Author: Breffni Banks

Jem Mitchell has just released the new single ‘Angel Of La Cienega And Oxnard’. The single is available now as a free download  from Bandcamp.

Jem Mitchell is a singer-songwriter from North Dublin. Having fronted numerous indie rock outfits during the late 80’s and early 90’s Mitchell has settled into a more sedate sound which has been described in the music press as Alt Country, a term Mitchell is not uncomfortable with. A key element in creating this sound is Mitchells’ collaboration with long time friend and guitar virtuoso Ken Browne. The bands line up is completed by the stalwart rhythm section of brothers Mark and John Colbert. Mitchell has recently been overheard to say that musically 2018 will be harder, faster and louder, a return to his indie rock roots perhaps.

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Following on from Whelan’s Ones to Watch and Tradfest, Ailie has announced her first Whelan’s Main Stage show. Taking place on Sunday 18th March, tickets for the show proced €12/10 are available now from www.WhelansLive.com

2017 was a pivotal year for Ailie Blunnie with the release of her début album “West to the Evening Sun” (Nov. 2017, Happy Out Records). Standout tracks include: ‘West to the Evening Sun’, ‘Beat of Your Heart’, ‘Would That You May’, ‘Happy New Year’.

Influenced by her academic studies in music and psychology, Blunnie’s sound melds assured songwriting, inventive arrangements, and newly-expanded soundscapes developed in collaboration with producer Daragh Dukes (Headgear/Wyos/Asylum Speakers/RTE).

Social Media: 

Website | Facebook | Twitter|  Spotify | YouTube

The first of it’s kind, AVA (Audio Visual Arts) Festival and Conference, 2018 enters its fourth year with it’s most diverse offering yet, bringing global heavyweights to the city whilst championing emerging and established artists from the North and South of Ireland. From 1^st – 2^nd June, AVA Festival and Conference 2018 hosts an all-star line-up of local and global talent, three stages become four, plus Boiler Room’s first ever AVA two-day broadcast from one of the streaming giant’s best loved cities. This year is a game changer. With more artists, stages and a conference packed with panels, talks and workshops still to be announced, do not sleep on weekend tickets: http://www.avafestival.com/tickets

Heavyweight headliners include the mighty Floorplan with his infectious gospel house from Detroit, Bicep bring their immersive show home, and KiNK’s dance inducing live show is set to awe. Expect rave ready selections from DVS1, hypnotic, harder lines from Rødhåd and a wild ride through electro from the leading light in techno, Helena Hauff.

Man of the moment Denis Sulta, along with vibe purveyor, Mall Grab in tow, plus far flung gems from Rush Hour’s Hunee, Sassy J and Jayda G.  Back again with seamless sets are Subclub regular, Hammer, Midland, Mano Le Tough and Hotflush signee, Or:la. Find house gems from Timmy Stewart, epic blends from Saoirse, raw energy from Truss and Tessela’s Overmono, and relentless techno from AVA favourite, Sunil Sharpe.

Expect genre defying selections from Jordan,  Swoose + Cromby,  Brame + Hamo, DJ Deece and Dublin duo Long lsland Island. Completing the first wave of names are a whole host of regulars and emerging talent with Quinton Campbell, Sally C, Nez, LOR, Jimmy Rouge. Cailin, Carlton Doom, Brien, Holly Lester, Ryan Dallas, while collectives Twitch, Misfit, Jika Jika and Inside Moves flex the sounds that pulse through the city.

AVA are pulling out all the stops to make this edition is grandest yet with no compromises on jaw-dropping audio visual productions bringing the AVA main stage to life, Boiler Room’s live streamed weekender stage, Red Bull Music Academy’s own’ Loading Bay’ stage, and Smirnoff’s brand new fourth stage to see you through late into the night. With so much more in store, watch this space for new names, new stage info and this year’s two-day Boiler Room schedule, plus a innovative conference spanning panels, workshops and keynotes across audio and visual arts. The conference is free via sign up with full programme to be announced in the coming months. Full AVA weekend tickets are available now from just £70, with all previous tiers selling out in record time. Don’t miss out on the craic this year, grab a ticket now:  http://www.avafestival.com/tickets AVA FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE 2018

