Mick Flannery

Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain and Tom Waits are about as good an influence as you can have as a young musician. The work of these great artists helped to shape the mind of a young Mick Flannery leading the Irish Singer Songwriter to create his own great works later in life. His songwriting is so prolific that he even won an award at the International Songwriting Competition, judged by none other than his hero, Tom Waits. – funny how these things go.

His solid songwriting translates well into a live setting. With a voice that channels the rawness of Cobain and Dylan with the range and dynamics of Jeff Buckley, his music is immediately transfixing, drawing the audience in and holding them mystified. Even with just the gentle backing of an acoustic guitar, double bass and piano, Mick’s music is incredibly powerful and will almost definitely stir up an emotional reaction for those in the crowd. Mick has turned a solid set of influences into a solid body of work and with a number one album this year, he’s not stopping soon.

Superb show with an attentive and appreciative audience. I heard old favorites and new things I didn't recall from the albums. Anna Tivel, who accompanied him on the violin and with vocals, added another powerful layer. This was a memorable evening, and I hope Jeffrey Martin comes back to Portland soon!