ULTANJOHN. Since June 2005. Based in Galway Folk | Singer/Songwriter | World Music
2019 - Live
Isn't It Clear - Live
Really Gone-Sample featuring John Martyn
Isn't It Clear
Ultan Conlon & John Conneely
John Martyn, Jeff Buckley, Dave Matthews, Bob Dylan,
contact name:Bernard Murphy
Click to Skype:None
ICQ:None
Introducing the stunning debut single from UltanJohn
"Really Gone�
Featuring John Martyn
on sale November 2nd
Combining the talents of two of Ireland's brightest up-and-coming musicians was always going to produce something special and the loyal following UltanJohn have amassed since 2005, both within the music industry and beyond, attest to the unique and distinctive sound this singer/songwriter duo have produced thus far.
Their first single "Really Gone� sees UltanJohn unite with legendary folk musician John Martyn to produce one of the stand-out singles of the year. Before Ultan and John had ever met Martyn he had already had a profound influence on their music. His emotive folk and jazz inspired sound on albums like Solid Air and Grace and Danger imbues the lyrical complexity that UltanJohn reflect in their music. Martyn's past collaborators include a diverse range of musicians including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, DJ Sister Bliss (Faithless), Eric Clapton, Dave Gilmour, Phil Collins and Steve Winwood, among many others, and UltanJohn are delighted to be carrying on this tradition. Having already highlighted the similarities between UltanJohn and Martyn's early work, Martyn was delighted to record "Really Gone�, a song written by UltanJohn.
"UltanJohn remind me of a younger version of myself" John Martyn
Ultan and John have also, between them, toured with many other musical heavyweights including John Martyn, LadySmith Black Mambazzo, The 4 Of Us, Roesy, Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Black Seeds, Salmonella Dub, Nils Lofgren (E Street Band – Bruce Springsteen), Sharon Shannon, Solas, Kila, Nick Kelly, The Pale, Republic Of Loose, The Frames, Mundy, Damien Rice, Juliet Turner, Katchafire and Jack L, as well as performing at the Electric Picnic, Féile Beo Festival and the Garden Sessions all in 2006. Their work also appears as the soundtrack to the short film 'The Beholder, which was shown at the 2006 Cannes Short Film Festival.
Since 2005, UltanJohn have embarked on a musical journey which encompasses the spirit and passion of these two exceptional musical talents. Blending the lyrical mastery of Ultan with John's unique vocals UltanJohn's distinctive sound has won admirers all over the world.
UltanJohn are Ultan Conlon and John Conneely from Co. Galway and they are proud of their West of Ireland roots. "There's a certain style in the west that's very different from the rest of Ireland, a 'big sound' that's a little wilder down here. Now is a good time to present it to the nation� – Ultan. The musical influences of UltanJohn are many and varied, including John Martyn, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Tim Buckley, Radiohead, Elvis Presley, Al Jolson, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Grant Lee Phillips, Dave Matthews and many more.
Ultan Conlon
Ultan's first introduction to music was through his father's renditions of Elvis classics that piqued his interest in melody and led him to taking guitar lessons at the age of 10 from a local nun! Ultan started writing songs in his mid teens and found it was his true calling. By the time of his Leaving Cert he was spending most of his time writing in his bedroom (so much so that his mother was expecting great things from all the time 'studying'!)
Ultan has toured the stages of Ireland, mainland Europe and a season in North America and Canada as both a solo artist and in various bands. He has recorded a track on Origin Records' album See the Light in 1999, a live album in 2002 from the Kings Head in Galway, a 5 track EP in 2004 as well as the Live 05 album with John Conneely.
John Conneely
John formed his first band at the age of 15 and played his first gig at the tender age of 16. He then started playing in a rock covers band that went on to form the acoustic band Charis. Charis released a number of solo albums and appeared on a number of compilations, and have toured throughout Ireland independently and supporting bands such as Kila, as well as in the US and London.
John Conneely's influences range from the harmonies of Nina Simone and Ray Charles to Bob Dylan and Radiohead, with the tread running through them all being the lyrical timbre and resonance that transcends its age. Leading away from preconceptions of 'beardy' folk John wants to bring the distinctive sound of UltanJohn to Ireland and beyond with a strength of sound from two musicians that is as powerful as a quartet or full band.
"UltanJohn....sing with a maturity and world-weariness that belies their relative youth" Olaf Tyaransen (HotPress)
"A little hint of Roesy, a little hint of Jeff Buckley, a large dollop of John Martyn" John Creedon (RTE Radio One)
"UltanJohn are agents of musical evolution� Bernie Murphy (Reuters Television)
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