Author: Breffni Banks

‘Alive’ is the debut single from FĒNIX, released on 27th October 2022 on Aztec Records.

FĒNIX is the solo project of Carlow (Ireland) multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Darragh O’Connor. Describing his sound as “big beats and sexy synths”, FĒNIX leans heavily on synthwave and 80s vibes to create melody-driven alt-pop.

This year has been an exciting one so far for FĒNIX, introducing the project to eager live audiences with support slots for global synthwave heavyweights WolfClub and FM Attack, along with a headline slot on home turf on Carlow Arts Festival’s ‘Live & Local’ stage.

The release of his debut single ‘Alive’ is something of a new beginning for FĒNIX, as he explains: “With other musical projects coming to an end, I thought I’d have a dig through the countless drafts on my computer, and like most musicians I’ve got loads of unfinished and unreleased songs… I wrote some of them over 10 years ago! I’ve always preferred to remain in the background for bands and projects as I’ve got real imposter syndrome when it comes to my music. But coming out of the pandemic, I just decided to finally back myself and start putting my own music out there. I guess that’s where the name FĒNIX (phoenix) comes from… the idea of obtaining new life by rising from the ashes of a former self. With that in mind, I thought ‘Alive’ was a natural first track for this project. In some ways it’s a typical love song about how that someone special in your life makes you feel, but the production is quite uplifting… so I guess you could say it’s a bit of a romantic banger!”

To get ‘Alive’ over the line, FĒNIX turned to a familiar face in gold-certified producer Ross Fortune (Ed Sheeran, Burna Boy, A$AP Rocky, Ellie Goulding, Zara Larsson).

“I worked with Ross before when recording with Exiles, and we immediately clicked. He completely gets the sound I’m looking for, so I was really happy to be able to work with him again, especially knowing how in-demand he is. He really managed to squeeze that last few percent out of the song and I’m so happy with how it turned out.”

Having signed with UK-based Aztec Records, and with a string of singles, collaborations, and remixes on the horizon, FĒNIX is ready to rise and rise again.

FĒNIX debut single ‘Alive’ is released on 27th October on all streaming platforms via Aztec Records.

Connect with FĒNIX

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Following on from recent singles ‘The Deepest Breath’ and ‘Anáil na hOíche’, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin shares ‘Only the Earth’, the final song release ahead of his highly anticipated debut solo album ‘The Deepest Breath’, coming November 10^th.

The accompanying video was filmed and produced by Ruth Clinton (Landless), assisted by Cormac Mac Diarmada (Lankum) and Lisa Austin. It was shot mainly around Magherow in Sligo, where the barnacle geese spend their winter days, flying to Inismurray every night. According to Ruth, they graciously arrived in time for the filming, after a few weeks of a literal wild goose chase around Magherow.

‘Only the Earth’

Speaking about the song, Eoghan says:

“The lyrics for Only the Earth make it fairly self-explanatory, I think. It goes on a bit of a journey from climate anxiety to more of a spirit of fightback, which more or less captures the mixed feelings I have about where we’re at right now.

The outro is from a song written by James Connolly – he obviously didn’t have environmental breakdown in mind, but I think it really suits the time we’re in now:

“Some men, faint-hearted, ever seek

Our programme to retouch,

And will insist, whene’er they speak

That we demand too much.

’Tis passing strange, yet I declare

Such statements give me mirth,

For our demands most moderate are,

We only want the earth.”

I wrote the whole song around the concertina loop that runs through. We built it up in the studio then with a lot of different sounds. I really wanted whales on it, and I’m very grateful to Mark Franklin of the Oceania Project in Australia for the use of his recordings, which are very beautiful.

This song, and record, was recorded, mixed, and produced by Alex Borwick at Hellfire Studios and at his own studio. Only the Earth features Eoghan on vocals, concertina, and clarinet; Alex on keyboards, vocals, trombone; Ultan O’Brien on fiddle and vocals; Conor Lyons on bódhrán and vocals, and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz and Ian Kinsella also on vocals.

