David Murphy takes the pedal steel guitar outside the confines of its traditional roots with frequent ventures into a range of genres, spanning Americana and folk to ambient, experimental music and film soundtracks and is best known for his work with artists such as The Lost Brothers, John Blek, Ordnance Survey, Arborist, The Delines, Willy Vlautin, M.Ward and Jolie Holland amongst others.
His debut album ‘Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar’ (Rollercoaster Records) takes it from the well-worn roads of the dusty American south to a new place in contemporary Irish music. His all-instrumental debut recasts ancient Irish harp tunes and historic airs into the 21st century with the swelling, expressive and mournful sounds of the pedal steel guitar. This continues Murphy’s quest to expand the vocabulary of the instrument, taking it deeper into a world much closer to home and, for the very first time, present it in a modern Irish framework.
Murphy’s live show presents these ancient Irish harp tunes and historic airs by O’Carolan, O’Riada et al in the 21st century, voiced by the mysterious and emotive sound of the pedal steel guitar and accompanied with his band Ether Ensemble: all-star musicians from across contemporary, modern classical and traditional/folk worlds.
Here the pedal steel ably takes its place alongside cello, violin, piano, harp and lush electronic textures and synths. Murphy and his band conjure a palette of sparse, dreamlike, atmospheric soundscapes and stirring, cinematic takes of these culturally significant compositions and melodies from Ireland’s great harpists, composers, and song collectors.
Recent appearances include Kilkenny Arts Festival, Electric Picnic, Another Love Story, Cork Opera House, Galway and Doolin Folk Festivals, Celtic Connections (Glasgow), Quiet Lights Festival and national television appearances at TG4’s Fleadh Cheoil and RTE’s Other Voices.
Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar
"Irish traditional rendered ghostly by washes of pedal steel and almost subliminal piano... widescreen and structured, like an early Celtic Ólafur Arnalds... 8/10" UNCUT
"A sonic experiment of narcotic enchantment... blossoming with old world charm in luminous modernity." SONGLINES - ALBUM OF THE MONTH - 5 stars
"An intriguing proposition... very moving, at times oddly Balearic, the Hawaiian roots of his warm pitch-shifting instrument spangling through." THE GUARDIAN
"An incredibly confident debut album. Balanced against its elegance and the dreamlike sound of his pedal steel is a quietly adventurous spirit that is beautifully judged and unpretentious - an extraordinarily great album." KLOF MAGAZINE
"A brave and pioneering undertaking... a landmark in ambient Irish traditional music" - LONESOME HIGHWAY
"Gives a unique and new life to traditional Irish melodies, with ethereal effect"
- IRISH EXAMINER
"Sensational... deliciously sun-drenched and weary" - BBC NIGHT TRACKS
“Murphy and collaborators have fashioned something new and authentic, building lush, full-band renditions around swelling, heart-aching reaches into Ireland’s musical psyche” - EVENING ECHO (TOP 10 IRISH ALBUMS 2024)
“TOP 5 IRISH ALBUMS 2024” - THE THIN AIR
“Contemporary classical compositions that bask in the pedal steel’s humming glow and bridge it comfortably into the Irish canon... totally at home in its expansion of traditional forms." - ANOIS, OS ARD