Author: Breffni Banks

‘Flying Tree’ is the second single from Dora Gola’s debut album, due for release in 2022.

It is an energetic, rhythmic tour de force with influences as eclectic as 90s African Dance, Peruvian Folk and 80s pop. The track is inspired by the Noa Rao aka Flying Tree. A tree found in the Amazon basin and sacred among the native shipibo peoples. The Noya Rao represents  ‘The True Path’  or finding ones higher purpose in life. Dora sings from the point of view of the Flying Tree itself, urging the listener to follow the music of nature and rediscover the light within themselves.

Born and raised in her native Poland, singer-songwriter and dancer Dora Gola has always had a deep and spiritual connection with music. After being force fed by her father’s vast and eclectic music collection from a very young age, it wasn’t until she reached adolescence that she began to find and develop her own taste, being strangely drawn to the Irish trad folk songs and discovering the beauty within them.

By the age of twelve, she had already begun to express herself through learning to play the guitar and performative dance. Her love of dancing quickly became a large part of her life, regularly competing against others in the field of Latin dance and using the medium as a vessel to enunciate her deepest and most passionate voice. Call it fate or coincidence, but as she turned fifteen, her family moved to Ireland, bringing her a step closer to the source of inspiration that had already driven her throughout her life so far.

Dora developed a strong and emboldened identity within Irish culture. She now had a backdrop in which to illustrate these songs, an environment and landscape that added breadth and levity to the music, allowing her to see them in their formative light. Learning and embracing all manner of Irish mythology and folklore, her world was beginning to widen as she slowly sought to bring this paganist view into both her songwriting and dancing.

Her debut single ‘Dark Sand’ set an earthly and spiritual tone that breathed feminine power, and saw nature as a support network for improving and healing mental health. The release went on to earn numerous accolades from the national music press, with Irish Times Magazine and Hot Press dubbing her as one of the most exciting new acts to emerge right now.

The support and response to ‘Dark Sand’ set the precedent for the sound she would go onto create, building her confidence to write more adventurous and organic pieces that will tackle the same message she has been cultivating within herself ever since she was a child.

Now working permanently with Darragh Keary as a co-writer, the two have a strong vision for what they want his project to represent and have developed an unquenchable appetite as a result.

Together, they conjure a tone and direction that looks to bring together Dora’s musical and dance influences, alongside her fascination with the spiritual and mythological. A haunting journey of dark electro-pop, interwoven with elements of slavic folk, brooding synths, and lavish Eastern sounds, all driven by a hybrid 80s funk groove. Her powerful and sensual vocal draws the listener in, telling of the Earth’s consciousness and human longing.

Now living in the idyllic setting of Lahinch in West Ireland, Dora has fully welcomed the outside world into her creative soul. Her music looks to rekindle the connection that has been lost between humanity and mother nature, forcing us all to rediscover the simple beauty of the earth and bridge the gap that has grown in these modern times. Through a spiritual language that holds no barriers, her music is a rediscovery of ancestral roots, mystery, and sensuality.

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With music, collaboration, and artistic expression at its core, one of Ireland’s newest music initiatives, The X Collective, has been going from strength to strength since its launch in May 2020. Founded by industry pros, Emily Shaw (Oíche Events) and Ele Breslin (Zapho), the collective hosts many talented Irish artists both at home and abroad, and has grown from hosting 70 artists and creatives, to over 100 in the last year. They now have recorded a mass-collaborative album including over 35 contributors due for release in 2022, and share the second taste of it with a new energetic anthem, ‘Ascension’.

The single is the collaborative brainchild of three of the Collective’s members, powerhouse vocalists Jess Kav (prev. BARQ), Senita (God Knows, prev. Shookrah) and Toshín. Together they have birthed an industrial, RnB-rock belter giving you three minutes of pure energy, in which they infuse topics of empowerment, self-love, spirituality, and emotional release.

‘Ascension’ was produced by one of Ireland’s most exciting new composers and singer-songwriter, Liam Geddes, written and recorded over two days at The X Collective’s songwriting camp earlier this year. What you hear in this track captures the evocative, creative energy directly resulting from a curated camp. The brass was written and recorded in the early hours, surrounded by other X Collective members, as they all roared the chorus into mics on backing vocals. A moment of healing and communal energy which was needed after 18 months of isolation, this cathartic experience is evident in the lyrics and volume of the song.

