Author: Breffni Banks

Following up the phenomenal success of his first single in 2021, ‘Opera On The Top Floor’, Jack O’Rourke is back with new single ‘Patsy Cline’ released 20th August. 2021’s collection of songs from Jack marks something of a new departure for the enigmatic songwriter, who has enchanted live audiences and fans since the release of his debut album, ‘Dreamcatcher’, in 2016. ‘Patsy Cline’ is out on August 20, 2021.

Of the single Jack says: “‘Patsy Cline’ is about a wild love – all that’s exciting and beautiful – the wild place where that exists, even in a memory. Patsy was an extraordinary singer and she could have sung anything – jazz or RnB and her phrasing travels beyond country music. To me, she’s the precursor to Janis Joplin or even Bjork or Phoebe Bridgers. Her voice is evocative and honeyed but that raw quality is always there. There’s a primal, reckless quality to her voice and I suppose in a great love, you’re being thrown in directions you never imagined, like the journey Patsy Cline brings you on in her delivery. That’s exciting but scary.”

This recklessness must have rubbed off as Jack recorded piano and vocals for ‘Patsy Cline’ at the Triskel in one take. Taking inspiration from Erykah Badu and Joni Mitchell, Jack layers harmonies like horn sections. Enlisting help from his friend Marlene Enright, her unique sense of rhythm influences the feel of the single. A string arrangement by Cormac McCarthy references early 1960’s Patsy Cline recordings. Members of Crash Ensemble also worked their magic on the single, while Davie Ryan added his distinctive beats that bring it into the 21st Century. Hugh Dillon put his signature guitar sound down, reminiscent of a pedal steel.

‘Opera On The Top Floor’ and ‘Patsy Cline’ offer a taste of Jack’s new album, ‘Wild Place’. They set the tone for what will be Jack’s most reflective collection of songs to date. Never one to shy away from the personal, the Cork songwriter has approached these recordings with a starker musical palette in mind – the arrangements representative of a more solitary, yet cathartic place, that Jack and many songwriters found themselves in over the last year.  The piano and Jack’s ranging voice dominate, with subtle string arrangements to present a moving and original body of work due out later this year.

As well as recording the tracks for his new album, Jack enjoyed a very productive and collaborative 12 months; playing Other Voices and ringing in the new year as part of Home at Guinness Store House with Conor O Brien, Denise Chaila, Loah and The Mary Wallopers. He also performed with the RTE Concert Orchestra, as a soloist with Jess Kav and Moncrieff, in a tribute to Aretha Franklin (aired on Monday, 2nd August) and was chosen as a composer/songwriter in residence for 2022 at Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.

Live shows

August 11 – O’Mahony’s, Watergrasshill

August 19 – Mike The Pies, Listowel

More gigs to be added . . .

Twitter: @JackORourkes // Facebook: @JackORourkeMusic // Instagram: @jackorourkemusic // Website: https://www.jackorourkesongs.com/

As music-loving families ready themselves to feel those longed-for festival vibes at Kaleidoscope’s We Are Family on 13th – 15th August at Russborough House, Blessington, Co Wicklow, organisers are thrilled to announce they have added yet another sprinkle of music and magic to the weekend that is sure to deliver an experience as close to that cherished festival feeling as possible for all the family.

We Are Family promises to be a feast of colourful carnival fun with incredible art installations, pop-up performances, and even stupendous circus acts woven into the fabric of this care-free haven of art and entertainment; it’s safe to say the fun doesn’t stop at the six intimate live shows taking place on the mainstage over the weekend where headliners include Ryan McMullan, Lyra, and JC Stewart.

There’s loads to explore at the Boompaloopa area, a specially curated outdoor space where parents, grandparents and children can get their groove on together.

Take in the sights and sounds of this vibrant realm with DJ sets from Rigsy, Tracy Clifford and Joe Dougan, percussion prowess from Javanese Gamelan, and sweet string symphonies from the Dublin Ukulele Collective, while Dublin Youth Dance Company will bust a move, Ceol Connected will bring their joyous energy, the Ballymore Eustace Brassband showcase their trumpeting talents and you might even spot sustainable stylistas from Junk Kouture strutting their stuff!

Elsewhere, there will be wonderful walkabout performances from The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow Carnivale Troupe who are sure to deliver a gravity-defying spectacle. Meanwhile, prepare to be bewitched by the hypnotic movements of hula hoop artist Gill Byrne and get ready to launch into space with Exploriums Mark the Science Guy. Feed your mind at spoken word performances from Roisin Ingle and Fighting Words and keep your eyes peeled for the jaw dropping art installations from Clare Hartigan, Dan Leonard, Patsy Preston and Lindsay McConnell.

