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Month: July 2020

Courage Series Two Concludes With Bell X1 Joined By Dowry Strings

‘Courage’ series two has garnered a fantastic global response since it began on the 23rd of June, with concerts from James Vincent McMorrow, Maija Sofia, Lankum, The Murder Capital, Kodaline, Neil Hannon, Cathy Davey, Eve Belle, Saint Sister, Fontaines D.C., Cormac Begley, Stephanie Keane, Laoise Kelly, Anna Mieke, Mick Flanery & SON (Susan O’Neill). Series two will conclude with performances from Bell X1 and Dowry Strings.

Bell X1 have gone from strength to strength since they formed in the late 90s and are now one of the Ireland’s best known and most loved alt rock bands, with nine albums under their belts they’ve grown and innovated as time has gone on but have never lost the playful and unique lyricism and arrangement style that defines their sound. They will perform in Muckross House in Killarney on  the 23rd of July and will be joined by Dowry Strings, the quartet led by violinist, composer and singer-songwriter Éna Brennan (Dowry)  .

This performance will take place on Thursday night and will be made available worldwide, free of charge, thanks to the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, RTÉ and IMRO. 

Courage series two is currently being shown on RTÉ 2 Thursdays at 22:30. 

Speaking of the project Minister Madigan said: “Building on the phenomenal success of the original Courage programme with a reach of over 2.7m, I am delighted to support this new initiative of live streamed performances from some of our best known heritage sites. The outpouring of wellbeing created by the first series of performances will no doubt be carried through Courage 2 and reminds us that culture lifts us up beyond circumstance and challenges and is vital to the core of our collective humanity.” 

IMRO Chief Executive Victor Finn said “In times of crisis we often turn to music creators and artists for their unique ability to interpret and reflect on the world in which we live. Music is a collective experience which can overcome physical distance and is the perfect antidote to the growing sense of alienation and isolation we have all felt in recent times – even more so, now we are being asked to actively practise social distancing.  The Other Voices’ Courage series brings some of our finest Irish music creators to the world stage from a number of unique locations around Ireland in what we hope will be inspiring and unforgettable performances.”  

Other Voices founder and director Philip King said “We are delighted to present this second season of Other Voices Courage as part of the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is about bringing people together through music, and recognising the essential and powerful contribution that artists continue to make to our lives. We are inspired by the response here in Ireland and globally to the first season of Other Voices Courage, and our artists and crews have helped to bring beauty, solace, strength and a sense of belonging to people at this time of national and global crisis – is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has played a leading and imaginative role in making it possible for our artists and crews to work together to create and present Other Voices Courage.”

The 2 Johnnies Announce New Single ‘Dancing In The Kitchen’

Fresh from a 3-month lockdown with not even a visit to the Shamrock Lounge possible, The 2 Johnnies unleash the song of the Summer ‘Dancing In My Kitchen’ on Thursday, July 30th.

A singalong ode to the joys of warm cans, chicken skewers and having the gang around to yours. With 8 no.1 singles, Ireland’s biggest podcast, sold-out tours of Ireland, Australia and the USA, John O’Brien and Jonathon Mc Mahon aka The 2 Johnnies are a cultural phenomenon and their latest single is just the thing to take us into the last leg of the summer!

JYellowL Shares Video for Brand New Single ‘Doesn’t Feel Like’

JYellowL releases video for  ‘Doesn’t Feel Like’, his second single taken from his upcoming debut album ‘2020 D|vision’, due out 4th December 2020.

‘Doesn’t Feel Like’ is out now. 

JYellowL’s first singe ‘Jewels’ garnered huge radio support in Ireland as well as placement on multiple Spotify playlists including New Music Friday, We Move, Breathe of Fresh Eire and New Eire. Apple Music also supported the track by adding the track to ‘New Dublin and ‘Summer Waves’.

JYellowL speaks about how ‘Doesn’t Feel Like’ is very personal to him:

“This song is about my experience as an African immigrant in the western world. I came to Ireland when I was in my early teens and it was the first time I was made conscious of my racial and cultural difference. The first time I experienced racism, covert and blatantly overt. The first time I met people who hated me because of my race and wanted to cause me bodily harm as a result. The first time I met people who truly believed they were my superiors because of my skin colour. The first time that my character was judged based on the actions of groups of people, whom I shared nothing in common with but complexion,  and faced the physical consequences in some instances. Those experiences I faced coupled with the historic injustice faced by other black people all over the western world, made me feel like I didn’t belong here. They say home is where the heart is, but I found it very difficult to place my heart somewhere that I was regularly reminded was not my “actual” home.”

