Name Karl Nesbitt Parents Kathleen Nesbitt | Role Kathleen Nesbitt's son | |
Karl nesbitt playing the low whistle and brian o hanlon playing the bodhr n
Karl Nesbitt is an Irish musician and songwriter. He is the son of John and Kathleen Nesbitt and the brother of Irish violinist Mairead Nesbitt.
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Background
Karl Nesbitt comes from a family of traditional Irish musicians. He began his musical training at age ten when he began playing flute. At fourteen, he began playing the didgeridoo influenced by Steve Cooney and two years later was inspired by Donal Lunny to play the bazouki. Nesbitt played guitar with his first band. In 2000, Nesbitt studied music management and began mixing music for various musicians.
Career
Karl's first band experience was playing with Funk band The 4Players, using an alternatively tuned electric guitar. It was there he became aware of rock music first hand, having previously learned traditional melodies. He also befriended talented guitarist Clint Fitzgerald in the band, with whom he now works with frequently. In 1998 Nesbitt formed a traditional band called "Meitheal" that performed two years in succession at the Interceltic Festival in Brittany, France.
Nesbitt worked with songwriter Niall Connolly for three years, and produced Connolly's third album Future Tense. Through his experience in these years Karl got to experiment with musicians from the genres of Songwriting, Rock, Drum and Bass and Dance Music. Karl used his own instruments, timber flute, bodhran and bouzouki to blend in with other band environments. Since then, Karl has played at various festivals throughout Europe. Along with his sister Mairead Nesbitt, he has supported Carlos Nunez, Hothouse Flowers, Juliet Turner and Bob Geldof. He has also supported Sharon Shannon, shared the stage with Begley and Cooney, Brian Finnegan, and worked with Manus Lunny, John Spillane and Scully from Metisse.
Karl is scoring the music for an RTE commissioned short film called "Point of Departure", directed by Maximillian Le Cain and starring renowned theatre actress Anna Manahan. Karl's debut album Vista Point is currently being mastered by the great Calum Malcolm, who has worked with Clannad, Prefab Sprout and Capercaille. He will be producing the debut album from Barry John, a Cork native songwriter/musician whose song "Warm Despite the Chill" was recorded by Pauline Scanlon on her debut album "Red Colour Sun".
Discography
Solo
"The Good News" 2005
With Mairead Nesbitt
"Raining Up" 2002
With Niall Connolly
"As Tomorrow Creeps from the East" 2004
"The Long Weekend" 2003
"Songs from a Corner" 2001
With the Neff Brothers
"Ar Scath a Cheile" 2004
With Jason O'Driscoll
"Dharma" 2004