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is a Dublin-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical roots are in sean-nós singing – the style of his father – and he grew up listening to the likes of Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Seán ‘ac Dhonncha, Colm Ó Caoidheáin and other greats from the tradition. He is also influenced by folk singers from the English language tradition such as Liam Weldon, Luke Kelly, Anne Briggs, Margaret Barry and Thomas McCarthy.

Eoghan is a member of the Dublin-based band Skipper’s Alley, he has worked with Mary Ann Kennedy from Scotland, and Ruth Keggin from the Isle of Man on their Aon Teanga: Un Chengey album (2015). He has performed with folk/electronica band Jiggy, and has featured on both their albums, Translate (2017) and Hypernova (2020). He also collaborates with Clare fiddle and viola player Ultan O’Brien, their debut album Solas an Lae won best album at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2021.

Over the past few years Eoghan has come into his own as a solo artist and songwriter. His songs – written in both English and Irish – build on his sean-nós singing foundations, yet combine hard-hitting lyrics with other musical influences to create a rich, contemporary sound.

Eoghan’s forthcoming album, ‘The Deepest Breath’ coming November 10^th, is a collection of songs he written over the past few years, both in English and in Irish. “Writing them has been quite a cathartic experience for me – many of them were songs that I probably wanted to write for a while before I got there. They brewed and stewed for quite a bit before they emerged. The writing process is often like this for me – something bubbles under the surface for a while, but ultimately when I sit down to write, most of it just comes out in a kind of a flow.

The Deepest Breath is not really a sean-nós album, but sean-nós singing is the foundation for my singing and I think it affects my writing too, in both languages. I learned my singing language as a child from my father first, then as a teenager and young adult listening to lots of different singers. Now in the last few years I feel as though I am able to build with it and develop my own melodies and songs.”

The Deepest Breath, the debut album from Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin comes out November 10^th 2022.

Olawale Gazal has been nominated alongside A92, Confamm Charlito, DJ Jesse, Jsafo, Lilo Blues, Mixed by Simba, Nesto Productions and Prod Solo at the Black & Irish awards. The Nigerian-born, self made Entrepreneur rose to prominence this year following his annual Award ceremony of Irelands Best Artists (I.B.A) 2020 and 2021. Ollys TV has just finished a new anticipated Freestyle team coming soon on the platform later in 2023.

The 2nd Gala awards for the recognition of Black Irish creatives will be held over the weekend in the Hilton Hotel in Dublin with the aim of celebrating Ireland’s most influential and rising stars of the Black and mixed-race community.

The awards were run by Black & Irish, an organisation set up last year after the death of George Floyd to highlight and celebrate the identity of black and mixed-race Irish people.

The Black & Irish Awards were hosted by Black and Irish and For The Culture Fest and recognised the success and outstanding achievements of emerging and established talent across ten different fields in the Media and Entertainment space.

ONEMAC PROJECT today announce the release of their new single, “Move Closer” featuring the fantastic vocals of Ukraine singer Liliia Kysil.

“Move Closer” is a very catchy radio-friendly song and the first of several collaborations already in the bag between the two Irish songwriters and the Ukrainian vocalist. This first single with Liliia is a toe-tapping, memorable Reggaeton-style song that is a perfect fit for just about any radio show.

ABOUT ONEMAC PROJECT

The OMP duo of James O’Connor and Michael MacMahon has been having a busy year with some significant releases to their credit already including the very popular “Irish For a Day”, which was heard booming out in Irish Bars across New York on St. Patrick’s Day, just days after the release earlier this year. In addition to Irish bars, the song has been spreading among the Irish American community and is still gaining in popularity as can be seen by the number of Spotify streams. Flying under the radar, OMP has a growing monthly Spotify listenership of about 10,000 and is fast approaching 200,000 Spotify streams for this year alone.

