Month: May 2019

Louth folk favourites Kern are back with two brand new singles, taken from the trio’s eagerly-awaited new album, their first since 2016’s critically-acclaimed debut ‘False Deceiver’.

The new singles form a “double A-side” style release comprising a new song, ‘Little Things’ and a cooking new set of tunes, ‘The New Jigs’. The tracks were once again produced by Trevor Hutchinson and feature the Lunasa/Waterboys man on double bass throughout. Both tracks will feature on Kern’s forthcoming second album, due autumn 2019.

Kern have been hard at it since the extensive press and radio coverage which accompanied the first album’s release, clocking up the miles on Ireland’s highways and byways. Along the way the band have also played shows in Germany, Canada and the US, including at Milwaukee Irish Fest and Folk Alliance International. The band also won the 2018 Temple Bar TradFest showcase and will play their own headline show at this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

Release date for the singles is May 17^th and a brand new video for ‘Little Things’ will premiere on the band’s web site and social media pages before that. The band will celebrate with a special launch show at legendary Dublin venue Whelan’s on May 19^th. Incredibly, this show marks Kern’s first ever headliner in the capital.

Tickets:
http://www.whelanslive.com/

John Sheahan – A Dubliner & His Guests – is a very special concert to help celebrate the 80^th birthday of one of Ireland’s best known and loved musicians.

John began playing the tin whistle while at school and soon picked up a fiddle he found at home. He studied classical music at the Dublin School of Music for 5 years before playing with some ceili bands.

Meanwhile Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna & Ciaran Bourke were starting to play and sing around Dublin. It wasn’t long before John and his friend Bob Lynch started to support the Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, as they were then known. Shortly afterwards they were both asked to join the band. The Dubliners were born.

The Dubliners took the folk world by storm. Nobody had ever heard or seen anything like them before. Driven by John & Barney’s wonderful fiddle & banjo sound and the songs that Luke, Ronnie & Ciaran sang they travelled the world playing sold out shows, had hit records, sold albums by the bucket load and through it all remained true to their Dublin roots.

Apart from playing with The Dubliners John has guested on stage and on record with the likes of Kate Bush, U2, Rod Stewart, Rory Gallagher, Billy Connolly, The Pogues, Liam Clancy, Glen Hansard, Imelda May, Damien Dempsey, Andre Rieu, Terence Trent D’Arby, Sinead O’Connor, Phil Coulter, Declan O’Rourke, Daniel O’Donnell, Mary Black, Joan Baez and many more.

This show will feature some very special guests. With John Sheahan expect the unexpected!*

Presented by Aiken Promotions, John Sheahan, A Dubliner and his guests
An 80^th birthday celebration
6^th December 2019
Tickets on sale Friday, 17^th May 2019

‘Passing Through’, the 4th single from Bouts second album ‘Flow’ is a triumphant summer splash, complete with a video shot in Amsterdam during the band’s recent run of live shows. Like the song itself, it captures a moment. Speaking of the theme behind the track, the band wanted to encapsulate the transience of life – friendship, music and attachment. This is an energetic burst, brimming with the sound of summer.

Bouts have re-emerged after 5 years to release and tour their new album ‘Flow’ available now on Wonky Karousel Records. Recorded by Fiachra McCarthy (Squarehead, Shrug Life, Switzerland, The Run Ons), mixed by Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung, Sweat Threats) and mastered by TJ Lipple (Bats, Jogging,Fugazi, MGMT ),  ‘Flow’ was also released on all digital platforms.

The 9-track album is available on a limited run of 100 vinyl records – more than half of which sold out exclusively on their UK & Irish tour which kicked off in London with two shows (Lion Coffee + Records and The Finsbury) on Saturday 26th Jan. The tour then moved to Ireland for a series of five shows starting in Galway’s Roisin Dubh (Upstairs -Wed 30th), Limerick’s Pharmacia (Thurs 31st), Cork’s Roundy ( Fri 1st Feb), Dublin’s Underground ( Sat 2nd), and finished up in Belfast’s Menagerie (Sun 3rd).

