Month: September 2018

New Irish supergroup, Weekend Special are back with their second single from the acclaimed 2018 album ‘In The Heart Of The Castle’. Having garnered praise from the press and public alike, with Roddie Cleere of KCLR stating: “From the first song to the last, the listener is drawn in and captivated. Tasty, enticing, luscious, ‘In The Heart of a Castle’ from Weekend Special is a joy and the best in its genre so far this year”

The group are back with another excellent tune, this time an upbeat number with a summery feel, while touching on the poignant topic of coming to terms with the loss of someone close.

Can we be contacted by the dead? Can we console ourselves in times of grief with the thought that death does not mean extinction?

In the movie “Ghost Town”, Ricky Gervais plays a sour dentist in Manhattan who – as the result of a mishap when receiving a local anaesthetic – suffers a near-death experience and acquires an unwanted and unusual talent. He can see and talk to the ghosts that haunt the city. These ghosts, condemned to live in limbo before “moving on”, latch on to Gervais, hoping he can help them find closure.

In Neil Jordan’s novel, “The Drowned Detective”, one of the storylines deals with the rescue by the hero of a woman (Petra) who falls into the river near the distinctive city bridge. Petra turns out eventually to be a ghost even though so many of the places and events that touch her life seem so tangible and real.

The new Weekend Special single, ‘Remember The Good Times’, speaks to similar themes. A single mum dies in Peru in 2013. As the months pass, there is something very striking about the state of mind of her friends and family. They behave as if she is a living presence. Some speak of regular dreams where she “visits” and speaks to them. Her mother sees her on a bus journey into the city.

Another friend comments: “Our loved ones are still here as a vivid presence: we keep them alive by means of our memories of the good times”. This conscious decision to keep a loved one alive by speaking of her in everyday conversation and refusing to let her go demonstrates a profound understanding of death and loss. In the song, “Remember The Good Times”, composer Seán Silke uses the device of having the “dead” person sing the lyrics, communicating a message of love and hope from the “other side”.

‘Remember The Good Times’ is available now, along with the rest of the Weekend Special Album ‘In The Heart of the Castle’, on all major online stores and streaming services.

Website: http://www.weekendspecial.ie/

Introducing the sublime soul infused sounds of Dublin based multi-instrumentalist and powerhouse vocalist Nnic. (Pronounced like Nic ).

Nnic is the moniker of Naoise Fitzgerald. Hitting the ground running at high speed with her debut single ‘Pillars’, Nnic’s unique R&B tinted vocal is complimented to perfection by exquisite production from Darragh Nolan (Asta Kalapa Recordings) and Adam O’Regan (Little Green Cars).

“‘Pillars’ was written from a place of admiration and is a homage to faceless women who selflessly uplift and support others”

Dublin native Naoise Nic aka ‘Nnic;, is an upcoming female solo artist with a neo-soul/electronic edge. With over 10 years of classical vocal training under her belt, Nnic’s sound and writing passion brings a mixture of ballad-like melodies, with fresh electronic sampling.

Nnic Online

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“We’re running in a dream but I keep falling behind you.” – The Burma’s latest single Quicksand certainly conjures up the fabric of a dream. In a world that changes faster than we can hope to adapt, this intensely melodic pop tune figures as a poignant hymn to a life lost in transition. Scintillating in its dynamic use of form yet elegiac in tone, Quicksand has an addictive appeal sure to keep you coming back for more.

The Burma are an indie rock n’roll band based in Cork City. Influenced by the American Indie scene of the early 2000’s and British guitar bands such as The Smiths, The Burma’s jangly guitars and bouncy basslines make for refreshingly melodic songs.

In December 2016 The Burma released ‘Love Fades’, the first single from their debut EP. The Indie floor-filler was met with great acclaim with Hot Press stating “The pop-rockers are as suited to the dancefloor as the dive bar, as bouncy basslines underpin earwig melodies and shimmering guitar lines. Recent releases like ‘Love Fades ‘suggest that they’re ready to graduate to the big time.” ‘Love Fades’ was also made JOE.ie’s Song of the Day. “This is a little cracker of a tune!”

The Burma released their debut EP ‘Her Eyes On Horizons’ in June 2017. The band embarked on a successful Irish tour, headlining venues such as Whelans, Roisin Dubh and Coughlans.

In September 2017 The Burma released the single ‘Sucker For Stars’ and this track was picked up by Hot Press as their Track Of The Day, “The Burma’s ascendancy continues with new single ‘Sucker For Stars’, which features Smiths-styled guitar riffs, a hugely catchy chorus, and a vocal exhibition from lead singer Tony O’Donovan.”

The Burma have supported acts such as The Academic, The Strypes, Delorentos, The Blizzards & Ryan Sheridan.

Quicksand is out on Friday October 5^th on all digital platforms. The single will be launched for physical release at special launch parties at various in-store performances around Cork on Saturday October 6^th.

Music Zone, Douglas Village Shopping Centre – 1PM
Golden Discs, Patrick Street – 4PM

Live Dates

Pot Duggans, Ennistymon – September 18
The Chasing Bull, Bundoran – November 10
Kennys, Lahinch – November 24
Crane Lane, Cork – November 27
The New Bar UCC, Cork – November 29
The Underground, Dublin – TBC

“We’re always told to take something to feel better and to escape reality. But when you find an actual person that can create that feeling better than any drug or alcohol ever could, that’s the greatest feeling. Finding that is what the message of the song is, and the struggles with it,” explains Rushes.

‘Liquor’, the latest single from West Cork native Sean Walsh aka Rushes, will be released via DFL Records on September 14^th.

