Month: April 2020

Irish born singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill had planned a hectic year in 2020 with solo, headline tours across Ireland, Germany, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Starting off with two incredible support slots at the Olympia Theatre (with the Lighthouse Family) and the Bord Gais Energy Theatre (with Jamie Cullum) but with Covid19, the remainder of the International tour was cancelled. Her forthcoming album, ‘Getting Comfortable With Uncertainty’, set for release later this year, is aptly titled.

Megan is now busy doing weekly online shows on social media and writing for fellow artists and Sync briefs. She has just secured a major Netflix sync with her cover of ‘Time In A Bottle’ by Jim Croce. Megan has performed at private Oscars’ parties in LA alongside Gavin James (on a personal invite from JJ Abrams) and has had her song ‘Don’t You’ featured on ABC’s hit TV Show ‘Nashville’ (Season 3). In 2019 Megan opened three stadium shows for the legendary Sir Tom Jones (Bristol, Taunton, and Colchester) – performing in front of 15,000 people per night.

Last week, Megan released the music video for ‘Ireland’, her love song to Ireland. It has already received over 200,000 views online and has been picked up by major media outlets including Joe.ie and Image.ie. 

‘Ireland’ will be officially released on streaming platforms in mid May.

‘Ireland’ is a stunning folk acoustic track that will touch you to the core especially during this moment in history when we have to stay within the confinements of our homes. We can feel that little bit closer to home with this stunning track.  

http://megan-oneill.com/

Following on from the fantastic global response to the first ‘Courage’ live stream with Ye Vagabonds, Courage will continue this Tuesday evening with Sorcha Richardson and  Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. 

‘Courage’, is a new project that delivers uplifting, inspiring performances from brilliant artists to the public during the COVID-19 crisis.  Courage will beam these performances directly into homes across the nation, from a number of iconic cultural locations. The goal is to provide essential cultural output during this period. Music collapses distance in this time of isolation, it gives us courage, consolation and brings us together. Performances will take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights and will be made available worldwide, free of charge, thanks to the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Intel and RTÉ. Courage will also be shown on RTÉ2 from the 7th of May every Thursday at 23:30.

The live stream starts on Tuesday the 28th of April at 8PM sharp with the RTE Choice Prize nominated singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson and the virtuoso fiddle player and member of The Gloaming Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh from Whelan’s. 

Speaking of the project Minister Madigan said: “We know culture plays a hugely positive role in our collective wellbeing. The performances that will take place during the Courage programme are sure to raise plenty of spirits and can be enjoyed as people stay at home. It is in addition to the support that the Government is already providing to artists and those working in the arts and cultural sectors.”  

Irish singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson has been cultivating a cult fanbase for several years. Songs such as ‘Ruin Your Night’, ‘Petrol Station’ and ‘Can’t We Pretend’ are evocative vignettes of a moment in time which find the poetry in introspection, with a tangible nod to key influences such as Sharon Van Etten, Arcade Fire, Phoebe Bridgers and Julia Jacklin. Exuding passion and tender beauty in equal measure, her narrative song-writing connects with people who have shared similar tangled emotions – as evidenced by 30 million streams at Spotify alone. In November of last year, Richardson released the biggest artistic statement of her career with her debut album, First Prize Bravery, winning praise from The Irish Times, DIY Magazine and Nylon, and later being nominated for the RTE Choice Music Awards for Irish album of the year.  It’s a collection of lyrical snapshots of life as a twentysomething, accompanied by the desires, doubts and developments that the decade delivers.

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh makes music on a 10-string fIddle called the hardanger d’amore. He has performed on some of the most beautiful stages in the world, including the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and the Carnegie Hall. He has made eighteen recordings to date, ranging from quite traditional to fairly out there, and continues to explore the region where traditional music begins to disintegrate. Caoimhín performs as a solo artist, yet is also widely known through his collaborative work, including groups The Gloaming and This is How we Fly, and duos with Dan Trueman, Thomas Bartlett, Garth Knox, Mick O’Brien and Brendan Begley. He has also performed with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Vincent Moon and Amiina. He has made music for theatre and film, including music for the Oscar-nominated movie Brooklyn and Volker Schlondorff’s Return to Montauk. 

