Jack Gaudet and Duke Special share stage at 'Echoes in Heartland' gig
Mullingar singer-songwriter Jack Gaudet shared a stage with one of his musical heroes last night, when he supported Duke Special at a sold-out Echoes in the Heartland gig in Larry Caffrey’s. Duke Special praised the 22-year-old warmly on the night and paid tribute to him.
The emotional high point of Jack’s set was ‘Redbreast’, the song he wrote in memory of his uncle, Declan O’Farrell. It went down really well with the local crowd.
Declan and his brother Noel gigged around Mullingar for years, and Jack comes from a musical family. Declan died about eight years ago, and Jack says losing him has shaped much of his writing. “I’ve written a song about him,” he said, “and I just think about him the whole time.”
Duke Special is one of Jack’s biggest influences, alongside David Gray. His dad raised him on a wide mix of music, from Crash Test Dummies in the car to the artists he now cites as heroes.
Jack says he blinked and suddenly he was playing gigs. He picked up a guitar during th Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, and about six months later, he was busking on the town’s streets and writing his own songs.
Speaking before the show, he said his originals were written over the last six years. “You can see the maturity growing in the lyrics,” he said, “and the mindset changing to positive things.”
So far, only one of Jack’s songs is on Spotify – ‘Keep Moving Forwards’, released a couple of years ago. He has around 15 more written, and an album is the dream.
“Even if it doesn’t go mad,” he said, “just to have something out there to say, that’s mine.”
What stands in the way is money and time, as he works full-time. He has a small home setup and plenty of demos, and he hopes to work with a professional producer.
He is quick to credit the Mullingar music community, which rallied round to help record his last track. He cites the town’s open mic nights and the chance to open for The Blizzards on St Stephen’s Day as highlights. “Mullingar just has something special in the music scene. It’s just so tight.”
On nights like this, he is clear. “Since Covid, the social life around music has gone away, and people are only starting to come back. I think it’s exactly what the town needs.”
ABOUT ECHOES IN THE HEARTLAND
Echoes in the Heartland is a listening-room gig series at Larry Caffrey’s in Mullingar, with 80 seats and an audience there to hear the music. Duke Special was the fifth Echoes gig.
The organisers see the series as a way to support and promote local artists while bringing renowned acts to the town, adding to Mullingar’s long tradition of live music and an independent scene that is recognised well beyond it.
David Kitt is due to play in the coming weeks, and the last few tickets are still available. Jeffrey Martin will follow, and more acts will be announced in due course. Search for Echoes in the Heartland on Instagram for updates.