Author: Breffni Banks

Peter Richardson is a 22-year old singer/songwriter from Dublin. An avid songwriter since the age of 15, Peter grew up surrounded by music. After testing the waters with his original songs at a college open mic, Peter began properly recording his music at home in the summer of 2020. A few months later in October he released his debut single, “The End of The World”, an indie folk ballad filled with choral vocals and stirring, apocalyptic lyrics and instrumentation.

Peter’s dramatic acoustic sound draws from a wide range of influences, drawing on the poeticism and varied sounds of artists such as Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Hozier, Lorde and Ben Howard among countless others. Peter also draws influence from great Irish folk singer/songwriters, such as Paul Brady and Declan O’Rourke.

Peter’s second single, “Please Don’t Believe Me” released in March of 2021, and further expanded his ambitious home-crafted sound. The “Gripping sophomore track” (Hot Press) was featured on RTÉ Radio 1 and Hot Press’ “Track of The Day” upon release. Indie Buddie remarked the track “oozes passion, compelling melodies, and cinematic appeal”, describing it as “a refined display of contemporary pop marking Peter Richardson an artist to keep an eye on.”

Since the release of “Please Don’t Believe Me”, Peter has been writing continuously and working on his debut EP which will be released later this year. Working with Cork producer Cian Sweeney (1000 Beasts), Peter is expanding his sound for this new project, and is incredibly excited to share it with the world. Peter’s next single and the first release from his EP, “The Coast”, will release on February 18^th. 

Song Bio:

‘The Coast’ is the first release from Peter’s debut EP which will be released later this year. It’s a mellow track with the most traditional sound on the record, drawing inspiration from some of Peter’s most influential contemporary folk idols such as Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. As the track dawns around you, soothing backing vocals wash over you, transporting you to the titular “Coast”.

In Peter’s mind, “The Coast” isn’t a place, it’s a feeling that is unique to us, a feeling we can get lost in. As the song rises and the music begins to swell, soulful lyrics carry us to the setting sun on the horizon, the day is drawing to a close and we are caught between what is behind and what could be ahead. In these moments of uncertainty, we power forward on the feelings of excitement within, the knowledge that a setting sun brings a new day and with it more beautiful opportunity.

It’s a feeling we can all understand, those first steps towards the light at the end of the tunnel, the blissful breaking of the clouds above and the soothing contemplation of how beautiful that light will be. For Peter, this song captured that feeling, and the release it brings.

Much of the imagery in the song is built around the importance of nature in folk music, how the experience of nature’s beautiful serenity can bring with it peace, and how its use in music can capture feelings of joy and content. To Peter, these images have always resonated deeply with him and it was something he wanted to encapsulate with this track.

Peter wrote ‘The Coast’ in March 2020, as the cold faded and the summer began to roll in.

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Cork born singer songwriter, Paddy Madden, has released an album of original songs that reflect experiences of living in the here and now, as well as perspectives of life and love in Cork City.

Called “Songs for the Time Being, Volume 1”, it is an album of 15 original songs (including two co-written with Bill O’Brien) and performed with some of Corks best musicians.

The album was recorded at Blarney Recording Studio, Cork and produced with sound engineer and musician Dave Murphy.

Paddy performed regularly with the guitar band Driftwood until the Coronavirus restrictions prevented live performances. He went into the studio inviting 14 local musicians to contribute to the arrangements of his original songs. A total of 33 songs were recorded to be released as Volumes 1 and 2.

“Songs for the Time Being Volume 1” has just been released, it is now available to download and purchase at Bandcamp.

Paddy tells us that “the recording process over the past two-year period was a fulfilling and exciting process as my songs began a new life in digital format”. The music sounds familiar and contemporary with fusions of folk rock, simple love songs, rocking pop songs and piano based ballads. Acoustic and electric guitars interchange with saxophones, flutes, cellos, violin and lovely piano playing throughout.