The first single from the collective, released in 2020, was ‘Collide ft Jenny Browne’ by ZAPHO & Tolü Makay, followed by 90’s banger ‘WB’ performed by members Chloë Agnew, Zapho, Senita, Toshín, and Gemma Bradley.

The X Collective’s Creative Directors, Zapho and Emily Shaw;

Zapho says ‘We are beyond thrilled to see the growth of the community considering its inception was just under 18 months ago. It seems mad writing out our goals or plans for the collective during a pandemic, but against the odds we actually managed to achieve them all, we have a budding and growing community, we hosted a songwriting camp, recorded our album and have a full showcase of original music ready for festival season!  Emily added: Lots of hard work, but it’s worth it, forging close friendships and further connections is what glues this whole project together. We are all genuinely routing for one another’.

‘Ascension’ the second song from The X Collective’s forthcoming album, performed by collective members Jess Kav, Senita and Toshín, is out on all platforms now.

Before the arrival of The X Collective’s album, which will be released in 2022, this dynamic collective of neo-soul, hip hop, jazz and pop artists will perform and showcase these new songs at a venue near you.

The X Collective have a number of headline events and festivals in the coming months across Ireland. In essence, the collective are a supergroup of individually practicing artists who collaborate together across the same hour set, in an array of genres; jazz, soul, rnb, hip-hop, pop, electro etc. The group is interchangeable from show to show with artists showcasing original songs written at the songwriting camp earlier this summer.

Each set has approx 18 performers, and with over 100 creatives in the collective, there’s always a different combination of collaborators, artists, musicians and songs, so you will never see the same show twice!

Since the return of gigs this September, TXC have performed on a number of notable partnerships including Heineken (for Island’s Edge Launch), The Sugar Club, Guinness Cork Jazz Festival to a sold-out crowd at The Everyman, Beatyard, Nialler9 at The Cellar venue launch.

Oíche Events- Instagram | Oíche Events  -Twitter |Oíche Events – Facebook |www.oicheevents.com

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Fearless, feisty Cork fiddler, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Clare Sands has been crafting groundbreaking macaronic works throughout 2021. Sands has embarked on a musical pilgrimage to Kilkenny in Ireland’s ancient East for the final release of her four-part music series. ‘Teacht an Fhómhair’ (Autumn’s Arrival) by Clare Sands and Hothouse Flowers front-man Liam Ó Maonlaí is out now.

It is said that ‘Samhain’ (Celtic festival) is a time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, where the earthly world of the living becomes entangled with the world of the dead… We are one with our ancestors and all who have passed, from solas an lae, night ‘till day.

Sands & Ó Maonlaí recorded this paganistic, primal, pilgrimage over 48 hours by simply pressing record and seeing where the musical expedition took them. Created by fire and candlelight, they worked through the half-light, until awoken by bird song from their trance-like journey, only to return to this world with old ghosts by their sides.

The mesmerising video, created by visual artists and twin sisters Liadain Ni Bhraonáin and Kasia Kaminska was shot in three different locations around Inistioge, Kilkenny, capturing this world and the otherworld, the darkness, and the light. The primal performance explores Ireland’s rich soundscapes and landscapes through rise and fall, dusk and the dawn, navigating through uncharted territories where Irish and English languages, Traditional, Folk, and Contemporary music meet.

The four-part music/film series, titled ‘Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha’ (Landscapes and Soundscapes), spans over four seasons, in the four provinces of Ireland, and features Clare Sands alongside four critically acclaimed collaborators: Susan O’Neill, Steve Cooney with Tommy Sands, Brídín and Liam Ó Maonlaí. Each collaboration explored the nooks and crannies of Ireland’s sights and sounds, whilst pushing the boundaries of Folk music in an inviting and invigorating way.

‘Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha’ will be released as a special edition EP on January 27th 2022 followed by the release of a short documentary with its first screening in the Irish Arts Center, New York City, March 2022.

This project is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareSandsCeol

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claresandsceol/

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Photo credit: Kasia Kaminska

Following the critical and radio success of ‘Lost in Translation’ and the follow up remix by jaako, folk-pop songwriter and artist, Luke Clerkin, is set to release his pop banger ‘Normal People’.

This song, inspired by the Irish and international hit show of the same name will be released on November 26^th.  This release also follows Clerkin and jaako signing a sync deal for ‘Lost in Translation’ with Irish publishing company, The Nucleus.

