February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“My grandfather on my dad’s side’s mother was Irish and I feel a deep connection with Ireland after visiting a few times,” said Gryner, who grew up in Sarnia, just north of Michigan and is gearing up for a New York concert.
“I played Dublin with Bowie in 1999 and I just found the Irish to be such passionate, music-loving people. As an outsider listening, to Irish music, there’s just such a variety, although, to an Irish person, that might sound bizarre. Lately I’ve found out that there have been a lot of Irish compilation albums but nothing like this, to the best of my knowledge.”
“Songs of Love and Death,” is certainly a unique product. Featuring an eclectic bunch of tracks, from the Virgin Prunes “Bay Dachong,” to the Corrs’ “Breathless,” Gryner’s unique adaptations render some of the songs practically unrecognizeable.
So far, she has been pleased with how the artists have responded to her album — Tom Dunne of the Dublin band “Something Happens,” even invited her on his radio show to perform her version of their hit “Forget Georgia.”
“It was an amazing and intimidating experience to play on his show,” she said.
“Generally, the reaction has been really positive. A couple of the members of the Horslips me their stamp of approval.”
One irate Ash fan was so unimpressed by her version of “Shining Light,” that he issued Gryner with a death threat, but otherwise the response from Irish audiences has also been positive, according to Gryner.
“I’ve gotten emails from Irish people who would know these songs and artists really well, and they seem to dig it,” she said.
“I opened for another band, Ladysmith Black Mombozo, in Dublin, and I played some of the numbers from this album. I think they went down well — no vegetables were thrown!”
“Songs of Love and Death,” will be released in Ireland this September, where Gryner plans to play a number of concerts throughout the autumn.
Next weekend, she’ll play at the Cutting Room in Manhattan, where she looks forward to introducing Irish music to a new audience.
“When I mention Irish music, everyone automatically thinks of Celtic and traditional music. Its great to help people discover all these great bands and powerful music that comes from Ireland,” she said.
“For a lot of people my age in Canada and the U.S., these songs are brand new to them, and they’re going back to the original artists who wrote the songs and discovering their music, which is great.”
Emm Gryner will play at the Cutting Room on June 25. For more information, log on to www.deaddaisyrecords.com.