Author: Breffni Banks

Acclaimed singer songwriter John Spillane with Pauline Scanlon and John Reynolds releases new single ‘Under That Old Clare Moon’ on 13 August. It’s taken from John’s recent album ‘100 Snow White Horses’ which was a huge critical and commercial success, making number eight on the list of Official Top 10 biggest albums released so far in 2021 by Irish acts.

‘Under That Old Clare Moon’ is a beautiful and wistful romantic ballad featuring ethereal backing vocals from Pauline Scanlan. John explains, “I composed the song in 2016 and first performed it in Cratloe, County Clare on Valentine’s Night 2019 in the house of well-loved local musician Ger O’ Donnell. I then had the huge honour of performing it with the iconic Kilfenora Céilí Band at the Leinster Fleadh that same year. They gave it the ultimate Clare stamp of approval!”

The song is accompanied by a stunning video which was filmed on the stage of the Everyman Theatre in Cork, a venue very close to John’s heart as he has performed his Christmas Variety Show there every year for the last 22 years. It was directed by filmmaker and cameraman Barry Donnellan and choreographed by Karena Walsh, with the very talented Emma Gibbons taking the role of senior dancer and junior dancers coming from the Joan Denise Moriarty School of Dance. The single-take video features John as a caretaker of the theatre, cleaning up after a show when he begins to think back on his life. In his mind’s eye, different memories of his life burst onto the stage depicted by dancers of different ages.

‘Under That Old Clare Moon’ is the second single to be taken from Spillane’s album ‘100 Snow White Horses’ which received glowing reviews. Tony Clayton Lea in The Sunday Business Post praised the album saying, “well-structured, melodious folk songs that resonate with specific, acutely observed Irish storylines“, and Will Russell from Hot Press said that “John Spillane, startlingly alive to the breath of nature, is among the last of the great bards. ‘100 Snow White Horses’ is a balm to soothe sore souls…”.

For his fans who are eager to hear the album live, John has a number of gigs scheduled in Ireland in the coming months. Some of them have already sold out so don’t waste any time in booking tickets. John’s website is the most up to date resource for those looking for gig dates and news – www.johnspillane.ie.

See John Spillane perform;

Sat 21 Aug.       Magic Nights by the Lee, Ballinlough Park, Cork with Lorraine Nash (SOLD OUT)
Wed 25 Aug.     O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill, Co. Cork– (SOLD OUT)
Fri 27 Aug.       Clonmel Busking Festival, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Sat 28 Aug.       Bere Island, Co. Cork, with Cónal Creedon (SOLD OUT)
Thurs 2 Sept.    DeBarra’s (Live Stream) with the Vespertine Quintet
Sun 5 Sept.       Cape Clear Storytelling Festival (Online) with Daniel Mordan
Mon 6 Sept.      Inside Out at the INEC, Killarney, Co. Kerry
Sun 10 Oct.       Whelan’s, Dublin
Thurs 14 Oct.    Cleere’s Bar & Theatre, Kilkenny.
Thurs 11 Nov    Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare with Anam Music

Aaron Everything releases his latest single ‘T2’ on 26th August.

‘T2’ is a track Aaron wrote about a short term but long distance thing he had with a girl and the lengths he would’ve gone to to get to see her. Aaron uses the liquid Terminator from the Terminator movies as a metaphor for how relentless he was in trying to make this girl happy.

‘T2’ features production from famed producer Curtains who has produced tracks for artists such as ITSOKTOCRY, SHINIGAMI, Guardin and many more! Aaron also pushed his producer and engineer Julian Ramirez back to his roots for this one and asked him to chop his vocals into something reminiscent of EDM vocals for the tracks intro.

Aaron Everything’s unmistakable approach to music marries the familiar with the unpredictable. Growing up in the rural settings of Donegal in the west of Ireland, the 23-year-old singer and rapper channels the visceral energy of the storms that frequent the wild Atlantic way with the staple sounds of emo rap.

A product of the internet era, Aaron’s catalogue owes as much to online communities as it does to his rejection of close-minded surroundings he calls home. Though pushed to take part in sport by his father, Aaron never felt at home taking part in the long-established activities in his town, nor did he indulge in the traditional music that soundtracked the cobblestone streets and cosy pubs of Donegal. Instead, he declined the trodden path and found comfort in music. Fed a diet of Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac and James Blunt by his parents, Aaron later gravitated toward SoundCloud and its melancholic styles finding solace in the pain-stricken lyricism of Lil Peep.

