Music from the Heart

With music in his blood, Jamie McDonald began playing at an early age entertaining people on the streets of his hometown Carlow, in Ireland. With a hunger to learn, grow and follow in the footsteps of the great musical tradition, he paid his dues across Ireland, on streets, in bars, pubs, clubs and theaters. Playing daily on the streets, he learned to engage an audience and grab their attention while also making enough money to move on to the next town. With all day busking followed by night-time gigs, his stamina, experience, and repertoire grew exponentially, making him a true old school troubadour.

Exploring songwriting, he found his true voice and over the course of 11 solo and band albums he has grown in his expression and feel. His songs make people dance and sing while also having the ability to turn a phrase that will linger in the mind long after the concert has ended.

With his 8^th and boldest studio album,  Magistrala, Jamie is stepping up to bring the music to an even bigger audience. Using Bulgaria’s legendary National Radio Studio (BNR), Jamie has surrounded himself with the finest musicians, including industry veteran Jeff Groves (Fastball, The Small Stars) and session drummer Borcheto Boyadzhiev.  Drawing on influences ranging from Van Morrison, the Smiths, Paul Simon, U2, Maya Angelou, Tom Waits, Van Gogh, Pollock and many many more, Magistrala is not only a meditation on life’s journey, but also a rocking and rolling exploration of popular music through the lens of an Irish rambling musical soul.

Solo or backed by the band, Jamie engages the audience and makes music a celebration of life not to be missed! He is constantly evolving, experimenting. Not afraid of any change. And this tendency has successfully culminated in Magistrala.

"How far must I go down this road?" - these words summ it up. The need for a change, not being satisfied with the status quo.

Blue Hotel (All I need) with its bluesy arrangement, McDonald's distinctive vocal taking over, could serve as a prime example of his work. That timeless sound that could be played anytime, anywhere and always find its audience.

Each track on the album could be categorized in a different genre if you're into such thing. But together they form a colourful mosaic where everyone finds the piece which catches their attention.

If The Moon shows a softer side of McDonald, not as energetic as the majority of album tracks but equally powerful, forcing the listener to pay even more atention to the lyrics.

"You gotta live in time with your own heartbeat" is an advice given to us within "For the Price of Love".

Sing Me Home is a dark, haunting, thought-provoking track. It contains a message of remembering the dearly departed from the joyful side and not "from the sorrowful side". A deep song like this sounds as if made for McDonald's vocal, his way of delivering the words is particularly touching in this case.