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Author: Breffni Banks

Debut Album Coming Soon from Pa Curran | “Poor Man’s Clothes”

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Pa CurranBantry songwriter, Pa Curran, is set to release his debut album, “Poor Man’s Clothes”, next month. The album was written and recorded at Ocean Studios in West Cork with producer, Wayne Sheehy, and is set for release in July.

Pa has just completed a successful Fund-It campaign to contribute to putting the finishing touches on the album. The lead single, “Poor Man’s Clothes”, tells the story of valuing people over possessions, a theme that resonates throughout the album. Pa’s first single, “Unintentional Hero”, was a bittersweet success for him last year when it went straight to Number 1 in the iTunes chart, putting Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” at Number 2. The single was a dedication to Pa’s close friend and fellow musician, Taidhg Burke Neff, who died tragically in 2013 and donated his organs to save the lives of seven people.

Having supported Declan O’Rourke, Ian O’Doherty, The Original Rudeboys, Niall Connolly and The Calvinists, Pa set off on a tour of the US in 2014, the highlight of which was a gig at Rockwood Music Hall and the iconic “Scratcher Sessions”.

After the release of “Poor Man’s Clothes”, Pa will be heading back to the US for a short tour in August.

Pa has reached his target on Fund-It but there’s still a bit of time to show some support at http://fundit.ie/project/pa-curran-album–single-fundit-campaign.

The Deans Need Your Help with “Supply and Command”

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

The Deans_1
Photo: Carole Epinette

Galway three-piece, The Deans, have just recorded their latest EP, “Supply and Command”. An independent production, the band have launched a Fund-It campaign to bring the EP to completion.

Since 2009 The Deans have toured extensively throughout Europe, playing venues and festivals throughout France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Holland. After being sighted at the Guitare-En-Scene festival in France by the organisers of the Montreux Jazz Festival, the group were invited to perform at the 43rd anniversary of the world renowned music festival. 2011 saw the group’s first venture stateside to NYC’s lower east side, where they performed shows in The Studio at Webster Hall, Arlene’s Grocery and the prestigious Kenny’s castaways, to name but a few.

Their forthcoming EP, “Supply and Command”, will feature five tracks including the band’s recently released single, “Take it Easy”. Recorded between IMW Studios, London and a disused hotel near Paris, the underlying thread throughout the EP is reflected in the dystopian lyric of “Take it Easy” and the sombre, introspective tone of “Hollows of my Dreams”.

The release of “Supply and Command”, which is set for September, will be accompanied by a nationwide tour before The Deans return to Europe and the UK in October.

The Deans are hoping their Fund-It campaign will help towards mixing, mastering and manufacturing of the EP. You can check out their “Supply and Command” Fund-It page here: http://fundit.ie/project/funders/the-deans-ep—supply–command and keep up to date with The Deans through their Facebook page and website.

 

Traditional Arts Collective perform at Grand Social

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Traditional TACArts Collective make a return to The Grand Social on tonight Wednesday June 24th for the first of their summer Ceilis. At the gigs the band, including seven times all Ireland flute champion Robert Harvey and rock drummer Phil Gaynor on full drum kit, plays rocking live trad music accompanied by sean nos dancers. MC Thomas McGlone calls out the moves to the dances from the floor with his Madonna style microphone. You don’t have to know anything about Ceili dancing to join in as everything is explained in full. It’s not a dance workshop though, the emphasis is all on having the craic! Groups are €7 per person and group leaders get in for free. If you require accreditation for this gig please contact Jonny 0863385402 also if you would like to be taken off this list please notify.

The following Grand Social Ceilis are on July 29th, August 26th, Sept 23rd, October 28th and December 9th.

Music City 2015 ready to hit Derry this month

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

Music City, the festival where everyone can play, will return to the city of Derry later this month. For the 2015 edition, the festival has been expanded to 3 days and will transform the city’s streets, venues, neighbourhoods, churches, offices and workplaces into performance spaces on the weekend of 19th – 21st June. All forms of music will be on show at Music City 2015 so whether it’s classical, country, folk, rock, trad, jazz or house music that is your favourite genre, Music City will have something for every music fan.

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David Kitt announces Irish Tour

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

David KittFollowing two hugely successful sold out shows in Dublin’s Odessa Club, David Kitt will embark on a nationwide tour this August along with headline show at Whelan’s this October.

Having spent the last year touring with David Gray, Kitt is back with a phenomenal solo show performing many of his much-loved and well-known songs along with introducing new belters ahead of his eagerly awaited seventh solo album, due out in 2016.

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Sinéad McNally secures music licensing deal with Matthews.ie

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Dundalk singer/songwriter Sinéad McNally is delighted to announce that she is the performer and writer of the first ever company song for Matthews.ie and has secured a music licensing deal with the company. The song ‘Matthews Take You There’ was written when Managing Director Paddy Matthews decided that the company should celebrate their 20 years of service with a song that told their story.