Coupled with a growing contempt for the unforgiving mindset of rural Ireland and the almost non-existent gigging circuit for artists outside traditional styles Aaron picked up a mic as a form of escapism. He’d later immerse himself in online spaces embracing a remote and collaborative approach championed by the likes of Flying Lotus.

“Here, it’s very samey though and everything is very sparse. If you’ve been to town a couple of times you’ve seen it all. There’s no real music scene unless you love Irish country music as that’s all a lot of venues will put on bar a couple of clubs and maybe two pubs in my area.”

“I worked with Lederrick on my first track, he produced a lot of peep’s tracks and I thought it was only right because Lil Peep was the catalyst. I bought my first set up, started recording and getting reposts to establish a fanbase.”

Following years spent grinding in his bedroom and further co-signs from the likes of multi-platinum producer Bighead who brought ‘Gucci Gang’ to the world, Aaron emerged as a versatile songwriter capable of shapeshifting to suit a myriad of styles. Working with established artists from across Ireland such as Uwmami and ØMEGA he’s proved capable of laying down emotive and fearless offerings. Now, more confident in his own ability, Aaron is beginning to develop his own world akin to Phoebe Bridger’s ghostly universe, mirroring the vacant landscapes that surrounded his family home. Add that to a diverse musical palette and it starts to build a picture of an artist only scratching the surface of his potential.

Whilst Aaron has been prolific in his number of releases in the past two years, he’s also been simultaneously contributing to other multimedia projects. Most notably, Aaron teamed up with one of Depop’s most popular sellers and fellow Donegal native SADSAC on a short film. With established acts like Jacob Sartorius, Biig Piig and Wifi’s Funeral donning his clothing and having worked with Caterpillar on a line exclusive to Depop, Aaron Everything went on to provide music for his subsequent film documenting his rise.

Aaron Everything is an artist on the rise that speaks to the universal emotions of pain, grief and growth through the lens of his own unique experience.

N.O.A.H have just released the video for their brand new summer anthem ‘Hands Up’, out now across all streaming platforms.

Speaking of the video N.O.A.H said: “‘Hands Up’ is a song that is packed with energy and it really drives home the feeling of letting loose and letting go. Sonically the tune is super cinematic, and the music video really captures this, with Director Dave Fox doing an amazing job.”

The highly anticipated track was produced by the GRAMMY-Winning Ruadhri Cushnan in Camden Studios and mastered by John Davis (The Killers,U2, Dua Lipa).

‘Hands Up’ has a serious summer vibe that will get you excited for your favourite festival. Ultimately, the song is about giving oneself to a higher power. For the band, this undeniable force is music and its ability to take control of the body.

The band are currently working on their debut EP, ‘Echoes Of The Night’ which is set to be released on vinyl on 1 October 2021, and will play their first headline show of 2021 in LostLane on 2 October, followed by another show in The Fiddler London on 8 October.

With word spreading fast and the ever growing press, N.O.A.H signed with Natasha Bents’ newly founded Mother Artists Live Agency (Foster The People, Idles, CMAT). The band even made their first TV appearance on RTÉ Six One News to talk about their story and quick rise within the industry.

The now Dublin-based band hail from County Meath, and comprises lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes. N.O.A.H are determined to share their music with the world and leave a lasting impression on the Irish & wider music industry.  It all started back in January 2020, after the band decided to reform a previous musical endeavour. The band took inspiration in its naming, from the biblical story of ‘Noah and the Ark’, which is centralised around the theme of new beginnings, a fundamental idea to the band’s vision and core values.

N.O.A.H’s debut single ‘Shine’ was released back in September 2020, and since then the band has gone from strength to strength. The band have garnered consistent radio play and media attention across Ireland as well as the growing adoration and praise of peers and fans in the UK. Moreover, the band recorded an exclusive acoustic rendition of Shine for radio presenter Laura Whitmore on BBC5 Live in the UK. Further interest was shown from 2FM and Spin 103.8, both of whom crowned Shine their “Track of The Week”.

‘Hands Up’, the brand new single from N.O.A.H is out now across all streaming platforms.

‘Peggy Gordon’ by Lisa O’Neill & Colm Mac Con Iomaire is the second single taken from ‘In The Echo: Field Recordings from Earlsfort Terrace’, due for release on the Ergodos label on 30th September 2021. The eight-track concept compilation album was curated and produced by Ross Turner.

