The album was recorded at Audioland Studios just outside Dublin in Leixlip, Co Kildare. We began in December 2020 just as the world was beginning to deal with a little thing called Covid. Anthony Gibney was our host at the studio and also our engineer and co-producer.

We had some amazing musicians with us for these recordings I have no doubt that they elevated this album with their experience and talent and I’m forever grateful.

On Keys/Piano we had Max Greenwood who has played with many great artists including, Jack L, Mundy, Jerry Fish and Tom Baxter. On Bass we had Keith Duffy, a very familiar name to anyone in the music industry on this island, working with such artists as The Corrs and Van Morrison.

On Drums we had Adam Marcello who has played with everyone from Brandi Carlile and Tim Burgess to Katy Perry. On Backing Vocals we had Naimee Coleman who apart from having her own impressive solo career has worked with Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees and Howard Jones.

‘Strays’ was released on 26th September 2021, the first single from  the album campaign. The reaction and feedback to the single was quite unexpected, I am a DIY musician with no PR or Management company behind me so to get such positive praise and radio coverage was a real thrill and testament to the work we had put in during the recording process. Credit goes to Anthony Gibney for always pushing for perfection in the songs during recording and mixing.

‘Strays’ received a slew of plays over the coming weeks on RTE Radio1, Today FM and many regional stations by DJs such as Fiachna ó Braonáin, John Creedon, Ronan Collins, Lilian Smith and Cathal Murray. I managed to get myself a feature article on the recording of my debut album on the RTE.ie website www.rte.ie . The single was picked for the RTE Radio1 Recommends Playlist three times over the next few weeks, reaching No.2 in the RTE Radio1 Airplay charts.

‘Ghosts of Hope & Magic’ was launched on October 26th 2021 for digital download and streaming.  To celebrate I did a livestream launch on Youtube.

I had wanted to do a real live gig but Covid had other plans, I would have to wait ’til February 2022 to do a proper launch gig at The Bello Bar in Dublin. It turned out to be a real magic night, people came because they had really missed the live music experience but also to celebrate being together in a crowded room again.

‘Brighteyes’ was released on 24th February 2022, getting some great airplay on RTE Radio1 and regional stations and even getting a few plays as far a field as Atlanta, Georgia USA.

‘Sleeping Giant’ was released on 27th May 2022, again getting some great airplay on RTE Radio1 and regional stations, making the RTE Radio 1 Recommends Playlist and making it to No.7 on the RTE Radio 1 Airplay Charts.

I wanted to do something different for this song, it’s a very visual song and I felt that the video should reflect that and also elevate the feelings behind it. I approached a friend of a friend – Síana O’Connor who’s videos and pics I had admired on Instagram for a while. She loved the song and was excited to try and come up with something fitting.

I’m so happy with what she captured for the video, it’s so peaceful and relays a hidden part our natural surroundings that we often don’t see, all filmed around the outskirts of Dublin. Thank you Síana! 

‘M50 Song’ was released on October 26th 2022, exactly a year after the album was released in 2021. It was well received by radio stations getting plenty of airplay again on RTE Radio 1 and again making the ‘RTE Radio 1 Recommends Playlist’.

I’d like to mention some of the regional and digital radio DJ’s that are very supportive of independent artists in Ireland – Highland Radio’s Jimmy Stafford, Paul Cullen on Charity Radio.com, Mike Mulvihill on Northern Sound, Ann Marie Kelly on Midlands FM, Dave Dee Moore on Blues&Roots Radio, Nessy on 2XM, Ann Marie Walsh on 8 Radio, Roddie Cleere and Martin Bridgeman on KCLR FM, and finally Fergus O’Keefe in WRFG Atlanta.

And so we come to the end of what was my album journey and what a trip it turned out to be. I’ll never forget the emotional twists and turns this album brought me through, I’m very proud of what we achieved from piecing the songs together in my head to recording them in the studio with world class musicians to hearing those same songs broadcast back to me live on my kitchen radio, there really is nothing quite like it.

Big big thanks to everyone who helped me conjure this thing into being, Max Greenwood, Naimee Coleman, Adam Marcello, Keith Duffy, Anthony Gibney, Katherine Atkinson, Aidan Murphy, Tom Portman, Dave Duggan, Will Wilde, Simon Francis and Pete Maher. I’d also like to thank my wife Niamh for her patience and unwavering belief in me and my music.
X Gerr