Author: Breffni Banks

Paddy Casey has just released his brand new single ‘Won’t Take Much’ today, alongside announcing the release of his fifth album ‘Turn This Ship Around’, a double album due to be released this summer.

‘Won’t Take Much’, the latest release from the album is a bouncy, uplifting, guitar-driven song bursting with brass and strings. Featuring on the first part of the double album ‘Turn This Ship Around’, 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.

Speaking of the single, Paddy Casey said: “‘Won’t Take Much’ is an independent production, recorded and produced in my own home studio. To capture the energy of a new song ‘coming to life’ the single was written and recorded in the same day with friends and bandmates being called on later to add strings and horns.”

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 Beyonce 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.

‘Won’t Take Much’ the brand new single from Paddy Casey is out now across all digital platforms, with ‘Turn This Ship Around’ is due for release in summer 2021.

Newcomer Irish singer songwriter Gavin Fox, who’s soulful, reflective songwriting blends folk and indie releases his second single ‘Free’ alongside his debut EP ‘On Second Thoughts’ on March 26th.

Following on from his debut single ‘Make Me Believe’ which picked up support from Hot Press, RTE Entertainment, Classic Hits, Shannonside, KFM, among others, Gavin now releases ‘Free’ the lead single from his debut EP ‘On Second Thoughts’ .

Accompanying the single is the official music video for ‘Free’ which compiles footage central to our society in recent years, and the idea of freedom. Featuring footage from the LGBTQ rallys, the #MeToo movement as well as an assortment of imagery associated with freedom. 

“This song contains an important message to a general audience of people who feel enslaved to or controlled by something external to themselves – the political system, religion, personal circumstances/fate, etc.  The message is simple; you can decide to be free, to choose how you want to live your life and to be the person you want to be as an individual.  Don’t allow yourself to be controlled. Choose to be free and be liberated by your own limitless possibility”. –Gavin Fox on ‘Free’

Gavin Fox grew up in an environment that was very restrictive, dominated by an extreme religion that controlled his life. Born into a Jehovah’s Witness family he was told what to think, what to believe and what to do from a very young age. He was never allowed to freely express himself or to choose his own path. He didn’t play football with his school mates or go to parties as a teenager – he was not permitted to socialise with non-believers. Instead, he spent many hours being taught how to deliver public sermons, delivering his first to an audience of over 100 people at the age of 7. He was also schooled in preaching and spent much of his time going from door-to-door. Birthdays were never tolerated. Christmas celebrations not permitted. Any non-religious activities or interests were strongly discouraged.

Gavin knew his life was different to that of his peers, to whom he never really felt he belonged. He also knew he had something inside telling him he needed to break free. Leaving the religion would result in being shunned and cut-off from the only community he knew and having to start his life again, alone. When he did find the courage to take that step, it took him many years and an in-depth process of self-analysis just to find out who he really was.

Gavin has had a story to tell for many years now. He had no idea his story would come out in the form of music. It took the time and space allowed during the lockdown of 2020 for him to discover a hidden creative talent for song-writing. Having picked up a guitar only in recent years, his emotional story came from deep inside him and poured out in the form of three of the most honest songs you are ever likely to hear. Since then, he has continued to write and plans to record an album later this year.

“Many people go through life trying to conform and please others. This EP is about being true to yourself and being free to be the person you want to be. 

It is about giving yourself permission to choose your own course and decide what kind of life you want. 

It is never too late to discover who you truly are and to freely express yourself. Don’t live with regrets. 

If you are having second thoughts about what you want out of life, act on them.” – Gavin Fox on ‘On Second Thoughts’ EP

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Lemonade Marinade release their 4th single ‘Paradise Bay’ on Friday April 2nd and once again all proceeds will go to mental health charities. 

Following up from the acclaimed songs ‘Brilliant’, ‘It’s Good To See’ and ‘Venus And Me’ the lockdown band release another delightful soothingly warm piece of music heaven.

The band are delighted to add the beautiful voice of Gillian Tuite to the ever involving line up. Think of the Americana sound of Alison Krauss intertwined with Ireland’s Maura O’Connell and you will Gillian somewhere in the middle. She has released quite a few solo songs in the last year, co writes with such prestigious songwriters as Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan and US songwriter Gary Ferguson. 

