With Every Drunk’s Gotta Story out now, we took some time to hear from Eoin Shannon. Read below to learn more about Eoin Shannon, the story behind Every Drunk’s Gotta Story, and what’s to come.

Hi Eoin Shannon! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?

Eoin Shannon is my birth name – there are a lot of great Shannon’s in the world, and I like that name so far now I am keeping it.

What city are you from, and where are you based now?

I am from the great land of Cork, Ireland, and based in Cork.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

It was around 2022-2023, I put an add on a website just said I’d be interested in working with a musician, and I was approached by Larry Magee, a fantastic producer, we did a few cover songs, and shortly after songs of my own started coming to me, and together we created songs that were put into the first album, Hello Forever.

How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

I try to make meaningful music, something that a human might experience sometimes in life, trying to connect with the listener. I listened to Blue October a lot in my early 20s and they helped me through some tough times and it helped that I didn’t feel alone in whatever thoughts I was having.

I also feel the same listening to Kate Wolf, big fan of her work, she created such amazing songs that touch the heart and soul, and the human condition.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

I create art, I enjoy listening to music and painting – I seem to focus more on fun animal art like cats and dogs wearing clothes.

Who are some of your main musical influences?

Kate Wolf, Jim Croce, Tom Waits, Mick Flannery, Bobby Blue Bland, Patrick Park, Ryan Adams, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra.

Who would be a dream to collaborate with?

Maybe Nick Cave after I got compared to him a lot. I listened to all his music – would love to do something like the weeping song meets the “Puppetmaster” or “Game Night In Hell.”

It’s great to see so many young female talent taking over. Listening to Olivia Dean a lot at the moment. She would make an amazing jazz album on her own – I can see her taking over the jazz soul world. Be a cool dream to collaborate with her. Sabrina Carpenter would be cool to do a Johnny Cash/June Carter or a Kenny Rodgers/Dolly Parton type song together.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?

This ALBUM, Every Drunk’s Gotta Story, the writing is the best that I have done so far – it’s probably my The Boatman’s Call or Closing Time type album. The musicians that I worked with really created amazing music. I am a big fan of everyone involved.

What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?

I think the less I have tried to write a song the better. I just sing and everything just aligns for me. I have been lucky that way.

Now onto your release, Every Drunk’s Gotta Story. What inspired this album?

I listened to a lot of Mick Flannery, fantastic singer, songwriter, and I think he is one of the best in the world, and he should be more well known. He sings a lot of pub songs and is influenced heavily by Tom Waits. I wanted this album to be light with soft piano in a jazz style. I think while not realizing it, it’s probably a bit Soul-Noir which is pretty cool. My previous album, Highs and Lows, had very strong Blues and Rock n Roll, Gospel vibes, so I wanted to tone it down a bit. I listened to a lot of early Frank Sinatra and Tom Waits also.

What is the overall theme of Every Drunk’s Gotta Story?

There is a pub lounge bar, filled with characters in the dead of the night, the bartender is there to be the amazing host that he is and bend a helping ear or two. These characters have gambling depths, addiction, affairs, troubled marriages, one of them comes to think maybe love isn’t for me, maybe it’s just easy to be alone. Tormented by the puppetmaster and find love in alcohol to forget their troubles for a few hours, but then last call comes and they have to face reality again.

What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for Every Drunk’s Gotta Story?

I wanted it to be a dark Neon style lounge bar, the artist Simon Gatzwiller did a fantastic job, it’s one of the best album covers that I have witnessed and it’s amazing that it’s the visual of this album.

What was the creative process like when making Every Drunk’s Gotta Story?

It was really magical. I didn’t go in thinking that this was going to be a concept album, it was just going to be a bunch of dark jazz songs put together, but then I realized that I had already created a song called “Bartender,” but it was a folk country song, and once I turned it into that piano with saxophone, I started to realize this is set in a pub.

I had a song called “Sit down beside me now,” which I just wanted to sound like a Damien Rice song like “Blower’s Daughter,” but then I listened carefully and was like this is actually the Bartender’s song, so I changed it to “Pull up a Stool.”

I had another song about love that I wanted to sound somewhere like a musical type song with the melody and lyrics I had and realized it’s not about human love it’s the love someone has for alcohol and it’s addiction that comes with it. So, it was renamed to “Pour me some Unconditional love.”

I also had a rock song that was meant to be a prayer type song that was called “Angel,” I realized it’s the final song for this album, “Last Call For The Broken Hearted.”

How long did it take to complete Every Drunk’s Gotta Story?

Maybe 6/7 months.

Is there a specific song on Every Drunk’s Gotta Story that speaks to you the most? If so, why?

Sometimes “Love isn’t for everybody” speaks to me a lot. I have been a hopeless romantic, but it was never to do with the other person or myself that really had the problem, but the universe pulling us apart, and I feel if it’s not meant for me so be it.

What do you hope fans take away from Every Drunk’s Gotta Story and your music in general?

I hope my music helps people escape their busy lives, pour a glass of beer or some whiskey and pull up a stool, forget your troubles for awhile. Someone has it worse somewhere else.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?

I am always working on new material, might go back to folk maybe something like my first album, Hello Forever. I don’t really like staying in one lane for far too long. I like to make the music journey as interesting as possible.

Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!