Month: May 2020

As part of the Féile Róise Rua Virtual Festival, Brí Carr Music presents an alternative album release and concert as Gaeilge and in English on Sunday 17^th May on Brí Carr Music Page from the Seomrá Suí in Caisealshanaghan, Ramelton at 4pm.

Little did Brí think that her album entitled ‘H.O.M.E.’ (ABHAILE) would be so prophetic when writing and recording the material over the last two years, with the title track ‘H.O.M.E’ suddenly taking on a whole new meaning in short taster concerts over the last few weeks. Another popular track from the upcoming album, ‘Voice of an Angel’, in both languages, tells the story of the angelic hero who cares for their patient as they prepare for their journey home, and of course ‘Ag teacht tar ais go Dhún na nGall’, now on Youtube, has become all the more poignant with its vista scenes of the county’s beautiful coastline, a track which resonates deeply with the Donegal Diaspora at home and abroad, and one Brí now identifies all the more with, given her family’s inability to spend time in her beloved Arranmore Island.  

With scheduled concerts to take place in Glenveagh Castle, and Donegal Castle, originally to be supported by various artists from the Wild Atlantic Women, this Sunday the revised support act will be none other than one of the Wild Atlantic Wains, 10 year old daughter Caela, and the setting has been re-arranged to be the setting of Brí’s own Ramelton home, if we close our eyes, we can pretend it’s the sitting room of a castle somewhere in the hills of Donegal.

‘Bang Bang!’ marks the third single release from contemporary folk songwriter Brian Barron. The song tells the tale of Mr Thomas Dudley aka Bang Bang, the old school Dublin character who roamed the streets armed with his infamous keychain, shooting unsuspecting people of all ages. 

The song was recorded  in the prestigious Hellfire Studios, mixed and mastered by engineer Ivan Jackman. The tune was cut live on the floor with just the bass guitar being overdubbed. Joining Barron were Daniel Fitzpatrick (piano,bass) and Aoife Ruth (organ) of Badhands. Originally conceived as a ‘Pogues’esque’ type number,it evolved very quickly in the studio to a more  ‘folk-rock’ approach.

‘Century Of The Self’, the upcoming debut album from which ‘Bang Bang!’ stems from was cut over just three days in 2019. Three songs were recorded per session with the three musicians’ core performances forming the focal point of each song. The songs, though steeped in traditional structures are born of a keen awareness of the full scope of the modern world. 

The two previous singles ‘Tuam Baby Massacre’ and ‘The Ballad Of Lisa Kennedy’ are what might be considered true story songs. The first was accompanied by a video shot on location in Tuam with a survivor of the mother and baby home, Ms Teresa O’Sullivan. The second, a story of a woman born in Mountjoy prison, raised on the streets who returned to give birth to her own child. 

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Breaking Tunes

In an effort to raise awareness of domestic abuse during the Covid-19 lockdown,Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery and New York based director Samantha Scaffidi have united across waters to collaborate on a new song and video, ‘Run a Mile’.

‘Run a Mile’ hears gravel-voiced Flannery sing from the perspective of a woman in an abusive relationship:

“can we not is hardly no,

no is not the way to go,

it only buys a week of silence,

and it’s silence I can bear the least.

I’m your happy daughter,

I’m your smiling girl,

I meant all the world to you when you saw me first…”

Speaking about writing the song, Mick says: “This song was written as an attempt to empathise with a woman who has lived with disappointing men all her life, from her own father to the father of her child, to subsequent relationships.

I know that most men know what it feels like to be physically overpowered by a man. Depending on the severity it can cause great anger and/or trauma. I try to use this theme, ‘loss of physical autonomy’ in the song, and hope to show that, for a woman like this, the effects can be much worse.

I’m honoured that Samantha wanted to use it for this project.”

Writer/director Samantha Scaffidi, who operates out of renowned production company SMUGGLER, in New York, gives some background to the making of the video:

“Here in the US, I have been working closely with Healing TREE to bring awareness to the struggle for survivors of domestic abuse to leave their abuser. Recently, with the restriction of resources and the inability to leave the house during this pandemic, I was brainstorming ways to help in the fight against the horrific reality for these survivors during this time. After working with Mick on his song ‘Run a Mile’ over the past 6 months, I spoke to Marissa Ghavami at Healing TREE, and we both agreed that we should re-contextualize our film ‘Bound’ in efforts to spread awareness.

Hauntingly enough, the image we shot two years ago feels more relevant to the current affairs then it did at that time. I’m thankful it has found a home with Mick and I’s joint effort to bring about awareness and raise funds in Ireland. I believe the song and the film found each other in a way that I could have not predicted. All united for an important cause.”

‘Run a Mile’ by Mick Flannery is available to buy/stream now at: https://linktr.ee/RunAMile

All proceeds from ’Run a Mile’ will go to Women’s Aid – a national frontline organisation supporting victims of domestic violence. Women’s Aid is calling for the safety of women and children affected by abuse to be a priority during the current Coronavirus pandemic.

