How I Became A Wave: Cork musician Pat Carey hoping to make a splash

As well as his musical prowess, Pat Carey is well-known from his involvement with venues such as the Cork Opera House and the Briery Gap in Macroom 

Pat Carey, How I Became A Wave. Picture: Celeste Burdon

Irish music fans may know of Pat Carey, the Cork man who is former The Hard Ground vocalist and has been involved in numerous aspects of the arts and festival scene. But trying to describe his latest music project, How I Became A Wave, has become a bit of a tall order.

“People tend to have lots of questions, such as whether it’s just me, or is it a band, or what is it at all,” he smiles. “In reality, it’s just a collaborative project, with nebulous members, like Villagers or Bon Iver, where people simply join me to play something together.”

This collaborative project was introduced to the Irish scene through the self-titled, debut release of How I Became A Wave, the far-reaching and ambitious project by Carey, which took almost a decade to make. Released in late March – and featuring key and string arrangement from Cormac McCarthy (RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Iarla O’Lionáird) and contributions from former bandmates, Davie Ryan and Hugh Dillon – How I Became A Wave encompasses a feeling of presence for Carey, and the ability to own what’s happening to you, without reaction.

“The project’s original spark comes from the Mary Oliver poem I Go Down To The Shore, which sees a person go to the sea to tell it all of their problems, only for it to reply that it’s busy with its own thing. The person at the centre, then, is forced to become comfortable with themself.” 

And reviews, particularly in a world where stillness is both sought out and judged, are favourable. 

“Look, it’s better to be getting good reviews than bad ones…” Carey smiles. “But from an ego perspective, I’m not throwing myself any parties yet.” 

Carey grew up in Bandon and pivoted between bands until striking gold in college with The Hard Ground. Though he credits the band with his gained music confidence, after “five or six years of hard, hard graft,” Carey felt the toll of burnout enough to pursue his own sound, a journey which has since stalled several times through “bouts of writer’s block, children, and life”.

Though musically favourable for How I Became A Wave, that came with its own hardships. “There were a number of times that I thought, I'm not going to get this over the line,” Carey says. 

“About three years ago, I remember saying to my wife, Eileen, that I just didn’t think this was going to happen, I just didn't know if I had the space to finish it.” 

Mercifully, Eileen and Carey’s collaborator, Davie Ryan, gave him the confidence he needed to finish. “From that point on, it suddenly became the stone in my shoe again. I was like, I'm not gonna be able to get to the end of my life without doing this.” 

Outside of his music work, Carey is perhaps best known for his behind-the-scenes contribution to various arts venues and events. (Today, he works with the Briery Gap in Macroom.) 

“I was working in the Opera House, and then with a number of different festivals up and down the country, like Kilkenny Arts Festival, St Patrick’s Festival, Galway Folk Festival… So I have been in the industry, working in marketing, communications… But I think that was partly stealing a little bit of my creativity, which kind of drew the project out a bit more.” 

Though How I Became A Wave has finally allowed him to dip back into a level of personal creativity, his day jobs have afforded him the means to actually pay for his craft, a growing difficulty for a suite of Irish artists. 

“Being able to spread the cost out over a number of years essentially eased that burden,” he says. “But art only becomes alive when it is engaged with by people. When it's by itself, it is just an artifact, so that's why I wanted to get it out.” 

He pauses, considering his next thought. 

“But the cost of making it, getting out there and doing business… It’s just a vanishingly small return at the end of the day. The music industry is broken, and it doesn't help creatives. And that Ireland is very happy to sell the name of music and culture as part of the attraction from a tourism perspective is endlessly frustrating.” 

Carey hopes his latest work will aid those with similar feelings to simply ebb and flow with the changing tides of neo-capitalism, as well as modern reality. “I want people to be able to see themselves in it, and to feel themselves in it,” he says. 

“I think when you're listening, you need to hear you. And so, I want people to be able to engage with the music and lyrics in a way that reflects what they're thinking or going through. Whatever about gigs… That's my real hope and dream.” 

• How I Became A Wave will perform with a full band in Coughlan’s Bar, Douglas Street, Cork on Sunday, April 12. The first gig, at 3pm has tickets still available. The second, at 7.30pm is sold out.