Originally from Scotland, but now calling Toronto, ON home, singer-songwriter Kieran Begbie is no stranger to the music scene. Having honed his craft as one of the founding members of The Dirty Beggars, a Glasgow based bluegrass & Celtic-infused Americana band, Kieran shares the single “Change” today, his first solo recording taken from an upcoming EP scheduled for release later this year.
Recorded at The Sound Café Recording Studio in Nine Mile Burn, Scotland, and co-produced by Kieran, Dave Gray, and Kyle Begbie, opting for “Change” as the debut single was not a difficult choice for Kieran to make. “This song has been a long time in the making. It is about going through a period of loss,” he explains. “I guess it kind of highlights when things like that happen, the pain will always be there. It gets easier, but it doesn’t leave you.”
Commencing with some acoustic guitar riffs, the airwaves are joined by a lightly recited opening verse from Kieran: “In the last few years I feel like a different man / With all that’s happening I find it hard to understand / Can’t remember what it was like before / The realization I wouldn’t see you any more.”
Jumping immediately into the chorus, Kieran still needs only the soft lilt in his voice to express his hurt: “But there’s a pain / There’s a pain / There’s a pain deep inside me and it doesn’t go away / And it’ll be with me ‘til my dying day / There’s a pain deep inside me and it’ll never go away / And it’ll be with me ‘til my dying day.”
Cue the perfectly timed instrumentation as we exit the chorus, delivered by Kieran’s ensemble: Tommy Ashby (guitars), Amitai Ladin (bass), Hector Stuart Duncan (keyboards), Adam Holmes (backing vocals) and Daniel Harris (drums).
Cue the soft, yet unmistakable punch of these instrumentation choices, notably Daniels’ quick taps on the snare, and Tommy’s onslaught of slide guitar that could be easily mistaken for the heartwarming sounds of lap steel.
And as “Change” draws to a close, the instrumentation fades, and the spotlight returns solely to Kieran once more, albeit with some discreet, haunting slide guitar cries tugging on the heartstrings for good measure. An impressive solo debut single, and a great teaser for what lies ahead from this talented new Torontonian.
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The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
