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Month: April 2010

LaFaro

Written by Press Officer on . Posted in News.

LaFaro Set To Storm With Debut Album & Tour
 
THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTNING, VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING
 
LaFaro set to storm with debut album and tour dates

“Old school post hardcore sounds with just drums, guitars and big chunky distorted bass and Jonny Black mangling his vocals like he’s got a mouth full of drill bits, believe me, it’s a good thing."
‘Alternative Ulster’ magazine

Apparently they still do heavy engineering in Belfast; that’s if LaFaro are anything to go by.

The four-piece rock band is set to storm across the UK and Ireland with the release of their self-titled debut album in May. They will be supporting the album, released on Smalltown America Records, with two month long tour of the UK and Ireland.
 
Unashamedly uncompromising and louder and harder that most of the new breed of Irish rockers, LaFaro have already earned a staunch hardcore hometown following, which is set to grow further afield as the four piece release their debut album and set off on a relentless gigging schedule that will take them from Arbroath to Cork and most points in-between.
 
LaFaro have been enthusiastically lauded in Belfast. Their 2007 EP release ‘Tupenny Nudger’ was named as the single of the year two years running. It also topped the Alternative Ulster magazine’s 2008 poll of the Top 50 Northern Irish tracks of the last five years. Tickets for their album release show sold out as soon that they went on sale. 

Hard, hot and heavy, even seasoned music critics have found LaFaro’s live set a bit frightening. They manufacture a high intensity onslaught in a similar vein to the 
Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth and Killing Joke.
LaFaro are also a distinctively Irish band, their music is shot through the electric streaks of intelligence and humour that has always defined the very best Irish rockers, from Thin Lizzy through Stiff Little Fingers to Therapy?
 
LaFaro are: Jonny Black, guitar and vocal; Herb Magee, bass and vocal; Dave Magee, guitar and vocal; Alan Lynn – drums and vocal.
 
 
Hear LaFaro at www.myspace.com/lafaro & www.smalltownamerica.co.uk
 
“The climax of their set is as unsettling as ever, and 'Mr Heskey' is the orgasm of relief, before they kick us out of bed, feeling ashamed, used but happy."
BBC Radio Ulster ‘Across the Line’ (ATL) live review
 
TOUR DATES MAY – JUNE 2010
May 2010
(Ireland)
THU 6 GALWAY, STRANGE BREW CLUB
SAT 8 WATERFORD, MURPHY’S
SUN 9 CORK, CYPRUS AVENUE
THU 13 DUNDALK, THE SPIRIT STORE
FRI 14 DUBLIN, THE ACADEMY
SAT 15 WARRENPOINT, THE INF
(UK)
MON 17 BATH, MOLES
TUE 18 CAMBRIDGE, PORTLAND ARMS
WED 19 LIVERPOOL, SOUND CITY FESTIVAL
THU 20 GLASGOW, CAPTAINS REST
FRI 21 ARBROATH, DEVITOS
SAT 22 DUNDEE, HUSTLERS
SUN 23 EDINBURGH, BANNERMANS
MON 24 YORK, DUCHESS
TUE 25 LEEDS, THE WELL
WED 26 BIRMINGHAM, THE FLAPPER
THU 27 SOUTHAMPTON, UNIT
SAT 29 TUNBRIDGE WELLS, THE FORUM (all dayer)
SUN 30 BRIGHTON, COWLEY CLUB
MON 31 BRISTOL, THE CROFT
 
 
June 2010
TUE 1 CARDIFF, BARFLY
WED 2 LONDON, UNDERGROUD w/ RX Bandits
THU 3 OXFORD, THE JERICHO
FRI 4 MANCHESTER, FEVER
 
 
LaFaro – LaFaro
Debut album released 10th May 2010 on Smalltown America Records
www.smalltownamerica.co.uk
 
