Month: April 2020

Performing under the moniker Train Room, the native from Mayo debut single recently disbanded with record label in Sweden to start recording his own music again. ‘Hurricane Of Love’ is his first offering and already has received acclaimed reviews and radio play for upcoming single out 24th April.  “It’s always gratifying when I stumble upon an artist like Train Room and equally gratifying sharing the discovery with others. Listen to the songs “Horizon” and “The Lives of Others  ” … I think you’ll agree“. Sheryl Zelikson ( Former Senior Music Producer for The David Letterman Show )

Nathan Mac has come a long way since his days as a Circus performer…

With the guidance of friend and Music Producer Trisha O’Keefe he has found his way as a songwriter, performer, and entrepreneur. Catapulting from the success of his sold-out shows in the Smock Alley Theatre and having his first single ‘Kiss Me Like I’m Already Gone’ chosen as Single of the Day by Hot Press, Dublin born Nathan Mac is rebuilding himself as a new Irish Indie-pop powerhouse!

His upcoming single ‘Better Off Without You’ is an ambitious melancholic bop. Never straying too far from his Circus roots, the song’s acrobatic arrangement captures the type of conflict we expect from Nathan Mac’s lyrics.

“It’s about the resistance we can have to healing. Sometimes we don’t want to get better.
Fighting against what’s good for us is such a human thing to do.”

Heavily inspired by Nathans’ favourite artists: AJR, Angèle and Jon Bellion,

This is a side of Nathan you’ve never seen before.

This is the first track in a new series of singles to be released as part of a slow-burn project called ‘Start Of Something Blue’ which began with an intimate performance at a Dublin City cafe, when Nathan was spotted by mystery Producer Brian Dwyer.

“Brian has articulated music in me that I couldn’t express on my own. After putting a lot of work into this song, I finally sound like me.”

At the core of Nathan’s writing is an attempt to give something to the listener.

With so much to unpack lyrically, his songs shed light on complex feelings and situations in a way most pop songs don’t.

 “Everyone talks about love and loss, but there is so much reality in between these two things. I want to give a voice to people with complicated lives.”

‘Better Off Without You’ will be shared with the world with its release on Spotify and all other major streaming platforms on the 1st of May 2020.

For a peek behind the curtain, head over to @nathanmacmusic on Instagram or to nathanmacmusic.com

With a new sound, a new look, and the same Circus attitude, Nathan Mac is joining a generation of Irish singer-songwriters capturing hearts around the world.

Award-winning double platinum selling singer-songwriter Mick Flannery, in partnership with PlayIrish, present Series Three of their online concert showcase, ‘Mini Gigs at Mick’s’.

Carefully selected by Mick Flannery, ‘Mini Gigs at Mick’s’ welcomes a number of artists, whom he has shared stages with across continents, to perform live on his Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Series 3, kicking off this week, features: Mama Kin (AU) on Wednesday 15^th April, Jack O’Rourke (IRE) on Friday 17^th April, Anna Tivel (USA) on Sunday 19^th April, Míde Houlihan (IRE) on Tuesday 21^st April, and Joel Plaskett (CAN) on Thursday 23^rd April. 

Mick will also take to the screen as he plays on Saturday 18^th April, as part of #IrelandPerforms, an initiative launched by Culture Ireland in partnership with Facebook Ireland.

Follow Mick Flannery on Facebook and Instagram to see ‘Mini Gigs at Mick’s’.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mick.flannery.musician
Instagram: @mickflannerymusic

MINI GIGS AT MICK’S IS HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PLAYIRISH

1pm GMT (8pm WST) Wednesday 15^th April – Mama Kin (AU)
7pm GMT Friday 17^th April – Jack O’Rourke (IRE)
7pm GMT Sunday 19^th April – Anna Tivel (USA
7pm GMT – Tuesday 21^st April – Míde Houlihan (IRE)
7pm GMT Thursday 23^rd April – Joel Plaskett (CAN)

Since the release of her stunning debut EP, ‘Glitter Skies’, Sara Ryan has gone from being one of Irish folk music’s hidden gems, to its ‘New Artist of the Year’ at the 2017 Irish Folk Awards. 

Such recognition is unsurprising to anyone lucky enough to have followed Sara’s career from the beginning. Extensive touring in Germany and Switzerland attracted growing audiences with each visit, and her veritable songwriting and storytelling talents have been lauded by fellow homegrown artists including Christy Moore, Sara has shared the stage with some of Ireland’s most commended artists, Mick Flannery, Luka Bloom, The Stunning, Wyvern Lingo, Jack L and Wally Page.

