Earlier today, we revealed the full programme of this year’s Celtic Connections which kicks off online from next Friday, 15 January.
Among the many festival highlights, is the world premiere of Sinner’s Shrine, a 5,000-mile collaboration between Scotland’s Dean Owens and legendary Calexico frontman Joey Burns.
The show, which takes place on 31st January (details below), combines Dean’s talents with desert noir icon Joey Burns of Calexico, Calexico trumpet player Martin Wenk and his old Felsons bass player Kevin McGuire.
Joey Burns and John Convertino, having been an in-demand rhythm section for numerous Americana acts, became Calexico in 1995, developing the music over the years into their trademark “desert noir” sound – a thrilling mix of Latino border rock and Morricone influenced soundscapes. Years to Burn, their 2019 collaboration with Iron and Wine (reviewed here), was a celebrated worldwide hit, and their non-stop global touring was only halted in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Sinner’s Shrine is the latest stop on a lifetime’s journey – from the post industrial heartlands of Scotland to the untrammelled wide-open vistas of the American west – for troubadour and musical adventurer, Dean Owens. A chance meeting with Joey Burns when Owens visited Tucson during an American tour in 2019, developed into an invitation to record at the legendary WaveLab Studio in Tucson, with Joey, John Convertino and regular Calexico musicians.
The Sinner’s Shrine recording was done in early 2020 just before the pandemic struck. The result is a Dean Owens album like no other, as he surrenders to the intoxicating sounds of the south-west. Audiences will need to wait a little longer than originally planned for its release, which has been pandemic-delayed till Sep 2021, but appetites can be whetted with the release of a series of related EPs – The Desert Trilogy – in March, May and July this year.
Listen to the superb New Mexico, the first single release (out on 5 Feb) from The Desert Trilogy EPs/Sinner’s Shrine (album)
Sun 31 Jan – Dean Owens and Joey Burns with Martin Wenk and Kevin McGuire –
Celtic Connections online – Digital tickets from www.celticconnections.com/how-to-book/
The Desert Trilogy EPs can be pre-ordered here – www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-desert-trilogy
Photo Credit: Gaelle Beri