All the songs in this project relate lyrically to the chosen charity conveying a message of hope and again the track was written by songwriter and producer David Dee Moore. ‘Paradise Bay’ tells of the comfort given to those who are addicted to the magic of swimming in the sea even in the cold extremities of winter.  No more prevelant than the aquatic gatherings around the beautiful Clew Bay in Co.Mayo where David is based.

The rest of the top notch band consists of Nick Scott (Gilbert O’Sullivan, Mary Black) on double bass, Colin Henry (on dobro), Fintan Hanley (Vickers Vimy) on electric, Brian McAteer (Phil Coulter, Alisdair Frazer) on strings and the folk duo Cathryn Craig (Righteous Brothers, Chet Atkins) and Brian Willoughby (Strawbs, Mary Hopkin) on nylon guitar. David Dee Moore (Liam Clancy, Juliet Turner, Brian Kennedy) plays guitars and piano on the track.

Singer/songwriter, producer and radio broadcaster David Dee Moore collaborated with such artists like Niamh Parsons (3 albums), Steve Wickham (songwriting), the legendary Liam Clancy (Late Late Show), Brian Kennedy (TV and recording), Juliet Turner (performing) and Jerry Fish (writing and performing) to name but a few.

Cathryn Craig is from Richmond, Virginia and has built a strong reputation as both singer and songwriter. She is no stranger to Tennessee’s Nashville recording studios, working with Chet Atkins, The Righteous Brothers, Shel Silverstein and Jorma Kaukonen.

Nick Scott is bass player at the moment with Mary Black and Gilbert O’Sullivan and has literally played with everyone including an 8 year spell with Van Morrison. He is one of the most sought after session musicians in Ireland.

Brian Willoughby is best known for his virtuoso performances on electric and acoustic guitar. As well as playing with the Strawbs in the 80s and 90s, Brian has been a session player/sideman in much demand, playing with the likes of Mary Hopkin, Roger Whittaker, Monty Python, Joe Brown and Jim Diamond and Nanci Griffith.

Brian McAteer has been a leading light in the N.Ireland folk scene whilst training in classical violin. An expert on string arrangements working with Phil Coulter and Alisdair Frazier.

Fintan Hanley is the principle songwriter and guitarist with popular Irish recording artists Vickers Vimy. 

Manamon is the alias of Dublin Singer/Songwriter Sean McManamon. Manamon writes/produces his songs and seeks to trailblaze a unique sound that is completely his own, while being free to experiment and not be pigeonholed into a specific genre. Manamon’s music draws from an eclectic mix of genres, from Indie Rock to Folk and Dream Pop to Electronica. His influences range from Elliott Smith to Grimes, and Bonobo to Soccer Mommy. 

Debut singly. ‘In A Frame’, is a song about confiding in someone, giving help to those who have your back and acknowledging that dark or heavy thoughts seem some much lighter when we have a medium to channel them through, like a friend, or a piece of art. It’s just just a celebration of unleashing something that’s been stuck inside you for so long. The song seeks to create an otherworldly feel with a climactic finale, following with a meditative outro with an air of acceptance.

Acclaimed Irish vocalist and composer Edel Meade released her stunning new solo album ‘Brigids And Patricias’ on 8th March, International Women’s Day.

A strikingly original artist working in the field of jazz, folk and contemporary music; her voice has been described as mesmerising or magical even, while her music is haunting, evocative and powerful. This compelling new collection of original songs reflects on what it means to be an Irish woman living in 21^st century Ireland, shaped by Irish history, folklore and contemporary society.

Having worked as a professional jazz vocalist for over a decade, Meade found herself performing in Spanish in Havana, Cuba in 2018 (she doesn’t speak Spanish by the way!) and promptly decided it was time to connect with music from Ireland and to explore what it means to be a creative artist from Co. Tipperary.

Standout tracks from the album include ‘Song For Bridget Cleary’ (burnt alive by her husband in 1895, not far from where Meade grew up in Co. Tipperary, although he insisted she had been taken away by the fairies!), ‘Long Way To Go’ a scintillating spoken word piece addressing misogyny and the cervical smear scandal in Ireland and ‘Ode To Old Noll’, a blistering ode to Oliver Cromwell who sent thousands of Irish people to the West Indies in the 17^th century, among them, members of Meade’s family, some of whom continue to reside on the Caribbean island of Montserrat today. 

