Author: Breffni Banks

Stoat are back with a just released new single and video “Try Not To Think About It”, ahead of their new album, also called “Try Not To Think About it”, due later in the summer.

Right now, “Try Not To Think About It” is the tune Stout most like to play live due to the combination of a big rolling groove and a heavily harmonised chorus.

As always, it’s not easy to say exactly what it sounds like – but there are shades of Beastie Boys,The B-52s and Talking Heads. Just to show Stoat are not living entirely in the past, you could also compare it with Ezra Furman or Courtney Barnett. Lyrically, Cormac zeroes in on the downside of fatherhood. Nobody really talks about that kind of thing.

Try not to think about it being the third single to be taken from their upcoming album. It’s already picked up airplay on 98FM, Cork 96FM, Somer Valley FM in England, and been featured on the AAABadboy blog.

The first single taken from the album was “Talk Radio Makes Me Feel Alone”. Pure M Zine said it was “as infectious as anything currently in the Top 10“. Bobby Green at Musician.ie said it was “by far the greatest thing I’ve heard this year“.

Nice things were also said about the second single from the album – “Trampolina”. Nialler9 named it video of the week in March. Those nice people at 8Radio have been giving it tonnes of airplay and said it filled their hearts with joy.

Twitter @StoatMusic
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stoatmusic/

Wexford Singer/Songwriter Gordon Barry has won this years top prize for lyrics at The International Songwriting Competition in Nashville for his song ‘Devil & St. Jesus’. An annual event judged by Tom Waits, the late Chris Cornell, Lorde, Rickie Lee Jones, Donovan and many more, The ISC is considered the most prestigious songwriting competition in the world and according to the New York Times, “is the songwriting competition to take note of“.

Previous ISC winners include Gotye, Passenger, Gregory Porter and Bastille, and Gordon now joins Cork Songwriters Mick Flannery and Jack O’ Rourke as the only other Irish artist to win the award. Speaking of Gordon’s win, Founder & Director of The International Songwriting Competition, Candace Avery remarked that the judges really rated Gordon’s lyrics and had this to say of the win “Irish Troubadour Gordon Barry’s lyrics show that classic lyric writing is alive and well in the 21st century. With vivid imagery and the deft turn of phrase, Gordon’s lyrics are certainly worthy of winning First Place for lyrics at this year’s International Songwriting Competition.”

Speaking of his win Gordon said “I am really honoured to win the award knowing how much regard the ISC is held in and i’m obviously really proud of the song itself. I was notified last week that over 20,000 artists from 137 countries had entered and I had won the award so that is something else when you really think about it. Some of the judges are huge influences on me, none more so than Tom Waits, who I consider one of the greatest lyricists of our time, so for him to have a say in the win is very very pleasing and to think that the words stand alone as a solitary piece and are recognised by my peers is something i am really grateful for.”

Gordon is set to release his single of ‘Devil & St. Jesus’ in the coming weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/Gordonbarrymusic/

Hege-Anita Skjaervik – or just Hege, like the title of the album – was born in Hitra, an island near Trondheim in Norway. She lived in Dublin for ten years, singing with an R&B duo and a seven piece band. It was when she teamed to perform with Dublin pianist/arranger/producer Josh Johnston that the idea for her own album developed. Working with sound engineer Michael Manning at Cauldron Studios and a team of renowned Irish session musicians, the project took form.

What first strikes the listener is the power and range of Hege’s striking voice. With a vocal range sounding out somewhere between Aretha Franklin and Amy Winehouse, she has a unique timbre that ranges from thunderously forceful to an acute breathy sweetness that winnows gently through the most sensitive of emotions. There’s also a spontaneity about it that can border on roughness, lending the album a streety edge. From the first song, ‘And you will know him,’ this is well showcased, as is the subtle musical arrangement that characterises the album. Featuring piano, guitar, double bass, Latino percussion, horns, strings and a Gospel choir, the various tracks sparkle with a rich yet surprisingly un-crowded texture. “While primarily a soul album, it also draws on my other musical interests,” notes Hege, “such as pop, jazz and blues.”

“The horn, string and vocal arrangements use classical and film scoring techniques as well as more idiomatic soul styling,” adds Josh Johnston. The duo came up with the final, intriguing touch that reflects a shared interest: some fine backing vocals from The Gospel Project from Dublin. Soul is perhaps the dominant genre that comes to mind as Hege’s lyrics explore themes of thwarted relationships, complicated friendships and lovers trying to figure out the vagaries of life.

