Ger returns to Ionad Culturtha Arts centre in Ballyvourney, Co. Cork on Friday 6th May .This will be the first concert with the full band featuring Paul Frost -bass, Edel Sullivan-fiddle agus Martin Leahy- drums, in over 2 and a half years. Ag suil leis an coirmceoil.
For full details and pre-booking please contact https://www.ionadculturtha.ie/contact-us-ionad-culturtha/
New Livestream Shows Coming up!
Busy Spring days here at Raggedy Records and hope that you can tune in for New weekly Livestream Broadcasts, Lunchtime songs each Wednesdays at 12.30 and a full concert every Friday at 7 p.m. Shows are free but optional tickets are available from the store here and there is also a Paypal link www.paypal.me/gerwolfemusic which helps support the ongoing work in theses days where normal touring is up in the air.
In the pipeline are more videos of songs from the new album ‘The Morning Star’ such as the one for ‘Hello Gorgeous’, still available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoHOx96ZKVQ and on our Youtube Channel as well as further work on the song cycle ‘The Bright Girl Laughing at The Sea’.
Also, keep an eye out for a very exciting project in Sean -Nós singing that Ger is working on called ‘Ar Imeall’ . Please subscribe to the Mailing list here on the site and look out for Ger’s work on the Social Media channels……More news to follow!
I’m delighted to announce the going live of a performance called “The Bright Girl Laughing at The Sea”, six brand new songs commissioned in May 2020 as part of the Art’s Council Covid-19 Crisis Response Award.
The song cycle is based around the idea of forced migration, an attempt to capture the mix of emotions felt by us when we are forced to leave our home because of trouble, war and strife, hunger, famine , injustice or any of all the myriad reasons people have been forced to flee in past and present times. The common thread of migration joins all the human race together as victims and perpetrators in one way or another, for better or for worse. Attempting to understand struggle surely helps us to grow as a race of people with the same basic needs, or at least potentially does?
I hope you might enjoy the songs ‘The Bright Girl Laughing at The Sea’, ‘The Lonely River’,’When You come back home again’,’The Child of Hearts’, ‘I turn to see your lovely Face’, and ‘Who is this that appears like the dawn’.I had great help with the recording and editing from Amhlaíobh Mc Sweeney, my co-conspirator through much of these strange Covid times.
The video was shot in West Cork, mostly on ‘The Long Strand’ near Rosscarbery, and the lake scenes in Ballinacarriga, near Dunmanway, on two bright wintery days. Please feel free to share the film and the music. Ger
There is great excitement here in Macroom’s RAGGEDY RECORDS with the release today of the brand new full album THE MORNING STAR hot on the heels of last Friday’s single song release ‘Hello Gorgeous’ which is doing the rounds on the social media channels with a beautiful video made in Kerry by Corina van Deventer and Johnathan Kool.
Hello Gorgeous- Video- Ger Wolfe
We’ve had some really joyful positive feedback from the new album and radio play from Cork to Belfast. Get your copy here on the store and look out for the online launch, on youtube, facebook and instagram this coming Friday from Levis’s Corner house bar in Ballydehob, with The New Skylarks and special guests Amhlaíobh Mc Sweeney and Les Salamandas and no audience except all you who tune in!!
We are just pure delighted to be welcoming the release of Ger’s newest recording here at Raggedy Records, the radically independent record label.
‘ The Morning Star ‘ is Ger’s most poetically beautiful album to date. At times heart wrenchingly tragic yet also tender and gentle, Ger takes us on a trip through the contemporary world beset by despair and paints it with the bright colours of hope. Exploring themes like migration, memory, childhood, loss and Hope this is a collection of life-affirming songs, expressing the brightest vision of the human spirit in Covid times of dark despair. Songs like ‘Colder than the Winter’ and ‘The last Rose of Summer’, songs of forced migration are set alongside hope-filled numbers like ‘I am a wave’ and ‘I see the new moon’. All is beautiful, from the sparse and glittering accompaniment and the watchful production of Amhlaíobh Mc Sweeney who has worked on the project from the very beginning.