“I wanted to explore what it means to be an Irish woman in order to understand who I am as an artist. I felt I needed to look at historic events as well as contemporary social issues and of course I believe it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times.”  Edel Meade

‘Brigids and Patricias’ was recorded at Ventry Studios, Dublin in between lockdowns following on from the success of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Blue Fantasia’ in 2017. For Edel Meade, music-making is less about playing within the confines of a particular genre and more about stretching her abilities as a creative artist with something to say. ‘Brigids and Patricias’ is available from edelmeade.com and Bandcamp.

Photo: Berit Alits 

Peter Doran has released a video for his brand-new single ‘Nothing New Under The Sun’, out now. The video was directed and shot by the husband and wife team of Lucy Jones and John Hennessy of Kerbute Productions. The track is taken from ‘Voices’, his upcoming album, due for release this year.

Supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.

Peter Doran explains, the official video for ‘Nothing New Under The Sun’ came to be in the same way as just about everything else in the Universe:

“One small idea led to another until before I knew it I was standing in the cavernous space of an unused cinema in my Mullingar hometown with the camera rolling.

When I was a boy the Ritz cinema was coming to the end of its era but I did catch a few blockbusters there in my time. Before my time, my parents courted in the glow of the enormous screen. I’m told that space was used regularly for live music too and that in the 50s and 60s there was a stipulation that there had to be an interval in every feature where musicians would take to the stage and perform. I believe the great Joe Dolan was a regular performer here. All this is to say that the building is filled with a great history of film, music, community and young love. It was a real treat to spend a few hours there making this new video.”

Peter Doran is an independent Irish singer-songwriter and musician. ‘Voices’, the fifth studio album from the Mullingar native, was awarded a MISP grant to help fund its release.

Recorded and Co-produced by Hally at Arthouse Studios in Naas throughout 2019/20, ‘Voices’ features extensive contributions from multi-instrumentalist Lenny Cahill (Piano / Drums / Bass / Organ) and special guest vocals from US Songwriter Haley Heynderickx and Emmett Tinley (The Prayer Boat). String duties were shared by Dublin-based composer/arranger Mary Barnecutt and Peter’s long-term collaborator Gerard Toal.

‘Every Little Thing’ from his 2012 album “Overhead the Stars” has been played over 1,300,000 times on Spotify and is the theme tune for the American podcast series “The Minimalists”.

In recent years Peter has headlined shows in Holland, Germany, England, Ireland, Belgium and New York and opened shows for Mick Flannery, The Lone Bellow, Declan O’Rourke, Fionn Regan and Duke Special.

After five years in the Middle East, Gary McFarlane returned home to Ireland to spend Christmas with family before a planned move to Asia in 2020. But with borders suddenly closed and flights grounded, he found himself once again back at Insomnia Lodge—a converted recording space in Dublin at the back of his family home. The result, ‘Three Winters in the Capital’, the first Autumn Owls album in three years. Set for release on April 28th, the first single, ‘Agatha’, was released on March 21st. 

Autumn Owls is the moniker of Irish songwriter, Gary McFarlane. Formed back in 2007, he released two EPs (‘Insomnia Lodge’ & ‘On the Trail of the Disappearing)’ in 2008 to critical acclaim. The band took advantage of this attention to hone their live performance and support acts such as Real Estate, Twilight Sad, Devotchka and Mark Mulcahy as well as headlining shows across Europe and North America. This led to a deal with Chicago-based record label Epitonic and the release of the debut album, ‘Between Buildings Toward The Sea’. The record was recorded in Chicago in 2012 with renowned producer, Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Califone, Iron & Wine). The album received widespread acclaim, not least for its experimental nature. The band again took to the road for an extensive North American, touring with acts such as Why? and LOW.

McFarlane then took a break from touring and music and moved to the Middle East. However, in 2018 he did release new music for the first time in nearly five years when legendary DJ, producer and record label owner, James Lavelle, discovered unreleased Autumn Owls demos. Intrigued, Lavelle called on longtime collaborator, Cameron Craig (UNKLE, Bjork, Pulp) to work on the songs. The result, ‘Poverty and Ambition’, Autumn Owls’ sophomore album.

