Scarecrow showcases soulful songwriting

Hardworking musician, singer and songwriter, David Hope’s new album, Scarecrow, features 11 tastefully penned songs by the big man from Shannon, in Co Clare.

The songs reflect Hope’s love of folk/country, soul and blues. Whether as a solo performer, or as front man with The Henchmen, Hope has been honing his craft as a performer in venues throughout Ireland, and, of late, on European trips.

Hope has been a full-time musician for ten years, but caught the music bug as a child. “My sister, who’s nine years older than me, got a special present for her 18th birthday, an Atlantic Records collection, 1947 to 1974. She got this box-set of CDs. There were seven or eight discs in it and I just remember being mesmerised,” he says. “Being a kid, one of the main reasons I was drawn to it was because of The Coasters — songs like ‘Yackety Yak’ and ‘Along Came Jones’. Also, at that time, I loved Benny Hill and his theme tune and The Coasters saxophone sound was similar. But, once I delved more into the box-set, I was drawn to the likes of Memphis Soul Stew, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.”

When Hope first picked up a guitar, he played Thin Lizzy and their like. “Then, at 17, I went to music college in London and did a couple of years there. I came back and started a band. That’s kind of where it went.”

So, how did Hope hone his sound and song-writing into a country or folk style? “Well, what got me into country, folk and blues, really, was the fact that while I was in college, they tried to teach us jazz and metal fusion and stuff like that. I rejected it — I traded my Les Paul for an acoustic guitar. I started listening to Bob Dylan and some old blues records. But my love for country comes from the writing, the storytelling, something I can’t do as a writer, which is actually tell a story from start to finish. If you listen to the likes of Guy Clarke, I love the way he can tell a story and make it interesting in a song.”

Scarecrow is Hope’s second album and was partly self-produced, though Declan Sinnott produced four of its tracks. “It was a long time in the making, by virtue of the fact that I had to fund it myself,” says Hope. “My first album, A Picture, was released in 2007. Then, the EP, Daybreak Somewhere, was in 2009 and the Hell or High Water EP in 2011. There are a couple of songs from both on Scarecrow.”

Recently, Hope has toured in Europe to broaden his profile. “I was lucky enough to get invited over to Switzerland four years ago. Every December, I’ve been invited to play a festival, up in the mountains in Davos. It’s called the Songbird Festival. I’ve started slowly over there, but I’m beginning to make an impact.

“I’ve got a booking agent there and the new album has just been officially distributed by a record label. It’s slow, but it’s something concrete,” he says. “I’m doing all right — I’m not selling out big theatres, or anything like that, but there’s people paying money to see the gigs.”

*David Hope’s Scarecrow is now on general release. Further information: www.davidhope.ie