Sinéad, who began building her career in the music industry in 2010 has already had great success with releases such as ‘Dance With Me’, ‘Moody Blues’ and many more radio friendly tracks. Her Christmas song ‘Nearly Christmas’ performed by the NCKids has also received worldwide recognition. Despite all her songwriting experience, she admits that she was quite nervous about writing a song to brief for such a big and successful company. Speaking about the experience Sinéad said “I genuinely wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. It actually scared me to be so deliberate in my writing processes. Not just in lyrical content that had to match the company ethos and standards, even their name had to be included, but also in musical direction, style, tempo etc whilst taking into account the target market and of course the company values and presentation.”

Sinéad was delighted to hear that the song ‘Matthews Take You There’ went down very well with management at the company and they offered to licence the song from her with a view to using it to build brand awareness and business for the company. The agreement, which runs on a two year basis, gives both parties a chance to review and assess the effectiveness of the song for the targets that have been set for it. Sinéad says that the music industry needs more of these types of collaborations and she believes that Matthews.ie have set an incredible example as to how businesses can utilise local or national artists in a way that benefits everyone involved.

To top it all off, Matthews.ie have also launched their innovative and exciting initiative known as #MatthewsArts, to help artists in Louth, Monaghan and East Meath get more recognition for their work by giving them a chance to win 6 months of free advertising on the back of a Matthews.ie coach. Launched by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphries and Minister for Business Gerald Nash, it has been described as “inspiring” and the “perfect blend of business to arts.” Sinéad is the first recipient of the advertising opportunity which features her 3.6 metre ad seen daily on some of the company’s 133 daily services between Dublin and the North East.

For more information on Sinéad or to hear more of her music, you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and on her blog.

Photo: Conor McCabe Photography.

Jamie Mulrooney wins Clancy Brothers Songwriting Competition

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

Last weekend was one like no other for local musician Jamie Mulrooney (Pontoon,Mayo) as he headed off to Carrick-on-Suir, Co.Tipperary to take part in the final of the Clancy Brothers Songwriting Competition.

Jamie’s song “The Truth Is Not Your Own” was selected from over 125 entries as winner of the competition at the festival’s highlight event on Sunday the 31st of May.

Jamie, who hails from the west coast of Mayo, was delighted with the win saying that the prize would help finance his first EP which he plans to release in January 2016.

‘It’s made a huge difference in my confidence as a songwriter and I’m going to release an EP with ‘The Truth Is Not Your Own’ as the lead track next January’, said Jamie.

Jamie’s prize includes €500 sponsored by IMRO, Music Matters Ireland and the Clancy Brothers Festival, CD duplication and packaging from Duplication Ireland worth €215, and premium services from InMusik.co.

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Bamboo Sessions Set for St Finian’s Church this Sunday

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Bamboo SessionsBamboo Sessions takes place this Sunday 7th June in St Finian’s Church, 23 Adelaide Road, Dublin 2, featuring performances from contemporary Irish songwriters, each accompanied by a live string quartet. A night of original songs performed with newly written string arrangements will feature performances by Enda Reilly, Sive, Danny Groenland, Edel Meade, Cathy McEvoy and Celine Carroll. On strings will be Cathy McEvoy (violin / musical director), Imogen Gunner (violin), Niamh Roche (viola) and Mary Barnecutt (cello).

This is a one-off event and promises to be something special. Tickets are available at http://thebamboosessions.eventbrite.ie/.

Early bird tickets up until Friday 5th June: €12 | Tickets on the door/online after 5th June: €15.

Doors at 7:30pm. Show starts 8pm sharp (latecomers may have to wait to be admitted).

 

 

 

Ben Carrigan Releases The Sweetest Stories

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Press 1Ben Carrigan has just released his latest single, The Sweetest Stories, a precursor to his second album currently in production. The new track, written and produced by Carrigan and featuring the vocal talents of New Zealand’s Thom Cross, is the follow-up single to his 2011 debut solo album, The Greatest Narrators, an album likened to great singer-songwriters such as Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.

Carrigan was a founding member of Mercury Music nominated, multi-platinum and award winning Irish pop group, The Thrills.  The group enjoyed worldwide success between 2002 and 2008 with 3 top 10 albums and 7 top 40 singles, and toured the world over, including with musical greats such as Morrissey, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bob Dylan, REM, Maroon 5 and Pixies.

Carrigan is an accomplished musician having learnt piano, guitar and drums at an early age. He studied under the distinguished Dublin based jazz musician and composer Ronan Guilfoyle and obtained a Diploma in Advanced Jazz Studies from The Guildhall School of Music, London. He was awarded one of the few scholarships to the Berklee School of Music in Boston and earned a place at the prestigious The Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague.

In 2009 Carrigan resumed his studies at Berklee, focusing on orchestration, music production and audio post production for film and television. He currently works as a composer and audio post production specialist for film, television, games and commercials and has been commissioned to write music for a number of high profile projects, including BBC 2 documentary, The Pity Of War.

For more see http://bencarrigan.com or follow Ben on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

 

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