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Author: Breffni Banks

Rodney Owl Shares New Album ‘Truth Is Broken’

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

 

Rodney Owl (aka Mark McConville) is originally from Lurgan in Co. Armagh and has been living and playing music in Galway since 1996. Having grown up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, Mark found his way to music in his mid-teens after a successful career as an amateur boxer.

His new album ‘Truth Is Broken’, released in April 2023, showcases the singularly unique brilliance of McConville’s songwriting and musicianship, as produced by the renowned Alex Borwick and the Black Gate Label.

A collection of 12 remarkable songs, with influences as diverse as Aldous Harding, Lumen Drones, Velvet Underground, The Smiths and Sly & The Family Stone, ‘Truth Is Broken’ carves out a unique and compelling space for Rodney Owl in the Irish musical landscape. He defines his music as Electric Folk and it is in turn breathless, immersive, thought-provoking, quirky and whimsical– sometimes all at once.

Combining music venue, recording studio, record label and production house, The Black Gate is at the very heart of the Irish music industry and the cutting edge of Irish indie, folk and jazz music.

Established in Galway City in 2017 the venue has hosted some of the finest artists in the world, provided a platform for emerging acts and is an integral part of the Irish music scene, while a world-class recording studio above the venue has produced over twenty albums including Niamh Regan’s Hemet, the first release on the Black Gate Label and nominee for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year.

“Not of this time, Rodney Owl writes beautifully arranged and accomplished songs. Shades of Love, Lambchop, early REM.” – Cian Ó Cíobháin An Taobh Tuathail, RTÉ RnaG

“Elegant, folksy guitar picking, a sweet wisp of melody, reminiscent of acoustic legend Nick Drake” – Across the Line, BBC Radio Ulster

“’Truth Is Broken’ is richer and more luscious than anything it succeeds. Its twelve tracks dance between stripped back, reflective meditations and abstract, guitar-driven indie-rock.” – Cian O’Connell, The Connacht Tribune

‘Truth is Broken’ is available on all major streaming platforms now. 

In Tua Nua Announces a Series of Irish Shows Following 40th Anniversary

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

 

 

With the 40th anniversary of legacy experimental group In Tua Nua looming, the band has announced a series of shows across the country. In 1983, In Tua Nua formed in a cottage in Howth. The first lineup included Leslie Dowdall, Martin Clancy, Ivan O’Shea, Paul Byrne, Jack Dublin, Steve Wickham, and Vinny Kilduff. While the line up has evolved, the band’s uniquely Irish sound has never changed.

With a total of ten hit singles in Ireland during the 1980s, In Tua Nua were one of Ireland’s premier
bands, playing with Bob Dylan at Slane Castle, with U2 on the European leg of their Joshua Tree
Tour and going on to share the stage with, Fleetwood Mac, Simple Minds and Eurythmics,
among many others. They toured constantly around Ireland, UK, and Europe– building up a strong
and loyal following.

Since then, the band (with founding members Leslie Dowdall, Paul Byrne and Jack Dublin) have
reunited on various occasions, notably for tours in 2004, 2012 (including) Electric Picnic , 2017
and in 2018 they did the Long Acre tour, celebrating 30 years since their US breakthrough album. Their string of anniversary shows commences on June 4th with the group supporting Lionel Richie and The Human League in Saint Anne’s Park, the full list of announced dates can be seen below.

July 20th: Galway International Arts Festival, Monroes
July 22nd: Forest Fest, Emo
July 29th: Theatre Royal, Waterford
October 13th: Opium, Dublin

Tickets available from individual venues.

 

 

 

 

Wicklow indie band The Decades release brand new single ‘Overwhelming’

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Uncategorised.

 

 

The Decades are a four-piece indie band that hail from Wicklow, Ireland. The band consists of Sean Fox on vocals, Rhys Doyle on lead guitar, Myles Keogh on bass and David Mulvey on drums.

During their time of starting off their music career as young musicians, the band have taken inspirations from a wide range of artists such as The Beatles and U2 and some more modern artists such as Sam Fender and Catfish and The Bottlemen. These influences can be heard throughout the band’s sound in singles such as ‘Electricity’ and ‘Fool’s Gold’. The band’s unique sound clearly resonates with listeners as their first two singles both reached number 1 in the iTunes Charts. Their music has also placed on the official charts of the Irish homegrown top 20.

