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Month: October 2018

Van Morrison Set for 40th Studio Album Release

Van Morrison has announced details of a new album, ‘The Prophet Speaks’.

‘The Prophet Speaks’ is Van Morrison’s 40th studio album and will be released on 7th December on Caroline International. This fourteen track album follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed albums (‘Roll With The Punches’, ‘Versatile’ and ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy’), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van throughout his life – vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations, ‘The Prophet Speaks’ features six phenomenal new Van Morrison compositions.

Van Morrison says of ‘The Prophet Speaks’: “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning. Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.

‘The Prophet Speaks’ again finds Van working with the incredible multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co-credited on ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy’) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone).

Released on December 7th on CD, 2 x 12” and all digital platforms via Caroline International.

Bitch Falcon to Release ‘Prime Number’

Bitch Falcon have just announced details of their latest release, ‘Prime Number’.

Dublin alt-rock trio Bitch Falcon exploded onto the Irish music scene in 2014. They quickly established themselves on the live circuit through the intensity of their performances, with the snarling vocals and pulsating riffs of lead singer and guitarist Lizzie Fitzpatrick announcing a new sound in Irish rock. Hard-hitting debut single ‘Wolfstooth’ encapsulated the raw energy of their live shows and brought the band to a wider national audience. During 2015 and 2016 Bitch Falcon’s evolving sound fused together the strongest elements of rock, grunge, metal, hardcore and melodic electro-pop.

Follow-up singles ‘Syncope’, ‘TMJ’ and ‘Clutch’ registered this development and garnered increasing critical acclaim for the band in Ireland and the UK. Their most recent single ‘Of Heart’ is a sprawling six-minute dirge with Lizzie’s vocals soaring over the brooding low-ends of Barry O’Sullivan’s bass and Nigel Kenny’s drums.

‘Prime Number’ is released on 18th October, just before the band head to LA for their first US show, and then out on a 15 date UK tour before finishing up in Dublin with a show at The Bowery on Friday 16th November.

Alice Lynskey Announces Release of ‘Obscene Dreams’

Following on from the successes of ‘Devil in Me’ (featured in Remys Blogspot) and ‘Lovesick Rollercoaster’ Alice is proud to announce the release of her third single ‘Obscene Dreams’. Written about the power and control we all have within us and how we can unleash this in our dreams to become other versions of ourselves, ‘Obscene Dreams’ is a song that will have you singing along at the top of your voice to its belter of a chorus!

Recorded at Jam Studios in Kells Co Meath, ‘Obscene Dreams’ was produced, mixed and mastered by owner Martin Quinn.

Alice Lynskey has played many gigs this year including supporting Paddy Casey, The 4 of Us, Don Baker and Rob Strong and this October 20th will be opening the show for The Stunning during the Wexford Spiegeltent Festival.

In 2013 Alice entered a song ‘Run and Hide’ into RTEs show ‘The Hit’. Her song was chosen and recorded by The Stunning and got to no 6 in the charts and made it into the final.

Since young Alice has sung wherever and whenever she can. Some venues include The Helix, The Olympia, The 3 Arena, The Wexford Opera House and Enniscorthy Castle.

Alice Lynskey’s songs range from country to pop and a fresh combination of the two, which is reflected in her influences. Having grown up in a house filled with many music styles, the varying sounds and vibes of Britney Spears, Aimee Mann, ABBA, Mary Black, Elvis, Queen, Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash, Pink, The Cranberries, The Beatles, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Albert Hammond, No Doubt, Declan O’Rourke and Florence and The Machine to name a few.

Alice is originally from Tallaght in Dublin and is now living in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

Alice Kiernan Releases Debut Single

Alice is a singer and pop artist based in Dublin set to release her debut single ‘Running Now’ on October 12, 2018.

At the age of 16, Alice began her music career by gigging and performing in venues around Dublin and Ireland – supporting some of Ireland’s biggest acts including HamsandwicH and Paddy Casey in venues such as Whelan’s, The Academy, and Cyprus Avenue. Through gigging and posting covers and her own originals online, she soon gained a small following and the 22-year-old is now set to release her debut single; ‘Running Now’.