1st to 2nd June 2018 || Belfast

www.avafestival.com

WEEKEND TICKETS FROM £70 || £25 DEPOSIT SCHEME

TICKETS : http://www.avafestival.com/tickets

FIRST WAVE LINE UP

Floorplan – KiNK (Live) – Bicep – Helena Hauff – Rodhad – DVS1 – Hunee – Denis Sulta – Mall Grab – Job Jobse – Mano Le Tough – Jayda G

Midland – Or:la – Hammer – Overmono – Saoirse – Timmy Stewart – Sunil Sharpe – Sassy J  – Moxie – Mella Dee – Stephanie Sykes – Myler

Twitch – Swoose + Cromby – Jordan – Inside Moves – Brame + Hamo -Jika Jika – Sally C – DJ Deece – Misfit – Mark Blair – Long Island Sound – Nez – LOR – Quinton Campbell –  Cailin – – Carlton Doom – Brien – Holly Lester – Dallas – GIRL – Guerrilla Shout – Cave DJs –Aalice – Lucy Ironmonger (Meat Free) – High Hoops

KARMS are a thundering indie rock 4 piece from Dublin made up of brothers Colm and Stephen O’Loughlin, and friends Danny Farrelly and Jay Maleney.

Having already sold out Whelan’s Upstairs on their debut headline show, KARMS return to the intimate stage at Whelan’s following the release of their debut EP ‘River’. This is the first of many shows planned for 2018, an exciting year for this band.

Tickets available from from www.whelanslive.com

KARMS are dreamers, believing in capturing the raw passion and ferocious energy of their live performances above all else. The band retreated to Attica Audio on the far edges of Donegal to record with Scottish producer Tony Doogan. In complete isolation, KARMS tasked themselves with creating music as big as the mountains and wild as the Atlantic waves surrounding them.

The goal was to use as much live performance as possible with minimal overdubs. Recalling the ethos of a bygone era – where everything was recorded to tape – the rule was no more than three takes per song.

The resulting output is ‘River’. A four track EP combining bonecrushing anthems, ‘River’, ‘We Always Lose’, and ‘She Said’ with the delicate ‘Beautiful Magic’, recorded late on the last night of recording – the first time the band had played this track as a unit.

What you hear is a band at the top of their game, playing live in a room together. No frills.

‘River’ is available for download and streaming from all online stores NOW.

https://www.karmsmusic.com/

The 2017 winners of 2FM’s Play The Picnic Competition and recently selected as Whelan’s Ones To Watch for 2018, A Great Quiet are gearing up for a busy year ahead with the release of their Debut EP ‘Soft Breath and Echoes’ this February 2nd. The EP was produced and mixed by established producer James Darkin at Herbert Place Studios in Dublin and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York.

The music on ‘Soft Breath and Echoes’ sets an energetic tone and is inspired by music such as The 1975, Foals, and London Grammar, moving the listener across a visceral impulsive landscape.

‘Stay Close’, the lead single taken from the EP, was lauded by Today FM’s Louise Duffy and has been on rotation on her show, “I don’t know what they are pumping into the water in Athy but these guys have something really exciting.”

A Great Quiet is comprised of Athy natives, Will O’Donnell and Aran Cardiff. Formed only just a few months ago, they launched their debut single ‘Open Spaces’ on the 2FM Eoghan McDermott show and are continuing to go from strength to strength, with a string of high energy shows in the pipeline.

‘Soft Breath and Echoes’ Track Listing:

1. Echoes
2. Stay Close
3. Breath
4. A Shared Place

Website:  https://www.agreatquiet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agreatquiet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agreatquiet/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4w8Lep9dbYbRO35lDz0ujw
Breaking Tunes: https://www.breakingtunes.com/agreatquiet

The regular deadline for entrants into the Unsigned Only Music Competition is January 24, 2018.

WHAT IS UNSIGNED ONLY? 

Unsigned Only is the premier music competition in the world for indie and unsigned artists (including solo artists, bands, and singers) who are unsigned to a major record label. Why does Unsigned Only include only unsigned artists? It’s simple. Limiting the competition to unsigned artists levels the playing field for entrants because they are not competing with well-known artists, Grammy winners, or artists with a major label machine behind them. The goal is to give indie artists exposure, recognition, and validation for their artistry.