 
Spotlight

SEAN McCARTHY BALLAD COMPETITION

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SEAN McCARTHY
MEMORIAL
TRADITIONAL IRISH BALLAD COMPETITION

1st Prize €1,000 – Runner Up €500

TEACH SIAMSA, FINUGE, LIXNAW, CO KERRY

Rules of the Ballad Competition


1. Entries to be received by no later than Friday 9th July 2010
2. Entries to be submitted on one CD with 3 typed copies
(Or in very clear handwriting).
3. Entries to be accompanied by cheque/postal order for €20.00.
4. No entries will be returned.
5. Name, address and telephone number to be clearly written on CD cover
And back of each copy of lyrics.
6. Finalists will perform their entry at Teach Siamsa, Finuge on Saturday 31st July Time 8.30 p.m. The overall winner and runner-up will be decided then.
7. Entries may be in English or Irish.
8. Entries must be original and not previously performed or published.
9. No in-house music supplied by committee.
10. No pre-recorded backing music allowed.
11. Adjudicators’ decision is final.


Send entries to:

Peggie O’Connell, Irremore, Listowel, Co. Kerry. Phone 068-40203
Mobile: 087 -9049371

Enquiries: Bridget O’Connor, phone 087–6250516

E-mail: info@nullfinugeweekend.com

Latest News

THE FUTURE OF MUSIC

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‘THE FUTURE OF MUSIC in the Digital World’
to be explored at international conference in Dublin Castle.

Arts Minister Mary Hanafin to open Contemporary Music Centre’s conference for the music industry on Friday, 11 June 2010.

With access to music now just a click away for most of us, very few of the tried and tested ways of accessing music remain unchanged. Can we, or should we, attempt to predict the future? Have we even begun to deal with the present yet?

This major conference brings together high-level international speakers to explore and debate issues around the meaning of digital culture: how it impacts on the creator and the performer; and the implications for copyright in a world which has come to expect music to be free.

Who should attend?
The Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) is inviting creative artists and organisations engaged in any area of composition, performance, publishing or distribution across all forms of music in Ireland to join the debate in the Coach House, Dublin Castle, on 11 June.

Keynote speakers
• Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin TD, performs the official opening.
• Traditional musician and composer Prof Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin of the University of Limerick and the CMC Board gives the keynote address.

International speakers
• MediaFuturist, Musician and Author Gerd Leonhard (Switzerland) described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘one of the leading Media Futurists in the World’.
• Andrew Dubber (New Zealand), Reader in Music Industries Innovation at Birmingham City University and founder of MusicThinkTank.com and MusicAsCulture.org.
• Composer Bill Whelan (Ireland), best known for his award-winning music for the show Riverdance and films such as Some Mother’s Son and Dancing at Lughnasa.

Other events
• Panel discussion on ‘The Future of Music in Ireland’.
• Lunchtime concert by Irish jazz group Métier.
• Networking reception hosted by Culture Ireland with address by Eugene Downes, CEO.

Eve O’Kelly, director of the Contemporary Music Centre, said: ‘Now that we all access music online and listen to it on the move, the music business has changed radically. Anyone who writes or plays music, or works in music management or publishing in this country, needs to rethink how they connect with their audience. After all, music is one of Ireland’s most successful exports into the global market.’

The Future of Music is presented as part of the Annual Conference of The International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC) hosted by CMC in Dublin, 9-12 June 2010, with funding and support from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), Culture Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, the Dept of Tourism, Culture and Sport, IAMIC, the Embassy of the United States of America and the Improvised Music Company.

The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland’s national archive and resource centre for new music, supporting and developing the work of composers throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. It is used on a national and international basis by performers, composers, promoters and members of the public interested in finding out more about music in Ireland.
Full details and registration: www.cmc.ie/future-of-music
Enquiries: conference@nullcmc.ie    Tel +353-1-673 1922    Fax +353-1-648 9100.Delegate fee €50; concessions €35 (includes buffet lunch, refreshments and reception).
Early bird discount of 10% up to 7 May. A limited number of bursaries are available.

 

John Spillane and Mick Flannery Set to Perform at Benefit Concert

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John Spillane and Mick Flannery to perform concert in aid Heffernan children suffering from Batten’s disease

Musicians Mick Flannery and John Spillane will head up an impressive line up for a benefit concert in Cork, in aid of siblings Saoirse (4) and Liam (21 months) Heffernan, who suffer from a very rare and fatal neurological condition called Late Infantile Batten's Disease.

