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New Single from Patrick Stefan ‘Drinking Alone in the Moonlight’

July 8, 2022

Patrick Stefan is an Irish-Dutch singer and wayfarer; born in Co. Clare now based in Dublin, he’s travelled & lived in different corners of the world from Scandinavia, Brazil to Africa. Inspiration for his songs come from a colourful background of experience: learning tribal songs in Mali, jazz guitar in Boston, folk singing in Helsinki and drumming in north Brazil. His songs have been compared in sound to Paul Simon, Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake, James Blake, Milton Nascimento and Peter Broderick.  After much wayfare, Patrick Stefan is releasing his debut album of songs 23rd September 2022.

Today, Patrick shares Drinking alone in the Moonlight, the second single from his debut album wayfare.

‘Drinking alone in the moonlight’ takes its name from an 8th Century poem by Li Bai, known for his poems about wandering, nature, mindfulness & solitude. The poem longs for friends, but settles with the company of his own shadow and the moon –

“When I sing the moon dances, when I dance my shadow dances too”

Speaking of the song, Patrick says “A fellow wanderer of the world and of the self, the simplicity of the words resonated with the solo experiences that shaped my upcoming album Wayfare. I wrote the song first on a Finnish Kantele – a child’s harp, then brought it to life with a guitar accompaniment & strings that reminded me of Nick Drake in a classic 50’s movie. To a Taoist, Li Bai’s drunkenness would not be seen as a vice: I like to connect the idea of drink & dancing alone with your shadow to Carl Jung’s idea of the ‘shadow self’ – the dance with the part of you that you keep hidden.”

Drinking alone in the moonlight was recorded at Black Mountain studios & mixed by Alex Borwick. String arrangements by Patrick stefan, cello & viola by Gabriele Dikciute & Philip Keegan. It was produced by Alex Borwick (Sam Fender, Niamh Regan, Moxie) & Patrick stefan. Mastered by Darragh Nolan.

Pre-order Patrick stefan’s album ‘Wayfare’ on Bandcamp:

https://patrickstefan.bandcamp.com/album/wayfare

Upcoming shows:

Resonate Music Network Residency with Navá, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, (August)

Support for Niamh Regan @ Galway Arts Festival (July 16th)

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