It follows the first single shared earlier this year, ‘Empire One’ by Katie Kim and Seán MacErlaine: https://ergodos.bandcamp.com/album/empire-one

Recorded in various locations in the historic National Concert Hall building in Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin – ranging from old lecture theatres to dis-used stairwells, to a former morgue – this record features collaborations between a number of diverse Irish musicians including:

Lisa O’Neill & Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Katie Kim & Seán Mac Erlaine, Paul Noonan & Roger Moffatt, Eileen Carpio & Sean Carpio, Conor O’Brien & Cian Nugent, Brigid Mae Power & Adrian Crowley, Saileóg Ní Cheannabháin & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, & Lisa Hannigan & Crash Ensemble.

‘Peggy Gordon’ is a beautifully arranged version of a Canadian folksong of the same name, dating from the 19^th century. Lisa O’Neill delivers the lyrics – about the despair of unrequited love – with poise and poignancy. Colm Mac Con Iomaire’s solo fiddle is elegant in its gentle understatement.

Producer Ross Turner remembers the recording session:

“The process of facilitating Lisa and Colm recording ‘Peggy Gordon’ together was a simple one, given the natural chemistry and history between the pair. Set up in the same room adjacent to the Hatch Street side of the National Concert Hall building, the triangulation between the musicians and the space fed into the microphones beautifully. In the quiet moments of the song elements of the stormy day that it was can be heard rattling and pelting the windows of the building. There is great comfort in the music, borne out of the stormy atmosphere in which it was created… The listener is invited in by the duo.”

‘Peggy Gordon’ by Lisa O’Neill & Colm Mac Con Iomaire is out now via Ergodos

[Thursday 12^th August 2021]

Bandcamp:

https://ergodos.bandcamp.com/album/peggy-gordon

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1klekbJnLFeMAW4uhH4FH9?si=8bb5042fa7c34138

Pre-order ‘IN THE ECHO: Field Recordings from Earlsfort Terrace’ album, coming Sept 30^th on the Ergodos label:

https://ergodos.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-echo-field-recordings-from-earlsfort-terrace

Website https://ergodos.ie/
Bandcamp https://ergodos.bandcamp.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/ergodos
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/ergodos
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ergodos.ie/

LISA O’NEILL

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lisaoneillmusic
Twitter https://twitter.com/lisaoneillmusic
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisaoneillmusic

COLM MAC CON IOMAIRE

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ColmMacConIomaire
Twitter https://twitter.com/cmacconiomaire
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/colmmacconiomaire

Barry Kerr, multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer and painter releases his new single ‘Father’s Way’ on August 20th. When composing this track, Kerr drew inspiration from the often complex and turbulent relationship between a father and a son. Collaborators on the album include Niamh Dunne on strings, John Reynolds on percussion, Conor McCreanor on bass, Pauline Scanlon on vocals and it was recorded by Seán Óg Graham at Bannview Studios with further production provided by John Reynolds.

Speaking about the track Barry says:

“I was inspired to write it in dealing with my relationship with my own late father who passed away in 2013. The song touches on the idea that we are sometimes more like our parents than we care to admit. That their good qualities and what they have taught us in life often shine through in us when we most need them.”

Barry was awarded the Agility Award by the Arts Council of Ireland to create the video for this song. Along with Alan Doherty of Aldoc Productions they came up with the idea of the video featuring Galway hurler Maidhc Ó Conghaile.

“I have a love for the great game of hurling and I used the game as an analogy of a father – son relationship. We were blessed with great weather on the day of the shoot. That along with Al’s artistic eye really showcases the beautiful surroundings of my new Connemara home.”

Originally from the southern shores of Lough Neagh in County Armagh but now living and working in Connemara, Co. Galway, Barry Kerr is one of Ireland’s most accomplished artists. He has toured the world as a solo artist and has been equally at home sharing the stage in the company of other artists including Steve Cooney, Cara Dillon, Julie Fowlis, Lumiere and Dervish. Renowned folk acts such as Karan Casey, Flook, Jiggy, Beoga, Brian Finnegan, Damian O’Kane and Kate Rusby include his compositions in their tour repertoires. As Artist in Residence at the celebrated Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts in Belfast for a number of years, Barry played a central role in developing the city of Belfast as a vibrant cultural hub.

Previous works include; ‘Cairn’ (2020) a result of being awarded the Liam O’Flynn Award from The National Concert Hall and the Arts Council in March 2020, ‘Castor Bay’ (2018) a duet album of traditional song, flute, uilleann pipes and fiddle music with his sister Laura Kerr and guitarist Donogh Hennessy; ‘Boy In A Boat’ (2015) a collection of original songs; ‘CEATHAIR’ and ‘Continuum’ an exploration of the concept of relating visual art with musical performance, storytelling and composition.

‘Father’s Way’ will be released digitally on Bandcamp.

Visit https://www.barrykerr.com/ or https://barrykerr1.bandcamp.com/ for more information.