• $150,000 in Cash and Prizes shared among 28 winners
• Prizes include a Grand Prize of $20,000 cash plus one-on-one mentoring by record label executives, top industry managers, major booking agencies and more
• No physical event to attend (artists simply enter online, and either upload songs or provide streaming links (such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc.) to their song

JUDGES INCLUDE:

CELEBRITY ARTISTS: Aimee Mann • Grouplove • KT Tunstall • Jack Ingram • Lucero • David Crowder • Melanie Fiona • Lydia Loveless • Frank Foster • and more

PLUS MUSIC JOURNALISTS FROM: Rolling Stone • Yahoo Music • Chicago Sun-Times • Elmore Magazine • American Songwriter • Paste Magazine • NY Post • Guitar Player • and more

PLUS ARTIST MANAGERS FOR: Brad Paisley • Vince Gill • Alanis Morissette • Stevie Nicks • Sara Evans • Colbie Caillet • Chris Young • and more

PLUS TALENT BUYERS FROM: Summerfest • Live Nation • C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Shaky Knees) • Superfly (Bonnaroo, Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival) • and more

CATEGORIES TO ENTER: AAA (Adult Album Alternative), AC (Adult Contemporary), Americana, Christian, Country, EDM, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, R&B/Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop/Top 40, Screen Shot (songs suitable for placement in Film/TV/Advertising/Gaming), Teen (artists 18 years old or younger) and Vocal Performance. Unsigned Only accepts original and cover songs in all categories except Screen Shot which requires original music.

To enter your songs or to learn more, please visit https://unsignedonly.com

State Lights have announced their new single, ‘Peace Will Come’, set for release on 8th February.

Singer Shobsy, guitarist Joe Regan, drummer Paul Ridgeway and bassist Noel Perry all met at BIMM Music College in Dublin. Bonding over a shared interest in classic 80’s music and a common desire to write big stadium sized songs the guys decided to work on a music project. This early incarnation lead to the formation of State Lights in 2015.

Considered Rising Stars for 2018, State Lights new single, “Peace Will Come” which was mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons) is accompanied by an incredibly powerful video, it features images of the current political discourse in the world. Famous faces such as Martin Luther King, David Bowie and Bono feature as examples of figures who have paved the way for peace and understanding in a world that is constantly overcoming prejudices and challenges, both socially and politically. The video concludes with images of people holding their own banner saying, “PEACE WILL COME” with their name signed, creating a message of unity, hope and faith that we will see peace. Some of the featured faces include Liam Cunningham (actor) Patrick Bergin (actor), Gary Ringrose (rugby player), Guggi (Artist), Kevin Thornton (Celebrity Chef), Craig Fitzgerald (The Academic)

https://www.facebook.com/statelightsmusic/

Output Belfast – the largest one-day music conference in Ireland announces closing keynote speakers.

The closing keynote Q and A will feature a panel discussion around scoring for horror and thriller films and television shows.

Included in the panel are

• Rich Vreeland (Disasterpiece) From Los Angeles, Rich scored one of the most compelling and original horror films of the last decade-2014’s ‘It Follows’, with the music being described “as a masterpiece of both musical technique and dramatic storytelling – and one of the most remarkable scores of the year”.
• Stuart Braithwaite. The driving creative force and founder behind the iconic band ‘Mogwai’ Stuart is one of the globe’s most forward-thinking and compelling composers. The band’s music have been used to score everything from award winning television series (Les Revenants) to feature-documentaries (most notably ‘Zidane’ and ‘Atomic’, the Mark Cousins film).
• Carly Paradis. Carly is the composer for Line Of Duty – one of the most talked-about BBC dramas of the last decade. Carly has also composed for horror films, drama and has had a longstanding creative relationship with Clint Mansell for whom she plays piano.
• Rory Friers. From Northern Irish band And So I Watch You From Afar, Rory in 2017 completed the score to the zombie film The Cured starring Ellen Page (Juno/Inception)

The panel will be moderated by director and Belfast Film Festival co-founder Brian Henry Martin with Score Draw Music’s Mark Gordon.

