Author: Breffni Banks

Dublin-based indie rock band Lavelle are this week announcing the release of their new single ‘Start As Friends’ on all digital platforms.

The latest release off their forthcoming album, ‘Start As Friends’ is a light and up-tempo summer track based around a mellow acoustic guitar hook and driven by a simple bass groove. The band is accompanied on this track by singer Maria Hynes on backing vocals, who provides an extra harmonic lift throughout.

Together since 2014, three-piece Lavelle have spent recent years in and out of Dublin’s Camden Recording Studios working on their debut album ‘Stem The Flow’ (scheduled for release later this year) with veteran Irish producer and sound engineer Conor Brady.

The band’s four-track EP ‘Feel Like I Do’ was released in April 2017, followed in recent years by several singles off the album. Most recently the band released the energetic track ‘Rejuvenate’ in December 2020, along with a music video reflecting the Covid lockdown that the country was enduring.

Commenting on the theme of their latest release, Lavelle’s lead singer and songwriter John Ryan said: “The song was written 15 years ago in an attempt to impress a girl! Her previous relationship had ended and I tried to convey how hard breakups can be in the song.”

‘Start As Friends’ is available on all digital platforms from Friday, 2nd April.

For more information about the band, visit lavellemusic.com

http://www.lavellemusic.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/lavelleband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCznOiJQz-mj6ZIZD8zipKAQ
https://twitter.com/lavelle_music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/06N113DWCcm821fGtpiw5p

‘Illinois’ is an original song steeped in the mythology of the old west with an eye on the gritty reality of living in America in the present day. 

Phil Scott says : “I have always had a great love for Americana imagery and I hope ‘Illinois’ can stand proud among its peers in the genre.”

The song is recorded and produced by Philip Scott.

Illinois will be available on https://philipscott.bandcamp.com/  from 15th April.

Illinois is part of an E.P. called ‘Rodeo’ which is also available on https://philipscott.bandcamp.com/

“Listening to this EP ‘Rodeo’ by Phil Scott I get a feeling of people on the move, some fleeing from murder scenes, some just needing to get away from wherever they find themselves. The stories are sparse leaving the listeners to picture their own versions of the characters. These songs are gems.” – Charlie McGettigan

In spite of Covid restrictions effecting the music industry and in particular access to recording studios, Strabane singer song writer Brian Hassan has released his a single ‘What’s In A Smile’. By recording the vocals and guitar and transferring the raw tracks to Peter McVeigh in Belfast, Peter was able to remotely get other musicians to record their tracks before mixing and mastering the finished song.

This is the first of four original singles, which will be released one a month over the next four months. These were recorded with the assistance of the Arts Council for Northern Ireland as part of their support for artists during the current Covid 19 pandemic and restrictions.

The song is an original song and was recorded with the assistance of Eamonn Doherty, True Tone Studios where the vocals and guitar were recorded, Peter McVeigh (Busta Rhymes, Mike Malinin, Goo Goo Dolls, Andy Dunlop, Travis) who arranged, engineered, recorded and mastered the songs and played everything else on the track! John McCullough (currently working with Van Morrison), who arranged and played piano and double GRAMMY certificate winner Mark Evitts from Nashville who arranged and played the strings on the songs. The song is now available on all usual digital platforms.

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/whats-in-a-smile/1559904182?i=1559904183

https://brianhassan.hearnow.com/whats-in-a-smile

www.brianhassan.com

‘Chatanooga Man’ is the first single out now from Irish singer/songwriter Jim Barrett.

A collection of wonderful Irish musicians gathered to create something totally uplifting. The ‘Chatanooga Man’ is a representation of whatever God somebody may personally pray to and the one who’ll be waiting for you at the end of the line. As the song states though, ‘”We’ll be singing til we reach the Chatanooga Man,” and living life to the fullest is the song’s theme throughout.

Jim Barrett delivers a sweet mellow vocal to compliment such accomplished musicians here and the blend creates something magical.

The band – Noel Barrett on bass, Paul Seymour on keyboards, Des Field on drums, Reggie on guitar. Danny Byrt on percussion and Trish White along with Elly O Keefe on backing vocals.

Jim’s influences range from Michael McDonald to Joni Mitchell and Freddie White. The latter being somebody Jim has co-written with in the past and their song ‘Tia’ was released on Freddie’s ‘Stormy Lullaby’ album in 2008. They have also been collaborating again recently to work on possible material for Freddie Whites next album. 

