PIERCE TURNER FINDS A NEW APPROACH ...AND A NEW AUDIENCE

Calvary Church Gorey invites you to an evening of carols and scripture readings at the Oratory, at Gorey Community School on Tuesday, November 19, at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome. For more details, contact Michael on 086 4021407. AT THIS point Pierce Turner has come to the conclusion that fate has lead him down a path that suits him to perfection.

He was feted by major record companies, and critics from far and near to be the heir to Van Morrison, as well as being voted Ireland’s Solo Performer of the Year in 1994.

But that common approach of searching for a suitable comparison from the past, when estimating a new artist, was not an accurate portrayal of the Wexford man.

“There is no-one in the whole wide world of music, quite like Pierce Turner” said Geoff Wallis in The Rough Guide To Irish Music for Penguin Books, and time has proven this description to be true. Pierce says that he was always frightened of this depiction.

having dinner with Adam Clayton of U2 once, Clayton wondered aloud “Your life must be very hard!” It made the Wexford man wonder if he had become too much of an enigma? However, he has discovered that being unique has its advantages too, there are pockets throughout the World where he has developed an exclusive club of followers who are delighted that they have the secret of Pierce Turner to themselves. They are fiercely loyal to any project that he pursues - all “Fund It” targets are rapidly reached, and then some. This gives him immense freedom to be creative.

The latest twist in Turner’s uniqueness is his paean for Parlour performances. It all began with House Gigs a few years back, when he announced in the Irish Times that he wanted to play in people’s parlours. The idea was to do just six of them, but he ended up doing sixty!

Last August he broke the mould again by playing in the lounge upstairs at Mackens in Wexford’s Bull Ring - it was the first time a name artist had played there. Calling it a Public Parlour Performance, the gig was sold out a day after it was announced in this paper. It was such a musical triumph; he decided to carry on with the concept upon Returning to New York.

There the gigs were just as successcul, selling out fast and offering the same kind of magical atmosphere. Unlike bigger venues, Pierce say’s that these venues sell out very quickly, causing an excitement that spills over into the performance. ‘I don’t need large crowds, I love my audience for who they are, these are people who have the courage of their own convictions.’

Has he finally found what he was looking for? It just might be so; the social network is made for artists like him with their own unique style. Younger audiences are less fearful of finding their own music, and it is clear from the attendance at Pierce’s shows lately, that they are beginning to discover him through You Tube and other channels.

Back in Ireland this December, the plan is set for the continuation of this concept. • On December 29 Pierce Turner will lay his nimble fingers upon the grand piano at Greenacres in Selskar, with Mick Egan on guitar and Paula Cox on backing vocals. • On January 16 he will do the same thing in the gorgeous, chandeliered, John Field Room at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Both shows are at 8 p.m. and tickets for both are available at the venues.