International recording & touring artist, Dylan Walshe, is an Irish musician from the southeastern, working class, coastal suburbs of Dublin. He is known for his engaging impassioned live performances, lyrical songwriting & unique vocal style.
"His voice is so strong and expressive, at once so holy and damned, it could shake heaven and hell simultaneously. This suggests the old soul of a true roots artist" - No Depression, US. "Dylan Walshe has taken up the reins from the likes of Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt, with poignant, poetic lyrics and memorable tunes" - The Irish Edition, US.
Typically touring as a solo acoustic performer, Dylan's music is steeped in the traditions of Folk, Irish, Blues, Singer-songwriter, One-man band & Roots Music, but never bound by those traditions. An experienced, "passionate & beguiling performer whether he's rocking out or turning up the introspection" - R2 Magazine, UK, Dylan has a recent history of pushing boundaries as a solo acoustic performer, appearing on bills & touring with a wide range of bands & genres such as Punk, Hardcore Ska & even Heavy Metal. Armed with his own soulful originals, Dylan also sings traditional songs of the working classes & reinterprets a wide spectrum of songs in his own inimitable style. After spending his 20s splitting his time between London & Ireland, Dylan eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Currently residing in the southern highlands of Black Mountain, North Carolina, Dylan has headlined tours throughout much of Europe & the U.S. In 2017, Dylan toured Canada & the U.S. with Flogging Molly & The White Buffalo. In 2018, Dylan opened for Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters on their Maine dates. In that same year, Dylan also recorded with James Fearnley of The Pogues. in 2019, Dylan toured the UK & Europe with the Swedish Heavy Metal band Avatar & the Canadian Celtic Punk band The Mahones.
"Dylan gets nods from the likes of Christy Moore, gifted & talented, he's the real deal" - RTE Radio 1, IE
Squoodge Records
Following a near fatal accident in 2012, Dylan began to release records & tour internationally in 2013. Walshe released his first record (7" limited edition vinyl) on Squoodge Records of Berlin that year. Although Dylan has been performing for over two decades, very few recordings were made prior to that 2013 record release. While living in London, Dylan was in a band with Sterling Roswell of the seminal alternative rock group Spacemen 3. During that time, Roswell also recorded some of Dylan's first recordings. Two of those recordings are on the Squoodge Records 7" vinyl release. Dylan had arranged the release of that record from the hospital ward in London where he had been recovering from his accident in 2012. The title track of that record, 'Blind Is Blind', was recorded by the BBC award winning Folk artist, Ben Walker.
Muddy Roots Records
While attending Muddy Roots Europe Festival 2013 in Belgium, Dylan was singing songs in the camping ground, when he was asked to take to the stage to replace a band who had to cancel their performance. That performance led to an invite from Muddy Roots Records to begin working with them in Nashville. In 2014 Muddy Roots Records flew Dylan over to Nashville to do some recording & to attend Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. On this trip, Dylan met his now wife Kristin Bargmann. In 2015, Dylan released the live record 'Soul Hell Cafe' on Muddy Roots Records. The album was recorded at the Soul Hell Cafe in Essen, Germany while Dylan was on a European headline tour in that same year. Dylan continued to perform at Muddy Roots events in the United States & Europe, from 2013 - 2018, being billed alongside such artists as Ralph Stanley, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Rowan, Del McCoury, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ricky Skaggs, The Sonics, The Blasters & The Melvins.
Nashville
Dylan moved to Nashville in 2016. Following some busking on Broadway, his first Nashville show was with Spider Stacy of The Pogues, The Lost Bayou Ramblers & The Secret Commonwealth on St. Patrick's Day at the Nashville Palace. On meeting Flogging Molly in Nashville that same year, Dylan was invited to perform on the 2017 punk rock Flogging Molly Cruise through the Bahamas & was billed alongside Flogging Molly, The Skatalites, NOFX, Less Than Jake, DeVotchKa, The English Beat, Zander Schloss & others.
Voodoo Rhythm Records
Also in 2016, Dylan released 'And Then You Cry' on The Monsters tribute album for Reverend Beat-Man's Swiss label Voodoo Rhythm Records. The record celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Swiss Garage Trash band The Monsters. Over the years, Dylan has been on numerous bills alongside The Monsters & Reverend Beat-Man. All three artists were also label mates on Squoodge Records of Berlin.
