NL·First Listen

How a change of scenery created the Dandelion Few — and inspired their new album

The Dandelion Few’s new album, Sure We’ll Go Home By Water, mirrors the transatlantic life of its members, Tiffanie George of St. John’s and Sean Bradley of Dundalk, Ireland. 

Have a First Listen to Sure We'll Go Home By Water by The Dandelion Few

The Dandelion Few are Tiffanie George of St. John's and Sean Bradley of Dundalk, Ireland. (Submitted by the Dandelion Few )

The Dandelion Few's new album, Sure We'll Go Home By Water, mirrors the transatlantic life of its members, Tiffanie George of St. John's and Sean Bradley of Dundalk, Ireland. 

George, who had always been interested in getting involved in the St. John's live music scene, moved to Ireland a few years ago for a change of scenery. 

"I was a bit shy and nervous," said George. "I wanted a place that was less familiar so I could feel my way through that."  

New scene, new courage

George eventually ended up in Dundalk, a town north of Dublin with a reputation for having a great music scene. 

There, she met folk musician Sean Bradley, who became a keen collaborator. 

"It's a rare thing to find, when voices are so in sync, so we found it was meant to happen," said Bradley. 

Welcomed back

George and Bradley eventually moved back to  St. John's. 

Here, it was Bradley's turn to be pleasantly surprised by a new place. 

"The standard of musicianship [in St. John's] is one thing,"  Bradley said. "But a really important note is the openness of musicians to take you in." 

Sure We'll Go Home By Water is the Dandelion Few's second album. 

It features the duo's trademark harmonies, and guest appearances by acoustically based musician friends in St. John's.  

Crossing the ocean

For the next two months, the Dandelion Few are in Ireland, performing in a cabaret production in Dundalk. They also plan to do their own gigs, and to write more music for their next album. 

Then, it's back to St. John's in December.

According to George, the combination of home and away makes the duo's work even stronger.  

"Funny enough, when I came over to Ireland, I never had a lot of experience performing in St. John's," said George. "It's a lot easier to go somewhere a little less familiar when you start." 

Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us, wam@cbc.ca, and tell us about it. 

You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Barrett is the host and producer of Weekend AM on CBC Radio One in Newfoundland and Labrador.