O’Connor has four albums to his name, two singer/songwriter solo albums and two as the lead voice of The Lost Messiahs, who performed at this year’s Electric Picnic. MacMahon prefers to work in the background writing and producing and has several current and past collabneorations with artists in the USA, Sweden, Germany and Australia.

One play of “Move Closer” will leave the listener in no doubt that OMP has a real winner on their hands. Check it out for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!

“Move Closer” is available to download or stream on all platforms now.

Following on from the September release of single ‘Hollywood On fire’, which received ‘Track of the Day’ from Hot Press magazine, Dublin songsmith Colin O’Shea drops his 2^nd single from his sophomore album due out in March 2023. ‘Amazing’ continues to demonstrate Colin’s progressive musical development since his debut album and is sure to be a fan favourite.

The Ballyfermot Rock School graduate O’Shea had first launched onto the scene in October 2017 with his debut single, the Spingsteen-esque anthem, ‘Booze n’ Hangovers’. Soon after in November of same year, the Dublin songwriter released his debut album ‘Scars and Tones’, to widespread critical acclaim, with industry press comparisons such as Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, Bob Dylan and U2. O’Shea went on to make his festival debut during summer 2018 opening the famed Castlepalooza boutique Irish festival.

Back in the studio since 2019 recording his 2nd album, with David Prendergast again taking production duties (Kodaline, Overhead The Albatross, RWYR), the duo have created a fresh new bag of exciting songs that will surely set O’Shea up as one of the Irish artists to watch in 2022.

“Amazing” is out now

Connect with Colin O’Shea

Colin O’Shea Music | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube

On Friday, October 28th, Sean ‘Doctor’ Millar released ‘Keep This To Yourself’, the third single from his broadly acclaimed album ‘Ruining Everything’ and the follow-up to the recent ‘Communion Money’.

Sean explains… “I wanted to make something that was up-tempo and fun, Tarantino meets rootsy folk – the lyric is written like a short story , in which a bad guy, in a bad situation, tries to do the right thing. In London after The Pogues, there were a hundred bands making music like this, Post-Punk roots. I wanted to make music like that again because we all need a bit of fun, I think.”

Sean Millar Tour Dates:

October 28th – Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda (with Nick Kelly, as DOGS) – TICKETS

‘Ruining Everything’ is out now on Gentlemen Recordings – Buy it here.

NEW ALBUM ‘WAITING’ RELEASED NOVEMBER 25TH

LIVE AT ROISÍN DUBH GALWAY NOVEMBER 27TH – TICKETS

Tracy Bruen returns with ‘Silence Crawls’, the second single from her upcoming album, ‘Waiting’.  A rhythmic, harmony driven piece, the upbeat melody acts as a juxtaposition with the undertones of her subject matter, inviting the listener to explore the darker elements of human relationships.

Waiting is Tracy Bruen’s sophomore album release, following her debut, Mirror, which was released in 2017. Two years in the making, Waiting is an ode to love and loss.  It explores hidden grief and our darkest moments but it is also a  celebration of how love can guide us through it all.  Recorded and produced by Ray Diamond and mastered by WAV mastering, Waiting is released on Strange Brew Records.

WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO

The music video was shot on location in Galway City. It was directed, filmed and edited by Tara Finn, and stars Tracy Bruen, Georgina Edziwa, Eilish McCarthy, and Joan Gildea. Assistant direction and set design by Maria Tivnan.

All songs and lyrics written by Tracy Bruen with additional instrument arrangement by Padraic Joyce, Adam Downey, Sam Wright and Neil Fitzgibbon.

Connect with Tracy Bruen

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Von Venn is the main project of songwriter Gary Cox. The name for the project/band derives from the concept that we become who we are based upon the intersection of life experiences gathered, people we meet and lessons we learn along the way. Similarly, the songs are an intersection of musical styles that influenced that Gary’s song writing, artists such as RadioHead, Jeff Buckley, The Blue Nile, John Martyn, John Lennon and many more.