‘Overwhelming’ is the latest single by The Decades. Lyrically, the song hints at the consuming feeling of being overwhelmed in a new relationship, the feeling of things moving too quickly and the need to run away from what’s facing you.

Although the song is deeply personal, its main theme is one that we can all connect with in some way. These fears are things we all face in our everyday lives and the song’s overarching theme is the internal battle we must go through constantly to try and overcome them.

‘Overwhelming’ is available on all major streaming platforms.

 

Laoise FitzGerald comforts her inner child on latest single ‘You Fall Like Snow’

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Uncategorised.

 

‘You Fall Like Snow’ is the latest single by Dublin-Based composer and vocalist Laoise FitzGerald. Set for release on May 18th, the single is deeply comforting with a playful melody that was written by Laoise to her infant self.

A gentle exploration of existence as a little girl, and the realization that one can learn to reparent themselves. The song begins with a felted piano and banjo sound, accompanying Laoise’s vocals as she sings reassurances and hope to her infant self.

Hailing from Dublin, Laoise is a musician of exceptional talent with a unique approach to blending lyric and piano compositions with textural electronic elements. From an early age she showed promising musical talent, beginning her studies in classical piano at age five. She went on to study music at Goldsmiths University of London. Here, Laoise began to challenge her classical training.

‘You Fall Like Snow’ is a personal and intimate song that balances childhood innocence with complicated arrangements and intuitive lyrics. Fans of artists such as Laura Marling and Kate Bush will appreciate this haunting, yet inspiring piece of work.

“I wrote this song after doing a visualization exercise in which I had to imagine caring for myself as an infant,” writes Laoise. “I was living very rurally at the time and became fascinated with the idea that I could learn to reparent myself. I set out with the intention to write myself a lullaby. I wanted it to be enjoyable to sing, simple and catchy. It became a self-soothing ritual to play it at the piano.”

The single is taken from the forthcoming EP How To Swallow Spiders, set for release on June 16th.

‘You Fall Like Snow’ is available on all major streaming platforms.

Hozier Announces New Album “Unreal Unearth” To Be Released August 18th

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Uncategorised.

 

Today, award-winning multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Hozier has announced his forthcoming album Unreal Unearth will be released August 18 via Island Records. Unreal Unearth is available for pre-order  and features previously released tracks “Eat Your Young” and “All Things End” as well as new single “Francesca” out this Friday, May 19th.

In a handwritten letter to fans, Hozier said “It’s my great pleasure at long last to make the official announcement on the release date of my third album, Unreal Unearth…I’m proud of this record and enjoyed watching it come to life over the past year. Thank you as always for your support and patience while it was coming to fruition.”

In September 2013, when Irish solo artist Andrew Hozier-Byrne released his debut single – a song called ‘Take Me To Church’ – which he had mostly recorded in the attic of his parent’s house in Wicklow (his father a blues musician, his mother an artist), little did he know about the hurricane-strength surge in public interest that the song would spark, carrying him to international stardom.

A full ten years and billions of streams later, Hozier still calls Wicklow home. While his music takes him all over the world, it is Ireland and its people and places, the weather and landscape; where a stream is still something that runs down at the bottom of the garden, that calls him back to where he feels he naturally belongs.

But as Hozier prepares to release his third album – Unreal Unearth – his passion for his art is undimmed, and his curiosity about our world – and all that is good and bad about it – remains undiminished.

Unreal Unearth is released on August 18th, 2023.

Anna’s Anchor share new single ‘Hotel Dom Pancho’ and nostalgic music video

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Limerick indie outfit Anna’s Anchor just released their rose-tinted new single ‘Hotel Dom Pancho’ via Strange Brew on May 17th. The accompanying music video for ‘Hotel Dom Pancho’ was shot on Super 8 film, capturing the yearning for yesteryear that propels the single forward.

Driven by ambient dreamy synth sounds, the single looks back at one of the “last truly carefree” moments in frontman Marty Ryan’s life. After all, as he sings ruefully, “You can’t always live in sunshine.”

“Hotel Dom Pancho was a filthy dilapidated hotel off the strip in a typical Iberian package holiday town. My closest friends and I went there after a year of saving up once we had finished school. A week of nonsense and debauchery, but in hindsight, the last truly carefree experience of my life,” Ryan explains. 