With that in mind, the creative maturity of Sara’s debut album, ‘Breathe‘, feels almost inevitable. The journey through it is a telling one; betraying at each turn the compassion and cleverness of its creator. Its first single, ‘Bright Blue Screens’, demonstrates a bewitching blend of folk, soul, blues and social commentary that is in play across the album. Sara is a songwriter with spirit, and ‘Breathe’ is certainly a record made in her image. It is at times a candle in the dark; at others, a fire in the belly.

In October 2019 Sara was awarded a scholarship with CIT Faculty of Business of Humanities with Cork School of Music to undergo a Masters in Vocal Performance, to further grow creatively and technically as a vocalist, songwriter and artist.

‘Breathe’ is out now across streaming platforms. On the 24th of April, Sara is releasing a track from her album titled ‘Human’. This is a piece highlighting the core of what connects us all as people – the fact that we are not that different, we are all human.

“she continues to progress through hard work , determination and, most importantly… pure talent and creative spirit” – Christy Moore.

‘A very striking performer with a folk voice that is high, carrying, soft and beautiful; but also eerie…’ – John Spillane

The Key Rocks have just released ‘Show Me Something. The third single from the album ‘déjà rêvé’. 

The Key Rocks is a solo independent project from Irish Musician and Producer Kevin James Murphy. During 2019 he has managed to attract over 41,900 followers on Spotify, significant international radio airplay and some key independent radio interviews across Europe and the United States. 

The first and second singles off the forthcoming album attracted radio attention and thousands of plays on Spotify being included on playlists globally. 

Kevin believes in keeping things simple with a home recording process that limits takes and focuses on capturing the moment. This single sees him take the traditional songwriter approach with a single acoustic guitar and vocals.

“Solo project The Key Rocks offers inspiration to anyone that has a scratch of inspiration to write music that it is absolutely possible to record and release it with decent production quality and without breaking the bank. The work of Irishman Kevin Murphy, the Americana Irish rock project sees limited production as he keeps it simple with his LoFi approach to acoustic-influenced rock.” Gigradar 07/2019 

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-key-rocks/1410134813
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheKeyRocks
https://twitter.com/TheKeyRocks1
https://www.facebook.com/TheKeyRocks/

JJ Bloom, the alias of Irish songwriter Conor Mc Quaid, has spent the last three years building up his home studio and writing music to prepare for his debut release, ‘Always You’. The track was written, produced and mixed by Bloom, and mastered by Fergal Davis (Muse, Republic of Loose, The Divine Comedy). The song uses an extraordinarily catchy guitar riff throughout that epitomises Bloom’s soul, funk and RnB influences.

Though only 23, Bloom has already proven himself to be an experienced songwriter having co-written the songs ‘I Won’t Be Leaving’ and ‘Supernatural’ with Jake Carter, as well as yet to be released tracks with French artists Le Trottoir d’en Face and John Linhart. To date, he has also performed at the rather fitting Bloom Festival, UCD Freshers Fair and supported Jake Carter in the Draiocht.

He first cut his teeth in the music industry with the Irish group Dúlamán, who gained prominence through their appearance in the final of Germany’s Got Talent. The group then went on to sign with Sony Germany; which led to them releasing an album with the prestigious Dieter Bohlen and performing a tour across Germany. Bloom describes the experience referencing how, “every venue was packed with people eager to see the new show in town from another country,” a stark contrast to the culture at home where many venues across the board are struggling to maintain footfall and are facing extreme hardship with the current crisis.

Bloom delves into his songwriting process by describing a step-by-step orchestration of laying down the initial chord progressions, then finishing the melody before sitting down to write the lyrics. The line, “what can I do, part of me was always you,” was one of the first lines to be written for the song and it is the one that people keep humming long after the track ends. 

JJ Bloom struggled for quite some time, like many artists, to find his own sound as he reminisced about finding a balance between his influences. He is content that his latest release, “encapsulates a little bit of funk, a little bit of soul, and a little bit of pop,” to provide the style of music he will continue to create. Bloom notes his main sources of influence as Hall & Oates, The Style Council and Tom Misch.

The release is complemented by a video directed by Michael Reid, with Bloom seeking “clean fresh visuals” to accompany his debut single. The video was shot in The Rink at D12, the perfect setting for this groovy and exceptionally dance friendly track. Bloom recalls that both he and Reid, “sat down in his house one evening and planned out almost the entire thing,” and how they had happened upon the venue by fluke.

The song ‘Always You’ was released on all major streaming platforms on the 10th of April.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jjbloomofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjbloomofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjbloomofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YR1Ou3lcObVJIqwiL1Llg/videos

‘Burn Everything’ is the new joint single from alternative pop artist-producer (The Late) David Turpin, and legendary drag artiste Veda. A glamorous gothic ballad replete with strings, church choir and smoky saxophone, ‘Burn Everything’ was recorded immediately after the sessions for The Late David Turpin’s acclaimed recent album ‘ROMANCES’.

