Month: April 2020

Danny Carthy has been a professional folk singer and songwriter for over forty years. ‘Stand Look Around You’ is an original song written and composed about the environment by Danny, who cares what is happening to the planet, and also considers what the environmental future holds for his grandchildren. Lead singer with Fiddlers Green for decades but still passionate about the songs he has written and recorded. As a fully fledged member of IMRO Danny is respected by his peers for his commitment to Irish music. Good fortune came Danny’s way when he recorded the song at Windmill Studio Swords with the excellent musical production and arrangement of Peter Eades and Christy Sheridan. 

Now in his 72^nd year he would describe it as having been a very long learning process with a vast repertoire of songs, and a substantial reservoir of his original works. He has had the good fortune to travel all over Western Europe, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and has also been invited to sing at many Irish Festivals in the USA. If the truth were known there’s probably not a road in Ireland Danny Carthy hasn’t travelled. He has always enjoyed the response from audiences who appreciate folk songs, and it has even been more rewarding when presenting his own original material to great acclaim.

Danny believes ageing is only another process in life’s journey, as he still has much to give musically considering his passion for singing Irish songs hasn’t waned.

In 2002 President Mary McAleese paid Danny the greatest homage by an invitation to Áras an Uachtarain as a tribute to his input into the Irish music culture.

Danny Carthy’s greatest achievements were when Sandy Kelly recorded his song ‘Carlingford’ on the B side of her single ‘Woodcarver’ with Johnny Cash, and also French singer Renaud in 2009 translated and recorded the same song as part of an Irish folk Album which was released in France in December of that year with sales to date in excess of 180,000 CD’s in France.

Danny’s other original songs include – ‘Stand Look Around You’, ‘Just You And Me’, ‘Strangers We Were’, ‘Punchestown Races’, ‘Little Balls Of Twine’, ‘He Will Be Remembered’, ‘Lilly White’ and ‘Sam Maguire’, and also co-wrote ‘Listen To The Wind’ and ‘I Want To Catch The Sun’ with Galway resident songwriter Adam Murphy.

www.dannycarthy.com

HUTCH is a singer/songwriter based in Derry. He has been playing and recording his own songs since 2009, in pubs, clubs, cafés radio studios, theatres, festivals, and various dark corners around the country. His style has been compared to the likes of Glen Hansard, Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. His second single, ‘Lost A Friend’ is set for release on 24th April 2020.

“‘Lost A Friend’ took about 6 months to write. Well, it actually took about 6 months to come up with the 3rd verse….No idea why! The song itself is about nostalgia. About old friends, old girlfriends, your home town, growing up, and the things you can lose along the way.”

The song itself was something of a pivotal moment in the creative process for the album, providing something of a platform for the rest of the recording.

“I feel like ‘Lost A Friend’ was the turning point for the album in general. Before we started working on it, I felt like the song was a quiet, folky sort of “album track”, and that ‘Whatever Works’ was the natural second single. But what began to happen as myself and Shayne (Byrne: producer/collaborator) started recording and arranging the track was that we realised ‘Lost A Friend’ was a strong potential single, as we both accentuated the shift between verse and chorus, and worked to get the best out of the song that we possibly could. What myself and Shayne were able to do with the recording is one of my proudest achievements.”

With his debut album ‘Romance & Melodrama’ due for release in May, 2020 is set to be a big year for HUTCH.

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Yenkee releases two new tracks, ‘Shiver Shake’ and ‘Future Failures’ on April 23rd. The Cork-born recording artist continues to create chilled, soulful melodies in his own bedroom.

‘Shiver Shake’, Cooney says, “is about finding different ways to escape from the anxieties of modern life, and falling out of love with your home town.”

Strangely, the apt chorus, “shiver and shake in this ghostly hour,” was written long before the pandemic; a premonition the likes of which haven’t been seen since Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ was released during one of the wettest summers on record.

On ‘Future Failures’, he takes a side-step from his trademark bedroom electronica into a beautiful, stripped-back reflection on, “finding meaning in failure, accepting it and using it as motivation,” delivered with a breathtaking falsetto.