They join an unmissable day of keynotes, panels, sessions and Q and As that include Jeremy Pritchard from Everything Everything discussing music and streaming, Head of Music Licensing for BBC Nicky Bignell and Head of Music for Sky Peter Bradbury talking about placing music in television, Nadia Khan (manager Lethal Bizzle) and Sean Adams (Drowned in Sound/BBC 6 Music) on the anatomy of a successful music video premier, Coldplay album producer Danton Supple discussing producing a-list hit records, The 1975 and Kendrick Lamar videographer Christian Tierney on work behind the lens, Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1) and more discussing how to break open Ireland as a territory, Niall Horan’s touring drummer Gerry Morgan and Alana Henderson (Cellist, Hozier) on working as a session musician, Metal Hammer’s Adam Rees on PR in rock and metal, and many many other sessions including talks by IMRO, PRS for Music, CMU, Oh Yeah Centre and the Association for Independent Festivals.

Delegation is free to attend but requires sign-up. Please visit outputbelfast.com to sign up to the day’s events.

Organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with the Music Business Support Programme and Invest NI, Output Belfast is a music and showcasing conference event that features panel discussions, music sessions, workshops and speed networking events as well as keynote speeches from award-winning musicians and managers of globally recognised talent.

An artist showcase takes place from 8pm-12 midnight on Thursday 8 Feb across a wide range of venues and full details of who is playing can be found here; outputbelfast.com

Some highlights from the daytime event include:

Festival trends in 2018

Goc O’Callaghan (Vice Chair-Association for Independent Festivals)

What now, recorded music?

A discussion on physical, streaming and everything in between

Jeremy Pritchard (Everything Everything)

11.30am-12.30pm 

CMU Present – The Digital Dollar Deals Guide

The ten kinds of distribution/label deals now available to artists and the pros and cons of each.

Chris Cooke (CMU)

Annabella Coldrick (Music Managers Forum)

Will Priestley (Harbottle Lewis)

Trailer Talk

An essential briefing on placing music and songs in film trailers

Connie Farr (Music supervisor)

Mark Cornell (Ignition – trailers for Jumanji, Spiderman, Dunkirk, Cars and more)

Mark Gordon (Moderator)

20 Feet from Stardom

How to make a career as a session musician

Alana Henderson (Cellist, Hozier)

Si Francis (Bass, Ellie Goulding)

Gerry Morgan (Drummer, Niall Horan)

Andy Cortes (Guitarist James Bay)

Phil Taggart (Moderator)

Meet the funders

Your chance for one-on-one meetings with funding organizations and business start-up mentors

Elizabeth Sills (PRS Foundation)

Marcus McGuigan (Invest NI)

Keith Millar (Help Musicians NI)

Caroline Sewell (Musicians Union)

Go For It! Representative

Sing when you’re winning

Tips and techniques on how to improve and look after your voice

Shelley Bukspan  (BIMM Dublin Vocal Coach)

Cormac Neeson (The Answer)

Playing live in the USA – Visas and how to get one

Tamizdat are the company who facilitate US visa applications for UK and Irish bands

Matthew Covey (Tamizdat)

The Sound of Success

When your passion becomes your profession – Behind the lens with a millennial auteur

Christian Tierney (21 year old videographer who has worked with The Weekend, The 1975 and Kendrick Lamar)

Thomas Camblin (Rally – Moderator)

1.30pm-2.30pm

Topliners – how to write hooks

PRS For Music present a session on earworms – melodies that stick

Stuart Fleming (PRS for Music)

Flash Taylor (Bucks Music Publishing)

Marli Harwood (Topliner)

Callum Stewart (Topliner/lyricist)

Jason Sharpe (Tileyard Music)

Patrick Cloherty (Sentric Music – Moderator)

Ready Player One – making the music that makes the game

From composing to placing music in games and games trailers – the complete overview

Dan Byrne-Mccullough (Hyperduck SoundWorks)

Chris Geehan (Hyperduck SoundWorks)

Ben Sumner (Feel For Music)

