The "Salty Diamond" was recorded in Newport, Kentucky, September 2009, followed by Kevin & Rosie’s second album “Between the Distance” recorded in the UK in the late summer of 2010.
This album comes from a seemingly unlikely duo, Rosie Carson & Kevin Dempsey, who despite being separated by a generation and the Atlantic Ocean, share a great passion for traditional music from both cultures. Instrumentals, songs, and harmonies are featured on this delightfully simple and inspired debut album that has emerged from many sessions and gigs over the last eight years.
Kevin, guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer is an icon of British Folk music and has played in some memorable line-ups with Dave Swarbrick, Chris Leslie, Joe Broughton, Peter Knight, Dando Shaft, Uiscedwr, and Mary Black, (not to mention, those giants of folk music, The Marvelettes, Percy Sledge, Alice Coltrane . . . and more).
Kevin is renowned for delivering fresh and vibrant arrangements of traditional and contemporary tunes and his vocals bring both meaning and feeling to the lyrics.
As a producer, his resume includes "Straws In the Wind", the latest CD by folk legends Martin Carthy and Swarbrick.
Rosie enrolled at the Riley School of Irish Music in Cincinnati at age 8 and went on to study fiddle with Seamus Connelly, Liz Carroll, Liz Kane, and Oisin Mac Diarmada. She has won national competitions for both fiddle and voice, which took her to Ireland for world competitions and led to further studies in singing with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. She has performed with The Chieftains and, on visits to England, has had the privilege of playing with (besides Kevin, of course) Dave Swarbrick, Peter Knight, Chris Leslie, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, and others. Recently, Rosie has been performing and recording with local (Cincinnati) band, The Graveblankets and will be releasing a new CD with them this December. This September, Rosie also performed in New York City with singer Teddy Thompson (son of legendary guitarist, Richard Thompson). Rosie’s playing combines lyricism with dexterity and her voice is captivatingly beautiful.
This unlikely duo isn't really a coincidence at all. Kevin and Rosie's dad, Steve (who has brought British folk, folk rock, and Celtic music to Cincinnati for 3 decades), have been friends since the early eighties, having met in England during the formation of folk super-group 'Whippersnapper'. Having performed in Cincinnati many times, he has known Rosie (now 18) since her early childhood and followed her progress on fiddle and, more recently, as a singer.
Not so surprising then that Kevin and Rosie should join their considerable forces to make this album. ‘The Salty Diamond’, has gotten many favorable reviews in various music magazines, including Folk Roots Magazine.
Rosie and Kevin completed two tours in Europe this summer: In the course of three weeks, beginning on June 6, 2010, Rosie and Kevin performed ten gigs in England and Scotland. Two of the gigs were BBC Radio world-wide broadcasts (BBC Lancashire and BBC Shropshire) and one gig was a workshop taught by the duo in Bristol. They also headlined their own shows in such towns as Coventry, Banbury, and Glasgow. In early August, Rosie and Kevin played two shows in Vienna and Graz, Austria and another show in Rugby, England before returning to Coventry to record their second album, "Between the Distance". Rosie also appeared at Fairport Convention's Cropredy Festival in Oxfordshire in front of 25,000 people with legendary British folk-rock band, Little Johnny England, on August 13, 2010.
For further correspondence and information:
http://www.kevindempsey.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/rosiecarsonkevindempsey
http://www.rosiecarson.com
Album reviews are here
