eyes!).”

“Die Band The Jeremiahs besteht aus den Musikern Joe Gibney (Vocals, Whistle), Brian Corry (Tin Whistle, Flute, Fiddle), James Ryan (Guitar, Bouzouki) und Jean Christophe Morel (Fiddle). In Dublin gegründet spielen sie traditionelle irische Folkmusik. Schnell nach der Gründung 2012 ist die Band in der Dubliner Folk-Szene sehr populär geworden und hat schon in vielen Ländern Konzerte gegeben. Ihr Repertoire besteht aus alten und neuen Folksongs, die aus Irland, England und Schottland kommen. Da sie nicht, wie andere Bands einfach alles so spielen wollten, wie man es kennt, haben sie ihren eigenen, unverwechselbaren Stempel drauf gedrückt.
Mit einem Instrumentalstück beginnt das Album und mit einem eben solchen endet es. The Luggites ist ein fröhliches Stück und führt uns in die Welt des Quartetts ein. The Midnight Muse gibt noch einmal richtig Gas zum Schluss. Insgesamt sind fünf gesangslose Titel auf der CD gebrannt, wobei mir die beiden namentlich genannten Werke am besten gefallen. Ich muss aber deutlich sagen: Die Musik hat ihren eigenen Charakter und die Tonfolgen sind manchmal etwas ungewöhnlich. Sie erinnert mich ein wenig anDavy Spillane und seinen beiden Alben Shadow Hunter und East Wind, die er vor seiner Riverdance Zeit aufgenommen hat. Auch er hat damals versucht seinen ganz eigenen Musikstil zu kreieren. Auch wenn es hier nicht ganz hingehört: Das Album East Wind wurde nach dem Ausstieg von Spillane beim Riverdanceorchester, Ende der 90`er hochgelobt und kostete bei Amazon 270,- Euro. Nach fast 20 Jahren auf dem Markt habe ich immer noch fast 30 Euro bezahlt! Nun aber zurück zum Album der Iren.
Fünf Lieder werden gesanglich von Joe Gibney ausgekleidet. Er hat eine außergewöhnliche und markante Stimme. Das zweite Stück auf dem Silberling, Mary, hat mich umgehauen. Eine Gitarre beginnt leise sacht zu spielen und dann beginnt Gibney zu singen. Wow, dieses ruhige Lied hat mich getroffen und berührt. Ab der Mitte des Songs wird zwar das Tempo schneller, aber das Lied verliert nicht seine Genialität. Großes Kino und volle Punktzahl. Ein weiteres Hammerlied ist die Ballade The King Of Rome. Beide Stücke gehören zu meinen liebsten Tracks auf dem Silberling. Die anderen drei Werke gefallen mir auch sehr und sind sehr hörenswert. Dieses Album kann ich zum Kauf empfehlen, auch wenn die Instrumentalstücke einen eigenständigen Charakter haben und nicht alles 100 prozentig harmonisch erklingt. Die Gesangsstücke sind dafür sehr harmonisch und werden mit viel Gefühl vorgetragen. Gerade die von mir genannten Werke sind Balsam auf der Seele und der eine oder andere wird den bekannten „Erpelpelz“ bekommen, vor allem bei The King Of Rome. Ich hoffe sie kommen einmal nach Deutschland, damit ich sie dann live erleben kann!”

“The Jeremiahs “The Jeremiahs”
Own label, 2014
The Jeremiahs have been formed in Ireland’s capital Dublin only 2-3 years ago, comprised of singer Joe Gibney, fiddler Jean-Christophe Morel, whistler Brian Corry and guitar/bouzouki player James Ryan. In virtually no time at all they became quite popular and took Dublin’s folk scene by storm. Now they are bound to impress the wider world, calling card is their self-titled debut album. Half of the ten tracks is instrumental music, the 8 tunes have been written with just one exception by the band members. The song selection is noteworthy, with one piece from Britain’s Adam Holmes (“Mary”), Dave Sudbury (“King of Rome”) and Ewan MacColl (“North Sea Holes”), respectively, their own emigration song “Forgotten Sons” and the traditional American “Hogeye Man”. The Jeremiahs are one of the freshest bands I heard in a while. You may call it Nu Folk Music if you like. No doubt they are rooted in Irish soil, but they were able to grow something special. The only question left (besides the band’s name) is when they’ll come over to the European mainland. Cambridge, Rudolstadt, Sidmouth, Tønder - will you listen! ”