Safety is top priority. In order to comply with the protection of public health, the project has been designed to minimise travel, contact and proximity for performers and crew.  They are using the same protocols as film and television crews who continue to work and provide essential public service during this pandemic. This means using rigorous procedures and processes that comply fully with the Irish Government’s regulations and restrictions.

Courage has been curated by the team who produce Other Voices and is funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and by Intel. They are grateful to the artists and crews who have agreed to participate in the project at this critical time for Ireland.  

The new performances will be filmed in strictly controlled locations which includes Whelan’s and more to be announced soon. 

Because of public health regulations there can be no live audience in the locations where they film the artists, and the only people in the locations will be artists and strictly essential crew. NO LIVE AUDIENCE. 

For the duration of the series artists will be asking the viewer to donate what they can to a charity of their choice. 

Sorcha Richardson has chosen the Irish Music Industry Relief Fund https://www.firstmusiccontact.com/irish-music-industry-relief-fund/spotify-relief and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh has chosen Merchant’s Quay Ireland https://mqi.ie/.

This project is made possible with the support of the Government of Ireland, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Intel and and RTÉ Courage.

Tune in on Thursday at 8PM via Other Voices’ YouTube + Facebook Live and RTÉ.ie to watch the show. Music for the head and the heart. 

Dermot Kennedy has just released his latest EP, ‘Lost In The Soft Light’. The EP is a selection of live, re-worked versions of tracks from his debut album ‘Without Fear’, which landed at the top of the UK album chart in October last year. The collection, complete with visual performances dubbed the ‘Lost in the Soft Light Sessions’, includes platinum selling top 10 single ‘Outnumbered’, and live favourites ‘All My Friends’ and ‘The Corner’. Each song is stripped back and raw, highlighting Kennedy’s unique, gripping vocals that have captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands in live performances globally over the last few years.

The Brit nominated artist has had an incredible year so far with recent sold out dates across North America, including the legendary Radio City in New York, and more huge live shows to come this year including a sold out Red Rocks Amphitheatre and massive outdoor summer concerts across Ireland to over 100,000 fans.

Kennedy now sits with over a billion streams across all platforms and continues to impress  globally, with recent TV performances on the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, The Jonathan Ross Show, The Ellen Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and sold out shows wherever he performs, including over 260,000 tickets sold last year alone.

http://www.dermotkennedy.com/
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SIIGHTS released their debut EP and lead single ‘Blue Skies’ on April 3rd to great success, clocking over 160k streams since its release, ‘Blue Skies’ is the duo’s fastest streaming single to date! In typical fashion, the track is an earworm with a much needed message of hope – in amongst messaging of loss and grief. The track is a part of the band’s self-titled EP, which is a compelling body of work and has racked up an impressive 9.5 million impacts on Irish radio so far.

The multi-hyphenate artists write, produce and play on all their tracks, fusing organic instruments with electronic sounds along with heartfelt lyrics to create their own form of groove-based / alt-pop. Revealing the process of creating ‘Blue Skies’ and their debut EP, SIIGHTS say: “This song means a lot to us and was hard to write. We wrote it about some of what you feel and experience after losing someone close to you. We have both lost people close to us and it’s something that stays with you forever. We brought all our gear down to a country house in Wicklow to write and record this EP – Blue Skies really came together so naturally. There’s actually a recurring hypnotic guitar riff that happens multiple times throughout the track which was never initially supposed to be in the track. Mia had just been playing around and we left the mics recording and we ended up using it and it became quite a feature in the production in the end.”

SIIGHTS teamed up with the director and DOP Vanessa Vandy, who grew up in New Zealand and Finland on the ‘Blue Skies’ music video. SIIGHTS approached Vanessa to collaborate with here after seeing her work – “We loved how she captured such an emotive narrative, she’s such a talented director.” One of Vanessa’s short films got selected as a finalist in One Screen Film Festival 2017 and officially selected into LA Shorts International Film Festival and Bermuda International Film Festival, both of which are Academy Award qualifying festivals. Vanessa’s work earned her a directorial nomination at the 2018 1.4 Awards in London among 140 top commercial and narrative filmmakers worldwide. Two of Vanessa’s videos received top scores through Shiny Critiques which resulted in her being listed on the #ShinyList – a list that surfaces high-scoring, emerging and diverse directors worldwide.

