Eternally by Dan Driscoll + Various

under Books/The Improvised Versions.

"

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CALL; email drisco@sbcglobal.net......go to www.patorchard.com for tribute and further bio on Dan Driscoll. There you can also read Dan's tribute to Jeff Buckley whom he had befriended through the London Acoustic Underground/BUNJIES in the mid ninties.

Read more from Dan Driscoll on "Nights In The Cellar" by Peter Cadle, a collection of stories from BUNJIES perrformers, or check out www.csed.demon.co.uk/bunjies.

What's being said about 'Eternally': "Hauntingly beautiful, with an edge that stirs up passionate emotions regarding the human experience here on planet earth".......Village Voice.

"Social and environmental issues are boldly addressed and dynamically delivered in the charged "Earthlords" and in the merciless "Assaulted Water" Greenhouse Mag,

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> Eternally is a tribute to the life and music of

> singer, songwriter, guitarist and peace advocate, Dan Driscoll who passed away in August

> 2000 AD. in London UK.

>

> This CD was compiled by his sister Tara Liz Driscoll (Tara O'Driscoll) who called upon

> musician friends and family around the Globe to record his songs, as a labor

> of love (there was no budget as such, for this project).

>

THE MAN DAN

> Dan grew up in Cork Ireland in the sixties alongside music legend, Rory

> Gallagher who encouraged his passion for the electric guitar. His head was always stuck in whatever book he could get his hands on from the time he was a boy and by

> his teenage years he had become a blossoming poet. With the strong influences of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix he gradually turned to songwriting.

>

>

> After a few garage bands he left the confines of Cork for the open arms of

> London's Rock and Roll world and the peace and love revolution. There his

> interest in Esoteric, Eastern philosophies and practices led him to depths

> musically and personally that were to remain with him for the rest of his

> life.

> During the seventies and eighties he was part of several bands:

> He was the guitarist on the album Remorse Code by ' DESPERATE BICYCLES' ( under the name Dan Electro).He also formed ' DAY SHIFT' whose single, "Living in the UK" was well received in the early 80's): and Blues/Punk band 'BLUE COMMANCHI'. By the late 80's he'd reverted

>to his Irish roots, concentrating more on an Accoustic/alternative folk

> style as a solo performer. His album Ramblin' Man was released in 93. Around

> 89/'90 he formed "Newfolk" a club for singer/songwriters/poets at Bunjies in

> the west end of London, reviving a once important venue and adding the

> charismatic genius of Jeff Buckley, Beverly Martyn (Of John and Beverly Martyn)and Bert Jansch (whom Dan has often been compared to),

> to the list of Greats . He also ran "Greenhouse" a project/club

> at the George, now Moriartys, in North London.This was for artists who leaned

> more toward Environmental issues.

Dan had a reputation for giving the "underdog" a chance. If you had a song and wanted to sing it, Dan made sure you got your moment. "Dan made anyone who was a nobody feel like somebody" Pat Orchard........www.patorchard.com

> "Dan was an inspirational organizer whose achievements were credited to

> others. Without him the London Acoustic Underground would never have come into

> being. Without his "Greenhouse Project" a lot of people who played at

> Glastonbury would never have done so. Without Dan much of what is magic would

> have remained unspoken" Roy Birch, writer/poet.

> To quote Eli Driscoll, Dan's son, " Dan Driscoll was the music"

THE CD:

> Dan was a kind and compassionate man and a hopeless romantic: but he was also

> a force to be reckoned with. Through his music, his knack with words, his Irish

> wit and his warrior spirit, he held up a mirror for us to view the state of

> the human condition on planet earth. He had a fierce edge when it came to social injustice and he didn't mince words as we see in 'Assaulted Water'

>

> "Pouring filth and slime into you, everybody is trying to screw you. Whose to

> win and whose to loose, if you become a stinking cess pool": But even here in

> all his blunt ramblings we find the sweet romantic:"...when lovers played upon

your back, and watched you lap against the shore, blessed water."

>

Dan was not afraid to admit despair but somehow he always seemed to squeeze out hope and redemption perhaps through his forgiving nature and his understanding about the nature of duality: " Into the arms of another tomorrow you must fly, Into the outstretched arms of another you must try, to get bye. To get bye you gotta swallow your pride and feel good inside," The beautiful ballad of lost love, "Budding of the Spring:"

Though Dan questioned the sorry state of the human race, he was also optimistic and offered solutions and encouraged us to look at the bigger picture : "Down the road to Freedom, merrily we go, On we go ....for we are Freedom's children, Nature's native son, A small part of creation, One small world spinning round the fair sun:" 'Road to Freedom'

> Above all Dan was a visionary with wisdom pouring through every vein of every song and he had a great reverence for life and an keen awareness of the mortality factor:

> " Life is like a daisy, that blooms and then is gone, so we have to give

> our everything to every day that dawns;" 'The Raven.'

