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Month: September 2014

The Northern Ireland Music Prize 2014 Album Shortlist announced

Twelve albums therapyhave been shortlisted for the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2014. The winner will be announced at a special awards night at the Mandela Hall, November 15. More than 70 people were contacted from the NI music industry and music media. This resulted in the following shortlist:

Alana Henderson – Windfall
Ed Zealous – Wired
Little Matador – Little Matador
Malibu Shark Attack – Malibu Shark Attack
Mojo Fury – The Difference Between
More Than Conquerors – Everything I’ve Learnt
Rams Pocket Radio – Béton
Robyn G Shiels – The Blood Of The Innocents
Slomatics – Estron
Sullivan and Gold – For Foes
VerseChorusVerse – VerseChorusVerse
Wonder Villains – Rocky

Foy Vance was the winner of the NI Music Prize in 2013. He was “gobsmacked” that his ‘Joy Of Nothing’ album was highlighted by the voting academy last November. He added: “what I love about it is it’s shedding a light on Northern Irish music. And the more people who know about that, the better.”

The NI Music Prize event is being supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The event will be the finale of the Sound of Belfast, programme, November 7-15.

The NI Music Prize will end with a special presentation to the band Therapy?, who formed in 1989. They will be presented with an Oh Yeah Legend Award for their ground-breaking achievements. The band will then perform their 1994 ‘Troublegum’ album, which sold over a million copies and was shortlisted for a Mercury Prize.

A series of shortlisted acts will also perform during the NI Music Prize.

Online ticket sales:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/288297

Lethal Dialect announces 1988 album launch show in Dublin

lethal dialectLethal Dialect released 1988 last weekend to great acclaim. Produced by JackKnife-J and with guest vocals from Damien Dempsey, Jess Kav and 4Real, the album marks the rapper’s emergence to the forefront of Irish hip-hop. The album is currently available on iTunes.

This will be Lethal Dialect’s only headline show for the remainder of 2014.

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UFPI Management looking to form new boyband

UFPIFinal auditions calls for a new boyband being formed by UFPI Management which includes TMI Entertainment.

If you are interested in being part of a new boyband and are aged between 18 and 24 then please forward a headshot and demo to talent@nullufpi-management.com Closing date for applications is Monday 13th of October 2014. Auditions will be held in Dublin on Saturday 18th of October 2014.

United Film Productions International (UFPI) is a leading entertainment management company which represents a large number of clients internationallly accross the motion picture, television, animation, music, theatre and publishing entertainment industry from its principle offices based in Dublin, Ireland.

No telephone calls in relation. Serious enquires only. Thank you.

www.ufpi-management.com/

Blink announce details of their ‘Catch The Moment’ best of compilation

blinkSeminal Irish band Blink have today announced details of their new best of “Catch That Moment” a compilation of the bands’ own favourite Blink songs – which is out on October 24th on the Garage Records Label.

Featuring 19 tracks from across their career, the album contains 3 previously unheard songs (“Never Too Late To Start Again”, “Billy” and fan’s live favourite “Can”) The album also features songs from 1994’s “A Map Of The Universe By Blink”  – “The finest Irish pop record ever” – Hotpress Magazine,  “The End Is High” Billboard’s album of the month, 2004’s meteor award nominated record “Deep Inside The Sound Of Sadness” including some versions recorded for the US market.

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Red Bull Music Academy Weekender starts today

The Cathedral rbmawQuarter in Belfast will host four days of concerts, club nights, lectures, film screenings, a record fair, street art across the city and a photo exhibition for the first edition of the RBMA Weekender Belfast this September between 25th and 28th September 2014.

Nils Frahm, SKREAM, Terri Hooley, Greg Wilson, Ashley Beedle, Chez Damier, Ryan Vail, The Juan McLean, Timmy Stewart and Twitch represent some of the most cutting edge artists and will be among other genre defying musicians who will perform at the inaugural Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) Weekender in Belfast.  Tickets for all live shows are now available to purchase at www.ticketmaster.ie and usual outlets nationwide.

MUSIC

Highlights of the RBMA Weekender will see contemporary pianist, Nils Frahm join the unique sounding Derry based, Ryan Vail in one of Belfast’s most iconic locations, City Hall.

One of the fathers of the Belfast punk movement, Terri Hooley will share a stage with fellow Belfast native, Noel Watson, a DJ best known for being one of the first to play house music in London. They will be joined by one of UK’s most celebrated house producers, remixer and DJ, Ashley Beedle and music pioneer, Greg Wilson in Aether & Echo (A&E) on the Saturday of the RBMA Weekender.

The Limelight will host one of the most prominent producers, SKREAM, house and techno stalwart Paul Woolford, who will perform under his alias Special Request and Chez Damier, a man who has mixed with the best and who will bring his classic sound of New York garage to music fans in Belfast.

The festival will kick off with the expertly assembled dance music of The Juan MacLean who will be joined on stage by Red Bull Music Academy alumni and Belfast DJ Timmy Stewart and various DJs from the hugely successful club night, Twitch.  To close the weekend, 21 Social will play host to the astonishing Space Dimension Controller.  The evening will be rounded off by local scene stalwart Barry Lynn in his Boxcutter guise, promising a tasty fusion of dubstep and IDM.