SIIGHTS are an electro-pop duo made up of Mia Fitz and Toni Etherson, whose music is packed with infectious melodies, strong production and carefully crafted songwriting. Having first met after Mia had come off a world tour playing with Hozier, the pair spent some time songwriting for other artists before deciding to start their own artist project. 

The hotly-tipped duo have received notable acclaim in the likes of Clash Magazine, EARMILK, Notion, Joe.ie and The Irish Times. Their previous singles ‘Tell Me Lies’ and ‘Broke It With Me’, spent 9 weeks in Ireland’s Shazam ‘Top 10’ and 5 weeks in Spotify’s ‘Viral Top 50’ charts (simultaneously) and the pair have seen huge success via YouTube with support on Wave Music and Mr Revillz channels, as well as their collaboration tracks hitting 1.9 million views.

SIIGHTS previous EP releases have made Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, New Pop Revolution, Sad Beats, Chilled Pop Hits and The Pop List playlists boosting their collective streams to over 3.5 Million! With live shows at Kaleidoscope festival, supporting Shy Martin and a sold-out headline performance in ‘King Tuts’ Glasgow combined with strong backing from BBC Radio 1, The Chainsmokers, Kiss Xtra, 2FM, TodayFM, Beat102103, CorksRedFM, iRadio, Spin1038, SpinSouthWest, 98FM along with being chosen to feature on Elton John’s ‘Rocket Hour’ (Beats 1), the duo are here to make their mark in the pop stratosphere.

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‘Battles’ is the beautiful new single from musical cooperative Side 4 Collective combining the vision of acclaimed artist/producer Joe Chester with the poignant lyrics and powerful vocals of songwriter Sarah McQuillan for an experiment in sound which has produced a luscious and highly emotive ballad with echoes of Radiohead.  

Acclaimed artist Joe Chester’s 6th album ‘Jupiter’s Wife’ is set for release on May 1st. The experienced musician and producer has worked with the likes of The Waterboys, Gemma Hayes, Mundy, Ryan Sheridan and more recently on A Lazarus Soul’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘The D They Put Between The R & L’.

“I’ve been a fan of Dave Hingerty’s drumming ever since we played together in Nina Hynes’ band and also with Doctor Millar way back in the mists of the 1990s. He’s got such a unique sound. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the opportunity to play together in the 21st century so I was really happy when he approached me about the Side 4 Collective, such a 21st century concept.

It’s certainly not my usual way of collaborating (I’m a great believer in the power of the passive-aggressive silent treatment in the rehearsal room) but it seems a very apt project for the times in which we are living and during which we are all discovering new ways of working and living. 

A massive tip of the hat must go to Sarah, whom I’ve never met, for turning in such a powerful vocal performance. The track contains a recording of the sea from near where I live and which I miss very much right now.” 

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah McQuillan cut her musical teeth in experimental/prog rock band ‘Howl’ and has extensive live/session experience (The Hot Sprockets, Ross Breen, Tucan), as well as performing under the monikers Sarah Red and Haokah.

“By the time the bones of the song that would become Battles reached me, it was a track with Dave’s hypnotic drumbeat and Joe’s beautiful piano piece and on first listen it inspired a melody in me. It was as if it was a call and I was to answer, and so I did! 

I am so glad that I answered the call to be part of this Side 4 collaborative project, which gave me the opportunity to create music with amazing musicians whom I would not have had the chance to collaborate with otherwise.”

Creating ‘Battles’ took Sarah on a personal journey striving to reignite bonds that had been shaken by her own battles:

“This song was borne out of my own inner battles and as a plea to heal a connection weakened by them, but it’s meaning has evolved to reflect the damage I see in others and in the world around me. In this way it is a personal battle that is also a universal one. I hope that others can connect with that.”

Side 4 Collective is a creative musical project spearheaded by internationally renowned Irish drummer Dave Hingerty (The Frames/Josh Ritter/Kila), that brings an eclectic array of Irish and international artists together, combining their talents in an unusual way.