Following the success of their debut single ‘Come By Me’ MOM, who have now changed their name to MOM + THE REBELS, return with another undeniable banger, true to their refreshingly-unique Pop sound! ‘Down By The River’ is an appeal-to-the-repeat-button song about having faith in yourself that you’ll always find your way in the end. This gospel-inspired, foot-stomping, banjo-driven pop gem will have you dancing around your living room like a lunatic.

Set for release on April 2nd 2021, it has the same joyfulness and versatility as their debut single, but with a matured production style.

7-time All-Ireland champion harp and banjo player, Lisa Canny, from Co. Mayo met Bristol-born producer and bass player Dejay Edmund in a studio in London in 2016. When their two worlds collided something magical happened. They spent the next 3 months living and working out of that tiny studio with just one microphone and a whole world of fusion to explore. Now with a catalogue of dozens of songs ready for release in their unique folk-meets-gospel sound MOM + THE REBELS are here to have their say!

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

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/4bgAaM9rfXdY7l1jsW0PLm?si=KdQ38JB5QyOW8899xMq7mA&nd=1

FB: https://www.facebook.com/momandtherebels

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqwxDhoR04CPhjLYYrNJJow

Jim McHugh’s new single ‘Hey Jimbo’, out now, is the second offering from his forthcoming third album ‘Pretending To Wake Up’ due May 28th. Another rocking song with big drums and an even bigger guitar riff, McHugh is continuing to whet the appetite for the full album’s release. 

Monaghan native McHugh says of his latest single: “‘Hey Jimbo’ center’s around the history of past relationships, not all directly my own but we all know these stories of unrequited love. The title takes its name from my nickname ‘Jimbo’ and it’s, as you will hear from the song, often hollered out as ‘Hey Jimboooooo’. Similar to my previous single ‘Dave’ the song evolves around the opening guitar riff and the band powerfully supports the flow of energy throughout it.” 

‘Hey Jimbo’ was recorded, produced and mixed by Alex Borwick (Parliament Funkadelic, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Niamh Regan, Sput Searight, Lankum) at Black Mountain Studios, Jenkinstown and Wynne Wynne Studio, Dundalk. It was mastered by Fergal Davis (Sinéad O’Connor/Muse) and features Paul McCabe on bass, Butch McNeill on drums and Alex Borwick on trombone.

With two albums already under his belt, McHugh has garnered an impressive list of supporters with multiple singles added to the RTE 1 Recommends list and being chosen as the ‘LMFM All Out Local Song Choice’ as well as Roddie Cleere’s ‘Song of the Week’. 

His third album ‘Pretending To Wake Up’ is due May 28th and is sure to cement McHugh as Ireland’s leading folk rock artist as his ability to write a hook of a riff combined with a catchy chorus surpasses all! 

Pre order the album now here https://jimmchughmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jimmchughmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/jimmchughmusic/
https://twitter.com/jimmchughmusic
www.JimMcHughMusic.com

As a tribute to the late great Liam Reilly, Celtic Collections are proud to announce the release of a new single from Bagatelle, ‘That Summer Song’. 

This song was written & recorded during one of the very last studio sessions with Liam Reilly and Bagatelle and was also one of the last recording sessions of producer/guitarist/ multi-instrumentalist and owner of Silverwood Studios, Co. Wicklow, the late Gavin Ralston.  

Gavin had played with so many acts including The Waterboys, Picturehouse, Sharon Shannon, Michael Flatley, Thom Moore and Bagatelle.

‘That Summer Song’ (co-written by Liam Reilly, Ken Doyle & Gavin Ralston) basically tells the story about how one song could change a bands life forever.   

That song was of course the iconic ‘Summer In Dublin’ – the band was Bagatelle and as the lyrics suggest, the song is also a big THANK YOU to their wonderful loyal audience who have stayed with them through their 40+ years.

No less a musical giant than the legendary Pete St John has written a song called ‘Tara Tansey (Ram Dee Da)’ and called upon Cork performer Roy Buckley to sing it, the single will be released on all platforms this Friday, April 2nd, 2021.

What’s more, the man who penned all time classics ‘The Fields Of Athenry’, ‘Dublin In The Rare Old Times’, and many others, personally requested that Buckley would perform the song.

They first met in 2015, when Roy Buckley attended a special showcase gig dedicated to Pete St John’s work in Dublin, not long afterwards, he asked Roy to perform ‘Tara Tansey’.

