Reel is located in Northern Ireland,
although he doesn’t recognize
it as its own country. He
refers to his area as the “occupied
six counties.” Since his town is
near the border of Ireland and
Northern Ireland, he often performs
shows throughout the south
in places like Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny,
and Galway. He has a good
fanbase in the Netherlands and
Germany, so losing that initial tour
for the new album was a big blow.
He’s also been to Nashville several
times and has even performed
at the legendary Bluebird Cafe on
a number of occasions. Some of
the music writers in Europe have
wondered about the title of the album
since the music on The Nashville
Calling isn’t traditional country.
It’s clear they haven’t paid as
close attention to Nashville as an
artist like Reel has. In the past two
decades, roots music and even
alternative rock bands have begun
calling Nashville home as well.
The Nashville Calling was intended
to mean that he felt a calling
to go to Nashville. Looking back,
Watch a video for “Tough People” by Ben Reel
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 71
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