Guggenheim Grotto travels light. As an up-and-coming band, the duo – Kevin May and Mick Lynch – can’t really travel in style. No tour buses, no full band. Instead, the duo drive across the country in a van. Not that the Dublin, Ireland-based folk/pop band can’t boast its successes. The band has provided songs for the TV shows “One Tree Hill” and “Brothers & Sisters.” This weekend, the band brings its music back to Fort Wayne a third time.
You’ve been touring for several months in the U.S. How different is it from playing Ireland, Kevin?
Last year we spent seven months touring the U.S. It’s exhausting, but eventually you find your rhythm. Ireland is about the size of Maine; this country is so big, when you’re going from coast to coast, there are a lot of very, very long drives for us.
What do you do to keep busy?
I’m able to read in the car, although I’m not doing much this time around. I’d like to be able to write because it would be time well spent, but I can’t. I probably could if we traveled in style – a big tour bus with an area where I could be alone for a while. But I can’t while I’m in a cramped car with two other people.
You have pared the band down to just the two of you – keys and guitar. Why?
It’s economic, to be honest. We’d love to travel with a full orchestra, really. But for a band at our level, traveling around the states, it’s not possible. On tour sometimes, the venues put us up. But I’ve got a lot of family around the States, just from being Irish, I guess. I love it when we stay with people because you start to get a real sense of the place.
With only two of you, a live performance becomes pretty intimate.
Yes. For the rooms we’re playing at the moment, we’re fine. Our live set is very much stripped back and acoustic. It focuses on the actual song, not just the arrangement. We think our songwriting is strong enough no matter how we arrange the song. And this way, you get to hear the lyrics more.
What is your lyrical focus?
Mick’s in the car right now. He just said “death.” He’s kind of right. I’ve always been fascinated with letting things go – lovers, memories, time. A lot of our songs approach that in one way or the other.
What do you think is the basis of the fascination?
It’s the ultimate question. In everyday life, we all know we’re going to die; it just does not hit you. You can’t really comprehend it; we really should all be running around screaming our heads off in fear. We can’t function that way. In songwriting and poetry, death and love are the two big themes. These are the two big mysteries in life, and art is a way of contemplating them.
If you two were from the United States, people would be labeling your music “Americana.” Do you have a lot of U.S. influences?
Americana. Exactly. And the Canadian songwriters as well – Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell. I’ve always been a big fan of the songwriting of Bob Dylan. I think I started songwriting because of Neil Young, Randy Newman and artists like them. Nowadays, everyone has a library of music, so nothing is off-limits when it comes to inspiration.
