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 shares his debut album, out now 23rd September 2022, & accompanying new live video for previously released single ‘Drinking Alone in the Moonlight’
LIVE VIDEO “Drinking Alone in the Moonlight”
Speaking of the album, Patrick says:
“My earliest memories are of moving, journeying, suddenly being in a new place. Now as an adult I recognise that every time I travel I lose a small part of myself only for it to be replaced by something bigger that I couldn’t have imagined existing before. Wayfare is my debut album of songs and it’s about my journey as a man and a musician.
I’ve been making music with different people around the world for 10 years and it took the pandemic for me to stop and dive into my own journey to understand my roots as a folk singer’s son and as a citizen of the world, from Brazil, to Finland, Mali, USA & Europe.
I had amassed lots of skills and performed on big stages in different countries with big artists and it took this time to understand what I wanted to sing about and what I wanted people to feel – so Wayfare is about the course of journeying, like looking back behind you and realising how far up the hill you are. It’s freeing, terrifying, exhilarating.
Wayfare references my 16th century Dutch ancestors who were whalers, some went on several year-long expeditions to gather fuel for pre-industrial cities. The album references the book Moby Dick and its archetypes as I see them reflected through me; Ishmael’s wanderlust, the ambition of Captain Ahab, the mixed crew of Americans, Europeans & Africans, the timeless wisdom of the nourishing, lurking Whale.
Wayfare comes to terms with my mixed heritage and reveals pockets of references to family heirlooms, childhood memories, wisdom scars, my shadow self, west African Rhythms & Brazilian percussion. The album quilts together tones, expressions and rhythms into a well-fitting suit, as if made of different sized & coloured threads.”
The songs have been compared in sound to Paul Simon, Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake, James Blake, Milton Nascimento and Peter Broderick.
Wayfare was funded by the MISP album grant administered by First Music Contact.
Out now, Friday 23rd September 2022
Stream/Buy: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/patrickstefan/wayfare