“We all have a personal history and this album is very, very personal to me,” says Hege. “I can link every lyric to someone that made an impact on my life.”

In “Why Can’t I Feel You” – the recently released single – laughter can be “such a sad, sad sound” and yet in the following track “Love Phone” (the upcoming single), Hege toasts the freedom of an affair involving “a little love, a lot of sex”, her voice wildly sensual over a jazzy, upbeat tempo.

“Hege” will be launched almost simultaneously in Ireland and Norway and will be available from www.hegeanita.com as well as from all the usual digital download and streaming partners. You can listen to her first single here: www.hegeanita.com/recordings

For more, see: www.HegeAnita.com.

International release: 09 June 2017, Trondheim
Dublin launch: Whelan’s 22nd June, 2017

In 2014, with the support of the Irish music community, Friends of Cuban Uilleann Pipers brought Alexander Suarez Mendez, to Ireland.

That trip proved hugely beneficial to Alexander and he has made wonderful progress with his playing of Irish Traditional music on the uilleann pipes. He now teaches other Cubans the pipes on a weekly basis in Havana and is working in a Luthiers workshop in Havana where he has access to equipment which will hopefully enable him to make uilleann pipes. Friends of Cuban Uilleann Pipers have been continuing to help this growing piping community in Cuba as best they can.

In February 2017 they were invited to assist with some concerts as part of the recent state visit by President Michael D Higgins to Cuba at which two Cuban uilleann pipers, Alexander and Rosalia Acosta Corrales from Pinar Del Rio, performed.

Now, they am trying to further assist both Alexander and Rosalia by bringing them to Ireland from June 28th to July 26th 2017, to attend Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and to attend workshops in piping and pipemaking. They have also been invited to perform in Áras an Uachtaráin during their visit.

To support the trip, Friends of Cuban Uilleann Pipers are raising funds with a concert on Thursday June 1 in the Grand Social venue in Dublin.

Performers include Hothouse Flowers front man Liam Ó Maonlaí and will include Noel Hill, Liam O’Connor, Seán McKeon, John Blake along with legendary Dublin singers Jimmy Kelly and Pat Goode and the newly formed Dublin Lasses.

Tickets can be purchased online at the following link https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cuban-uilleann-pipers-fundraising-concert-tickets-33241881362?aff=es2

Further details of the visit including footage of Alexander, Rosalia and other Cuban uilleann pipers performing can be found on Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/mckeong/videos/1293715140663552/

Following up the 2014 release of home recorded album ‘Hot Bath’ which earned plaudits from online tastemakers DIY Magazine, YVYNYL and Don’t Need No Melody, SILVERBACKS return to the spotlight with the fuzzy, churning mastery of new EP ‘Sink The Fat Moon’. Another self-produced effort, it showcases the bands progression in just two years from bedroom auteurs trying to find their song-writing feet to genuine contenders for the Irish noise-rock crown.

‘Dirty Money’ is the bands’ opening shot – a rush of squalling guitars, thrashing drums and Daniel O’Kelly’s laconic drawl combining into a short, sharp burst of discordant NY-indebted rock.

Like most important things, Silverbacks started as a means of distraction for Daniel and Kilian O’Kelly, the songwriters behind the Dublin noise-rockers’ new EP Sink The Fat Moon. Formed for fun and a way of complementing their nascent degrees in Music Technology, any of the experiments they let loose found their way to lofty heights. ‘Atta Boyz’ , a scrappy recording done on an inbuilt laptop mic, landed them plaudits from influential lo-fi blogger Songs By Toad. Another single, ‘Fad 95’ impressed the likes of Don’t Need No Melody and Yvynyl, while a following post on DIY Magazine found the brothers fielding show offers and label interest. They forged ahead, adding bassist Emma Hanlon and later drummer Gary Wickham and guitarist Peadar Kearney to their lineup and refining their compositional chops. ‘Sink The Fat Moon’ is the result of their efforts. A buzzy, discordant five tracker, it shows off a maturity to the O’Kelly’s writing while still showcasing what made Silverbacks important in the first place. Guitars squall and drums thrash around Daniel’s laconic refrain in ‘Dirty Money’. Faint traces of Tropicalia sneak into the loose stomp of ‘The Great Father’. New York’s past is buried in the DNA of scuzzy thumper ‘What’s In Your Bag?. Tongue in cheek lyrics about their homeland’s place in the music world masking greater existentialism drives ‘Not Ones To Watch’. Finally, the dour, screeching ‘Holiday In Cambodia’ finishes off the EP in apoplectic style. As statements of intent go, Silverbacks are as clear as a kick in the throat.