Yenkee, or Graham Cooney as his teachers called him, began recording and producing his own music at 15. Using minimal equipment purchased with money from busking on the streets of Cork, Ireland, he began crafting his lo-fi bedroom recordings into sincere and soulful indie pop. Inspired by artists such as Marvin Gaye, Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Pink, and using a reel to reel tape machine for its gentle hiss, Yenkee’s sound is produced using the tasteful palettes of 60’s and 70’s rock.

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Charity song, has ‘On Horseback’ launched to help older people affected by Coronavirus in Ireland. A unique new charity musical project, COVIDAID IRELAND has been launched, to meet the unprecedented challenge presented by the Coronavirus in Ireland.

All funds raised through the download sale of the specially recorded cover song, will go to the charity, Age Action Ireland and its Hardship Fund, which it has established with the Irish Red Cross. The funds raised will assist those most in need affected by Covid-19, in this time of national emergency. The single is available now to pre order on iTunes and GooglePlay and all other music platforms at a cost of €1.29.

The COVIDAID IRELAND project has been aided by a team of singers & musicians who have given of their time, in this period of emergency, both national and global. Singer Gemma Goodey delivers the beautiful main female vocal, supported by vocals from Noah Byrne, Robyn Byrne, Emma Burke, Isla Burke, Eoin Burke, Niamh Grant, Moya Grant, Méabha Lynch, Veronica Ricketts, Lauryn Rix and Aoibhe Smyth. 

The guitarist on the song is Kyle Tyther. Along with Gemma, the pair are an eclectic two piece based on the west of Kerry, going by the name of FoxTales**.

Originally recorded by Mike Oldfield in 1975, ‘On Horseback‘,  has been re-imagined musically and specifically chosen as an inspirational, timeless composition. This version has an Irish infusion, aimed at promoting solidarity across the generations. 

At a time when coming together means staying apart, the call to help in any way we can has never been higher in people’s minds. COVIDAID Ireland was devised by Irish journalist, Fergal Bowers, who provides the spoken word on the song, along with Irishman Gary Grant (who has produced the track) and now based in Canada. Fergal collaborated with Gary to create this magical virtual coming together of musicians and singers from all four corners of Ireland using social distancing measures, while he is under lockdown in Toronto. Gary felt strongly he wanted to do something to help those at home in Ireland, his own mother falls into the vulnerable category. Doing what Gary does best, ‘On Horseback’ is a fitting tribute to those older people currently cocooning by speaking of freedom and hope and a time again when people can look forward to fully enjoying and treasuring the outdoors, appreciating the simple things in life, nature, each other and togetherness.

Gary Grant is a producer and composer, his music can be heard across platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, Showtime, Natural Geographic. He has worked with many Hollywood film composers, most recently with Christopher Young. As a percussionist, Gary has performed extensively, including two years on Broadway with Riverdance.

The main sponsor for the project is Uniflu. In sponsoring the COVIDAID IRELAND project, Uniflu have covered all the project costs thus enabling all funds generated from the download of the song to go directly to the beneficiary charity. Sarah Jayne Brady from Uniflu said: “We are thrilled to support this fantastic initiative. We are working hard to ensure continuity of supply across all our products, enabling access to these medicines through your local pharmacy. We are extremely proud to support COVIDAID Ireland and play our part in this unique movement that will undoubtedly bring people closer together. During these unprecedented times, it is so important to protect and look after those who are most vulnerable within our community.” 

The initiative is also being supported by the Irish Pharmacy Union, with community pharmacies promoting the song via information posters. Community pharmacies are providing a vital link during the Covid-19 crisis to vulnerable groups in the community, supplying medicines and providing other supports.

The funds raised through the sale of the song are going to Age Action Ireland and the Covid-19 Hardship Fund, set up with the Irish Red Cross. 

