The Niall Toner Band have reached Number 1 in the USA Air Play Direct Chart. The group reached the top spot last week in the Bluegrass / Folk Album category which monitors radio charts in the USA.
The Niall Toner Band are an Irish bluegrass band from the Blackstairs mountain region of Ireland. The band was founded by Niall Toner in March 2001, with Clem O’Brien and Dick Gladney. The Trio perform a set of all original songs and instrumentals, and their unique sound is a rich blend of Traditional Acoustic Country Music and Bluegrass, with a distinctive Celtic twist.
The diversity of the band's set ranges from contemporary up-tempo Western Swing pieces like Mood Swing, to inspirational Gospel-style songs like Walk On Water, and the haunting Bill Monroe tribute, The Master's Resting Place.
The band will be performing at Sliabhnamon, Crocanoir Arts Centre this Thursday, 8th September, and on the main stage at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford on 24th September, before heading off on a series of USA dates at the end of the month.
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER MARKETA IRGLOVA ANNOUNCES IRISH TOUR TO COINCIDE WITH THE RELEASE OF HER SOLO ALBUM DEBUT – ANAR – OCTOBER 7TH ON PLATEAU RECORDS
Marketa Irglova, the 23-year old Academy Award winner and one half of The Swell Season, will be releasing her first full-length solo album, titled Anar, October 7th on Plateau Records in Ireland (it will be issued by Anti Records elsewhere by indie labels in the Czech Republic). Citing references ranging from Otis Redding, to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, to the soundtrack from Jesus Christ Super Star, Irglova pulled from numerous influences to create a delicate balance of ethereal vocals and expanding instrumentals on her 10-track debut, including the R&B influenced “Go Back” and heart felt song “Crossroads.”
It was just over three years ago that the song “Falling Slowly” from the film Once shocked the world by winning the Oscar. In the days following, a global spotlight was placed on Irglova after she was the first winner in the Academy’s history brought back by the shows host, Jon Stewart, to finish her acceptance speech. In the ensuing years she has continued to share in a series of high points that include releasing another record as The Swell Season, touring as a vocalist in Iron and Wine, helping prepare the Broadway version of Once and even an appearance on The Simpsons. However her most recent achievement, Anar, is easily the one she is most proud of.
Raised in the Czech Republic as a classically trained pianist and vocalist, Irglova had established a new relationship with music after moving to New York City, where most of the album was written. After spending time at an intimate art and performance room in Brooklyn called Zora Space, Irglova was moved to share her solo material and started experimenting with new sounds. She began to craft songs with her solo effort in mind, inspired by surrounding artists, musicians and fans from varying cultures. Anar became Irglova’s creative outlet in documenting and expressing the personal journey she has been on the last few years.
It was during a performance at Zora Space that Irglova was drawn to a painting on exhibition, “The Last Fall” by Iranian artist Nahid Hagigat. Immediately taken by the contrast of color – a crimson red pomegranate placed on a shining golden background – Irglova purchased the painting and in turn named the album Anar, which is the Persian word for “pomegranate.” For Irglova, the pomegranate, which is a fruit tied to fertility and abundance, stood as a symbol of the fertile land of creativity she began to explore after her move to New York.
The recording of the album took place in Chicago at Soma Studios with producer and engineer Tim Iseler, as well as, fellow New Yorker, Persian drum player and vocalist, Aida Shahghasemi. Irglova will be hitting the road with a band in support of Anar this fall. Stay tuned for tour dates to be announced.
Tickets on-sale : Sept 5th 2011
Pepper Canister Church, Dublin
Thursday 3rd November
Tickets €20 and €18 (concession) + handling Fees from www.ticketmaster.ie
Triskel Christchurch, Cork
Friday 4th November
Tickets €18 and €15 ( concession) Online – triskelartscentre.ie Phone – 021-4272022
St. Nicholas' Church
Churchyard St., Galway
Saturday 5th November
Tickets €18 and €15 (Concession) On-Sale (plus booking fee) from www.roisindubh.net
OCTOBER 2-9 INISHEER LISTENING ROOM INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS RETREAT
Nashville writer Buddy Mondlock (Garth Brooks, Art Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Nanci Griffiths, Peter, Paul & Mary) will be the special guest of the Octover 2-9 Ireland Listening Room International Songwriters Retreat on the island of Inisheer, County Galway.
Join songwriters already signed up from Denmark, Ireland and the US for this annual inspirational week of 'Community Through Co'Writing', led by founder Brett Perkins.
The 875 Euro price includes transport to and from the island from Galway, meals, workshops and concerts.
Guests of the Nation, preserved and restored by the IFI Irish Film Archive, is presented with the world premiere of Niall Byrne's new orchestral score. The film, based on Frank O'Connor's short story of friendship between British soldiers and their IRA captors, is a moving anti-war film, which features early film performances from Cyril Cusack and Barry Fitzgerald. The film, an unseen treasure in the Irish silent film canon, will be brought to life with film composer Niall Byrne's powerful new score.
This programme also features the international premiere of Andrew Legge's new silent short film The Lactating Automaton with live orchestral score (by Liam Bates) and live foley performance.