Hingerty’s pre-written drum patterns form the foundations around which each artist is invited to sculpt a song upon. Side 4 Collective’s debut album ‘We Burn Bright’ due for release on May 29th features collaborations with artists such as Josh Ritter on ‘Desperate Days’ while Bell X1’s Paul Noonan joins forces with Katy Perry’s musical director Adam Marcello on ‘The Flood’. 

“There is a lack of freedom in mainstream music today, a lack of experimentation,” says Dave Hingerty. “I am aware that my peers feel a pressure to be commercial and I wanted to encourage them away from this. I wanted to provide a rough canvas for them to go wild upon. I recorded lots of rhythms that had a rough edge to them before sending them out to my respected peers. I have often been given a song in sessions with just the drums to be added, so I wanted to reverse this, start with a drum pattern, but keep it interactive all the way to the end mix.” 

Tracklisting -‘We Burn Bright’

Josh Ritter – Desperate Days
Farah Elle – Sand and Sails
Aminah/Con – Freedom Will Come
Brian Crosby/Sir Ken Robinson – Cloths of Heaven
Paul Noonan/Adam Marcello – The Flood
Superelectric – I Got Life
Sarah McQuillan/Joe Chester  – Battles
Temperance Cruise – The Slumber
Ben Castle – Don’t Do It
Romy/Cathal Coughlan – Numb
Carol Keogh – Cold Front
Adrian Crowley – Little Prince Of Fireworks

Dublin artist Ella Naseeb, better known by her moniker Blushing Boy, has released her magnetic second track ‘Lolita’, inviting us into a charming dream pop soundscape to explore what it’s like to behave badly in love. Combining the gentle intimacy of artists like Julia Jacklin and Arlo Parks with the fierce ethos of punk, Blushing Boy takes her flair for storytelling and her dark, soulful voice and intertwines them with an irresistible groove on this surreal but relatable track. She explains more about the inspiration behind it:

“We often bring our past into new situations and I’ve definitely struggled to know what I want from love and to stop myself from becoming cynical. I think everybody can relate to that feeling at some point in their lives. It’s that inner juxtaposition that I’ve turned into a story. It’s who I could be in love, personified by these two characters – Lolita’s charming seduction and the singer’s caring sincerity. It’s the dark and light within myself. It’s the choice of which way to go. And although the lyrics paint a warning, the song was written to leave you with a feeling of empowerment”.

Ella lit up the internet in August with her debut single ‘Consumer’. Hailing from Dublin, she credits both her city and her bicultural background for inducing a love of storytelling and experimentation. Juxtaposing introspective lyrics with upbeat choruses or pop culture references with her sense of self-reliance, Blushing Boy blurs the classic with the current, channeling nostalgia while teasing her audience with glimpses of something distinctly new.

“This is a song about wanting honesty, about a breakdown in communication. This is a song about needing a moment of truth from the one you’re with, and the frustration when you’re just not getting it.” – Eve Belle

Coming off the back of the success of ‘Smithereens’, which was all over the radio for two months solid, Eve Belle sneaks out of her Donegal bunker to deliver her finest single to date, the beautiful ‘Begging For Rain’.

Co-written by Eve with Nick Atkinson (who co-wrote ‘Grace’ with Lewis Capaldi and ‘Waves’ with Dean Lewis) and produced and mixed in London by Eve’s long-term collaborator Fred Cox (Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Grace Carter, Lily Moore), ‘Begging For Rain’ is the perfect sonic succour for anyone dreaming of an end to their dry spell. 

Eve Belle ‘Begging For Rain’ is released by Rubyworks on Friday 24th April.

Following on from his ‘Mini Gig’s at Mick’s’ online concert series in aid of Pieta House, Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery is re-releasing ‘Mickmas EP Vol.1’ (originally shared on Bandcamp December 5th 2018) and offering a donation from EP sales to the charity which provides invaluable support for those at risk of suicide and self-harm and those bereaved by suicide.

As a result of Covid-19, Pieta House’s helpline has seen an increase in calls from people all over the country who are in crisis right now, with many others presenting with high anxiety. Funding from the public has never been more vital to keep Pieta’s important services going.

