Author: Breffni Banks

Dave Flynn’s Irish Memory Orchestra is the only orchestra in the western world to perform exclusively by memory. Ireland’s living music tradition soars into the 21st Century with this outstanding ensemble mixing Celtic horns, strings, winds, pipes, reeds and a swinging rhythm section. Máirtín O’Connor’s dazzling accordion playing is the icing on the cake of the tour.

Repertoire includes Inside the Box: Outside the Box, a suite of Máirtín O’Connor tunes orchestrated by Flynn and orchestral songs by Flynn and lyricist Pádraic Ó Beirn sung by Corkonians Róisín Donohoe and Niamh Varian-Barry. Flynn’s much-loved Clare Concerto brings audiences on an exciting and moving journey around the landmarks and musicians of Clare.

The outstanding 20 piece ensemble features some of the best musicians in the business including conductor Bjorn Bantock, harpist Anne-Marie O’Farrell, piper Mark Redmond, flautist Aisling Agnew, guitarist Niwel Tsumbu and Ensemble Ériu founders Jack Talty and Neil O’Loghlen. Together they bring audiences to their feet from London to Moscow, Clare to Korea.

Speaking about the tour, IMO founder Dave Flynn said;

“I’m really looking forward to bringing the 20 piece IMO to Cork City for the first time and returning to our spiritual home of Clare. I last played Cork Folk Festival in 2012 as part of The Tune Makers with Máirtin O’Connor & Liz Carroll. On that tour Máirtín joined the orchestra for our inaugural concert in glór. It’ll be a joy to perform Máirtín’s music with him again. We end our tour with a more intimate show in Kilkenny’s Watergate Theatre where Máirtín and I will be joined by Niamh Varian-Barry, Róisín Donohoe, Aisling Agnew and Aidan Dunphy for a great evening of music, song and Máirtín’s inimitable storytelling!”

FRI 5 OCTOBER Glór
Ennis, Ireland

SAT 6 OCTOBER Cork Folk Festival
Cork, Ireland

SUN 7 OCTOBER Watergate Theatre
Kilkenny, Ireland

One of Ireland’s favourite sons, Finbar Furey will be celebrated in New York on Thurs 4^thOctober 2018 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gaelic Players Association. Finbar has reached iconic status over the last fifty years as a multi instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer and actor.

Finbar’s achievements are numerous – he has worked with Martin Scorsese, was lauded by John Peel, featured on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, performed with The Clancy Brothers and many other luminaries, and has always been at the forefront of musical change.

On being chosen for the award Finbar said: ‘I’m honoured, delighted and taken by surprise to be given this Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s a very special feeling to be recognised like this. I’m (nearly) speechless’.

The Gaelic Players Association has chosen Finbar as the first recipient of this most illustrious award to acknowledge his contribution to the music industry, both national and international. Mr Gary McGann will also be honoured, and will be presented with The Gaelic Heritage Award.

The GPA US Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have provided outstanding service in their chosen field. It acknowledges the deep historical and cultural ties between Ireland and the US and recognizes a shared ancestry of which Ireland’s unique Gaelic sporting and musical heritage are an intrinsic part.

‘The Gaelic Players Association is honoured to present Finbar Furey with the GPA US Lifetime Achievement Award for 2018. Finbar Furey is not only a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, storyteller and actor but he is one of Ireland’s most famous and talented sons. Finbar’s influence on Irish music at home and abroad is recognised widely. A man of immense creative talent and passionate gaelic games supporter, his soulful music represents values cherished by players such as courage, honesty, diversity and compassion’. 

Finbar completed live dates in UK and Ireland to support his self penned album and live DVD ‘Don’t Stop This Now’ which was acclaimed on its release by BMG UK in March 2018.

Here is a rare performance from Finbar with his daughter Aine Furey singing ‘The Taxi’s Waiting’  from DVD ‘Don’t Stop This Now’  https://youtu.be/67_-VUTUuVs

Having toured extensively in support of the album in spring 2018, Finbar returns to London Thursday 15^th November for one night at Islington’s Union Chapel before a special Christmas show at St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny on Saturday 16^th December.