Janesta Bourdeau (gaming supervisor and sync focused catalogue owner)

Mark Gordon (Score Draw Music – Moderator)

How to crack Ireland

From press to live – the roadmap to the territory

Niall Byrne (Nialler9)

Sarah Casey (agent at LPO – clients include Beoga)

Ed Smith (Producer – Today FM)

Shane Dunne (Music Cork / tour manager)

William Ryan (Barrister)

Mick Roe (Faction Mgmt – James Vincent McMorrow/Jape)

Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1 – Moderator)

Meet the Performance Rights Organisations

Speed meetings with the main UK and Ireland PROs

Stuart Fleming (PRS for Music)

Duncan McCrone (MCPS)

Keith Johnson (IMRO)

Dan Millington (PPL)

CMU Insights Speed Briefing: The Value Gap

Why does the music industry keep shouting about the copyright safe harbour and the so called ‘value gap’? And how did YouTube become the music industry’s enemy number one?

Chris Cooke (CMU)

Breaking the rock

Making press and PR work for you in metal and heavy rock

Remfry Dedman (rock and metal critic – The Independent)

Simon Glacken (I Like Press)

Adam Rees (Metal Hammer / Guitarist Magazine writer)

Becky Laverty (Pioneer PR / festival booker)

Eamonn Forde (Moderator)

Masters of the universe

A step by step guide to making the most of bedroom mastering techniques

John Davis (Metropolis – mastering engineer for U2, Lana Del Rey and more)

Rocky O’Reilly (Start Together Studios – Moderator)

2.45pm-3.45pm

Anatomy of a successful video premiere

From creation to release – a step by step guide

Caroline Bottomley (Radar Music Videos)

Nadia Khan (Manager of Lethal Bizzle and more)

Sean Adams (Drowned in Sound / BBC 6 Music)

Karim Khan (Lucid PR – clients include Sony, Island Records, Universal, Virgin)

Eamonn Forde (Moderator)

Placing music in UK and US Television

Heads of music from Sky and BBC open up on the pathways to music placement

Peter Bradbury (Head of Music – Sky)

Nicky Bignell (Head of music licensing – BBC)

Teri Nelson Carpenter (CEO Reel Muzik Werks – former US independent publisher of the year)

Mark Gordon (Score Draw Music – Moderator)

The Talent Development Toolkit

Oh Yeah Centre presents the comprehensive guide

Charlene Hegarty (Oh Yeah Talent Development Manager)

Tom Packer (Motive Unknown)

Joel Borquaye (AWAL)

Ryan Vail (Artist)

Elizabeth Sills (PRS Foundation)

Meet the Irish Festivals

Your chance to pitch to festivals and music showcases

Cillian Stewart (Castlepalooza)

Ross Parkhill (Stendhal Festival)

Andrew Marsden (Moira Calling)

Angela Dorgan (Hard Working Class Heroes)

Sarah Kiely (Open House Festival)

Paul Brown (Earagail Arts Festival)

CMU Insights Speed Briefing: Top 5 Streaming Challenges

Five key challenges that must be met by the wider streaming music business – including artists, songwriters, labels, publishers, collecting societies and the streaming platforms themselves.

Chris Cooke (CMU)

Talk about pop music (production)

How to carve out a career producing a-list hits

Danton Supple (Producer – Coldplay X&Y and A Rush of Blood to the Head)

Paul Whalley (Producer and collaborator with Mumford and Sons, Ellie Goulding, Little Mix)

Pip Newby (Producer manager)

Stefan Abingdon (Selena Gomez / Jess Glynne)

Rocky O’Reilly (Start Together Studios – Moderator)

4pm-5pm

Closing keynote 

You want it darker?

Scoring thriller and horror films

With

Stuart Braithwaite  (Mogwai)

Soundtracks for Les Revenants and many more

Rory Friers (ASIWYFA)

Soundtrack for The Cured featuring Ellen Page (Juno/Inception)

Carly Paradis

Composer-Line of Duty / Pianist for Clint Mansell

Moderators

Brian Henry Martin (Director/Journalist)

Mark Gordon (Score Draw Music)

http://www.outputbelfast.com/