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Vincent Cross is a writer, musician, performer, and educator. Born in Ireland, raised in Australia, and now based in New York City, he was influenced by local traditional players in Ireland as well as inspired by the contemporary singer-songwriters he encountered on his travels. His four, full length albums, combine traditional songs with newly composed material garnering critical acclaim and charting success with Home Away from Home (2008), A Town Called Normal (2013), Old Songs for Modern Folk (2016), and The Life & Times of James “The Rooster” Corcoran (2020).

 He tours extensively in Europe, Canada and Australia, where he has performed at TelemarkFestivalen (Norway), and Maverick Americana Festival (UK), and The Hebridean Celtic Festival (Scotland). Stateside, he has performed at The Dripping Springs Songwriter Festival (Texas), The Brooklyn Folk Festival(New York), and The South Florida Folk Festival. He has also shared the stage with many of his peers such as Glen Hansard, Paddy Casey, Greg Garring, Damian Rice, Sean Tyrrell, August Wells, David Amram, Brendan O’Shea, Roy Bookbinder, Michael Daves, Guy Davis, Chris Thile, and Richard Buckner.

 A twice fellow of The Academy for Teachers, he has been the recipient of a New Works Grant funded by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as a Folk alliance international first timer scholarship. His essays have appeared in the Folk Music Society of New York Newsletter, and are scheduled to appear in Living Tradition (UK), and Rock ‘N Reel. Recently, he was awarded the Dean’s Merit Scholarship from City University of New York, and presently teaches and resides in Queens, NYC.

SELECTED TOURING EXPERIENCE 

EUROPE, IRELAND & UK, (2019)

  • UK: What’s Cookin’,(London), The Maverick Americana Festival (Suffolk), Colindale Folk Club (London), 81 Renshaw Street (Liverpool), Aberdare (Wales), Tamworth Folk Club (London), Bridge End (Wales), String Theory Hawick (Scotland), Pick N Mix (Leeds),The American Bar, Ireland: (Belfast), The Roisin Dubh (Galway), Spirit Store (Dundalk) Screeb House (Connemmara).

  • Norway: Telemark Festivalen.

AUSTRALIA & USA/CANADA  (July, 2016)

  • AUSTRALIA (NSW, QUEENSLAND, MELBOURNE:Illawara Folk Club: Wollongong; The Shack: Narrabeen: Hotel Blue: Katoomba; Nabiac; The Merry Muse, The Retreat Hotel, Tradwinds: Newcastle; Hump Hall: Allambie; The Bug: Brisbane; The Bearded Lady: Brisbane; Ground Control Coffee: Tweed Heads; The Treehouse: Byron Bay; Nundle Memorial Hall: Nundle; Troubadour Folk Club: Woy Woy; Wingham, The Gasoline Pony: Sydney; The Manley Fig: Sydney. USA:  CameroN: North Carolina; Isis Music Hall: Asheville, North Carolina; Mount Airy: North Carolina; Bobbie's Idle Hour: Nashville; The Family Wash: Nashville; Visionary Heights: Houston, Texas; Seabrook: Texas; Dry County Concerts: Eastland Texas; Wine and Song: South Pasadena; California, Pixar: Oakland, California; Cloverdale: California; The Weary Traveler: Wisconsin; Uncommon Ground, Chicago. CANADA:The Blackbird Café: Edmonton; Borduex Farm: Strathmore; The Underground Café: Saskatoon.

EUROPE, IRELAND & UK,  (2015)

  • UK:The Maverick Americana Festival: Suffolk; Kiss The Sky: London; What’s Cookin’: London; Filey Library: Scarborough; Bridge End: Wales; String Theory: Hawick; Hebredian Celtic Festival: Scotland; The Old Brewery: Inverness. IRELAND: Abner’s Barber Shop: Dublin; The Sitting Room Session De Barra’s: Clonakilty; The Galway Fringe Festival: Galway; McGings: Westport; Anchorage Bar: Carrick-on-Shannon; The Cobblestones: Dublin. EUROPE:Telemark Festivalen: Norway; A Maze in Tchaiovna: Czech Republic; Zdar nad Sazavou: Czech Republic, Breclav U Kapra: Czech Republic; Valasske Mezirici: Czech Republic;  PiecArt Acoustic Jazz Club: Poland; Koprivnice: Czech Republic; Veseli nad Moravou: Czech Republic; Prima Vista Music Bar: Switzerland.

 SELECTED DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS

  • QAF NEW WORKS GRANTEE, (2018) - Funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, SUZI WOLLENBERG SHOWCASE, (2016)- North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance, #2 ALBUM FOLK DJ CHARTS, (April-2016), PMN FINALIST, (2016) - Peoples Music Network (Songs for Freedom & Struggle), FAI FIRST TIMER SCHOLARSHIP, (2014) - Folk Alliance International, Kansas City. 

SELECTED ALBUM REVIEWS

  • fROOTS MAGAZINE (UK) - "powerful narrative ballads of real-life events." COUNTRY STANDARD  (USA) - “Brings a modern sensibility to songs that lie deep in our musical genes.” SMALL TIME RADIO SHOW (USA).

 PUBLISHED RECORDINGS

  • VARIOUS: UNDERCURRENTS (2001), INNUDATIONS (2002); VINCENT CROSS (2002); HOME AWAY FROM HOME (2008); A TOWN CALED NORMAL (2013); OLD SONGS FOR MODERN FOLK (2016). 

SELECTED RECENT BLURBS:

“Like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie before him, Cross re-purposes the structures and themes of traditional songs to create highly resonant new ones.” —fRoots Magazine-UK

“Folk music at its best.” —www.rootstime.be

“Brings a modern sensibility to songs that lie deep in our musical genes” (Country Standard Time)

“Captures the spirit and methodology of the great tradition of troubadours..."- WCOM (The Revolution Starts Now)

“Echoes the great folk performers of the past while retaining his own voice and approach to songwriting ”- Gentlefolk2  (UK).

HIGHLIGHTED FESTIVALS & CONVENTIONS: 

Song lives Series: Irish Arts Center, (NYC) ; South Florida Folk Festival,  (Florida); Dripping Springs Songwriter Festival, (Texas); Telemark Festivalen, (Norway);  The Maverick Americana Festival, (UK); Hebridean Celtic Festival, (Scotland);  International Folk Alliance, (Kansas City); North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance (New York)