Skip to content
  • Biography
  • Listen
  • Projects
    • The Day Before the Fair
    • Enchanted Forest
    • Bands
    • Collaborations
  • Performances
  • Contact

Jesse McCormack

Eccentric Tasmanian Troubadour

p-t-instagramp-t-spotifyp-t-youtube

© 2024 Valadix Entertainment
Like Loading...

Follow Jesse on Instagram:

With clear, bardic vocals, fluent rhythm, and potent stagecraft, Jesse McCormack embodies the essence of a storyteller. His minstrelsy showcases songs from or inspired by the Anglo-Celtic and Nordic traditions, adorned with vibes of bohemian Achilleanism and hints of druidic intrigue. As spring progresses toward summer, Jesse will showcase his intriguing repertoire in three unique performances in the vicinity of Port Phillip Bay... The first verse and chorus of a song I'm currently learning. Blessed Equinox, everybody! May you find balance at this seasonal turning point. Here is a little reading for all who may find it useful. Let me know in the comments how you'll be celebrating the Equinox, if that's something you're into. This is a message for @anneurquhartmp who will probably not do anything about it, because the Labor party are funded by the villains who profit from the issues I'm raising here. If only we had preferential voting in Australia and didn't have to choose between "the lesser of two evils" at the polling booth, we could have elected a government who actually represent the people. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Last weekend was lots of fun, singing at @littlelostbookshop for my first concert as a Blue Mountains resident! Highlights included all the audience singalongs, such as the problematic 'Sheath and Knife' and the powerful 'Paddy's Lament', @ssskyeevans's first public appearance on the bongos, and having @tombennett_14 join me for a slightly rough duet version of 'The Neighbourhood'...we kind of needed @jk_hindberg there with us, but just managed on our own. Thank you to the bookshop staff for having me and all the audience members who came along to welcome me to the area, ESPECIALLY the one who gifted me a beautiful drawing of wolves, sketched right then and there, while I was singing my first original queer folk song. 🐺👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏽🎶 It's the Solstice! To mark the occasion, here is a "Sun Anchor" reading, which I hope you'll all resonate with, regardless of whether you're celebrating in summer or winter. I think I might do this every Solstice and Equinox from now on. Let me know in the comments how you'll be celebrating the Solstice, send this to a friend who you think will benefit from it, and if you're new here, feel free to give me a follow. Come wrap up your weekend with a warm beverage on a dark midwinter night, as wandering minstrel Jesse McCormack presents his first concert as a Blue Mountains resident! Jesse's minstrelsy is a coalescence of folk that blends together songs, tunes, and inspiration from the English, Swedish, Irish, and Scottish traditions underpinned by bohemian Achilleanism and adorned in the wilds of his lush imagination. With his clear, bardic voice, deeply imbued sense of rhythm, infectious enthusiasm, and intense devotion to his craft, he embodies the essence of a storyteller...and is thus perfectly suited to performing in a bookshop! Joined by special guest musicians from near and far who will delight and surprise, Jesse is primed to make his musical public debut as a new local... The final gig of the tour was at @thebug.brisbane with several old and new friends in the audience. It was a lovely way to wrap up this series of gigs, especially arriving there by floating down the Brisbane River with all the city lights twinkling on either bank ✨️ Returning to Newcastle for the first time in seven years, I performed the penultimate show of my Autumn Tour at @thirstymessiah to a surprisingly attentive crowd! It was the longest concert of the whole tour, which gave me the space to perform some pieces I don't often do, including a "sequel" of sorts to 'The Bonny Actress' which I had just finished reworking that afternoon! The final collaborative performance between @alasdair.greenbard and myself for my 2025 Autumn Tour took place at @desire_books_records in Manly on a cosy rainy night with an intimate and generous audience. During this tour I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to debut my first original set of Swedish lyrics (with a borrowed traditional tune mashed with a German waltz), which we performed here perhaps slightly too fast. 😅 It was an honour to perform with @theartfulbea and @alasdair.greenbard for our collaborative show HERE BE DRAGONS at @churchststudios on the weekend of the New Moon. We had a great night and we've already floated the idea for 'Here Be More Dragons' next year. 🐲 As the nights grow longer and the moon wanes, step off the street and enter a realm of folklore and mythology. Three amazing performers will impart to you the wisdom, wonder, horror and humour of human existence as seen through the eyes of Celtic and Germanic ancestors in a rich array of ancient, traditional, and contemporary genres of music and spoken word. @alasdair.greenbard and I had some fun at @littlelostbookshop in Katoomba on Saturday. 'Twas a wee crowd, since all our Blue Mountains friends were away for Easter, but we're grateful to those of you who did come along, and to the staff at the bookshop for having us. Have you ever wondered how to write a folk song? I explained how I came up with my original piece 'The Bonny Actress' to the audience at The Loaded Dog folk club in this post. There's also some highlights from other songs I performed on the night. Has anyone else who's spent any time in Canberra in the past also felt like it is both a forced/fake contruct while simultaneously being the most Australian place ever? Maybe those things go more hand-in-hand than most people in this country would like to admit. 🤷🏼‍♂️ I went for a long walk on one of the days I was there, and spent much of that time thinking about what curse I would put on the leader of the s💩t party if I happened to bump into him. 🤔 But such thoughts are beyond the scope of this post...Thanks to Daniel Bornstein for joining me for some songs during my show, and to the crew at Smith Alternative for providing space for us to perform. Victoria was fun! A great group of Melbourne CouchSurfers who became very good friends very quickly, busking in Castlemaine, catching up with family, exploring forests with old friends, and wrapping up with a deliciously cosy house concert. Thank you to all who contributed to the pleasure of my visit. My #AutumnTour is off to a great start! 😄 New strings on my bouzouki! Ready to play some delicious music for everyone who comes along to the shows on my #AutumnTour (swipe for some chords) UPDATE: The Katoomba show at Little Lost Bookshop has been postponed and will now take place 24 hours later on SATURDAY THE 19TH OF APRIL.
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    • Jesse McCormack
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • Manage subscriptions
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d