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Interview with
PAT BYRNE

(16th December 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything else. I started playing music when I was seven and never stopped. My heroes have always been songwriters, but I myself was a late bloomer. I finished my first song “Smiling Eyes” when I was 28! So, I have a lot of catching up to do. But, I love the process and feel like my best work is ahead of me.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I think my sound is lyric driven and organic. There are elements of folk, rock and pop in there, but ultimately I want each song to be its own scene. I’d hope people can resonate with the honest delivery of heartfelt, human lyrics.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
I’ve always adored artists like Springsteen, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Warren Zevon, John Prine and Van Morrison. Since moving to Texas, I’ve discovered a love for old school Texas singer songwriters like Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt and James McMurtey. Living in a town like Austin, inspiration is all around me. The live music scene is so rich here, and I discover new independent artists on a weekly Basis. There are also several Irish artists who continue to inspire me. Paul Brady, Mick Flannery, Delan O’ Rourke and Glen Hansard to name a few. I feel lucky to have a rich Irish Heritage, while also immersing myself in Americana since moving stateside.

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Your new Single is about to be released, Describe its origin and evolution. 
A line in the 2020 Irish indie movie “Herself” inspired the song. A strong female character says “If I was a horse, they’d probably shoot me, but I’m only human”
This song is about feeling inadequate. Sometimes our humanity feels like a burden and we wish we could be something else. Something inanimate. Our lows are crushing and we’d do anything to escape them.
The character is emotionally invested and in love with someone who has fallen out of love with him, and he wishes he could become less than human so that he wouldn’t have to feel pain. He simultaneously wishes he could be so much more than just a man so that he could win her back.
I was lucky to record the song with some of Nashville’s finest musicians. Eamon McLoughlin (Rodney Crowell) played the fiddle. Phil Madeira (Emmy Lou Harris) Played Piano. Chris Donohue (Emmy Lou Harris) played Bass. The song came to life in the studio and I’m excited to share it!

Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
I actually recently released a full length album this Summer. It’s called “Into the Light” and I’m really proud of it. I’m working on a collection of new songs to release in 2022. Perhaps an album, or maybe just a series of singles. The current streaming environment makes singles the preferred way to consume music. Which upsets me a little, because I adore Albums, and the album-making process. We’ll see!

Any tours or events coming up soon? 
Yes! I have an “Into The Light”  Vinyl release show coming up in Austin (Jan 8th). 
30A Songwriters festival in Florida (Jan 14-17). 
SXSW in Austin mid March and several more exciting shows that are yet to be announced. Including a trip home to Ireland. Stay tuned! (List of shows at patbyrne-music.com).

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What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
I was recently awarded a Black Fret grant here in Austin. (Check out “Black Fret”, an incredible organization) This means I’ll be able to record lots of new music. That’s exciting for me. I also expect to tour extensively across the East and West Coasts of America as well as some Irish Dates.

How has COVID affected you to date? What have you introduced to balance the losses from missed events?
Covid had a huge effect on every working musician. Almost 100% of my income comes from live shows, and I had a busy year planned! I was able to find several silver linings. I wrote a LOT of new songs. I also took to Facebook for a weekly livestream. Luckily this went really well for me and allowed me to pay rent and put food on the table. I streamed from one of my favorite venues, “McGonigel’s Mucky Duck’ in Houston every Wednesday at 5pm so that people in Ireland (My Parents) could tune in. I also ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund my album “Into The Light” and managed to record that Album in Nashville during the Lockdown. So, all in all, The COVID 19 pandemic has been a really busy and productive time for me.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
If you asked me two weeks ago, my answer might be different. But right now I have to say “The Beatles”. I just finished watching “Get Back” on Disney+, and it was one of my favorite viewing experiences to date. Watching how they wrote and interacted musically was so inspiring and heartwarming. It made me fall in love with music all over again. I was brought to tears several times. So, I think being in a room with the four of those guys would be about as magical as it could get. 

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Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist? 
I just want to keep making music I’m proud of. My aspiration is to reach as many people as possible because of my songs.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Seeing a crowd react positively to music you’ve written is about as good a feeling as you can have. There’s an electricity that’s hard to describe when you have a great band behind you, and a great crowd in front of you. I’ve had a lot of “pinch yourself” moments over the years, but perhaps my favorite was just last week. I got to perform at ACL Moody Theater, which is probably the most prestigious venue in Texas. Everyone you can think of has performed on that stage as part of Austin City Limits Live. I played as part of the Black Fret Ball to a full house. After my performance, I was awarded a large grant, which is really life changing for me. I’ll never forget that feeling.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVORITE:
Album – TOO DIFFICULT!! Gonna say John Prine’s self titled debut album.
Artist – Again, too difficult! Paul Simon.
Movie – TOO DIFFICULT. “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
Place to visit – New Zealand
Venue to play – ACL Moody Theatre – Austin
Food – Indian Food
Drink – GUINNESS!! 
Person in History – Andy Kauffman
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I don’t have any! Hmmm, EXTRA FRECKLES

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Follow PAT BYRNE
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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Press Release 15th December 2021 (below)

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AMNPLIFY – DB