Author: Breffni Banks

Mark Geary and Farah Elle have just been announced to perform at the next IMRO First Cuts Showcases at Abner Brown’s. The April edition of the new monthly showcase, will take place on Thursday 6th April at 8.00pm. Admission is FREE but due to limited capacity booking is essential: email events@nullimro.ie To guarantee entry those on guestlist must arrive by 8.15pm.

IMRO First Cuts Showcases at Abner Brown’s feature the best up and coming as well as established Irish acts. In the intimate setting performers are given the opportunity to debut new tracks along with their current material. Performance highlights and interviews with all acts who perform are later streamed online at www.IMRO.ie and across IMRO’s social media channels. The first showcase featured Marc O’Reilly and Ailbhe Reddy.

Described as a “quintessential singer-songwriter”, Dublin-native Mark Geary is a celebrated musician who began his career over 20 years ago and has gone on to tour all over Europe, the US and Australia, and has shared the stage with performers such as The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Josh Ritter, Bell X1, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and Joe Strummer.  In recent years, he has played shows and festivals in both the US and across Europe notably in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, including a headline spot on the critically acclaimed Songs from Ireland: Old and New tour. He also supported Glen Hansard on several of his European dates in 2015 and 2016. With his 5th studio album now mixed and mastered, 2017 sees Mark road-testing the songs from the new album which will be released later this year.

Farah El Neihum, otherwise known as ‘Farah Elle’; is a songwriter with an alternative pop sound influenced by an eclectic taste of genres; from hiphop to R&B and ska, while featuring Arabian echoes from her Libyan background. She is currently based in Dublin, having moved to Ireland with her family when she was 2. Her rhythmic lyrics, piano driven songs and distinctive voice aim to reveal something of the beauty in the ephemeral everyday. She is currently writing her debut album at home, and collaborating with different artists and producers – For the meantime, her single “Silk” is available on Spotify, iTunes & Soundcloud – as well as “Feel It Out” a collaboration track with BANTUM, lyrics and melody written by Farah Elle.

Abner Brown’s is not only the coolest barbershop in town, it’s also one of Dublin’s most unique venues. The unlikely Rathmines venue has already seen performances from hundreds of acts such as Ash, Gavin Glass, Duke Special, David Geraghty (of Bell X1 fame), The Young Folk, Molly Sterling, Mundy, The Hot Sprockets and many more. REM’s Michael Stipe has even paid a visit.

IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members (songwriters, composers and music publishers) and on behalf of members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. Music users such as broadcasters, venues and businesses must pay for their use of copyright music by way of a blanket licence fee. IMRO’s Mission is to protect, promote and develop the collection and distribution of music royalties; foster music creation and promote the value of music to the creative, cultural and business communities in Ireland.

Tickets for IMRO First Cuts at Abner Brown’s are FREE but due to limited capacity booking is essential. To reserve tickets please email events@nullimro.ie

For More Information:
http://imro.ie
https://www.facebook.com/AbnerBrownsBarbershop/
https://www.facebook.com/farahellemusic
http://markgeary.com/

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

Recorded with acclaimed producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian), ‘We Always Lose’ is the huge debut single from KARMS. The Dublin 4 piece honed their wall of sound with Tony, recording 10 tracks over 5 days in Attica Audio, Donegal.

KARMS debut single We Always Lose is available for download and streaming on April 21st.

www.karmsmusic.com

Music producer Stephen Dunwoody explains just some of the very real benefits of becoming a member of IMRO.

“I have never made much money from my music. I have never tried to. To me it is a gift, a joy and simply a way of life. Six months ago I made a decision that totally changed the way I view music, and now suddenly I find I have real earning potential.

For over 25 years I have written, played and recorded my compositions; from early cassettes to four track, reel to reel and now with my current home multitrack studio. Performing for years on the pub and club circuit I could slip in the odd original piece of music, perhaps two songs during the customary two hour set. I released my first album in 1995, trotting out another every five years ago. I used them to promote me; in other words, I sent them off to promoters to get real paying gigs. They were nothing more than a loss leader for me, a jobbing musician with a young family to support.

