Keeping it in the family
As he prepares to release his new record this weekend, Fintan McKahey is well aware of the artistic pedigree stemming from his family tree.
The 23-year-old musician's father Rob was the drummer with 1980s’ Cork punk band Stump, who charted in both Ireland and the UK, and was also an early member of what later became Microdisney. His uncle Liam was the singer in Cousteau, a London-based band who enjoyed some success in the early 2000s, while his mother is an actress who appeared in TV and stage with the likes of the BBC.
As he prepares to launch his ‘God Games’ EP at The Kino this Sunday 28 April, McKahey says he has never felt weighed down by his parents’ success.
“I actually never really felt pressure, they were never forceful about (playing music) whatsoever,” he explains. “I was into sports a lot when I was a kid. Any healthy direction you seem to show interest in, they encouraged that. They always let me be independent.
“My dad would have always been playing me records, and when I was about seven or eight he bought me a little guitar and taught me the basics, and it all went from there. And my mum was always supportive of any creativity in the house.”
With that background, and having studied theatre performance in Kinsale and music production in London, McKahey’s path was never in doubt.
Promoting God Games, his second EP, he’s also become painfully aware of the struggles of being a solo artist in today’s industry. Just a few days after he began a crowdfunding campaign to help the record's promotion, disaster struck when it was revealed that PledgeMusic, the site used by McKahey and thousands of musicians worldwide, was in financial turmoil and struggling to pay its artists.
“About two days after I launched it, they released a statement basically saying they had run out of money and asked artists to suspend their campaigns,” he explains.
“It was a really big bummer, because it took me weeks making a video, organising the items for shipping information and all that, and then having to basically email everyone who had bought stuff to get them to cancel their order. It was about a month of work, just to have to undo it all again.
“Self-managing as a solo artist is the biggest obstacle I’ve come across. You’ve about seven different jobs really – graphic designer, videographer, photographer, social media expert. I spend so much of my spare time sending emails. You spend about ten per cent of the time playing music!”
God Games’ title single is a taste of McKahey’s recently realised penchant for multi-instrumentation. A slow burner featuring percussive acoustic guitar and dreamy, ethereal keys, it’s a sort of midnight love song underpinned by an idealism and introspection, emphasised by ideas of escaping to a comet and observing, stopping time, subsiding.
With a minimalist video featuring McKahey shrouded in darkness bobbing his head gently, illuminated by a single red light, it’s a darkly captivating track, its simple folk roots belying a surreal, almost fantastical sensibility.
“I’ve always been a fan of surrealist imagery and otherworldly themes, psychedelia. I try to always write my lyrics with a particular image in mind, and take it from there,” he says.
“It fascinates me that there’s so many multi-instrumentalists around now. Artists like FKJ, Tom Misch, it inspires me thinking if they can do all that then I can learn the drums!"
Also featuring ‘Cultural Trance’, an observation and commentary on his own personal journey through current pop culture, the new EP was recorded at his home studio near Leap in West Cork.
McKahey admits his idyllic surroundings crept their way into the record: “If I stand up and look outside I’m surrounded by mountains, I wouldn’t change it for the world. When I go up to the city it drives me mad, I want to get out of it straight away!
“I’ve always been a fan of the solitary lifestyle, without interference. It inhibits me a bit, having to travel so much for gigs, but if I was in the city I probably wouldn’t have a studio like I do here. I can go playing drums in the garden and no-one will care!”
Fintan McKahey launches the God Games EP at The Kino on 28 April. Entry is €10 on the night and includes a copy of the new EP.