Author: Breffni Banks

The Kerbs are a four piece rock band from Foxford, Co. Mayo that formed Spring 2017. Growing up in a rural town with a strong counter-culture music scene the lads found common interests in bands like Pearl Jam, The Doors and Stone Roses which remnants of this is evident in their sound. The last 5 months have seen them release 2 hotly received singles (‘Changes’ and ‘I Am Zeus’) which have received support from iRADIO, RTE 2XM, KCLR 96 FM, 8RADIO, Open Tempo Fm and Mid-West Radio

‘Creep’ is a rock song with a jazzy feel, the band think will suit daytime radio. At its core the song speaks about rejection and the effect it has on our emotions, thinking and behaviours. Lyrically it tells a story of a guy who tries to get attention from a woman to whom he is attracted but she doesn’t feel the same way which in turn sparks a feeling of self doubt and vulnerability.

“The Kerbs energetic live performance is something not to be missed” – Mayo Advertiser

After a successful few months on the road, and number of sold out shows on both east and west coasts, the lads are already proving that the best is yet to come with planning their first full Irish tour, lots of new music and have already been invited to do sessions at radio.

As the proud winners of Mayo Arts Council recording assistance bursary award, they will be using the prize money to head back to the recording studio again and add a fifth track to their EP before its release in summer 2018.

Live Dates

April 27^th – Headline gig in The Sound House, Eden Quay, Dublin
May 6^th – Charity Gig (SERVE) in The Hideout, Foxford, Mayo

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thekerbsofficial/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thekerbsofficial/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/thekerbsmusic

British- Nigerian jazz singer; NC Grey has announced 2018 tour dates. Performing favourites like ‘Choose Me’ & ‘Adonis’, ‘The Magic Tour’ touches cities in Ireland and the UK.

NC Grey released her debut project ‘Magic the EP’ and it has received immense support from Ireland’s biggest tastemasters including RTÉ2FM and Hotpress Magazine. Following its success, comes her first music video which has garnered much accolade with over 10,000 views it it’s first week. She has been named by several national and international publications as one to watch and has garnered a spot on the 2018 Unsigned Music Awards Long List in the Blues & Jazz category.

Galway – Sunday April 22nd | The Black Gate Cultural centre
Cork – Saturday April 28th | The Roundy
Dublin – Friday 4th May | Dublin Unitarian Church
London – Saturday May 26th | Ninety One

Ticket Information
Tickets are €10 (plus booking fees) and can be purchased online at; www.ncgrey.eventbrite.com

Marking his second solo album, singer-songwriter Niall Thomas will release ‘Night Sky Blue’ on 6th April 2018. Following on from his debut release ‘Breathe Easy’ in 2013, the new ten-track album is a delicately refined and crafted collection of work.

Each song forms a snapshot of time drawn from personal experience and the surroundings in Dublin’s North Inner City, where he has lived for fourteen years. The songs are songs of place and shared experience. They move from licensed premises to coastal waters, hospital waiting rooms to burial grounds, from the invisible ladder through the great divide to the beauty and restorative qualities of nature. They celebrate the unwavering resolve of people to sew what has been torn and mend what’s been broken. Night Sky Blue explores the uncertain and fragile nature of our existence, the brevity of our time, the pressures that become too much for some, the heart ties that bind and sometimes unravel, the darkness and the light.

Recorded in The Guild, Stoneybatter, Dublin with thanks to Karl Odlum, Dave Hingerty, Kevin Murphy, Patrick Daly, Neev Kennedy and Ann Scott who lended their talent, their voices and their musicianship to these songs.

CDS available from 6th April from www​.niallthomas.com

Album Pre-Order: https://niallthomas​.bandcamp.com/

Album Tour Dates​:

6th April DeBarras Folk Club, Clonakilty, West Cork

20th April Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny

17th May Whelans, Upstairs

All live dates with Karl Odlum & Dave Hingerty.

www.niallthomas.com

www.twitter.com/niallthomas

www.facebook.com/niallthomasmusic

www.instagram.com/niallhomasmusic

niallthomasmusic@nullgmail.com

Photo: Matthew Thompson

‘All Life Matters’ is the eagerly awaited follow up single from Cork based Alternative Rock band Paradox to their last album ‘Chapters’.