Crunchy-Pop Duo BANYAH Back With Third Single

Following the great response to their two previous tracks, ‘Nothing Free’ and ‘Stuck Under’, crunchy-pop duo BANYAH are back with their third single ‘Watch You Go’, out 24th July. Their previous singles have been played by Tara Stewart (2fm), Dan Hegarty (2fm), John Barker (98fm), Eva Stack (Spin1038), to name just a few, and their single ‘Stuck Under’ featured as Jenny Greene’s (2fm) Homegrown Track of the Day. 

Aisling & Paul put out their most pop driven song yet. Both take lead on the vocals, Aisling on the verses, and Paul with the chorus. Also featured throughout the track are some samples of old vinyl recordings of their mother, singing and playing harp!

‘Watch You Go’ itself is a song about complicated relationships and heartache, Aisling and Paul both pulling influences from their past experiences. Whether it be romantic or platonic, love has many grey areas.

BANYAH are now working towards an EP release towards the end of the year, with a single or two to come in the meantime. Stay tuned!

BANYAH  play Transmission Festival, Ireland’s first independent online music festival, on August 1st.

banyahmoosic.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/banyahmoosic
www.instagram.com/banyahmoosic
www.twitter.com/banyahmoosic

Tia’s Burke’s Debut Release Out Now

Tia Burke is an 18-year old emerging Irish artist ready to take the world by storm. She released her debut single ‘Spinning In Circles’ on the 17th of July.

‘Spinning In Circles’ is a heartfelt debut single from Tia Burke, honing in on the themes of friendship , love and loss to produce an elegant yet powerful piano ballad.

It was recorded in Camden Recording Studios in January , She is backed on ‘Spinning In Circles’ by bandmates Diarmuid Faherty on piano and Cillian Deegan on guitar.

Tia has played events such as Electric Picnic and she has featured in Hot Press magazine. Aged 16 she performed in the U.S at Lexington’s 4th Of July Festival.

Last summer she won both the Edenderry Busking Festival and the June Fest Busking competition. Her many influences include Kate Bush, Nick Cave and Aurora.

Hometime to Release Latest Single ‘The Sound Of Heartbreak’

Hometime’s new single, ‘The Sound Of Heartbreak’, drops on Friday 31st July across all digital platforms. The second of four singles planned for the forthcoming début album, this chugging, darkly melodic slice of pop has a love for Robyn, ABBA and Max Martin woven into its DNA. Remixes are in the works.

Hometime created a buzz earlier this year with début single, ‘Gratitude’. It reached No.4 on the Irish iTunes pop singles chart, notched up 22K Spotify streams and gained airplay in Ireland, the UK, the US and Canada. New York dance maestro/label executive, Vinny Vero, and British pop icon, Alison Moyet, have both lavished praise on the track. Vinny Vero even invited Hometime to remix a track by one of his acts for an imminent big-label album release.

Hometime – Dubliner, Tony Kavanagh – is a versatile pop artist. From the songwriting and the vocals to the design and the funding, the entire project is entirely self-managed. Tony has stayed busy on the songwriting front for himself and others. While some songs are rooted in his experience as a gay man, they have a universal emotional impact, and translate well for other artists. In fact, five co-writes featured on recent RTE Radio 1 Album of the Week, ’45RPM’ by Gavin Murphy – including the album’s four singles.

Pandemic permitting, Hometime’s début album, ‘Past Imperfect’, is expected in the autumn. Cross your (sanitised) fingers.

Website: www.hometimemusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hometime.PastImperfect
Twitter: @hometime_music
Instagram: @hometime_music

Photo credit: Graeme Coughlan

Girl Band to Release Limited 7″ Picture Disc for The R.A.G.E. Dublin

Girl Band will be releasing a limited 7” picture disc featuring the Live from Vicar Street version of ‘Amygdala’. The record will be released exclusively through The R.A.G.E record shop in Dublin in a means to help them through the difficulties that Covid has presented, with all profits going towards the shop.  

The track is available digitally now: https://girlband.ffm.to/amygdala

Tue 21st July – ‘Amygdala’ (Live from Vicar Street) on DSPs with 7” pre-order exclusively from The R.A.G.E.  https://therage.ie/products/girl-band-amygdala

Tue 28th  July – 7” will be available from The Rage if not sold out.

