Cork Roots Fest: The Half Room & The Raines
‘The Half Room’ comprises a group of friends bonded by their mutual passion for folk songs and singing. What initially started as a weekly gathering to share songs has evolved into a new band, who released their debut self titled album in Nov '24.
Although the band is relatively new, its members are esteemed artists and seasoned singers in their own right. The ensemble features the evocative vocals of renowned Dingle singer Pauline Scanlon, and the velvety richness of singer-songwriter Nicola Joyce from celebrated Galway trio ‘The Whileaways’. The harmonic blend of The Half Room finds equilibrium in the earthy authenticity of vocalists Eoin Wynne and Fabian Joyce. With minimalist guitar arrangements and subtle ambient accompaniment, 'The Half Room' encapsulates folk music in its rawest form, ensuring the spotlight remains firmly on the song and the singer. As they transition from the battlefields of Flanders to the stormy seas off Lisbon, The Half Room singers fill their arrangements with harmonic colour and texture, as their songs swell with story and feeling.
A testament to the deep understanding the quartet has of the Irish traditional canon, and the broader traditions of America and Europe, The Half Room is a group of singers and musicians who grew up with the songs they sing. The record, a year in the making and a lifetime in the living, reflects their profound connection to the music they make.
The Raines
The Raines are a folk/Americana trio based in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. The band formed in 2019 and consists of Ruth Dillon, Yvonne Tiernan and Juliana Erkkonen. Since the three came together to form The Raines, they have used their collective experience and influences to create a unique and pure sound, writing strong and melodic songs, in which they weave in and out of vocal harmony and counter-melody, interlaced with tender and rhythmic strings.
The Raines comprises of Ruth Dillon (vocals, guitar, ukulele) who has toured and recorded with the legendary vocalist Dolores Keane, is a former member of The Molly Hicks, and has three solo albums of her own. Yvonne Tiernan (vocals/ukulele/percussion) who has toured the world with numerous bands, most significantly as the lead singer with 'The Chieftains’ and Juliana Erkkonen (fiddle and vocals) has been at the fore front of the Americana musical scene in Ireland and has released 8 albums with a diverse range of her current and previous bands.
Barry Egan, from the Independent.ie, said in a recent review - “The Raines put me in mind of something from Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue from 1975 - particularly with the parts with Scarlet Rivera on violin opposite Bob - meets an edgy Emmylou Harris...”