Tour support came from some of Ireland’s most exciting indie guitar bands including: Silverbacks,  Oh Boland, New Dad, Laurie Shaw, Any Joy, Monday Villains, Kayleigh O’ Brien, Feather Beds, Shrug Life and Hot Cops.

Bouts are Barry Bracken (singer and guitars), Daniel Flynn (drums, percussion), Colin Boylan (guitar and keys) and Niall Jackson (bass, vocals).

Formed in 2011, Irish indie-rock quartet have grown musically and personally over the last eight years and are now making the most fulfilling music of their lives. It’s been quite a journey. In Summer 2014, a year after the release of their debut album, ‘Nothing Good Gets Away’, and a frenetic early period of activity, lead singer Bracken relocated to Asia, while their bassist Jackson, moved to the UK. With only two members remaining in Ireland, they still found a way to keep writing, recording and releasing music through 2015 and 2016. This harmony brought the group closer together as friends and resulted in a richer, more focused melody driven guitar-pop. They have been championed by BBC’s  Lauren Laverne, Phily Taggart & Stephen McCauley. They’ve shared stages with Cloud Nothings, Yuck and Johnny Marr among others, and graced many the festival stage around the world along the way. Now based between Dublin, London and Amsterdam, the band include Built to Spill, The Breeders, The Cribs, Dinosaur Jr., Grandaddy, Pavement, Pixies, Death Cab for Cutie and (early!) Weezer amongst their influences. This lineage leads directly into the new Bouts record which has been recorded over the course of the last two years in London, Dublin and the west of Ireland. Their contagious take on indie-rock is ready to continue to impress again in 2019 as they return to festival circuit after almost 5 years with appearances at Knockan Stockan – Wicklow (July)  and Stendhal festival – Derry (August) in Ireland.

Bouts have also shared videos for three other new tracks to accompany the album’s release.  

Face Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MncChJx7KRA
Love’s Lost Landings (part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ1cdEgnxwA
Love’s Lost Landings (part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz5PQR_Sgv4

WonkyKarousel     Soundcloud     Bandcamp     Twitter     Facebook Instagram   YouTube    

Press shots: Brid O’ Donovan

The urgency of potential fizzes when you have nothing left to lose. With this sense of fearlessness in mind, Deep Sky Objects jump start summer 2019 with their new single ‘Nothing To Lose’, released 7th June. Are you ready to cut loose, get sweaty and maybe a little bit funky?

Departing from the brooding, simmering tone of their self-titled EP, Deep Sky Objects bring to the table a single of explosive energy and carnival all the while retaining the dark undertone of their lyrics. Deep Sky Objects are already familiar with creating a hookworm melody and ‘Nothing To Lose’ is relentless in its mission to get the party started. Intersecting the jubilant brass section a twinkling piano lightens the mood while Kevin O’Brien declares his intent. This cavalier attitude seizes the single which is triumphant, exhilarating, on a dopamine high with a lightness of touch that balances its complexity.

The song is a tribute to those who’ve found themselves hooked to someone but can’t let go. There’s a longing to escape, but an underlying fear of the unknown. This fear makes the devil you know far more comforting even while it brings out the worst in you. Deep Sky Objects experimented heavily with instrumentation on this track showing a more upbeat side to the band, yet still maintaining a mood and slight angst that’s familiar to them.

In February 2019, the band travelled to Berlin to record ‘Nothing To Lose’ with producer Ciaran O’Shea at Frank Zappa Strasse. The band also welcomed Latin-Grammy winner Ainsley Adams on the mastering of the track. Deep Sky Objects are fresh off the stage from supporting the Franks and Walters and have become known for their no holds barred live shows. They are settling in for a summer of touring and writing on their upcoming album which promises to take the listener on a journey through a myriad of landscapes and emotions.

Tour Dates:

May 25th – Friar’s Tavern, Lorrha, Tipperary
June 1st – K-Fest, Killorglin, Kerry
June 13th – Whelan’s, Dublin  
July 27th – Live In The Heigue, Ballyheigue, Kerry

Songwriter, electronic musician and multi instrumentalist Trick Mist (Gavin Murray) returns after his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Both Ends’ released via Pizza Pizza Records in Nov 2018. 