Taking a step back from her acoustic guitar, ‘Running Now’ takes inspiration from various female pop artists such as Lorde, Florence, and Ellie Goulding. The song focuses on the moment we are faced with the situation that scares us most. We fight or we flight. We stay or we run.

‘Running Now’ will be available on all online platforms from October 12, 2018.

 

Telephone Explosions Release ‘Tine Cnámh’

Kildare dream-pop duo Telephone Explosions are back with a haunting new track ‘Tine Cnámh’ (Bonfire in Irish), whose creeping bassline and ethereal vocals come just in time for the Halloween season. The track also features Kildare musician Helen Holligan on bass and was mixed by Adam J. Wilson.

Telephone Explosions are ambient dream-pop duo Dolores Fogarty and Adrian Mee, formed in Maynooth in 2016 who released their first single ‘Pocket’ in January 2017 and their follow-up ‘Significant’ in July 2017. The band played at the Electric Picnic and Sligo Live festivals in autumn 2017. Inspired by number stations, hidden transmissions and unbroken codes, Telephone Explosions plan to release their debut album in early 2019.

Kodaline Release New Album

Having recently been announced as special guest to Snow Patrol on their huge UK arena tour, Kodaline have just released their eagerly anticipated new album ‘Politics Of Living’ September 28th on Sony Music.

‘Politics of Living’ sees Kodaline team up with some of the hottest production and writing talent imaginable including hitmaker supreme Steve Mac (‘Shape Of You’ by Ed Sheeran), pop guru Johnny Coffer (Rag’N’Bone Man, Beyonce), Jonas Jeberg (Dizzee Rascal, Kylie Minogue), Stephen Harris (Miles Kane, Kaiser Chiefs) as well as long-time collaborator Johnny McDaid (‘What About Us’ by Pink).

The band’s latest single ‘Head Held High’ is a mandolin-driven piece of summer pop with a powerful message that has become a BBC Radio 2 mainstay, and is one of the standout tracks taken from the new album. The single follows the release of one of their best ever singles earlier this year, ‘Follow Your Fire’, a slice of powerhouse pop which has already reached 20 million Spotify streams and showed the band are ready to cement their place amongst the UK’s best in 2018.

Kodaline will also feature on the brand new track ‘All For Love’ on chart-topping DJ and producer Sigala’s new album ‘Brighter Days’, which is also out today.

After a blockbuster summer including playing to a sold out crowd of 21,000 fans at Dublin’s Malahide Castle in June, as well as sets at the Isle Of Wight and TRNSMT festivals, Kodaline head out on a slew of European and US dates this autumn as well as the following arena dates with Snow Patrol next year:

October:

3/10 – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
4/10- Tivoli Ronda, Utrecht, Netherlands
5/10 – Den Atelier, Luxembourg
7/10 – Astra, Berlin, Germany
9/10 – Vulkan Scene, Oslo, Norway
10/10 – Kagelbanan, Stockholm, Sweden
11/10 – Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
12/10 – Docks, Hamburg, Germany
14/10 – Palladium, Warsaw, Poland
15/10 – Studio, Krakow, Poland
17/10 – Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
19/10 – Neue Theaterfabrik, Munich, Germany
20/10 – Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, Germany
21/10 – Trianon, Paris, France
23/10 – La Riviera, Madrid, Spain
26/10 – Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain
28/10 – Fabrique, Milan, Italy
29/10 – LKA Longhorn, Stuttgart, Germany
30/10 – Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany
31/10 – Samsung Hall, Zurich, Switzerland

November:

2/11 – Izvestia Hall, Moscow, Russia
4/11 – Bel Etage, Kiev, Ukraine
14/11 – Belasco Theatre, LA, USA
15/11 – House of Blues, San Diego, USA
16/11 – UC Theatre, San Francisco, USA
20/11 – Neptune, Seattle, USA
21/11 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, USA
24/11 – Summit Music Hall, Denver, USA
26/11 – Varsity Theatre, Minneapolis, USA
27/11 – House of Blues, Chicago, USA
28/11 – St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, USA
30/11 – Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, USA