On advice from a friend, I took the step of registering my songs with the Irish Musicians’ Rights Organisation IMRO. Having been a long time member, I used to baulk at the seemingly impossible mass of paperwork giving myself the reasonable excuse ‘it’s not worth the hassle’. However it can all be done now online.

IMRO say: ‘We make it possible for businesses to tap into the many commercial benefits of using music and ensure that the creators of this music are rightly rewarded for the public use of their work’.

So what’s not to like about that? And another thing – there is no fee for IMRO membership for either writer or publisher applicants. With a new album ‘Trouble in Mind’ due for release I plunged ahead, also signing up with CD Baby who, for a one off payment, take care of Digital distribution on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, and dozens more.  There are other ways and companies that do this, but this one suited my needs.

Last month I received my first royalty check from IMRO. It’s never going to break the bank but it was the most thrilling real cash I have ever earned. It validates what I do. Someone somewhere is playing my song; it might be in an elevator in Hong Kong or a restaurant in Estonia, who knows.

Interestingly it was my composition ‘Miami’ that seems to have garnered the most interest and revenue. Maybe over time I’ll find out just why.

So, barely a year after my last album, I have just mixed and mastered my latest (yes this is real Beatles productivity) called ‘Blue Promenade’. Some blues and some good old fashioned soft rock.
I just hope somebody keeps pressing that elevator button.”

Stephen Dunwoody is an independent musician who has supported numerous international acts during a 25 year career, including Jools Holland, Ally McBeal star Vonda Sheperd, Wishbone Ash, The Corrs, Tom Robinson, Kirsty McColl and Bjorn Again.

In 2015, Stephen was voted Number One in the VTYO world music video charts. He eventually rose to number 4 in the overall chart for his live recording of Nina Simone’s ‘Nobody’s Fault’.
His song and video ‘Miami’ has been featured in NME and reached number one in the VTYO charts in 2016. Stephen’s new album Blue Promenade is due out in May this year.

You can follow Stephen Dunwoody on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud

The AVA Emerging Competitions are back for their third year, this time calling all emerging electronic music producers, DJ’s and Visual Artists based across the UK and Ireland. AVA is committed to showcasing both local and international talent and their AVA Emerging competitions are the perfect opportunity to shine a light on the strength of the thriving underground scene. The competitions have continued to progress each year and offer a genuine opportunity and platform for emerging artists to get their work showcased to a wider audience. For 2017, AVA has added a new Emerging Visual Artist Category and brought on a host of new exciting partners.

The Emerging Producer competition will see AVA team up with Native Instruments and Extended Play. The winning track and producer will be signed to Extended Play as well as securing a feature on the FMB Blog and airtime on BBC’s Across The Line. On top of this they will receive tech support from Native instruments and mentoring and artist development support from JMX & T-BONE.

AVA will collaborate again with Belfast Underground Records for the Emerging DJ competition, which gives the opportunity for an up and coming DJ to showcase their skills in a 30 minute mini mix, with 3 finalists performing in a live final on Belfast Underground Records Radio. The winning DJ will join the AVA 2017 lineup and perform at the festival as well as showcase on Belfast Underground Records Radio.

The new Emerging Visual Artist competition will see AVA co-partner with Dazed & Confused, Bullitt Hotel and Belfast Photo Festival to offer an artist with significant potential and creativity both media & City-wide exposure. The three categories include photography, moving image or audio-visual arts. The theme for 2017s Emerging Visual Artist is Belfast and the prize is open to emerging artists of all ages and career paths. The finalists will be showcased across AVA Festival & Conference 2017. There will be a shortlist made in each category with one overall Visual Artist winner that will get a feature in Dazed & Confused. The highest ranked Photography entry will be selected to do an AVA Festival Photo Diary that will be showcased by a selected publication. The shortlisted moving image and audio-visual entries will be showcased across the city and at AVA Festival.

