“Lyric-driven“, “individual“, “quirky“, “out-of-the-ordinary” are all terms that have been applied to S-Koa’s music. ‘Just As I Am’ – available from today (8th February) – is her second single release, following ‘Missing’, her tender duet featuring Stephen Gormley.
Have you ever felt misunderstood or wondered why you’ve been treated a certain way? ‘Just As I Am’ explores that theme, with S-Koa wondering why truth and honesty are so hard to find. Lose yourself in the emotion…or just sit back and chill. Your choice.
After touring a string of sold out shows throughout 2018 with Irish Band Aslan including dates in The Olympia Theatre, Vicar Street, performances at Electric Picnic, and opening for Brian Kennedy & Damien Dempsey, Ciarán Moran announces the release of his Debut EP ‘& I Haven’t Even Started Yet’, accompanied with a headline show in The Underground Venue, Dublin on April 6th 2019.
The five track EP shows Moran’s honesty & rawness throughout. As the EP begins with the stories of a silhouette imagined figure named Audrey, leading to tracks speaking the mind of a prisoner, and ending with the story of a boy growing up in a home in which domestic violence was an everyday thing. It represents those who know such issues go on, on a day to day basis, but may not speak of it.
Recorded at Beardfire Studios in Dublin 4, the EP is unique, although Moran still hits home with his Folk, Contemporary, Acoustic style. He is joined on tracks by Rohan K Healy, Al Quiff and David Virgin, who produced the tracks and offered their finishing touches and created an edge on each track. According to Moran “I understand some subjects can be hard to write about, and some people won’t speak about such issues, But it’s the truth, it’s fact, and once I speak the truth, I won’t let anyone down.”.
Moran now looks on to his debut headline show this April 6th where he will release his Debut EP. He has also penned in dates to perform at several Irish festivals this year along with several features at shows in Ireland prior to the release of his EP.
2019 marks the 12 year anniversary of the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival. Among the events taking place between February 5th and 19th is a unique performance collaboration between The Dublin City Rounders and talented Chinese singer and songwriter Reichi Sky as part of the Hill Street Chinese New Year Celebration Saturday the 9th of February.
The colourful show combines the original
music of The Dublin City Rounders and Reichi Sky with renditions of classic
Chinese songs translated and re-interpreted by David Virgin and The Dublin City
Rounders, plus Chinese songs sang in Chinese, for the first time, by The Dublin
City Rounders.
To further compliment the live show an album was recorded by Reichi and The Rounders to celebrate the event. The album, named ‘Forever Filled With Sunshine’ after one of Reichi’s originals, contains many of the songs being performed at the February 9th show including the very first English translation and re-interpretation of the hugely popular Chinese song (roughly translated to) ‘You Who Sat Beside My Desk in School’. A limited run of 200 copies of the CD were produced to be available at the show.
Date: 3pm, Saturday February 9th Venue: Hill Street Family Resource Centre, Hill St, Dublin 1 Entry: Free
West Cork Music has announced that the 12th West Cork Chamber Music Young Composers’ Competition is now open for entries. This year the competition is generously supported by IMRO.
West Cork Music
welcomes submissions from all Irish and Irish-resident composers under 35. Past
judges of this competition include Donnacha Dennehy, Lera Auerbach, Brett Dean
and Deirdre Gribbin. The adjudicator for the 2019 Competition will be announced
in due course.
Past winners of
the Competition include Seán Doherty (commissioned to write a chamber opera for
the 2012 Olympics), Solfa Carlisle and Amanda Feery, (both winners of the Seán
Ó Riada competition), Robert Coleman (NCH Jerome Hynes competition winner) and
Finola Merivale (a Benjamin Franklin fellow at the University of Pennsylvania).
Congratulations again to the 2018 winners, Darragh Kelly, Daragh Black Hynes,
Omar Zatriqi and Lisa Robertson.
