Month: July 2019

John Blek today joined us in IMRO for the presentation of if an IMRO Award in recognition of his album ‘Thistle & Thorn’.

The IMRO Number 1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach number 1 in the album charts here in Ireland.

The album ‘Thistle & Thorn’ was recorded between Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Louisville, Kentucky during the early part of 2018. It features numerous collaborations with longtime musical partners Brian Casey and Davie Ryan as well as the addition of the ethereal voice of Joan Shelley and melodious fingerstyle folk guitar of Nathan Salsburg. This is John’s most complete and ambitious work to date.

‘Salt in the Water’ from Blek’s last album Catharsis Vol.1, was nominated for Song of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards 2018 at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. It’s been a busy few years and it shows no sign of letting up. Endless tours and recording in Ireland, Europe, UK and USA keep the Irish troubadour busy.

He is a master storyteller and an inspiring live performer. His beautiful fingerstyle guitar and joyous vocal weave a tapestry that is as poignant as it is skilful. He is a true artist.

Website – https://johnblek.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnbleksolo/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/johnbleksolo
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/johnbleksolo/

Aiken Promotions proudly presents The Wood Burning Savages, live at Whelans (Upstairs), Saturday, 16^th November 2019. Tickets €13.00 inclusive of booking fee, on sale this Friday at 10AM.

Provocative alternative-punks The Wood Burning Savages are an incendiary four piece from Derry city that proudly wear the rebel spirit of their hometown on their sleeves.

Recent winners of the NI Music Prize, their ferocious debut album ‘Stability’ beat out the likes of Snow Patrol, Ash and Bicep to be the first self-released artist to win Northern Ireland Album of the Year. The band also took home the prize of Best Northern Irish Live Act with BBC Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson describing vocalist Paul Connolly as “one of the next generation’s great rock frontmen.” 

With blistering riffs and a sharp political edge, they are often compared to IDLES, Frank Turner and The Clash.

The band kicked off 2019 by joining Skinny Lister for their extensive UK tour, supported alternative rock legends Therapy? on their sell out tour across Ireland this spring and will support Snow Patrol at their open air homecoming show in May.

Today, Aiken Promotions proudly presents two intimate shows with Mick Flannery live at Lost Lane, 10^th & 11^th October 2019. Tickets €30.00 inclusive of booking fee, on sale Friday at 9AM. This follows the release of double-platinum selling artist, Mick Flannery’s self-titled sixth album.

Mick began to write songs as a teenager in his home of Blarney, County Cork. As musical influences from albums by the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits seeped into his creative DNA, Mick absorbed, learned and honed the craft that would send him on his way into the world. The path was smoothed somewhat when, at the age of 19, he became the first Irish songwriter to win the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition. By the time he turned 21, he had signed to a major label and released his debut album.

With his latest release, Mick touches on loose themes of ambition and the search for a meaningful life in the context of a musician’s sometimes feckless and dysfunctional lifestyle. The central character, he reveals, is someone like him, “although this person achieves more notoriety than I have. He is properly famous, and he has to deal with that.” The loose theme is just that, however. “I’m not going to hammer it home. Facets of the theme are on the album, but the storyline itself isn’t an overarching one – each song can stand on its own, and not need to be part of a narrative.”

Mick Flannery has, of course, experienced and processed enough in the past fifteen years to know what his views are. He smiles when he says that for the sake of the songs he ever so slightly embroiders certain facts for creative effect.

“Obviously, I don’t equate to the levels of conflict I’m describing in the songs. I know the spectrum because of how reserved I am, and how – in my years of being in the music industry, and through varying levels of being noticed – it can change your life a bit. You’re not anonymous in certain places, and when that modifies your behaviour things can happen to you that are unknown to the general public. It’s a strange thing, a balancing act. Most of the time, however, I can go out for a quiet night and not be recognised. I wouldn’t want to give up that freedom.”

Mick Flannery’s self-titled album out now via Rosa Productions / Warner Music Ireland. Order at www.mickflannery.com

Stream / Buy at: https://wmi.lnk.to/mickfannery

On the occasion of the State Visit to the Federal Republic of Germany by the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and Sabina Higgins, a concert curated by Other Voices, took place in the heart of Berlin last Thursday 4th of July. 

Other Voices was honoured to curate an evening of music for this significant State Visit, which celebrated the longstanding cultural and musical ties between Ireland and Germany. The concert in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood was attended by President Higgins and Sabina Higgins as well as German President Frank Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender.

Other Voices are delighted to bring you the full live streams for both concerts featuring performances from Lisa Hannigan & stargaze, Dermot Kennedy and Aoife Ni Bhriain, via ARTE Concert. These streams will be available for thirty days.

