Month: January 2020

Following on from their sold out show at Tradfest 2020, Drops of Green start their 2020 album campaign with a new single, ‘On The Carousel’. 

Hailing from Laois, Kilkenny and Waterford and rooted in the folk and traditional movement, this band have a uniquely accessible sound and a live energy that is unparalleled. 

‘On The Carousel’ is the first single from their forthcoming album ‘On The Carousal’, due for release this summer.

Written by Davey Long & Robbie Campion, the song deals with love, loss, family and perhaps most poignantly: hope. 

Produced by Martin Quinn of JAM Studios, Kells, County Meath with additional strings by Rob Larkin, ‘On The Carousel’ is positive proof of this group’s dynamism. 

The accompanying video was produced by Bearfoot Productions and features the talented thespian Brendan Corcoran in his debut music video performance. 

After the formation of the group in 2014, The band have went on to play all over the world including several tours of the USA preforming in Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Chicago and Las Vegas to name but a few, along with a six month resident show in Disney World Florida. 

With four sold out shows at this years Temple Bar Tradfest and tours already confirmed in Ireland, Germany, Holland and Italy, 2020 looks like a very exciting year for Drops of Green!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dropsofgreenoz 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DropsofGreen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dropsofgreenmusic/

Fox Jaw have just released ‘Sun Goes Sideways’ taken from their forthcoming album ‘Breathe In The Strange’, out Friday February 21st 2020 on All Platforms.

“Alt-rock meets dark-pop” from Limerick City, Ireland.

‘Breathe In The Strange’ is the third studio album from Limerick City natives, Fox Jaw. Recorded at Even Audio with producer Mike Gavin of Windings and Mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering (David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Interpol).

2019 has seen the band release two new singles ‘Madeline’ and ‘Let It Run’, both to great critical acclaim, followed in 2020 with the albums lead single ‘Sun Goes Sideways’, a song that lead singer Ronan Mitchell describes as about, “one of those nights that seem to be frozen in time, with no end in sight.”

Fox Jaw are a musical brotherhood that have honed their craft over the last two decades across various musical projects. Comprising of Ronan Mitchell, Morgan Nolan, Shane Serrano, Kieran J. Sims and Manolis Pates. An independent band with a DIY ethic, they make sure to have a polished approach in all their creative outputs, with all music videos and artwork created by the band themselves, but most importantly, in their music they take pride to always have a distinct Irish touch.

Once described as, “a modern band with an old soul”, they have a swaggering genre-defying growl, that keeps things sweet and melodic with an honest collection of dark pop songs. Their music has drawn comparisons to the likes of Tom Waits, Interpol, Pixies and yet sound like none of the above. “Therein lies the beauty of the Limerick quintet … Fox Jaw triumphantly embrace their weirdness” – The Irish Times

Fox Jaw have played such festivals as: Electric Picnic, Indie Week (Canada & Ireland), Castlepalooza, Knockanstockan, Indiependence, Sea Sessions, AranMojo, Hard Working Class Heroes, Glasgowbury, Vantastival, Arthur’s Day & more.

They’ve shared the stage with such acts as: Against Me!, Steriogram, And So I Watch You From Afar, Alabama 3, The Redneck Manifesto, Jape, Hayseed Dixie, Hermitage Green and bizarrely once… Calvin Harris.

Feb 28^th           De Barra’s, Clonakilty
Mar 7^th            The Disfunction Room, Dundalk
Mar 13^th          The Glassworks, Derry
Mar 14^th          No. 58, Letterkenny
Mar 26^th          Roisín Dubh, Galway
Mar 28^th          Dolans Warehouse, Limerick 
April 9^th           Whelan’s, Dublin 

More shows to be announced

Tropolis released their debut single ‘Oceans Away’ on Friday 24th January 2020.

Tropolis is a new electronic alt-pop project by Michael Hopkins and Andrew Lloyd. Blending dreampop synth, ambient sensibilities and pop hooks together Tropolis blurs the lines between accessible and unconventional.

Their debut track ‘Oceans Away’ is submersive electronic alt pop with touches of organic instrumentation. All recorded, produced and engineered by the duo in their studio in Kildare. Tropolis plan on releasing more singles in 2020 and live shows beginning in spring.

Instagram: @tropolis__
Twitter: @tropolis__
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tropolisofficial

‘The Backroom Window EP’ is a refined and polished collection of songs that feature influences of jazz, vintage rock and popular music, topped with an accomplished instrumental.