Women’s Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline 1800 341 900 www.womensaid.ie

Mick will debut some new songs, and also take requests, for his next Live Stream ticketed show at 9pm (GMT), Saturday 30th May. A limited number of tickets priced at €15 (includes a free download of ‘Somebody Else’) are available now via Bandcamp, with a portion of the tickets also going towards Women’s Aid.

https://mickflannery.bandcamp.com/merch/may-30th-online-concert

Multi instrumentalist and singer songwriter Liam Geddes releases catchy pop earworm ‘All I Need Is You’ May 15th ahead of his EP release later this year. 

‘All I Need Is You’ is the perfect upbeat pop anthem to lead us in to the summer smiling. 

With strong production and that uplifting summer feel, Liam says of new single ‘All I Need Is You’; “It just makes so much sense to release this now. These last couple of months have put everything into perspective for me and really made me realise what are the most important things in my life. So hopefully it’s something many of you will be able to relate too.”

Liam Geddes is a singer songwriter from Ballina, Co. Mayo. His smooth vocal sits on top of a gritty pop production filled with infectious melodies and epic chorus’. Liam, like many others has had a long road in finding his place within the music industry but has cemented his place in the Irish music scene as one of the most exciting new artists. Recent times have seen Liam featured as one of the Ones To Watch by Spin 1038, and his latest single‘Too Young For Love’ playlisted on 2fm with unrelenting national radio support from other major stations like Today FM where he was made ‘Homegrown Hero’. 

2019 saw Liam supporting the likes of Hudson Taylor and The Blizzards before making his way across cities like New York, Boston, London, Dublin and Galway as part of his headline tour.

This year the plan was for Liam to head to Austin Texas to play SXSW festival before the Covid-19 emergency escalated. He was also set to play this years Vantastival and his own Headline show in Dublin this year along with an EP release.

In late 2019 while at a writing camp in Capitol Records in LA, Liam was scouted by multi grammy winning producer ‘Robert Cutarella’ and former head of Sony U.S, Warner Brothers and Virgin Records ‘Philip Quatarero’ to manage him and bring his music to the masses. 

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Irish Producer and Composer Paddy Mulcahy embraces the starkness of isolation with the haunting new single ‘Unti Piano’.

The atmospheric, yet bittersweet single is a heart-felt juxtaposition of piano and field recordings from a pre – lockdown Limerick City.

The composition was written as very personal ode to Paddy’s father Brian who sadly passed away last year.

‘Unti Piano’ is Paddy’s first release this year not featured on his 2019 sophomore LP ‘How To Disappear’ and appears courtesy of Phases Records.

Paddy Discusses ‘Unti Piano’;

“This nostalgic piano piece accompanied by field recordings focuses on the ideas of memory & location. 

Written 5 months after my father’s death, the piano track is located in an eery landscape, complimented by locational field recordings from Limerick City around the time of his passing. 

Something I had wanted to work on for a while was capturing the character of a place in my recordings. 

All takes from around my hometown of Limerick City featuring Thomas Street, the Corbally Baths & the Milk Market.  

One such memory being my father bringing me to the Milk Market every saturday morning as a child to buy some garlic cheese. 

These trips would often be followed by a visit to the Corbally Baths to feed swans & ducks.

The title, however, came about by mistake. Originally the file was named ‘Untitled’ – I had put in “Piano” in the middle leaving it as ‘Untipianotled’.

I eventually learned that “Unti Piano” means “For The Piano” in Filipino.”

Riding on the back of the success of his much lauded sophomore LP ‘How To Disappear’ Irish Producer and Composer Paddy Mulcahy has recently joined the roster at Paradigm Talent Agency.

2019 saw the release of ‘How To Disappear’, a nine track masterclass in Ambient/Electronic music highlighting Mulcahy’s diversity as an artist with styles ranging from jungle beats to classical dirge’s. 

The album was an instant hit with the music media receiving praise from Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music) RTE 2FM (Album Of The Week) a glowing 4 star review from The Irish Times, two performances at Other Voices and huge support with radio and blogs nationally and internationally.

Paddy’s works can also be found on many of Spotify’s editorial playlists. 

He has provided music for international commercial adverts for companies like Deliveroo, MADE & Belstaff and has had his music featured at Cannes Film Festival, London Surf Film Festival, Newport Beach Festival, London Fashion Week and dozens of other events and venues.

https://paddymulcahy.bandcamp.com/track/unti-piano

Photo Credit – James Skerrit

Singer/songwriter and Achill native Graham Sweeney is set to release his third single and title track from his debut album ‘I Am’ on May 15 2020. The release of ‘I Am’ will be followed by an appearance on TG4’s Sli Na mBeaglaoich Mayo special on Sunday May 17 at 9:30PM.

Graham has had a hectic start to 2020 attracting attention from the music industry and national press coverage thanks to his previous single ‘The Quiet Man’ which received airplay on RTE Radio 1, RTE Culture, WLR FM, 98FM, RTE2XM, Flirt FM, PlayIrish, Dublin City Fm, Galway Bay FM and 8 Radio plus various local radio stations around the country. 