Links:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Silverbacks
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/silverbacksfour
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/silverbacks
Bandcamp – https://silverbacks.bandcamp.com
Breaking Tunes – www.breakingtunes.com/silverbacks

As the anticipation continues to grow for their new album ‘Trust the Wire’ (out June 2nd), The Coronas’ newest single, ‘Real Feel’, fuses their catchy radio-friendly tendencies of old, along with their new-found atmospheric sound. This new direction can be heard in their most recent release “We Couldn’t Fake It” which enjoyed significant airplay all over Ireland and further afield.

A feel-good summer anthem about the excitement of a new relationship, ‘Real Feel’ seems destined to delight The Coronas’ fans and will no doubt prove to be an awesome live moment at The Coronas big outdoor shows this Summer at Sea Sessions, Galway Arts Festival and their huge headline show in Kilmainham (July 1st) to name but a few!

‘Real Feel’can be downloaded from iTunes and ‘Trust The Wire’ can be pre-ordered from here.

See The Coronas live this Summer;
24 June Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
30 June Live At The Marquee, Cork
1 July IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin
29 July Galway Arts Festival, Galway
5 August Indiependence Festival, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork

thecoronas.net

James Vincent McMorrow has today confirmed details of new album True Care, which is available next week (May 26^th) via Faction Records.  A track list is below, and additional information, including lyrics, can be found at genius.com.

James will bring the album on tour in June, July, and August, in the U.S. and Europe. He plays Trinity College in Dublin as part of the Trinity Summer Series on July 7th. Tickets are currently on sale from www.ticketmaster.ie

True Care comes closely on the heels of James’ critically acclaimed September 2016 album We Move and was recorded in December of that same year.

Speaking on True Care for the first time, James says:

“Life is long. But then, it isn’t really. Since I’ve been making records it’s been about following a cycle. Make a record. Wait. Release a record. Play for 18 months. Take a break. I don’t really understand that cycle any more. I want to make records when I’m compelled to, and I want to release them when they’re still as fresh to me as they are to whomever is hearing them for the first time. The idea of sitting around waiting doesn’t make sense to me. 

I had an idea fixed in my head since the second I stopped making We Move. This idea of a very real now, and a very vague future. I had this date, December 2914, which I was writing towards. Not in a specific, ‘what will it be like in the future’ kind of way. I just wanted to fix a point way out there, so far away that I’ll never see it, and use it as an anchor point to start writing about my life now, remembering my life before now, and the complete abstraction that is my life in the future.”

James Vincent McMorrow – True Care

01. December 2914
02. True Care
03. The National
04. Thank You
05. Interlude no 1
06. Constellations
07. Holding On
08. Bears
09. Pink Salt Lake
10. Interlude no 2
11. Bend Your Knees
12. Change of Heart
13. Glad It’s Raining
14. Don’t Wait Forever
15. Outro

James  Vincent McMorrow True Care Europe Tour
June 24 | Luxembourg | Siren’s Call Festival
July 1 | Gloucester | Barn on the Farm Festival
July 5 | Paris | Philharmonie de Paris
July 7 | Dublin | Trinity College
July 14 | Benicassim | FIB Benicassim
July 15 | Lisbon | Super Block Festival
July 24 | London | Village Underground
July 25 | London | Village Underground
July 26 | London | Village Underground
August 18 | Cologne | C/o Pop
August 19 | Hamburg | Dockville
September 9 | Wales | Festival Number 6

James Vincent McMorrow True Care U.S. Tour
June 3 | Philadelphia, PA | The Roots Picnic
June 4 | Toronto, ON | First York
June 6 | Ferndale, MI | The Magic Bag
June 7 | Indianapolis, IN | The Hi-Fi
June 9 | Manchester, TN | Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
June 10 | Atlanta, GA | Terminal West @ King Plow Arts Center
June 11 | Saxanpahaw, NC | Haw River Ballroom
June 13 | Charlottsville, VA | Jefferson Theatre
June 14 | Millvale, PA | Mr Smalls Theatre
June 15 | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Steel
Aug 1 | Chicago, IL | Thalia Hall
Wed Aug 2 | Minneapolis, MN | First Ave
Thu Aug 3 | Omaha, NE | The Waiting Room
Sat Aug 5 | Englewood, CO | Gothic Theatre
Mon Aug 7 | Phoenix, AZ | Crescent Ballroom
Tue Aug 8 | San Diego, CA | Belly Up Tavern
Fri Aug 11 | Los Angeles, CA | John Anson Ford
Sat Aug 12 | Santa Barbara, CA | Lobero Theatre
Sun Aug 13 | San Francisco, CA | Outside Lands
Tue Aug 15 | Vancouver, BC | Vogue Theater

FACEBOOK   | INSTAGRAM  | TWITTER 

The finalists of the 2017 Clancy Brothers and the ‘A Song for Carrick’ songwriting competitions have been announced.