Roy’s last two releases, ‘Devil Rose’ & ‘Dark Rosaleen’ both went to No.1, while ‘The Old Man On Patrick’s Street’ went before GRAMMY Award judges in two categories.

On being asked by one of the all-time greats to sing his song, Roy Buckley says, “that’s an incredible thrill. I’ve admired the work of Pete St. John since I got my first guitar as a small boy.”

Pete St John himself has spoken of Roy Buckley as “a Master Balladeer” predicting that when the single is released this Easter it will be an instant winner with Irish audiences the world over.

So, who was Tara Tansey?

Pete explains the backstory: “She was a young, beautiful, red haired girl, part of the insurgent garrison during the 1916 Easter Rising. She worked with the medics to help the wounded.”

“As the story goes, when Pádraig Pearse stepped out to read the Proclamation, the sound of a fiddle could be heard coming from inside the GPO.” The fiddle player was Tara Tansey!

And what of “Ram Dee Da”?

Well, Roy Buckley explains, “that comes from Pete’s deep love of the Irish language. It stands for “Rud Álainn Macánta – Draíocht Eolas Éireann – Dóchas Arís.”

Translated to English it means “Something beautiful and honest – The magic intellect of Ireland – Hope again”.

Roy Buckley is a singer, songwriter, musician, entertainer & recording artist from Cork City, Ireland. 

Since childhood he has “collected” Irish music & song, and in 2012 established the hugely successful “Song Collector Sessions” concert series, with fifty concerts under his belt in that time.

Guests at the concerts have included Aslan’s Christy Dignam, Bagatelle’s Liam Reilly, Stocktons Wing’s Mike Hanrahan and international song writing legend Phil Coulter to name a few.

The concerts also led to a podcast, interviews with leading lights in Irish music, the “Song Collector Podcast” is available on all platforms.

Internationally, Roy Buckley spends several months of the year touring and performing at festivals and events all over the world. He looks forward to touring again when the Covid-19 pandemic is at an end.

‘Tara Tansey (Ram Dee Da)’ was recorded with the late Lawrence White at Wood Street studio in Cork, and finished at Kitten Lane studios in Cork, under the watchful eye of Aidan O’ Mahony and Keith Clancy.

A host of top class musicians contributed, and the finished track was mastered by GRAMMY Award winner Adam Ayan in the USA. It is scheduled for release on all platforms on Friday, April 2nd, 2021.

Lavengro, the four-piece indie-pop outfit from Derry are back in the game with a banger. ‘Get Out’, produced by Cormac Butler (The Academic, All Tvvins, Kodaline) is an anthemic, catchy track packed full of guitar hooks, upbeat bass & drums, groovy Synths and a stellar strong chorus that won’t ‘Get Out’ of your head.

After their last single release ‘I Want Your Girl’ which was produced and co-written by Billen Ted (currently storming the global charts with their ‘Wellerman’ remix), the band took a short hiatus to knuckle down and experiment with a new sound. Already picked as ‘Best Song in the World’ by BBC ATL weeks before release (and plays on WLRFM, Dundalk & Cool Fm), there’s no doubt that ‘Get Out’ is perfect for the National Airwaves. 

You can catch the band on Tik Tok @Lavengro as they entertain and rapidly grow their following with their blend of hilarious content & music.  

A few of Lavengro’s famous pals have also took part in their new music video for ‘Get Out’.

After years of travelling in the belly of the beast, spitting and coughing, drowning in the Devil’s drink, puffing heavily on fifty cigarettes a day, balancing on his head a haircut from nineteenseventytwo, Keith Margo got sick of singing to the tune of other people’s songs. That’s when he wrote the new single everybody’s talking about: ‘Rock N Rolla’.

In those perilous years, Margo absorbed all manner of the arts from the paintings of Goya, Rimbaud’s poetry, all the way up to Ziggy Stardust and beyond. He draws from these bohemians, giving his new single ‘Rock N Rolla’ a timeless feel.

Keith Margo is bringing songwriting back to Rock N Roll! From the word go, the drums are in your face, the coven of guitars are putting you under their spell. A wailing guitar solo, wild bassline and a ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ style ending keep you coming back for more. Margo’s voice reaches into your soul.

‘Rock N Rolla’ is only the start for Keith Margo. Expect more heavy hitters as the year goes on.

Written, performed, produced, mixed and mastered by Keith Margo. Colm Quearney plays bass, lead guitars & philicordia.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithmargomusic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithMargo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeithMargoMusic