By Gail McCarthy , Staff writer
Elaine O’rourke moved from Boston to Gloucester three years ago, drawn to the area by its natural beauty, which reminded her of her home in Ireland called Greystones.
As a newcomer to town without any acquaintances here, she decided to check out the local bar, The Rhumbline. There, she met local musician Fly Amero, who hosts the Wednesday night “open mike” show in which anyone can take the stage.
O’rourke, who never played in public before, decided after a couple of months to give it a try.
“I didn’t care if I made a fool of myself, because I didn’t know anyone. I got up, played one of my tunes, survived, didn’t get booed off stage and that became a regular Wednesday night routine,” she said.
Before long, she banded together with musician Jim Lounsbury, who plays violin and piano.
“The violin really lends itself to my voice and adds so much to the songs,” O’rourke said.
At the invitation of a friend, she decided to record a few songs with the idea of creating a demo CD. But 2 1/2 years later, that effort has turned into a full CD of original music backed by a full band. A release party for her debut recording takes place Saturday at The White Rainbow on Main Street in Gloucester.
The 10-song CD is titled “No Beginning, No End,” the same words that appear in her song “Sentiments and Circumstances.”
Amero applauded O’rourke’s music.
“She’s just a fantastic spirit. Her vibe is going to sell her records. She’s got a very unique style,” he said.
The Celtic folk singer-songwriter enjoys the more obscure and unconventional ways of harmonizing a tune. She has been referred to as a risk-taker and an explorer.
“I kept writing tunes and practicing guitar. I never planned to be a musician. I just sit down with my guitar and start picking on different frets, seeing how it sounds and put a song together that way,” she said.
“I write what sounds good to my ear and always like to add the notes you wouldn’t expect. Lyrics come fairly easily to me and at times, the pen writes by itself. I’m not always aware of what I’m writing, so it is interesting to look back at lyrics and then realize their meaning.”
The title of the CD speaks to her belief at one point that the recording effort had no beginning or end.
“But in a more worldly sense, there is no beginning or end to the life cycle in the sense of infinity,” she said. “Everything is evolving and we are just here at the moment.”
O’rourke co-produced the debut CD with Mike Barry of Medford, who plays bass, electric guitar and keyboards on the recording. The CD also features Lounsbury on violin and piano, Dave Mattacks on drums and percussion and other guest appearances by Milt Reder, Rocky Kramm and David Sholl.
Barry was the one who planted the idea for the CD when he offered to record some of O’rourke’s songs two years ago.
“Little did he or I know what we were in for. I thought I was popping down to Medford for a day in the studio, ready to blast out five tunes for a wee demo,” recalled O’rourke. “Everything about this from the start has unfolded in little steps without a thought process. I have left everything in the hands of the universe and somehow, I have been guided. That is the beauty of it.”
But during the recording process, O’rourke faced health problems from Crohn’s disease, which meant 10 trips to the operating room and delayed the final product.
“I played gigs with fevers of 103, but I kept working as much as I could, even teaching my yoga classes,” said O’rourke. “Yoga has played an important part in my life, helping me to heal faster than expected and also to think about life from a different perspective. My strong spirit and optimistic outlook kept me going, along with the realization that so many people really cared about me. That blew me away.”
O’rourke lets out her theatrical side when she performs her originals, Irish ballads or favorite old standards in her cabaret-style shows. She’s even been known to break out her feather boa. She’s been known to use her music as well as her yoga to work with nursing home residents and children with brain injuries.
“The songs have wonderful lyrics and her voice is clear and resonant,” Susan Emerson, owner of Gloucester Music, said of O’rourke’s CD. “I thought the mood was very haunting and moody in some pieces and I love that. She has a lot of interesting instrumentation. She slipped easily from the Celtic folk sound to a more jazzy piece called ‘Fly Baby Fly’ to rock.”
Emerson, whose favorite tune of O’rourke’s is “Sepia Tones,” said in the short time she first played her CD in the storey, two customers wanted to know who was singing.
“She has a beautiful voice and the pieces on the CD are very different from one another,” Emerson said.
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