Author: Breffni Banks

Galway singer-songwriter Martina Flaherty has just released her latest single ‘Falling into Love’, which went to number one in the Irish Singer-Songwriter Charts two days after being released.

The song is a love song to self and about connecting deep within to find peace and release. It was recorded in 432hz and she hopes the song will bring healing and comfort to all who listen. It was recorded and produced by Dave Skelton, Ger Madden plays piano and it was mixed by Aiden Foley.

Her debut single ‘Maybe’ came 2nd in The International Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category back in 2011, and she also won the Allingham Song Contest in 2017.

Herself and band got a great reception when they played played Electric Picnic this year.

At the minute, she is working on her album and planning some shows for early Summer.

The track is available to purchase now at: https://marti2.bandcamp.com/track/falling-into-love

Exciting, Donegal based singer-songwriter George Houston unleashes his highly anticipated new album ‘Undesired’.

The young artist kicked off his career in September 2020 with the release of his debut single ‘Boo Fucking Hoo’. The track picked up instant success which led to Houston being persuaded to record his debut album Cold Toast cementing his distinctive sound with brooding vocals, airy harmonies and candid lyrics. The artist has since seen traction and a steady growth of listeners across the country and beyond and has created a very loyal fanbase.

George Houston has received much high praise for his music having been played on radio and playlists throughout Ireland that has led to the young artist gaining a strong following. He’s had over 40,000 streams on Spotify since he released his album, making the artist a close one to watch and setting a sturdy foundation for his career ahead that is bound to excite music fans. Some previous support includes the likes of Radio Nova, Shannonside FM, Highland Radio, Dundalk FM, Drive 105, Album of the week on Ocean FM and many more.

Since the release of his debut album, the eclectic pop artist has found himself with multiple opportunities having played at The Regional Cultural Centre, An Grianán Theatre, Buncrana Music Festival, Dunfanaghy Festival, The Earagail Arts Festival, BlackBox Belfast, Whelans and the famous Stendhal Festival with the legendary Sister Sledge and Hayseed Dixies headlining.

Other acts he’s had the pleasure of supporting include In Their Thousands, Tramp, Reevah, Without Willow, Niall McDowell, Rory Nellis and the award-winning Ciaran Lavery who co-wrote George’s first single of 2022 in an exciting collaboration titled ‘Painted Faces’. The artist is also set to support the amazing Hothouse Flowers December 2022.

As the singer- songwriter has been producing his second studio album for the past year, he’s excited to announce its long-awaited release, titled ‘Undesired’.

Undesired (Album Bio)

Keeping his ties close with his distinctive nostalgic sound, Donegal artist George Houston takes us to a dream-like world with rich vocals, twinkling synths and booming bass in his second eclectic pop album, ‘Undesired’.

Genres like Americana, vintage pop and folk rock were amongst the strong influences to the musician; he looked to artists like Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie as inspirations for the soundscapes within the eleven-track album.

The listener is taken through the stages of grieving a lost relationship as each song is treated with a different approach to genre and feel.

With melancholic ballads like ‘World’s Worst Loser’ and ‘Her Glory’, Nonchalant chirpy songs like ‘New Friends’ and ‘Please Hold’, and distraught angsty numbers like ‘I Hate Love’ and the title track ‘Undesired’; the album builds and climaxes leaving deflated, wistful yet characteristically sunny tracks to cool the album down.

Ultimately the closing track ‘Turtle Island’ mirrors the destruction of what once felt like home in a dramatic instrumental outro, giving the album an overall cinematic feeling of closure.

As the production and sound of the album has been worked on over the past year (2021-2022), it has been used as a tool to exhibit the songwriting and storytelling the artist most prides himself on. With a love for songwriting greats like Leanord Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton; George has always tried to view his songs like poetry and storytelling, achieving a candid straightforward style that tells it as it is in an unpretentious manner that relates to audiences with ease.

True to form, the artist’s second studio album continues the eclectic pop world that listeners have grown to love since George Houston’s debut album ‘Cold Toast’. ‘Undesired’ in all its glory is another triumph in finding beauty in the sad and ugly aspects of life we try to keep hidden from view.

