“Wow! Comnes, a San Francisco-based singer, songwriter, fiddler and guitarist, dazzles on her new album.Her vocals pack a powerful, penetrating emotional wallop. Instrumentation is impeccably textured, perfectly complementing Comnes’ vibrant voice and artful songwriting. Elements of rock, country, bluegrass, folk and Celtic music mesh in marvelous style. She’s riveting on rip-it-up numbers like the searing opener, “No Hiding Place.” But Comnes is equally compelling on tender tunes like “Lie With You Tonight” and the heart-wrenching “The Day Love Dies.” Brilliant co-production by Jeffery Wood (Penelope Houston, Luka Bloom) and the great Bay Area guitarist Gawain Mathews accentuates Comnes’ tremendous strengths. The album will be released in April, but you can preview it on her website, pre-order it on Amazon and catch Comnes live — Lucia and Her Rockin’ Irish Band play Slim’s in San Francisco on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.”
Track 1 off my new album ‘Love, Hope & Tyranny’ was recognized today by the Dallas Songwriters Association Song Contest. I submitted the song in the Americana category. Not only did the song win FIRST PLACE in the AMERICANA category, but it won the single GRAND PRIZE for best song in all categories. What an honor!
GRAND PRIZE
1. No Hiding Place by Lucia Comnes and Gawain Mathews, San Francisco, CA
2. Say That You Love by Gracie Lott, De Soto, TX
3. Something Just Clicks by James Bennett, Tulsa, OK
AMERICANA
1. No Hiding Place by Lucia Comnes and Gawain Mathews, San Francisco, CA
2. Over Space & Time by Nitanee Paris, Malibu, CA
3. Hold Me by Dickey Johnson, Dallas, Tx
Grand Prize includes $100 cash prize, a Casio Privia keyboard and recording time at Beaird Music Studios in Nashville, TN.
Many thanks to Roy Elkins and the Dallas Songwriters Association for this recognition.
Thanks to The North Bay Bohemian and San Francisco Chronicle’s Datebook for the feature photos in advance of my concert at Studio 55 Marin. It was a great show! Here is a video of the closing song ‘Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone’ off my new album ‘Love, Hope & Tyranny’ slotted for release in early 2015.
Lucia Comnes & Her Rockin’ Irish Band is a five-piece folk powerhouse that combines traditional Irish music with influences from rock, americana and bluegrass to produce “a fresh and invigorating take on the Irish sound,” as described by The Irish Herald.
The band’s leader, Lucia Comnes, is a San Francisco-born singer-songwriter who rocks a mean fiddle and guitar, known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish, Balkan and American folk music and for her original songs, which reflect her many influences. Her song ‘No Hiding Place’ was recently recognized with two notable awards by the Dallas Songwriters Association in Texas. Her voice was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “singular… embedded with soul and spirit.”
Lucia is backed by the force of her gallant Rockin’ Irish Band, all with Irish names to make up for the lack of any Irish trace left in her own, who are focused on delivering the band’s melodious music and keeping the fires raging on the dance floor. Burke plays a mighty rhythm guitar and shreds on his harmonica between class vocals, Kyle C is a legend and a savage beast on drums, good Michael plays deadly bass lines on the acoustic and electric, and Kyle Patrick O’Brien towers above it all, keeping it sweet on the mandolin alongside Lucia’s fierce crafting on the fiddle.
All banter aside, Lucia Comnes & Her Rockin’ Irish band brings you the best in Irish-American music new and old, traditional and popular. They represent the next generation of crossover music coming out the San Francisco Bay Area. Lucia’s background in folk music, playing at many trad festivals in Ireland, singing with the acclaimed Kitka, accompanying the American folk icon, Joan Baez, opening for Paul Brady, and collaborating regularly Liam Ó Maonlaí (Hothouse Flowers), makes her the prime candidate for leading this band.
“..Perhaps her most valuable talent is her powerful imagination. An imagination that breathes vivid imagery into the lyrics of her songs and infuses her fiddling with the spirit of the ancient tones, be they from Kilkenny, Kentucky, or Kosovo.” – Chuck Poling, California Bluegrass Association
Lucia has recorded three full-length albums, and a fourth is slated for release in early 2015. ‘Love, Hope & Tyranny’ was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and produced with Jeffrey Wood (Luka Bloom, Penelope Houston) and Gawain Mathews. It features 13 of Lucia’s original songs and an impressive list of contributors including background vocals from the delightful T Sisters.
“…Lucia Comnes, a singer-songwriter who rocks a mean fiddle and guitar, approaches Irish music from the opposite direction. Starting her career with the acclaimed Kitka, she has journeyed through the musics of Eastern Europe, Russia and the Balkans and in doing so has become known internationally for her contemporary interpretations of not only these musics but also of American folk music. But it seems she has found a spiritual home in Irish music. With her Rockin’ Irish Band, she combines her formidable variety of talents – in voice and multiple instruments – to produce a fresh and invigorating take on the Irish sound – with more than a dollop of rock ’n’ roll tossed in to keep the fires raging on the dance floor.” – The Irish Herald, San Francisco, March 2014
This is where I debut all my new songs and videos. It’s very easy to join, just click the link here:
patreon.com/luciacomnes
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lucia Comnes is an American singer, songwriter, fiddler and guitarist with a ‘singular voice’ (SF Chronicle) whose roots music crosses genres of Americana, Folk, Irish, Bluegrass & Rock. She writes powerful melodies with forceful, earthy lyrics that reflect her connection to the elements.
Her ability to seamlessly blend different styles results in music that draws from the past but is refreshingly contemporary. Lucia’s fiddling is a powerful and emotional expression of her musical vision – a vision that demonstrates that she isn’t afraid to take chances. Her voice, crystal clear but with a hint of mystery, was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “singular… embedded with soul and spirit.”