Irish and Irish-resident omposers under 35
years of age are invited to submit works for string quartet (violin, violin,
viola, cello) of between 5-8 minutes duration for workshopping and performance
at the 2019 West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
Four works will be selected. The composer of
each selected work will receive a prize of €750 and three nights’ accommodation
at the Festival. There will be two public performances of their work by a
conservatoire quartet at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival. The second will
by the official World Premiere played at the quartet’s Town Concert in early
July. The first performance will be at a workshop attended by all four
composers and the public. The composer will have a chance to discuss their work
with the international judge and musicians. The assigned conservatoire quartet
will perform the works as they are workshopped and experiment with
compositional suggestions.
The aim of the competition is to give aspiring Irish composers a platform for their work to be evaluated and performed in front of an audience. Entrants must either hold Irish nationality, be born in or resident on the island of Ireland, have an Irish-national parent, be an International student at an Irish third-level institution, or have lived in Ireland for at least one year. Scores must be submitted to West Cork Music by 23:59 on Tuesday 19th March 2019. All scores must be submitted electronically to music@nullwestcorkmusic.ie
The work:
Scored for string quartet (2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello). Works requiring other instruments, pre-recorded sounds or electronics are not eligible for consideration.
5-8 minutes duration
Has not been performed in concert before a ticket-buying public audience prior to its performances at the 2019 West Cork Chamber Music Festival
The competition
will be judged anonymously and the international judge will select four winning
scores on equal footing.
Each of the four
composers will receive:
€750 prize money
3 nights’ accommodation at the festival
2 public performances of their work by a conservatoire quartet at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival. The second will be the official World Premiere played at the quartet’s Town Concert (a date in early July).
The first performance will be at a workshop attended by all four composers and the public. The composer will have a chance to discuss their work with the international judge and the musicians. The assigned conservatoire quartets will perform the works as they are workshopped and experiment with compositional suggestions.
Each composer will have an opportunity to work the performers prior to the work’s first public performance.
Conditions of
entry:
1. Entrants must
be under the age of 35 on 1st January 2019.
2. Entrants must either hold Irish nationality, be born in or resident on the
island of Ireland, have an Irish-national parent, be an International student
at an Irish third-level institution, or have lived in Ireland for at least one
year.
3. Competition entry is
free.
4. Each entrant can submit one work only each year.
5. We can accept submissions from previous entrants and past winners under the
age limit. Any works entered in previous years cannot be resubmitted.
6. Works that have been performed in concert before a ticket-buying public
audience prior to the Festival (28 June – 7 July, 2019) are not eligible for
consideration.
7. Scores must be submitted to West Cork Music by 23:59 on Tuesday 19th March 2019. All
scores must be submitted electronically.
8. Compositions will be assessed by an adjudicator chosen by West Cork Music.
West Cork Music reserves the right to change the adjudicator in extremis.
9. This competition is adjudicated anonymously. Any indication of the
composer’s name or address on the score would lead to disqualification.
10. Winning compositions will be announced on www.westcorkmusic.ie by 24th
April 2019. The four winning composers will be notified directly by email.
11. All winning composers must submit instrumental parts by 2nd May 2019 for
distribution among members of the conservatoire quartets.
12. It is a condition of entry that composers agree to attend the workshop in
Bantry on Sunday 30th June at 14.00. In the event of non-attendance, prizes
will be withheld. The festival will offer 3 nights’ accommodation to facilitate
the composers’ attendance. All other expenses incurred are the responsibility
of the winning composers.
13. West Cork Music reserves the right to alter dates and times of the Young
Composers Forum and subsequent performances.
How to Enter:
This competition
only accepts entries by email.
Email subject: QCC 2019
Attachments: an anonymous pdf of the score. Please check headers, footers, etc.
do not contain your name. Any text that identifies the composer could lead to
disqualification.