Since last year, 2016 Emerging Producer competition winner Quinton Campbell has gone on to Debut his EP ‘FM Patterns‘ on Extended Play Recordings be nominated by Nialler9/Tower Records as one of the Top Club Tracks of 2016 and Best Irish Songs of 2016. He has also gone on to play shows at ADE with AVA X Percolate, District 8 and Pygmalion. The Emerging DJ winner Bine has also gone on to play for Northern Irish heavyweights Shine on NYE, The Night Institute as well as features on Belfast Underground Radio and Rawsum Radio.

Applications now open. Closing date Friday May 5th.

Entry, more info and criteria at www.hiive.co.uk/AVAFestival

AVA FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE 2017 – 02-03 June 2017
T13 – Titanic Quarter – Belfast

Rusangano Family has been announced as the winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2016 for the album Let The Dead Bury The Dead (self-released). The judging panel, made up of Irish music media professionals, deliberated at length tonight before choosing the winning album. Instead of using sales or airplay as criteria, the judges focus, simply and solely, on the music.

Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn presented Rusangano Family with the award.

The winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year was also announced and Picture This won the prize for the song “Take My Hand”. Decided by the public via the RTÉ and Choice Music Prize websites, there was a great response as fans got behind their favourite song.

With the release of their clattering new single ‘Bad Advice’, Irish garage punks Otherkin are getting ready to take over 2017.

Formed in Dublin in 2014, united by a common love of The Clash, QOTSA, Ramones and Blur; the band cut their teeth playing house parties and dive bars before stepping up onto the Irish festival circuit – Longitude, Electric Picnic, Hard Working Class Heroes and Other Voices to name a few.

After a couple of hand-made, self-released tracks, Otherkin hit their stride with the rowdy grunge-pop single “AY AY”, which came to the attention of leading Irish indie label Rubyworks in early 2015.

The 201 EP – featuring “AY AY” and “Feel It” – a four-tracker of garage rock thumpers released to coincide with their UK festival debut at Reading / Leeds and their first full-length UK tour. Radio exposure came courtesy of Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and John Kennedy on Radio X, while MTV Rocks added videos for both songs into their new music playlists.

The follow up release – The New Vice EP – was a further statement of intent, attracting more attention from UK daytime radio and making inroads in continental Europe (their debut European show at Eurosonic was voted one of the five best shows of the festival by Dutch station 3FM).

The band built on this momentum with multiple knock out festival spots in the UK, Holland, France and Germany in summer 2016, getting rave reviews for their wild live shows from NME and The Guardian. They wrapped up their summer with a high-profile slot supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a massive open-air concert in Belfast.

Otherkin rounded out 2016 in the Irish countryside putting the finishing touches to their eagerly awaited debut album.

Lead-off single ‘Bad Advice’ is out on Rubyworks on Thursday 9th March on all streaming and download platforms.

The single is produced by the band with David Prendergast and Jason Boland, and has been mixed in London by Jolyon Thomas (Slaves / Royal Blood / U2).

“Bad Advice is a song about the push and pull impulses of a chaotic relationship that should lead to self-destruct but somehow leads to the exact opposite.” – Otherkin.

Otherkin head out on a 16 date UK tour in March, including 8 shows with The Amazons this month.

http://www.otherkinok.com/

https://www.facebook.com/otherkinOK

Twitter @otherkino

‘We Rise’ is the second album from Morrissey & Marshall and will be released on 26 May 2017 through DJA Records. This whole collection is shot through with the shimmer and sunshine that evokes the very best harmony-driven acts from The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Byrds, meshed with the guitar sound of Oasis and Cast and blended with an energy, bite and verve all of their own. Having supported Sinead O’Connor and won over Shane McGowan and Cillian Murphy, Morrissey & Marshall are the real deal.

