“I was longing to be wooed,I was ready to be humble…“ (lyrics from the song: “Long Strange Golden Road“)
Irish rock’n roll music combined with the Scottish temperament and kindness, swirls around celtic music, hints at country, rock’n roll and Americana, echoes at gospel and rock ballads, bursts with emotional and spiritual wisdom and ultimately takes the form of a revolting performance!
“I was in love with Ireland. Everyday was a new adventure, it was mythical…“ (Mike Scott extract from an interview)
The Waterboys somehow represent the imaginary soundtrack of the travels of a Scotsman who looks at Native American, Irish and celtic music tradition, loves the music of the American South. Mike Scott, is the driving force behind the band and an expressive performer throughout the years. He is a singer that sometimes emits the calmness of a wise person and at other times the explosiveness of a rebel. He has spent a long time at a spiritual community in Scotland, is living in Dublin and has also lived in New York. With all these elements in his heart and mind, and with his guts and his heart as a guide to his art, it is no wonder Mike Scott composes original music that contains elements from many music traditions and styles, jazz, rock’ n roll, Americana, country to name just a few. The music of The Waterboys transcends and advances all of their primary sources of influence since 1983 and the lyrics are sung with honesty and empathy about the stories that they narrate. Like all the long journeys, this one has been accompanied by carefully selected books which talk about Pan, poetry and spirituality which is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to shape a creative world view.