Slyrydes are a four piece band from Galway City, Ireland. Slyrydes released their first five singles from March 2019 to March 2020 (‘Mental Health’, ‘Point Of View’, ‘Out Patience’, ‘Dangerous Animals’ and ‘I Claim To Be Intelligent’). The singles collected much critical acclaim nationwide and in the UK. Paul McLoone (Today FM/ The Undertones) has championed the band since the first single, ‘Mental Health’.

All of Slyrydes releases have been engineered and produced by Dan Doherty in Darklands Dublin. 

In 2020, against many odds, Slyrydes managed to record their debut album. “We managed to get into Dan in Darklands in between lockdowns in September 2020. I think it was a mixture of luck and sheer determination.” 

New single ‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ is one of the songs on their debut. “We definitely didn’t write the same song twelve times. Which made it so difficult to pick a new single. We cannot wait to share this album with the world.”

Slyrydes debut will be available on 12” and is set for release in 2021.

https://www.instagram.com/slyrydes/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/slyrydes/

The band, Locklin, is the brain child of Barry McLoughlin and hail from Thurles, Co.Tipperary.

Under the pseudonym of Locklin, they released their debut EP in late 2018, entitled ‘Never Forget’.

From that, a series of live gigs and a healthy amount radio play from the single ‘Two Shining Lights’ amounted. Sets in The Crane Lane in Cork occurred, as well as support slots with the likes of Seskin Lane in Whelans, Dublin and Hermitage Green on their tour in January 2019.

Locklin has released a number of singles following that and in July of 2021, during the initial lockdown, they decided to release the single ‘Setting Sun’, which fared well on radio and in print.

This upcoming single release, entitled ‘Shoot The Breeze’ is due out on March 26^th and was recorded prior to the initial lockdown of March 2020.

The track features songwriter Barry McLoughlin on guitar and vocals, Eoin Ryan on guitar and vocals and Cian Cronin on drums. ‘Shoot The Breeze’ is an upbeat indie rock song, that might want you to dust off your air guitar and give it a go!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FWmhGY9gp2Do6cCGomiZA?si=rC__IUWuSpqjCjaAIDAkAw
www.instagram.com/locklinmac1
www.facebook.com/locklinmac
https://locklin.bandcamp.com/
www.breakingtunes.com/locklin

‘How To Measure A Coastline’ was born from a throw-away comment on a science podcast about ‘how measuring coastlines is notoriously difficult because as well as all the moving parts, the closer you look the more detail you see and therefore the longer the measurement’. This led Bobsleigh Bob to consider how the same applies to everyday scenarios and relationships, and how we can choose to not look too close, ignore the detail and simplify things, or we can look closely at the detail, make the task more difficult and intricate, but garner much more in the process. Bobsleigh Bob elaborates; “With the title track on the album (the first to be written and recorded over 3 years ago) I wanted to mirror this in the music as well as the lyrics. The contrast of the slow simple chords against the fast and complex percussion aims to represent the birds-eye view versus the microscopic. The same piece of music but viewed and explored in very different levels of detail. This theme is then reflected in the other 7 tracks on the album.” ‘How To Measure A Coastline’ will be released on Friday, March 26^th.

The taster, ‘Civil Twilight’, for this debut long play, is quite the earworm which this writer believes should easily find a home on some alternative chill out playlists at streaming level while also strike interest amongst those of you who have a flair of discovering new music a tad different from all the excellent output currently coming from the mainstream genre in our country! ‘Civil Twilight’ is available from all digital platforms now with the album live for pre-sale from https://bobsleighbob.bandcamp.com/ .

Bobsleigh Bob is a Dublin-born and Limerick-based musician and music industry professional. After many years working behind the scenes in event production, festival management, sound engineering, design and marketing, he is now preparing to step out from behind the stage curtain with the release of this debut album, ‘How To Measure A Coastline’.

Having started his musical career playing guitar in teenage rock bands in the likes of Eamonn Doran’s and the Bruxelles basement, the guitar remained his instrument of choice into recent years. ‘How To Measure A Coastline’ marks a change in approach and style with mellow synths and plucky keys taking centre stage.

Insta. @bobsleighbob | T. @bobsleighbob | FB. @bobsleighbobmusic | Bandcamp. https://bobsleighbob.bandcamp.com/