The band will be releasing their ‘Live From Vicar Street’ vinyl for Record Store Day on the 29th August. (Rough Trade)

We are releasing a limited run of 500 7” picture discs with all proceeds going to The RAGE. It will be a live version of ‘Amygdala’ (taken from our record store day release scheduled for August). The shop formally shut down its physical store on Fade Street last month due to complications that Covid 19 presented. Their online store is still operating and they’re looking for a new permanent location. The shop means a lot to us. Both Daniel and Adam worked in the store and we played our first ever gig in the basement. We want to raise a bit of money for them.” – Girl Band

https://girlband.ie/

Robb Murphy’s ‘Choose Your World’ Out Now

Robb Murphy has just released ‘Choose Your World’, a song about how our thoughts create our world.  By choosing to see things in a positive way our perception becomes reality and we are more thankful for all that we have. Robb Murphy wrote the song as a mantra to motivate him and hopefully it will help others too.

The ‘Choose Your World’ music video was to be filmed in locations just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit us. With everyone in lockdown the plans changed and Robb reached out to the band and people online who recorded their videos at home, putting their own take on the song.

‘Choose Your World’ is now available on Bandcamp, iTunes, iTunes Music Player, Google Play Music, Amazon and other online music stores.

Don’t Fear The Natives Share Second Release

From Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Don’t Fear The Natives are a six-piece alt-rock outfit around the nucleus of singer Claire McDaid and guitarist/songwriter Denis Kelly. After a much publicised gig with Welsh giants Feeder, their debut 4-track offering ‘Stupid Heart’ romped into the iTunes Top 20 on the day of its release.

On the verge of their second release ‘Catch A Wave’, a punchy, ‘sound of the summer’ stomper, they’ll be looking to follow up the success of their debut, the Stupid Heart EP as singer Claire McDaid explains.

“‘Stupid Heart’ has done really well for us, iTunes Top 20, airplay nationally and globally, radio sessions, Single of the Week on loads of Irish stations, and great reviews from the likes of Joe.ie, where the video was the most views for a new Irish band…!”

After a busy summer of gigs in 2019, including a Firestone Stage headline slot at Vantastival, the band encamped into the studio to start pre-production on the songs that will become their debut album. The new single ‘Catch A Wave’ came out of those sessions.

We’re really excited for the new songs, they’re an extension of what came before with the EP. We love to rock it out, but there’s an edgier, occasionally delicate side that we love exploring, the vulnerabilities of relationships, the heartaches, and sometimes those small victories in between.

Their debut ‘Stupid Heart’ is still picking up considerable airplay across radio in the UK, Canada, US and Australia. Tracks from the EP also feature regularly on shows dedicated to new emerging Irish artists across local and regional radio, college and specialist programmes.

New Single from Roy Buckley put forward for Grammy Awards

The new single “The Old Man On Patrick’s Street” from Cork based singer/songwriter Roy Buckley has been put forward for the 63rd Grammy Awards.

The track was submitted by Rian McSweeney, a record label owner and publisher who is based in the USA and is a San Francisco Chapter Voting Grammy Member. He heard the song and loved it, and put it forward for nomination in two categories – “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year”.

“The Old Man on Patricks Street” is a song Buckley wrote a number of years ago, inspired by seeing a elderly homeless man on Corks iconic main thoroughfare. It has taken a number of years to bring to final fruition, however, for several reasons, not least among them the sudden death of Buckleys engineer, producer & close friend, Laurence White in 2016.

Recording of “The Old Man on Patrick’s Street” began in White’s Wood Street  studio, and was finished in Kitten Lane studios in Cork, under the watchful eye of Aidan O Mahony and Keith Clancy Mastered in the USA, by Grammy Award winner Adam Ayan. The song was released on all platforms in June 2020.

Roy Buckley is a singer, songwriter, musician, entertainer and recording artist from Cork City. Since childhood he has “collected” Irish music and song, and in 2012 established the hugely successful  “Song Collector Sessions” concert series, with fifty concerts under his belt in that time. Guests at the concerts have included  Aslan’s Christy Dignam, Bagatelle’s Liam Reilly, Stocktons Wings Mike Hanrahan and in a major coup, Buckley secured none other than the legendary Phil Coulter.

The concerts also led to a podcast, featuring interviews with leading lights in Irish music. The “Song Collector Podcast” is available on all platforms. Internationally, Roy spends several months of the year touring and performing at festivals and events all over the world. Audiences in Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Estonia, Holland, Norway, the UK and the USA have enjoyed this young Corkmans music, storytelling and his unique voice. Phil Coulter recently described Roy Buckley as “last of the great Balladeers”, while iconic songwriter Pete St. John, who personally asked Roy to sing his song “Tara Tansey” called him “The Voice of Munster”.

In addition to “The Old Man on Patrick’s Street” Roy Buckley is currently recording a new album at Kitten Lane Studios due for release in late 2020, Covid19 permitting, of course.

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