Talking about the release of ‘Normal People’, Luke said, ‘I binged Normal People in one go, and the story just affected me, so much that as soon as I picked up the guitar, the words came flooding out. I’ve never written anything inspired by a TV series before, so it was nice to know that I could do it. It’s more of a sequel to the series than it is about the series itself.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t going to record this song, but after hearing what jaako did with my demo, I couldn’t just leave it on the shelf. All these songs that I’ve released so far are so different to anything that I’ve released before, and this is no exception. It’s pure pop and I love it!’

Talking about signing the sync deal, Luke said ‘I’ve always been a bit skeptical about changing my sound but the response to ‘Lost in Translation’ has been really great, we’ve even managed to sign a sync with The Nucleus. I’ve wanted to get involved with The Nucleus for years, as they have so many great songwriters involved, so I was delighted when they showed interest in the song. jaako and I wrote it in around an hour, recorded it on a shoestring budget, and I did the vocals in my housemate’s walk-in wardrobe, so I could have never imagined this. I’m excited to see where it goes.’

Luke Clerkin is a two-time SCC Song Writing competition winning Irish songwriter and artist from Dublin. He has been playing and releasing music for the last 6 years. His music has gained international airplay and support, whilst also topping the Irish Singer Songwriter Charts on multiple occasions.

Luke is known mostly for playing over 250 gigs in year at the beginning of his career, as a way of honing his craft. Since then, he has headlined famous Dublin venues such as Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club, and The Button Factory. His music has brought him all over the world, with multiple tours of Germany, as well as festival slots in America, The UK, and Ireland. Luke has also completed an apprenticeship with Ed Sheeran’s mentor and Nizlopi frontman, Luke Concannon.

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Released on the 17th November, new single ‘Deep Within’ is wornoc’s forth musical instalment.

Inspired by a memory of his time spent in Norway on the island of Stord, this track presents a personal sense of calmness felt while exploring the beautiful island. The track lands on a cliffhanger, hinting at a continuation which will be resolved in a follow up composition featuring renowned traditional Irish multi-instrumentalist, Brian Finnegan.

wornoc will continue to release music in the lead up to his debut headline show at Whelans on the 29th January ’22. Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster.

“Deep Within is a track based on fond memories I had while visiting the island of Stord a few years ago. I remember a certain feeling I had while witnessing  the snowy landscapes of the island and feeling completely present with my surroundings and enduring a sense of calmness. The track slowly builds up to a cliffhanger as it ends on an unresolved rhythmic glitch, begging to be resolved in a follow-up composition which I am over to moon to say that Brian Finnegan will be joining me as a co-collaborator, a musician to whom I truly adore.”

Having just formed in 2021, Dublin based alt-electronic artist wornoc (aka Conor Walsh) has quickly championed the likes of Rock Sound, GoldenPlec, Soul Doubt and Hot Press Magazine, along with gaining national and international airplay with the likes of RTE 2FM, 2XM 98FM and Sirius XM. wornoc has also gone on to collaborate with highly respected artists; Andrew Marshall (Billie Eilish), Justin Nace (PVRIS) and Josh Manuel (Issues) on multiple live drum performances previous releases ‘Signs’ and ‘Rising Tides’.

Inspired by the sounds of artists such as Massive Attack, God Is An Astronaut, Tycho, Olafur Arnolds and Bonobo, wornoc’s music is cinematic, intense and emotional. Driven by infectious grooves, lush ambient textures, melodic guitar riffs and electronic music, wornoc provides a spectacular sonic environment for introspections, sounds that are far removed from what’s going on in the Irish music scene.

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Jack Hughes announces his brand new single release ‘Wasn’t Built That Way’, due out this Friday, 19th November 2021.

‘Wasn’t Built That Way’ follows the release of his hit single ‘Crossed The Line’ which garnered support from RTÉ 2FM’s Track of the Week with Jenny Greene, Track of the Week on Spin South West and huge support throughout Spin 103.8, Today FM, Cork’s 96FM, WLR, 8 Radio and many more. 

Speaking about the single ‘Wasn’t Built That Way’, Jack said: “It’s a song title that speaks for itself but the song alone hinders a story that is worth searching for.” 

The song was first written by Jack in January of 2019. It was on the train back from the Recording Studio where Jack heard the melody of WBTW in his head, and after months and lots of songs written later, he found the urge to bring the song to studio. 

