After the release of the critically acclaimed album 'The Occoquan River' 2015, Gallie has been going from strength to strength, playing festivals and selling out shows in his adopted town of Melbourne and up & down the east & west coasts of Australia.
He returned home to tour Ireland in early 2018 where his album received some amazing reviews from the Irish music press. Three songs from the album made it onto the RTE national playlist where they stayed for a number of weeks.
In November 2018 Gallie toured Brazil as well as headlining the folk stage at the 'Mississippi Delta Blues Festival' in Caxais Do Sol in Southern Brazil. (One of Gallie's videos went mini viral down there last year getting over 40,000 views in one week). Gallie relocating to France where he will be based for the first half of 2019 while touring and playing festivals throughout Europe, including Ireland, England, France, Scandinavia and Germany.
He returns to Australia mid winter, with tours planned for the east and west coast as well as all the major cities.
The indelible character and emotion bestowed upon a particular generation of songwriters, at the hands of a 1970’s Dublin childhood, is transcribed into song with no more lucidity than in the current works of Irish born singer songwriter Gallie, who now calls Melbourne his home.
Tom Waits once said “The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering;” the very same Tom Waits which then went on to vote Gallie into the finalists of the International Songwriting Contest.
Gallies new album titled “The Occuquan River” echoes the influence of legendary Irish forefathers such as Van Morrison, and extends a warm handshake to American soul and blues ambassadors such as Bill Withers, while contributing his own colour to a significantly rich canvas.
In the short time Gallie has called Australia his home, he has crashed into the gate of the Australian music industries consciousness, with approaches from Renee Gayer to cover his own song “Anybody Seen My Baby,” and lighting the switch board of ABC Radio 774 with his remarkable live performance of his song “The Occuquan River,”on The Richard Stubbs show. Not withstanding Gallie’s closing performances of the recent Bob Dylan tribute evenings with Tex Perkins for which he received standing ovations, on consecutive nights before full houses.
Today we are immersed noise, and surrounded with distraction and insincerity for the most part, yet the voices of authenticity are plentiful in the underbelly of the music world. You needn’t scratch the surface too far to unearth one, and Gallie stands brazen amongst them.
Gallie has a way with his songwriting that is so personal, yet seemingly universal. One guitar, and a voice soaked in Irish history is all you need for a journey of delight. The Occoquan River is an incredibly powerful and moving song about brotherhood put to test in the Civil War. Listen any way you can, but live, Gallie is not to be missed.
M.C.
March 29, 2020 at 11:34 amGallie has a way with his songwriting that is so personal, yet seemingly universal. One guitar, and a voice soaked in Irish history is all you need for a journey of delight. The Occoquan River is an incredibly powerful and moving song about brotherhood put to test in the Civil War. Listen any way you can, but live, Gallie is not to be missed.