“For that week, there were no worries, no bigger picture, just a group of friends being 100% in the moment. That was the last time I experienced that and life changed significantly after that. I’ll always remember the week at Hotel Dom Pancho as pure freedom and that’s what I tried to get across in the song.” 

‘Hotel Dom Pancho’ is the second single off Anna’s Anchor’s fourth album, The Merries , due out on 7 July, 2023 (album vinyl available for pre-order here ). Since the project’s inception in 2014, Ryan has amassed a loyal audience from playing over 350 shows all around the world in a DIY fashion.

Musically, The Merries is the most expansive offering from Anna’s Anchor to date. Guitars, bass, drums, and brash vocals are there—as expected from the band—but The Merries also includes more stripped back songs, synthesizers, found sound, and spoken word.

‘Hotel Dom Pachino’ is out on all major streaming platforms now.

IMRO Job Vacancy | Credit Control Executive

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Featured Articles, Industry News.

Job Title: Credit Control Executive

Salary: On Request

Term: 1 Year Fixed Term Contract

Application

Please send a CV and covering letter (in a word document) outlining how you meet the criteria for the role to hr@nullimro.ie

Deadline for applications is 5.00pm on Friday 5th May.

 

Purpose of Job

This position within the Credit Control Dept. contributes to the company’s overall operation by helping to carry out the collection of public performance royalties for the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO). The role incorporates credit control for IMRO royalties and PPI public performance royalties.

Public performance licensing includes the use of copyright music and sound recordings in businesses. It is licensed using the Dual Copyright Music Licence Contract and the IMRO Copyright Music Licence Contract.

The position is part of the Credit Control Department of IMRO and reports to the Head of Legal and Collections.

The Credit Control Executive position plays a vital role in the Department. The position works with all staff within the Department to maximize public performance cash collections for both IMRO and IMRO as an agent of PPI.

Job Context and Content

The Credit Control Executive is currently one of a team of 5 staff positions responsible for cash collection of all non-broadcasting areas of public performance.

The Credit Control Executive works in conjunction with the Head of Legal and Collections, Credit Control Team Lead, National Licensing Sales Manager, Field Sales Executives, Legal Executives, and Licensing Assistants.

The Credit Control Executive is one of the primary office contacts with public performance licensees and is mainly responsible for the customers’ perception of the company.

Principal Accountabilities

  • Hands-on daily accounts management, including contacting licensees by telephone, letter, and email.
  • Dealing with customer queries
  • Monitoring progress towards budgetary targets on a monthly/quarterly/annual basis
  • The maintenance of databases and records used by the Department’s Credit Control and Licensing sections.
  • Liaison with Licensing team in resolving invoice queries.
  • Helping to achieve Cash Collection targets for the Annual Budget.
  • Recording all contacts with licensees regarding their account on the IMRO Licensing system
  • If required, prepare cases for court, ensure that all necessary documentation is in place and possibly attend as a witness.
  • Undertaking such other duties as management may assign from time-to-time.

Challenges Faced

The core challenge faced by the Credit Control Assistant is the achievement of a pre-determined cash collection target in the context of varying levels of resistance to the payment of royalties. The Credit Control Assistant resolves this primarily through personal contact and building relationships with customers. (The company strategy supports this by forging links with representative groups of music users.)  Establishing a good working relationship with other Licensing Department staff is essential.

Planning and Organising

The Credit Control executive agrees the overall planning and setting of priorities with the Head of Legal and Collections/Credit Control Team Lead in the context of the overall budgetary targets. The Credit Control Executive is responsible for the planning and organisation of their day-to-day work.

IMRO Is an equal opportunities employer

IMRO represents songwriters’ composers and music publishers who bring varying backgrounds, ideas, and points of view to their creativity on behalf of all music fans.

Our diverse perspectives are enriched by many dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, culture, language, and education, as well as professional and life experience.

We welcome job applicants from all communities, cultivating a culture of inclusion for employees and respecting individual strengths, views and experiences.

Our differences make us a better team – we make better decisions, drive innovation, and deliver better business results.

VFI and LVA launch Irish Pub Awards 2023

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

The Irish Pub Awards 2023 were launched today, Tuesday 18th April 2023, at Gleeson’s of Booterstown, Co. Dublin.  The Irish Pubs Awards are jointly presented by Licenced Vintners Association (LVA) and Vintners’ Federation Ireland (VFI).