Undesired (Focus Track)

“Do you think it turns me on to be so damn undesired?” – The cutting question throughout the title track of George Houston’s second album ‘Undesired’.

Donegal musician George Houston sings of an unrequited love and the pain of a lost relationship in the fifth track of his brand-new album building to a climax in the 11-track record.

As the artist continues to deliver with his use of shimmering synths and choral harmonies, there is a grungy edge to this track that engages the listener to the pop rock, dreamy, almost anthemic song.

With an angsty spirit to the number, the wounded tragic narrative and romantic references within the verses set up the making of an empowering ‘come back’ chorus. Through the use of powerful drums and bass mixed with intense choir-like vocals, the closing chorus has a strong feeling of grandeur and accomplishment.

‘Undesired’ is a luscious soundscape comparable to the heavenly tracks of Fleet Foxes with bright backing vocals and a rich vocal lead likened to the deep melodies of Lana Del Rey; this distinctive sound hooks the listener in from the get go, drawing them to the memorable chorus lines associated with the artist that has set him apart from the alt-pop crowd typically seen in the country today.

Connect with George Houston

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Cork Orchestral Society makes a welcome return with an exciting program for autumn/winter 2022. They are pleased to announce twelve spectacular shows taking place in venues across Cork city including a highlight featuring the RTE Concert Orchestra on November 19 in Cork City Hall.

Conductor David Brophy guides the RTÉ Concert Orchestra through an enthralling, wide-ranging programme featuring Beethoven’s Egmont Overture; the live world premiere of Paul Frost’s Burning of Cork; a Slavonic Dance by Dvořák; and Lyric FM’s Aedin Gormley will narrate Prokofiev’s popular “symphonic fairy tale for children”, Peadar agus an Mac Tíre (Peter and the Wolf) on November 19, in City Hall.

Conor Palliser conducts the Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra in an afternoon performance of Otto Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor Overture; the Prelude to Max Bruch’s oratorio Odysseus, and the Prelude to Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner in this FREE lunchtime concert in the Curtis Auditorium on November 19.

Dubliner David Brophy studied in Trinity College Dublin – gaining a Bachelor of Music (Performance) degree as well as in England and Holland. He later studied under conductor Gerhard Markson. He has conducted the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, the Dublin Orchestral Players, and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, before being appointed Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (RTÉCO). His career, while primarily based in Ireland, has brought him to many parts of Europe, Africa, America and Canada. While conducting the RTÉ NSO, he performed in front of over 80,000 people at the opening ceremony of The Special Olympics World Games in 2003. As Principal Conductor of the RTÉCO Brophy conducted the orchestra in front of Queen Elizabeth II at The Convention Centre Dublin on her state visit to Ireland in May 2011.

Speaking on the launch of the new season programme Artistic Director of Cork Orchestral Society Tom Crowley of said: “We’re looking forward to the launch of Cork Orchestral Society’s long awaited 2022 Autumn Season. This will be a celebration of symphonic orchestral music, and we have pulled out all the stops! We begin with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ireland’s largest professional symphony orchestra, making a proud return to Cork on September 24th with a captivating programme of Slavic music. This marks the first of no less than seven orchestral programmes we are excited to present in Cork before year’s end. Another highlight will be welcoming the RTE Concert Orchestra back to City Hall (November 19th) where they will perform a world live premier of “The Burning of Cork Suite”, a recent composition by Cork composer Paul Frost. To mention that the season will include Handel’s Messiah (featuring Cork Baroque Players and Madrigal ’75) only now is a testament to the wealth of high quality orchestral music on offer this season. Our offering also includes two wonderful string quartet concerts with the Pirosmani Quartet and the Solas Quartet and a host of other musical treats.”

