Irish folk music act Hibsen have released their new album, The Stern Task of Living, inspired by James Joyce's seminal short story collection, Dubliners. We asked the duo the BIG questions . . .
The 15-track album by folk music duo Gráinne Hunt and Jim Murphy, follows the sequence of the stories in the novel, with each song is based on the story after which it is named.
As part of this year’s Bloomsday Festival, Hibsen will perform the full album live in an evening of music and literature in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin on 9 and 10 of June.
The performance by an ensemble of 10 musicians, including string quartet Musici, will incorporate selected readings from the novel by Irish journalist Frank McNally.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Gráinne Hunt: We met at an online song writing workshop during Covid and were writing songs online for six months before we met in person. All the songs for this project were written remotely, none of them in person!
Jim Murphy: We both gave up jobs outside of the music sphere to pursue music full-time. We’ve also both separately released two albums, under the artists names Gráinne Hunt and Blue Fish Diamond, respectively.
How would you describe your music?
Gráinne: New folk with old roots.
Jim: Contemporary folk.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Gráinne: Joni Mitchell, John Smith, The Frames, Mary Black.
Jim: My inspirations include the great Liam Clancy and American folk songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Gráinne: I'm fairly sure the first gig I ever went to was a singsong in a pub, but the first 'proper' gig I remember going to was Garth Brooks in Croke Park.
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Jim: I saw John Denver in Cork in the late 1980s. Seeing live music for the first time was so exciting, it didn’t matter who the artist was!
What was the first record you ever bought?
Gráinne: I honestly couldn't tell you,, but I remember being gifted a Bananarama tape one Christmas.
Jim: The first album I bought was Innocent Man by Billy Joel. It was on vinyl, and I remember playing it non-stop on the turntable and poring over the sleeve notes.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Gráinne: I'm in the middle of rehearsals and am starting a tour with a musical at the moment, so I'm not getting a chance to listen to much new music, but I'm loving the new Hozier song Francesca.
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Jim: I recently discovered the Felice Brothers and can’t stop listening to Radio Song. The music has such a happy bounce to it, but the lyrics are actually quite poignant.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Gráinne: 'There's a stone that sits on the tip of my tongue when I need to say something to you' by John Smith.
Jim: "I remember quiet evenings trembling close to you," from Martha by Tom Waits.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Gráinne: Anything by Joni Mitchell, but if I had to pick one, I'd say Both Sides Now.
Jim: I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash. What a middle eight!
Where can people find your music/more information?
Our new album The Stern Task of Living is available to download or to purchase on CD at Bandcamp. It’s also available to stream on all major streaming services and the CD is available in most record stores in Dublin plus selected record stores around Ireland. You can check us out on social media on Instagram and Facebook.
