JOE HURLEY & ROGUE'S MARCH
Joe Hurley is a London-bred, Irish-Blooded New Yorker who has performed over 1,000 shows in the USA. He is widely heralded for both the emotional delivery in his gravel-throated baritone, and his finely-tuned sense of lyrical detail. The critically acclaimed singer songwriter is the leader of two NYC groups, Rogue's March, and Joe Hurley & The Gents.
Never Fear the debut CD from Rogue's March that features the infamous ode to imbibing, "Shut up and Drink" (The NY Post called it "a New York Irish anthem") and the Christmas heartbreaker "Amsterdam Mistress", which remains a permanent fixture on jukeboxes across the country. "Amsterdam Mistress" is featured on the new Sony Records CD Whiskey in the Jar: Essential Irish Drinking songs and Singalongs along with classics from The Pogues, The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, and has been called "one of the most evocative ballads ever penned" by the Irish Voice.
With Rogue's March, Hurley has released several CDs, toured with Flogging Molly and Cracker, and appeared main stage on both the Guinness Fleadhs (with the Chieftains and Sinead O'Connor) and the Warped Tour, where the band's NY appearance garnered a full-page feature in the NY Post. Hurley's song "Madcap Tears" off the band's Chaser CD , has been featured in the Captain Morgan's Rum TV ads worldwide for two years now, and his songs have appeared in numerous feature films including the forthcoming Christmas release Beautiful Kid starring Pulitzer- Prize winning author Frank McCourt. Many of the band's songs can be heard nationally on Sirius Satellite Radio, where the band have also performed live in studio.
In NYC, the band perform to packed houses at Webster Hall and The Bowery Ballroom, while Hurley has performed solo everywhere from Central Park Summerstage to Lincoln Centre, and most recently at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where his onstage guests honoring Marc Bolan included Moby, Patti Smith and LLoyd Cole.
Hurley has also released two live CDs with New York's famed Downtown ensemble The Loser's Lounge, a stirring collection of his versions of songs from Johnny Cash, Bowie, Nilsson, Serge Gainsbourg and more, with the New York Times writing "Some performances stood out. Joe Hurley's piano-only accompaniment on "All I think about is you" conjured up closing time in a graveyard bar". Hurley has sung at hundreds of sold-out shows with the group, and will help them celebrate their 15 year Anniversary this December.
Hurley's London upbringing led to a life-long passion for West Ham FC and he wrote and recorded the song "Bleeding Claret and Blue" for the team's historic appearance in the 2006 FA CUP Final. The song has been adopted by Supporters Club Websites across the world, and was recently played after the National Anthems in the Columbus Crew Stadium when West Ham appeared in an Exhibition Match there this summer.
Live, Hurley has performed duets with a dizzyingly diverse array of singers, from Marianne Faithfull to Shane MacGowan, from the Queen of Cabaret Andrea Marcovicci to her heir apparent Maude Maggart, from Martha Wainwright to The Mekons's Sally Timms, and he has sung on records produced by legendary producers Tony Visconti and PJ Harvey, among others. Hurley's bands are also always full of exciting NY luminaries, often featuring Tony Shanahan (bass) and Jay Dee Daugherty (drums) of the Patti Smith Group and James Mastro, guitarist with Ian Hunter. Hurley and Band recently headlined NYC's Riverside Park Music Festival for the 4th year in a row, and upcoming shows include a string of festivals across the Northeast and Midwest. October will see Hurley take the stage at The Public Theater in NY, for the Joe's Pub 10th Anniversary Concert, with Judy Collins and others.
Hurley performs annually in NJ at Glen Burtnik's Xmas Xtravaganza Charity Concert, held at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, where last December he performed "Amsterdam Mistress" alongside guests including Ian Hunter and Debbie Harry. He also joined Burtnik and Marshall Crenshaw at the NJ State Theater this summer, for a sold-out concert celebrating The Beatles' White Album. Recently Hurley performed with The Gents at a benefit concert for the Animal Rescue League at the Hiro Ballroom (with the Beastie Boys) and at Webster Hall for his 9th Annual All-Star Irish Rock Revue benefiting the Save St Brigid's Campaign. Hurley's Irish Rock Revue (NY stars singing the Great Irish Songbook) is "the most celebrated event of the St Patrick's Season in NYC" (Village Voice) and will celebrate its 10th Anniversary next March with a Gala Concert and the release of a documentary film about the show.
Hurley is currently recording a new CD, which is slated for international release in February 2009. The record features crowd favorite like the music-hall flavored "Irish Breakfast In A Greek Diner", and will host an eclectic mix of piano ballads and stinging rock and roll, as well as songs co-written with Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and Tony Visconti.
"A wildly diverse act that manages to sew threads of punk, country, and cabaret into an astonishingly cohesive sound... showcasing a star powered frontman in Joe Hurley"
– Billboard Magazine
"Joe Hurley is one of New York's most entertaining frontmen – his distinctive vocals can be raucous as all-get out and as sorrowful as a baritone can be"
– Village Voice
"The best singer of vowels in rock since Shane MacGowan"
– Village Voice
Joe Hurley & Rogue's March / Joe Hurley & The Gents
Official Website
Irish Rock Revue MySpace Page
Joe Hurley / Bleeding Claret And Blue MySpace Page