The London Irish Centre (LIC) has appointed Ian McLintock as its new Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 1 December 2015. Ian will take over from Sean Kennedy, the interim CEO and member of the Board of Trustees. The appointment has been made following a highly competitive recruitment process.
Rocket, the lead single from JUPE offers an explosion of modern pop, ensuring its place in the UK arena this year.
Following chart-topping success on home soil, the 5-piece band are setting the music scene on fire with their once in a lifetime sound and their mesmerising live shows which is carving their name into the global music scene.
Hozier returns to Belfast on Monday August 24th to headline BELSONIC at Custom House Square. The Irish singer, songwriter & multi instrumentalist shot to international success in 2014 following the release of Grammy nominated single “Take Me To Church”, which was a number one single in 12 countries. This rare Irish headline show will be a relatively intimate one for one of the most in-demand live acts of the moment. His intense 2015 summer concert schedule includes festivals across Europe, USA & Australia, as well as a coveted headline slot at Dublin’s Longitude festival in Marlay Park.
An Taobh Tuathail Vol 7 is the latest collection of underground music from the radio programme of the same name presented by Cian Ó Cíobháin on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. It can be downloaded for free from www.rte.ie/rnag/att7 from today, 20 July, for 4 months.
An Taobh Tuathail aims to bring listeners the very best in new underground music, and Cian Ó Cíobháin has made it his life’s mission to seek out and broadcast music that is consistently overlooked by other stations, and bring it to his loyal listeners.
My Beautiful, a song written by Wexford duo John Kinsella and Fergal O’Byrne was released by emerging star George Hutton in Dublin last week and went straight to Number 1 in the Irish and UK iTunes Easy Listening Charts. George Hutton has just finished starring in RTE’s Exiles: Vancouver show and was a massive hit with audiences. George is set for a stellar singing career and his voice has previously been heard in internationally renown Anúna and his has performed with Hozier and Glen Hansard.
Attending recording sessions with Earth, Wind & Fire…..tracking vocals in LA with producer, G1 (R Kelly, Snoop Dogg) and engineer, Tommy D Daugherty (Death Row Records, 2Pac)…..collaborating with Michael Jackson’s long-time bassist – just a snapshot of 2014 for White Boys, hailing from Cork, Ireland.
And the boys have already hit 2015 hard with their track ‘Family Values’ – a funk remix taking sound bites from a recent Vincent Brown debate, which has gone viral – being picked up by Joe.ie, Entertainment.ie, The Rubber Bandits, Panti Bliss as well as 2FM, Today FM, 98FM and Red FM in Cork.
Oscar and Grammy winning songwriter and President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Paul Williams, and Oscar-winning songwriter and composer, Glen Hansard, were special guests last night at an event hosted by the US Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin F. O’Malley, in collaboration with IMRO, celebrating the craft of song writing and music copyright.
Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Jimmy Deenihan TD, was also in attendance at the event which took place in the Ambassador’s residence in Phoenix Park as part of the Creative Minds series. Creative Minds invites prominent US artists, writers, filmmakers, digital culture innovators and musicians to share their experience with young Irish audiences.
As part of the event, Glen Hansard was honoured with a special award by IMRO and ASCAP in recognition of the ongoing success of his music in the USA.
Speaking of the event, Paul Williams, President and Chairman of ASCAP said: ““It’s clear that Ambassador O’Malley has enormous respect for Irish music and understands the value of our fruitful collaboration… both creatively and economically. He spoke of the great influence Irish songwriters have had on American culture and noted the continuing efforts of IMRO and ASCAP to protect copyright and celebrate our music. The Ambassador’s residence felt like home last night. To all of us.”
Keith Donald, Chairman of IMRO added: “The whole night was about creating cross-Atlantic creativity links and all thanks to Ambassador O’Malley for his kindness in putting the event together.”
Niall Stokes, editor of HotPress, led the conversation with Glen and Paul around their approach to the craft of song writing and the role of copyright in music today, before the audience of invited guests were treated to intimate acoustic performances by both songwriters.
The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival returns this September to celebrate its eleventh edition with another foot-stompin’, fingerpicking, head-banging, eye-catching conglomeration of virtuosos, rogues and three-chord heroes, all descending on the seaside town for one glorious weekend- 17th -20th September. The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival (CIGF) is extremely proud to unveil this year’s world-class line-up.
Tennessee native VALERIE JUNE has been dazzling audiences worldwide since the release of her debut studio album Pushin’ Against A Stone produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys). With performances on Later, Leno and Letterman along with rave reviews everywhere from the New York Times Magazine to Rolling Stone VALERIE JUNE’s inaugural performance at CIGF and only Irish show this year is not to be missed.