RTÉ will broadcast an Other Voices Berlin Special in the coming weeks. Dates TBC.

GENERAL ARTE LINK: 

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/RC-017807/other-voices/

Lisa Hannigan & Stargaze, Dermot Kennedy and Aoife Ni Bhriain. 

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/090983-002-A/lisa-hannigan-s-t-a-r-g-a-z-e-dermot-kennedy-und-aoife-ni-bhriain/

Dermot Kennedy live from Other Voices Berlin 

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/090983-003-A/dermot-kennedy/

Donnacha Dennehy’s ‘The Hunger’—out August 23, 2019 on Nonesuch Records—explores Ireland’s Great Famine. Performed by Alarm Will Sound led by Alan Pierson, soprano Katherine Manley, and sean nós singer Iarla ÓLionáird, the libretto draws from first-hand accounts by American humanitarian Asenath Nicholson. ‘The Hunger’ is available to pre-order from iTunes and the Nonesuch Store, where the album track ‘Black Potatoes‘ may be downloaded instantly.

As Dennehy explains, “The Famine was a topic I had wanted to address in my music for a long time. Only when I discovered Asenath Nicholson’s ‘Annals of the Famine in Ireland’, published in 1851, was a route unlocked for me. Her astonishing first-hand accounts became the piece’s main narrative thread. She made the arduous journey from the U.S. to Ireland, when countless others were going in the opposite direction, and traversed the entire country, often on foot, and often staying in the homes of the suffering, in order to chronicle the conditions of starving Irish people.”

He continues, “To counterpoint Nicholson’s perspective, I invented an elderly Irish character, written for Iarla Ó Lionáird. The sense of how incapable bureaucracy is at dealing with a quickly transforming crisis, and how that bureaucracy can be used as a screen for being unfeeling, is implied by the narrative that Asenath tells of the old man’s dealings with the hunger relief station, and the way the music surges and fades, embodying the old man’s Sisyphean task.”

‘The Hunger’ has been performed as a staged “docu-cantata” in venues including BAM and the Kennedy Center. In September, Alarm Will Sound performs a concert version of the piece at Princeton University, where Dennehy is on faculty; Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall in collaboration with Irish Arts Center NYC, as part of Ecstatic Music’s tenth anniversary season; and at Boston’s Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory for a performance in partnership with Oxfam America. Details may be found at alarmwillsound.com.

The European premiere of the work will run in Dublin from August 19^th -24^th at The Abbey Theatre, directed by Tom Creed.

Born in Dublin in 1970, Donnacha Dennehy has had work featured in festivals and venues around the world, such as the Edinburgh International Festival, Royal Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Barbican, BAM, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, ISCM World Music Days, WNYC’s New Sounds Live, Bang on a Can, Ultima Festival, Musica Viva, Saarbrucken Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and the Gaudeamus Festival. Nonesuch previously released Dennehy’s ‘Grá Agus Bás’ in 2011.

Iarla O’Lionáird has carved a long and unique career in music in Ireland. From his iconic early recording of the vision song ‘Aisling Gheal’ as a young boy to his ground breaking recordings with Dublin’s Crash Ensemble he has shown a breadth of artistic ambition that sets him apart in the Irish Music fraternity. He has worked with a stellar cast of composers internationally including Nico Muhly, Donnacha Dennehy, Dan Trueman, Gavin Bryars, and David Lang and he has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Nick Cave, and Sinead O’Connor. O’Lionáird previously performed on Nonesuch’s 2011 release, Donnacha Dennehy’s ‘Grá Agus Bás’.

Katherine Manley studied at the Royal College of Music, London. Her early career had great success in baroque and classical repertoire with Handel in particular. She later went on to develop a reputation for her exploration of the contemporary repertoire, including world premières by Michel van der Aa and Donnacha Dennehy. Manley has also performed in the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe to critical acclaim, including performances in the UK, France, and the US.

Alarm Will Sound is a twenty-member band committed to innovative performances and recordings of today’s music, gaining a reputation for performing demanding works with energetic skill. The group’s performances have been described as “equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity” by Financial Times and as “a triumph of ensemble playing” by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times has said that Alarm Will Sound is “one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene.” Nonesuch previously released the ensemble’s 2009 album ‘a/rhythmia’.

Alan Pierson has been praised as “a dynamic conductor and musical visionary” by the New York Times. In addition to his work as artistic director of Alarm Will Sound, he is principal conductor of the Dublin-based Crash Ensemble; has served as artistic director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic; and has acted as a guest conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Steve Reich and Musicians, Ensemble Connect, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Silkroad. Pierson’s previous Nonesuch releases include Donnacha Dennehy’s Grá Agus Bás (2011) and Alarm Will Sound’s a/rhythmia (2009).

