Author: Breffni Banks

Robb Murphy, singer-songwriter from Belfast, releases ‘North Star’ to celebrate the holiday season!

In ‘North Star’ Robb Murphy brings us a new treasure that captures the spirit of Christmas melding old and new sentiments. The song takes you on a musical journey through a glistening winter landscape; a timeless song guaranteed to bring a warm, fuzzy and festive feeling. We invite you to listen and remember the season as it should be.

‘North Star’ is available as a digital download on all digital platforms; Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play etc

Ralph McLean of BBC- Radio Ulster says, “Robb Murphy is a real talent. His songs are melodic and magical. He writes from the heart and the results are spellbinding.”

http://www.robbmurphy.com

IMRO have presented The Swing Cats with an IMRO Award in recognition of their Independent number one album ‘Dance With Me’.

The IMRO Number 1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach number 1 in the album charts here in Ireland.

Drawing on the musical expressions of Luis Prima, The Ratpack and Luis Jordan, The Swing Cats blend a tastefully contemporary dynamic to the hits of the swing/dance era, one that is resonating with audiences nationwide.

Some of the highlights of this past year for Luke Thomas and his popular ensemble include invitations to Áras An Uachtarain, performances at celebrity weddings and sell out shows at The National Concert Hall and the Spiegeltent in Wexford.

In addition to reaching number 1 in the Independent Chart, the first single to be taken from the album, ‘Dance Like Nobody’s Watching’ has notched up more than 120,000 views.

The album going to No 1, is a genuine dream come through, and just acknowledgment to the band’s work over the last four years when, in addition to the band’s wedding, private party and corporate work they decided to dip their toes into live gigging scene also.

https://theswingcats.ie/

Blind Poets have just released their second single ‘Balulalow’ with national radio interest within days of its release. The song is their own arrangement of a 12th Century Christmas carol and is available for download on all usual sites.

The Cork band are excited to play their first gig in Prim’s Kinsale 15th December and have more dates booked for the new year.

Blind Poet’s music lies somewhere between a neo classical, contemporary celtic folk and contemporary world music sound; a music which entwines the traditional and the modern.

https://kazodoherty.wixsite.com/blindpoets

https://www.facebook.com/BlindPoets/

https://twitter.com/Blind_Poets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcjHyblahO0&feature=youtu.be

IMRO was delighted to present songwriting legend Christy Moore with an IMRO No.1 Award today in recognition of his recent number 1 Irish album ‘On The Road’.

The IMRO No.1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach the top of the album charts here in Ireland.

Featuring 24 songs across two discs from the last 3 years, ‘On The Road’ is the collection of songs that Christy has made his own through more than 50 incredible years of live touring.

Recorded in venues from London to Westport, and from Glasgow to Galway, the album features new song, ‘Lingo Politico’, as well as many perennial live favourites.

This is the first time all of Christy’s biggest songs have been available on one album.

“I have been fortunate to gain many new listeners over recent decades. Many enquire about a collection of the most popular songs. With that in mind, I have taped all gigs over the past three years. From these recordings I have chosen 24 tracks from 17 different venues around Ireland and the U.K. It’s been a fulfilling project, comparing different versions, hearing old songs with new arrangements and different musicians. It’s a great buzz for me…. to have such great listeners, to be still out here ‘On The Road’”.

https://www.christymoore.com/

Almost 1000 performers from local schools and choirs will be rocking around the Christmas tree at Dublin Airport over the next 11 days, bringing some festive cheer to passengers coming home for Christmas, visitors to Ireland and to those waiting on the arrival of their loved ones.

There will be entertainment in the Arrivals area of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 from Wednesday, December 13

Ryan Tubridy’s RTE Radio One show will broadcast live from Arrivals in Terminal 2 from 9-10am on Friday December 22 and 2FM’s Nikki Byrne and Jenny Greene will also broadcast their show live from 10am – 1pm on the same day.

This year will be one of the airport’s busiest musical schedules ever, according to Dublin Airport Spokesperson, Audrey O’Hagan. “We have almost 40 performances taking place between both terminals up to Christmas Eve. “Many schools, choral societies and music groups love to come back to perform for passengers every year and we’re delighted to see the return of some old friends again this Christmas.”