The finalists of the 2017 Clancy Brothers Songwriting Competition are…

Siobhan Franks and Rob Shiels with ‘Don’t Let Me Go‘, Declan Carruthers with ‘Shots at Dawn‘ and Katie Carpenter and Gary Burke with ‘Like Home‘.

First place is €500 sponsored by IMRO and the Clancy Brothers Festival, recording, mixing and mastering at Crossroads Recording, Kilkenny, and CD duplication by Duplication Ireland. The runners up will each win €250, so no one goes home empty handed.

The finalists of ‘A Song for Carrick’ are…

Darragh McDonagh with ‘Diamond of Carrick-on-Suir‘, Jane Ross Fallon with ‘Tragedy at the Old Bridge‘, and Frank Callery with ‘Alleys Run Down to the Quay‘.

First place is €200 and the runners up win €50 each, sponsored by the Carrick-on-Suir Business Association and the Clancy Brothers Festival.

Final Concert

All the finalists will gather to play their competition songs in the Nano Nagle Chapel, Carrick-on-Suir, on Sunday June 4.

The concert will be headlined by Robbie O’Connell, folk songwriter and former member of the Clancy Brothers group. It’s shaping up to be an unmissable night of original music in the stunning Nano Nagle Chapel.

Tickets for the concert are €10 from the Tudor Artisan Hub, 42 Main Street, Carrick-on-Suir, tel. 051 640921

www.clancybrothersfestival.org

“Save Me With Love” is released from Dermot Barrett’s acclaimed first solo album – ‘Dawns Eras Tides’.

“Save Me With Love” is released in conjunction with news of Dermot’s first tour with a band, since his Ten Speed Racer days.The band include the incredible talents of Joe Chester (who produced the album) on guitar, and Bryan McMahon and Anton Hegarty (both former members of Future Kings of Spain) on drums and bass.

“A cool breeze of a love song“- Hot Press.

“Save Me With Love is the Sun playing Guitar, with a cool breeze on Bass, the Moon drums, The Stars play keys, at a picnic, in the countryside, of the most perfect country, on the greatest of days of anyones summer, the bees are buzzin’, the amps are humming, the drums are drumming, the trees are singin’…and, hey, look over there- Why that looks like several coolers full of cool, cool drinks. Ah, Summer I love you!” – Marit Venn.

They will be playing-
WHELANS – 15th JUNE
CLEERE’S, KILKENNY- 16th JUNE
PHIL GRIMES, WATERFORD- 17th JUNE
THE DOOLIN FOLK FESTIVAL- Sun, 18th JUNE

http://www.facebook.com/DermotBarrettmusic
https://twitter.com/DermotBarrett10

“Break Your Daddy’s Heart” is the first single to be taken from Dubliner Gavin Glass’ fifth album “Opus Pocus”, which Gavin claims is his best work to date.

The song was written in the early hours on a January morning after returning home from the hospital after the birth of his daughter.

The song is a heart-warming, radio-friendly slice of perfect pop, which sees Gavin showcasing his production and songwriting chops.

It was mixed by in the legendary Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis by multi Grammy award winning engineer Matt Ross Spang, whom Gavin met and struck up a friendship with while recording in the birthplace of rock n’ roll, Sun Studios, Memphis.

Gavin is often described as a bit of Renaissance Man within the music industry.

As a record producer he has produced over 200 artists and continues to own and operate one of the country’s finest recording studios – Orphan Recording.

He has played alongside and recorded with artists such as Lisa Hannigan, Paul Brady, Mundy, Jerry Fish, Cathy Davey, John Grant & Villagers, Clarence Clemons of The E-Street Band, Chas & Dave, Billy Bragg & Joe Henry to name but a few.

He was the music director on the last year’s box-office smash hit – Sing Street and continues to present and champion unsigned Irish talent on his “Locals Only” radio show on Radio Nova.