December:

4/12 – Irving Plaza, New York, USA
6/12 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, USA
8/12 – Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, USA

January 2019

Fri 25th             BIRMINGHAM, Birmingham Arena
Sat 26th                       LONDON, O2 Arena
Sun 27th                       BOURNEMOUTH, BIC
Tues 29th                     LEEDS, First Direct Arena
Weds 30th                   MANCHESTER, Manchester Arena
Thurs 31st                     GLASGOW, The SSE Hydro

February 2019

Sat 2nd                        LONDON, SSE Arena Wembley

This will be the first collection of new music since 2015’s ‘Coming Up For Air’, which went Gold in the UK. The band’s debut album, ‘In A Perfect World’ has sold over a million copies worldwide and imprinted itself on the nation’s consciousness with streaming figures well into the 100s of millions, with ‘High Hopes’ on 100 million Spotify streams alone. On Vevo the band’s videos have had over 200 million views, and they have sold over a million singles. 

www.kodaline.com

MOM Release Debut Single

Two worlds have collided.

When Church met Trad, Rebel Pop was born.

Lisa Canny and DeJay are musicians from two very different worlds. Mayo-born Lisa is 7-time All-Ireland champion on harp and banjo, having grown up immersed in the Irish traditional scene from a young age.  DeJay is a church musician turned songwriter from the American gospel arena. The two individually moved to London May 2016 and soon after randomly met in a legendary London recording studio. A few weeks later, MOM was born.

MOM release the first in a series of singles with their debut ‘King and I‘ – available for download this Friday 28 September.

The Irish folk meets Hip Hop/RnB Duo are here to have their say in Pop Culture and we think you’ll want to hear all about it.

‘King and I’ is a high-energy record that is set to showcase what this audacious duo has to offer.  Banjo riffs, big drums, pop melodies and an eccentric style of production make up the unique MOM sound.  People should be very excited about the originality not only in the single ‘King and I’, but also what must be in the pipeline.

MOM consists of two very talented individuals who have paid their dues in the hard grind of the musicians’ life, have come together to tell stories of their journey. A journey in which has led them both to a whole new world of ideas using their life experience to narrate and to fabricate great stories for listeners pleasure.

MOM shall be trusted to have a go at changing and curating pop music. “King and I’ is their first argument and we are looking forward to the worlds embrace of an exciting and cultured collision of sound.  As you will hear in the debut single MOM are here to stay, and just like in life… Mom knows best.

https://www.mommusic.info/
https://www.facebook.com/m0mmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/m0mmusic/
https://soundcloud.com/mommusix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgi9rf6mms&feature=youtu.be

Lisa Lambe Signs to Blue Élan Records

Lisa Lambe, a former member of the ensemble Celtic Woman, and who was once described by The Irish Times as “The finest singer and actress of her generation” is set to release ‘Beautiful Thing’, on September 28, 2018. ‘Beautiful Thing’ is the first single from her forthcoming, as yet untitled, studio album, and the first with Blue Élan Records, set for release in spring 2019.

Lisa wrote ‘Beautiful Thing’ in Los Angeles with Grammy®-nominated Irish songwriter, and fellow labelmate, Colin Devlin (of The Devlins) & Jake Curran (guitarist for Niall Horan).

“’Beautiful Thing’ was written about falling in love, being in love, and feeling these emotions heightened by the Summer air,” explains Lambe. “It’s about having your heart feeling like gold knowing the one you love is near, and an ode to being loved by the one you love.

Lambe is one of Ireland’s most sought-after performers and is currently featured at Ireland’s national theatre performing in the smash hit Jimmy’s Hall. To American audiences, Lambe was best known for her three-year stint as the lead vocalist of Celtic Woman.

Lisa’s first solo album, her 2015 self-released ‘Hiding Away’, was recorded in Nashville and released in Ireland to much critical acclaim. The Independentnoted: “Whatever the guise, it would be hard to forget the talented singer and actress—and her riot of flowing red curls.” The Irish Times said, “Lambe’s bright, warm, supple voice has just a touch of grain, and she is obviously at home in country-folk,” while RTE described Lisa as a “national treasure,” and the Irish Times stated “Lambe’s voice is pure gold.”