Flogging Molly
Dylan performed multiple times during the 2017 Flogging Molly Punk Rock Cruise. For his last solo performance, Dylan took to the stage at 11pm to follow the Californian Hardcore Punk Ska band Voodoo Glow Skulls. At the end of Dylan's set, in front of an audience which had been growing for Dylan over the course of the cruise, Dave King of Flogging Molly joined Dylan on stage saying, "This is what music is all about, the future of songwriting is safe in the hands of this man". Flogging Molly then invited Dylan on their 23 date U.S./Canadian Spring tour of 2017. Throughout that tour, Dylan delivered his solo performance to 1000 - 5000 capacity venues, often filled with a Punk Rock audience. The White Buffalo was also on that tour & the opening night was at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, California on the 5th of May 2017. Prior to that Spring tour, Dylan & James Fearnley of The Pogues met in LA, California. This meeting led to James Fearnley recording on Dylan's album 'All Manner Of Ways' in 2018.
'All Manner Of Ways' Album
'All Manner Of Ways', Dylan's debut studio record, was self-released on Oct 26th of 2018 on Stirring Foot Records (Dylan's own label). The album of original songs features guests & friends such as James Fearnley of The Pogues & Andy Gibson of Hank III. Co-produced by Dylan, the record was independently funded & released with DIY PR. The album reached No.1 on the Amazon Singer-Songwriters chart & No.2 on the Amazon Singer-Songwriters Best Sellers chart Paddy Rock (US) made 'All Manner Of Ways' '2018 Roots Album Of The Year'. Shakenstir (UK) included 'All Manner Of Ways' in their best albums of 2018. Fatea Magazine (UK) nominated the track 'At Sea' for song of the year. The Alternate Root Magazine (US) also listed 'All Manner Of Ways' in their best albums of 2018. Irish Folk legend, Christy Moore, put the album forward to be considered by the Irish national Folk Awards board in 2019, saying "Dylan is a true Irish ballad singer, I admire his work." When Paddy Rock Radio celebrated their 20th birthday in January of 2020, they charted Dylan's album 'All Manner Of Ways' in the top 3 'Celtic Rock' albums of the previous decade 2010 - 2019.
Avatar
In 2019, Dylan opened for the Swedish Heavy Metal group Avatar on a 32 date U.K./European tour. Canadian Celtic Punk band The Mahones were also on that tour. Dylan often joined The Mahones onstage to perform with them during that time too. Dylan finished out the last leg of the tour in direct support to Avatar as their only opening act, a stripped down solo acoustic performance (sometimes A cappella) in front of a Heavy Metal audience waiting on a Hard Rock show.
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Many saw that tour as a bold move on Dylan's part & a somewhat confusing move by Avatar. With Avatar being a band, fast on the rise, the tour received quite a lot of press. As a result, Dylan was featured in many Heavy Metal & Hard Rock publications throughout much of Europe & the UK. Some Metal fans weren't open to the eclectic tour bill, others scratched their head in confusion, while others wholly embraced it.