Paddy Connolly, Chief Executive of Age Action Ireland said: “Age Action is extremely grateful to benefit from this unique charity music project that aims to assist older people who are struggling to meet the costs associated with cocooning and social distancing.  All funds raised will go towards our COVID-19 Hardship Fund, launched in partnership with the Irish Red Cross. There has been an overwhelming demand for financial support so far with over 1,000 applications being processed from older people experiencing real difficulty to meet the increased costs associated with cocooning.  We continue to receive new applications and enquiries every day which shows the hardship that older people are experiencing with increased bills, fuel poverty and supports to minimise social isolation.  Age Action needs to raise at least €250,000 to be able meet current need so we hope that the public will get behind COVIDAID Ireland, download the song or donate at the COVIDAID Ireland GoFundMe page today to help us help older people in vulnerable situations.’

Darragh O’Loughlin, Chief Executive, of the Irish Pharmacy Union said: “We are delighted to be involved with this excellent initiative. Pharmacies across the country remain open during this crisis and are working tirelessly to support people. Pharmacies around the country are seeing first-hand the very difficult situation many people are finding themselves in as a result of Covid-19, so the IPU is very happy to help by publicising COVIDAID IRELAND through our nationwide network of pharmacies.”

Businesses and individuals can also contribute to the project and details on how to do so are on the official website also.

COVIDAID IRELAND would like to thank Stephen Macken for his invaluable assistance in the project design, digital upload/download technical details and the copyright process.

More details are available about the unique charity project on the official website www.covidaidireland.ie

The project has the official hashtag title of #COVIDAIDIRELAND

Facebook – @CovidAidIreland
Instagram – covidaidireland
Twitter – @covidaidireland

An Taobh Tuathail, the cult underground music show hosted by Cian Ó Cíobháin on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, will celebrate 21 years on air on Friday 1 May with a special programme focused on his listeners’ favourite musical discoveries from the show.

Each year, Cian Ó Cíobháin takes the opportunity to celebrate ATT’s birthday with a themed edition of the show.  The power of music to connect, to heal and to express emotion has been seen across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year Cian wants to know about the most memorable musical discoveries his listeners have made via the show over the years.

“It might be an artist or a track or album that you never heard before but subsequently became obsessed with.  Or, better again, you might have a particular story to share where you were when you first hear the tune on the show that made every hair stand up on the back of your neck.  Do let us know and we’ll be sure to share the finest of your discoveries on the night of our 21st birthday party.”

Listeners can get in touch on email attrnag@nullrte.ie, or on social media @antaobhtuathail on Twitter, and @cianociobhain on Facebook and Instagram.

An Taobh Tuathail is broadcast on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Monday to Friday from 10 pm to midnight with a different vibe to suit different days of the week, featuring a wide range of leftfield genres: from all persuasions of electronic music to alt. folk/rock and many other genres that rarely get played on the Irish airwaves.  The playlists for early in the week are gentler, more atmospheric, and Wednesday’s show could be filed under ‘other ’.  Then, as the weekend approaches, Cian ups the tempo with the latest house and techno. Cian Ó Cíobháin has free rein – there are no set playlists, no ad breaks, just a two hour sanctuary at the end of the day of the choicest selection of new, alt music from around the world for his listeners.

An Taobh Tuathail’s 21^st birthday show will be broadcast on Friday 1 May from 10 pm to midnight on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Sean and Conor Price should have been playing to full houses at the INEC Killarney and Watergate Theatre this week but due to the Covid 19 Pandemic and restrictions on mass gatherings they have postponed their shows until later in 2020. While isolating at home in Blessington they have been busy writing and putting finishing touches to many new songs. As a big thank you for all the support from their great fans they are excited to announce the release of their new single, ‘Just Somebody’ on Friday April 24th.

Sean and Conor gave fans a sneak preview of this song at their sold out Academy Gig in Dublin last December. ‘Just Somebody’ is a catchy melancholic song driven by its hooky acoustic guitar lick and hip hop influenced drums. It is a song suitable for both chilling out to and getting up to dance. It is the perfect infusion of singer/songwriter and hip hop. Full of catchy melodies, Sean and Conor both play saxophone and their experience with the instrument are brought to the forefront on this track. The tracks style is influenced by artists such as Julia Michaels, Jeremy Zucker and ROLE MODEL. 

