Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Van Morrison, System of a Down and John Joe Kelly actually have a lot in common.

At least, that’s what I learnt from my sit down with the guys of Hermitage Green.

Last week, I got the chance to sit down with Hermitage Green ahead of their whirlwind weekend – The Academy, Barndance, HMV opening, Galway, then Cork; all before Monday morning. The five-piece from Limerick have managed to captivate their audiences in Ireland – and are working on the rest of the world.

The first question, and the one that ended up having the most intriguing answer, was concerning the origins of the band. For ages, it had been said that the band was formed ‘accidentally’ – out of a jam session that had just evolved into something more.

As it turns out, that wasn’t a rumor.

Even when it came to discussing their inspiration behind becoming musicians in the first place, each band member had their own story – ranging from an epiphany at age 5 to it being something that simply happened.

The five-piece certainly have eclectic taste when it comes to their musical inspiration. From John Martin to System of a Down (more specifically, Toxicity); Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Damian O’Kane – it’s safe to say that the band has drawn their inspiration from…well, just about everywhere.

This is part of what makes their music so interesting to listen to; while they play a mix of acoustic folk rock and trad, the flavours of other musical genres and artists can be picked up on through the different songs.

The band gained a good bit of traction when their covers went viral – ‘Cosmic Love’ has nearly half a million views on Youtube alone. Completely understandable, as it is a brilliant cover – as are many others that they have performed. As for the band’s preferred cover songs to perform, Cosmic Love; Road Trip; Awake My Soul; Girl From the North; and Teardrop ended up being their five favourites. While their covers are brilliant, the band deserves so much more recognition for their original music.

The band is, of course, undeniably talented. They utilize their real life experiences for the basis of a lot of songs – even, on occasion, the experience of writing a song (as can be heard on ‘Live On’ and ‘Let the Ink Flow’).

When asked about the recent resurgence of Irish music, or if they think there has been one at all, the band unanimously agrees that there has always been an Irish presence in the music industry – it’s simply easier now for a band to be heard, and thus gain a fanbase, globally. 10 years ago, a band would need an international hit – now, all it takes is the right song to go viral through social media.

As for their own fans across the globe, Hermitage Green know exactly how they came about. They attribute the current folk culture as a factor in their global fanbase – as well as the fact that people of Ireland are spread out through the world now, spreading the culture to different areas of the globe. Plus, social media sharing sites such as youtube and twitter are always a help.

And as for their favourite Irish acts of the moment? Hozier; The Riptide Movement; Little Green Cars; Mick Flannery; Moxie; and Cillian King were some of the names that came to mind – the last of whom supported them at the Academy on April 17th.

The band can next be seen early May of this year. They will be headlining Live at the Big Top in Limerick this coming bank holiday weekend (May 4th), alongside Gavin James and the Riptide Movement.