The MC for the evening will be Dave Mac of Red FM and the full line up also includes Hank Wedel, Kevin Murphy and The Wild Geese. The 900 seat event will be held at the Savoy Theatre Cork on Thurs May 20th, doors 7.30pm. Tickets go on sale this week, and are priced at €20 available via www.tickets.ie and Primetime, Washington Street, Cork, where all proceeds are going directly to this very worthy cause.
 
The children’s parents, Tony and Mary Heffernan launched their all-Ireland fundraising appeal following an emotional appearance on The Late Late Show, in March. This concert is part of the initiative to fund the participation of their children in a second generation human medical treatment trial which is due to commence later this year, at the Weill Cornell University Hospital in New York. This is the only hope these children have of avoiding certain death from Battens Disease.
 
Tony, originally from Cork, and his wife Mary, from Kenmare launched an All Ireland Battens Disease Charity, The Saoirse Foundation (www.beeforbattens.org) to raise funds for their plight, and to increase the awareness of this cruel disease.
 
Their Children, Liam and Saoirse are the two only known sufferers of Late Infantile Battens Disease in the entire Irish Republic, with only 3 cases on the island of Ireland. The third sufferer, Rhiannon Bates (9) from Derry, is the lone child of Alan and Shauna Bates, who joined Tony and Mary Heffernan as co-founders of a new All Ireland Battens Disease Charity, which will represent Battens Disease sufferers and their families in a new global initiative between international and European Battens Disease Patients Organisations, which represent the approximately 750-1000 sufferers of Late Infantile Battens Disease worldwide.
Latest News

JERRY FISH and The MUDBUG CLUB

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 ‘The Hole In The Boat’ is a swampy seafood-fed shuffle with Ribot-like guitar and zombie cardship vocal from Mr. Fish. Jim Jarmusch would pawn his brothel creepers for the rights."
PETER MURPHY ~ HOT PRESS
 
 
New Single: "The Hole In The Boat"
The New Single from the album "The Beautiful Untrue", the follow-up to hit singles "Back to Before", "Dig, A Dog & Bone Story", & "Rogue Melody"
Available on The Mudbug Club Records and iTunes
www.jerry-fish.com ~ www.myspace.com/themudbugclub
 
::: LIVE :::  Vicar Street, Dublin ~ Friday,  May 7th

 
The debut album from Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Be Yourself, was described as "Leonard Cohen doing Dean Martin" and "an album that bucked the zeitgeist with so much enthusiasm you just had to love it." High praise indeed, for one of Ireland"s (by way of Brixton) most enigmatic songwriter/performers.
 
Watching Jerry Fish do his lounge-lizard turn onstage evokes the smoky ghosts of Tom Waits, Willy DeVille, Professor Longhair and Dr John. With his rolling band of troubadours, Jerry Fish weaves a strange, heady brew of barrio blues, juke-joint jazz, psychedelia, Tropicalia and whatever you"re having yourself.
 
Eager crowds have flocked to Fish"s traveling musical medicine show. The debut album reached multi-platinum status, with the single, True Friends, truly ingrained in the Irish hum-along psyche when it was featured on a Vodafone advertising campaign. The band played three consecutive nights at Glastonbury ("We were like the court jesters, it was fantastic") and turned a triumphant gig at the Spiegeltent into a best selling live album.
 
Already The Beautiful Untrue is garnering positive reaction, with The Irish Times saying: "The Beautiful Untrue builds imaginatively on The Mudbug Club"s debut album and Jerry"s Mudbug world of comic-cut theatre feels more attractive with each track…this record is guaranteed to put a smile on troubled faces."
 
"There have been massive changes in the music industry since I released Be Yourself," explains Jerry. "So you have to take all that in. This is the first album I've completed digitally. I became a sound engineer under the tutelage of Dick Meaney (The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine) and Phil Hayes (The Cake Sale, Bell X1) I got to re-learn how to make a record. This is a one-man show. I am the record company, manager and artist."
 