Valerie is joined on the bill by Canadian rock royalty – JOEL PLASKETT– whose new album The Park Avenue Sobriety Test has just been Polaris long-listed; Australian powerhouse MAMA KIN brings her ARIA-nominated, The Magician’s Daughter; Highland troubadour RACHEL SERMANNI; gifted composer, educator and finger style guitarist RICHARD GILEWITZ; Nashville native CASEY BLACK; songwriter and visual artist JEFFREY LEWIS joins forces with Grammy winner PETER STAMPFEL; world renowned local man BILL SHANLEY; feral rock upstarts THE MINUTES; award winning young Canadian songwriter MO KENNEY with music from her critically acclaimed sophomore album In My Dreams; Iraqi oud player (and sometime heavy metal drummer) KHYAM ALLAMI; Fresh from winning an award for their film score from Sundance Film Festival will be Texans THE OCTOPUS PROJECT; Irish/Togolese RUSANGANO FAMILY, the most exciting hip-hop act in Ireland today; Clog dancing, Appalachian fiddle-playing hero MATT GORDON with genius exponent of the five-string claw-hammer banjo and the hambone LEONARD PODOLACK; multi platinum award winning JOHN SPILLANE; local balladeer and folk song encyclopedia TOMMY MADDEN; the poet-laureate of Irish guitar, STEVE COONEY ; one of the most respected accompanists in traditional Irish Music JIM MURRAY; the spellbinding music of THE VESPERTINE QUINTET; BREAKFAST TO THE INKSPOTS (DJ SET): THE CHURCH
Every year the coastal town embraces the guitar as the festival surrounds this most scenic of locations in a blanket of string-based sounds. The festival is an independently-spirited, community-based, audience-friendly weekend of musical treats. It’s a celebration of Clonakilty: Guitartown. It is the town that The Hendrix Experience’s Noel Redding chose to call home for 27 years and the legacy of Noel’s impact on his adopted home continues today in the venues and talent that he fostered within the town. The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival was founded by many musicians and music lovers directly influenced by Noel – including renowned producer John Fitzgerald who began his career in the music industry at the age of 15 playing in Noel’s band.
In addition to concerts, the festival presents a programme of workshops, master classes and seminars from some of the world’s best performers and experts, giving a glimpse of the methods and techniques which make them so successful. This years workshops sees master ukulele classes from the West Cork Ukulele Orchestra, Steve Cooney returns to give his now-legendary seminar at he guitar festival. John Spillane’s hugely popular songwriting workshop is back and the genial fingerstyle maestro Richard Gilewitz returns with his “Gilla-camp’ guitar clinic. The weekend will see the arrival of Music Generation Limerick’s ‘Express’ bus, a double decker commuter bus retro-fitted to be a mobile venue, recording studio and workshop space.
There is also an Acoustic Forum, a concert in the round to give audiences the opportunity to get up close and personal with a selection of the festival headliners. This year’s acoustic forum features Rachel Sermanni (SCO), Tommy Madden (IRL), Casey Black (US), Kyham Allami (IRAQ).
The Festival is run by a not for profit voluntary organisation of music lovers who strive to make the festival accessible to all with over 85% of the events across the 3 days of the festival are entirely free. The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival is a celebration of the guitar. There’s variety in both the acts and the venues that take part in the festival. Pubs, libraries, camper-vans, churches, street-corners, beaches, butcher shops – anything could happen, anywhere.
This is not a starch collared or stuffy nosed affair from virtuosos to noodlers, all are welcomed and exalted!
VALERIE JUNE (USA); JOEL PLASKETT (CAN); MAMA KIN (AUS); RACHEL SERMANNI (SCOT); RICHARD GILEWITZ (USA); THE OCTOPUS PROJECT (USA); JEFFREY LEWIS & PETER STAMPFEL BAND (USA); BILL SHANLEY (IRL); LEONARD PODOLACK & MATT GORDON (CAN/USA); STEVE COONEY (AUS); TOMMY MADDEN (IRL); JOHN SPILLANE (IRL); KHYAM ALLAMI (IRQ); CASEY BLACK (USA); RUSANGANO FAMILY (IRL/TOG/ZIM); THE MINUTES (IRL); THE VESPERTINE QUINTET (IRL); JIM MURRAY (IRL); BREAKFAST TO THE INKSPOTS (DJ SET) (IRL);: THE CHURCH (IRL);
Shows on sale:
Valerie June Parish Hall | 19th September 2015 | Tickets on Sale this Friday
Mama Kin; De Barra’s | 17th September 2015 | Doors 8.45pm | Show 9.30pm
Tickets priced at €17.50 including booking fee. On Sale Now
The Acoustic Forum; O’Donovans Hotel | Fri 18th September | Doors: 7pm Show: 7.30pm Book tickets online
Guitar Festival Workshops– all workshops unless stated are €7/€5 for students and unwaged. Special deal of €14/€10 (students and unwaged) gets you into all ticketed workshops. www.clonguitarfest.com
Now is your chance to enter what the NY Times calls “the songwriting competition to take note of,” and for a chance to share in over $150,000 in cash and merchandise.
If you’ve seen Girl Band live, you understand. If you’ve heard ‘The Early Years’ EP or one of their early, handmade releases – or perhaps if you’ve seen the not-for-the-squeamish video for their eight-minute cover of Blawan’s “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage,” you’ve got a sense.
Holding Hands With Jamie, Girl Band’s debut album, comes a few years into their tenure; a few years after their first tour; nine days crammed into a Fiat Panda; a few years of stamping 7” sleeves to sell at merch tables and mail-order; a few years of writing songs and touring and developing a live ferocity unmatched by nearly anyone. Recorded in April 2015, two days after returning home from their first-ever US tour, the nine tracks making up Holding Hands with Jamie capture, more than any previous recordings, the tension and abrasive energy of a Girl Band performance.