On the album, Paddy sings that this is Where I am Now as he strolls through Cork city in Slow Motion, and we meet the Sunday Stroller with his receding hairline and the Rainbow Woman ‘collecting drops from a sigh’. He describes in Patrick Street Incident how he waits to meet his muse, and how he had a Thousand Dreams and had the blues in Like Falling Rain and recalls his past in Dandelion Days. He reflects contemporary concerns in songs about the Winds of Change and counting down the hours in ‘A Song for the Time Being’. Fans of the Cork band Sleepy Hollow will be interested in listening to Last Train to Cork City as Paddy is enjoying himself performing with that band.

Volume 2  is currently being prepared for release in May 2022.

https://paddymaddenmusic.com

Fresh off the back of the recent Choice Music Prize nomination for the 2021 album ‘In the Game’ his collaboration with Susan O’Neill, Mick Flannery has announced a new 12 song album ‘Night at the Opera’ and a companion NFT to be released on February 22nd.

The album, which will be released initially to Bandcamp only, is made up of 12 short songs that tell the story of 12 famous chess games and their players. Each song has corresponding chords to each move on the board. Alongside the digital release, there will also be an NFT launched which Mick collaborated on with his sister, Sarah Barthelet, and her husband, Luc Barthelet.

Of the project, Mick says:

“A lockdown-induced chess-obsession was the inspiration for these songs. A chess piece e.g. knight, pawn… is given a corresponding musical chord, and thus the song structure follows the moves of a chosen (mostly famous) chess game. The lyrics of the songs deal primarily with the often-complex lives of the grandmasters. The audio will be widely available. The NFT idea is connected to videos where people (chess-nerds) can watch the chess game play out in time and harmony with the chords of the song. There’ll be 2D and 3D versions of these and they’ll be sold as digital tokens with 20% of all profits going to effective altruism”

Mick was recently interviewed by Ryan Tubridy on his radio show, they discussed the different historical games, and his process of writing the songs following the aforementioned structure of each chess piece having a corresponding musical chord.  This can be listened back to via this link: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22055959/

There will be a more detailed explanation of the NFT discussed in the discord group dedicated to this project.  This can be joined at https://discord.com/invite/nightattheopera

‘King of Hate’ based on the life and death of Alexander Alekhine with chords married to the game  Alekhine vs Rodzynski in Paris in 1913 can be streamed or downloaded today via Bandcamp where the full set of songs are now available to pre-order.

Full list of the 12 songs and corresponding Chess games:

Night at the Opera

Paul Morphy vs Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard

Paris, 1858

Take Your Beating Well

Adolf Anderssen vs Jean Dufresne

“The Evergreen Game”

Berlin, 1852

Pride And Sorrow

Paul Morphy vs Unknown amateur

Morphy begins a rook down.

New Orleans, 1858

Rashid And Firebird

Rashid Nezhmetdinov vs Samsonov (Rashid’s mentor)

Kazan, 1929

I’ll Learn To See

Judit Polgar (12yrs) vs Pavlina Chilingirova

Thessaloniki, 1988

Planet Ivanchuk

Vassily Ivanchuk vs Sergey Karjakin

Song ends at Vassily’s queen sacrifice.

Nice, 2008

Misha Misha

Mikhail Tal vs ​​Mikhail Botvinnik

Song ends at Tal’s famous Knight sacrifice.

Moscow 1960

Western Hero

Bobby Fischer (13yrs) vs Donald Byrne

Game Of The Century

New York City, 1956

Big Bang

Albert Einstein vs Robert Oppenheimer

Song ends as Oppenheimer resigns.

Princeton, 1933 (allegedly)

King Of Hate

Alexander Alekhine vs Rodzynski

The Wayward Queen

Paris, 1913

I Do Not Run

Gary Kasparov vs Guy West

Song ends as West resigns.