The result is primarily guitar centred songs that examine the intricacies of human nature and experiences. The aim is to craft something for everyone to connect with and explore at an emotional level. Hope, regret, loss, longing, nostalgia, attraction, love is all explored.

“Put it all in a blender, marinate in whiskey and it’s probably Von Venn.”

Von Venn released their debut single ‘Ghost’ in spring 2022 which picked up support in The Thin Air, Caesar Live N Loud, WigWam, NewInMusic, RTE 2XM, NEAR FM and many more!

Gary provides main Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Synth. The songs are enhanced by additional recruited musicians that contributed their experience, talent and skills to the Von Venn project and helped bring out the best in each of the tracks.

Terry Doyle: Keyboards, Synths, Vocals

Ciara Henry: Vocals

Mark Wogan: Drums

Constant Girl is the second single release from the upcoming Von Venn album “Jeanie is Out.

The song explores why we might want or even need someone in our life, but for the wrong reasons. It’s about having someone by your side to ease the troubles of the world but for some reason it’s not enough. It will never be enough because it’s not the troubles of the world that’s the problem. The unease in your own heart and mind is the problem…and it’s a hard lesson to learn

Jeanie is Out from Von Venn is a collection of introspective and melodic songs that explore the human condition in all its glory and despair. The album was written during 2021 and was recorded and produced in Soundcaster Studios, Dublin, Ireland. The album draws on influences from past indie and alternative greats while still creating a unique distinctive sound. Layered guitars, synthesizers and keyboards are anchored by on-point drumming and bass. Harmonized vocals deliver a message through atmospheric songs that tell a tale.

Constant girl releases: 4^th November 2022

On Friday 4th November, Naimee Coleman is set to release her first single ‘Lost Our Way’ taken from her forthcoming album The Edges out in early 2023.

Recorded during lockdown with collaborator Adam Marcello (Jon Brion, Brandie Carlile, Sara Bareilles) The Edges is a collection of sometimes gritty, often melancholic, but always deeply personal songs.

On ‘Lost Our Way’, Naimee joins forces with fellow Irish singer Paul Noonan from Bell X1. Naimee says, “I think Paul has one of the most beautiful voices in the world and getting to sing with him on this track was incredible.” 

After signing with EMI records in her late teens, Coleman went on to record her debut album ‘Sliver Wrists’ at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. For her follow-up, ‘Bring Down The Moon’ she worked with Tears For Fears’ keyboardist Ian Stanley, creating a blend of singer-songwriter pop that propelled her into a whirlwind few years. Naimee toured extensively both as a headliner and opening act for the likes of Van Morrison, David Gray and Suzanne Vega. This earned her award nominations; a sizeable Japanese fanbase to go with her European one, and the opportunity to appear on the fabled British TV show Top Of The Pops as the featured vocalist on Aurora’s Top 5 re-imagining of Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’.

Naimee relocated to Los Angeles in 2004 where she embraced the chance to start from scratch in the California music scene. She fell in love, got married, wrote mountains of new music and toured the length and breadth of the country. Returning to her singer-songwriter roots, Naimee wrote both for herself and other artists, with her music featuring in numerous films and TV shows for Disney, Warner Brothers and CBS. She performed as a solo artist and also as a backing vocalist for various musicians, including the Bee Gees Robin Gibb, whom she toured with as a backing singer in the US and Europe.

After returning to home soil in recent years, adventures in motherhood put her music career on a brief pause, but she is excited to be back writing and recording. Having found her live feet again performing solo shows as well as opening up for Gemma Hayes most recently, Naimee can’t wait to tour The Edges.

‘Lost Our Way’ is released on Friday 4th November

Pre-save the track via the link HERE

Connect with Naimee Coleman

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