Line-up
- Kevin May - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Mick Lynch - vocals, guitar, bass
History
The band’s debut album,
…Waltzing Alone
– a multi-instrumental masterpiece so wistful, earnest, heart-on-your-sleeve – was self-released to immediate critical acclaim in Ireland on September 9, 2005, and its first promotional single “Told You So” rapidly became a firm favorite on Irish airwaves. Within weeks the song climbed to No. 12 on the Irish National Airplay Chart.
In March 2006 and 2009, the band traveled to Austin to perform a brace of gigs at
SXSW. TGG released
…Waltzing Alone
in the U.S. on New York-based new model indie label United For Opportunity on September 26, 2006, and in November of that year embarked on its first U.S. national tour. Later, in early 2007, The Guggenheim Grotto "A Lifetime In Heat" won in The 6th Annual
Independent Music Awards for Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song.
[1]
Now with four U.S. tours under its belt, the band has found itself having made huge in-roads with American audiences and industry alike – from playing listening rooms across the country to large festivals, performing on tastemaker radio programs to Charleston’s nationally syndicated Mountain Stage radio/TV show. Songs from the record have been used in major network prime-time TV shows like
One Tree Hill and
Brothers And Sisters, and the album met warm embraces from U.S. national publications like
Paste Magazine, as well as regional press like
The Boston Globe and
The Washington Post.
The Guggenheim Grotto’s debut LP wooed us in the most poetic of ways, but
Happy The Man
brings the band to a whole new level – decidedly upbeat and delving into more sampling and electronic techniques, while still invoking beauty and pain in ways that celebrate our common human experience. Kevin and Mick explore a range of new sounds along with drummer and producer Shane Power for a full-bodied, rich album that showcases the band’s knack for instrumental choice while proving itself both contemporary and timeless.
Happy The Man
was released digitally for a limited time in the U.S. and Ireland on October 7, 2008 and quickly made its way to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes Folk Chart. The CD was released to stores January 27, 2009, and the band is touring nationally to support it.
Discography
- A Lifetime in Heat (album)|A Lifetime in Heat
(2004)
- ...Waltzing Alone
(Irish release
) (9 September 2005)
- ...Waltzing Alone
(U.S./Canada release
) (26 September 2006)
- Told You So (album)|Told You So
(January 2007)
- Tigers (album)|Tigers
(September 2008)
- ...Happy The Man
(Irish release
) (5 September 2008)
- ...Happy The Man
(U.S./Canada release
) (27 January 2009)
References
- Independent Music Awards - 6th Annual Winners