Great double bill pairing Cian Nugent’s expansive yet intricate instrumental explorations (recalling Robbie Basho at his best) and Micah Blue Smaldone, whose guitar style has been compared to James Blackshaw, whilst his vocals have led other comparisons towards Will Oldham and Smog, but really his style’s all his own.
CIAN NUGENT
Cian Nugent is an exploratory guitarist and composer from Dublin who combines pre-war blues, Appalachian string band music, modern classical and the Takoma school into a deeply personal style. He has toured throughout Europe and America with people such as Jack Rose, Glenn Jones, Ben Reynolds, Nalle, The Family Elan, George Stavis, Jozef van Wissem, C Joynes, Peter Delaney, Thinguma*jigSaw and James Blackshaw.
Veteran of the Maine punk, garage and hardcore scene, Smaldone released his first solo record 'Some Sweet Day' in 2003 - a fervently authentic homage to great influences – John Jackson, Blind Blake, Robert Wilkins - that debuted a new style centered around his deft finger-picking style and distinctive vocals. His most recent LP 'The Red River' was released by Immune Recordings in 2008 and featured accompaniment by many fine Portland musicians, including the members of Fire on Fire (Young God Records), a group Micah also plays with. Micah has also appeared on on albums by Jack Rose and has played with Death Vessel (SubPop).
“On The Red River, Smaldone sings with an achy, folk-tinged voice – weary but wise – as he explores a world he sees as deeply troubled but ultimately brimming with hope.” – NPR Second Stage
“beneath the veneer of dusty Americana there’s a song-cycle carrying a heart-of-darkness travelogue filled with terse observations about the malevolent force within us all that slips off the leash with a depressing regularity.” – BBC
“Smaldone plays guitar and sings with a simplicity that underlines, rather than contradicts, the drama. You feel that with The Red River, he is finally getting comfortable with his folk-inspired palette of influences, stretching them out to fit, and making them his own.” – Dusted Magazine
“an original voice in a world full of pretenders.” – Foxy Digitalis
