County: Dublin

Decades Active: 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s

About Joe Chester

Prior to being a solo artist, Joe Chester was a producer and engineer as well as being a member of various bands including Sunbear, Nina Hynes touring band and Ten Speed Racer. He also quietly released some records in the mid-90s under the name The Sound Of Bells. Chester left Ten Speed Racer in 2003 and commenced work on his own solo album.

Joe Chester released his debut album, A Murder Of Crows, on the BARP label in February 2005. The album was written over 2 years in between various periods of production work and band membership and recorded and mixed by Joe in Wexford and Dublin. Seamlessly combining acoustic and electric instrumentation in a beautifully simple and affecting format, Joe (with a little help from a handful of musician friends) captures the listener from the opening bars of the lilting title-track right through to the final moments of the strings and piano finale of "Anyway". In 2006, Joe was nominated for Best Irish Male in the Meteor Irish Music Awards, and A Murder of Crows was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize.

On April 14, 2008, Chester released his second solo album, The Tiny Pieces Left Behind, under his own label, United Pacific Recordings. Self-financed and recorded in Dublin, the album features more full-band arrangements compared to his first and includes contributions from Binzer Brennan on drums and vocals from Ann Scott and Gemma Hayes. The lead single, "Maybe This is Not Love," received recognition as Irish Single of 2008. Critics praised the album, with Totally Dublin highlighting its indie-pop essence mixed with bittersweet and electro influences. Hot Press reviewer Adrienne Murphy called it exceptional, likening it to works by John Lennon and Neil Young, particularly praising the track "Fluorescent Light." Due to the challenges faced during its creation, Chester decided to take a break from live performances after a launch show at Whelan's, which featured an acoustic set with Hayes and Scott.

Chester did some work with Gemma Hayes and in 2010 was recruited into The Waterboys. While touring with Gemma Hayes and The Waterboys, Chester began incorporating elements from his short stories into his songwriting. This new approach culminated in his third solo album, She Darks Me, released in 2011. The album features a more organic sound and includes contributions from Binzer Brennan, Steve Wickham, Trevor Hutchinson, and harmonica by Mickey Raphael. It consists of nine original songs and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Most Of The Time." Critics praised the album for its depth and emotional complexity, with Hot Press calling it a masterwork, while The Irish Times noted Chester's keen attention to detail and melodic arrangements.Initially released as a download-only album, it was later deleted, but a remixed and remastered version was released on CD and digital formats by Bohemia Records in 2017.

In 2014 Chester joined A Lazarus Soul as guitarist.

In January 2017, Chester relocated to France and made his return to his solo work after a six-year hiatus with the single "Juliette Walking in the Rain". This track was the first release from his fifth solo album, The Easter Vigil, which came out on February 24, 2017. Thematically, The Easter Vigil is structured like a Passion, exploring the journey of faith and the loss of belief. The album received critical acclaim, being described as "breathtaking" and "profound," and was named Album of the Week on RTE Lyric FM. Its launch featured a sold-out performance at Dublin's Unitarian Church, supported by musicians including Steve Wickham and Vyvienne Long.

In late 2017, Chester travelled to Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, to record his double album Jupiter's Wife. Released on May 1, 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, the album couldn't be promoted through live performances. Instead, it was accompanied by a launch film, The Candle From The Shadow, showcasing performances from lockdown in southern France. Jupiter's Wife received widespread acclaim, named the best Irish album of 2020 by the Irish Daily Mirror, and earning accolades as Album of the Week on RTE Lyric FM. Reviews compared it to the early works of the Waterboys and Van Morrison, praising its folk authenticity.

In 2021 he scored a worldwide Number 1 on the Bandcamp Contemporary Classical chart with “Carolan/Cage,” an EP of guitar transcriptions of works by the Irish composer Turlough O’Carolan and the American composer John Cage.

In January 2023, Bohemia Records released LUCIA, Joseph Chester’s first major composition for classical guitar & strings, commissioned by Axis Ballymun, Dublin, as part of the celebrations marking the centenary of James Joyce's Ulysses. The album received rave reviews and the suite has gone on to be performed many times (both with strings and as a solo guitar recital).

Video

Joe Chester - A Murder Of Crows (Live at Other Voices, 2004)