BERLIN A GOOD FIT FOR KERDOC

A STALWART OF THE WEXFORD MUSIC SCENE, WHO IS NOW MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN GERMANY, KEVIN KERDOC MURPHY IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

WHILE people in Ireland are coping with lockdown at home and working remotely there are other Irish people living abroad who are in a similar position albeit on foreign shores.

One such person of Wexford musician, Kevin Kerdoc Murphy, who is based in Berlin.

Having released a well received EP in 2013, Kevin recently released his debut full-length album, ‘Hard Earned, Hard Fought, Hard Won’ and had planned a tour to promote the album around Germany and Europe.

As with so many working in other industries the plans of all working musicians have been turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, speaking to this newspaper Kevin said that while the situation is not ideal Berlin is a place that he has found to be ‘a perfect fit’ for him.

‘We’re kind of lucky in that we live on the outskirts of Berlin so distancing from crowds is a bit easier for us,’ he said.

Kevin said the German people, or least those around where he lives, don’t seem to be as afraid of the pandemic as the Irish.

‘The same restrictions are in place but the German people, or more accurately Berliners, seem to be a little less fearful of this time as we seem to be back home,’ he said.

Kevin is lucky because in addition to being a talented singer-songwriter he is also a very good carpenter and he has been able to find work outside of music to tide him over while the live gigs are curtailed.

‘As a carpenter I have been able to find some work outside of music here to keep the head above water,’ he said.

‘We work in a small crew and have been able to keep it going up until now,’ he added.

As with people here, for those in Germany it’s a case of looking at events week-to-week to see how things develop and progress.

‘We will monitor the situation now and will probably continue on more of a part-time basis in the coming weeks until the authorities allow us all both here and back home to return to normal,’ said Kevin.

While it’s difficult to predict what the future will bring like many people Kevin wonders if things will ever be the same again even after the strict rules and recommendations have relaxed.

He also feels that lessons should be learned from what everyone is going through now to ensure that if a repeat experience develops or some other emergency that people all over the world will be safe and that all countries will be adequately prepared to deal with whatever situation develops.

‘Although I guess things will never be the same again after this it is incumbent on us all to create a more just society, hold our governments more accountable, and if, or indeed when, we have to weather another storm of this kind everybody will be given the same fighting chance to do so,’ he said.

Like most musicians who are also songwriters it’s live gigs that provide much of the release for Kevin’s inherent creativity in addition to being a source of income.

Unfortunately, the current situation means live gigs have completely ceased and as Kevin pointed out that’s somewhat of a disaster for any practicing musician.

‘As regards to gigs this is the worst case scenario for musicians,’ he said.

Germany has always had a thriving music scene and in particular is renowned for being a hotbed for folk, blues, hard rock and heavy metal.