Irish keyboardist, singer and songwriter Eamonn Flynn forges his own kind of Irish soul. Growing up in Dublin, he was steeped in rock ‘n’ roll as well as Irish songs sung around his home. He draws from both, his deftly written songs and Dublin humour buoyed by his soulful vocals and formidable piano and Hammond organ chops.
“A fusion of R&B, gospel and Irish music that sounds so natural and obvious it makes you wonder where this music has been all this time,” says Keyboard Magazine.
Flynn’s latest album ‘Anywhere But Home’ (2022) is a love letter to his hometown, written during the pandemic from his San Francisco home. Featuring Irish traditional musicians including John Doyle, Michael McGoldrick, Mick McAuley, and Athena Tergis, the album has aired on NPR’s Thistle & Shamrock and gotten glowing reviews. “One of the more personable and heartfelt in recent years,” says Sean Smith in Boston Irish.
Flynn first came to prominence playing Hammond organ and piano on the 14 million selling soundtrack of The Commitments, a film about a Dublin soul band. After moving to San Francisco in 1997 he went on to record and tour worldwide with numerous artists including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, Elvin Bishop, Michelle Shocked, Pee Wee Ellis, Donald Harrison, Maria Muldaur, Tony Lindsay (Santana), and a decade-long stint with Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste. He kept a hand in Irish music working with the renowned Black Brothers (siblings of Mary and Frances Black) and Finbar Furey. His film and TV work includes original music for Moonlight, Ugly Betty, Brujo, Beached, and Creative High and he’s played Gospel organ at multiple Bay Area churches including Glide Memorial.
- Felim Egan, accordion
- Darcy Noonan, fiddle
- Hector Bragado, banjo