Modern Celtic musician Yes the Raven returns to White Horse, Aug. 29

Singer-songwriter Alyn Mearns aka Yes the Raven will perform at White Horse Black Mountain on Saturday, Aug. 29. Though classically trained, Mearns says he tired of the academic world and came to the realization that pop music was a more powerful art form. And, though he uses words like “diaphanous” and “urban dreamscape” when describing his current sound, Mearns also told Xpress that in this incarnation of his musical career, “I can use my guitar skills for good, rather than evil.” Learn more about the musician here.

Press release from the venue:

Yes the Raven: Celtic Modern
Saturday, August 29 – 8 p.m.- Yes the Raven, Singer-Songwriter, $10 advance/$12 door

There’s something timelessly hypnotic about a Yes the Raven performance when singer-songwriter Alyn Mearns summons up mysterious dreamscapes in his mesmerizing contemporary songs . White Horse Black Mountain audiences know Mearns as half of the popular Irish folk duo the Belfast Boys, but a very different musical identity emerges in his Yes the Raven persona, appearing in concert at the White Horse Black Mountain on August 29 at 8 p.m.

Mearns grew up in Belfast during “The Troubles”, where as a teen he immersed himself in the guitar, absorbing every musical style within earshot. His guitar skills earned him a scholarship at Appalachian State University, and he played in several bands. However, he found himself drawn back to the evocative power of the solo acoustic guitar. Explains Mearns, “I found myself falling in love with the guitar again, not in the traditional ‘lead guitarist’ sense, but in a way that could accompany my songs and provide a satisfying emotional landscape. My guitar became a kind of miniature band, a miniature cathedral.” Yes the Raven concerts are filled with guitar moments that leave listeners wondering “What just happened and how did he do that?” Yet the guitar is always a carefully considered equal partner to the deeply literate and poetic lyrics. At times Mearns’ voice takes wordless flight as a true second instrument, and the effect can be otherworldly.

The songs of Yes the Raven, showcased on his CD “Love is Covered in Dust” feel both ancient and modern, thoroughly informed by contemporary pop and folk music but also drawing from some deep bardic well. Yes the Raven’s lyrics, surrounded by Mearns’ symphonic guitarscapes, create a listening experience that acoustic music maven Joe Tosco says “draws you into a place where music becomes magic.”