Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Originally a moniker for frontman Marty Ryan, Anna’s Anchor are an indie-rock band that have now been on the go for almost ten years. Proudly hailing from Limerick, the group has long been known around the country for tight, guitar driven sets that invariably showcase their musicianship as well as the emotional maturity of their work. Their fourth album, The Merries, is set for release on July 7 with Galway label Strange Brew.

And to celebrate that launch, Anna’s Anchor will kick off their Irish tour in the Róisín Dubh on Wednesday, July 12.

The Merries has been described as the band’s most expansive record to date, but its subject matter stems from a difficult period of Marty’s life.

Having moved to Ohio in the last couple of years, he suffered a head injury that led him to document some important memories he feared he may lose.

“The idea of nostalgia and the themes that are behind the songs came from slightly unfortunate circumstances,” he recalls.

“I was living here a couple of months and I had an accident which involved a head injury. I’m very lucky that I’m totally okay now but it was a very scary situation.

“Memory loss was a bit of a concern. When all of this happened and I wasn’t sure whether I was remembering certain things, I wrote down a list of memories – things that were near and dear to me that I wanted to remember.

“I was afraid of losing it and I thought, if memory loss was an issue, I’d have these little bullet points that might trigger memories for me.

“Once all of that was over and I was back fully recovered, I really reflected on that list of things. I hadn’t written a song about any of the things on that list and we’ve been a band for a good while – this is our fourth album coming out on July 7.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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