Irish grassers JigJam have long held that since the roots of American bluegrass come from their homeland, they have the right to put a contemporary Irish folk music in their bluegrass. It’s been working for them going on ten years now, with the lads taking their energetic stage show all over the world, winning fans wherever they appear.
JigJam will be back in the States next month, playing in St Louis, MO and then at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS for four days.
Beforehand, a new single comes out this week, and the band has graciously offered a pre-release peek to our readers. It’s one called Shake These Dreams Awake, written by guitarist and lead singer Jamie McKeogh, his co-founder, banjo player Daithi Melia, and Bob Halligan Jr.
McKeogh says this song has been going over big on stage.
“We’ve been sneaking this one into our live sets for a while, and every time it gets a big reaction. Shake These Dreams Awake is about that one relationship that you can’t really move past. You’ve both been thinking about and missing each other. It’s that feeling of wanting to give it another try, even at the risk of getting hurt again.”
Along with James and Daithi, who created JigJam in County Offaly in 2010, the band includes Gavin Strappe from Tipperary on mandolin, and Kevin Buckley from St Louis, MO on fiddle.
Have a listen to Shake These Dreams Awake.
Shake These Dreams Awake will be available on August 15 from popular download and streaming services online.
