Shane uses studio to develop ideas and record high quality demos

“SINCE our last chat, I’ve been spending a good bit of time in the studio, recording new music,” explains Tallaght-born singer-songwriter Shane O’Fearghail.

Following on from COVID, Shane has become “a lot more hands-on” with that side of things, really learning the recording process as he goes.

He has always been involved in co-production across his five albums, but he used to leave the technical side, the engineering, to others.

Over the last few years, Shane has started digging into that himself, and it is beginning to pay off.

The idea now is to grow that into something more where he invites songwriters and producers into what will be the “Craic Haus”, his studio, and use it as a space to develop ideas and record high-quality demos.

It is very much about the idea first, not the finished product; “That can come later.” I’m still learning, but it feels like a good direction.”

His new single ‘Cuba’ was written back in Dublin in 2006, after a night out in Temple Bar with a Latino dancer.

Shane reflects, “What stayed with me from that night was simple: we all carry our own troubles, dreams, and aspirations… and sometimes, it’s just good to dance.”

Now that Cuba (the country) is on the horizon once more, it felt like the “right time” to showcase the song and who knows, perhaps draw a bit of much-needed attention to the reality Cubans have been living with for a generation.

Since leaving Spotify and streaming platforms in general, life for Shane feels “a lot simpler, less cluttered.”

He is no longer chasing algorithms, and that has given him more time to focus on new music and on himself.

Strangely enough, something he had “not expected at all”, Shane’s health has improved too. He is sleeping better and feels a renewed appetite for playing music, and playing live.

He has lost monthly listeners, but things are beginning to balance out in other ways.

His ‘Cottage Community’ Patreon page is growing, his YouTube subscribers have jumped, and he now has a small but genuine group of “real listeners”.

Together, they are building something new; what that is exactly is “still evolving, but already it feels different and more meaningful”.

That said, there is still music on Shane’s website, Bandcamp, Subvert, and YouTube for anyone who wants to find it.

Some of the biggest concerns that influenced Shane’s move away from streaming platforms include the rise in generative AI as well as wanting more community-based support.

“If the industry is becoming more automated, a natural counterbalance might be needed for personal spaces that feel real—where we see and relate to the people across from us,” he remarks.

The ‘Cottage Community’ idea is about that balance: small, intentional communities that are locally rooted.

Right now, Shane is releasing one song each month on Bandcamp as part of his ‘Cottage Community’ working studio plan, with three tracks up so far

on his Patreon page.

He is also working on a new album with new songs for next year, self-produced at his home studio, the Craic Haus.

Alongside that, he is writing with other artists, developing songs for a new Slovenian act, and helping grow the Schönberg International Songwriting Festival in Austria, where he is based.

He also runs workshops, is slowly working on a long-promised book, and continues to play live, both solo and with his band The Host.

Shane also teases that there may be a new band forming around the

upcoming records.

For up-to-date info, Shane’s mailing list can be found on his website Shaneofearghail.