Jerry Fish is the alter ego of singer Gerard Whelan who through the 1990"s was the main creative force in An Emotional Fish, the Irish rock band who released one of the most successful debut Irish albums ever. The band were signed to Atlantic Records by the labels legendary founder the late, great and much loved Ahmet Ertegun. "Ahmet really took us under his wing in the early days of An Emotional Fish, he brought the band to his holiday home in Turkey, and told me stories about Otis Reading and his band, Ray Charles, his brother Nesuhi, he was a great storyteller. Ahmet was a legend, and is one of the main reasons I still write songs and make music today."
Jerry made three albums with An Emotional Fish working alongside record producers, Dave Stewart, Tim
Palmer, Alan Moulder, and Clive Langer. The band toured the world many times, sharing stages with the likes of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode, The Velvet Underground, Pearl Jam and U2. Playing such iconic venues as the El Mocambo in Toronto and CBGB"s in New York.
 
Once the band came to an end, Fish retreated from the rock scene and went back to an old hobby, tinkering around with old motorcycles. He also went traveling to "find himself" and ended up finding the love of his life. However, it wasn"t until the birth of his first child, that The Mudbug Club"s bandleader felt he had to follow his heart and return to the other thing he loves most in the world, music.
Spotlight

AOIFE CLEARY

Written by Press Officer on . Posted in News.

'Us and the U.S'
Release date Friday May 07th 2010
(Independent Release)

After the split from all girl Rock'N'Roll group The Blonde Majority, Aoife Cleary decided it was time for something a little different.
 
Aoife had a sound in her mind that she had been crafting for a long time but was unsure how and when she would make this idea a reality. 
 
After some time spent by herself with nothing but her Gibson SG, a microphone and her 16 track recorder the sound and most importantly the style she was chasing began to slowly emerge from the chaos. With a leaning towards pop, Aoife began to swap loud guitar riffs and the repetitive Dublin club scene that she had occupied so much with her previous band. After months of hard work something very special was about to happen which would change everything.
 
The debut single ‘Us and the U.S.’ lends itself well to all the leading female artists of today, with its flawless, dream-like sound. However it undoubtedly displays influences of some of the ultra cool males in pop such as Julian Casablancas solo record and French electronic outfit AIR.
 
‘Us and the U.S.’ is an anthem of absolute truth which from the get-go is infectious and proves how it is not such a bad idea to divide and conquer!
 
Listen to the track on Soundcloud NOW!!
 
Us and the U.S. is released Nationwide through i-tunes on Friday May 7th 2010.
Spotlight

Irish Composition Summer School

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The Irish Composition Summer School (ICSS) 2010 takes place again at the DIT Conservatory of Music, Rathmines, Dublin, this July from the 22nd to 30th.

The featured composers are Kevin Volans, Kevin O'Connell and Martin O'Leary, with the ConTempo Quartet as the featured ensemble. In the news section of this site you can find the brochure which gives you complete details for enrolling etc.
 
For further details, please see the brochure, available here in PDF.
Latest News

INDIEPENDENCE Festival

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INDIEPENDENCE Music & Arts Festival Adds More Big Names

Now in its fifth year, things really are going from strength to strength for the Cork based INDIEPENDENCE Music & Arts Festival. Having already announced White Lies, Reverend & The Makers, The Coronas, Duke Special, Delorentos & Jape amongst tens of other top festival acts, last Fridays official media launch which took place in Dublin's Whelans venue saw the festival take things up another notch. Added to the August bank holiday weekend rock weekender are Brixton natives Alabama 3. Famous for their title track Woke Up This Morning from The Sopranos, the nine piece acid country house Londoners are well regarded as one of the best live festival acts around having performed at the likes of Oxegen and Glastonbury in recent years. Tracks like Hello I'm Johnny Cash and Mao Tse Tung Says are old school festival favourites and with new album Revolver Soul just about the hit the shelves, it really is time to ask not what your acid country house can do for you but what you can do for your acid country house!
 