The lead track, ‘I’ve Got A Darkness’, written by Nashville native Casey Black, is about generational trauma – struggles passed down from parent to child, and advocates for self-knowledge and understanding that might break the cycle.

“The pain you leave unfelt, shall pass to someone else.”

Also featured on the EP is ‘Morning Meeting’, ‘Fuck Off World’, and a stripped back acoustic version of his chart-topping song ‘Star To Star’.

Brian McEvoy, Fundraising Manager for Pieta House said: “Pieta is so thankful for the continued support of Mick Flannery. In these uncertain times we are continuing to support people all over Ireland who need us most. Without the support of people like Mick, we wouldn’t be able to do this. Everything that we do is done with care and compassion and our vision is a world without suicide, self-harm and stigma replaced with hope, self-care and acceptance.”

‘Mickmas EP Vol.1’ is available on digital and CD now via Bandcamp: https://mickflannery.bandcamp.com/album/mickmas-ep-vol-1

You can watch Mick perform songs from ‘Mickmas EP Vol.1’, alongside some new songs, and requests, as he performs his second online ticketed concert Saturday 2nd May, 9pm Irish Standard Time. Tickets for the online gig are €15 and includes a free download of ‘Rising Tide’. Full details at: https://linktr.ee/MickMas

Irish pop artist delush found himself inspired by Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and embarked on an emotional and musical journey of his own, which is to be re-lived through nine powerful, soulful tracks on his debut album ‘The Journey To Zero’.

Buy/Stream: cdbaby.lnk.to/JourneyToZero

Having been based in Berlin for over 6 years, Irish singer, songwriter, and producer, Enda Gallery, has worked with many acknowledged German artists from the electronic and hip hop scene such as Kid Simius, Niconé and Nobodys Face while sporting the experimental pop duo Kilnamana and bringing his solo project delush to life. After years of collaborating with other artists, delush now releases his first solo album ‘The Journey To Zero’ today, April 24th 2020. 

Previous releases from the album include the ballad ‘Don’t Let Me Win‘ released at the end of 2018, followed by ‘It’s Alright‘ – a collaboration with Limerick rap talent Strange Boy – and ‘The Greatest Gift‘ – a hauntingly beautiful duet with afro-Irish soul singer Tolü Makay, in 2019. 

delush describes the album, whose title is an expansive reference to Joseph Campbell’s well-known “Hero’s Journey” as a journey to the source of all creation, our journey home. Literature and film enthusiasts may be familiar with the term, as many stories are based on this principle of the monomyth: the main protagonist sets off on a journey, having to overcome various challenges and difficulties which influence their personal development before finally reaching their ultimate goal and returning with their prize, or accepting defeat.

The nine tracks of the album represent various situations and stops on this very journey – beginning with apparent separateness, the source of all problems, pain, suffering, self-pity and ego, transition moment of surrender leading to euphoria and finally relief and the knowledge of true freedom.

Support delush by purchasing the album on Bandcamp: cdbaby.lnk.to/JourneyToZero

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Dublin-based indie rock band Lavelle are this week announcing the release of their latest single ‘Save Yourself’ on all digital platforms.

The second release off their forthcoming album, ‘Save Yourself’ is a fast-paced, melodic rock track with an infectious piano riff and a memorable chorus delivered with a distinctive gravelly vocal.

Together since 2014, three-piece Lavelle have spent the past two years in and out of Dublin’s Camden Recording Studios working on their debut album ‘Stem The Flow’ (scheduled for release in the autumn) with veteran producer and sound engineer Conor Brady of The Blades fame.

Their four-track EP ‘Feel Like I Do’ was released in April 2017, followed last year by ‘Something New’ – their first single off the album.

Commenting on the theme of the song, Lavelle’s lead singer and songwriter John Ryan said, “After a relationship ended, I decided to explore the idea of breakups in a generation of huge social media users. Now, apart from ending a relationship, unfriending & unfollowing can also be required, just to be able to start a new. To move on. Often your social media clean out can go further than that person but maybe also their friends & family too.

Relationships have always been complicated – breakups just got more complicated.“

‘Save Yourself’ is available on all digital platforms from 17th April, and will be followed by a music video in the coming weeks.

For more information about the band, visit lavellemusic.com