Taking the “less is more” approach, Pat Maloney offers “More to Love” and it turns out to be a pretty good deal! What do you get? Well… you get Pat and his guitar. And a foot stomping or a cardboard box, or something that sounds an awful lot like a bass drum. Oh, and a funny little zero budget intro. And a Great song that’s sure to also give you a smile because you found it on Mid Tenn. All for the price of a click, and maybe moving a few extra facial muscles because there’s a difference between a smile and a smiley.
What do you do when you’re alone on the road in the middle of England and a group of gypsies is giving you a hard time? If you’re Pat Maloney, you get out of there and write a song.
That experience was the genesis of ‘The Gypsies and I’ – one of many stories that became songs on Maloney’s brand new CD, “Righthere”. Raw, acoustic, and wry, it’s is Maloney at his best, delivering insight with wit, melody, and that unmistakable voice. The CD will be released officially on September 6.
“RIGHTHERE is an ironic title,” Maloney says. “I’m usually only home three days a week. I’m on tour the rest of my life. I love it – the freedom, the expression. I love my craft. I love writing songs and travelling, but it’s hard to keep things together at home. Finding a balance between home life and work is tough to begin with. Now keep it together working 200 jobs a year an average of 500 kms away from your house.”
“The CD is just me, my guitar, and my fake bass drum,” Maloney says. “I wanted it to have that live kind of energy, and I wanted the songs to be as honest and intimate as I could make them.”
His songs are poignant and funny, drawing on experiences – performing with a XXX-rated hypnotist, hitching rides with lovelorn truckers – that reveal the best and worst of life and love. He is in every sense a modern-day troubadour.
“I think people like hearing my road stories,” he says. “Some pretty bizarre – and pretty amazing – things happen out there. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything, so I’m really gratified when people are interested in hearing about them. No doubt my touring for this record will produce the stories that will appear on the next one!”
Pat Maloney is one of the hardest working people in music, playing over 200 shows per year (including more than 40 at university events in the UK last year). He has performed with a wide variety of acts including Brendan Canning, Steven Page, Great Lake Swimmers, Arkells, and more. He has been nominated for several awards, and won the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities’ (COCA) “Singer-Songwriter of the Year” award in 2015.
