MacD on Music: Keep Calm and Go to Sandy’s

For centuries, we Irish have found ourselves drawn to America. Whether it’s because the British were starving us and kicking us out of our homes, or simply for university, our connection with the US has always been strong (let’s not get into the politics of it all. I’ve got too much else to cover).

This week, I’m talking to Liam McCay of Dead Calm. Originally from Buncrana, Liam, like so many before him, is now based in the US, namely Los Angeles. For Liam, Dead Calm is the latest in a long line of pseudonyms that he has released music under, and this month he’ll be back on this side of the water to play Sandino’s on the 24th. I spoke with him to talk a bit about this:

“I did a few different bands and projects, and Dead Calm is the one I’m doing more with at the minute. There’s fourteen or fifteen. I don’t take them all that seriously. It’s just a bit of fun. Some people think they all sound the same, but other people can hear the differences. In my head it all makes sense. They’ve all got their own feeling.”

Speaking of the origins of Dead Calm: “A few years ago, I was making stuff on the acoustic guitar, which I had never really made much with at that point. There’s this fella Alex G, he’s an influence. It’s that sort of folk stuff, singing in a whiny voice, just for a laugh. I made some stuff that I like, some stuff that I’m proud of, and that’s how it came about.”

“I started playing the fiddle when I was probably seven or eight, just doing trad music and all that. I started learning the guitar, just on my own, when I was fourteen or fifteen. I started learning how to record stuff around then as well, learning both at the same time.”

I asked about his life in L.A., and the differences between the Irish music scene and the scene over there: “I’ve been in L.A. about a year and a half now, but the Irish scene is coming up at the minute, especially the rap stuff. There’s always been decent music coming out of Ireland, but I feel like it’s starting to really get a chance to shine, which is sick.”

Asked what it’s like being an Irish musician in America: “I miss not being able to play shows as much, but there’s a lot of opportunity here. Pretty much every musician you can imagine either lives out here, or they’re here on tour, or for some reason or another you run into pretty much any of them you would want to.”

Finally, we got around to the music of Dead Calm: “It’s a lot of acoustic stuff. Some of the lyrics are fairly childish, but that’s kind of what I’m going for. It’s what I was feeling at the time. I’ve made two albums as Dead Calm. The second one is a bit more mature, I would say. The first one, I was just trying to get across how I was feeling. It’s a lot of acoustics, singing, stuff like that. Something that people can relate to, hopefully.”

Speaking of the gig: “The first gig I ever played was in Sandino’s, in 2023. It’ll be fun to come back.” And asked if there’s anywhere in L.A. that can compare to the iconic Sandy’s: “Honestly, it’s kind of shite out here. It’s just a different culture. They don’t just go for pints as much as we would. There’s some good spots, but nowhere like Sandy’s or Rodden’s in Buncrana.”

And that’s it from Liam and Dead Calm. The gig is on Thursday 24th September. Doors are 7.30 and tickets are £22.50 and available on scopetickets.com.

Now, onto other business. First up, we have the new single from London-based Sofia Gillani, with her new song ‘Don’t Forget Yourself’. The track “marks a new chapter” in Sofia’s evolving sound, “blending her avant-garde pop identity with drill-inspired production”. It “showcases her versatility as both a vocalist and songwriter, introducing a more confident side to her artistry through a combination of rap-influenced delivery and melodic vocals”.

‘Don’t Forget Yourself’ is available now on all good streaming platforms.

Lastly, more music from Donegal, this time from Constant Supply, aka James Gillen, with his new single ‘Tacit Love’ (out this Friday, September 11th), “a song rebuilt from near-ruin on the final day in the studio” that has become “the sound of an album finding itself. Where previous singles each showed a different side of the record, this final release does something more essential: it opens the door”.

The track is the final single from his upcoming album ‘The Gist of the Plot’ (out September 25th) and is available now on all good streaming services.

Finally, time for the socials. Constant Supply can be found on Instagram @constantsupplydonegal, Sofia Gillani @sofia.aneesa.gillani and Liam McCay @signcrushesmotorist48.