Pubs are now free to enter up to nine categories with judging set to take place over the summer. The Irish Pub Awards Gala night, where the overall National Pub of the Year will be revealed, along with all category awards, will take place in Dublin on Wednesday, 15th November 2023.

This is the fifth year of the Irish Pub Awards, which celebrate excellence and innovation across various categories in the pub sector.  Previous ‘Pub of the Year’ winners include Gleeson’s of Booterstown, Co. Dublin, Paris Texas, Kilkenny City, The Gylde Inn, Annagassan, Louth and The Porter House, Castlebridge, Wexford, while the individual category winners reflect the extraordinarily high standard of pubs around the country.

The Irish Pub Awards 2023 are open to all members of the VFI and LVA.  Entry to the awards is free – anyone interested in entering can do so via the dedicated website: www.irishpubawards.ie.

The closing date for entries is Friday, 2nd June 2023.

The nine categories are: Best Food Pub; Best Tourist Pub; Innovative Pub of the Year; Best Local Pub; Best Outstanding Customer Service; Best Music Pub; Best Late Night Bar; Best Outdoor Space and Best Digital Innovator.

The 63 regional winners will be showcased as best in class in their region and will receive a prize package to the value of €20,000, comprising management training and media coverage to help them develop their business.  The media coverage will include a profile piece in an  Irish Independent awards supplement on the day of the awards presentation on 15th November.

Speaking at the launch, VFI President, Paul Moynihan said: “Since we launched the Irish Pub Awards in 2017 the standard of pubs entering has improved yearly so I’m very much looking forward to seeing which pubs make up the new list of 63 regional winners.

“The pubs of Ireland are rightly regarded as the best in the world and the Irish Pub Awards serve to remind both the trade and the general public about the quality of our bars nationally. I’m delighted the awards have grown so quickly to the point they are now regarded as the benchmark for recognising Ireland’s outstanding pubs.

“I also would like to thank our sponsors who make the awards possible. I think the quality of the sponsors and the brands involved underlines the excellence of these awards and the commitment across the board to support and grow the on trade in Ireland.”

“All that remains to say is best of luck to all the pubs who enter this year’s competition.”

Chair of LVA, Alison Kealy, Kealys of Cloghran, announced: “While we are aware of the importance of the Irish pub around Ireland, they also play a very important part in Irish social culture, at the heart of our communities and a central part of our hospitality and tourism sectors.  Also, an Awards programme is fitting to reward the efforts of those contributing to one of the biggest employment sectors in Ireland”

“Now the definitive national industry standard, the Irish Pubs Awards are quickly gaining recognition throughout the trade as a programme that provides a credible and comprehensive assessment of the best in Irish Pubs.  It offers pubs in Dublin and around the different regions an opportunity to raise the profile of their business through national and regional media coverage. That, together with the technical and management training afforded to all regional finalists makes it an initiative the LVA are delighted to support”, she added.

IMRO Job Vacancy | (Entry Level) Distribution & Member Services Executive

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Featured Articles, Industry News.

Job Title: (Entry Level) Distribution & Member Services Executive

Salary: On Request

Term: 1 Year Fixed Term Contract

Application

Please send a CV and covering letter outlining how you meet the criteria for the role to hr@nullimro.ie

Deadline for applications is 5.00pm on Sunday 23rd April 2023.

 

Job Description

IMRO administers the performing right in copyright music on behalf of its members (songwriters, composers and music publishers) and on behalf of members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it.

IMRO’s Distribution Team manages the efficient distribution of royalties, overseeing repertoire and providing member services including the resolution of any member queries which may arise.

We are currently recruiting for a full-time Distribution and Member Services Executive to join our Distribution Team. This is an entry-level role, ideal for someone looking to kickstart their career in the business aspects of the music industry. The successful candidate will contribute to the provision of an efficient distribution and membership service by carrying out a variety of clerical/administrative duties with a strong emphasis on data entry, data manipulation, and data processing.