Keep supporting independent musicians and Pre-order your copy now from www.gerwolfe.com/store
Welcome to a short autumnal blog and a little update of what I’ve been up to musically over the last while. Social media wise I’ve been playing a few times every week, The main concert every Friday evening at 7 p.m. for an hour on Facebook live, with a shorter lunchtime concert at 12.30 mid-day each Wednesday on my Youtube channel and my regular ‘Sunday Paper’ also on facebook every Sunday, just a song or maybe two!. Thanks to everyone who has tuned in to any of the gigs and those who are able to contribute via www.paypal.me/gerwolfemusic or by getting virtual online tickets from the store page here.It’s great to have support from various corneres of the spherical globe throughout all of the time of the lockdown which has driven all of my gig work online, apart from one outdoor concert in August at the brilliant venue that is Levis’; Corner House in Ballydehob.
I will shortly have news of a forthcoming album which is called ‘The Morning Star’, We’ve been busily working away at it here in Raggedy Record Headquarters since July ands really enjoying the collaboration with the brilliant engineer and producer Leevy… It won’t be long now.
Please keep in touch and don’t hesitate in sending a request for a favourite song or two through facebook or twitter or even instagtram or by e.mail to gerwolfe@gmail.com
Thanks for continuing to support these independent musical ventures and take care of yourselves.
Welcome to the newly rebuilt website, It was closed for repairs there for a little while but back in action again, a bit of tasty carpentry around the side walls and all weather proof and ready to set sail once again.
Please feel free to tune in to my Friday night 7 p.m. live stream gigs on Facebook. I know it’s not everybody’s favourite media platform but for this Covid moment it is where many of us musicians are playing live. It keeps me going musically and I really appreciate everyone’s support. Online virtual optional tickets are available from the store here from just €5 or there is a virtual paypal contributions button www.paypal.me/gerwolfemusic
More importantly than that I have been singing my head off, going through an album of mine each week and this week I’m onto the greatest hits ‘Melody Bright and The Favourite Sparrow’.
I’ve enjoyed the trip through the albums and I’ve also been doing new material each week. The videos are still up there for now on my facebook page but will be taken them down again after a while so tune in while you can and please share with your friends and/or enemies too.
I have some interesting New projects in the pipeline including the performance on-line of a newly commissioned work about forced migration called ‘The Scattering’, which is very kindly funded by the Arts Council. New songs on an unfortunately age-old situation, the movement of people across the face of the earth.
Please keep listening and supporting independent artists !
NEW CD ‘Ger Wolfe and The New Skylark’s Melody Bright and The Favourite Sparrow’ OUT ON MARCH 1ST 2019.
‘Love is in the Lost and Found’ New Single release on 1st February………….
GOOD NEWS FOR DIGITAL SHOPPERS
Our digital downloads page (secure as any apple) which was thought lost was not after all lost and you can click this link to visit it and get yourself some downloadable songs from all of the albums. All through PayPal and guaranteed secure.
http://www.irishworldmusic.com/idevmusic/shopgerwolfe/index.php
Welcome to our website, I’m Ger Wolfe and thanks for coming along.
I write and sing songs about Life in all its twists and turns, light and shade, Joy and sorrow, loss and gain. I travel to sing and play my songs and tunes far and wide and I’ve done this since I was a teenager, busking in Cork and Galway as a kid. Now I play in theatres, Folk Clubs and other venues that support live music, run by some of the superheroes of the live music scene.
I love my Alhambra nylon-strung Spanish guitar and my new steel-strung Portuguese Fado guitar. That and my ould Guarnerius-copy Violin I bought off Jim O’ Halloran in Carrigaline in 1991 and my Les Paul copy Epiphone electric guitar with the mellow fender valve amp. I love playing music and I love singing even more. You can’t move in our house without tripping over a mandolin or a piano, a harmonica or a banjo.
I’ve released 8 albums of my songs – my first “Word & Rhyme” (1998), followed by ‘Ragged Ground’ (2000), ‘Heaven Paints Her Holy Mantle Blue’ (2002) and ‘The Velvet Earth’ (2005). ‘No Bird Sang’ (2009), ‘Fréamh ; Root’ (20011) and ‘I Have Been Loved’ (2014). Myself and The New Skylarks have been working away here night and day for years!
Our newest C.D. is ‘ Ger Wolfe and The New Skylark’s Melody Bright and The Favourite Sparrow’ and I hope it sounds brightly in your room.
Some lovely gigs coming up soon, this Thursday 23rd Aug. in L’Atitude 51, a gorgeous venue at a famous address, once the Lobby bar… then it’s down west near Dingle to Annascaul and Joan’s Cafe Nua on Friday 24th. The following week I’m up to Belfast on Friday 31st to the fabulous Duncairn arts centre and quckly down south to Kerry again next day and The Beach hut cafe in Fenit on Saturday 1st September..