Via Telex 1977

Funny Things

Awonder Liang vs Gunay

Mammadzada

Polgar Challenge (2021), Online

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“A quiet year not being able to tour and play can sometimes lead to moments of self-doubt and leave you with a sense of feeling incomplete. I guess we’re not the only ones to have felt this way in recent times. ‘You Me Myself’ is about overthinking and over complicating life and relationships.” – Harry & Alfie Hudson-Taylor.

Irish brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson-Taylor usher in the spring with the irrepressibly catchy ‘You Me Myself’, a fresh taste of their forthcoming third studio album ‘Searching For The Answers’, due for release in June.

Recorded and produced by Luke Potashnick (Gabrielle Aplin, Hannah Grace, Ward Thomas) at the legendary and newly-reopened Wool Hall studios in Somerset, ‘You Me Myself’ joins the recently released streaming-only cut ‘Won’t Be Too Long’. These two tracks serve to illustrate the depth of emotionally resonant songcraft that Hudson Taylor are mining on ‘Searching For The Answers’, their most intimate, organic recordings in a storied career that stretches back more than a decade.

Hudson Taylor’s previous album – ‘Loving Everywhere I Go’ – was released just before the world went into lockdown in February 2020. The album debuted at Number 1 on the Irish National Charts, and the total number of streams from the record are now in excess of 30 million.

The band toured America three times in 2019, played many festivals in Europe, the UK and Ireland, their Christmas residencies at Whelans in Dublin have become the stuff of legend. Unable to do these for the last two years, their instant festive classic ‘How I Know It’s Christmas’ deputized for them in December, proving itself to be one of the best new seasonal songs of the twenty-first century.

Looking forward, there’s a grand stretch in the evening and Hudson Taylor are back with a spring in their step and a great new song for you, me, myself and everyone else with curious ears.

‘You Me Myself’ is released on Rubyworks on Friday 4th February.

‘Searching For The Answers’ will be released on LP, CD and streaming on Friday 3rd June.

Photo: Nat Michele

amy michelle has shared her second track, ‘the way i make things feel okay’. Having introduced herself late last year with first single ‘the bottom of the well’ to much acclaim, amy michelle’s debut EP is due out this spring on Method Records.

On this intimate follow up, ‘the way i make things feel okay’, amy explains,

“it came out of the first lockdown as a result of loss, insomnia, anger, confusion and self-deprecation. I was picking my brain apart reminiscing on what if’s, having fake arguments with the wall and trying to make sense of the end of the world. As most of us were, I was forced to spend a lot of time reflecting and re-evaluating my relationships, past and present, accepting things for the way they were, and accepting I couldn’t fix anyone who I wanted to fix. The outro here is one of my favourite moments on the EP. Sonically, it was the perfect minimalistic extreme I was trying to create, and a perfect reflection of what I was feeling; everything and nothing at the same time.”

A mystifying and introspective deep dive into her world; the otherworld that she exists in. Languishing and gently driving to a conclusion in equal measure, the song strives to make sense of complex emotions and opens with an audio cut from the 1944 movie ‘Gaslight’ starring Ingrid Bergman in which her character’s husband dedicates his days to making his wife feel like she’s going insane.

A remarkable new talent (even in times of numbness), amy michelle appears as inspired by the rawly honest songwriting and lo-fi production of Elliott Smith or Clairo as she does the communal, cathartic spirit of “my main crutch”, The 1975. The youngest of three, she was born and raised in Mullingar, a small town in the midlands of Ireland. Watching her Dad play trad music, amy was inspired to learn to play guitar, and from her granny’s eye-catching style, she developed her own striking interest in fashion and beauty. It’s this colourful, claustrophobic and deeply contemporary world that amy introduced on debut single, ‘the bottom of the well’: a bedroom-made portrait of fear and entrapment, as delivered by a fiercely independent young woman clearly intent on climbing her way up and out.

In 2022, amy michelle looks poised to join the incredible and diverse new wave of Irish music primed for the world’s stage. Her debut EP, to be announced soon, tackles big questions –  mortality, faith, mental health, the existential – with her own intimate, Gen Z touch. ‘the way I make things feel okay’ is an elegant and ultimately hopeful hand out for listeners to do the same, and for an exciting new artist like amy michelle, perhaps less the end of the world than the beginnings of a new one.