Morrissey & Marshall are delighted to announce two special full band shows to mark the release of We Rise. Tickets go on sale at 0900 on Friday 10th March.

Wednesday May 24, Assembly, Camden, London
TicketLink: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/FLP2405

Thursday May 25, Sugar Club, Dublin
TicketLink: http://www.ticketmaster.ie/venueartist/198345/1915604

Darren Morrissey said, “I can’t put into words how happy we are to finally be sharing these songs with the world. We wanted to make a ‘classic’ album. An album where you press play on track one and go on a journey. An album where you don’t have to skip to your favourite song, because they’re all your favourite songs. We wanted an album that really means something and you know what? I think we’ve done it. Having worked so hard on writing and recording We Rise, I can safely say, it’s time to celebrate, and we want everyone to come and join us at these two shows to celebrate and watch us recreate the album with our full band.”

Whatever happens next, the band are already owners of two of the biggest names in rock, a coincidence which prompted one wag to suggest that they might sound like “a heavily-amplified Smiths gig”. Morrissey smiles at the reference. “We have never pretended to be anyone other than Darren Morrissey and Greg Marshall. It’s who we really are.” With ‘We Rise’ already causing a stir, being themselves seems to be paying off.

http://www.morrisseyandmarshall.com/

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office invites applications for two Musicians in Residence.

The Arts Office is open to applications from individuals or groups and musicians working in all musical genres and at all career stages.
Applicants (including all members of a group) must live, work, be originally from or have studied music in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
The residencies are envisaged as part-time residencies specifically for the development, creation and showcasing of new work.

Each residency will offer a fee and 20 rehearsal days in dlr LexIcon’s Studio (dates to be agreed at the start of the residency). As part of the residency the musician/s must engage in three performances in the LexIcon Studio or other suitable venues in the county.

The Musicians in Residence scheme is managed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office and is grant-aided by the Arts Council.

For more information please go to http://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/arts/funding-opportunities/residencies/musicians-residence

Closing Date: 27th of April 2017 at 12 noon

Swords have just released “All These Hours”, the fourth single from their album ‘Tidal Waves’.

It is available now on Spotify, iTunes & Soundcloud.

Recently their independently released album Tidal Waves reached Number 3 in the full iTunes album charts, Number 1 in the alternative and entered the Top 40 in Ireland. It is available online on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

twitter @swordsband
facebook.com/swordsband
www.swordsband.com

Three-piece Bitch Falcon continue their Irish tour this month to mark the release of their newest single, “Clutch”, selling out venues across the country, including Dublin’s Workman’s Club, along the way.

Bitch Falcon are set to take flight for Canadian Music Week and other international events this year as well as releasing brand new material throughout 2017. Bitch Falcon stormed the stages of Body & Soul, Indiependence, Knockanstockan & Electric Picnic in 2016 and in their short time together, the trio have shared the stage with the likes of Fucked Up, Torche, The ZZZ’s, Glen Hansard, Les Butcherettes, No Spill Blood and Red Enemy, unapologetically stealing the spotlight at every turn.

Two years on from an initial explosive emergence, the Dublin-based three-piece haven’t so much discovered their voice as honed and refined it. They relish in frenetic declarations, their sound always moving forward while throwing occasional nods to the past.

The sonic aesthetic is raw, even a touch frenzied, yet manages to harness the strongest elements of rock, grunge, metal, hardcore and melodic electro-pop. Bitch Falcon’s end result is a distinctive, once-heard-not-forgotten voice.

Pulsating tracks like ‘Wolfstooth’, ‘Breed’ and ‘TMJ’ are indicative of a band unwilling to sit still and stay quiet. These are songs of punch, grit and verve. They make an even greater impact up close and personal as the band’s deserved reputation as one of Ireland’s most engaging live prospects comes alive.

Irish Tour dates:
March 10 – Connolly’s – Leap
March 11 – Cyprus Avenue – Cork
April 7 – Garbo’s – Castlebar (supporting Girl Band)
Additional dates to be announced