Mumblin' Deaf Ro

Mumblin’ Deaf Ro is Dublin-based songwriter Ronan Hession who has released three albums to date. 'Senor, My Friend...' (2003) was called 'a rare thing: a genuine cult classic' (Irish Times) and 'one of the lost classics of Irish indie pop (Mongrel). 'The Herring and the Brine' (2007) was voted one of the best Irish albums of the decade on Nialler9, AU and Cluas. 'Dictionary Crimes' (2012) is Ro’s third album. The album tries to explain what it's like to be part of a family. Unlike the previous two storytelling albums, ‘Dictionary Crimes’ is largely autobiographical. The songs deal with parenthood (‘Cheer Up Charlie Brown’, ‘Being Bill Cosby’) miscarriage (‘Little Mite’), filial grief (‘Cade Calf Call’), lung cancer (‘The Harm’, ‘The Birdcage’) and the shared experiences that make up family life (‘Sister Ill, Better Now’, ‘St Christopher’s Water’). The music centres around interlocking guitar parts with sensitive backing on bass and drums. The musicians who worked on the album are Donnchadh Hoey (Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, Iarla Ó’Lionáird), Conor Rapple (Steerage, Alien Items) and Joss Moorkens (The Dudley Corporation, Si Schroeder). The album was recorded by Jimmy Eadie (previous work with David Kitt, Jape, Crash Ensemble) and produced by contemporary composer Enda Bates. The album took five years to write but was recorded live in just four days. In January 2013 the album was nominated for the 2012 Choice Music Prize.