Award-winning singer/songwriter Maria Butterly has announced a ‘live’ show this month to celebrate the release of her new single, ‘Hero’

The Meath native’s creative talent has been acknowledged and recognised by respected bodies as diverse as the New York International Film and Music Festival overseas, where she was awarded Best Celtic Sound, and by IMRO here at home when she was a finalist in the prestigious Glinsk Songwriting competition in 2011. Maria will take to the stage of Co Dublin’s Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, Friday, on February 11th to officially launch her latest work ‘Hero’ produced by Bill Shanley.

Recorded at the world famous Windmill Lane Recording Studios, Maria describes the track as being, “An upbeat song that touches on what is an important and – unfortunately – a hot topic still hitting young people today, and that’s anti-social behaviour and bullying.”

‘Hero’ takes Maria down a somewhat different path to that followed on her most recent album, called Blue Mandolin also produced by Bill Shanley, but it’s something she felt compelled to write because of her belief that, “Music has the power to connect with people. ‘Hero’ is another example of that. A lot of my songs are inspired from true stories. Some are my own, and some – like this one – are inspired by others.”

Maria continued, ‘Hero’ is a story of a young teen being called names in school, but who then dreams up a fictional hero character that represents the inner strength within us all. That inner strength is what allows us to confront and overcome the challenges presented to us, whether internal or external. So that’s how the song looks at addressing issues like anti-social behaviour and bullying, just two of the biggest challenges that young people can be faced with in their world! I think the story of the song is a good talking-point in itself, but it’s also a radio-friendly production too.” 

A recent graduate from Pulse and Griffith College in Audio and Sound Technology, and in Music Producing for Games, Maria has expanded her compositional skills by working on commercial pieces for both Film & TV, while specialising in games. Her wide and varied arsenal of talents also saw her recently sign with the prestigious Avant Music Port agency to represent her music. In her career to date, Maria’s original compositions have been featured on a host of top TV and radio programs, across RTE, Virgin Media One, TG4 and SKY, and including live performances and interviews on shows such as Nationwide, Ireland AM, Seoige and O’Shea, and Glor-Tire.

A Renowned vocalist and multi-Instrumentalist, Maria has always been busy – the last few years being obvious exceptions – as a touring recording artist, as in demand internationally as here in Ireland. Maria has graced stages in New York, Nashville, and California – where she resided for over two decades – along the way performing at hit venues such as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, The House of Blues in LA, and NYC’s world famous Mercury Lounge. In that time, she has played alongside Bob Wooten from the legendary Johnny Cash’s Band, the golden-voiced Raul Malo of The Mavericks, the late Hal Ketchum, as well as our own home-grown superstars like the Hot House Flowers, Damien Rice, Eleanor McEvoy, Nathan Carter, and The Pogues.

Effortlessly at ease amidst the glamour of the world-stage, Maria has also had the honour of headlining the Angelica Huston Gala Event at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, and even performing her own song, Quiet Man, to Hollywood Star Maureen O’Hara on her 90th birthday. Both the National Concert Hall and Cork Opera House have also borne witness to her vocal prowess, with audiences in both eminent venues being charmed by her unwavering elegance on several occasions.

Ever the performer, though, right now the eyes of the 2013 Songwriter of the Year winner at the Leinster Entertainment Awards are set firmly – and only – on the next stage she’ll soon walk onto, and that’s the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul for the February 11th launch of Hero.

“Any time you get to play a show in Ireland, it tends to be special. But I think that’s even more true given what we’ve all come through over the past couple of years. And having a song like ‘Hero’, one that I believe in so much, to properly introduce to everyone, that just adds another layer of excitement and expectation to everything.” 

Tickets for the show are ON-SALE NOW and available from www.TSEAC.ie, or from www.mariabutterly.com.