In the body of the email please list:
– Composition title
– Composer’s name
– Composer’s date of birth
– Details of Irish citizenship/residency
– Current address
– Phone number
– Current place of study (where applicable) and study level (undergraduate,
masters etc.)
– Where you found out about the competition (website name, word of mouth, email
circulated etc.)
Please send the
above to Mary-Ellen Nagle at music@nullwestcorkmusic.ie
Our 2019
Composition competition is generously supported by IMRO
Hailing out of Newbridge, County Kildare and now singing out of Cork City, Sara Ryan, armed with her lyrical blend of emotional honesty, self-awareness and societal reflection, driven by a perceptive and rebellious spirit, is well on her way to reaching every music loving ear throughout Ireland.
Sara’s soft and smooth but soulful vocal styling, supported by beautifully crafted melodies, invites the listener to stay tuned for the electrifying sound and next insightful rhyme.
Following the success of her debut single ‘Belle’ which won her acclaim and recognition as ‘Best New Comer’ on Dublin City FM, ‘Belle’ being ‘Best New Single’, Sara was then crowned ‘New Folk Artist of the Year’ at the prestigious Irish Folk Music Awards.
Playing to over two thousand people this past summer extensively touring her Debut EP ‘Glitter Skies’, Sara thrilled audiences throughout the country. Her second single ‘Euphoric Recall’ has been well received by radio DJs including Roddie Cleere, Fiachna O’Braonain, John Creedon and has had a great deal of airplay all over Ireland.
Sara’s star continues to rise as she builds an ever increasing strong and enthusiastic support, touring with Mick Flannery, Jack L, John Spillane and Luka Bloom.
Recently reunited with and supporting Mick Flannery and Jack L in December 2018 Sara continues to impress.
Making a strong start to 2019 Sara has hit the studio to record her eagerly anticipated album, to be released in September and followed by a tour beginning in October.
Enthusiasts won’t need to wait until Autumn for Sara’s next creation as her next single release ‘Lost’ with accompanying video will be released this coming February.
Acclaimed Galwegian singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon is set to release a new single ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ on Friday March 1st, ahead of his first Irish tour. ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ was written by Ultan over the Christmas holidays and produced in January in Sun Street Studios Tuam by John Douglas (Trashcan Sinatras) and Boo Hewerdine. The single was mixed in the US by six-time Grammy Award winning producer Vance Powell (Jack White, The White Stripes). The result is a buoyant tune that belies the stoic nature of the lyrics and the underlying message that despite our individual troubles we all suffer and recover in essentially the same way.
Ultan’s unique ability to capture the fragility and sensitivity of the human spirit through his lyrics has been honed over almost two decades of writing and performing. The quality of his songwriting is equally matched by his powerful yet melancholy voice that critics have likened to the great Roy Orbison. ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ further showcases Ultan’s distinctive gift and is a memorable addition to his catalogue.
Ultan’s upcoming Irish tour includes headline concerts in in Cork at Coughlan’s on Friday March 15th and in Dublin at Whelan’s on Saturday March 23rd. This tour comes on the back of a very successful year for Ultan with a series of big shows at the 3Arena as a guest of the legendary John Fogerty, and at the Trinity College Summer Series at the invitation of Bryan Ferry. He also toured Ireland and the UK with Eddi Reader and The Stunning.
In April 2018, Ultan’s third studio album ‘Last Days of the Night Owl’ was chosen ‘Album of the Week’ on RTE Radio 1 with two singles from the album, ‘The Measure’ and ‘A Weak Heart Like Mine’ (duet with Mary Coughlan), each receiving extensive radio airplay last summer and autumn.
Ultan is currently working on a four-track EP for release in early summer. The EP will include the single ‘In the Blink of an Eye’, two new songs, and a cover of the John Martyn’s 1984 classic ‘Fisherman’s Dream’ which Ultan recorded recently in Galway.
Reckless Records is delighted to announce the release of the title track from Jack O’Rourke’s new EP ‘Ivory Towers’.