As you already know, We Are Family will have the whole family singing and dancing along with incredible talent over on the mainstage. Hosting a crowd of 500 for both a matinée and evening show each day in line with current government guidelines, gates open at 12 noon and 4pm respectively. There will be circular, distanced pods, marked out on the surrounding grass to help families self-manage and feel safe and secure. And why not make your pod your own and bring along your own picnic blankets, cushions and snacks and if you fancy it, BYOB?

If you get peckish after all the fun, there will be best-in-class festival food vans on site in the Kaleidoscope area so get ready to tuck into delicious delights and festival flavours galore as you replenish your energy stores! The Zero Bar will offer thirst quenching alcohol-free beer, delicious mocktails and minerals.

Tickets cost €79.00 for a family of four and €20 for individuals, not including booking fee. Event pods will be designated to a maximum of six people. Parking €3 per car on arrival.  However, be quick about snapping up these not-to-be missed tickets as Saturday is already nearly sold out with limited tickets also available for Friday and Sunday. And with a family-friendly philosophy in mind too, don’t forget grannies and grandads go free!

Matinee: Gates 12pm / Performances 12.15pm-3pm / Ends 3pm

Evening: Gates 4pm / Performances 4.15pm-7pm /Ends 7pm

For those of you who want to treasure memories or can’t make it,  the weekend will be filmed and aired as a free virtual show so you can watch it back and relive those special moments on 11th September on the VStage platform through the www.kaleidoscopefestival.ie website. And don’t forget, tickets for Kaleidoscope 2022 are on sale now!

We Are Family is part-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht Sport and Media from the Live Performance Support Scheme.

August 6th sees the third offering from 1000 Beasts’ debut album, ‘Sugar High’ is a soulful jazz infused sound, with Conor Clancy of TOUCAN arriving as his collaborator.

1000 Beasts is the alias of Cian Sweeney, an Irish producer/artist who collaborates with different artists on every track (they are the “beasts” behind the name) to make soulful, indiepop & hip hop inspired tracks. His production work has seen him garner over 15,000,000 streams on Spotify for collaborators songs and his own artist project, and he’s a platinum selling producer thanks to his work on the 2020 hit song ‘Fake Fine’ by Robert Grace.

His debut EP ‘On A Different Page’ was released in July 2020 through Unity Group (Paris) followed by the runaway success of his  remixes for Elaine Malone (You) and Joshua Burnside (Noa Mercier).

‘For You & I’ and ‘NYCBB’ are the two releases from the forthcoming debut album, in collaboration with rising Irish artist Alex Tierney, and regular Soft Boy Records collaborator Célia Tiab, and both achieved strong Spotify editorial support on release.

‘NYCBB’ was chosen as one of the 2FM Tracks Of The Week, as well as the Best Song In The World on BBC Introducing Across The Line

1000 Beasts sits at over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

2021 will see 1000 Beasts release his debut album through Jawdropper Records who are backed by worldwide digital distribution via the Universal Music owned InGrooves.

TOUCAN is the music project of pop, funk and soul artist from Waterford, Conor Clancy. He conceived the project as an outlet for his soulful songwriting, originally just as himself. Over time, he began writing parts for brass and backing vocals, creating a larger sound and in turn, a larger band. Influenced by the big sounds of motown and soul, the line up changes for more intimate settings and can be Conor performing solo, but at its fullest, TOUCAN is Conor Clancy’s pop & soul songs with a whopping ten piece band.

TOUCAN’s debut single ‘We Fell For Miles’ in 2018 set everything in motion, racking up over a million streams on Spotify and catching the ear of RTÉ Radio 1’s Shay Byrne, who said, “it’s pleasant, it’s powerful and it’s genuine. Absolutely brilliant stuff,” and was hailed by JOE.ie as, “a hugely promising debut.” Following this was a self-titled EP that brought an unstoppable momentum. The band went on to have a completely sold-out run of shows in Ireland and London.

And it didn’t stop there – the group went on to support Nile Rodgers & CHIC in Dublin, as well as being featured in his curated festival Meltdown 2019. They played support for The Average White Band in London’s Royal Albert Hall, they were chosen to perform in New York for the Mondo Music Conference and finished a festival filled Summer at Electric Picnic 2019, which Hot Press hailed as ‘a triumphant debut’.

