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Gareth Dunlop
Gareth Dunlop was born in 1987 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The youngest of four siblings he grew up in working class East Belfast listening to the music that his brother and sisters adored. At the age of fifteen the discovery of a collection of classic vinyl LPs and 45s sitting in a neighbour’s bin bag ended up being a pivotal point in Gareth’s career in music.  From soul to rock to pop his eyes and ears were suddenly opened to a variety of genres and styles of music.  
“That summer was a real education. I played record after record, over and over again. I loved reading the covers and taking in who played on what session and was fascinated by the names of the producers and studios where each one was recorded. It made me fall in love with music and the recording process”.
Inspired by some of the all-time greats, Gareth, who had been playing guitar for about a year, set about learning lots of Beatles and Dylan songs and playing “as much Jimmy Page as I possibly could”. Before long he started performing in local pubs and clubs playing cover songs with his band whilst also playing a few original gigs along the way.   It was at Belfast’s legendary Rotterdam Bar where Gareth’s first live EP was recorded. Upon its release both media outlets and fans alike started to take notice. “The depth and maturity of his writing shine through…and melt the heart of the harshest critic,” wrote Robert McNamara of The Red Press. BBC Radio Ulster recognised Gareth’s talent naming him “ONE TO WATCH in 2010”.
Between touring and recording Gareth and his friends also fulfilled a life-long dream when they finished building a recording studio out of an old cow shed. It was at ‘Hill House Studios’ where Gareth recorded his solo EP ‘Rooms’ featuring the songs ‘Firefly’ and ‘Tangled up’. ‘Firefly’ soon came to the attention of Northern Ireland superstars Snow Patrol who decided to cover the song at a sold-out gig at Belfast's Waterfront Hall and invite Gareth to join them on stage to sing.  “It was incredible and a proud moment,” Gareth recalled.
An invitation quickly followed for Gareth to participate in a songwriting exchange between the sister cities of Belfast and Nashville which put Gareth on stage at the famous Bluebird Cafe. His talents as both a singer and a uniquely gifted songwriter caught the attention of the Nashville music community and he was offered a publishing deal soon after. The immediate buzz in the U.S surrounding Gareth’s music lead to several songs from his EP being placed on such hit television series as ‘Cougar Town’, ‘One Tree Hill’, ‘Private Practice’ and ‘Life Unexpected’. Then, on the heels of his first international EP release, Gareth went on his first U.S. tour opening a string of dates for Angus & Julia Stone and the Grammy-nominated Steeldrivers.  Recognition for Gareth’s talent as a songwriter was later acknowledged at the 2011 Belfast Nashville Songwriter’s Festival where he was presented with the ‘Young Songwriter of the Year Award’.
Earlier this year, Gareth’s band flew to Nashville to record with six-time Grammy winning producer Brent Maher.   Maher said, “recording with Gareth and his band was a wonderful experience...they are a brilliant group of players.”   Gareth’s “Devil Mocks Me” EP also features some of Nashville's finest studio musicians including Glenn Worf and Michael Rhodes on bass, Nir Z on drums and percussion and John Jarvis on Keys.
Reflecting on the whole studio experience Gareth said, “I was looking around the studio and pinching myself at the caliber of people involved.” Brent Maher added, “Gareth is one of those rare artists who captures a great vocal while playing and singing with the band.  In my career as a record producer working with Tina Turner set the bar for me as to how an artist should drive a rhythm section while delivering a brilliant performance.  Gareth has that same passion and power to create a moment in a song you will always remember."