As part of her current UK tour, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy will play The Stables at Wavendon on March 11.
Mind you, that cat was let out of the bag a while back, and tickets flew out of the box office - the date is a long time sold out. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise though. After all, Eleanor has a long, fruitful career behind her.
She began as a session musician, then in 1992, she grasped two opportunities that changed everything.
Her track A Woman's Heart was chosen as lead single for a compilation album of contemporary Irish female performers. And Tom Zutaut, the man responsible for signing Guns N Roses, Motley Crue and Edie Brickell, heard Eleanor sing, and promptly offered her worldwide deal.
The compilation shifted three quarters of a million copies, and Eleanor's debut did big business too - achieving sales of 250,000.
Since then, Eleanor, now firmly established as one of Ireland's biggest musical aces, has delivered a dozen albums.
The most recent one, Stuff, has been described as 'a heady brew of caustic observation laced with wit and wry self-deprecation...'
Eleanor shared her musical passions with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses?
"Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel. I was about three years of age, and I loved the rhythmic quality to the track. (Thankfully the meaning of the lyrics completely passed me by)
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Both, in truth. Ideally, physical and vinyl if I can, I love the art work and the feel of it, but given my schedule, I spend a lot of my time listening to mp3s on my iPhone through headphones.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'?
I would have been very young when I first thought that I wanted to do music, but I guess I didn't realise that it was possible to earn a living through music. So I suppose late teens was when I thought that I might actually be able to do this for real.
Your best on stage memory?
Last year I sang happy birthday to the recently released Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a special concert organised by Amnesty in Dublin. Having marched and protested over the years for her release, it was wonderful to have her on stage beside me.
And the worst gig you've ever done?
Oh gosh........ there would be quite a few contenders for this one. Doing a gig in Wheatfield Prison in Dublin stands out as a particularly memorable experience.
What made you take up singing?
I had written hundreds of songs and started singing the demos to send them to other singers. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would, so I put a band together and started gigging.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written?
'God Only Knows' by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher. The harmonic progression in the chords is magnificent and the lyrics are simple and from the heart.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance...
My song "Sophie" has been used in treatment centres around the world to treat patients with anorexia. I get letters all the time from sufferers of eating disorders and their families saying that the song has brought them great comfort. I really believe that music can play a healing role in people's lives, so it means a lot to me that one of my songs might have helped people.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Ooooh! That's hard. Maybe Stevie Ray Vaughan? I love the way he combines his singing and his guitar playing. It's seamless. I would also have been curious to step into the shoes of the magnificent French singer, Edith Piaf. Her vocal performances were so powerful.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to?
I have to say I love the fact that some of the highest selling artists in the UK at the minute, Adele and Ed Sheeran go right back to the basics. Terrific singers singing great songs. The new Goldfrapp album really surprised me - I really like the direction she's taken.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Not really! I like any kind of music once it's good.
Finally, plug Stables date for us - what can we expect?
I walk in a single pool of light. The stage is set with my Telecaster electric, acoustic guitar, violin, piano and a small amp. What follows is the ALONE show. Singing, talking, anecdotes and playing using my own songs and my interpretations of different writers (Chuck Berry, Georges Moustaki, Brian Wilson....). I believe that music is a mood altering substance. At the end of the night, the audience is uplifted. My name is Eleanor McEvoy - this is what I do.
> Call the box office for returns only, on 01908 280800.