The stories and thought-frame that go into each of Jack’s songs is something that he decides not to comment on. He remains a solidified believer in the concept of songs meaning different things to different people and would hate to ever purposely disarrange this experience. Instead, Jack invites the listeners to take note of the musical techniques that are incorporated into the song. Each song has been constructed on the basis that at least one snippet of his anecdotes can be withdrawn and be of some importance to that individual in that they can relate to it in their own way. 

Growing up, music had always been the place away from human contact where Jack could express his emotions and feelings. Each of his songs encompasses a sinister undertone that deals with an issue or a problem that he would like to, not necessarily deal with, but express in an indirect manner. A manner that aims at avoiding controversy and dispute, but instead, hopes at inviting a listener to play detective and learn to relate. 

It wasn’t until 2018 when Jack finally found a place where it solely could be him, his lyric book, and an old, out-of-tune piano in a school in Switzerland.

For quite some time, Jack’s main struggle lay in trying to define his overall sound and concept. From co-writing his debut single, to solely writing his biggest achievement yet, “Selfless”. Alongside his producer Joe Egan, Jack took two whole years to finally develop his sound and place in music.  

Connect with Jack Hughes: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Following on from two singles taken from the album, Grouse, the electronic music project of Dublin musician, Ronan Carroll, will release ‘Interpolate’ on November 19th, 2021.

The album, Carroll’s 4th under the name, Grouse, will follow on from 2016’s well received ‘Oslo’ (album of the week Nialler9, Irish Times, Dan Hegarty, 2FM), and follow up EP, ‘Also’ (2019).

Whereas, previous Grouse releases featured mostly instrumental music, ‘Interpolate’ is a vocal-driven affair, with guest vocals and collaborations with Irish artists, Deaf Joe, Jessie Roche and Tracy Friel amongst others.

September 3rd saw the release of the lead single from the album, the moody, atmospheric, ‘Days’. It features vocals from Waterford-born artist, Deaf Joe.
The second single, ‘Unend’, released Oct. 22nd, has newcomer, Jessie Roche, on vocals.

‘Days’ was a ‘track of the day’ for the Nialler9 blog and both singles have seen support from RTÉ.ie, Golden Plec, Dan Hegarty, Cian Ó Cíobháin, Peter Curtin, 8Radio and WLR among others.

UK blog, Louder Than War, in an early review, has described the album as a ‘dense and atmospheric delight’.

‘Interpolate’ will be released on CD and digital on November 19th.

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Irish singer songwriter Aoife Doyle will release ‘They Say’, the third single from her upcoming album, on 16th November. It’s a soulful song with fabulous brass arrangements by Michael Buckley and impeccable backing vocals from Margot Daly.

“‘They Say’ is about learning to trust your gut and intuition. There are so many influences in this world and if we don’t cultivate a strong sense of inner direction they can pull us in every direction and make for a confusing life.’

Aoife Doyle is originally from Bray, Co. Wicklow, now living in Co. Clare. While she has been performing for many years, it was upon moving to the West Coast of Ireland that she found her songwriting voice.

“In Clare I had more quiet time to reflect. The lack of billboards, traffic and other superficial stimulation makes life a lot simpler. I think nature is the most primal form of creativity and living in the country and keeping a garden etc. you’re seeing the cycle of creation from seed to plant to harvest. Watching this cycle has helped me greatly to understand the nature of creativity as well as the time, attention and care you have to give to gain a fruitful harvest. And this learning has facilitated my songwriting.”

She grew up in a house steeped in traditional and folk music, and completed a an MA in Songwriting at the World Academy of Music and Dance in UL in 2018/2019.

She cites a wide and varied range of musical influences including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Alison Krauss and Eva Cassidy, as well as Marvin Gaye, Tammy Tyrell, Joni Mitchell, Beyoncé, Declan O’Rourke, Ger Wolfe and Bjork, and echoes of this intriguing mix come through to various extents on different tracks on the album.

‘They Say’ was produced by the highly-regarded musician, arranger and producer Michael Buckley, as was the album, “one of my best musical decisions”. Doyle is joined by a stellar band on the track, featuring some of Ireland’s most in-demand musicians including vocalist Margot Daly, saxophonist Michael Buckley, trumpet player Ronan Dooney, pianist Johnny Taylor, hammond organist Justin Carroll, bassist Andrew Csibi and drummer Dominic Mullan.

