Doctor Millar / Keenan O'Meara / Ben Shannon

Doctor Millar (Ireland) / Keenan O'Meara (New York City) / Ben Shannon (Pittsburgh)

Tickets are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door.

Doors are at 8 PM. Show is at 9 PM.

Doctor Millar

Over the past two decades Seán AKA Doctor Millar has released a series of critically lauded Albums, earning him over and again the title of “Irelands greatest songwriter.”

Since the break up of roots rockers The Cute Hoors, he has collaborated with some of the finest musicians working in Ireland and internationally. His latest work combines his love of American music with contemporary world sounds and transcendent harmonies.

Sean has in the past, been nominated for Solo performer of the year at the Heineken/Hotpress (Irish “Rolling Stone”) awards, alongside Van Morrison and Paul Brady.

Millar’s first solo album “The Bitter lie” was voted one of the best Irish Albums of all time by both Today FM and The Sunday Tribune. (Substantial National Irish Radio And Press)

His second album “The Deal” was one of the Sunday Times top five albums of the year. It has since been included in Tony Clayton Lea’s (The Irish Times) defining “101 Irish albums you must hear before you die.”

Doctor Millar’s third album “Always coming home”, prompted The Irish Times, in it’s five star review, to proclaim him “An Irish national treasure.”

His fourth album “of the people,” his first in six years, has seen critics consistently call him “Ireland’s greatest lyricist.”

Millar has composed musical works for theatre and written stage plays, notably “Silver Stars” and “The Blue Boy.” Both of these plays have toured the world to rave reviews.

He has performed extensively on radio, TV and stages around Europe, the US and Canada.

Keenan O'Meara

Lifted from the leafy outskirts of Baltimore and forged in swelter the of NYC, Keenan O’Meara seeks to personify a single scene and give it voice. He creates a narrative for moments that are often overlooked, expelling a sonic weave of affliction and melancholy. With a voice that feels like eternity, O’Meara speaks from a place of vanquished emotion, while guitar strings pick at harsh realities.

Ben Shannon

 “I do a lot of border-walking,” says Ben Shannon. “I’ve never had this sense of being settled or sticking to a clear line. That goes for my music as well as my personal life. I’ve always been a line-walker in my songs…”
Crossing boundaries and moving between worlds has been Shannon’s stock in trade as a singer-songwriter. He combines folk, country and Americana elements as composer while displaying a poet’s graceful touch as a lyricist. Shannon takes on a range of ages and outlooks in his songs, finding a common thread in his innate compassion and wry humor.  His assertive yet tender vocals, fluent guitar work and overall sense of musicianship have won him a growing following in his Pittsburgh home base and beyond.  Born in Nashville, Shannon moved with his family to Pittsburgh at a young age. Though he began writing songs in his teens, it wasn’t until he studied contemporary American poetry at the University of Pittsburgh that he began to master his craft. 
His ability to ground his lyrics in real life stories was further enhanced when he began teaching creative writing and literature at a local high school. “I’ve had wonderful access to characters and interactions through my work, as well as in the stories I teach every year.”
Meanwhile, Shannon was going through a seven-year “songwriting tear,” building up an impressive catalog of tunes. A series of visits to Nashville brought co-writing opportunities and exposure as a live performer. “I did a pivot after making my pilgrimages to Nashville,” he recalls. “I moved away from market-driven writing and towards being a recording artist. I learned that I needed to write from a place of awe and wonder and respect for the muse. That was a lot more fruitful for me.”

Ben Shannon’s journey has been both an outward-bound adventure and an interior voyage of self-discovery. Through it all, he’s remained true to his songwriting ideals: “I try to write the songs that I’ve wanted to hear, the ones that make you laugh and bring you to tears and move you with great stories and characters. Those are the kind I want to hear and aspire to write.”  It’s that sort of inspiration that keeps Shannon walking the borderlines and singing from the heart."