This new studio offering is in stark contrast to the first single, ‘Myth’, which was a hit across Irish airwaves to critical acclaim last Summer. ‘Ivory Towers’ is a feel good pop-rock ballad in its lyrical and musical content, shedding new light on the direction this most captivating of Irish songwriters is likely to go. The musical arrangement is certainly a move towards a nouveau-pop sensibility, yet remains in keeping with the fearlessness of his earlier, daring and unconventional compositions. ‘Ivory Towers’ excites with a sense of adventure and Jack’s lyrics – “Young ones painting dreams like rainbow showers, Embracing possibility soul to soul, Like ivory towers” – showcase his ability to convey the personal whilst making it universal. In ‘Ivory Towers’ there is a feeling of positivity as he embarks on a new phase of his musical development.
It has been a year of writing alongside some very productive collaborations with Kormac (on the huge track ‘New Day’ with nearly half a million YouTube views) and long standing friend and musical accomplice, Choice Prize nominee, Marlene Enright. Comparisons have been drawn over the initial years to various musicians (Bowie, Kate Bush, John Grant, Guy Garvey) However, the further Jack embarks into his own musical oeuvre, his own identity has begun to emerge and it is one that has its roots in a classic troubadour tradition, but with a modern and contemporary twist. Jack’s music is startlingly honest with his plaintive baritone, ethereal falsetto and virtuoso piano playing at the core. If you worshipped Bowie or love The National, there’s much to discover in Jack’s unique songs.
His single ‘Silence’ was not only chosen as the anthem for the Yes Equality Campaign, but it also won the prestigious first place prize in the International Songwriting Competition judged by Tom Waits and Bill Withers amongst others and was played live on The Late Late Show. In 2016, Jack’s skilfully delivered and beautifully produced debut album ‘Dreamcatcher’ to critical acclaim and chart success. He is proving increasingly popular and he has been playing his music to growing audiences, embarking on a nationwide tour which included sold out dates in Whelans and the Everyman Theatre and sharing stages with Irish musical Icons Glen Hansard, Imelda May, Bell X1 and Declan O’Rourke. Further afield, Jack has headlined the Centre Culturel Irlandaise in Paris and the iconic Half Moon in Putney, London. Since the release of Dreamcatcher, Jack has played festivals from Electric Picnic to Other Voices, building up critical acclaim and significant radio play. Indeed this year, he debuted songs from ‘Ivory Towers’ in St. James’ Church in Dingle which will be televised on the new series of OV soon.
The new 6 Track ‘Ivory Towers’ EP plays like a mini album, released this Spring. In the meantime, enjoy the title track from one of this country’s most mercurial songwriters – “there’s never been a better you, never been a better me, soul to soul like Ivory Towers”
ISWC system overhaul will better serve authors societies and rights holders in the digital age.
The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) has enlisted Dublin-based software company Spanish Point Technologies to upgrade the global information system of the ISWC (International Standard Musical Works Codes), the unique code that identifies musical works and links them to their creators.
The ISWC system plays a key role in the successful functioning of the digital music market, allowing millions of creators to get efficiently and fairly paid for their works. Royalty collections from digital services have grown 164% over the last five years, topping €1 billion in 2017. Services such as Spotify and Apple Music today offer more than 40 million music tracks. Underlying the effective identification, collection and distribution of digital royalties are the ISWC codes.
Tens of millions of ISWCs have been assigned worldwide since the code was created in 2002. The codes help collective management organisations (CMOs), responsible for collecting and distributing authors’ royalties, track the use of musical works they represent across the globe. This enables them to collect royalties from users, especially digital service providers, on behalf of their members.
CISAC pioneered the identifier, which pairs one work with one identifier, to meet demand for reliable information on musical works, in the late nineties. In 2002, the International Standard Musical Work Code, or ISWC, was adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as a unique and accurate identifier (ISO 15707:2001).