‘They Say’ will be released on 16th November, and will be available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and Aoife’s website www.aoifedoyle.com. ‘They Say’ was recorded at House of Horns studio in Dublin.

Aoife was a finalist in the Hotpress Local Hero Songwriting competition for Irish Music Month. Supported by Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, MCD Productions, IMRO and RAAP Aoife’s recent singles ‘Strength To Be Strong’ and ‘Clare Sk’y were both track of the day on HOTPRESS MAGAZINE ‘Strength To Be Strong’ was song of the week on The ACOUSTIC YARD RADIO SHOW on BLUES AND ROOTS RADIO. Aoife’s music has received airplay on RTE Radio, BBC Radio, Dublin City FM and many more.

It’s been a year of metamorphosis for Irish singer Stephanie Rainey. As she watched her first new music in several years be embraced by a new generation of Irish fans, she has been planning the release of a new collection of songs that speak of her transformation from emerging pop star to established artist. New single ‘13’ is the first single from her upcoming EP and its accompanying video, out November 22, captures these nuances of change.

Directed by Dog Day Media (Ed Sheeran, Beoga) the video features Shane Casey (Young Offenders) and Darren McSweeney (MC Tiny) as his 13 year-old self. The video is beautifully shot in locations around Cork and encapsulates how anybody can end up in a rut and all it takes is a spark for us to find appreciation in our lives and become more fulfilled.

‘13’ is a song about change, how you have evolved from when you were 13 to who you are now. It poses the questions are you happy with who you have become, have you accomplished the things you thought you would, and what is stopping you from making 13-year-old you proud? Stephanie Rainey wrote the single to commemorate her nephew on what would have been his 13th birthday. It’s explores ideas around the innocence of youth, the experience and privilege of growing older, and appreciating life’s lessons. ‘13’ was co-written by Stephanie with Jim Duguid (Paulo Nutini) and Gary Keane (Hermitage Green/ Pa Sheehy) and produced by Ash Howes (Callum Scott/ Olly Murs/ Jack Savoretti/ Kylie) & Gary Keane.

Recent singles from Stephanie Rainey ‘No Cowboy’ and ‘Ross & Rachel’ blistered through the Irish charts and dealt with topics such as redemption and the sparks that fly between two people who are made for each other. Her eagerly awaited new EP is due out in 2022. After selling out O’Mahony’s in Watergrasshill and Autumn Air in minutes Stephanie is excited to get back on the road in 2022. Originally marked for November 2021 her nationwide tour will now take place April 2022 with four new dates confirmed. Stephanie will also reunite with her Irish Women In Harmony ensemble for a nationwide tour in May 2022.

Stephanie is thrilled with the reaction to her new music which saw both singles break the Top 10 with ‘Ross & Rachel’ reaching #4 and ‘No Cowboy’ reaching #6 on the Irish Breakers Radio Chart. She has also been playlisted on 2FM, RTE Radio 1, iRadio, Beat 102-103, Cork’s 96FM, Red FM, Radio Kerry, Tipp FM, Today FM and Cool FM. Currently, ‘No Cowboy’ is about to break through 125,000  streams on Spotify while ‘Ross & Rachel’ has been streamed almost 80,000 times. The popularity of the singles has clocked up 10,000 Shazams. Meanwhile, ‘Ross & Rachel’ also has 110,000 streams on Soundcloud.

One of Ireland’s most-played female artists on radio, Stephanie Rainey has a combined 30 million streams and views across all music on social platforms. Stephanie has shared spotlights with the likes of Imelda May, Kodaline, The Waterboys, Tom Walker, and Tom Odell.

Stephanie has also played most of Ireland’s best music festivals, including INDIE and Electric Picnic, has sold out Irish venues with ease, and is a record breaker (going gold) courtesy of her inclusion in the ensemble Irish Women in Harmony, whose 2020 cover version of The Cranberries’ Dreams has amassed over 6 million Spotify streams.

Live Dates:

April 14 – Roisin Dubh, Galway

April 15 – Whelan’s, Dublin

April 23 – Dolans, Limerick

April 29 / 30 – Live at St Luke’s, Cork

Instagram: @stephanieraineymusic

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephanieraineyband

Website: www.stephanierainey.com

Twitter: @stephanierainey