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Things people say...
Photo courtesy Marcello Michelet
Today I was honoured to meet and see perform live for the very first time one of our local scene's most revered acoustic Folk troubadours Mr. Brian Gallagher with 9 albums of original material to date. We have been Facebook friends for a very long time but in person our paths didn't previously cross. But today we were graced by both his music and his presence at NDIP (Notre-Dame-D'Île Perrot) En Musique 2023 at Parc des Éperviers.
Brian is a true professional with the utmost simplicity. He successfully draws in his audience with both excellent covers of classic songs in addition to treasures from his extensive body of original work, songs with deeply profound stories, addressing some some very melancholic situations, but matters with which many of us are painfully familiar and to which we can certainly empathize. What comes from the heart penetrates the heart and that accurately defines the artistry of Brian Gallagher.
-Amir Amozig, Montreal Music Blogger (Sept 2, 2023)
“This album felt like Americana based rock and folk. There was a familiarity to the aesthetics and I thought the delivery and songwriting was solid from beginning to end. “Lucille Lucille” is a catchy one. I loved the bass melodies and was impressed by how accessible the hook felt. “1800 Days” is about standing up for yourself. It’s another catchy song. I felt this song was a little funny in a good way like when he says he will give you 1800 days and not a second more. He has more success with the fun and sort of playful sounding title track “An Ordinary Guy” while “The First Kiss and the Long Road'' contains some exceptional guitar playing accompanied by well-delivered piano. Up next is “Pull Me Up” and it revolves around strummed chords, drums, bass and vocals. The song is about sex and actually reminded me of Grateful Dead especially when the energy picks up on the song.”
“Inspired by sounds of the 60’s and 70’s, Gallagher delivered a smooth and immersive hit with “Between the Mountain and the Sea”, it’s a part of his new album “An Ordinary Guy” (stream the whole album down below). Pairing spacey synth sounds with delicate, airy vocals and beautiful guitars… and the best part is the feeling and expressive vocals, will make you singing and humming.”
“For my third review this morning, I am bringing you the October 11, 2019 album by Gallagher-Ford-Thompson called A Simple Plan. This trio features Brian Gallagher on vocals, bass, and acoustic guitars, Keith Ford on electric guitars, keyboards and vocals, and Nick Thompson on Drums and percussion. This eleven-track album is a tasty recipe of folk, rock, blues, and country soul all served up with a uniquely provocative and definitively proud Canadian sound. Listening to this album, I was quite moved by the performance on this album with amazing vocals and great instrumental backup on such tracks as the title track A Simple Plan, I Wish You Well, Paper Church, In The City, Her and much more. In addition to the great performance I mentioned earlier, I was quite impressed with their songwriting talent and a superb recording. This is an album that I would highly recommend you take a listen to. This album is available from Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, Google Music, and more”.
“Canadian based band, Happenstance releases a new CD, Everything Changes. For all you Happenstance fans, this is a new adventure that proves change is a good thing. Brian Gallagher is a one man band teaming up with powerhouse vocalist Tamara Clark. Together they satisfy all you pop music lovers with hooky tunes and a positive message, that is what makes Happenstance loved and admired by their fans. This CD has a fresh calmness that demonstrates that less is more. It has a clear and concise production that wraps around the singer’s voice like a warm blanket, painting lovely pictures of compassion for the love of the game. This is a musicians CD, there are so many aspects of it that only other musicians may notice or appreciate like the raw emotion and vivid sweat put into the smallest detail of each song. It is layered with meticulous melodic substance and subtleties that have a commercial appeal, but also speaks to one’s more creative side.”
“Giving us a glimpse at their debut self-titled CD Happenstance has pre-released their new single “Gone Baby Gone” as a taste of what is to come. I really enjoyed the song. There is a lack of credible rock acts with female lead singers – Paramore being the most obvious example tend to err more towards pop rock. In this way the Canadian band is a breath of fresh air and at certain points during ‘Gone Baby Gone’ reminds me of L7, which is never a bad thing. While there isn’t really much substance to the lyrics it is definitely a song you can sing along with after a few listens and the hook is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for a while. There’s a hint of country and western about her which is broken up by a solid guitar performance, leading to an interesting combination of styles.”