When World Cafe landed in Dublin for our latest Sense of Place series, the very first shop we walked into had our guest today staring back at us from the cover of a magazine.
Dermot Kennedy had just released his latest album, The Weight of the Woods, and it was a big deal. The album debuted at No. 1 in the U.K., making Kennedy the first Irish artist to have three No. 1 albums. He was also getting ready for a stadium tour that would put him in front of thousands and thousands of people.
But today, you'll hear him perform for just a handful of people at Bewley's Cafe Theatre, an intimate room tucked just off Dublin's bustling Grafton Street, where Kennedy used to busk in his early days.
In today's episode, we talk about those early days, the influence Ireland has had on his music and the making of The Weight of the Woods. You'll also hear a stripped-down performance that puts the power of Kennedy's voice front and center.
Thank you to Marc Aubele for recording the session, William Donbavand for mixing it, LightJar and the video team who captured the session: Néstor Romero Clemente, Darren McKenna, and Luke Brabazon.
This episode of World Cafe was made possible by the Wyncote Foundation. It was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod. Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe's engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.
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