Van Morrison has announced details of a new album, ‘The Prophet Speaks’.

‘The Prophet Speaks’ is Van Morrison’s 40th studio album and will be released on 7th December on Caroline International. This fourteen track album follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed albums (‘Roll With The Punches’, ‘Versatile’ and ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy’), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van throughout his life – vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations, ‘The Prophet Speaks’ features six phenomenal new Van Morrison compositions.

Van Morrison says of ‘The Prophet Speaks’: “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning. Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.”

‘The Prophet Speaks’ again finds Van working with the incredible multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co-credited on ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy’) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone).

Released on December 7th on CD, 2 x 12” and all digital platforms via Caroline International.

Bitch Falcon have just announced details of their latest release, ‘Prime Number’.

Dublin alt-rock trio Bitch Falcon exploded onto the Irish music scene in 2014. They quickly established themselves on the live circuit through the intensity of their performances, with the snarling vocals and pulsating riffs of lead singer and guitarist Lizzie Fitzpatrick announcing a new sound in Irish rock. Hard-hitting debut single ‘Wolfstooth’ encapsulated the raw energy of their live shows and brought the band to a wider national audience. During 2015 and 2016 Bitch Falcon’s evolving sound fused together the strongest elements of rock, grunge, metal, hardcore and melodic electro-pop.

Follow-up singles ‘Syncope’, ‘TMJ’ and ‘Clutch’ registered this development and garnered increasing critical acclaim for the band in Ireland and the UK. Their most recent single ‘Of Heart’ is a sprawling six-minute dirge with Lizzie’s vocals soaring over the brooding low-ends of Barry O’Sullivan’s bass and Nigel Kenny’s drums.

‘Prime Number’ is released on 18th October, just before the band head to LA for their first US show, and then out on a 15 date UK tour before finishing up in Dublin with a show at The Bowery on Friday 16th November.

Following on from the successes of ‘Devil in Me’ (featured in Remys Blogspot) and ‘Lovesick Rollercoaster’ Alice is proud to announce the release of her third single ‘Obscene Dreams’. Written about the power and control we all have within us and how we can unleash this in our dreams to become other versions of ourselves, ‘Obscene Dreams’ is a song that will have you singing along at the top of your voice to its belter of a chorus!

Recorded at Jam Studios in Kells Co Meath, ‘Obscene Dreams’ was produced, mixed and mastered by owner Martin Quinn.

Alice Lynskey has played many gigs this year including supporting Paddy Casey, The 4 of Us, Don Baker and Rob Strong and this October 20^th will be opening the show for The Stunning during the Wexford Spiegeltent Festival.

In 2013 Alice entered a song ‘Run and Hide’ into RTEs show ‘The Hit’. Her song was chosen and recorded by The Stunning and got to no 6 in the charts and made it into the final.

Since young Alice has sung wherever and whenever she can. Some venues include The Helix, The Olympia, The 3 Arena, The Wexford Opera House and Enniscorthy Castle.

Alice Lynskey’s songs range from country to pop and a fresh combination of the two, which is reflected in her influences. Having grown up in a house filled with many music styles, the varying sounds and vibes of Britney Spears, Aimee Mann, ABBA, Mary Black, Elvis, Queen, Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash, Pink, The Cranberries, The Beatles, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Albert Hammond, No Doubt, Declan O’Rourke and Florence and The Machine to name a few.

Alice is originally from Tallaght in Dublin and is now living in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

Alice is a singer and pop artist based in Dublin set to release her debut single ‘Running Now’ on October 12, 2018.

At the age of 16, Alice began her music career by gigging and performing in venues around Dublin and Ireland – supporting some of Ireland’s biggest acts including HamsandwicH and Paddy Casey in venues such as Whelan’s, The Academy, and Cyprus Avenue. Through gigging and posting covers and her own originals online, she soon gained a small following and the 22-year-old is now set to release her debut single; ‘Running Now’.