An alluring blend of electro-RnB, ‘Liquor’ is infused with dreamy vocals and perfectly polished production. The mellow track blends euphoric melodies and inventive beats with an underlying dark undertone. The result is the epitome of sexy and cool; a finished canvas reflecting Rushes’ self-confessed perfectionism and confirming his idiosyncratic talent.

‘Liquor’ is Rushes’ second single of 2018 and follows the success of ‘Wave’, which was included in Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, slotting in amongst the mainstream heavyweights.

Behind the scenes, the hardworking emerging artist has worked with the likes of Kodaline, Overhead The Albatross and All Tvvins. ‘Liquor’ further cements Rushes as a revered songwriter and artist, whose skills continue to find new avenues for creating music.

With an EP in the works, further collaborations and upcoming shows Rushes’ time has arrived!

All Tvvins enjoyed a phenomenal start to their career. Their debut album ‘IIVV’ shot into the Irish charts at #2, earned a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year and smashed the 15 million streams landmark. Meanwhile, gigs in the UK and Ireland included a life-affirming sold-out show at Dublin’s historic Olympia Theatre as well as a tour as guests to Metric.

Now the duo – Conor Adams and Lar Kaye – commence the second chapter their career by sharing the new single ‘Hell of a Party’. The track is the first from their second album ‘Just To Exist’ which will be released early next year.

Possessing an ominously seductive atmosphere with funk flavouring and Adams’ most soulful vocals to date, ‘Hell of a Party’ represents an organic evolution in the All Tvvins sound. It offers a taster of what to expect from ‘Just To Exist’, an album that clearly expands upon the variety and quality that they demonstrated with their debut.

“We tried to capture that atmosphere in the song’s lyrics too,” says Adams. “To say it’s a hell of a party is a pretty ballsy thing to say, and very cocksure. But in the context of the song, it means something very different. It’s a hell of a party.”

After releasing ‘IIVV’, All Tvvins built on their momentum by dropping three new tracks in quick succession in the shape of ‘Alone Together’ (featuring James Vincent McMorrow), ‘Anything’ and ‘Crash’. But by the winter of 2017, however, their ideas simply weren’t flowing and their confidence was low. As Kaye recalls, “We were questioning the whole thing. Is it worth exploring more? Or do we not do it anymore?”

Salvation came in the shape of an invite from McMorrow to work on a new track. The trio created ‘Hell of a Party’ over the course of a two-day session and that set them firmly back on track. They spent January and February of this year recording the album, with the work ethic of producer, co-writer and effective third member McMorrow vital to their resurgence. They’d rediscovered the pure joy of making music and were rewarded with their best material yet.

The end result is ‘Just To Exist’, which Adams describes as “a snapshot of where we were, what we were going through and where we hope to go next.” The title, adds Kaye, represents “an acceptance of what we had to go through” to make All Tvvins 2.0 not only exist, but to once again thrive. Adversity, it seems, is a potent inspiration.

From Ireland’s deep south prepare to fall further for the rootsy charms of One Horse Pony as they get set to release their EP ‘Hot One’ on October 11.

Hot on the heels of their stomping debut single ‘Muddy Waters’ Cork band One Horse Pony return with the release of their debut EP, produced by Gavin Glass, and its title track ‘Hot One’. With a string of Irish dates in support of the new single, ‘Hot One’ combines the rough edges of the blues, the attitude of RnB, the harmonies of Gospel music and the instrumentation of Irish Traditional music to create something modern and contemporary.

This melting pot of traditions captures the wisdom of life experience and the bittersweet notes in a tale of overcoming obstacles and self-doubt to reach for the top. ‘Hot One’ smoulders with the heat of betrayal, glistens with the shimmer of a hazy backward glance at the past and reverberates with the steely satisfaction of seizing destiny.

Make sure to catch One Horse Pony play one of their renowned and energetic live performances to support the release of their debut EP ‘Hot One’. Full tour dates are available on onehorsepony.com with highlights including the Guinness Jazz Festival Music Trail, Coughlan’s in Cork City and Whelan’s, Dublin.

Pillow Queens announce an Irish winter tour, including dates in Galway, Belfast and Limerick along with their biggest headline show to date in Whelans on November 24th.

To mark the occasion, they’ve put together a music video for live favourite ‘Puppets’, which is one of four songs from their EP ‘State of the State’ which came out in March.

The video sees a washed up puppet take a trip down memory lane towards a brighter time in her life – a time when she was the fifth member of Pillow Queens – successful through the ages. After being kicked out of the band due to some bad life decisions, Connie the puppet decides to take her future with the band into her own hands, editing herself into a music video.

The video was shot over a weekend in Arklow by Dublin based Videographers The Reelists (http://www.thereelists.net/) and Connie the Puppet was handcrafted by Music City frontman Conor Lumsden (https://www.facebook.com/musiccityrocknroll)

Tour dates:

Sept 28th – HWCH showcase, Workman’s, Dublin
Oct 13th – Portlaoise, Kavanaghs *
Oct 14th – Kilkenny, Set Theatre *
Oct 26th – Clonakilty, DeBarras *
Oct 27th – Wexford, Spiegeltent *
Nov 8th – Roisin Dubh, Galway
Nov 10th – Black Box, Belfast
Nov 17th – London, Oslo*
Nov 24th – Whelans, Dublin
Dec 8th – Dolans, Limerick
(*with Delorentos)

https://www.facebook.com/pillowqueens
https://twitter.com/PillowQueeens
https://www.instagram.com/pillowqueensband/
https://pillowqueens.bandcamp.com/releases