Author: Breffni Banks

Brian happily admits that in the past he’s had a love/hate relationship with the festive period with all of its pressures. But, as the years have gone by he says it was the soundtrack of Christmas music that eventually seduced him. So much so that Brian has carefully put together his first ever collection of his beloved seasonal songs on his album ‘Christmassy’, It will be released worldwide on Friday 24^th November 2017 on his own label BK records and it was recorded in Dublin during late 2017 with longtime producer Billy Farrell.

‘Christmassy’ includes Brian’s unique versions of classic Christmas songs like “Silent Night/ Oiche Chuin” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “In the Bleak Midwinter”. He has also put his original stamp on more recent festive favourites like the haunting “River” by Joni Mitchell and a tribute to the late George Michael with “Last Christmas”. He also revisits an old friendship in Kirsty MacColl with “Fairytale of New York”, and he couldn’t resist Slade’s “Merry Christmas Everybody”. There’s even an original song written with Brendan Murphy [ The 4 of us] called “Christmas Morning”. Brian will perform songs from ‘Christmassy’ at a special concert in St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin on December 11^th, tickets on sale now from tickets.ie

The Tommy Halferty Trio launch their new album ‘Station Midi’ on Wednesday 29th November with a a gig in Arthur’s Blues n’ Jazz Club, Thomas Street, Dublin. Tickets for the show are €10 with doors at 8.30pm.

The highly anticipated album release by LRP Records, feature’s exciting new original compositions by Guitarist/Composer Tommy Halferty & features the experienced rhythm section of Dave Redmond – Double & Electric-Bass & Kevin Brady.

Their original blend of improvised music, swing, rock & blues has been critically acclaimed internationally.

Halferty is one of the leading exponent’s of Jazz Guitar Improvisation & tuition from this country for many years, having performed for over 35 years with many of the World’s stalwarts of the improvisational music scene.

A night of music not to be missed & to be celebrated! Album available for purchase on the night.

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'”.

Christy plays Vicar Street on the following Dates: 11/12/19/20 December 2017 & 2/3/10/11 January 2018

Renowned Irish musician, Joe Chester, rounds of a successful year, with an intimate show at Dublin’s Grand Social on Wednesday December 13th. Joe will be ably assisted on the night by his close friends Vyvienne Long, and Steve Wickham.

2017 saw Joe Chester have his most prolific year in quite a few years. The Dublin singer, songwriter, and producer, released a trinity of albums in a nine-month period.

February saw the release of his latest studio album, ‘The Easter Vigil’, a narrative on his changing relationship with the Catholic Church over the course of his life. He marked the release with a show at Dublin’s Unitarian Church in late April, and the recordings from that night were released as ‘Live at Unitarian Church’ in September.

Then there was the, far from small, matter of re-issuing his 2005 album ‘A Murder of Crows’, which received wide acclaim upon its original release., The 2017 edition of the album is enhanced with demo, live, and unreleased recordings from the period in which it was originally released.

A Murder Of Crows (Special Edition)
“A perfect pop record” – Tom Dunne, Sunday Times
“A modern alternative pop gem” – Jim Carroll, Irish Times
“A record so good, it’s downright criminal” – Tony Clayton-Lea

The Easter Vigil
“Genuinely breathtaking… Truly transcendent” – Hot Press Magazine
“A tonic for our times, a triumph of substance over style” – The Irish Sun
“His most profound and moving work yet” – RTE

Tickets for The Grand Social Show are available online at www.tickets.ie priced €15

Much like ‘Die Hard’, mulled wine, brussel sprouts and Mariah Carey, some of the best festive things aren’t actually that Christmassy at all. Add to that list the new track from Wyvern Lingo – ‘Snow II’ – which drifts into the world on Friday 24th November on Rubyworks.

Caoimhe Barry, who sings lead on the song, says: “Snow II is partly written as a response to Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘I Am A Rock’. It’s from the perspective of the person trying to reach an ex lover who is in that dark place, cutting themselves off from the world.” She adds – “It’s about wanting to comfort them, but you can’t speak to them or hold them like you might have when you were in a relationship, and how sad and confusing that is.”

Originally recorded by the band in the summer of 2014, Snow II now pulses with an ethereal glow courtesy of James Kelly’s (WIFE, Zola Jesus) rich production and Neil Comber’s (M.I.A., Crystal Fighters) shimmering mix. “This is the version we always had in mind for this track.” – adds Caoimhe.

Following the successes of ‘I Love You, Sadie’ and ‘Out Of My Hands’, ‘Snow II’ is the third tantalising glimpse of Wyvern Lingo’s highly anticipated debut album, out in early 2018.

Wyvern Lingo are:

Caoimhe Barry – vocals, drums
Karen Cowley – vocals, synth, bass synth
Saoirse Duane – vocals, guitar

Snow II is out on Rubyworks on Friday 24th November.

When Conor Adams and Lar Kaye formed All Tvvins, their shared goal was to headline Dublin’s 1600-capacity Olympia Theatre – and that was achieved when they sold-out the venue last autumn, just weeks after their debut album ‘IIVV’ crashed into the Irish album charts at #2.

Now the duo have announced they will release their third single since ‘IIVV’ was released. Following on from “Alone Together” feat. James Vincent McMorrow, and “Anything” comes “Crash”, a clear step beyond anything that featured on ‘IIVV’ and a development on what they have done before.

When ‘IIVV’ was nominated for Album of the Year at the Choice Music Awards, it heralded the end of the album’s campaign. After a minimal break, the duo soon “turbo-boosted” their writing process where they amassed a group of new singles they plan on releasing over the coming months. Whereas they previously painstakingly crafted each song together, they instead found themselves creating almost completed ideas individually before allowing the other partner to put their stamp on it.

