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‘Apparitions’, Joe’s debut album, which is set for release on 20th November 2020, was written and recorded against the backdrop of his return to Northern Ireland in 2017 to nurse his terminally ill Mother in the last year of her life. “It was soul destroying to see the person I loved most in the world just wither away in front of my eyes, and it had a profound effect on me and my music. The break up of my relationship shortly after, really was the proverbial double whammy, but playing guitar proved to be my saviour. It was incredibly cathartic and it saw me through some dark and difficult times”. The album is a meditative and soul-searching collection of guitar-led instrumentals, with Joe’s compositions being influenced not only by personal experiences, but also by a love of literature and a deep curiosity about the human condition. They are filled with stirring and evocative melodies and atmospheres, delivering everything from delicate, mournful slide playing to fast and furious gunslinging guitar rock, and everything in between. Far from being melancholic or overly sentimental, ‘Apparitions’ reveals Joe as a guitarist capable of using his music to provide a soundtrack for life’s most difficult and most triumphant times; a man with the ability to express his deepest feelings using little more than his guitar. https://www.instagram.com/joehodgsonmusic/