‘Scribble’ his brand new single (release date 08/05/19) was written specifically as a contribution to Cian Ó Cíobháin’s radio show ‘An Taobh Tuathail’ (RTE RnaG) 20th birthday celebrations.  

In Murray’s words- 

“‘Scribble’ is a song about attributing romantic value to experiences. It’s a messy snapshot of the past re-contextualised for present purposes. It utilises a reoccurring sample of a street vendor woman I recorded in Vietnam and it sounds like she’s saying ‘don’t think twice’. I’ve no idea what she’s actually saying but my mind wanted to think that she was saying ‘don’t think twice’ at the time of writing. Art is a great way of creating your own romance ‘joining the dots’ , so to speak, of experience in life. This is what this song does.”

Listening to the music of Cork based electronic songwriter Trick Mist (Gavin Murray) is almost a meditative experience. His arsenal of original samples combined with gestures towards traditional music and storytelling lyrics, create a captivating immersive soundscape for the listener.

Self produced in Ireland, on the road in India and South-East Asia, his debut album ‘Both Ends’ (Pizza Pizza Records) is a compelling, cohesive and original body of work. Sonically, the album draws heavily from a unique library of sounds captured by Murray while travelling. Emotionally intense and deeply thoughtful, the album is a product both of Murray’s internal monologue and his external environment created over the last 2 years.

Upcoming Shows

Sat 18th May: Bello Bar, Dublin (supporting Robocobra Quartet)
2-4th Aug: Arcadian Field, Dundalk 

Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify / Youtube / Website / Soundcloud / Bandcamp

‘Sorry’ is the latest offering from Cork based artist/producer 1000Beasts and breaking pop sensation Ryan Mack.

This track is a BIG release for both artists and set to put them both on the map internationally.

1000Beasts is a project by Cork native Cian Sweeney, where the concept is simple, he collaborates with different artists across all spectrums and genres of music on every release. These are the ‘beasts’ behind the name. 

Previous collaborations with artists like Janet Grogan, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Carrie and Jacob Henley have all been very well received, with heavy Spotify playlisting as well as featuring on hit TV shows such as Made In Chelsea, and proves that this songwriter, producer and collaborator is just hitting his stride. 

1000Beasts is lauded for his energetic live shows, combining electronic beats with acoustic instruments, live drums and live visuals. Previous performances of note are

Output Festival Belfast, Hard Working Class Heroes, Whelans (headline show), Soma (Cork & Dublin) and Indiependance Festival.

Facebook – www.facebook.com/1000Beasts
Instagram – @1000Beasts
Twitter – @1000Beasts

Following the release of their debut album, ‘Born Brief’, Gypsies on the Autobahn have been away honing their craft and shaping a new direction for themselves to create their upcoming sophomore album. 

The first single from their new record is ‘Make You Mine’. A song born of regret and an intense longing to turn back time.

The band play Lost Lane in Dublin on May 31st, and more details regarding the forthcoming album will be revealed soon.

ELLYD returns after a short hiatus of writing and recording with her new upbeat pop offering ‘With The World’.

Following on from her successful last single ‘Sorge’, which reached number 3 in the iTunes charts, the Dublin native returns with her latest offering which touches on love, relationships and sticking together through the tough times.

After a successful few months of touring across the country, ELLYD is set to play her first gig with her newly formed live band at Whelan’s on June 21^st.

The singer said: “I wrote ‘With The World’ about being there for someone when they’re going through a tough time. There’s too much shit going on in the world at the moment, it’s so important that we help each other out.S

ELLYD (Elaine Doyle), who hails from West Dublin, will play fan favourites as well as some new songs on the night.

The singer has toured throughout Ireland and Europe and has played Electric Picnic, Indiependence,  The Dublin Quays Festival, Battle of the Lakes, The Ruby Sessions as well as other venues across the country including Vicar Street, Whelan’s(One’s to Watch 2019) and The Button Factory.

Twitter: @ELLYDMUSIC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELLYDMUSIC/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYf9G5H9B1mcMzpiPRtjcTA