Most of the new tracks emerged on piano and synths before being fleshed out into a band dynamic. Inspired by a whole world of influences, Lar describes them as being “varied and extreme” and “emotionally charged”, while Conor notes that his interest in keys means that he has been writing a lot more on piano.

All Tvvins have previously shared stages with bands including Arcade Fire, Pixies and Foals, and have played events as diverse as the VICE House Party and the huge 2FM Xmas Ball in Dublin. They’re planning to road-test some new material across the summer festivals and announce a headline tour across Europe in March 2018.

Irish Tour Dates – March 2018

Wed 21st @ Limelight 2, Belfast ,UK

Fri 23rd @ The Olympia, Dublin , Ireland (LOW TICKETS)

Sat 24th @ Roisin Dubh, Galway, Ireland (SOLD OUT)

Thu 29th @ Dolans, Limerick, Ireland (LOW TICKETS)

Fri 30th @ Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Ireland

Sat 31st @ INEC, Killarney, Ireland

Mark Feehily, the Irish star, who notched up 14 number one hit records in his time with Westlife, is set to provide the soundtrack to Christmas with the release of his festive new album aptly titled ‘CHRISTMAS’.

The release sees Mark return to the music spotlight after a two-year absence. The album, a collection of classic Christmas favourites, will remind fans of the ‘Flying Without Wings’ singer’s vocal brilliance and delight new audiences with his unique takes on timeless songs.

Tracks on the album include a moving cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ and an uplifting version of Otis Redding’s ‘Merry Christmas Baby’ as well as Mark’s own versions of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and Mariah Carey’s ‘Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)’.

Mark’s music comeback is long overdue his stunning and soulful performance on ‘CHRISTMAS’ will only help to confirm that while boybands fade, talent lives on.

Mark says of the album: “Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year so naturally it’s been a dream of mine to make this album. “It’s been fantastic being back in the studio to cover wonderful songs and make them my own. I’ve had incredible feedback, particularly about River and Merry Christmas Baby. I’m looking forward to giving something back to fans. This is what the album is all about. It is a bit of my own Christmas gift to them.”

Mark Feehily Christmas – Unplugged LIVE at The Sugar Club, Dublin, Tuesday 19th Dec. 2017. Tickets on sale now!

‘CHRISTMAS’ will be released on the 1st December 2017.

http://markusfeehilyofficial.com/

Emerging from Cork’s small but close-knit metal scene in recent years, post-rock trio Ealadha have been winning hearts and minds around the country through regular gigging and a diverse, expansive sound.

2016 saw the band release debut EP ‘Limit of our Sight’ to praise from specialist press and fans alike. It was a statement record for the trio, expanding on their live show and presenting what Irish alternative blog overblown.co.uk have referred to as “an unusual and engrossing brand of music that thrilled, comforted, and surprised”, referring to it as “truly one of the releases of the year”.

It makes sense, then, that Overblown should do the honours on Ealadha’s first new material in over a year. Entitled ‘Bathe’, the song sees the band continue to vastly expand its sound, and its musical frame of reference.

Recorded and mixed by Shaun Cadogan (Last Light Recordings) at Sun Studios, Temple Bar, Dublin, the song was mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna) and to quote Overblown’s Jamie Coughlan “the track is simply more”, pointing to a finer-honed sense of songwriting and performance dynamic that has opened the band’s sound up hugely, and sets the tone for their next EP, ‘Versions Of You’.

‘Bathe’ is available to download and stream now, from the band’s online store and Spotify.

https://ealadha.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/track/5f0GXUgrin1IBXnMxiEjkX

Follow Ealadha on:
https://www.facebook.com/ealadhaband/
https://twitter.com/EaladhaBand

Ben and Darragh Pyne release their first E.P as a duo, ‘The Finish Line’, this month. The singer-songwriter brothers from Balbriggan in Dublin showcase their guitar/piano acoustic style with three self-penned tracks.

The E.P is made up of 2 uptempo pop songs in the forms of ‘The Best Thing’ and ‘The Finish Line’, and the mature ballad ‘As Long as I’m Breathing’.

Dublin songwriter Gillian Tuite lends her skills as a guitarist to the tracks, while Shay Cosgrave provides atmospheric drum.

The artwork for the E.P was created by Dublin-based photographer Tyler Kelly.

“The Finish Line” is available now on ITunes.

Check out ‘The Best Thing’, one of the songs from the E.P;

‘Trapped Within’ is the new EP from singer/songwriter Klara McDonnell. Best known for appearing on Coach Trip Road to Marbs in February alongside actor/model Dani Masterson and leaving in one of the most shocking exits ever in Coach Trip’s history. In July, she took part in filming for TV3’s Blind Date, her episode was due to air when the series returned in January but it has since been cancelled. She enjoyed her reality TV experiences but music is where her heart really lies.

This is the Dublin native’s first release since her band Hypno Puppet’s EP, “Rivers of Time” in 2015.

The EP was produced by  Rohan and Al Healy from The Dublin City Rounders and of The Voice UK fame alongside their musician/producer father, David Virgin. Klara also appears on David Virgin’s duet’s album, called “The Beautiful Album”, which was released in September this year. She sang on a track called “After Tomorrow”.

Klara’s influences include; Lera Lynn, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits, David Bowie and Patsy Cline.

Klara directed the music videos for both her first single “Lovers, which was released in September and the music video for the latest single “Trapped Within”. Her creative video concepts have been gathering a lot of interest online. The song, “Trapped Within” was inspired by Klara’s experiences in the music industry. The video features Irish actors such as Joe McKinney (Glenroe, King Arthur) and Dani Masterson (Coachtrip, Fair City).

The EP is released on 27th November.

http://klaramcdonnell.ie/