Enter 'The Cave'!
I'll let this one speak for itself...
It means so much that you're here and enjoying my music. It's been quite the journey I have to say...
I'd love to share a little about why it's so special you are part of this journey:
My journey out of creative isolation has been a slow and clumsy one. It’s taken me years to get to a point where I’m willing to reach out to people and share more of my work. It feels really nice I must say.
In my final year of school I experienced an unexpected desire to go to ‘Rock School’ in Ballyfermot, Dublin. This came as a surprise to both myself and my parents because as yet I had displayed very little musical ability. I knew a few basic covers on guitar and I didn’t really like to sing. I just loved music. To this day I have no idea how I passed the audition. I think they must have been low on applicants that year and I was merely padding.
I had a terrible time at school so I was thrilled to finally find my oddball tribe. I joined a few bands, bought a coat like Pennie Lane from Almost Famous and bluffed my way through the two years. Given that it was a music course we only really had to perform at the end of each year, which suited me down to the ground. I loved the camaraderie of being in a band and hanging out practicing, but I would have been happy to keep doing that forever and never play any actual gigs.
After college I decided to try writing more of my own material with a view to doing a few open mics. At this point my stage fright was unbearable so I sought the services of a hypnotherapist who would record our sessions on cassette, and I would listen in between sessions. I managed one open mic which was well received. I was cured! I optimistically agreed to return a few weeks later, however this time I flopped. With my ego badly bruised I vowed never to perform again, and so began my self inflicted exile which would last for over a decade.
My saving grace was learning music technology basics in Ballyfermot. A friend gave me some recording software and I acquired a simple pre-amp and mic set up. To this day I’m still using the same computer programme. I made the decision to carry on making music and harness social media to try and reach people. I turned to music videos and art as mediums to present my work in a way that felt safe in its indirectness. Eventually I pieced together my first album which took me an eon to finish as I was totally skint. Due to my unrelenting awkwardness I had a very low key launch as part of a group art show. I invited no one and only performed one song twice!
There's a little more to the story (which I'll share with you a few days from now); but I want to say if you've had similar struggles, or there's a voice in your head holding you back, there is a way through! Though the way may be long, keep going.
Thank you for for being here,
Slán,
Mary