Shetland Arts is delighted to present Scottish singer-songwriter Dean Owens at two concerts in March as part of his new UK tour: Mareel on Friday 1 and Mid Yell Hall on Saturday 2. His set will be based around his new album, Cash Back (Songs I Learned From Johnny), together with favourites from his previous solo releases and The Felsons’ back catalogue. He will be joined by local guitarist Arthur Nicolson (First Foot Soldiers), giving the concerts a unique local twist.

Already well known in Shetland, Dean has been hailed by many as Scotland’s leading singer-songwriter. His first two self produced solo albums The Droma Tapes and My Town were both very successful and attracted significant critical acclaim. The follow up to these, Whisky Hearts, became the subject of a major national advertising campaign by Navigator Records, and the sleeve notes for the album were penned by Irvine Welsh of Trainspotting fame – a big fan of Dean’s. Other famous fans of Dean include Russell Brand, Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie, Aled Jones, and many others.

As well as touring throughout the world in his own right, Dean has opened shows and been tour guest for artists such as Steve Earle, Eddi Reader, Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffiths, and Joan as Policewoman, to name just a few.

Dean spent 2011 delivering New York Hummingbird – mostly written and recorded in New York City – which was released in April 2012. And his latest album, Cash Back (Songs I Learned From Johnny) was released in November 2012 to terrific national acclaim. Dean is now touring this album and inviting audiences to join him as he takes them through some of his favourite songs; songs he learned from The Man in Black.

Dean said: “I’m very excited about this album. It’s a record I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time and this year seemed the right time, being what would have been the year of Johnny’s 80th birthday.”

Lisa Ward, Marketing Officer for Shetland Arts, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Dean back to Shetland for these gigs. Both Dean and Johnny Cash have huge followings in Shetland, so we’re sure these concerts will be very popular indeed! And Arthur Nicolson is an incredible local talent who is sure to add a completely unique-to-Shetland element to these gigs. These concerts also demonstrate the fantastic potential of Mareel for attracting big artists, who can then also perform in the more rural areas of Shetland too, making great live music more accessible to all in Shetland.”

Local support will also be announced soon. Tickets for these concerts go on sale on Friday 8 February at 2pm via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.mareel.org and www.shetlandboxoffice.org

Source: Shetland Arts