>

> In this CD, the mixture of shadow and light, vulnerability and grit endear us

> to Dan Driscoll. His musical diversity and his raw honest emotion is kept in

> tact by the sensitive delivery and arrangements of the artists who perform

> these songs. Sometimes deep and haunting, sometimes light and gritty these

> tunes contain an interesting variety of the musical styles and influences of 14 musicians from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and USA. This compilation takes us on a musical

>journey from Celtic Folk Roots to Rock, from Swampy Blues funk to Technopunk.

> It includes the gut wrenching voice of Canadian born, Domenic de Ciccio (of world band 'Praying for the Rain') in "Budding of the Spring" where we hear echoes of Steve Earl and Eddie Vedder in the soundtrack of 'Dead Man Walking';

The growling Rocker Tim Hain of London UK in 'Devil and the Sea' Could Tim be channelling John Lee Hooker?;

The daring and provocative Singer/songwriter/producer Cara Tower of Malibu, Ca. who has been compared to a mixture of Bjork and Tori Amos, in the techno punk "Winding Way" which was co-produced by Eduardo Del Signore;

The amazing, Pat Orchard, London, UK. ("Only Human") with shades of Nick Drake, and oceans of emotion and passion to burn;

The warm voice of soul sister and Dan's sister, Teresa O'Driscoll of 'Shakaray' a women's drumming ensemble from Leeds UK, in the very moving,sparsely arranged (Drums,persussion and Didjeridoo) "Soar";

The laid back tender voice of Limerick man, singer' songwriter, John Prineish, J.Owen ( Clannadh, Scullion) who seems to take us down into the tunnels and up with the seagulls through his arrangement/sound effects, in the brilliantly cynical folkepic "Assaulted Water" ;

Touches of Brian Ferry are heard in "The Raven" by Irishman Paddy Kelleghan; ( 'Brush'/Garry Moore/Luke Kelly/Phil Lynott of'Thin Lizzy');

Liz Driscoll(Tara) and Stuart Hoffman (Topanga, CA), in "We Belong"; a chilling Celtic hymn with an African Chorus. It includes Uilleann pipe player Richard Cook and flute player Richard Hardy: (Dave Mathews, Lyle Lovett, Carole King etc). Tara again on "Time of your Life", a light and gritty Mobyish tune with swampy slide guitar from the world famous Freddy Ramos and bass player Eduardo Del Signore ( Milton Nasciamento, Jon Anderson of 'Yes", joe Cocker); Tara's torch song "Just Because"; a touching search for light on a pitch black journey through grief and loss;

Pete Cummins of 'The Fleadh Cowboys', Dublin, Ireland ( Bob Dylan, Hot House Flowers, The Pogues, U2 ) in the politically provative "Earthlords" Pete received a Grammy Cert. for his duet with Nanci Griffith on 'Other Voices Other Rooms' and on this track you understand why.

Ivor Game, whose gorgeous satiny voice sometimes sounds like a cross between Ray Davies and Paul McCartney, in the very acoustic, guitar version of 'Only Human';

Dan Driscoll's live recording of the folk anthem, "Road to Freedom" is accompanied by his howling harmonica and gorgeous accordion playing from Vince De Ciccio (Praying For The Rain). You sort of feel like you're in a pub in some remote part of Ireland, tapping your foot on the plank floor. His plaintive wail in the reprise, "Budding of the Spring" is a fitting end to this incredible tribute.

>

> This CD is full of emotion, inspiration and reality checks. It reaches down to

> the core and cuts to the bone. It's a credit to the generosity of the

> musicians who offered their time, talents and resources. Dan Driscoll would be

> humbled and more than grateful by their coming together. It had to have taken > a lot of heart and soul and real kindness. Maybe in some way, Dan is getting

> back what he gave out all his life: lots of love.

>

> Proceeds from this project go to his three younger children

> in London UK. Thank you Dan for the music.

HOW AND WHY 'ETERNALLY' HAPPENED :

Dan Driscoll was a beautiful work of art. He was striking to look at. He was charming, witty, intelligent and kind, and he was good to be with. When he walked in the room you took notice. Like all works of art, when you get up close, you see there are flaws, but why focus on those when there is so much more to look at.

Legend has it, that on the day I came into this world at my home in Cork, Dan heard my first screams and innocently said "give her bread and Jam, she's hungry". He was caring and giving. He was also a prankster. Being the only boy and second eldest, he loved to play tricks on his younger sisters...However he was also supposed to have 'more sense', so he got into lots of trouble sometimes with my parents for "disturbing the peace". His pranks were always more entertaining than mean spirited though, and he was forgiven very quickly, for the most part.