Donnacha Dennehy
‘The Hunger’

1. I Have Seen and Handled the Black Bread
2. I Feared He Would Die
3. Black Potatoes
4. Keening
5. Dreadful Winter

Alarm Will Sound
Conducted by Alan Pierson
Katherine Manley and Iarla Ó Lionáird

Alt-folk/singer-songwriter Dublin based Acoustic Duo KC VIK announce new single ‘The Gambler’s Partner‘ which is now available across all streaming sites. The duo consists of Ian Kinsella, a Kildare born musician of an Irish traditional back ground who was a  member of Gavin James’ Only Ticket Home Tour and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz from Manhattan, a classically trained cellist, graduating from music conservatory at age 18. She has performed both as a soloist and in various chamber ensembles in venues such as Merkin Concert Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, Weill Recital Hall, and Carnegie Hall.

KC VIK’s songwriting is powerful, and with their current goal to keep their sound as raw, edgy and real as possible, the pair create an incredibly full sound with just their instruments and no others and no extra layers. The end result of their debut release is a beautiful blend of very different learning curves leading to a very unique experience for the listener.

The pair have a cited a wide range of influences between them, absorbing as many genres as possible to broaden their spectrum of understanding and musical endeavours – Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Nickel Creek, Townes van Zandt, Solas, Lunasa, Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, Neil Young, The Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention and Moxie, to name but a few.

What you get here is stunning folk acoustic music at its best.

https://www.facebook.com/kcvikduo/
https://www.instagram.com/kcvikduo/

Villagers are pleased to share a brand new single, ‘Summer’s Song’.

Featuring a chorus of six flugelhorns, ‘Summer’s Song’ was written and produced by Conor O’Brien and mixed by the legendary Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, Flaming Lips, MGMT).  In Conor’s words: “’Summer’s Song’ is the closest I’ll ever get to writing a pure pop song. I just had to roll with it and I’m glad I did; it was really just an excuse to make the horns sound like sunbeams. Boy it’s fun to play live. I can’t quite believe we managed to get the magical touch of Dave Fridmann in on the mix”.

The video – animated by Joe May and illustrated by Patricio Bauzá – is equally drenched with memories of summers past and anticipation of those to come.

Fresh from supporting Mumford & Sons on their recent UK arena tour, Villagers will be playing shows throughout the summer including a sold-out gig at Dublin’s glorious Iveagh Gardens (his biggest ever headline – 4000 cap).  A European tour including Paradiso, Amsterdam and the Rolling Stone Weekenders in Germany have also been announced for November.

Villagers released their acclaimed fourth album ‘The Art Of Pretending To Swim’ last year and O’Brien has a string of accolades under his belt including two Ivor Novello Awards, two Mercury Music Prize nominations and is a previous winner of Ireland’s Choice Music Prize.

Additionally, Villagers’ music has featured in both seasons of HBO drama ‘Big Little Lies’ – reaching the Top 60 Shazam charts in the UK and US last month – and their Spotify session of ‘Nothing Arrived’ has hit over 130 million streams.

LIVE DATES

Fri 12^th July – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin (sold-out)
Thurs 18^th July – Galway Arts Festival, Galway with John Grant
Fri 19^th July – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Sat 20^th July – Ballykeeffee Amphitheatre, Kilkenny
Fri 2^nd Aug – Festival N2, Chaves, Portugal
Wed 7^th Aug – Moods Festival, Bruges, Belgium
Thurs 15^th Aug – Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh
Fri 16^th Aug – Green Man Festival, Abergavenny, Wales
Fri 23^rd Aug – Open House Festival, Bangor
Fri 30^th Aug – Into The Great Wide Open, Vlieland, Netherlands
Sat 31^st Aug – Bruis Festival, Maastricht
Sun 1^st Sept – Golden Leaves Festival, Darmstadt, Germany
Thurs 7th Nov – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Fri 8^th Nov – LantarenVenster, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sat 9^th Nov – Rolling Stone Park Festival, Rust, Germany
Mon 11^th Nov – Zakk, Dusseldorf, Germany
Tues 12^th Nov – Strom, Munich, Germany
Wed 13^th Nov – UT Connewitz, Leipzig, Germany
Sat 16^th Nov – Rolling Stone Beach, Weissenhauser Strand, Germany
Sun 17^th Nov – Burgerweehuis, Deventer, Netherlands
Mon 18^th Nov – Het Depot, Leuven, Belgium

Tickets

Stream The Art Of Pretending To Swim.

Villagers Online:

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Photo credit: Rich Gilligan