Inspired by Black Lives Matter Solidarity Protest in Dublin’s City Centre, Monday 1st June 2020, Chris Kabs shares a brand new song ‘No Justice No Peace’.
Chris Kabs composed and produced this track as he gathers real soundbites and video footage from the peaceful protest.
Speaking about the song Kabs explains, “after hearing all the speeches and the chants, I couldn’t ignore the amount of sounds and melodies that were flying around through my head. The first thing I wanted to when I got back home was to go into my studio.”
“Using my own chant at the start of the track “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE” with the help of technology and music production I managed to sample my own vocals to the system and added a piano bass drum around it to express the emotion.”
Youth
Work Irelands Irish Youth Music Awards (IYMAs) is very excited to launch a
project called Tunes From Me Gaff as part of Dublin City Arts
Office Cruinniú na nÓg programe of events for Creative
Ireland on June 13th.
This project
is open to musicians aged between 12 and 18 based in one of Dublin City
Council’s catchment areas with an original song. See map here.
The IYMAs is looking to put a spot light on up and coming musician by
asking them to record a performance video of their original track on their
phone in their gaff and fill in this form to be in with a chance to be part of
the project – https://form.jotform.com/201533220573343
Each act selected will get a voucher towards musical equipment and their
performance video will be showcased as part of Cruinniú na nÓg on June 13th
with their social media channels tagged to help them gain a new audience.
Deadline for submissions – Close of business Monday June 8th
U.M.A.N releases ‘You’ on 12th June 2020, the new single from forthcoming album ‘Change’.
Irish soul act U.M.A.N received his the first play of his debut single on Today FM’s Ian Dempsey Show, and the single shot to No.4 on the iTunes singles chart and went onto break the Top 30 radio and Shazam charts. His follow up single also received critical acclaim and significant national radio play from Today FM and RTÉ Radio 1, and a sold out Irish tour followed, as well as a Late Late appearance. He signed with Universal Ireland releasing The Adele Song (Laurie Blue) followed by another sold out Irish Tour. His debut album ‘Change’ will see 4 new singles over the coming months with some big announcements expected.
On Friday 5th June, soulful pop singer Clodagh will release ‘You Got Me’ – her first single since her gorgeous debut EP ‘In All of Your Glory’ in 2019.
Whereas her debut EP had a strong auto-biographical focus on mental health, with all proceeds from the EP and the live show to launch it being donated to A Lust for Life, this new single is more of an easy-listening summer song.
Clodagh, says: “My EP was very much focused around mental health and promoting positive mental health and during a time that is so uncertain and anxiety provoking, I think now is that time for some easy-listening, relatable summer song. And during this time my way of promoting positive mental health is by finding projects to keep my head clear and sharing that.”
The singer, who is from Macroom in Co. Cork, has received a lot of praise for her vocal style. In addition to studying at BIMM Dublin, Clodagh has trained under renowned vocal coaches Gemma Sugrue (RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Chic, Billy Ocean, Jerry Fish, Lee Fields) and Chris Johnson (The Naked Vocalist). She herself teaches as a vocal coach when she’s not studying for her final year of college.
“I love theory and was trying to play with more advanced concepts like modes in a context where it didn’t stand out as a modal song,” Clodagh says. “‘You Got Me‘ is about growing as a person and the struggle that can present when you have to let people go in life, that feeling of people being infatuated by a person that you shouldn’t and resisting temptations.”
Born in Rhode Island in the States, Clodagh moved back to Ireland with her father when she was very young. A big fan of Lianne La Havas, Tom Odell and Jessie Ware, Clodagh’s love for layered harmonies has already seen her compared to the likes of Lisa Hannigan and Wyvern Lingo.
Last year, she was selected to do a residency at Attica Audio, as part of Donegal Arts Festival, with producers Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers, Soak, In Their Thousands, Ailbhe Reddy) and Rocky O’Reilly (Gary Lightbody, And So I Watch You From Afar, The Wood Burning Savages). She was also chosen for a specialist jazz course in Izola, Slovenia, where she worked with Emilia Martensson, her sister Marina Martensson (from the band Laibach) and Femi Temowo (guitarist for Amy Winehouse).
‘You Got Me’ will be independently released on Friday 5th June 2020 on all usual platforms.
Caroline Keane was exposed to a wealth of traditional music from a very young age. Growing up in Limerick, she was surrounded by the musical richness of both Clare and Sliabh Luachra, influences which have become the cornerstone of her uniquely vibrant, passionate and emotive style of concertina playing. Since 2013, she has been a member of the group FourWinds, who’s performances have been described as “An exciting landscape of tunes and lyrics that present Irish traditional music in a modern and creative context.” Having toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and Australasia performing at festivals such as Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, Celtic Colours, Dublin Ohio Irish Fest, Woodford Folk Festival in both solo and ensemble capacities, Caroline has found the time to curate, compile and present ‘Shine’, her own debut collection.