Rolestown NS, St Stephen’s NS, Gaelscoil Cholmcille, St. Margaret’s NS, Mary Queen of Ireland NS, Portmarnock Community School, St. Cronan’s Junior NS, Scoil an Duinnínigh and Scoil Mhuire are just some of the schools from Fingal that will entertain passengers at the airport this Christmas.

“We would like to thank the children and teachers from all those schools who have taken time out from their daily school activities to perform for passengers.  All these performances bring a very special atmosphere to the airport at Christmas,” Ms O’Hagan added.

Passengers arriving at night will be greeted by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen Choir, Young European Strings, Cor Duibhlinne and Comhaltas Ceoltórí Eireann from Portmarnock, the Airport Police and Fire Service Band, Fingal Gospel Choir and the Dublin Gospel choir amongst others.

There is video footage here: https://www.facebook.com/dublinairport/videos/1650753928304296/ of children from St. Stephen’s National School Navan welcoming passengers to Terminal 1 this morning

The full schedule of events is listed below and can change at short notice

Dublin-based vocalist-producer and multi-instrumentalist EDEN, otherwise known as Jonathon Ng, debuts the video for his new track “crash,” – available now at all digital providers. Directed by EDEN’s frequent collaborators Zhang + Knight (Naughty Boy, Ghostpoet) and filmed in Kiev, the video premiered today on V Magazine.

“The intro and outro to this song are some of the oldest pieces of music on the album; they were just pieces I’d play on guitar and sing years ago,” says EDEN of the track. “For some reason, I could never find a way to make the song feel complete; nothing I put in the middle ever felt like it worked. Fast forward to 2017 while I was living in New York and late-night freestyling through the thoughts echoing round my head; suddenly everything clicked and the rest of ‘crash’ just flowed out of me. Much like the album itself, it was so cathartic to finish an idea that I had held onto for so long and to finally be in a place to translate that idea into music.”

A jack-of-all-trades who writes, plays, and produces his own music and plays multiple instruments onstage, EDEN will release his debut album, entitled ‘vertigo’, on January 19th, 2018, on Astralwerks. Fans can pre-order the album now at http://ftrbnd.co/vertigoshop. Upon announcing last month that he will hit the road on his headlining vertigo world tour beginning in the U.S. on March 1st, 2018 to support the release, the 21-year-old musician not only sold out shows in Dallas, Chicago, New York and more almost immediately, but also added additional dates and upgraded venue sizes in over ten cities due to high demand. Tickets are on sale now at http://iameden.eu/tour. All dates can be found here.

In addition to announcing his tour last month, EDEN recently premiered the video for his single “gold,” which was directed by Zhang + Knight and filmed in Suffolk, U.K. – watch it HERE. Pigeons & Planes declares, “‘gold’ showcases (his) songwriting skills and forward-thinking arrangement choices, and it’s an exciting look at an artist poised for a breakthrough year…EDEN is set to have a big 2018. Get familiar.” The single, which flew to No. 10 on Spotify’s Global Viral Chart upon release and has over 2 million Spotify streams to date, comes on the heels of EDEN’s previous track “start//end,” which Billboard calls, “striking… a nostalgically cast reflection on youth and all-too-relatable feelings of desperation and hope-there’s a secret depth to (EDEN’s) sound.” The song has over 2 million plays on Spotify and Ng shot the official video in London, Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, New York, Belgium, and around his home in Dublin. The video, which Ng directed, filmed, and edited himself, trended on YouTube and has now amassed over 1.4 million views, thanks to support from EDEN’s devoted fan base – watch it HERE.

On his 2016 breakthrough EP i think you think too much of me, EDEN struck a rare balance of ingenuity and intuition with its guitar-heavy take on electronic pop. With vertigo, he takes an even more instinct-driven approach to his music, a process he perceives as a form of exploration. “Even when I’m writing, I don’t feel like I’m actually creating anything,” he says. “It’s more like I’m uncovering something that’s already there. Like how an archaeologist doesn’t create a fossil – they’re just finding it and uncovering it, and maybe rearranging it if it’s broken. Releasing this body of work is terrifying and exciting and overwhelming for me. A lot of it is so personal. This album is not a coming-of-age story, but it caused one.”