‘Hero’ is also OUT NOW, available on all platforms, from Maria’s official website, and to request from radio.

Derry-duo Amberlight return with  a brand new Cinematic/Celtic-inspired single and video, ‘The Song My Heart Sings’.

Watch the full video here:

On the back of a string of highly acclaimed singles in 2021, the band are set to release their debut album this year.

Jack O’Rourke has delivered a beautiful new animated video for his latest track ‘Coffee Song’ Inspired by Edward Hopper’s iconic ‘Nighthawks’ painting, the video was created by Michael Ledwith and Myrdin Steenkamp (elucidatestudio.ie) and is a moving piece set in a New York coffee house.

‘Coffee Song’ is the latest single from Wild Place, following some much-loved forerunners in ‘Opera on the Top Floor’, ‘Patsy Cline’ (nominated for Best Original Song at RTE Folk Awards) and ‘Sea Swimming’. O’Rourke’s insightful weaving of the observational into lyrical tales is a hallmark of the tracks on Wild Place, and this latest release invites the listener into a private, while also unconcealed moment that has resonated with many.

“Coffee Song is a celebration of everyday rituals that can become magic,” says O’Rourke. “Written at a time (during Covid) when my interactions were rare – I found something beautiful in the morning ritual of a small piece of art in the foam of a morning coffee. It gave my day a curious purpose. The extraordinary in the ordinary.”

The lyrics lent themselves to a tale set in New York; a punk rock barrista, Warhol and Kandinsky, Patti Smith with echoes of a Broadway ballad.

“I sat at the piano and this story of these characters was developed – the idea of a conversation of broken people with cautious hopes and dreams. Initially it could have been a duet, but now it’s a story like many of the songs on Wild Place. Cormac McCarthy’s arrangement elevated this song to a soundtrack for me, his notes and counter melodies adding just a little movie sparkle.”

‘Coffee Song’ is a reminder to appreciate the smaller things . . . the little things that almost slip by, within which gentle stories can be told.

Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy has shared his galvanizing new version of his latest single, “Better Days” featuring GRAMMY-nominated duo EARTHGANG, out now on Island UK/Interscope Records.  The dynamic collaboration finds Kennedy seamlessly marrying his love of hip-hop with his signature brand of authentic folk-laced pop, resulting in a powerful and impactful listen.

“Better Days” featuring EARTHGANG elevates the song’s infectious optimism to new heights.  Its timely message brims with positivity and is a welcome anthem of universal hope.  The song opens with Kennedy’s stirring vocal and sparse piano, and steadily builds with beats and a rhythm section as he sings the poignant lyrics, “I know you’ve been hurting, waiting on a train that just won’t come. The rain it ain’t permanent, and soon, we’ll be dancing in the sun.”  EARTHGANG lend their insightful lyricism, rhyming, “things I’m facing now nobody can help, it’s a crazy past but I grew right through it, like roses in the concrete so beautiful.  Counted out faced with doubt, but my head never bowed. I’d never surrender, remain contender.”

Dermot comments, “I’m so honored to have EARTHGANG feature on ‘Better Days.’ We met in LA a while back and started talking about doing something together, and when they sent me the first pass of their verse I immediately loved it. They brought a new energy to the song but kept the same message of battling through adversity. I’m so glad they’re part of this song.” EARTHGANG add, “Dermot is an amazing guy and this is a beautiful record. Music inspires hope, and people are in need of something to hope for these days”.

Both Dermot and EARTHGANG will also be performing on “Truly Inspired Presents: Dua Lipa Live!”  streaming on Truly’s Twitter on February 2^nd at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.  “Dua Lipa Live!” is a livestream concert in partnership with Truly Hard Seltzer.  Curated by Dua, the show will feature performances by Lipa as well as the three artists she hand-picked as “truly inspirational” including Dermot, EARTHGANG, and Korean-American singer, DJ, and producer Yaeji.  More details available HERE.