Caroline says, “I really wanted new and old compositions to sit comfortably alongside each other on this record and I’ve chosen tunes composed by many of the great contemporary composers of traditional music such as Tony ‘Sully’ Sullivan, Liz Carroll, Vincent Broderick, John Brady, Niall Vallely, Tommy Peoples & Josephine Keegan,” and Caroline, herself no stranger to composition, inspired by her interaction with traditional music on a local and national level, since studying composition, has penned to beautiful tunes: ‘While The Cat’s Away’ and ‘The Wine Strand Polka’.
At the age of seven, Caroline began taking tin whistle lessons at her local Comhaltas branch, and soon afterwards progressed on to concertina. Under the guidance of her teacher, Noel Hill, she developed proficiency in her art, and by fifteen, was performing both nationally and internationally. In 2006, Caroline was awarded the prestigious Lán Mara award, in recognition of outstanding achievement in national music examinations. She achieved a first class honours while studying Irish traditional music at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. She has most recently graduated from the university’s Master of Arts in Traditional Irish Music Performance, where she again achieved the coveted first class honours.
Caroline is also a prolific tutor of traditional Irish music. Her versed approach to tutelage is not only a testament to her musical expertise, but demonstrates the patience and empathy of experience. She is a regular performer and tutor at Irish, roots and folk music festivals all over the world, and teaches, lectures and performs regularly around the South West of Ireland. Caroline has recently released a duet recording of traditional Irish music with Uilleann piper Tom Delany entitled ‘Never Say Goodbye, Say Good Luck’ which has received international critical acclaim since its release. While on home soil, Caroline lives in Dingle, Co. Kerry, where she performs regularly and has been absorbed into the local music scene with open arms.
SIVE has been garnering a lot of attention this past couple of years, with her vivid lyricism and deft musicianship combining to place her securely amongst the most lauded new songwriters in Ireland.
On Friday, 5th June, the multi-instrumentalist will release her new single ‘Storybook Moon’ on Veta. This beautiful, alt-folk song features strings by the incredible Dowry, A.K.A. Éna Brennan.
The combination of SIVE’s flawless vocal and Dowry’s timeless string arrangements give the song a gentle, nostalgic quality. The imagery that SIVE evokes with her lyrics is reminiscent of songs written by the likes of Richard Hawley or Declan O’Rourke.
Sive says: “’Storybook Moon’ was written during a time when I was struggling to sleep. One night I went for a walk and as I passed under some trees, I glimpsed the moon peeking through the branches. It was completely perfect in that moment – like the cover of a picture book I had as a child. In a way, the song is about how little moments of beauty are available even in trying times.”
After almost a decade honing her craft independently, sharing stages with the likes of Lisa Hannigan, Cathy Davey, Mick Flannery, Christy Moore and Gemma Hayes along the way, Sive struck up a relationship with the team at Veta (Maria Kelly, HAVVK, DYVR) in 2018. She began working with label manager – and her now co-producer – Matt Harris to develop a sound that truly reflected the message in her songs, and the singles they have released together have garnered praise from the likes of Nialler9, Earmilk, Hot Press, RTÉ Radio 1, Atwood Magazine and Folk Radio UK to name a few.
After smashing his debut Other Voices appearance and selling out his initial Whelans Dublin headline show in under two weeks, Galway’s Seba Safe returns with new single ‘Drip’ on June 4th ahead of the rescheduled Dublin headliner in The Soundhouse on November 5th
Seba Safe is the brainchild of Galway songwriter Michael D’Alton and soon to be a force to be reckoned with in the blossoming Irish music scene. Spending the most part of 2019 in the Wicklow Mountains, honing his craft and crafting a full catalogue of songs. Writing candidly and honestly on personal relationships, love, loss and change will soon be resonating with every listener.
Seba Safes’s
pertinent lyrics are wrapped in a sound that combines Folk, Dance and R’n’B.
Debut single ‘I Want’ encapsulates “The simple, selfish and soaring wants of a transient mind.”
Inspirations spanning from the sparse folk pop of Maggie Rodgers, Big Thief and Julien Baker and to the more modern production of Dermot Kennedy and Lil Peep.
Finishing up 2019 with second release ‘Wired’ and a string of sold out Irish support slots with Columbia Mills and Malaki as well as securing the Spotify editorial playlist A Breathe Of Fresh Eire.
December saw Seba Safe join the crowds and revelers at Other Voices in Dingle, where he made his debut playing the Dingle Gin Music Trail.
Seba Safe was recently chosen as one of the artists to play the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions since COVID19 impacted the music industry.
With a debut headline show selling out in under two weeks in Whelans, (they had to reschedule the gig to November in line with current guidelines) and a new single ‘Drip’ due for release in May, Seba Safe is set to make his mark on the Irish music scene in 2020.
Mary Greene is one third of the Cork based band Greenshine and is their primary songwriter. For the band she has written or co-written several songs which reached the No. 1 spot in both the RTE Radio 1 playlist and Airplay Chart including ‘The Girl In The Lavender Dress’ which was third most played Irish song in the year of its release on the station.