‘All Life Matters’ plays like a ballad while criticizing the current media climate. Singer Songwriter Pete Mac plays all instruments on the track with Brian Casey adding keys and piano. The video takes a sarcastic twisted view on social media and how today’s society is influenced by information received through this form of media. Jota Gambuzino Photo and Video is behind all of the production and editing.

Paradox are an Alternative Rock band from Cork, Ireland. Formed in 1997 by brothers Pete Mac and Mike Mac the early Paradox sound was heavily influenced by the Grunge Era of the 90’s. The band has shaped and evolved their sound over the years while still maintaining their Alternative Rock sound. Paradox have released 4 studio albums to date. Their debut album ‘Circle of Growth’ was recorded in Los Angeles in 2000 and released on a US label. Their second album ‘Sacred’ was recorded and released in 2004, ‘Corporate Pollution’ was released in 2011 and their latest album ‘Chapters’ released in 2015. Singer and songwriter Pete Mac also recorded and released a solo album in 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

‘Corporate Pollution’ marked a further evolution in the Paradox sound and received the most attention from any of the bands releases. From the opening track ‘Corporate Pollution’ with it’s churning guitar riffs and political sneers the track seems to somewhat set the tone for the rest of the album. One reviewer noted that the album had ‘so many influences it’s hard to list them all, the music is solid, timeless and to the point’.

Another review from Loud-Stuff.com added – ‘Maybe the ultimate compliment you can pay to this album is that you could listen to it between Nirvana’s In Utero and Alice in Chains Dirt and it’s every bit as good‘.

‘Mr. Bureaucracy’ was chosen to be the first single with it’s fast pulsing riffs and melodic vocal refrains. The band also shot a music video for ‘Mr. Bureaucracy’ in 2012 which was nominated for best song at the Berlin Music Video Awards, Dublin International short film and music awards the Portobello Film Festival London in 2013.

In 2012 the ‘Corporate Pollution’ track ‘Repress Excess’ was used on the soundtrack for Canadian horror movie ‘Truth’ which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Canada International Film Festival’s Royal Reel Award.

Paradox have toured both Europe and the US as well as playing support to the likes of Therapy?, Kerbdog and Shonen Knife.

2014 saw Paradox back in the studio recording their 4th album to date at Wavefield Recording Studios in Bantry, West Cork with multi tasking musician and engineer Brian Casey on the desk.
Titled ‘Chapters’ the 14 track album combines a variety of new sounds some of which have not yet been heard on any previous Paradox album. ‘Chapters’ has been gaining momentum since it’s release in 2015. The band kicked off 2016 with a new single and music video titled ‘EAT’ which was nominated at the Indie Cork Film Festival and the RATMA Film Festival in the UK.

2017 saw the release of the new single ‘All Life Matters’, an eagerly awaited follow up to the bands last album ‘Chapters’. ‘All Life Matters’ takes a similar direction to the previous Paradox album ‘Chapters’ which was also recorded at Wavefield. Singer Songwriter Pete Mac plays all instruments on the track with Brian Casey adding keys and piano.

Official Paradox website
http://www.paradoxrock.com/
Paradox on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/paradoxrock
Paradox on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/petemacparadox 
Paradox Videos on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/paradoxrock 

hearing leaves, a work for string quartet by Irish composer Karen Power, has been selected by the International Society of Contemporary Music for its World Music Days festival in Beijing in May 2018. The work will be performed during the festival and Karen Power will attend.

hearing leaves (2013) was commissioned by the ConTempo Quartet. It was written during Karen’s Galway Music Residency to celebrate 10 years of music in the city. A key component of this residency lay in delivering workshops to school students, therefore much of the origins of this work are connected with explorations made with students during these composition workshops. The work is a celebration of the excitement that each of us feels, or felt as young children, when we explore sound. The whole work moves through a series of texture and gesture-based sounds, which are not necessarily immediately recognisable as sounds of a string quartet, but which ‘grow into’ the quartet while also opening up new sonic avenues. Large chords are plotted throughout the piece and allude to a more angular and sharp sound-world then is at work throughout the rest of the work. These chords bring the quartet together and allow individual instruments the freedom to meander and stray in between.

