Celtic magic in the New World; an interview with Aoife O’Donovan

Lyndon Bolton: You describe your influences as American Irish. Does one of those dominate or do they come in equal measure?
My family is my main influence. I grew up in Boston; my dad was one of nine children who with their parents came over from Ireland. Our home was just full of music all the time, we were constantly learning new songs, how to play instruments. I learned guitar, my mum played piano. Every year we went back to Ireland where a huge influence, particularly on In The Magic Hour, was my grandfather who died recently at the ripe old age of 93. He and the Irish side of the family gave me the understanding of traditional music, my mum and dad’s influence came through their own music tastes; Beatles, Dylan, Joni Mitchell.

When did you start doing your own thing?
By my early teens I was beginning to delve deeper into folk, protest songs, bluegrass and old-time American music. While a lot of this came from the 1960s, Boston had its own folk revival in the 1990s. You can hear a lot of these influences on my two solo records, Fossils and In the Magic Hour.

Did you have any formal training?
I did, during high school I was classically trained in voice and I studied contemporary jazz improvisation at the Boston Conservatory.

Then came Crooked Still?
Yes, while I was still at college we formed the band.

Didn’t I read you are re-forming? 
We are getting together again to play the FreshGrass festival in September but we never “unformed”, we just haven’t been touring. The logistics of organising five busy musicians is too demanding but we never broke up, we have always stayed in close touch.

How did you start solo career?
It wasn’t a decision, ‘now I must go solo’ but more a result of my many collaborations with such great musicians. Like performing with Rosanne Cash at the Town Hall in New York, how amazing was that? It’s that spirit of collaboration that brought about my work with Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage. Likewise with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz, together we formed I’m With Her and we’re touring the US later this summer.

While on collaboration, how did you get into the Transatlantic Sessions? 
I got the call from Donald Shaw although I had worked with Jerry Douglas already. Each year he invites a couple of guests from both sides of the Atlantic, one relatively new and the other more established. I was given the new slot and joined another big family. It was leap of faith on Jerry’s part as he took me on pre-solo recording. It’s been a great success and gave me a leg-up in the UK with the touring and TV recordings.

In the Magic Hour has been out for a while now, have you got any recording plans?
I’m writing for my next solo album. I’ll have some news in a couple of months time.

We’ve talked about your influences but do feel an urge towards writing protest songs given all that’s going on just now?
Good question; I’m stunned and deeply saddened by all this overwhelming closed mindedness and sure I want to do something. I donate to the causes I believe in but I haven’t written a protest song as such. I’m not sure I’m a political songwriter but it is so important to speak up. Sometimes I’m shocked at the reaction when I’ve done that, I mean, what do you think I’m singing about? Music is a salve with powerful qualities to pull people together. I try to bring people in, i’m not putting up another wall.

And finally, how has the European tour been going?
Great, the European audiences seemed to like this set that draws mainly from In the Magic Hour and Fossils with a couple of covers. I love being here in London. It’s my home away from home; the parks, greenery, clubs, it’s a great music town.

Later Aoife played a solo set just as she described to a tightly packed Lexington crowd. it was a wonderful opening night for the UK leg of her tour. A highlight is hard to pick out but I’ll go for ‘Detour Sign’ from In the Magic Hour. With her haunting voice and the song’s swirling imagery Aoife captivated her audience. It certainly was a magic hour (and more).