Songwriter, performer, broadcaster and bluegrass aficionado Niall Toner has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) Personality of the Year Award.
With this project EBMA intends to recognise and acknowledge the past and present most influential European musicians, promoters, journalists, dj’s, luthiers, experts, etc. who contributed, and still contribute, in a relevant and significant way to establish or popularise the Bluegrass music genre in Europe, and to create a European Bluegrass scene and community.
The Award ceremony will take place during a concert on Saturday 16th March, as part of the 5th European Bluegrass Summit to be held in Prague.
Delorentos are the winners of the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2012, in association with IMRO and IRMA, for their third album, “Little Sparks”. Accepting their award last night in Vicar Street, the guys paid tribute to the wealth of talent in the music scene in Ireland.
The judging panel made up of 11 Irish music media professionals deliberated at length to choose the album which represented the best of Irish music from the shortlist of 10 records released by Irish artists throughout 2012. Instead of using sales or airplay as criteria, the Meteor Choice Music Prize judges focus, simply and solely, on the music. The winner of the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year was also announced. Gavin James won the prize for “Say Hello”, decided by the public via text vote and online through Meteor’s Facebook page. The prize was presented to Gavin by Today FM’s Colm O’Sullivan and Carolann Lennon from Meteor.
Delorentos received a cheque for €10,000, a prize which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) – as well as a specially-commissioned award provided by RAAP. The sold-out event in Vicar Street, Dublin featured performances by nine of the ten shortlisted acts. The event was hosted by Today FM’s Paul McLoone and was broadcast live on the station on Paul’s show as well as a live webcasts via Venue One.
The full shortlist of nominated albums was as follows (albums in alphabetical order):
Wallis Bird – Wallis Bird (Rubyworks)
The Cast of Cheers – Family (Schoolboy Error)
Adrian Crowley– I See Three Birds Flying (Chemikal Underground)
Delorentos – Little Sparks (Delo Records)
Damien Dempsey – Almighty Love (Sony)
Julie Feeney – Clocks (Mittens)
Heathers – Kingdom (Warner Brothers)
Mumblin Deaf Ro – Dictionary Crimes (Popical Island)
Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon (Kitsune)
Windings – I Am Not The Crow (Out on a Limb)
Culture Ireland funded the attendance of key overseas delegates at the event.
Hamsandwich will perform a live and acoustic seton Wednesday 13th of March at 1pm, Eyre Square, Galway to mark the launch of the Discover Ireland 2013 Campaign.
Hamsandwich will perform Models, the official new soundtrack to the new Discover Ireland 2013 Campaign. Featuring Niamh Farrell’s subtle lead vocal gently driven home by Sarah Lynch’s masterful violin work, Modelswill be perfect accompanying tune to any summer holiday in Ireland this year! The catchy song will form the background to Discover Ireland’s yearlong TV and radio advertising campaign.
With 2013 being the year of The Gathering, this year’s Discover Ireland campaign aims to encourage Irish people to get out there and discover all that Ireland has to offer, highlighting the extensive menu of fun, feasts and festivals taking place this year, as well as all of the great value accommodation and special offers.
Hamsandwich will perform Models live and acoustic along with a number of other tracks from their critically acclaimed album White Fox .The County Meath Irish Rock band, consisting of Niamh Farrell, Podge McNamee, D’Arcy, Ollie Murphy, David McEnroe, Niall Cullinane, and featuring special guest Sarah Lynch on violin continues to go from strength to strength with 2013 shaping up to be an even bigger year for the band.
Niamh Farrell of Ham Sandwich commented, “We are thrilled that Models has been selected as the official track of the new DiscoverIreland.ie 2013 Campaign. As a band we are lucky to have an opportunity to travel across Ireland and to see all the exciting destinations it has to offer and are proud and delighted to be part of the new 2013 Discover Ireland campaign.”
Donal Dineen’s Parish, Rarely Seen Above Ground (RSAG) and the Dublin Afro-Beat Ensemble will appear at this year’s TrócaireLive, which takes place at The Grand Social in Dublin on Saturday, 27th April.
TrócaireLive is an annual event that showcases Irish and international music and places a spotlight on Trócaire’s campaigning work throughout the world.
This is the third year of TrócaireLive and takes place as part of Trócaire’s 40th anniversary.
The event, running from 5pm ‘til late, promises gig-goers lots of international food, drumming, dance and see some of Ireland’s most creative and energetic acts.
Admission to TrócaireLive is free of charge before 7pm and €10 after 7pm, with proceeds going to Trócaire. Well-known radio presenter Dan Hegarty will MC on the night.
Urchin Collective is a movement of independent musicians based in Ireland operating in the genres of avant garde, electronica, folk, Irish language, trad, alternative and indie.
Inspired by the work of other Irish and international collectives such as Community Music and Blocks Recording Club, in the next year the collective will release a sampler of their music and present several curated events.
The first of these shows will take place at Bewley’s Theatre Café on March 8th and will feature Enda Reilly, Fia Rua, Justin Grounds and Pearse McGloughlin. Doors are at 8.00pm and admission is 12 euro (10 for advance reservation from urchinmusiccollective@nullgmail.com).
A year ago Superblondes released their debut EP………
“……….. does what a good ep should do, offers the listener a taste and leave them with an appetite for more!” (Limerick Event Guide)
…….and here they are to whet the appetite with “Kill Some Time” a swooping, swirling, shimmering sound that evokes thoughts of summer nights. Contagious guitar driven hooks, drum beats that sound as if they are about to take off and soaring vocals.
