Ben brings it all back home

For this special gig this Thursday – which looks to be one of the roots music highlights of the season at the centre – Ben will be joined by two major talents: Colm McClean on guitars and songwriter Matt McGinn on guitars and vocals.

Ben relocated to Nashville in 2009 and began exploring locations closely associated with the music he grew up with: ‘I remember spending the day in Montgomery, Alabama with a few shots of whiskey at Hank’s grave,’ he recalls. Ben also got the chance to walk the rooms of Johnny Cash’s childhood home.

One cold rainy day in Christmas 2012, Ben headed down to the Mississippi Delta and in particular to the visit the grave of legendary bluesman, Robert Johnson. It was there that the idea of Atlantic was born.

Upon returning from Mississippi he was inspired to make a musical union between his homes on both sides of the ocean. Instead of recording another studio record in Nashville, Ben decided it was time to literally come back home and get as close to his roots as possible.

Along with producer Neilson Hubbard with whom he has made his three previous albums and fellow Nashville guitarist Kris Donegan, he flew home to Ireland. They were joined by two of Ben’s longtime Irish musical collaborators Matt McGinn and Colm McClean and the five set up a studio in the living room of the house in County Donegal where Ben vacationed as a child.

The result of this homecoming is easily Ben’s finest record – it deals with many themes - place, growth, pain, love, faith, sin, redemption and ultimately homecoming.

Tickets for the show, which is presented in association with the Real Music Club, are £12, and this includes complimentary interval refreshments. You can book your tickets by calling the reception staff at Flowerfield on (028) 7083 1400 – the centre accepts credit or debit card bookings.