“‘Sugar High’ was another that was written in peak lockdown. At this point, the album was beginning to take shape and I was creating new ideas and demo’s daily.

Myself and Toucan had tried a few bits before but it had never worked out, when I made the demo for ‘Sugar High’ however & forwarded it on to him – he had the vibe down from the start.

The chilled and old school nature of the groove makes for the perfect late summer feel.” – 1000 Beasts

1000 Beasts

Bandcamp  Instagram   Youtube  Facebook  Twitter  Spotify

TOUCAN

Spotify  Instagram Facebook  Twitter

Paddy Casey’s fifth album ‘Turn This Ship Around’, a double album, is released today (6 August 2021). Available from https://www.paddycaseymusic.com/merch and across all digital platforms.

Speaking of the new album, Paddy Casey said: “The double album took a few years longer than I thought but life has a way of getting in the way of your plans so I didn’t mind, anyway it’s better to let things come in their own time. I think it’s the best album I’ve made so far, there are a few magic moments throughout it that I’m pretty proud of and some bits that I just let happen and took me by surprise. One side is kind of folk vibes while the other is more upbeat and full of my favourite toys and noises. There’s even a third side but I thought that might be pushing my luck!”

Single ‘Won’t Take Much’ from part one of the double album ‘Turn This Ship Around’ is available to stream now across all digital platforms. A bouncy, uplifting, guitar-driven song bursting with brass and strings, the single reflects the upbeat, electric, synth and guitar driven side to the album, while the second part embodies a more laid-back, acoustic vibe.

Having been at the forefront of the Irish music scene since his multi platinum selling debut album ‘Amen (So Be It)’, Paddy Casey’s career has taken him all over the globe touring with acts like The Pretenders, R.E.M, Ian Brown, Blondie and Tracy Chapman to name a few. Closer to home he has played all over Ireland, including a sold out Dublin Castle, RDS and a record-breaking week long run in The Olympia Theatre, alongside special guest spots with U2, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan and more.

Paddy Casey’s hugely successful debut album ‘Amen (So Be It)’ achieved many international highlights including tracks being featured in hit television shows such as ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘Roswell’ alongside extensive American and European tours. Further establishing himself as one of the country’s most successful artists, his second album ‘Living’ went on to become one of the biggest ever selling albums in Ireland (approximately 15 times platinum).

This was followed by the release of ‘Addicted To Company, Part 1’, with this album seeing Paddy Casey continue to tour across America, performing on The Late Show with David Letterman, securing a week-long slot on MTV and even managing to have drinks with Beyoncé and Jay Z along the way. After the release of this  album Paddy Casey decided that it was time to part ways with his record label and go independent  in order to let himself and his music veer off in any direction the wind carried them, resulting in his first release ‘The Secret Life Of’ – a resounding success with the album reaching platinum status.

Paddy Casey’s new double album ‘Turn This Ship Around’ is released today (6 August 2021). Available now from https://www.paddycaseymusic.com/merch and across all digital platforms.

Tracklisting:

Paddy Casey

Turn This Ship Around

Part 1

1.Out Of Control

2.Everything Must Change

(When Love Gets In The Way)

3.Won’t Take Much

4.When She Dances

5.You Are The One

6.I Close My Eyes

7.Turn This Ship Around

8.This World is Stranger (Hold On)

9.Ready For The Good Times

10.For Us

11. The Goodbye Song

Part 2

1.There Will Be Love

2.Falling To Pieces

3.By Your Fire

4.Hearts Dancing

5.It’s Alright To Cry

6. Rise And Fall

7.Out Of Control (Acoustic Version)

8.Times Are Tough (But So Are We)

9.Let Go This Stone And Rose

10.There You Are

11.Unspoken Prayer

Paddy Casey Official Website

Paddy Casey Facebook Page

Paddy Casey Instagram Page

Paddy Casey Twitter Page

God Knows is one of the founders of Ireland’s most prolific and exciting labels, narolane records. As a collective, narolane’s creative output conveys their ethos with surety, authenticity and unapologetic ambition. That ethos is to be true to what is right, what is excellent and what is unexpected.

This commitment to excellence has caught the attention of the world’s most revered cultural commentators and music media, with The NME, NPR, France 24, The Irish Times, The BBC, The Guardian, RTÉ, The Fader, Vice and The New York Times all turning their attention to this revolutionary collective.