The lead single from i think you think too much of me, “sex,” was praised by Lorde and was hailed by Consequence of Sound as a “vulnerable synth-tinted pop track that’s about so much more than what’s happening between the sheets.” Racking up over 90 million streams on Spotify to date, EDEN’s i think you think too much of me EP hit No. 1 on the iTunes Alternative Chart, and No. 2 on Billboard’s Heatseeker chart. From the bedroom of his childhood home, Ng initially began to cultivate a large online following and made his EP debut with End Credits in August 2015. Despite making no effort to promote it, he soon found the work gaining major attention – ultimately amassing more than 145 million streams combined across his two EPs. EDEN’s first U.S. tour sold out immediately and he spent the summer performing at major U.S. music festivals including Governors Ball, Bonnaroo and Firefly. He also performed at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK and Fuji Rock in Japan.

County Kildare musician, Hally, gave himself an insanely ambitious project. At the beginning of 2017 he set himself the challenge of releasing 52 songs,one song per week, to be completed by the end of the year. The project is called “Peeling Onions”  and not only is he producing one song per week (writing, recording, mixing and mastering all of them by himself with collaborations from his band “The Hymns” and other fellow artists) he is also creating a custom made video for each track. There are only 3 weeks to go and he is feeling the pressure to achieve his goal.

Ronan O’Halloran (aka Hally) is an Irish independent musician and producer whose genre is experimental by nature with indie folk predominance and jazz undertones. Hally has been sharing this experience and many hours in the recording studio with his impeccable band “The Hymns” namely Will Dowling (Sax/ Clarinet), Ian Smith (Guitars/ Keys), Gary O’Reilly (Piano/ Guitar/ Keys), Dave Redmond (Upright Bass), Greg Lloyd (Piano) & Kevin Brady (Drums/percussion) and many friends and fellow artists.

This is not only an artistic challenge but has also become a test of physical endurance for Hally. During the summer months, due to vocal cord strain, Hally had to rest his voice for several weeks and this has added immense pressure to finishing the project on time.

It has been an exciting experience for Hally and all involved and he has gotten great support from the press and social media, as Bobby Green puts it, “I was so excited when I heard about this project. I can’t contain my excitement when someone tries something different […] who in their right mind thinks that they could produce 52 quality works in a year [….] Oh, how surprised I was […] I’ve only seen 13 pieces but every individual piece is individually beautiful”, such support has driven Hally on to deliver, to date, 45 beautifully created pieces but is 52 achievable? or is he aiming for the impossible?

Hally is hoping to go live on Facebook to present his final piece of work, on Sunday 31st December 2017.

Do you think he’ll make it?

For more information please follow the links:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hallymusic/

Charles James Walker is a musician from Longford, Ireland. A unique talent, his free spirit has taken him across the world, travelling to the most wonderful places and experiencing the most incredible things. It’s this life experience which translates passionately into his music. Creating songs that remain in your mind, each its own story with its own beautiful life. A deep soul, his music transcends the boundaries of the traditional singer-songwriter, with impassioned lyrics which touch on the most sensitive subjects of life, love and everything.

‘Get In’ is the debut single release from Charles from his forthcoming EP. It’s a powerful song and accompanying video that deals with mental health struggles; alcoholism depression and attempting suicide. The song depicts being on the edge ready to jump but holding back and being supported by loved ones. It’s a dark song which represents the mindframe of so many young Irish people and the stigma still associated with suicide.

Raking up over 3000 views on Facebook in only three days…it’s already resonating with people.

This folk musician is launching what is sure to be a promising career. With experience of gigging in a band behind him, Charles has crafted his showmanship which captivates audiences. He is looking forward to bringing this performance to gigs and festivals nationwide.

‘Get In’ is now available from CD Baby here.

Charles James Walker can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.