Born from boredom, Kind Pirates is a side project of Ollie Cole. Ollie has a long and rich history of music making going all the way back to his childhood band Swampshack in the late 90s. He subsequently became the lead singer and songwriter for indie rock band TURN who after three successful and acclaimed albums hung up their axes in 2006. Since then Ollie has released three solo albums under his full moniker; Oliver Cole, the latest of which ‘Father, Brother, Son’ was released to widespread acclaim in Nov 2020.

Kind Pirates sees Ollie return to the electric guitar and marry some overdrive with some sweet sweet melody.

Of Kind Pirates Ollie says

“I found myself with lots of time over lockdown and I wanted to do something fun. Kind Pirates is deliberately frivolous in nature and it’s sort of a release valve for me. I’ve really enjoyed recording the Kind Pirates material. I hope going forward that Kind Pirates can become a collaborative space where I can work with some other musicians and songwriters I admire.”

Kind Pirates debut track ‘Coming Up Fast’ is out August 13th.

‘Tonight’ is a surprise new pop single from Irish Singer/Songwriter Taylor Mas set for release on Friday 13th August. The song depicts the scenario of overcoming mental manipulation from a partner or friend. Although there is a dark under tone lyrically and sonically, the song has an upbeat pop melody with a dance/pop production.

Taylor Mas’s previous single ‘Me Again’ got its first play on Spin 1038 and was added to the RTÉ Radio 1’s recommendations list in its first week of release. ‘Me Again’ also landed a feature from Nialler9 as a ‘sparking dance pop tune’ in his list of ‘new songs from Irish artists you should hear’.

‘Tonight’ tells a story of self doubt and sadness which turns into belief and strength after a mental fight to break free from the thoughts and beliefs of others. This upbeat pop song is sure to get you moving and singing along as well as being relatable with its personal lyrics.

Taylor Mas released her debut single ‘Bad News’ at the end of last year. It has been streamed over five thousand times on Spotify and was added to the RTE Radio 1’s Recommended playlist along with a Q&A feature on RTE entertainment.

Taylor Mas has had many years of experience in the music scene in Ireland. Having completed a level 8 Degree in Songwriting at BIMM Dublin she has performed vocals for many different artists and bands across Dublin in multiple different recording studios as well as performing at Electric Picnic, Longitude, KnockenStocken and many more Irish music events and gigs.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/72tTyQ3RUFy9Xnl3fNcs9N?si=jBgAWoItR0CEJEstx9k5FQ   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylormasmusic/?hl=en  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaylorMasMusic  

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TaylorMasMusic/ 

Irish artist Rory and the Island has just released the video for his brand new summer single ‘Donna Don’t Take My Summer’ – out now.

Speaking of the video Rory and the Island said: “This is one of the cheekiest videos I ever did, as the majority of it was filmed on my phone at 5am in Glasgow city centre on the set of the new Indiana Jones movie before the cast and crew arrived! They had recreated New York City circa 1970 and it fit perfectly with the song lyrics, but I was chased away by security in the middle of it, and rightly so!”

This colourful upbeat retro pop tune is a huge departure for Rory and the Island with nods to the New York Disco scene of the late 1970s, channeling artists such as Quincy Jones, KC and the Sunshine Band and Nile Rogers.

The single is released ahead of Rory and the Island returning to the live music scene with two sold out shows in the Dublin Castle Camden, London on 13th and 14th August, and follows his two most recent singles hitting the Number 1 spot on iTunes Ireland in 2021.

Recorded in Distant City Studios in Yorkshire, ‘Donna Don’t Take My Summer’ was mixed by Joss Worthington and Paul Gallagher, then remastered by John Davies who has received huge acclaim for his recent work with The Killers, U2 and Years & Years.

Donegal singer/songwriter Rory Gallagher, who has been releasing and producing his own music since 2011 under the project name Rory and the Island has had quite the 17 months since the global pandemic began. After moving his family to Edinburgh in Scotland to open a brand new live music bar in the city called “The Wildcat” in March 2020, the venue never saw it’s official opening night due to Covid19 and Rory Gallagher found himself locked down in a new city and very very lost.

Like most musicians Rory and the Island began live Facebook gigs every week and opted for “escapism” in his shows making them very colorful, upbeat and quirky as opposed to holding a mirror up to the depressing situation. Rory and the Island gradually built up 30,000 Facebook followers with some of his shows averaging up to 50k views on FB watch playback during the week during the spring.

As he has done all of his life, Rory and the Island decided to keep playing original music in among all the requests he was getting from the public, and two of his new songs ‘When the Lights Go Down’ and ‘Miss This’ both then charted at Number 1 on iTunes Ireland in the past year.