All details, and tickets, are available at www.corkorchestralsociety.ie

Concert Dates

September 24 – The National Symphony Orchestra, City Hall, Cork, 7:30pm

October 6 – Kölner Orchester-Gesellschaft, City Hall, Cork, 7:30pm

October 14 – Madrigal ’75 and the Cork Baroque Players, TBC

October 20 – Pirosmani Quartet, Curtis Auditorium, 7:30pm

November 10 – Solas Quartet, Curtis Auditorium, 7:30pm

November 12 – Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra, City Hall, Cork, 7:30pm

November 16 – Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra with Barry Douglas, Curtis Auditorium, 7:30pm

November 19 – Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra – Curtis Auditorium, 1:10pm

November 19 – RTÉ Concert Orchestra, City Hall, Cork, 7:30pm

December 7 – Gavan Ring (tenor) and Gary Beecher (piano), Curtis Auditorium, 7:30pm

December 11 – The Fleischmann Choir, St Michael’s, Blackrock, 6pm

December 22 – Madrigal ’75 Christmas Concerts, Curtis Auditorium, 7:30pm

What a fantastic year it has been for super-talented Ruby Moss! Not only has she performed on piano at the New Music Festival in the National Concert Hall and performed on a national broadcast as part of Dermot Lambert’s Garageland, she played her first outdoor festival, taking the stage at the Glass House for Vantastival in County Louth and then wowing the crowd at the Dublin City Spencer Dock stage the following week for Culture Night, where she performed a one hour set of her original music on guitar and keyboard accompanied by the brilliant Ben Prevo.

Ruby released her 7th single ‘Pretend’ on September 25th. Of her second original single of 2022, she says that…

“…it’s about how we pretend that things are okay when clearly they are not, from ignoring climate change to ignoring our feelings and soldiering on as if everything is okay.  Ignoring problems doesn’t make them go away”.

At just 15, Ruby has been added and stayed for two weeks on the RTE Radio 1 Recommends list this October. ‘Pretend’ has had huge support across Ireland, the UK and beyond and continues racking plays on national radio stations all over the world. ‘Pretend’ has been positively reviewed by BBC Introducing writer Neil March, The GOO Magazine Dublin, by Revue Magazine in Canada amongst many others.

‘Pretend’ was written by Ruby earlier this year and she has performed acoustic versions of it at several venues including playing it live on air on Dublin South FM and Belfast 89FM. On the studio version, Ruby plays flute and guitar on the track as well as providing all backing vocals and harmonies. It was recorded in Beardfire Studios and the single release was mixed and mastered by Paul Tipler of Unit 13 in London (Squeeze, Elastica, The Wonderstuff, Placebo).

Ruby’s other releases continue to receive radio play including her Climate Trilogy released last year. “My Climate Trilogy is an important piece of work for me.” Ruby says, “I am a Climate Ambassador with An Taisce and being able to play these songs at gigs is an easy way in for me to talk about climate change and climate actions”.

Ruby has recently been shortlisted for several awards including Vegan Entertainer of the Year by VegfestUK. You will find more information on this award and the other she has been nominated for on her social media pages.

What’s next for Ruby? “Right now? Can I say sleep? Sleep! This year is an exam year, so the pressure is on at school for the Junior Cert. I’m also taking several music exams this year including grade 8 piano, so things are busy. I am practicing my instruments between two and four hours every day so yes, right now, sleep please! I’m not planning any new music releases before Christmas. That being said – I am writing all the time and wrote some things I like this week while I was off school and I have a couple of classical pieces finished, well, as finished as they will ever be!  I also have a project that I am hoping to finish soon that involves The Girl with the Flute, Emma Coulthard.”

If you want to be the first to hear what she is up to, check out her social media below.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website | YouTube

The first release from Where the Waters Meet will be a reimagined cover of ‘Bette Davis Eyes’, commissioned by the Recording Academy (Grammy Awards). The video will launch on 18th November and be hosted across all of the Recording Academy’s online channels.

The song will be released the following week on all streaming platforms (November 25th).

Connect with Where the Waters Meet

Instagram

Credits
Audio Recorded and Mixed by Scott Halliday
Visuals by Lucas Mac Diarmada & Christopher O’Sullivan
Artwork by Jack Burrell at Belle Illustration

Independent release by Where the Waters Meet © 2022

“It made me feel really unsafe and angry that my safety cannot be guaranteed because of my gender.”