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"Opening the whole night up was a single act called Dylan Walshe, he captured the crowd immediately. The whole time, the room felt like it was moving because of how many people were stomping & clapping along to his songs. I would never have put the two of them together because of their musical difference, but it was definitely worth doing & it paid off" - Uber Rock, UK. "Dylan is armed with a simpler set up, but what he lacks in wattage & loudness, he makes up for it in emotional intensity. His sounds have a timeless traditional Irish vibe, & his voice is hauntingly cinematic, somewhere in between a young Tom Waits & Shane MacGowan" - Folk N Rock. "How beautifully music can bring cultures together! Dylan Walshe has hypnotized an audience, which he knows is not there for him... ...the chills do not come from the snow anymore. They arise from the emotion emitted & sent by Dylan Walshe" - RocknFool, FR. "One thing was for sure this evening: sometimes you don't need a lot of equipment for impressing an audience. Dylan Walshe came on stage with just a guitar & a harmonica & left the crowd speechless... ...the audience gave him a lot of love & applause" - Metal & High Heels, UK. "I must say that the presentation of Dylan Walshe has been the best I've seen in a while. It's not an apotheosis presentation, but one that is very close to the people & very full of charisma" - Rockatuestilo, DE. "Dylan Walshe, who manages to captivate the milling crowd still filing in. His heady mix of Irish tinged folk infused with a deep rooted twanging, sounding as if ripped right out of the deep south, has those already down front nodding along intently. Delicate melodies interlaced with short, sharp harmonica blasts is the heaviest part of the troubadour's set, & his closing number has everybody clapping along. Although Walshe seems like an odd choice to be opening a Metal show, he proves to be an eclectic addition to the evening's revelry nonetheless" - Distorted Sound Magazine, UK
A R T I S T B I O
The Formative Years
Many musicians are born from a musical family, some are born with connections to the entertainment world or with connections to the music industry itself, but that wouldn't be true of Dylan's story. Far from it, Dylan was the only musician, writer or performer within his council estate family home in Loughlinstown Wood, Co. Dublin, Ireland. At 14, while still in school, Dylan had his first paying job working at the local pub serving drinks & clearing tables. At 15, when Dylan's school day ended, he would cycle to his uncle's garage where he earned the money for his first guitar by filling cars with petrol, sweeping the garage floor & assisting the mechanics. Loughlinstown Wood itself, where Dylan was born & raised, didn't have any kind of a musical community either, in fact, putting a sensitive or a creative side of yourself on show, at that time, would've attracted the wrong kind of attention from fellow locals. A scrap was more of a likely outcome than a sing song was. Over time, that turned around for Dylan, when he found a few neighbourhood & school friends who also wanted to explore music as a first hand experience. The basics of a band was formed, almost in secret, first at school, then at home. The responsibility of rehearsal space typically fell onto the drummer, as compact terraced housing presented its fair share of problems when it came to noise making. Eventually, a cheap rehearsal space was found in a newly built community prefab room. That was a turning point for all involved. The new space allowed for the band to let loose, invite their friends over, have drinking sessions & feel the full energy of what playing music had to offer. From then on, locals began to take an interest & show their support. Even the ruffians expressed camaraderie for what was happening, as they tried their hand at singing, while joining in on a drinking session at rehearsals. The band became a centre point for the community in some regards. The gigs were many & well attended, while the band went through several name changes & saw different members come & go. To have experienced music in this way, within a community, had a lasting effect on the band members themselves too. A highlight was opening for the Irish rock group Aslan on more than one occasion. The average age of band members, at that time, was 16. Dylan wasn't a singer over this period, not publicly anyway. Dylan alternated between playing the drums & rhythm guitar throughout his mid to late teens, before moving onto performing as a solo singer-songwriter. After some years of performing at home in Ireland, Dylan lived out most of his 20s in London, where he would eventually become a full-time performing singer-songwriter.
Touring
Dylan has headlined tours throughout much of Europe & The US. Dylan has also performed at Irish Festivals & multi genre festivals both big & small & has appeared on bills with artists such as Del McCoury, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Peter Rowan, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Skatalites, DeVotchKa, NOFX, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Chris Bailey of The Saints, The English Beat, Spider Stacy of The Pogues, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Blasters, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Bobby Bare, The Sonics, Tír na nÓg, The Melvins, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Scullion, L. C. Ulmer, The Black Lillies & many more.
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Discography
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Blind Is Blind 7" Vinyl - Squoodge Records (2013)
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Muddy Folkin' Roots (Compilation/VA) CD & Digital - Muddy Roots (2014)
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Muddy Roots Record Artists (Compilation/VA) CD & Digital - Muddy Roots (2014)
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Soul Hell Cafe (Live Album) CD & Digital - Muddy Roots Records (2015)
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Blind Is Blind (Re-release) Digital only - Muddy Roots (2016)
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Eamonn Karran - Celtic Skies (Contains 'Boy Buries Mother' written by Dylan Walshe) CD & Digital - Real Music (2016)
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Tribute to The Monsters (Compilation/VA featuring 'And Then You Cry' By Dylan Walshe) Vinyl, CD & Digital - Voodoo Rhythm Records (2016)
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It's A Dark Holler! (Compilation/VA) CD - Mofo Music (2018)
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All Manner Of Ways (Album) CD & Digital - Stirring Foot Records (Oct 26th 2018/Vinyl March 2019)
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It's A Dark Holler Vol 2 Blues, Roots & Hillfunk (Compilation/VA) CD - Mofo Music (2020)