God Knows has been patiently waiting for the right time to drop his first release on his own label – and now that time is finally here.

On Friday 6th August 2021, God Knows releases ‘Glory’ on narolane records. Featuring the vocal stylings of Senita Appiakorang, this Amapiano track draws on the South African jazz and deep house rhythms that are making waves the world over – and God Knows has long been known on these shores for paying homage to great music and great artists in his own, innovative way.

Collectively, narolane records says: “When we decide enough is enough, it seems like the Earth shakes beneath our very feet in subtle ways. First quiet, and then louder and louder as we refuse to drown ourselves out. Narolane was founded on the principles of integrity and love. Amapiano is close to our souls. Southern African jazz and deep house full of the rhythms that made us.”

“The genre is new on this side of the world, but once upon a time so were we,” the man who has been called the Architect of Irish Hip Hop continues, “and there was power in not compromising who we are then, and so we chose not to compromise here either.”

Since he first began making music, God Knows has been held up as a mentor of the rap scene in Ireland. Although this is a role he relishes, having encouraged so many along the way, ‘Glory’ is all about bringing it back to his roots. Produced by his brother, Godwin Jonas, God Knows explains the importance of the song’s message.

“Glory means to bring honour. It means having the courage to risk it all. It means not blinking first. To take advantage of everything that has ever been taken for granted. To find the places where we have abandoned ourselves. To accept that you’ll get punched in the face and smile while your nose bleeds, knowing that we never fight for victory. We fight from victory. And so we give honour to the people who give us joy. Unapologetically black, Irish, diasporan, complex, fluid, and grounded. Glory is not a feeling, not ego worship, not insecurity. A lifestyle of praise and truth. Excellence, honour, praise, celebration, power, respect, integrity, purpose.

This is what it means to walk in the Knowledge of God.

Glory.”

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

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 one week 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.

Speaking of the single Rory and the Island said: “After releasing two quite introverted melancholic songs during the pandemic I decided that with a bit of light at the end of the tunnel to just go crazy with a feel good bubblegum pop summer song!”

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 seven 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 HotPress 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.

‘Trouble’ is the new single from double platinum selling Mick Flannery, one of Ireland’s most acclaimed artists and newcomer Susan O’Neill, currently one of the country’s best kept secrets.

The track is taken from the pair’s upcoming collaborative album ‘In The Game’, which charts the coming together and falling apart of a relationship. Instantly timeless, universally relatable and genuinely moving, the record is the sound of two truly unique artists working in complete harmony. Produced ‘virtually’ by LA based, Australian producer Tony Buchen (Courtney Barnett, Smashing Pumpkins, Tim Finn) it features musicians from both Ireland and America including ‘Death Cab for Cuties’ Zac Rae on Wurlitzer duties.

The result of Mick and Susan’s first day working together, ‘Trouble’ is, as Mick explains, about the endless trials and struggles found in the world today, the vast quantity of them and the difficulties of dealing with them, on both a global and personal scale

“Modern technology and modes of communication allow us all to be aware of the troubles of the world on a mass scale, whilst also dealing with our own personal struggles. This song speaks to the nature of this awareness and how we can (and sometimes have to) turn away, for better or worse.”

Lyrically, ‘Trouble’ pulls from old proverbs, repurposed and recontextualised for the song, as Susan elaborates

“A nod to some of the old proverbs that many of us grew up hearing. Mick pieced many of them together including ‘Wear the shoe, walk the mile’ ‘’Spare the rod, spoil the child’ in this song they have become intertwined with a chorus suggesting we must carry on the journey in the face of all experience.”

The accompanying video was directed by Christopher Luke and provides the perfect visual companion to the track; powerful, emotive and thought-provoking.

‘Trouble’ is the third track to be revealed from ‘In The Game’, following ‘Chain Reaction’, released earlier this year and 2020’s single ‘Baby Talk’, which won ‘Best Original Song of The Year’ at the prestigious RTÉ Radio 1 Awards and has racked up nearly 1 million streams to date.  The pair’s staggering live performances on both The Late Late Show and Other Voices ‘Courage’ were widely lauded as performances of the year.

‘In The Game’ is due out September 3rd.