Sean and Conor just finished touring 23 venues around Ireland in 2019 with sold out shows including the Olympia Theatre and Academy Dublin. They will be returning to the stage as soon as restrictions are lifted. They have also recently performed live online in conjunction with RTE 2FM as part of a charity fundraiser for ISPCC Childline with artists Hozier, Niall Horan, Danny O’Reilly, Wild Youth, Kodaline, Dermot Kennedy, Picture This, Gavin James, Mark Feehily, Walking On Cars, & Hudson Taylor. It was a really great to be involved with this charity campaign and raising a combined €789,000  for ISPCC Childline.

‘Just Somebody’ also sets the stage for Sean and Conor’s anticipated new EP that could be released later this year. Stay tuned for more information soon!

Following on from BARQ being one of 13 Irish acts in RTE 2FM’s 100 most played acts of 2016, Today FM’s PLAYIRISH Artist of The Week, as well as encouraging radio play on Newstalk, 8Radio, FM104, 98FM, Spin 103.8, Radio Nova, and many more – 2020 has gotten off to a bright start with ‘I’m Blaming You’ featuring on Audi’s current television and radio ad campaign, and previous single ‘Not Touching (Can’t Get Mad)’ receiving over 200 plays on Irish radio since it’s February release

For their upcoming single ‘Thanks For The Night’ the combination of BARQ’s unique musical style with the skills of Diffusion Lab producer Marcin Ciszczon (Jafaris, Soulé, Mango x Mathman) has created a thunderous groove that brings to the fore the influence of artists like Nao and Anderson .Paak, as well as Irish acts Republic of Loose and Cosha. 

Expect more music and more BARQ in your life over the coming months.

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Arklow musician Séan Fox has been gigging around the country as a solo performer and with his band Small Town for over four years. Séan’s music is best described as singer-songwriter/Indie Rock.

Although Séan is only starting out on his career he has already performed at the Rose of Tralee and has sung in front of President Mary McAleese. 2019 was a big year for Séan, shortly after completing his Leaving Cert he released the single ‘Obscene’ which has had airplay on 16 radio stations nationwide.

Séan has had his music played on East Coast FM, Dublin City FM, Phoenix FM, KCLR FM, Waterford FM, Ocean FM, Flirt FM and many more. The Highlight of 2019 for Séan was playing support for Aslan in the Arklow Bay Hotel and the National Opera House in Wexford .

Séan has continued his progress into 2020 having opened for Jerry Fish in the Courthouse Theatre in Tinahely. Séan was due to team up with Aslan again for two more gigs on 25th March and 1st April 2020 (unfortunately these were cancelled due to Covid-19).

An extremely talented guitarist and vocalist Séan has a passion for song writing. At 13 years of age he was successful in an application to Music Generation to have one of his songs ‘Burning In Fire’ recorded on the John Lennon Bus.

2020 will be a big year for Séan. The first single from his new EP ‘Wires’ was released on 21st February and amassed 3K streams on Spotify in the first week. Séan’s new single ‘Open Road’ will be released on Spotify, SoundCloud and all streaming platforms on 1st May 2020.

https://www.facebook.com/Sean-Fox-Music-2146833672307867/
https://twitter.com/SeanFoxMusic1
https://www.instagram.com/seanfoxmusic_
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6I715OI-Zy7nsK5EAFmbA
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0NltLpFvR5BPX2iebPmOAw?si=uOqyb-osQm2RniQXyQSVlA
https://soundcloud.com/user-921246046

Taken from their second album ‘No Need To Argue’ and released in September 1994, the official video for The Cranberries track ‘Zombie’ has just passed 1 billion views on YouTube, breaking records as the first Irish band to hit this milestone. The Cranberries now join a small club of iconic artists to reach this landmark and the video is the fifth most viewed rock video of all time globally according to Louder Sound.

Written by Dolores O’Riordan as a protest song after IRA bombings in Warrington killed two children and injured 56 others in March 1993, ‘Zombie’ was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin and was produced by long time Cranberries collaborator Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur). Containing the lyrics “But you see, it’s not me. It’s not my family,” the band were adamant ‘Zombie’ should be the lead single from their new album and resisted the suggestion to go with a less political track, such was their commitment to the song. The official video directed by Samuel Bayer – who now notches his second billion viewed clip following Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ – shows original footage of Northern Irish street scenes with children playing war games during The Troubles, including the now famous political and historical murals. In the video a gilded Dolores O’Riordan stands before a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns surrounded by silver cherubs, with cutaway shots of the band performing live outdoors.  