New We Cut Corners Single Out Now

Dublin duo We Cut Corners release new song, ‘Original Sin’ on Friday 28th September, taken from their forthcoming album, ‘Imposters’, which will be available on heavyweight vinyl, CD and streaming from Friday 12th October, out on Irish Independent label Delphi.

The previous track taken from the album, ‘Laughing Maniacally’, has received extensive radio airplay in Ireland, and play on BBC Intro-ducing on Radio 1 in the UK, as well as being playlist on New Music Friday UK on Spotify.

We Cut Corners are guitarist/vocalist John Duignan and drummer/vocalist Conall Ó Breachain. The duo have carved out a unique place in the Irish music scene with their eclectic mix of songs, ranging from angular pop and garage rock, to wistful indie-folk, consistently coupled with their unique lyrical deftness. The result is weird and wonderful, abstract at times, and brilliant. The dynamic drum/guitar combination, and the blending of powerful, unique vocal harmonies is principal to their success.

We Cut Corners ‘ first three albums were all nominated for the CHOICE MUSIC PRIZE for Irish Album of the Year. The new album is now available to pre-order at the Delphi Label Store online at delphilabel.com/the-shop/

The band are pleased to announce the following dates to celebrate the release of the album.

Saturday 13th October – Whelans, Dublin
Friday 19th October – Spiegeltent, Galway (supporting Paul Noonan) Saturday 20th October – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Sunday 28th October – The Spirit Store, Dundalk
Friday 2nd November – The Monarch, London

IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition

The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition, now one of the world’s foremost composition competitions, is being held for the fourth time in 2018–2019. The Jury will be Finland’s Kalevi Aho and Magnus Lindberg and Estonia’s Erkki-Sven Tüür, three of the greatest composers and most influential musical figures of their generation. The conductor member of the Jury will be Olari Elts (Estonia), Artistic Advisor of the Kymi Sinfonietta.

The competition is open to citizens of any EU Member State, of a Nordic country, or of Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the Vatican City State (proof of permanent right of residence also accepted). There is no age limit. Works entered for the competition must not have been previously published or performed and must last 15–30 minutes. They must be sent to the Competition Office postmarked not later than December 3, 2018. The following prizes will be awarded: I prize €11,000, II prize €9,000 and III prize €7,000. The Jury may, if it wishes, divide the prizes in some other way.

In early spring 2019 the Jury will select at least three but not more than five of the anonymous entries for the finals. These will be performed at concerts in Kouvola and Kotka in the autumn season 2019 by the Kymi Sinfonietta, one of the finest Finnish orchestras. The Jury chooses the winners only after hearing the finals concerts and their rehearsals. The composers of these entries will be invited to be closely involved in the rehearsing of their works and thus to acquire valuable international contacts and networks that may have far-reaching consequences for their future careers. For many composers, success in the Klami Competition has indeed meant a decisive boost in their careers.

As composer Kalevi Aho, Chairman of the Jury as of the previous International Uuno Klami Composition Competitions, reports: “The Uuno Klami is the most important Finnish composition competition and one of the greatest of its kind in Europe. The most challenging stage for the Jury is selecting the finalists, since the standard has been extremely high throughout and the competition has attracted a remarkably large number of entries.

The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition has attracted an astounding number of entries: 117 from 23 countries the first time it was held, 186 from 27 countries the second time, and no fewer than 265 from 37 countries on the third occasion. This clearly indicates an obvious demand for a professional competition for international composers. The competition’s aim is to enrich and diversify the repertoire scored specifically for an orchestra of sinfonietta size and to discover and promote contemporary European music and composition under the name of Uuno Klami (1900–1961). The competition is organised by a Patrons’ Association.

Further information and copies of the rules: Executive Director Reetaliina Marin,
tel. +358 50 324 0058, email reetaliina.marin@nullkymisinfonietta.fi.

www.klamicompetition.fi

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