Taking a step back from her acoustic guitar, ‘Running Now’ takes inspiration from various female pop artists such as Lorde, Florence, and Ellie Goulding. The song focuses on the moment we are faced with the situation that scares us most. We fight or we flight. We stay or we run.

‘Running Now’ will be available on all online platforms from October 12, 2018.

Kildare dream-pop duo Telephone Explosions are back with a haunting new track ‘Tine Cnámh’ (Bonfire in Irish), whose creeping bassline and ethereal vocals come just in time for the Halloween season. The track also features Kildare musician Helen Holligan on bass and was mixed by Adam J. Wilson.

Telephone Explosions are ambient dream-pop duo Dolores Fogarty and Adrian Mee, formed in Maynooth in 2016 who released their first single ‘Pocket’ in January 2017 and their follow-up ‘Significant’ in July 2017. The band played at the Electric Picnic and Sligo Live festivals in autumn 2017. Inspired by number stations, hidden transmissions and unbroken codes, Telephone Explosions plan to release their debut album in early 2019.

Two worlds have collided.

When Church met Trad, Rebel Pop was born.

Lisa Canny and DeJay are musicians from two very different worlds. Mayo-born Lisa is 7-time All-Ireland champion on harp and banjo, having grown up immersed in the Irish traditional scene from a young age.  DeJay is a church musician turned songwriter from the American gospel arena. The two individually moved to London May 2016 and soon after randomly met in a legendary London recording studio. A few weeks later, MOM was born.

MOM release the first in a series of singles with their debut ‘King and I‘ – available for download this Friday 28 September.

The Irish folk meets Hip Hop/RnB Duo are here to have their say in Pop Culture and we think you’ll want to hear all about it.

‘King and I’ is a high-energy record that is set to showcase what this audacious duo has to offer.  Banjo riffs, big drums, pop melodies and an eccentric style of production make up the unique MOM sound.  People should be very excited about the originality not only in the single ‘King and I’, but also what must be in the pipeline.

MOM consists of two very talented individuals who have paid their dues in the hard grind of the musicians’ life, have come together to tell stories of their journey. A journey in which has led them both to a whole new world of ideas using their life experience to narrate and to fabricate great stories for listeners pleasure.

MOM shall be trusted to have a go at changing and curating pop music. “King and I’ is their first argument and we are looking forward to the worlds embrace of an exciting and cultured collision of sound.  As you will hear in the debut single MOM are here to stay, and just like in life… Mom knows best.

https://www.mommusic.info/
https://www.facebook.com/m0mmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/m0mmusic/
https://soundcloud.com/mommusix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgi9rf6mms&feature=youtu.be

Lisa Lambe, a former member of the ensemble Celtic Woman, and who was once described by The Irish Times as “The finest singer and actress of her generation” is set to release ‘Beautiful Thing’, on September 28, 2018. ‘Beautiful Thing’ is the first single from her forthcoming, as yet untitled, studio album, and the first with Blue Élan Records, set for release in spring 2019.

Lisa wrote ‘Beautiful Thing’ in Los Angeles with Grammy®-nominated Irish songwriter, and fellow labelmate, Colin Devlin (of The Devlins) & Jake Curran (guitarist for Niall Horan).

“’Beautiful Thing’ was written about falling in love, being in love, and feeling these emotions heightened by the Summer air,” explains Lambe. “It’s about having your heart feeling like gold knowing the one you love is near, and an ode to being loved by the one you love.”

Lambe is one of Ireland’s most sought-after performers and is currently featured at Ireland’s national theatre performing in the smash hit Jimmy’s Hall. To American audiences, Lambe was best known for her three-year stint as the lead vocalist of Celtic Woman.

Lisa’s first solo album, her 2015 self-released ‘Hiding Away’, was recorded in Nashville and released in Ireland to much critical acclaim. The Independentnoted: “Whatever the guise, it would be hard to forget the talented singer and actress—and her riot of flowing red curls.” The Irish Times said, “Lambe’s bright, warm, supple voice has just a touch of grain, and she is obviously at home in country-folk,” while RTE described Lisa as a “national treasure,” and the Irish Times stated “Lambe’s voice is pure gold.”