While it revolutionised the way in which data was exchanged between CMOs, the upsurge of music streaming services has led to an increasing demand for improved accuracy and efficiency. In the digital environment, societies handle trillions of music usages every year, making the availability of reliable data crucial to the proper collection and distribution of royalties to songwriters and composers.
The ISWC system has seen several updates over the years: the latest services, developed with long-time CISAC partner FastTrack, were rolled out in 2018. The new collaboration with Spanish Point Technologies is the first of its kind. The latest modernisation to the system will help speed up the process by which authors’ societies assign an ISWC code for use by digital service providers and publishers.
CISAC Director General Gadi Oron said: “Investing in improved ISWC systems will immensely help music creators and publishers, authors societies and digital services navigate their way better in the rapidly growing digital music market. The ISWC is the leading music industry identifier and it plays an important role in facilitating the identification of musical works. Our project with Spanish Point aims to increase the speed, accuracy and efficiency of the system in a way that is complimentary with our members’ systems, and which keeps pace with the explosive growth of music streaming.”
Spanish Point Technologies CEO Donal Cullen said: “This next generation ISWC system will help societies manage the marked increase of music streaming services and provide greater data accuracy. Using modern cloud technologies and our innovative matching engine, the improved ISWC systems will assist societies in exchanging information with each other and music users, such as digital service providers and publishers. This will encourage greater use of the ISWC and should lead to more creators’ works being accurately identified and paid for.”
CISAC – the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers – is the world’s leading network of authors’ societies (also referred to as Collective Management Organisations, or CMOs).
With 239 member societies in 121 countries, CISAC represents over four million creators from all geographic regions and artistic repertoires including music, audiovisual, drama, literature and visual arts. CISAC is presided over by electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre and the organisation’s vice-presidents are: Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, Argentinean film director Marcelo Piñeyro, Spanish visual artist Miquel Barceló and Chinese film director, scriptwriter and producer Jia Zhang-ke.
CISAC protects the rights and represents the interests of creators worldwide. Founded in 1926, it is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in France and regional offices in Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Aiken Promotions is proud to launch EASTBOUND – a six-night
stand at venues across Dublin – taking place May 7th – 12th 2019.
EASTBOUND is about capturing the spirit of new and breaking
artists and capturing the imagination of a devoted, music-hungry city like
Dublin and bringing it all together to create making meaningful beginnings.
The first artists announced for
Eastbound 2019 include: MAISIE PETERS, KARA MARNI, STEAM DOWN, WHENYOUNG,
RHYS LEWIS, THE SNUTS, LION, MEN I TRUST, WILD FRONT, GWENNO, BILK, BODY TYPE,
BOY AZOOGA and HUNKPAPA with many more to be announced.
Ticket information:
All tickets are €13.50 and will go on sale Wednesday,
6th February at 9am.
Tickets for events will be sold separately available
on Ticketmaster.ie and outlets Nationwide
Artist information:
LION // The Sound House
// May 7
LION – aka Beth Lowen – makes her Dublin
debut at Eastbound. Blessed with a ferocious, Janet Joplin-esque
voice, check out ‘Self Control’ and ‘Oh No’ from her eponymous
debut EP.
THE SNUTS // The
Workman’s Club // May 7
Initially emerging as a
word-of-mouth phenomenon
and then scoring over 1m Spotify streams of their
early demos, The Snuts’ energy and charisma (plus
a handful of anthems) has been rewarded with a cult following at
home in Scotland.
WHENYOUNG // Whelan’s //
May 7
2018 was a landmark year for the Limerick
natives with the release of their debut album “Given Up”, and
a string of live shows including Shane MacGowan’s 60th birthday
celebration alongside Nick Cave and Sinead O’Connor, and supporting
Dream Wife, The Vaccines and Peace.