That will see our Summer out and a cosy autumn in so, after a brief break I’ll be back again for a fantastic New singing festival in Drimoleague in the heart of West Cork Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd I’ll be around all weekend …That will be in different venues and the festival full of singers and lovers of singing and singers,amazingly I’ve been invited as the Guest Singer,happy days!.
Other dates to be announced including Dingle on September 24th, Nellie Fred’s and St. Jame’s church.. see ye there!
Some great news in the past week in that my song of childhood ‘The Curra Road’ was performed by Zoe Conway and John Mc Intyre along with the RTE National Concert Orchestra at the Fleadh Cheoil in Drogheda
It was such a thrill for me to be there and to hear it live, truly a magical moment.I think it might have been recorded the following night at the National Concert Hall which would have been something to see and hear but we were galivanting around Ballydehob entertaining the last of the holiday makers, lined up like swallows ready to fly back to the reality of other time!.Ye should check out Zoe and John’s beautiful music if ye haven’t already done so.
I’m happy to have been involved in a load of recordings over many years. Mainly songs that I’ve written myself and the odd traditional song.
Starting with ‘Word and Rhyme’ in 1998, Ragged Ground (2002), Heaven Paints her holy mantle Blue (2004), The Velvet Earth (2005), nO bIRD sANG (2009), FrÉamh:Root(2012) and I Have Been Loved (2014). All can be purchased in one shape or another through this website and other outside platforms.
I’ve been blessed with many musical comrades. Including Edel Sullivan, Paul Frost, Martin Leahy (the most regular Skylarks!) but also Brid Dunne, Geoff Ward,Johnny Walsh, Tony Mac Carthy,Richard Lucey,Fiona Kelleher, Deirdre,Cathriona, Catherine and Paul og Frost,Kevin Murphy,John Spillane, Annette Buckley, Karan Casey, Stella Rodrigues,Nicky Kirwan, Mick Cummins, Tony O’ Flaherty and others. I’ve also shared a stage with The Cork Flesichmann Orchgestra and The West Cork Gamelan Ensemble, great musical adventurers.
GOOD NEWS FOR DIGITAL SHOPPERS
Our digital downloads page (secure as any apple) which was thought lost was not after all lost and you can click this link to visit it and get yourself some downloadable songs from all of the albums.All through paypal and guaranteed secure.
For venues that would like to book a concert, including House and Home concerts please send details of your request to:
gerwolfe@gerwolfe.com
All of Ger’s CD’s can be purchased here by a very quick mail order service and with total security through PAYPAL at our Online Store Thank you for supporting Independent Music makers like Ger.
Thanks for supporting our truly independent record label.The music is also available at selected record stores, support your local shop! .Some downloads are available from iTunes download store by clicking on this link 
Here is a review of the newest record, from Colm O’ Hare, HOTPRESS.
I Have Been Loved-Review in HOTPRESS
With his gentle, yearning folk melodies and easy-going voice, Cork’s Ger Wolfe has been creating understated but carefully crafted vignettes since his 1998 debut. He continues in that vein on his seventh album with ten new songs, exquisitely performed, arranged and recorded. It’s difficult to pick out highlights; such is the even quality of the tunes, not to mention the stellar playing from a large cast.
The current single, ‘Shine Down Warmly’ is, as the title suggests, a sun-kissed, laid back number which gently weaves it’s melodic magic, with wonderfully evocative lyrics: ‘The flowers take a notion, let their petals dance a jig, the sky pours out a potion and the river takes a swig’ ‘When I was hungry’ boasts a lovely brass arrangement, lyrical honesty and hopeful sentiments.
Elsewhere, melancholia and regret inform songs such as ‘I Have Been Loved’ and ‘It’s all dark’ but their lovely melodies overcome the stark subject matter. Homelessness is the subject of ‘Tell All The Lies’ where the protagonist lies in the ‘backstreet cardboard box and concrete’.
It’s not all low-key and somber however; the tempo is raised on ‘They Dance When It Rains’ which boasts a more rhythmic, almost reggae-lite backdrop while ‘A New October Daughter’ rings in the changing of the seasons, the dark days ahead and ‘The comfort of your feather bed.’Sublime.
Colm O’ Hare
Uploaded 2016.