Graham featured in Hot Press’ ‘Hot for 2020’ list and was selected to perform at Culture Ireland’s Tradfest this January. Graham was also invited to perform by 98FM’s Totally Irish at Teelings Distillery alongside The Mary Wallopers and appeared on The Music Trail at Other Voices, Ballina, capping off a busy start to the year.

Hot on the heels of this success, Graham is launching his new single ‘I Am’ on May 15^th 2020.

‘I Am’ was inspired by Graham’s mentor, Martin Molloy, with whom he shared a love of classic cars. Generously, Martin invited him into the family business restoring cars to help him finish his apprenticeship as a panel beater. Graham admired Martin’s strong work ethic, dedication and kindness. He was a friend, a teacher and an inspiration.

On the way to Cork to open for Declan O’Rourke, Graham received word that Martin had died after a short illness. “After the call, I took out my notebook and the lyrics for I Am flowed out as if I was just a vessel for the message. I never changed a word after that.” 

There is a dreamy quality to the song, although the subject matter is sombre the mood is upbeat, ‘I Am’ is a hymn to the departed where those left behind are urged to look to nature for healing and reassurance with a promise of better times ahead.

“’I Am’ has become my personal tribute to all of those who have left us in the past years. I sing this song for all of my friends and life teachers who have brought me here and it keeps them alive for me, through music.”

“Of all my songs, this one really strikes a chord with people as I have yet to meet a person who hasn’t lost someone special. In the past, I have played this song for people sitting in front of me, as comfort. Some of those faces are no longer here so they are added to the guest list, to the gig in the sky. We carry on this road together.” 

“Graham is a wonderful story-teller whose songs feel instantly relatable and universal, his words and melodies are full of charm and warmth.”– John Barker 98FM Totally Irish

‘I Am’ will be released on May 15^th 2020.

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Sion Hill has just released his highly anticipated new single ‘Speak Up’, out today the 15 May 2020.

Written in London, a city, “that can make you feel lonely even though it’s full of people,” ‘Speak Up’ is the shimmering anthem for a new age of self-care. A dangerously catchy tune about mustering the courage to tell your surroundings how you really feel. “I didn’t feel so good writing this song,” he says, “but I’m feeling fantastic playing it.” 

After leaving Ireland for Berlin, after leaving Berlin for Hamburg, and after leaving Hamburg for the murmuring vastness that is London, Nathan Johnston alias Sion Hill has carefully re-calibrated his musical palette. Again. While his lauded 2017 debut ‘Elephant’ was an eclectic soul-pop wonderland comfortably sitting between a room full of chairs somewhere in Berlin, his relationship with London is manifested in the globetrotters’ latest single, ‘Speak Up’. 

An uplifting, liberating song saying it’s okay not to feel okay, showcasing Sion Hill carefully going back to his roots. Three years after signing with Hamburg based indie connoisseurs Clouds Hill, after touring Europe with his new label mate Pete Doherty, a-ha or Alice Merton, the “biggest talent since Jeff Buckley” (Irish Times) has safely arrived in a new haven. 

In a self-conscious safe space where he can be the person he wants to be. Spirited, urgent, true to his tangled web of pop, soul, gospel and rock’n’roll, at the same time graced by a disarming sincerity and a pureness reminiscent of early musical storytelling: At just 25, the Irish wunderkind who started out casting his spell in Sweeney’s Bar right in the musical heart of Dublin (“a drinking pub with a music problem”) has come a long way. A long way that has indeed safely guided him back into the humble arms of his very beginnings: Boy with guitar, remarkable voice, heart on his tongue, complemented by a bittersweet fiddle. Sion Hill, the traveling soul pop enigma, boldly sports yet another side of his artistic persona, this time highlighting his first and unaltered love for folksy singer/songwriter material. 

And it’s only the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Sion Hill’s career: Right now, he’s working on a brand-new studio album. Recordings will take place between Liverpool and Hamburg. And surely we all know who used this specific axis before him…

Sion Hill’s brand new single ‘Speak Up’ is out now across all digital platforms.

http://sionhill.world
https://www.instagram.com/sionhillmusic/
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Dublin-based indie rock band Lavelle are this week announcing the release of their latest single ‘In The Light’ on all digital platforms.

The new release off their forthcoming album, ‘In The Light’ has a laid back vibe with a catchy hook, based around arpeggiating piano chords augmented by grungy guitar and soft vocal harmonies.

Together since 2014, three-piece Lavelle have spent the past two years in and out of Dublin’s Camden Recording Studios working on their debut album ‘Stem The Flow’ (scheduled for release in the autumn) with veteran producer and sound engineer Conor Brady of The Blades fame.

Their four-track EP ‘Feel Like I Do’ was released in April 2017, followed last year by ‘Something New’ – their first single off the album. Most recently they released the fast-paced summer track ‘Save Yourself’, also off the forthcoming album.

Commenting on the theme of their latest song, Lavelle’s lead singer and songwriter John Ryan said, “The song has that universal theme of the realisation that life is too short. We shouldn’t shy away from how we feel because there might not be another chance to let someone know.

Also, about hugs – there’s not enough songs about hugs!”

‘In The Light’ is available on all digital platforms from 22nd May.

For more information about the band, visit lavellemusic.com.