The countdown to Movement of Sound's Irish Tour begins. With just over one week until the premiere of this music and dance program hits Cork's MidSummer Festival in Triskel, Christchurch on the 14th of June. From there it head's to Belltable Limerick for an evening show on the 15th, followed by the final date on the 19th in Backloft, Dublin.
Movement of sound seeks to combine movement and sound in a way that will speak across a number of artistic platforms, attracting fresh and untried audiences and creating new and more complete experiences of movement, sound, movement through sound and sound through movement.
This project will involve 4 artists: Karen Power (composer / live electronics), Mary Nunan (dancer and choreographer), Deirdre O’Leary (clarinet/ bass clarinet) and Kate Ellis (cello).
This project aims at a true collaborative approach to music and dance, right down to the choice of touring venues being mutual arts spaces rather than specific to dance or music performances. once upon a space, the result of an intensive collaboration between renowned dancer Mary Nunan, composer Karen Power, and two of Ireland’s foremost musicians, Kate Ellis and Deirdre O' Leary. A conversation between dance/movement, space and sound, it headlines a choreographed program of Irish Premieres that explore sound in movement and movement of sound.
Movement of sound combines a new collaborative work by Power/Nunan with exciting Irish premiers by international composers; Saariaho, Tiensuu and Hyla.
Ian Doyle aka The Man Whom is proud to announce the release of his debut album ‘The Greatest Event’ out June 03rd 2011. Described by critics as “A magical indie-baroque blend of Villagers and Neil Young” Doyle’s music is superbly crafted, and at times beautifully heartfelt.
The opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time crafting and developing his debut album serendipitously came about due to the current economic situation and by extension, the activities of the Irish bankers, developers and some politicians. From here, Doyle set the task of recording his songs and attaining the one thing that had eluded him for many years, despite his best intentions; his first studio album. Enlisting the skills of musicians and friends, Brian Hassett (bass), Christian Best (drums), and recording engineer Donal Byrne, Doyle and his band retreated to the seclusion of a house in Kilrane Village and worked intensely to record the majority of the album.
Further contributions to Doyle’s album include polished string arrangements written by composer Peter Fahey and performed by the Mamisa Quartet, as well as local guitarist Clive Barnes who played peddle steel for the track Over and Under.
For the finishing touches, Doyle spent two weeks in Exchequer Studios, Dublin with producer Brian Crosby and mixing engineer Phil Hayes who shaped and honed the original recordings.
The result is an album which is the sum of its parts, held together by a shoestring and interwoven with the goodwill of creative, talented (albeit jobless!) friends.
Tour Dates:
11th June 2011 – St Iberius Church – Wexford
26th June 2011 – Wexford Arts Centre – Wexford
14th July 2011 – Whelans – Dublin
‘The Greatest Event’ is available now from Itunes and all good Online stores and through www.themanwhom.com, the new single 'Over & Under' is available from July 08th 2011.
Trócaire to Hold ‘Thank You’ Gig for Supporters of Lenten Campaign
A leading city-centre music venue will be transformed into a hub of Central American-themed music, food and activities for a special gig being organised by the development NGO Trócaire in the coming weeks.
The ‘Thanks, from Trócaire’ gig will take place at the Grand Social on Liffey Street in Dublin on Thursday, 23rd June, from 7pm until 1am. The event is being organised to thank people who supported Trócaire’s Lenten campaign earlier this year and to raise awareness of the organisation’s work in the Central American country of Honduras and other regions.
Alternative / electronic quartet C O D E S will headline the gig, where they will be joined by blues-rockers The Hot Sprockets and rising Irish five-piece Storyfold. Tig Linn – a collective with members from Kíla, Discovery Gospel Choir and the Afro-Irish music group De Jimbé – will open the gig, while acoustic performances by a variety of acts will take place throughout the venue over the course of the night.
2FM’s Ruth Scott will be the special guest MC for the event, and the gig will close with a DJ set by internationally acclaimed DJ iZem.
To add a Central American flavour to proceedings, Latino guitarists will be on hand; cocktails inspired by the region will be available; and Honduran-inspired snacks will be cooked to order in an outdoor beer garden. Film footage, games and crafts from Central America will also be on show, and guests will be invited to join in activities such as learning a Latin American dance step.
In 2011, Trócaire’s annual Lenten campaign highlighted the plight of people in Honduras, where human rights abuses are an everyday occurrence. As part of the campaign, Trócaire focused on the story of a five-year-old girl called Digna. Last January, Digna and her family were held at gunpoint by armed security forces, who attempted to remove them from their land.
During Lent, Trócaire encouraged members of the Irish public to send a letter to the Honduran President, asking him to keep Digna and her family safe and to bring to justice those in her community who are abusing their power. A total of 8,420 people responded to this campaign and sent letters to President Porfirio Lobo Sosa.
Over the coming weeks, a number of free tickets for the ‘Thanks, from Trócaire’ gig will be available to people who participated in Trócaire’s Lenten campaign. The gig is also open to members of the public who were not involved in the campaign: tickets – costing only €5 – are available now from www.eventelephant.com/thanksfromtrocaire and will also be on sale on the door on the night, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
At today’s launch, popular broadcaster Ruth Scott urged people to check out ‘Thanks, from Trócaire’ for an alternative entertainment experience.
“I’m delighted to be involved in this event, as I’m a long-time supporter of Trócaire,” she said. “The line-up that has been put together is amazing, with some of Ireland’s most exciting contemporary acts performing.
“But what’s really great about this event is that, in addition to hearing great music performed like at a regular gig, punters will also get to enjoy a little bit of Central America, right here in city-centre Dublin.
“I can’t wait to check out the delicious Honduran food that’s going to be on offer and to find out more about customs and traditions in the Central American region. I know there’s going to be arts and crafts on display on the night, Latino music, Central American inspired cocktails and even piñatas and other games, so I’m really looking forward to a fun evening that’s a little bit different to the normal gig experience.”
Further information about Trócaire’s 2011 Lenten campaign is at: www.trocaire.org/lent.
Following a successful start to 2011 – releasing their debut single/video State Of Affairs, touring Ireland, some great reviews, national airplay and Hot Press magazine labeling them ‘Hot for 2011’, Limerick band Protobaby won this year’s Rock to Bialystok competition.
The prize was an all expenses trip to Bialystok, Poland to play at Juwenalia 2011 Rock Festival on May 20th. The rock festival was attended by over 20,000 people and headliners were German rock stars Guano Apes.
Protobaby took to the stage after Guano Apes and played a high energy set in front of thousands of Polish rock fans. The gig was a huge success and the band have been inundated with requests to return with many fans citing their set as the best of the 3 days of Juwenalia Bialystok 2011. The band also managed to perform at the Odeon Jazz club in Bialystok and went down a storm. Plans are in motion to return to Poland in the near future.
Protobaby will be playing 2 more live dates in Ireland before hitting the studio to record their debut album with producer Owen Lewis. These will be the 10th June – Dolans Warehouse, Limerick and 9th July Crane Lane Theatre in Cork.