What stands out vividly in my mind about Dan was his gait..( an Irishism for stride) As a young girl I got to know the sound of his footsteps coming up the road late at night, back in Ireland: From the time he got his first pair of beatle boots, which he always had steel tips on, cause he walked a lot, I remember the excitement in his feet. It was like he was dancing or skipping along, rather than just plain walking. He had a certain "joi de vivre" about him. The other thing was his long, dark mane and those twinkling green eyes.They spoke volumes about his gentle soul and usually quelled any disagreements you might have. ( It was possible to get into heated debates with him).

When he took off for London I missed him terribly. I started to write him poetry and I couldn't wait to join him. I eventually did. Those were some of the best days of my teens in that Flat in Fulham Road. We used to sit and play guitar for hours. We found out we had a lot in common and were on the same page as far as music, art and aspirations. At that flat there were usually guests. There never was a dull moment around Dan. He always had a welcome on the mat and a cup of tea....endless cups of tea. He introduced me to some life altering experiences!!! and we had a lot of fun.For us we were getting to know each other as adults..and as the years went bye and I started to write more, we developed an even deeper respect for one another. Over time I moved to the States and we wouldn't see each other sometimes for years..yet it was always as if we'd never been apart. What was so cool about Dan Driscoll was that he saw through the masks, right through to your soul.You couldn't hide much from him and he couldn't hide much from you. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was unpretentious and real. Later in life he had disappointments...in fact he had a lot of disappointments that were probably too much for this sensitive man. He forgot to eat and sleep also. I think his motto was kind of: "how can you find time to sleep, when there's so much life to live". Practical he was not.

The last time I laid eyes on him was at the train station at Caladonian Road, not far from his home. He'd walked me there to catch a tube to Heathrow airport. As the doors of the elevator closed, we met each others glance. It was the usual unspoken,"I love you" and that was it. When he passed away suddenly on his birthday in 2000, a huge part of me was jolted. The hours, days, weeks and months that followed were indescribable. There had never been a day in my life without Dan. The fact that I would never again look into those twinkling eyes or hear that infectious giggle of his, was hard to swallow. The winter of 2000 was rough.

However on April 1st 2001 (Fools day, a favourite of Dan's) I woke up with the idea for the tribute. A new day was beginning to break over the long, dreary and bittercold road of grief. I didn't know how the project was possible, I just knew that it was. There was no money but as I called and emailed the musician friends and family I found out that there was plenty of love and respect for Dan Driscoll and his music.

And so the healing has begun. The artists who came forward for this project are unbelievably generous and rare human beings. Although I lost a brother I've gained a whole family. Without their love and support this could never have happened. Some of them never even knew Dan in life and yet they came through because I asked them. I know many of them sacrificed a lot to make this happen but at least for me, something priceless was given back. "Eternally" has built a bridge for me to get across the ocean of loss and despair. It showed me that passion is power. Trust is power and above all that LOVE RULES. This is much more than a CD. It is a moving love machine. Sometimes it takes a great tragedy for us to see things and I only wish this would have happened while Dan hung out amongst us.

Still I'm grateful for having the opportunity to open my heart and heal some old wounds at the same time; Wounds that were handed down to me through generations. Wounds that great sorrow forced me to heal. I would say that, for me, the triumph over this tragedy was that for once, I allowed myself to completely feel and then follow that feeling. For once I did not deprive myself of the love I feel for Dan Driscoll and his magic nor did I deprive myself of the gift I call myself. I completely gave into me and my deepest feelings. A great feat in my life.

. . Over the last 2 years I understood what it's like when passion overtakes doubt and fear. I realized that those who go quietly have sometimes the most to say. Those artists who follow no rules or formulas but the rule of their heart , regardless of the consequences or nonconsequences are more dear to me than ever.

Dan Driscoll tweaked a lot of hearts in life and he's still doing it in death. I hope you get some of that as you listen to this tribute......

Peace and Love Eternally,

Tara Liz Driscoll

Domenic De Ciccio and Praying For The Rain at www.twinarrowsmusic.com

Cara Tower/ www.rawdogrecords.com

Stuart Hoffman/Tara Liz Driscoll/ www.eversound.com

Pete Cummins. www.cdbaby.com/fleadhcowboys

Tim Hain/www.timhain.com.

J Owen/ www.j-owen.com........ "

Pat Orchard/ www.patorchard.com.........check out his provocative "Outside"

Ivor Game/ ivorgame@btinternet.com

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