Everyday environments and how we hear everyday sounds lies at the core of Karen Power’s practice with a continued interest in blurring the distinction between what most of us call ‘music’ and all other sound. She has found inspiration in the natural world and how we respond to spaces we occupy. She continually utilises our inherent familiarity with such sounds and spaces as a means of engaging with audiences. Resulting works challenge the listeners memory of hearing while simultaneously shifting focus and presenting new contexts for such sounds. Current explorations include a fluxus-style work: those are the dangers of round vegetables in a major train station where players and environmental sounds became one, a site specific radio art piece in Cork City Gaol commissioned by RTÉ Lyric FM, and a large-scale commission from Cork Midsummer Festival.

The Association of Irish Composers’ mission is to strengthen the voice of contemporary composers, through advocacy, promotion, discussion and opportunity. AIC is the Irish section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) and is the Irish member of ECSA through our partners IASCA. Our national partners include CMC and IMRO. We receive financial support from IMRO, Culture Ireland and Arts Council Ireland.

The annual ISCM World Music Days festival is organised each year by a different host. The festival presents music from each of their members, showcasing the incredible diversity of musical practice in our time. This year’s festival will be held 19-26 May in Beijing, China.

For more information please see:

www.karenpower.ie
www.composers.ie
http://bmmf.ccom.edu.cn/index.php/iscm/iscm_public/pid/61/id/62

Composer Ann Cleare has been announced as Irish Artist-in-Residence at the soundSCAPE Festival 2018, sponsored by the Contemporary Music Centre and Association of Irish Composers. Ann will join the faculty for the festival, which will take place between 8-21 July this year in Cesena, Italy.

soundSCAPE is an annual festival that facilitates the flowering of new music and the exchange of ideas and culture between musicians of tomorrow’s generation. The festival aims to attract composers and performers from around the world for two weeks of concerts, lectures, master classes and workshops. The essence of the festival is one of process and collaboration – giving rise to new music initiatives that have flourished long beyond the festival, all around the globe. Each year an Irish artist is selected for a residency sponsored by CMC and AIC.

Ann Cleare is an Irish composer working in the areas of concert music, opera, extended sonic environments, and hybrid instrumental design. Her work has been commissioned and presented by major broadcasters such as the BBC, NPR, ORF, RTÉ, SWR, WDR for festivals such as Gaudeamus, Wittenertage fur Neue Kammermusik, International Music Institute Darmstadt, Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik, IMATRONIC, and MATA, working with ensembles such as: ICE, ELISION, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Nikel, Yarn/Wire, ensemble mosaik, and The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Ann has studied at University College Cork, IRCAM, and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. She currently lectures in Composition at the University of York, England, and will soon commence as Assistant Professor of the Music and Media Technologies Masters at Trinity College Dublin. Her scores are published by Project Schott New York.

For more information please see:

http://soundscapefestival.org
http://annclearecomposer.com/

Having been born half a century too late in 1990, Cado is a modern rock and roll artist with an obsession for music of the past! After stealing a Beatles’ album from a record shop aged 10, he was inspired to make music for people to dance to.

Cado, who grew up in County Kildare, Ireland, was mesmerised at an early age by the sound of The Beatles and Chuck Berry and from then commenced a lifelong obsession with music. His father would perform Johnny B. Goode to him and when he heard the hard hitting opening riff featured in back to the future at age 11, he did not hesitate to pick up a guitar and has rarely put it down since!

The multi-instrumentalist has toured the UK and Ireland with The Shades and in early 2016 he began recording a collection of songs inspired by the music he adores. In August 2016 he released the ‘Take Me Back’ EP. The singer-songwriter takes a completely DIY approach, self-recording and mixing everything in his personal studio. Every instrument is performed by Cado allowing him make music that he truly loves. Cado played a number of local shows in Kildare to mark the release of ‘Take Me Back’ and was featured in The Irish Times and on Joe.ie.

Cado spent late 2016 and early 2017 recording his latest EP in a DIY studio in his hometown of Naas. The first single and title track ‘Satisfy My Soul’ was released in August 2017 with an accompanying music video by Second Frame Films. The single garnered positive reviews and received airplay on regional radio. In the summer of 2017 Cado played the lead role in The Buddy Holly Story after which he and the House band The Delta Cats joined forces and have since been playing shows across the country as Cado & The Delta Cats.

