MacD on Music: Future Games

Usually I’d start these articles with something vaguely relating to the artist/event featured, but this week I have a very important announcement to make first. I would like to take this opportunity to formally state that I will not be contesting the upcoming election for the President of Ireland.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

In this job I’ve got to speak to artists across the length and breadth of the country, literally from top to bottom. Donegal to Cork plus plenty in between. This week, I’m talking once again to Colin Cronin, frontman of The Future Cork Local Band and semi-regular feature in these pages. Colin has recently released two albums, ‘Old Friends, Classic Irish Rock’ and his Bob Dylan Tribute ‘Colin D. Cronin & Niamh Higgins Play Songs by Bob Dylan’.

I caught up with Colin to talk about these albums:

Tell me a bit about your new album

This album, ‘Old Friends, Classic Irish Rock’, is really a passion project that brought together some of the most talented people I know and have worked with over the years. It’s got a bit of everything-original tracks, two covers, and a real mix of styles.

Funny enough, there was actually a two month delay with vocals at one point, but it turned out to be a blessing. That window opened up time for me to record two cover songs and even write a brand new original track that ended up becoming one of the standout tunes (‘Rain In My Shoes’).

I also produced the entire album myself, which gave me full creative control and let me really shape the sound in the way I imagined from the start.

How did the whole thing come together?

The whole thing actually came together one morning with a simple reminder I scribbled onto my new fridge shopping list:

“Record a bunch of tracks with the following artists I know – Maria McCarthy, Lazar Nikolic, Alan M, and Denis C (my father).”

hat was literally the starting point. I knew I had the right people around me-people I trust, who know how I work, and who each bring something unique to the table. The end result became what we now call ‘Old Friends, Classic Irish Rock’.

How did you find making this album compared to others?

Making this album was fantastic, a whole new experience that brought me back to my roots in a lot of ways. It felt like a throwback to about ten years ago, working with Lazar Nikolic. He’s a DJ, bass player, guitarist, and producer, and he’s just got this instinctive musical energy.

Working with Maria McCarthy again was like being back in music college. Her voice is so versatile and emotional. She really nailed the feel of the track ‘Turn It Up Loud’, which I wrote for her.

Alan M brought a raw, bluesy power to the guitar sessions. We spent hours getting just the right tone and rhythm, and it paid off for the song ‘Hey Now (I’m Back Again)’.

And of course, collaborating with my dad, Denis C, was something special. We reworked and re-vamped a few older tracks together, and he added so much soul and experience to the whole thing.

READ MORE: MacD on Music

Add to that a few good, sunny Irish mornings, plenty of coffee, rollies, and just letting creativity flow…it was magic.

What’s the reception been like so far?

The reception so far has been absolutely brilliant. I’m genuinely grateful for it.

We put out a limited batch of physical CD copies, and they were all picked up pretty quickly. People loved having something physical, something real to hold onto.

Streaming-wise, the numbers have been steady, and the messages I’ve been getting-people telling me which tracks hit home or which moments stuck with them-have been really encouraging.

One guy said the album got him through a rough week. That kind of feedback makes all the effort worthwhile. It’s been a nice reminder that music still connects in a deep way.

Tell me about your Bob Dylan tribute album

The Bob Dylan tribute album was something I’d been dreaming about for a long time. The idea actually came to me when I found an old Byrds cassette tape-their Dylan covers-and I just loved it so much I thought, I have to do something like this myself.

Originally, I had Maria McCarthy in mind for some of the vocal parts, but with the timing and scheduling of ‘Old Friends, Classic Irish Rock’ and other commitments, we just couldn’t make it work. That turned out to be another one of those happy accidents, because it led me to Niamh Higgins, an amazing up-and-coming Cork wedding singer, who was more than happy to collaborate.

Niamh absolutely shines on Blowin’ in the Wind and Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right-two tracks that have quickly become favourites among listeners. One of my personal highlights is Hurricane, which I sang myself — it’s been getting a great response and seems to be resonating with a lot of people.

And that’s it from Colin. His albums ‘Old Friends, Classic Irish Rock’ and his Bob Dylan Tribute ‘Colin D. Cronin & Niamh Higgins Play Songs by Bob Dylan’ can be found on all good streaming platforms and he can be found on Instagram @thefuturecorklocalband.