This huge outpouring of new interest has led to Rory and the Island having 7 sold out shows coming up in Ireland and the UK, with his Dublin and Belfast shows in Opium and the Blackbox selling out in less than 48 hours.

Rory Gallagher was previously the lead singer and bass player with Donegal indie-Pop Punk trio The Revs – 20 years ago in the summer of 2001 The Revs had a huge hit with their debut single “Wired to the Moon” which stayed in the Irish charts for 9 weeks and led to the band winning best newcomer at the Meteor and Hot Press awards in Dublin and saw the band go on to sell over 20,000 albums and play Slane Castle, Oxygen and the Reading and Leeds festivals in England.

‘Donna Don’t Take My Summer’ the brand new single from Rory & The Island is out now across all digital platforms.

Following the release of his LD50 Part 3, the end of his trilogy album series, Irish musician, actor and spoken word Lethal dialect also known as Paul Alwright is back with a smooth made-man record in the form of ‘Vintage’. Taken from the upcoming album ‘Songs Of A Dead Dreamer’, the sharply-written odes vividly portray the growing pains of a Dublin native. Delving in the antics of a dreamer from “East Cabra to West Finglas” on old school and Lo-fi mash-up.

Produced by G.I, The record highlights Lethal Dialect’s freeform lyrical style as he veers between social politics, dilemmas and principles. Highlighting Irish culture and all things vintage, LD explained “The song is about Perennial things, vintage things that get better with time or even just persist. The music we make has a vintage hip-hop sound and it might never be trendy but it’s still going from strength to strength. Like the Ralph Lauren I wear in the video, it’s never in vogue but it’s never out of it either, it’s timeless. It’s also a nod to vintage Dublin too with the old phone boxes, horse and carriages etc. To me, the song is a mix of all of these things.”

Inspired by Nas, Tupac, DOOM and Wu-Tang, Paul Alwright embarked on his musical journey, active since 2006 and with four albums under his belt, Lethal Dialect has been a pioneer for Irish Homegrown Hip Hop. With enough talent and charisma to silence any doubters, LD has become one of Ireland’s most exciting artists to watch. Touring and collaborating with Damien Dempsey and Maverick Sabre, alongside staring in award-winning film Cardboard Gangsters as well as films written by Roddy Doyle and John Connors. Lethal Dialects artistry continues to grow day by day – Keep an eye out for the upcoming album ‘Songs Of A Dead Dreamer’ and live dates.

Catch Lethal Dialect Live at Opium, Dublin on the 5th Nov 2021.

Tickets available via: www.ticketmaster.ie/lethal-dialect-tickets/artist/1708231

For more information visit: www.TEGMJR.EIRE.ie

Irish singer, Alison Vard Miller, has just announced the launch of her debut album, ‘Silver Lining’ which is due for release this October 2021.

Alison Vard Miller, is the daughter of Cathy Vard, one of the acclaimed Vard Sisters. This musical lineage was passed on to Alison, who began writing and composing her own music from the age of 7. By age 10, Alison was performing nationally and internationally, with performances ranging from The Late Late Show to Eurovision in Sweden and the Ukraine to singing for the President in the Áras an Uachtaráin. Music and the arts have long been an essential part of Alison’s life and song writing is her passion. Her ambition is to connect with people worldwide through her lyrics.

In recent years, Alison has gone on to perform and record alongside renowned artists, including Pixie Lott, Rebecca Storm, Frances Black, Connor Mc Keown, Ryan Dolan, Tommy Fleming, and Tara Blaise to name a few.

Aged 32, Alison is also the Founder and Creative Director of ‘Miss Ali Stage School’, Dublin, one of the country’s leading stage schools. Here, Alison has written, directed and choreographed over sixteen sell-out shows in The Mill Theatre, Olympia Theatre and The National Concert Hall.

Speaking about the new album, Alison says: “’Silver Lining’ is a vibrant, feel good album recorded with the best of the best musicians, some as far as Nashville in Tennessee! Recording during a pandemic was an interesting journey but we rose to the challenge and we are so proud of the results! While each song has personal meaning to me, my hope is for listeners to find their own meanings through my music.”

Post-live stream, Alison will be back in the studio rehearsing for her anticipated live shows scheduled for 2022.

‘Silver Lining. by Alison Vard Miller will be available on iTunes and Spotify from October 2021.

Join Alison on August 15^th from 8pm for her FREE live stream show via Facebook platforms

@DlrMillTheatreDundrum @DundrumTownCentre @MissAliStageSchool @AP Studios