Gothic Theatre
Roddy Hart
In a relatively short time, Roddy Hart has established himself as an important and influential emerging talent on the Scottish musical scene.
At only 24, and with his eyes fixed firmly on re-igniting the merits of classic songwriting (a virtue often lost on bands hiding themselves in a wall of sound), his already prolific work has generated a substantial fan base.
Following in the wake of great artists like Dylan, Springsteen, Browne, Young and Finn, his guitar, piano and harmonica-driven lyrical reflections impact on all who hear them and have subsequently earned him much respect from fans and critics alike.
A run of sold-out shows and rave reviews have him earmarked as destined for greatness: his honest, intimate and upfront songs resolutely serving to enforce this notion.
Having played guitar and piano for numerous Glasgow bands since the age of 19, Roddy began exercising his own creative ambitions with a series of home-recorded demos. The first of these—“Sometimes You’re Lost”—contained eight songs demonstrating a talent for earthy melodic songwriting and intelligent wordplay, far betraying his youth and granting him press and radio attention.
This served as a catalyst for the formation of his band The Dendrons, who were forced to disband after a brief but impressive spell on the Glasgow live scene.
The demise of the band only strengthened Roddy’s resolve, resulting in the recording of his second batch of self produced demos “Home Tapes”, released by Glasgow based Adorno Records. Recorded in a week and played entirely by Roddy, the demo album brought him many comparisons with musical greats such as Dylan and Springsteen and resulted in an invitation to play at the prestigious South by Southwest festival 2004 in Austin, Texas.
He continues to develop as an artist, evident not only in his rapidly expanding following but also in his recent string of high profile gigs with artists such as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, The Trash Can Sinatras, The Thorns, The Go Betweens, and Kelly Joe Phelps.
“writes songs that ache with emotion—beautiful, acoustic led, melody-rich pieces…sung in a voice filled with power and delicate fragility. He is a seeking, youthful talent, quite clearly burning with creativity”
Daily Record
“Hart has the freewheeling mainstream chops which boast that the worldwide hunt for the new Ryan Adams wasn’t as thorough as you might have been led to believe”
Bang Magazine
“Hart has a distinctive voice and enormous commercial potential…The potential to achieve commercial and critical success on a wide scale is huge, and on this form Hart could well be the next singer-songwriter to do Scotland proud”
Sunday Herald
“[like] a young Willie Nelson or Bruce Springsteen. Great songs…that will restore your faith in songwriting”
Sunday Mail
“With an earthy voice full of character and an impressive array of musicianship on show, Roddy Hart is quite clearly a local talent worth treasuring.”
The List
“One of Scotland’s most promising songwriters”
The Daily Express
“Song-writing charged with a timeless appeal”
Losingtoday.com