An outspoken fan of hip-hop and its influence on him artistically throughout his career, Kennedy has subtly utilized elements of the genre to great effect.  In 2015, he caught the attention of Kanye West producer Mike Dean, who he later teamed up with for Mike Dean Presents: Dermot Kennedy –a five-song collection of tracks that included an arresting Frank Ocean cover and saw the songwriter experiment with more hip-hop-inspired sounds while never abandoning his acoustic roots.

“Better Days” viral trajectory began in 2021, trending on TikTok with over 250,000 creates on the platform.  Co-written by Dermot and Grammy-nominated Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes), ROMANS (Lewis Capaldi, Khalid), Daniel Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”) and previous collaborator Carey Willetts, it has amassed over 100 million streams, while the official music video directed by Paul Gore (Jennifer Lopez, Massive Attack) has over 8 million views.

Dermot closed out 2021 with an impromptu performance on the streets of New York City and an arena in Ireland respectively in the same week fundraising for multiple important causes including MusiCares, Pieta and Focus Ireland, resulting in a near combined total of $300,000 donations.  It was a fitting way for him to pay it forward, coming full circle from where he got his start busking on the streets of Dublin.  2022 promises to be equally significant.  With more new music on the horizon, Dermot is confirmed to support Shawn Mendes on the first leg of his 2022 North American “Wonder The World Tour.” Kicking off June 27^th in Portland and continuing throughout the summer, tickets are on-sale now; more information is available at wonderthetour.com.

With 23 million Spotify listeners and 2.5 billion total streams, Dermot Kennedy has the best-selling debut album in his native Ireland of this millennium.  Without Fear, Dermot’s impassioned debut album has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide, making him a platinum-selling artist in over 12 countries.  Notably, both of his singles, “Outnumbered” and the Meduza collaboration “Paradise,” were certified Gold in 2021, with “Paradise” streaming over 500 million times, while “Power Over Me” was also recently certified Gold.

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“Reader, I married him”. From Jane Eyre, to social media and now Cork’s Jazz Festival, what we look for in love has always been trending. The Art Crimes Band open 2022 with sultry, funk and soul infused single ‘Guy Like You’, out February 4.

Written by Grace McMahon, the origin story of this tale goes back to when the singer was on Tinder busily swiping left. While pondering all things a guy has to be before she will go on a date with them, she eventually decided against listing all the materialistic reasons people usually consider and decided to focus on finding a really great person in general. “Delightful, mindful, no doubt insightful, makes my heart beat”. When debuting the new song during the groups successful run at 2021’s Cork Jazz Festival Grace told crowds “I used to obsess over all the millions of things a guy has to be, then when I stopped obsessing about it, I found him… and I married him”.

The Art Crimes Band’s first album Radio on the SUGO Music record label in 2015 reflected a group still searching for their groove. Following on from last year’s ‘In The Dark Of The evening’ and with a fresh studio album in the works they have solidified a firm foundation in the R&B/Soul sound under which they are right at home. Band members include Gary Baus (Alto Saxophone), Stephen Kirby (Guitars), Niall Dennehy (Drums & Percussion), Grace McMahon (Vocals), Tim O’Leary (Bass) and introducing new member Katie O’Donnell (Piano & Keyboards).

With engineering and mixing duties once again at the hands of drummer Niall Dennehy ‘Guy Like You’ attempts to channel some of the bands 90s RnB & Soul influences such as Laruen Hill, En Vogue and Erykah Badu mixed with the familiar retro warm sound closely associated with the band. As Llewelyn Screen of The A&R Factory writes: “The Art Crimes Band make the type of music that hugs you close and doesn’t let go”.

‘Guy Like You’ is released worldwide on the Sugo Music Record label  February 4, 2022 and a three track special edition will also be available featuring the single plus bonus tracks the same day via The Arts Crimes Band bandcamp.

Facebook: @theartcrimesband

Twitter: @artcrimesband

Instagram: @theartcrimesband