The candidate will be required to have strong communication skills, be results-oriented, and able to work as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

Main Tasks

  • Work as part of a team of 5 Distribution and Member Services Executives, with direction from Senior Executives, Team Lead & Distribution Manager
  • Entering data into electronic form (e.g. work registrations, gig lists, set lists, etc.)
  • Matching music titles against repertoire databases
  • Matching data from live music performances to repertoire
  • Investigating member queries

Requirements

  • Must have good keyboard skills, strong organisational skills, and possess keen attention to detail
  • Some knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel
  • A good general knowledge of music would be desirable

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to start your career in music administration! Send us your CV and covering letter today to apply for this entry-level role in our Distribution Team.

IMRO Is an equal opportunities employer

IMRO represents songwriters’ composers and music publishers who bring varying backgrounds, ideas, and points of view to their creativity on behalf of all music fans.

Our diverse perspectives are enriched by many dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, culture, language, and education, as well as professional and life experience.

We welcome job applicants from all communities, cultivating a culture of inclusion for employees and respecting individual strengths, views and experiences.

Our differences make us a better team – we make better decisions, drive innovation, and deliver better business results.

M Stevens & The Ghasts | IMRO Creative Rooms

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Creative Rooms, News.

IMRO Creative Rooms is an online content series that invites artists to share an intimate insight into their creative process, by showing the spaces they create in.

M. Stevens & The Ghasts is the latest project from Popical Island co-founder Mike Stevens who has previously honed his craft across a string of Irish alt folk & indie pop bands like Settler, Groom, Lie Ins and Skelocrats. The Ghasts are Mark Jordan, Hugh McCabe, Ciaran Canavan, Donagh O’Brien.

How important is it for you to have a dedicated creative space?

Interesting, that one. During the pandemic, I was confined to my bedroom, pretty much, as every other room in my house is taken up. So I would write and demo everything in there. If I look out my back window, even though I live in Dublin there is a decent patch of gardens, scrub and trees, where city foxes nest and many species of birds circle. So this bit of nature found its way into my songs. Now that normalcy has returned, I find myself back in this dedicated, standard practice-room space – playing with a band again and working the traditional way once more – and, while I would say now that it would be impossible to get by without it, clearly one adapts.

What makes this space work for you?

Although it’s airy and spacious, most of the floor capacity is occupied by musical equipment strewn like the end of a game of Jenga. But I like its feng shui and you can almost see the creative energies working their way through the clutter like living smoke. Occasionally other musicians stop by. The death metal bands that play next door are friendlier and less nihilistic than their conceptual output would suggest, and there’s a kitchen downstairs with couches and tea. One has a chance to relax. The building itself is in the midst of an estate dedicated to businesses of various sorts. There are pro wrestlers across the way who throw each other about and shout. They’re not unlike the death metallers in that they’re friendly-ish and I wonder if the two groups would feel a certain brotherhood if they were to meet; the primal howls both emit are, I suspect, therapeutic for those gifted with more testosterone than is conducive to peaceful living in the modern urban environment. At the wrestling space you see matches being advertised and it’s odd in that I imagine they’re all friends and yet, when they compete, they must become mortal enemies for a time and stomp on each other’s heads. Altogether, it makes for an interesting time, though I’ve not written any songs about pro wrestling yet, nor death metal.

In what ways does this space influence your output?

It makes it bigger, more band-centric, as opposed to when I was in my bedroom and it was intimate, quieter. That’s something I fight against. Not sure if that tension is good or bad. We share with other bands but we have dedicated time slots and its easy going. Ross, who collects our rent, is a tall fellow with glasses and a laissez-faire manner. You get the evening to yourselves. Not being rushed is great for thinking of ideas. A good idea can redirect the timbre of your day. That and a proper cup of tea.

What’s your favourite instrument/piece of kit? And why?

I’d either go for my Recording King acoustic guitar, which has great intonation and beautiful resonance, as it lacks lacquer (I like saying that). I’m not really a technical person and hold the belief that anything that gets between your brain and the brains of your audience has the potential to be an impedance – whether that’s a pen, typewriter, a recording interface, a reverb unit or my sausage fingers that won’t do what I want them to do. But my guitar feels like an extension of me. It looks nice too.

What would make this space better for you?

We’ve been on to Ross to install a rowing machine as we all need to work on our cores/glutes and look even more like Greek gods than we already do.

M Stevens & The Ghasts’ latest single ‘Go Gracefully’ is out now:

Connect with M Stevens & The Ghasts

Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram 

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