AS PART of the 2020 Granary Music Library Free Concert Series, this week’s guest is J Eoin.
The Limerick singer-songwriter has not played a hometown show in a long while. This is a great chance to hear the artist who released albums ‘Sunshowers’ in 2018 and ‘Toogenblik – J Eoin In Concert’ in 2019 on his own independent record label, Natural5Four Records.
Here in Limerick, J Eoin is probably better known as Jon Williams who played in various line ups and solo before leaving the city in the mid-80s.
He has shared stages with Clannad, Scullion, Louden Wainwright and John Martyn and a personal highlight was playing before Leonard Cohen at the National Stadium, Dublin.
Among the musicians he worked with in Limerick, Mike Ryan (Tuesday Blue), Joe Browne and Dave Keary come to mind. His band Truth in the Rumour played shows in the city.
In 1986 he moved to Dublin and joined indie band A Bit More Left playing electric guitar.
The band picked up a deal, or more accurately, the promise of a deal with EMI and A Bit More Left moved to London.
The indie band didn’t last though. Jon got to work in production at Sarm West for Mute Records under Jill Sinclair (ZTT).
“I found myself in London and I fell over a bit, so changing to acoustic style was a survival thing.”
A friend encouraged his to explore his acoustic playing further
“He said there are a thousand brilliant guitar players in this city in every square mile – I’ve seen you play acoustic – you are a good acoustic player.”
Jon has played music professionally since the 1980s and toured and recorded all over Europe as a solo act or as a session musician, sought after for his acoustic guitar and mandolin playing.
Check out J Eoin’s version of ‘O’Sullivan’s John’ dedicated to legendary banjo player Pecker Dunne, which has over 50,000 views on YouTube
He stayed in London for 30 years, picked up work on the UK folk scene and wrote original material as well.
He has worked with Aidan Burke (fiddle), Jacquelyn Hynes (flute) and James Patrick Gavin (fiddle).
James Patrick Gavin is an exciting new prospect. The Fermanagh/ London musician’s new album ‘Chewing The Fat’ has picked up rave reviews.
Jon returned to Ireland in 2017, set up an independent record label and is based in Pallaskenry at the moment.
A live album, ‘Toogenblik – J Eoin In Concert’, recorded at the Toogenblik Folk Club in Brussels in June 2016, was released exclusively on Natural5Four Records on digital platforms in 2019 available also through BandCamp.
The name for Jon’s record company came from a time when Jon was giving a friend some guitar lessons. The lessons were going just OK and as his student was playing something out of time, Jon said jokingly, ‘you are in a 5/4 pattern’.
“You’re a natural 5/4.”
J Eoin will play Limerick Library on Friday January 31.
8pm and no admission fee.