Shows from Ari Hest and Yurodny to raise the roof at Campbells

Music lovers should take a trip to Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover during this year’s Arts Festival for the concert by American songwriter Ari Hest at the venue on Friday, July 16.

Many singer-songwriters toil for months on their Macs, trying to make a demo that sounds polished enough to score them a record deal with a major label. But Ari Hest has done the exact opposite – he opted out of a major label deal so that he could have more control over his art. After leaving Columbia, he embarked on the ambitious 52 project, during which he spent all of 2008 immersed in an unprecedented effort – to write, record, produce and release one new song per week, for 52 weeks in a row.

That was followed by his self-released studio CD, Twelve Mondays, in March of 2009. The album features reworked versions of 12 fan-selected songs, culled from the previous year’s extraordinary output.It’s a remarkable mix that’s distinguished by the intelligence, nuance and range of Hest’s material. Add to that the fact that these songs were written amid the week-to-week gauntlet of 52, and it’s all the more impressive. Tickets €18

Also coming to Campbell’s for the Arts Festival (on Thursday, July 15) are Yurodny, a superb nine-piece band that fuse Balkan rhythms with New York-style jazz. Yurodny also features the fluid violin and viola of Irish classical musician Cora-Venus Lunny. Tickets €20

Tickets for both of these show are only available from Galway Arts Festival Box Office, Forster St., Galway (Tourist Office), 091 566577 or online bookings at www.galwayartsfestival.com.