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Irish Band Red Empire Honoured In Prestigious US-Based Unsigned Only Music Competition

The Unsigned Only Music Competition has just announced its 2014 winners, selected from almost 8,000 worldwide entries. Judged by a roster of high-profile artists and influential journalists, Unsigned Only is a unique music competition for solo artists and bands who are unsigned to a major label.unsigned only

This year’s judges include: John Oates (Hall & Oates); 3 Doors Down; Neon Trees; David Crowder; Rosanne Cash; Craig Morgan; Delbert McClinton; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Of Monsters and Men; Black Francis (Pixies); Aaron Shust; G. Love; Jason Gray; Dustin Lynch; The Mountain Goats; Alt-J; Mike Posner; Rapsody; Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone); Chris Richards (Pop Music Critic, The Washington Post); Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste Magazine); Lucy Jones (Deputy Editor, NME); and Michael Hann (Music Editor, The Guardian)

Produced by the same team that organizes the renowned International Songwriting Competition (ISC), Unsigned Only this year has awarded UK artists with two First Place and one Second Place wins. Additional artists have garnered numerous Honorable Mention wins.

Co-Founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan said, “We continue to be impressed by the UK entrants, and these winners embody the best of the up-and-coming talent that is coming out of the UK and Ireland.”

Winning First Place in the Adult Contemporary (AC) category with the song “Muscles And Bones” is The Luck, the brother and sister indie duo of Max and Esmay Luck. Having both grown up singing in choirs, they have developed their blend of bewitching, soaring harmonies over percussive guitar, stomp and electric bass lines. Hailing from London, the duo are working on their next release following the success of their single “Muscles and Bones” in 2013. This song gained sync on UK TV show ‘Hollyoaks’ and radio play in the UK and Switzerland. It also won the International Songwriting Competition in the Adult Contemporary category. The duo are now based in California where they are writing, recording and performing.

Garnering First Place in the Rock category is the explosive award-winning indie rock band King No-One for the song “Millennium.” Hailing from York, England, their music combines simplicity and expression, originality and intricacy. They play dynamically diverse music, from smooth overlaying melodies to raw, expressive rock. The winning song “Millennium” has received BBCRadio6 airplay as well as international airplay in Europe, USA, and Africa and was also played on national television on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

Taking home Second Place honors in the Adult Album Alternative (AAA) category is Sam Eliot for his song “Believe.” A remarkable singer/songwriter based in London, England, Eliot has been writing and playing music since very young but got seriously into it after hearing Bob Dylan on the radio, and he hasn’t looked back since. Other than Dylan, his musical influences are Bon iver, John Lennon, Mumford and Sons, Adele, and many more.

The overall Grand Prize winner is awarded to the US band Goodbye June for their song “Daisy.” Comprised of three cousins, indie-rockers Goodbye June released their highly anticipated debut album Nor The Wild Music Flow in 2012 and have not stopped since. With a European tour under their belt and a second album on the way, this band is poised for greater success. Their winning song “Daisy” is a surefire hit and will be released on their upcoming album.

In addition to winning $10,000 in cash and much more in merchandise, the Grand Prize winner receives the opportunity to be mentored by and directly network with the top echelon of record company professionals. Mentors include presidents and top-level executives from Universal Republic, Sire, Elektra, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Sub Pop, Big Machine, Word Label Group, Capitol, Roc Nation, American, and Virgin.

In addition to these First and Second Place winners, the list of UK and Irish Honorable Mentions is as follows:

 

Folk/Singer-Songwriter

Covey (London, England) – “Comes And Goes”

 

R&B/Hip-Hop

Ray (London, England) – “Rock-A-Bye

 

Rock

Sam Eliot (London, England) – “Believe”

Red Empire (Dublin, Ireland) – “Small Mercies”

 

Teen

HANS (Cardiff, Wales) – “L.O.V.E.

Play At The Freezer Sessions … and win a trip to Germany

Call to find Ireland’s best Live Band! Become the 100th Band to play renowned live sessions – and to win a trip to Germany…

PLAY AT THE FREEZER SESSIONSlive shot 3

Over the last few years, the Jagermeister Freezer Sessions have packed venues across the country. Now, Hot Press is now scouring the nation to find the best live band in Ireland.  The band will go on to become the 100th act to play on this platform at a very special session in Dublin (hotel accomodation provided). This isn’t about your recorded output – it’s about how your band sounds live!

YOUR BAND IS FLOWN TO GERMANY The band will then be flown to Germany, where they’ll perform a very special set to camera, deep in the forests of the ‘Pfalzerwald’.

To enter, just go to hotpress.com/thefreezersessions

Closing date: Wednesday, 24th September

For more information, contact Elena at Hot Press: elena@nullhotpress.ie

 

Sound Training Online has it’s official launch

soundtrainingcollege

Harry Crosbie and Grammy Award winning producer Pat Mc Carthy launched Irelands first online music college ‘Sound Training Online’, based in the Temple Bar Music Centre.

Harry Crosbie said, “Ireland has great culture of musicianship, with some of the greatest bands and musicians the world has ever seen stemming from our island. The Sound Training College, and Sound Training Online, plan on being at the forefront of education for the next generation to come.”

Sound Training Online is Irelands first online music college and allows students from anywhere in the world to access the highly renowned skill set in teaching that is offered by Sound Training College. The college has received assistance from Enterprise Ireland for being a high potential start-up company and they have also been selected to  showcase at the Web Summit 2014.

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Femmepop releases debut album ‘From A Girl Who Never Sleeps’

Today Femmepop Femmepopreleases her debut album ‘From A Girl Who Never Sleeps’. The album was written, recorded, produced and mixed by Margaret O’ Sullivan but was mixed and mastered by the legendary Gavin Monaghan, whose previous work includes Babes In Toyland, The Editors, Broadcast and many more.

You can purchase the album from Bandcamp and follow Femmepop on Facebook and Twitter.

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