By Rosine Alleva, Journalist/Photographer–Rock At Night France
Yes, it’s 23 years since PAT O’MAY started his solo career!
For the event, he will invite some of the artists with whom he collaborated all these years . It will all be recorded for Pat’s first live album!
Pat travelled through France and Europe, recorded 9 albums, participated to the rock operas Excalibur and Anne of Bretagne, wrote for Thalassa and the cinema, wrote Keltia Symphonia for the New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, played with Martin BARRE (Jethro Tull), Ian PAICE (Deep Purple), Alan PARSONS, Uli JON ROTH (Scorpions), Norbert KRIEF (Trust), Dan AR BRAZ, Alan STIVELL, Ron “Bumblefoot” THAL, ANGE, and many others.
A bit of history….
PAT O’MAY started to play with MARIENTHAL and Road 66.
He started a solo career, released two first albums and it’s his third opus “Breizh / Amerika” produced by RON THAL (Guns’N ‘Roses) recorded in 1999 in Brittany and mixed in New York, that confirmed the fusion of rock and Celtic music.
Pat toured France and Europe to promote his albums. Then, Alan Simon contacted him to participate in opera-rock Anne de Bretagne and Excalibur with BARCLAYS JAMES HARVEST, ANGE, FAIRPORT CONVENTION, Cécile CORBELL, Tri YANN, the french actor Jean-Claude DREYFUS, the GENOA OPERA Choir, Johnny LOGAN, Alan PARSONS, Martin BARRE (Jethro Tull), Jacqui McSHEE and John HELLIWELL (Supertramp).
He recorded a new album “Celtic Wings” including duets with Moya BRENNAN, Martin BARRE, Alan STIVELL right after the “Excalibur The Celtic Rock Opera” tour, played in front of 100,000 spectators. He also joined Martin BARRE’s Band for three European tours.
The following year Pat was invited to his friend’s Alan STIVELL birthday concert at the Olympia alongside Dan AR BRAZ.
He then hit the road again to tour France and Switzerland performing with guitarists Uli JON ROTH (ex Scorpions) and Pat Mc MANUS before concluding the Celtic Wings tour in Germany and with Scorpions at the Zenith of Nancy!
He went back to the studio to record his album Behind the pics, sold at over 15,000 copies worldwide! At the request of his music label Keltia Music, he then arranged and composed Keltia Symphonia, inspired by standards of the Breton repertoire. Recorded in Sofia with the New Symphony Orchestra, its release has been followed by concerts in Germany and France.
On October 7, Pat will celebrate his 23-year career, and will be surrounded by his friends with whom he shared the stage or the studios (not far from 30 musicians).
Here are a few names of this fantastic line-up of artists:
DIABOLO: (Higelin/ Bashung/ Christophe)
The terrible child of Jacques Higelin. They met thanks to a common friend, (The famous Breton sculptor ROL). Following this meeting, Diabolo played and turned on the first two Pat’s albums (Bob Up and Kids And The War).
RAL “Bumblefoot ” THAL: (Guns’N’Roses / Sons of Apollo)
It’s thanks to a journalist from Guitar and Bass (Eric Cervera) that Pat, looking for an artistic producer for his 3rd album Breizh Amerika, asked Ron to produce his new album. The album has been recorded between Locarn and New York! An experience that has welded an unfailing friendship between the two men. Sometime later Ron became the guitarist of Guns’N’Roses and voted best guitarist of the year by Guitar Player!
As « Penn sonneur » at the Kevrenn Brest Sant Mark, Yann asked Pat to write a new title for the bagad (Breton band composed of bagpipes). This request gave him the opportunity to write his most famous song to date “Overlord”.
(Archive / Gary Moore / Jethro Tull)
It is by integrating the Martin Barre’s Band (Jethro Tull) that Pat met Jonathan. They get along in a few seconds and Jon agreed to play on Celtic Wings and the entire Behind The Pics album. It’s in a hotel in Munich that Jon made Pat listen to the title “Oh Wild One “that Gary Moore, of which Jonathan was the bassist, had recorded a few months before his sudden passing! This moment remains a memory that bind them forever! With the generous agreement of Gary’s family, they will be happy to interpret it during the concert of October 7!
PAT Mc MANUS: (Mama’s Boys). When an Irish-born meets an Irishman of origin, they tell each other Irish stories! It’s how they had the idea to mount “Irish Rock Guitar Night”. Pat Mc Manus will come with his band to make us revive some sumptuous moments of these tours. They will play a piece of Thin Lizzy and his song “Belfast Boy”, a tribute to Gary Moore, with whom he shared the European and US tours. Gary’s soul will decidedly be present at this evening !
PATRICK RONDA: (Jean-Michel Jarre / G3 / Jon Lord) Spearhead of the instrumental guitar in France and beyond, They have known each other in the nineties, shared amazing jams, which the latest with Ian Paice, the drummer of Deep Purple! Patrick is known to the general public thanks to his interpretation of Vivaldi’s four seasons with Jean-Michel Jarre, but also his appearances with the G3 of Joe Satriani and with Jon Lord (Deep Purple).
The Bagad Bro Kon Kerne, David Hopkins, Louis Soler….And Christophe Babin, James Wood, John Helfy (his usual band) with many more surprise guests !…
Pat and his friends will revisit all of his albums including unpublished songs as well as the projection of archive videos! It will be an awesome 3 hours show. Don’t miss it!!
Let the music and the guitars roar!!!
From Belgian and Italian parents, I grew up with music, dance and big fun! I love singing since I'm a little girl, I still am, haha. When I was 14, I saw my first concert: T-Rex. Later it was FrankZappa, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Fela, Canned Heat, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind and Fire ....
I dreamed to have a chat with each of them 😀 Before interviewing bands, I used to sing (and still do) and met lots of great musicians. I had the chance to be the support band to Joe Cocker in 2007. I love to communicate and meet people (Italian blood).
Working for magazine, a few years ago, l met José Oliveira! We were working at the same festival in Colmar. 2 people from the South with the same passion just recognized each other...and we stayed in contact since then. Here I am! Enjoying concerts, covering interviews and articles with José for Rock at Night!!
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