Fergal Lawler, The Cranberries drummer said of the achievement, “We are so delighted with the news that ‘Zombie’ has reached 1 billion views on YouTube. We are sure Dolores has a big, proud smile on her face too. Thank you so much to all our fans around the world for supporting us over so many years. Hopefully you are all safe and well and managing to find some hope and positivity in our music.”

Noel Hogan, The Cranberries guitarist continues, “For ‘Zombie’ to reach 1 billion views has been a long road and another milestone for the band. Little did we think twenty something years ago that this song would stand the test of time and mean so much too so many. All we can say is thank you to the fans for all they have done for us.”

Bassist Mike Hogan concludes, “I can still remember making such a great video and seeing the impact that it had – and still does – on people. Big shout out to all The Cranberries fans around the world – thanks so much.”

Their most commercially successful single, ‘Zombie’ went on to top the singles charts in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland and was #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US. In 1995 it was awarded ‘Best Song’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and was voted #1 on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100 chart in 1994. On January 16^th 2018, Colin Parry – father of Tim Parry, the twelve year old victim of the Warrington bomb – thanked Dolores O’Riordan for the ‘majestic and (also) very real lyrics” in the track.

The Cranberries debut album ‘Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?’ was released and charted at #1 on the UK album charts in March 1993. Their second and most commercially successful album ‘No Need To Argue’ was released in October 1994 and stayed on the UK charts for 98 weeks after being certified multiple platinum, making the band global superstars. 

In April 2019, The Cranberries released their eighth and final album, ‘In The End’, the vocals for which had been recorded by Dolores prior to her tragic passing in 2018. Guitarist Noel Hogan confirmed its release would honor her memory. ‘In The End’ reached top 10 in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and on the Billboard Independent Albums chart in the US. It was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

An expanded reissue of ‘No Need To Argue’ is planned for release by UMe/Island later this year.

Photo: Andy Earle

https://www.cranberries.com/

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From the small town of Mullingar in Ireland to performing at Tomorrowland, the last year has seen Irish singer-songwriter Flynn go from struggling artist to pop star on the rise.

Capturing the trials and tribulations of modern life, he is a sharpshooter with the truth.

His tracks ‘Red Light‘, ‘Peace of Mind‘, and ‘My Gold‘ have each garnered between 1.4 and 2.2 million plays on Spotify to date. And last year, a massive collab with the Belgian house act Lost Frequencies for the hit single ‘Recognise‘ saw him performing at the legendary festivals Tomorrowland and Parookaville, and accumulated 36 million plays on Spotify as well as 2.5 million views on YouTube.

With its soaring vocals, the anthemic self-penned song is a celebration of home, family, friends, and belonging – without exception, all things Flynn has especially learned to cherish as part of his personal growth over the past years. The alt-pop artist, who has an exceptional talent for wrapping into words and music what many of us think and feel, describes the progress as such:

“I moved away from home to find myself – but in doing so, I kind of lost myself for a while. Eventually, I realised the value of being around friends and family, and that being back at home was what I needed to re-set my peace of mind and get me back on track”. He further adds, “I knew I was born to try and make the best of myself – the best I could be – but coming home and realising friends and family are here no matter what, took away my insecurities. I just wrote about my feelings and that seems to have worked. Now I look forward to travelling, but I’m not running away from home or myself …. I feel good about following my dreams and lucky to have my friends and family supporting me from home.”

Flynn isn’t afraid to show his vulnerable side, and years of relentlessly following his dream, even at the roughest of times, have made him strong enough to feel comfortable sharing even his utmost personal thoughts and insecurities. ‘One of Us’ is the next chapter in this young rising artist’s career. It stems from a major development, and yet it features everything fans and critics have always loved about Flynn’s music:  It’s catchy, candid, and compelling.