Back at the start of March '21, I got a message from through Instagram from and old friend, that a guy called Chuck Ragan was going to play Whelans in April '22 and that I should buy a ticket!
Although the gig was 13 months away and I'd no idea who Chuck was, this friend would rarely steer me wrong when it came to music, so I trusted him and I bought the ticket that day.
Fast forward 13 months and the gig finally came around this week, so off I set to Whelan's of Wexford Street to meet up friends and and enjoy the gig.
Now, because I was meeting up with friends, I decided I'd leave the old DSLR at home. It's big, it's a tad bulky and, well, you never know what's going to happen or where you'll end up when you meet up with old friends! Not liking to leave home without a camera, I took my small, pocket friendly, Sony DSC HX60 with me. In hindsight, that was a bad idea!
Anyway...
The gig was superb. I knew nothing about the guy or his music, apart from he was / is in a punk band called Hot Water Music, but this looked like it was going to be an acoustic gig, so I was confused!
It was neither, Chuck came with a full band, but punk, at least in style, was off the menu. It was more Americana, Country Rock and it was fantastic. The years of singing punk has given Chuck a very distinctive voice, but it adds so much to the songs. It turns what could just be run of the mill Americana into something raw and beautiful.
Would I recommend going to see him live? Oh hell yes, and I'm looking forward to catching him live again also!
As I mentioned, in hindsight, I should have taken the DSLR, but sure, we all make mistakes. Anyway, there are some photos, and even a brief video clip!