Cado’s latest single ‘My Baby’ was released on 17.03.18 and will be the second single from his upcoming ‘Satisfy My Soul EP’. Mixed by Martin Quinn (The Strypes, Heroes In Hiding) and mastered by Pete Maher, (U2, Jack White). ‘My Baby’ is available to stream and buy from all online music stores and streaming services.

https://www.facebook.com/cadomusic
https://cadomusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/CadoOfficial
https://www.soundcloud.com/cado_music
https://www.instagram.com/cadomusic 

Electric Company have announced a spring Irish tour in support of their forthcoming debut EP ‘Tailspin’, due April 4th. The 5 piece sixties/ indie pop band from Utrecht, Netherlands have been selected to represent the very best of emerging Dutch artists in the Irish marketplace. In association with the Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Dublin and Broken Glasses Productions, Electric Company have been offered many gigs and activities across Ireland including:

April 12th – Roisin Dubh, Galway
April 13th – The Underground Venue, Dublin
April 18th – Gigonometry at The Workmans Club, Dublin
April 19th – The Harbour Bar, Bray
April 20th – Ryan’s Bar, Kilkenny
April 21st – Berlin Bar, Dublin

The tour will be supported by many Irish acts counting Rogue, Laura Keane, Hales Lake, Ragair, Odd Morris and many more TBA.

Noel Shine and Mary Greene have long been an important element of the folk music scene having released numerous critically acclaimed albums as well as appearing as session singers and players on the recordings of many other artists including Christy Moore, The Republic of Loose and John Spillane.

“I loved this album instantly and have been listening to it constantly. I love the choice of material, especially Mary and Noels’ own songs,” Sharon Shannon

Now with the addition of daughter Ellie Shine to the mix they form the trio Greenshine. Ellie brings a fresh, new voice to the concert stage and airwaves and the close family harmonies they produce are a big feature of their set. Following on from the success of their single and album ‘The Girl in the Lavender Dress’ (No. 1 in the iTunes Ireland Singer-Songwriter Chart, third most played Irish song of 2016 on RTE Radio1) they bring you ‘Dandelion Seed’, a song about the endurance of love and the foundation and strength it brings.

To support the release of ‘Dandelion Seed’, Greenshine will embark on an extensive tour including:

Sun. 15 April 3pm, Chez le Fab, Limerick 

Fri. 27 April House Concert, Tramore, Co. Waterford (email for details)

Sat. 28 April 8pm, Coliemore, The Artist’s House, Cobh, Cork

Sun. 29 April 1pm, The Oliver Plunkett, Cork – All Star Concert for Timmy the Brit

Sat. 5 May 9pm, Central Arts, Waterford – Mary appears as guest of Laura Mulcahy

Fri. 11 May 7pm, An Spailpín Fánach, Cork, Concert for Cork Penny Dinners

Sun. 13 May 8pm, Toons Bridge Cafe, Macroom, Cork 

Sat. 26 May 9.30pm Pepper’s Folk Club, Feakle, Co. Clare 

Fri. 8 June 9pm, The DC Music, Club, Camden Row, Dublin 

More dates to be confirmed see Facebook Twitter  Official Website

Hendrick Lane have just released the visuals for their debut single ‘Tokyo’. ‘Tokyo’ explores long distance relationships merely on the surface but deeply rooted, with the duo conveying a spiritual journey through life. The song undertone highlights their awareness of a higher being, yet materialism in today’s world (‘Tokyo’) constantly leads them astray. They allow themselves to be led, certain that they have not lost their moral compass (“It’s no more than flirting”) searching for a balance between the sacred and profane. The video timely depicts each moment in the song and takes viewers through the artists’ journey from the bar to the gardens and to the distorted scene. The video was recorded courtesy of the East Side Tavern and the Japanese Gardens in Kildare. The video was shot, edited and produced by Dublin Artist and videographer Ovie (https://www.ov.ie).

Hendrick Lane are an Irish duo with a laconic style and rockstar prowess on stage. They mix flows and melodies to create a versatile Hip-Hop sound. Hovay and Sevn gained popularity through recording and writing songs in their bedroom. The young duo bring an alternative style of gritty confessional storytelling to the music scene combining Hip Hop, RnB and Pop.

Hendrick Lane will be playing their debut headline show in The Underground on 30th March at the underground with support from Vocalist Tolu Makay and Cork lyricist Jay Ronic.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite now. https://hendricklane.eventbrite.com

Tokyo is available on all streaming platforms https://fanlink.to/TOKYO

Follow Hendrick Lane on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and SOUNDCLOUD.