MAISIE PETERS // Button
Factory // May 7
Eastbound is delighted to present
Maisie Peters’ first Irish headline show. The Brighton songwriter first emerged
in 2017 when her debut single ‘Place We Were Made’ went viral, and 2018’s ‘Worst Of
You’ has already hit the 22 million play mark on Spotify.
MEN I TRUST //
Workman’s Club // May 8
Described by Pitchfork as ‘dream pop’,
Montreal-based Men I Trust release their third studio album – ‘Oncle Jazz’
– later this year.
WILD FRONT // The Sound
House // May 9
With over
3 million streams on Spotify, Wild Front come
to Dublin for an Eastbound headliner before sharing a
festival stage with Foals and Two Door Cinema Club this summer.
BOY AZOOGA + HUNKPAPA
// The Workman’s Club // May 10
Boy Azooga released
their debut album “1,2 Kung Fu” in June 2018 to very
favourable reviews, dubbed “bright, exciting and full of effortlessly
intelligent song writing” by NME. Formed in 2017, Armagh’s HUNKPAPA
haven’t released a single note of music to date yet have scored
plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio Ulster and BBC
Radio 1. A lethal double-header.
GWENNO // The Sound
House // May 11
Gwenno Saunders is a Welsh Music
Prize Winner (for her 2015 debut album Y Dydd Olaf) and
former member of The Pipettes.
Eastbound will be her first Irish headline
show.
KARA MARNI // The Grand
Social // May 11
Self-described as “soul with a
sprinkling of pop,” Marni has a voice beyond her years, with soaring
vocals and a distinct sound that sets her firmly in her own lane. Influences
include Roberta Flack and Anita Baker and contemporary greats such
as Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill.
BILK + BODY TYPE // The
Sound House // May 12
Boasting influences from the Jam
to Eminem, Essex-based 3-piece BILK write honest songs to inspire the
youth of today, their music being a social commentary to the
challenges facing young people today. Australia’s BODY TYPE have
played shows with the likes of Big Thief and Pond and
have already graced the stages of Gizzfest, Bigsound and Fairgrounds festivals
at home.
STEAM DOWN // The Grand
Social // May 12
Occupying a
bold centre-point between Afrofuturism, grime and future soul – all
fused together with the fearless spontaneity of jazz – Steam
Down’s weekly sessions at London’s Buster Mantis club are already the
stuff of legend.
RHYS LEWIS // The
Workman’s Club // May 12
RHYS LEWIS started 2019 with the release of a new single
‘Better Than Today’ on January 4th which has already passed the 1 million
stream mark. He has toured with artists like JP Cooper, James TW and Freya
Ridings, and Eastbound will be Rhys’ first Irish headline show.
Badhands is the musical project of Dublin songwriter and musician Dan Fitzpatrick.
Having played for years with artists such as The Mighty Stef, The Last Tycoons, Paddy Hanna and Maud in Cahoots, he recently released his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Predictable Boy’. The record features musicians Tom Cosgrave, Aoife Ruth, Chris Barry and Ken Mooney, and upon release received much praise from critics, earning comparisons to the likes of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Tom Waits and Lee Hazelwood. The band’s first two singles, ‘Waves’ and ‘Monday Morning’, have both received considerable airplay on national radio and have been performed live in session on shows such as Arena on RTE Radio 1.
The new single ‘Voices’ describes a series of dark and abstract hallucinations. The ethereal and manic nature of the instrumentation gives life to the dreamlike apparitions recounted in the song. The music is frenetic at times, building towards an explosive outro of pulsating drums and bass, with the frenzied slide-guitar solo mirroring the surreal quality of the lyrics.
After a busy year of gigs in 2018, including two packed headline shows at The Workman’s Club Dublin, and supports slots with acts such as Michael McDonald, the band began work on album number 2 at the start of 2019 and is set for a headline show on April 13th in Whelan’s along with several dates around the country to be announced soon. These shows will feature songs from Predictable Boy, and also new material from the recently begun second album.