Also added to the bill are former Choice Music Prize winners Super Extra Bonus Party who will bring their indie electro sounds to the fore. God is an Astronaut have also been added as they prepare for the release of their upcoming long player Age of the Fifth Sun. Festival organisers Curve Music Management are promising many more additions over the coming weeks for the five stage August bank holiday weekender. Weekend Camping tickets are a recession busting €79 with Non-Camping tickets just €59. INDIEPENDENCE also boasts onsite camping just a stones throw from the festival arena along with great Bavaria run bars and artisan food stalls.
 
Already announced: White Lies / Alabama 3 / The Coronas / Reverend & The Makers / Duke Special / Jape / Delorentos / Fred / Codes / The Chapters / Super Extra Bonus Party / God is an Astronaut / Wiggle / O Emperor / Fish Go Deep / The Flaws / Yes Cadets / Adebisi Shank / The Riptide Movement / Panama Kings / Hoarsebox / Disconauts / Dashka / Heritage Centre / Funeral Suits / Sweet Jane / Hot Sprockets / DC Tempest / Autumn Owls / Deaf Radio / Death Disco / Ladydoll / Ghostcat and many more to be announced.
Latest News

RORY FAITHFIELD

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"Songs for Sooner"

Featuring the Radio Hits "Clonard”, "Blue Western Skies", and "Born in Sydney Town"
Irish Release Date April 30th, 2010 on Blind Romantic Records, distributed by ESD.

www.faithfield.com ~ www.myspace.com/roryfaithfield
 
::: LIVE ::: Upcoming Irish Shows
01 May – Bewleys Cafe Theatre – Dublin
11 May – Ruby Session – Dublin
19 May – Roisin Dubh – Galway
20 May – Mullarkeys Bar – Clifden
26 May – Spirit Store- Dundalk
18 June – McCarthys Bar- Dingle
27 June – The Sky & The Ground Bar – Wexford
14 July – Whelan’s – Dublin

 
Australia’s Dublin-based acoustic powerhouse Rory Faithfield is back in Ireland to launch his fourth album. With Celtic songlines in his head and grains of sand between his toes, Rory has conjured an alluring songbook of life, love and consequence!
 
Dividing his time between Dublin and Vasse on the West Australian coast, Rory has honed his craft on the European pub circuit to create this authentic home-coming album. Big Blue Western Skies casts a wistful spell; capturing the hypnotic harsh beauty of our summers, while the single release Born in Sydney Town is a little piece of home for every erstwhile Australian traveller. Clonard  beguiles as a Celtic ballad of the journey featuring John O'Brien on Uilleann Pipes & Whistles.
 
Much of Songs for Sooner was written last year in Australia, then recorded in Ireland with a full band which included Nick Scott (Van Morrison) and Johnny Boyle (The Frames). Rory co-produced the album with industry veteran Gavin Murphy and also includes top local musicians Bill Shanley, Christian Herzberger, Lorcan Daly, and Ciaran Byrne.
 
Applauded by the often unforgiving Irish music media, Rory is described as "Power Acoustic" by the Irish Independent, and "invigorating and inspiring" by The Irish Times.
 
In a recent 4 Star review, 'The Australian' (national newspaper) noted that, “his message is that all shades of experience can be metamorphosed into positivity and individualistic growth”, and the West Australian newspaper remarked that “this is beautiful, straightforward storytelling, saturated in Irish folk traditions but with a keen edge born of Faithfield's days as a punk rocker in Sydney. I was reminded of Paul Kelly's more lyrical excursions, which is a high compliment”.
 
Biography – Rory Faithfield: journeyman and musician
 
Rory Faithfield is a Dublin-based yet Australian born and bred singer-songwriter, with Celtic songlines in his head and grains of sand between his toes.
 
Undeterred by school reports – kicked out of singing class at age 6 and the School Band at 14 – Rory’s journey began with the post-punk Sydney band scene. Inspired by The Saints, Hunters & Collectors, Birthday Party and X – he eschewed his middle-class beginnings in his search for something that felt more real.
 