Pop singer and devout feminist pours emotion into hard-hitting new release ‘Woman in a World,’ motivated by a spate of violence against women in the UK and Ireland, followed quickly by the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in the USA.

County Meath songstress Lisa Murray has been inspiring headlines with relatable and catchy singles, ‘i unfollowed u’ and ‘if I ever see you again,’ striking a chord with listeners across Ireland and beyond, earning over three million impacts on Irish radio and spots in the Top 10 Irish Radio Breakers Chart, the Top 200 Irish Shazam Chart and huge critical acclaim, with Spin 1038 hailing her as “one to watch.”

Having heard, in quick succession, multiple heartbreaking stories in the press about murders and violence against women, Lisa tried to craft a tweet, a post or an Instagram story about her feelings. Finding this inadequate, she turned eventually to write in her most natural and authentic way, in the form of a song. With lyrics written predominantly in January 2022, ‘Woman in a World’ was updated with a second verse later in the year, after the Supreme Court in the US overturned Roe vs. Wade abortion rights law.

“‘Woman in a World’ is a reflection of the inner thoughts and feelings I have as a woman in today’s day and age.  At a time when biases, sexism & brutal violence against women still happens across the globe, this song is an uncomfortable expression of the things people don’t talk openly about. My aspiration for the song is to raise awareness about the fears and frustrations of the women of this world for those who don’t understand them. Unfortunately, many women will resonate with the feelings and themes expressed in the song. I also hope this song will strike a chord with them, and help them know they are not alone.”  

With a strong feminist streak and huge passion about women’s issues such as abortion rights, violence against women, rape culture, the gender pay gap, and any issues pertaining to the lack of safety and support for women in the world, Lisa devotes a lot of her time towards closing the gender gap in the music industry, heading up the Dublin Chapter of shesaid.so and having worked closely with She Knows Tech over the years.

With influences such as Taylor Swift, Sigrid and MARINA, and accompanied by a solemn piano, expressive strings and simple bass and drums, Lisa laments over the fears and frustrations faced by many women in today’s day and age. ‘Woman in a World’ is the first single to be released from forthcoming EP “Empty Heart” (due out in early 2023) and is Lisa’s most collaborative project thus far. Having travelled to Edinburgh to record at Chamber Studio, she worked with recording and mix engineer Graeme Young, bassist Mandy Clarke, drummer Davide Rinaldi and guitarist/string arranger Marty Hailey to bring the vision and essence of the song to life. Lisa has recorded a video to accompany the single, amplifying the loneliness and emotion of being a woman in this world, set for release on 18th November.

Lisa holds a Masters degree in Music Production, Technology and Innovation from the world-renowned Berklee College of Music as well as an undergraduate degree in Music and Irish from Trinity College Dublin. Alongside her musical work, Lisa works as an Audio Engineer at Sony Music Entertainment.

TO FIND LISA MURRAY ONLINE, PLEASE VISIT:

SPOTIFY | INSTAGRAM  | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE |  PRESS KIT

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact

lisa@nulllisa-murray.com

Variant Sea are a Dublin/Reykjavik based ambient-post rock duo comprising pianist Luke Duffy and guitarist Shell Dooley. Working together to create visually inspired instrumental music, the pair have merged subtle piano melodies and turbulent multi-layered guitars to deliver a cinematic and atmospheric sound that is their own. Following the success of their first three records, their 2021 single ‘Wayfare’ was chosen for Classical New Releases and Not Quite Classical editorial playlists on Spotify and has over 400k streams to date.

‘Journey’ is Variant Sea’s first album, with eight works creating an emotional soundscape of a journey through life and the challenges that shape a person. Variant Sea have developed their sound further on this collection to create an immersive and reflective atmosphere for the listener.

‘Journey’ is out now on:

Spotify | Bandcamp | Amazon Music | Apple Music | Deezer | iTunes

and all major streaming platforms