‘All The Ones That Came Before Us’ is a song that asks more questions than it answers as befits these uncertain times of separation and loss, but it ends on a hopeful note having explored the possibilities of love that endures beyond the grave and is ultimately uplifting. This is Mary’s first solo single since releasing her album ‘Sea Of Hearts’ which earned an impressive 8 out of 10 in Hot Press. The recording also features David Murphy on Pedal Steel and Martin Leahy on Drums and Bass. Mary is much in demand as a co-writer among other songwriters, most recently Cormac O Caoimh and their co-write Desirelines appeared on his recent RTE Radio 1 Album of the Week and also Marty Whelan’s RTE Lyric FM Album of the Week.
In 2018, Double Bassist Caimin Gilmore (Crash Ensemble, Stargaze, RTE Concert Orchestra, RTE Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra) commissioned Linda Buckley, Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, Sam Perkin and Nick Roth – four of Ireland’s most distinctive and vital young composers – to write four new Double Bass works using funds from the Arts Council of Ireland, Cork City Council Arts Office, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The pieces were first performed live at the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, as part of Quiet Lights Festival, on November 23rd 2019.
In an attempt to honour cancelled performances to audiences and festivals throughout the country in 2020, Caimin is releasing four pre-recorded live video performances of each work, preceded by interviews with each composer by Kate Ellis (Artistic Director Crash Ensemble), Billy (age 5), and his pal Ben (age 12).
About the Interviews:
Billy (age 5) plays
trumpet. Ben (age 12) is Billy’s pal. He also plays trumpet and has a flare for
philosophy. They both like engines and lamps. The two boys conducted four
interviews via online video conferencing as part of the project, to have a bit
of fun with the composers, ask them about their pieces, play them some trumpet,
and have more happy ramblings. The interviews were carried out with help from
Kate Ellis, Artistic Director of Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s Foremost
Contemporary Music Ensemble.
The four videos will
culminate in the release of a live EP, ‘String Ogham’, on June 25th,
as part of The Arts Council of Ireland’s Covid 19 Crisis Response Award to provide access for the public to new and original art
during the period of COVID-19 isolation.
The ‘String Ogham’ series opens with a piece by Sam
Perkin, titled <3, and premieres today at 8.30pm on Youtube. This uplifting
track, particularly suited to these turbulent times, features Caimin Gilmore on
Double Bass, Kate Ellis on Cello, and a tape recording. The piece consists of
the unrestrained joy of children giggling – made into music.
Watch Double Bassist Caimin Gilmore, perform four new Double Bass works, with composer interviews from Billy (age 5), his pal Ben (age 12) and Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble Artistic Director), as part of The Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon Covid 19 Crisis Response Award, every Thursday at 20:30 from June 4th (Sam Perkin), June 11th (Linda Buckley), June 18th (Benedict Schlepper-Connolly) and June 25th (Nick Roth), on Caimin’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLu7EfNZBv3bmcIlx1-evQ
Internationally-acclaimed South African singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher Yvonne Chaka Chaka has been elected as Vice President of CISAC. Also elected as Vice President at CISAC’s General Assembly on May 28th is Arturo Márquez, one of Mexico’s leading composers.
Yvonne Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 27 years, becoming known as the “Princess of Africa”. Having shared the stage with creators including Angélique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Bono, Queen, Miriam Makeba and Youssou N’Dour, Yvonne Chaka Chaka has also performed for Queen Elizabeth II, US President Bill Clinton, South African President Thabo Mbeki and a host of other world leaders.
She has become a champion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the United Nations MDG Envoy for Africa, and the Goodwill Ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. Nelson Mandela chose her as the first ambassador for his children’s fund. She has also established her own charity, the Princess of Africa Foundation.
CISAC’s Vice Presidents are also joined by the most prominent Mexican composer and director of the second half of the 20th century, Arturo Márquez. The recipient of numerous awards and scholarships from the government of France and Mexico as well as the Fulbright Scholarship from the United States, Arturo Márquez studied at the National Conservatory of Mexico, National Institute of Fine Arts of Mexico, California Institute of the Arts, and with Jacques Castérède in France. Often incorporating Latin American themes, his works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra Mexico, YOSA Philharmonic, Pan American Symphony, l’Orchestre de Paris, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon.
CISAC Director General Gadi Oron said: “Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Arturo Márquez are outstanding, inspirational creators, and I’m delighted CISAC will be able to benefit from their energy and authority in campaigning for creators worldwide. They join us as Vice Presidents at a critical moment for CISAC’s work, with millions of creators facing loss of their livelihoods and the challenge of rebuilding their careers. We are looking forward greatly to our collaboration and their support.”
Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Arturo Márquez join world-renowned Chinese director, writer and producer Jia Zhang-ke and Spanish International Neo-Expressionist visual artist Miquel Barceló as the four Vice Presidents of the Confederation.