Like thousands of Australians, that search inevitably led to a one way ticket to London. “Walkabout” lasted 20 years and saw a reinvention in the fertile Dublin music scene. Rory was inspired by the sheer talent of solo artists such as Christy Moore, Luka Bloom and Glen Hansard who held their audiences transfixed.
Rory spent the 90’s paying his songwriting and performance dues in the demanding pub circuits of Ireland and Germany. Between cries for “The Irish Rover” and “Whisky in the Jar”, Rory discovered his voice as a solo artist.
 
1998 saw the UK release of his debut album NOWHERE, SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE. This was followed in 2002 by BLOOD, BONES & SOUL – described by the Irish Times: “his relentlessly upbeat folk-rock courses with positive thinking and vigorous musicality… Faithfield is invigorating and inspiring..”. With standout songs SHED MY SKIN and the anthemic RISE ABOVE.
 
CIRCLE DANCE , a completely solo acoustic album, was released in 2007 – yet another step in confidence, energy and strength. "This is beautiful, straightforward storytelling, saturated in Irish folk traditions but with a keen edge born of Faithfield's days as a punk rocker in Sydney. I was reminded of Paul Kelly's more lyrical excursions, which is a high compliment" (WEST AUSTRALIAN).
 
Rory’s fourth album SONGS FOR SOONER, is co-produced with renowned Irish music veteran Gavin Murphy and will be released in 2010. The multilayered album title harks to Sooner, a beautiful broken kelpie from a regional NSW farm that he rescued and nurtured. This album is the culmination of Faithfield’s experience as an authentic songwriter and performer.
 
Rory currently divides his time between Dublin and his home in Vasse on the West Australian coast, not far from famed wine country Margaret River. Until recently, Rory has flown largely under the radar of the music scene. Mesmerising Festival performances are changing things.
 
For more info and contact details, visit: www.faithfield.com
 
Recent Australian Activity:
 
–        Played the prestigious Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia, one of the biggest, 50,000 people, on the bill with Saw Doctors, Eleanor McEvoy, Mairtin O'Connor.
–        Played the St Patricks Day Fest in Sydney's Hyde Park to 10,000 people.
–        Performed live sessions on both ABC Sydney & ABC Melbourne and 'Born In Sydney Town' is playlisted on both stations.
–        Album Of The Week on ABC Tasmania.
–        4 Star Review in 'The Australian' (national newspaper).
 
 
Spotlight

SIMON FAGAN

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“Outside Looking In”
– Debut album Out May 14th (Physical, Ireland – RMG); June 7th (Digital, worldwide – InGrooves) –

The irresistible and powerful melodies of Irish singer-songwriter Simon Fagan will be released in his debut album, "Outside Looking In” This much-anticipated LP manages to capture the emotion of Simon's live sets and combine it with his compelling harmonies and intricate arrangements. It includes the live favourites “Damn Honey” and “Water’s Edge” and the International Songwriting Competition short-listed gem “Never Really Cried”.
 
“Outside Looking In” sees a change in direction from Simon’s debut EP “Hired And Fired”, moving away from brass heavy arrangements and focusing more on acoustic-based rock, with elements of gospel and folk to give it a warm Americana feel. Co-produced by Fagan and Brian Kennedy/Ham Sandwich producer Martin Quinn, the album carries lush string arrangements and features the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
 
2009 saw Simon tour heavily throughout Ireland and the UK, performing on no fewer then nine primetime BBC shows, Newstalk’s Weekend Blend and Today with Pat Kenny on RTE. Fagan even ventured as far as Egypt, where he and his band not only performed sold out shows in Cairo, Sharm El Sheik and Dahab, but was invited to appear on national TV and Radio. He has previously opened for Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and more recently at Laura Izibor’s sold out Tripod show.
 
With an Irish tour in the pipeline for May/June and a number of festivals already booked, this summer is setting up to be a very busy one for Simon. You can catch Simon live at Whelan’s, Dublin on May 14th for his album launch. (If you wish to attend please reply with your guest list.)
 
“Hired And Fired … Fagan’s infectious and inventive, with brilliant vocals”
– CD of the Fortnight – Hot Press
 
“Damn Honey … Wow I love it – an excellent song & performance"
– Mike McCready – Huffington Post, USA
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