"Welcome to the beguiling, hilarious, delightful
world of Sleeping Dogz....
Craziness, underwritten by some great, nicely individual acoustic music.
Willy is a first class acoustic musician
accompanied by two other fine players,
Mary Holland and John Devine."
Richard Carrington, Rock 'n' Reel magazine 2007
This unique trio live on
boats on the Grand Union canal, an environment which can't help but inspire
and stimulate their creativity.
Their versatility is reflected in the number of instruments played between
them, including guitar, fiddle, cello, banjo, balalaika, uilleann pipes, whistles,
harmonium and djembe, producing a blend of highly emotive original music and
arrangements.
For those of you not already familiar with Barrett's unique performance style,
come prepared to be both entertained and inspired by the Dogz' repertoire
of original material and arrangements.
Well known for his
successful partnership with John Otway, multi-instrumentalist Willy Barrett's
interest in acoustic live performance was re-kindled after hearing the strains
of a cello being interwoven around a group of musicians accompanying a belly
dance troupe during a visit to a canal-side pub. After a swift introduction,
he suggested that Mary, the cellist, and a previous acquaintance John
Devine (uilleann pipes, whistles, harmonium, percussion), should work
together utilising their diverse musical capabilities.
Coming from an Irish traditional background with contemporary influences,
John also runs workshops throughout Europe in order to perpetuate the Celtic
aural tradition. Before joining Sleeping Dogz, Mary was working as an Egyptian
dance cellist and drumming with a touring Samba band. As a child she appeared
in the screen production of Bugsy Malone and is the inspiration behind this
collective.