“…….groovy stuff that we need more of” (Jackie Hayden – Hot Press)
Cork and Limerick based Superblondes’ core members Calvin Cooke (drums), Simon Dargan (bass) and Eoin Hally (guitar, keys.vox) recorded the self-penned “Kill Some Time” at The Factory in Dublin, produced and mixed by Kieran Lynch (U2, R.E.M, Elvis Costello), mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Yeah Yeahs, Beastie Boys). Further tracks from the sessions will be released later in the year.
Supplemented by additional guitarists Superblondes are an exhilarating and exciting live five piece band, they have shared stages with White Lies, Alabama 3, The Minutes, Kila, Fight Like Apes and Delorentos as well as playing slots at Hard Working Class Heroes and Indiependence. The plan for 2013 is to get out there and perform.
A new open-mic night is set to launch in Wicklow’s newest music hotspot, Hego’s Market, next Friday 15th March at 9pm. The Stable Sessions will take place in an intimate setting where all are welcome to share their songs and stories. Special guests on the launch night will be Fair City’s Pat Nolan (AKA Barry) who will MC the night and singer-songwriter, Luan Parle.
After the launch night, sessions will take place on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Singer-songwriters interested in booking a slot can do so by contacting The Stable Sessions through their Facebook page or at stablesessions@nullgmail.com.
The event is run in partnership with Wicklow Hospice.
Kid Karate have just completed the recording of their debut LP, Night Terrors, which will be released in 2013…but before that they’ve made new track ‘In The City’ available a soundcloud.com/kidkarate/this-city
Kid Karate are vocalist/guitarist Kevin Breen and drummer Steven Gannon. Influenced by Death From Above 1979, LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, Queens of the Stone Age, Lightning Bolt and Death Grips.
The band’s musical aesthetic is based around Breen’s thunderous guitar-work and atypical howl, and Gannon’s primal drumming style. These elements combined enable the pair to create music that is catchy and intoxicating. Kid Karate make more noise than two people should.
The duo have performed highly acclaimed sets at Hard Working Class Heroes, CastlePalooza, Forbidden Fruit Festival and Electric Picnic as well as playing shows in the UK and Europe. Their gigs have been described as manic and explosive with club promoters warning guests, “Expect to get the heads blown off you!” – (POD).
Described by Joe Duffy on Christmas Eve as ‘The Woman who gave her Heart to the Nation’, Eleanor McEvoy announces the release of ‘If You Leave…’ her first all new studio album since ‘I’d Rather Go Blonde’ (2010). The new recording features 8 new songs and 4 interpretations including ‘God only Knows’, ‘True Colors’, and ‘Lift the Wings’ from Riverdance. Recorded live in the studio with some of Ireland’s finest players, this album of soulful performances showcases Eleanor’s bluesier neo-retro style. To coincide with the ‘If You Leave…’ album launch Eleanor plays selected dates Nationwide on her ongoing GIRL IN A BLACK CAR TOUR.
Formerly a session musician, including a long stint with The NSO, she decided whilst with The Mary Black Band, that she should cash in the savings and develop her own career. One week later…her life changed. Mary”s label owner heard Eleanor play a self-penned song that would give a name and title track to their planned all woman compilation… ‘A Woman’s Heart’ Ireland’s best selling album.
Simultaneously she was signed to Geffen where her eponymous album went on to sell ¼ million copies. ‘Precious Little’ was a Billboard hit and ‘Sophie’ has become a worldwide focus and comfort to millions of young people with eating disorders.
Her most recent album ‘Alone’ is a collection of her best-loved songs performed solo.
Tour dates:// March
Fri. 1 Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, 37 Great James St, Derry
Sat. 2 The Errigle Inn, 312-320 Ormeau Road, Belfast
Thurs. 7 The Crane, Sea Road, Galway
Fri.15 Seamus Ennis Centre, Main St, Naul, Co. Dublin
Fri 21 The Leeson Lounge, Dublin 4
Fri. 22 The Lodge, Ballyellis, Mallow, Co. Cork
Myles O’Reilly, arguably Ireland’s best music documentary filmmaker has joined the line up for this year’s Corona Fastnet Film Festival, which will run from Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th of May in Schull, West Cork. Winner of several iMTV Awards, Myles’ work will be familiar to anyone who watches contemporary Irish music on YouTube.
His film documenting last year’s performances in the Mitchelstown Caves, by Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Lisa Hannigan, Duke Special and James Vincent McMorrow premiered at the Cork Opera House last month, with rave reviews. His films are shot from his signature perspective of someone going to the gig.
Myles has worked with the best in Irish music, filming live performances, music videos and documentaries with Glen Hansard, Bono, Sinead O’Connor, Villagers, Liam O’Maonlaí, Julie Feeney and Katie Kim to name but a few. He is a visual vigilante for Irish music, capturing extraordinary moments very naturally. This is documentary making in its truest form. ‘As soon as I point a camera at a performance I feel like I am part of it,’ says Myles.
The annual Corona Fastnet Film Festival plays host to in excess of 200 short films each year in various venues throughout Schull. It is very much an ‘up close and personal’ experience. Filmmakers, directors, producers and invited guest speakers all share their experiences, giving shape and direction to each year’s challenging programme.