This is Dave Carey’s debut EP, a music performance and production graduate from Cork, has in the past shared stages with musical songsmiths such as Mick Flannery and O Emperor, and recorded with Cork music jazz troubadours The Stargazers, intended to give the listener an experience of perhaps unexpected turns, colourful chord progressions and stylish vocals/harmonies assembled around memorable melodies.

There is an elegant mix present of delicate forms from the instrumental ‘La Luna De Lobo ~ The Wolf Moon’ inspirited from the stories of Native American tribes of early colonial times when wolves would howl outside villages and ‘I’ll Have To Carry On’ which has a reflective and somewhat melancholy presence presenting skilful, confident string arrangements. 

The lively and jazzy flair of ‘Pretty Penny’ which could easily be mistaken for a lost Ray Davies song, features flashy trumpets and brass sections.

The EP shadows hints of a retro prospective with nods to Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Chris De Burgh, Gilbert O’Sullivan and The Kinks and was recorded in just 4 and a half days at Jam Studios with the masterful producer Martin Quinn in the charming town of Kells, Co Meath. Most instrumentation was completed by Carey and Quinn, with professional musicians Eoin Grace and Ken Rice for brass and string sections. With the finishing touches and mastering another few weeks after, the single, ‘Only A Moment’, which reached the semi final of the UK songwriting contest receiving 5 stars from the likes of legendary producer Stuart Epps, was released in September followed by the EP under the Bentley Records NY label.

Dave was seeking quality over quantity, to allow the songs to portray their eclectic and effective elements, and simply let the music articulate itself through the backroom window of imagination.

Luunah release brand new track ‘These Roads’ produced by Brian Casey. The song is available to stream and download on all major platforms.

‘These Roads’ is a glimpse of what to expect from the band’s debut album due for a mid-2020 release.

The melancholic pop song was written by lead singer, Sarah-Beth who has previously released many introspective solo projects. In the third person, she speaks objectively about herself from an observer’s point of view – realising the truth of her own emotions when she detaches from her thoughts.  

The song is a contrast to the groups previous up-tempo releases including ‘Heart On The Left’ and ‘On Your Side’. ‘These Roads’ shows a more vulnerable, human aspect to their music.

Follow Luunah to keep up to date with festival announcements, releases and footage behind the scenes.

https://www.facebook.com/Luunahmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/luunahmusic/

Photo: Miki Barlok 

The Fighting Spiders are a musical project under the leadership of songwriter and performer Ashley Sheehan. Having led numerous groups over the years, such as The Mute and 13 Kennel Gods, the Fighting Spiders allows Ashley to flex his modern production muscles and blend his love of 80s synth pop with classic guitar-driven songwriting. The Spiders draw heavily on influences such as Depeche Mode, Kate Bush, Prince and Cindi Lauper. 

The Waterford-based electro-pop outfit are hitting the ground running in 2020 with ‘Some Party’ – a beats-laden banger about the party that never ends, or does it? 

“Everything In Life Has Brought You Here,
Everything In Life Has Brought You Here”

This follows on from a set of single releases in 2019 which included the synth-soaked darkness of ‘I Have Something You Like’, the nostalgia-themed electro acoustic vibes of ‘Every Fresh Memory’ and the winter warming melodies of ‘Nothing’s Forever.’

Fighting Spiders showcases the commanding vocals of Ashley Sheehan, the intriguing guitar talents of Dean Croke and gritty placement of synth, loops, beats and basslines from Brian Grace, Dean Doyle, Rob O’Connor and Andy Walsh.

Five Interesting Facts about Fighting Spiders:

1. Lead singer Ashley is a qualified Krav Maga instructor and has the bruises to prove it.
2. The band are quite thrifty. Their stage costume mostly consists of accessories bought in Dealz. The tight white jeans they wear on stage were the cheapest they could find online.
3. All of the band members have history with other groups including The Mute, 13 Kennel Gods, Torann, The Bearded Ladies, Time in the Shade, Chew the Scenery, Big Paulie Kool and the Mental Institution, Gilead and Acrojunk. None of them were particularly commercial successful though each of them had their moments.
4. Percussionist Andy considers himself a minor local celebrity, though nobody else does.
5. On numerous occasions, Rob has been mistaken for Will Ferrell. Once at Oxegen, he was forced to sign autographs in the Cosy Tea Tent as the star of Elf. This is 100% true.

Upcoming live shows:
Sun 23rd February              The Workmans (Dublin) 
Wed 25th March                  Crane Lane (Cork)
More to be announced.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fightingspiders 
Twitter: @spidersfighting 
Instagram @fightingspiders_ie