Pre-order here

‘IN THE GAME’ TOUR DATES – MICK FLANNERY AND SUSAN O’NEILL
USA

Sept 7 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI ^
Sept 8 – Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL *
Sept 9 –  Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN *
Sept 10 – Back Room, Milwaukee, WI  *
Sept 11 – Seven Steps Up, Spring Lake, MI ^
Sept 13 – Chumley Buskirk, Bloomington, IN  *
Sept 16 – Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC  *
Sept 18 – Headliners, Louisville, KY*
Sept 20 –  Bijou Theater, Knoxville, TN*
Sept 22 – Americana Festival, Nashville, TN
Sept 23 – Americana Festival, Nashville, TN
Sept 24 – Spot on Kirk, Roanoke, NC ^
Sept 25 –  Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY *
Sept 26 –  City Winery, Boston, MA ^
Sept 28 – The Kate Theatre, Old Saybrook, CT ^
Sept 29 –  Word Barn, Exeter, NH ^

EU / UK

Sept 3 – Galway Arts Festival, Galway, IE

Oct 9 –     Dolans, Limerick, IE~
Oct 17 –   INEC, Killarney, IE~
Oct 22 –   The Opera House, Cork, IE~
Oct 23 –   De Barras, Clonakilty, IE~ Sold Out
Oct 29 –   Sligo Live Festival, Sligo, IE~
Oct 30 –   Vicar St, Dublin, IE~ Sold Out
Nov 6 –    Whelans, Dublin, IE~ Sold Out
Nov 7 –    Whelans, Dublin, IE~
Nov 11-   Spirit Store, Dundalk, IE~
Nov 12 –  Townhall Theatre, Cavan, IE~
Nov 13 –  The Duncairn, Belfast, IE~ Sold Out
Nov 19 –  Roisin Dubh, Galway, IE~ Sold out
Nov 26 –  Blue Bird Festival, Vienna, AT
Dec 2 –    Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, FR
Dec 3 –    The Conway Hall, London, UK~

www.inthegame.ie

https://www.instagram.com/mickflannerymusic
https://www.instagram.com/soundsofson

https://twitter.com/MickFlannery
https://twitter.com/SoundsofSON

https://www.facebook.com/mick.flannery.musician
https://www.facebook.com/SoundsofSON

Mary Coughlan has announced a brand-new single’12 Steps Forward, 10 Steps Back’  out now. ’12 Steps Forward, 10 Steps Back’ is taken from her critically acclaimed album ‘Life Stories’, available to buy and download. 

Speaking about the single Mary says: “The single touches on Mary’s journey in relation to alcohol, it’s my rehab song.” 

Buy ‘Life Stories’ Amazon | Amazon Music | Apple Music  

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Spotify 

Darragh O’Dea has just realsed new song feat Katherine Priddy: ‘Guerrilla Warfare in Your Back Garden’, with album to follow October 29th.

Irish songwriter Darragh O’Dea is known for his wistful storytelling. By using historical imagery to tell present-day stories, he creates nostalgic nuggets of joy and despair. His music conveys the moods and elements of his surroundings, delivered in an honest and alluring manner. Darragh hails from Tuam Co Galway and weaves a tapestry of the everyday in sonic threads on his new music.

His new material, heavily influenced by peers such as Kevin Morby, Bright Eyes, Christy Moore and Willy Mason, shows that he is a master storyteller.

Darragh discusses the idea and theme of the song below: “It is a song about the ancient and much-loved past-time of fighting over land and inheritance, a situation that has torn many families apart. The constant seeking of land for land’s sake. And the wills and the contesting of wills – and who was left what? I think many Irish people will have some sort of experience with this in one way or another.. the ‘Guerrilla Warfare in Your Back Garden’…

It’s a song that I wrote 5 years ago and have recorded numerous different versions of, but I was never happy with the outcome until I decided to try it as a duet with Birmingham based folk singer Katherine Priddy who added another perspective to the song.”

Recorded between Sun Street Studios and Turf Shed Studio, in Tuam Co. Galway. It was co-produced by Kenny Ralph and Dylan Connolly. The single is out now across all digital channels. The long player album ‘Tilly & The Postmaster’ will follow the single in October 2021.

Smart Link to pre-save single: https://ffm.to/guerrilla_warfare-presave

Upcoming Gigs:

• 3^rd September 2021 – Moseley Folk & Art Festival, Birmingham, UK
• 28^th November 2021 – Whelan’s (Upstairs), Dublin
• 18^th December 2021 – The Mall Theatre, Tuam, Co. Galway
• 12^th March 2022 – Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover, Co. Galway

Social Links:

• Website: https://www.darraghodeamusic.com/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2eeI1AYgcDUExBdAq8oNLY
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darraghodeamusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darragh_odea_music/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/darraghodea