Presented by The National Concert Hall, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and The Irish Film Institute
Supported by Culture Ireland
Digital Media Sponsor: Thejournal.ie
Box Office: Tel +353 (0)1 417 0000 | Book Online at www.nch.ie (No Booking Fees)
Tupelo to play at All-Ireland Hurling Final in Croke Park this Sunday 4th September
Dublin based band Tupelo will entertain up to 80,000 spectators at the half-time interval of this year’s All-Ireland Hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary this Sunday the 4th September.
The folk-roots band were chosen for their widespread appeal after being seen at a number of music festivals around the country this Summer.
Their live show reflects the energy and heart of the great songs written by frontman James Cramer and the group have no resevations about showing their worth in front of the biggest crowd of their music career so far.
“We’re realy looking forward to playing at Croker and we have no fear of playing in front of 80,000 people because we have put years into getting to this stage and we intend to grab it with both hands .
There are not many bands who have the opportunity to play their own songs in front of so many people so we will enjoy it and make the most of it!”
“Don’t Let Go” is the first single to be take from their debut album and is receiving support from radio and press alike.
“an impressive musical backdrop that swells and soars” – Hot Press
“a record that gives off a delicious whiff of sepia” – MetroHerald
Crowdfunding has been growing in popularity over the past few years as artists are discovering new ways to engage directly with their audiences through online networks, and drawing on these fanbases to support a work not only on its completion but during the creative process. Websites such as Pledge Music, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo have attracted large numbers of artists and organisations overseas, and now Irish equivalents are growing through word of mouth of artists and their supporters.
Just six months ago, the crowdfunding platform, Fund It, was launched by Business to Arts, a not-for-profit organisation working to support resilience and transformation in the cultural sector in Ireland. Already, the platform has attracted pledges from the general public of over €215,000 and has seen 50 creative projects successfully funded.
Fund It allows creative ideas and projects with a specific fundraising target to be promoted on site for a defined period of time. The creators behind the approved projects promote the idea to their own network, online and through traditional media with a view to attracting pledges in return for creative rewards. With artists finding it more and more difficult to raise funds for recording, distribution and touring, the platform has been welcomed by a number of Irish songwriters and ensembles who have used Fund It not only to help finance their projects, but to raise awareness of their work and give something back to their supporters. The platform is being used not just by up and coming artists, such as Cork songwriter Sí who used Fund It to put the finishing touches to her debut album, “Great Expectations”, but also by those who have experienced both life as a signed and unsigned artist, such as Peter O´Toole, formerly of the Hothouse Flowers, who is currently running a campaign to help his first solo recording come to fruition.
Having your project approved and launched on Fund It is just the first step. With a tight deadline and an all-or-nothing approach, the artist or organisation is under pressure from the beginning to raise awareness of their project and meet the target they have set. “This forces applicants to be realistic about the money and budget they need in order to plan out and execute their project,”, says Emma O´Halloran, co-director of SoundSet, a string and vocal ensemble currently running a campaign on Fund It to bring some of the best string players in the country together for a special performance of Schoenberg´s groundbreaking “Verklärte Nacht” (Transfigured Night). “Groups that submit projects should have already worked on building up networks on various social media as that´s your main potential funders.” This equates to a lot of hard work for artists trying to promote their project and get people to back it financially before the Fund It deadline. “It is a lot of work, but the payoff is definitely worth it,” says Eamon Brett who was able to finish his collection songs, “Wires”, after running a successful campaign.
To help with the huge task of raising funds and awareness for projects, the rewards system allows the artist to be creative and offer something unique to a fan that would not usually be available when purchasing an album or concert ticket in a traditional way. Rewards include anything from your name on the album sleeve to a live gig in your living room. Nina Hynes, who ran a successful campaign earlier this year for her recording, “Goldmine”, currently in the making, had a whole range of unique rewards from a song played live by Nina for supporters via Skype to a personal singing lesson with Nina. Nina has been engaging with her funders throughout the whole process, acknowledging her supporters´ fundamental role in the creation of her album. The rewards also help to remove any misconceptions that crowdfunding is charity. As Candice Gordon, who used Fund It for the manufacture of her album, “Before the Sunset Ends”, puts it, “The album was worth the financing, and it just made economic sense to take pre-orders before incurring the cost of printing, leaving me to spend my savings elsewhere in the release.”
Aside from financial backing, artists are discovering crowdfunding is bringing them support in a whole range of ways, and introducing a brand new fanbase to their work. Artists are breaking down barriers with their audiences and in doing so, building a strong network of supporters who will help build their profile. To know that you have a team of fans behind you from the beginning is particularly valuable for independent artists working solo on a project. “The feedback and words of encouragement and help I received from funders as well as them actually purchasing was really overwhelming and positive” says Cormac O´Caoimh, who has just reached his Fund It target for the recording of his forthcoming album, “A New Season for Love”. Cormac sees crowdfunding as a viable option for artists and for future funding of the arts in general. “The more people who use it, the more common place it becomes, the more accepted it will become as a way to finance some great projects. I think when people get used to the idea and see how popular and valid a means it is of funding the arts, more people will fund other projects.”
Elavator, Soundset, Peter O´Toole, Rubashov and Morgan La Faye are all currently running campaigns on the Music page of Fund It. Check out www.fundit.ie to learn more about their projects and help them reach their goals.