Lyrically, Veda reflects on marriage and mortality, while Turpin’s lavish backing interpolates part of “When I am laid in earth“, the most famous aria from Purcell’s seventeenth-century opera Dido and Aeneas. Turpin says: “Normally, on my own records, I write all the words and I play ventriloquist with the singers. This song was different, because the words are substantially Veda’s own. It’s a privilege to be able to work with an artist who is speaking from her heart, but who is able to fit so completely into the ambience of my work.”

‘Burn Everything’ is available to stream or buy via Bandcamp at thelatedavidturpin.bandcamp.com. A release on other platforms will follow after a once month window.

The cover photograph by Steve Piece was taken as part of a series on Ireland’s premier drag artists.

This release follows the recent surprise release of the complete instrumental version of The Late David Turpin’s album ‘ROMANCES’, as a free download via Bandcamp.

Instrumentals from ‘ROMANCES’ showcases the album’s lush arrangements of strings, synthesiser and samples, as well as the co-production of Stephen Shannon (Mount Alaska), Ross Fortune (Benny Smiles), Simon Cullen (Ships) and Conan Wynne (Contour). As a companion piece to the original album – which features contributions from ten guest vocalists – Instrumentals from ‘ROMANCES’ foregrounds the cinematic quality of the music, as well as its mystery and tenderness. You can download the album from Bandcamp.

thelatedavidturpin.com
twitter.com/latedavidturpin 
facebook.com/thelatedavidturpin

On Friday 17th April, north Dublin post-punk band Bullet Girl will release the hard-hitting ‘Hatred’. A song denouncing online trolls, it is particularly fitting right now. 

Songwriter and lead guitarist Dylan Keenan says: “The song is a rally cry against the hatred that the internet age has conjured up; the ability of people to participate in hate speech under the cover of anonymity. Angry little soldiers with ideologies built on insecurity. When you see far-right political leaders gain support across the western world and hateful attacks against minorities and racial groups at both a local and global level becoming the norm, sometimes it does make you worry if the schoolyard bullies have won? This is not happening a million miles away, it’s happening right outside our door.”

Bullet Girl are on an upwards trajectory. A seriously energetic live band, they blew the crowd away with at TiLT in The Button Factory, run by 98fm’s John Barker (Totally Irish). On the back of this, Aiken Promotions asked them to support The Mystrines (“The Liverpool group poised to be nation’s next fearless rock gang.” – NME) at Eastbound Dublin. This show has been postponed due to pandemic restrictions but is rescheduled to go ahead on Thursday, 24th September at The Workman’s Club, all things going well. 

There’s no denying that Ireland’s post-punk scene is thriving at the moment. While Bullet Girl would seem to slot nicely into this narrative, it would be wrong to dismiss them as copyists. 

Four lads in their early 20s from north Dublin, they are all self-taught musicians. As lifelong friends, lead singer Aaron and guitarist Dylan started making music together at the tender age of 14. They would practice in Aaron’s shed, surrounded by his dad’s painting supplies. The two bonded over a love of Surfer Rosa and Doolittle and channeled drive and determination into making music that punched hard. 

After several incarnations of the band down the years, they have certainly achieved that. Channeling but not replicating their influences like Pixies, The Fall and Girl Band, Bullet Girl write unfiltered songs about what they know: drugs, dodgy nights-out, fights and turbulent relationships all set against the backdrop of their hometown. 

‘Hatred’ is Bullet Girl’s fifth single, with an album planned for later this year. 

Electro-indie band The Manhattan Syndrome release their debut album ‘Goodbye Iowa’ on 10 April 2020, available to stream or buy directly on Bandcamp. 

The Manhattan Syndrome is an Irish five-piece indie-pop band known for crafting contrasts: richly textured soundscapes around an emotional core in single ‘Keepsake’, the gentle piano over thumping tom-heavy drums of ‘The One Thing That Won’t Go Away’, the gradual interlocking of patterns in ‘Syzygy’ and the brute-force riffs of ‘Nova Scotia’. ‘Goodbye Iowa’ is a force captured in slow motion, a tide-like pulsing of nostalgia, regret and optimism.

Recorded in Dublin’s Westland Studios, the album was the culmination of years of intense writing, recording and producing, following the release of the band’s debut EP ‘And We Left It Behind’. Featuring guest vocals from Valerie Francis.

Buy directly from Bandcamp: https://themanhattansyndrome.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-iowa 
Spotify: https://bit.ly/goodbyeiowa 
iTunes/Apple Music: https://bit.ly/applegiowa 
YouTube: https://bit.ly/ytgiowa