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Author: Breffni Banks

An Evening with Shay Healy & Friends at the National Concert Hall

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Shay Healy Poster NCH 21st Mar 2015Shay Healy presents a very special night of live music at the National Concert Hall on Saturday 21st March.

“An Evening with Shay Healy & Friends” will see guest performances from Emmet Cahill, Paul Harrington, Niamh Kavanagh, Don Mescall, Melanie McCabe, Charlie McGettigan and Ruby Smyth. They will be accompanied on the night by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

The show is being hosted in aid of Dublin Neurological Institute and North West Neurological Institute.

Tickets €20 (concessions €10) available through the National Concert Hall box office at 01 417 0000 or at www.nch.ie.

The Gloaming Win the Meteor Choice Music Prize 2014

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

The Gloaming were announced as winners of the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2014 for the album The Gloaming lastThe Gloaming night at a sold-out event in Vicar Street, Dublin. 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 Meteor Choice Music Prize judges focus, simply and solely, on the music. The group received a cheque for €10,000 provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) as well as a specially commissioned award. The show was hosted by Today FM’s Paul McLoone and was broadcast live on the station on Paul’s show.

The winner of the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year was also announced and The Script won the prize for the song “Superheroes”. Decided by the public via the Meteor website, there was a fantastic response as fans got behind their favourite song, with a record number of votes cast. The prize was presented to the band by Richard Moat, CEO, Eircom Group.

RTE 2 Television will broadcast a one-hour highlights programme of the Meteor Choice Music Prize on Sunday March 8th at 10.50pm.

The full shortlist of nominated albums for the 10th annual prize was as follows (albums in alphabetical order):

Aphex Twin – Syro (Warp)

Delorentos – Night Becomes Light (Universal Ireland)

The Gloaming – The Gloaming (Real World)

Hozier – Hozier (Rubyworks/Universal)

James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical (Faction)

Sinead O’ Connor – I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss (Nettwerk)

Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy (Warner Music)

The Riptide Movement – Getting Through (Universal Ireland)

U2 – Songs of Innocence (Island)

We Cut Corners – Think Nothing (Delphi)

The Meteor Choice Music Prize is supported by IMRO, IRMA, RAAP, Today FM, RTE, Culture Ireland, HMV & Music Week.

Best Boy Grip Releases “Sharks”

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Best Boy Grip SharksBest Boy Grip has just released his new single and video, “Sharks”.

Eoin O’Callaghan, a talented songwriter hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland, is the man and the voice behind ‘Best Boy Grip’. His debut EP ‘Barbara’ was released to critical acclaim and resulted in airplay across the BBC  on Radio 1, Radio 6Music and Radio Ulster.

Best Boy Grip has also featured on BBC TV shows and was recorded performing for BBC Arts Extra and RTE’s Other Voices. Last summer saw Best Boy Grip perform with The Ulster Orchestra in a BBC live broadcast. Orchestral arrangements of his songs were played by the symphony while he sang at the piano. Described by critics as ‘fearlessly original’ and ‘intelligent, literate pop’, Best Boy Grip’s debut album will be released mid 2015, supported by an Irish tour.

For more check out www.bestboygrip.co.uk and facebook.com/bestboygrip.

Molly Sterling and Greg French are flying the Irish flag at Eurovision

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

On Friday night, Tipperary native Molly Sterling was chosen to represent Ireland at the 60th Eurovision Song Contest this May.

Photo by Richie Myooney

Her song, ‘Playing with Numbers’, which Molly co-wrote with Greg French won through a combination of public and jury votes.

Molly said of her win: ‘It’s an unbelievably feeling! I can’t believe that it happened, it’s amazing. I just want to make everyone proud and Greg has worked so hard on this. I just love performing and I can now do it in an international scale – it’s mind-blowing. I don’t think my school will mind that I haven’t handed in my assignment. They’re all so supportive and they know this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was in nappies!’

This year’s Eurovision will be held in Vienna on the 23rd ofMay, with Ireland competing in the second semi-final.

Alarmist reach for the stars with ‘Morning, Kepler’

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

This morning11034451_917032431661821_1599549022352846861_o Alarmist posted their latest single ‘Morning, Kepler’.

Consisting of Neil Crowley, Elis Czerniak, Osgar Dukes and Barry O’Halpin, Alarmist’s intricate compositions and frenetic live shows will keep you hooked while the depth and flavour of their music will immediately have you searching for their previous releases.

After the release of their 2011 self-titled debut EP, Alarmist gained a wide following, establishing themselves as a standout act on Dublin’s independent music scene, praised equally for their sonic experimentation and for their dynamic, visual arresting live show. While inevitably compared to many acts on Ireland’s healthy post/math-rock scene, Alarmist gained attention for their audibly wide range of influences. Within their configuration of electric guitars, double drums and electronics, instrumental guitar music is only one touchstone, with the various members’ backgrounds in jazz, electronica and contemporary composition infiltrating their tightly wound tracks.

Recorded with Solar Bears’ Rian Trench, their second EP Pal Magnet retains the frenetic energy, playful melodicism and constant experimentation of their first release, while incorporating a wider and more colourful and sophisticated palette of sounds. A wealth of influences can be heard across these four tracks; their sound world can instantly shift from a twanging mutation of 50s surf guitar to glitchy 8-bit electronics or cinematic, big-band influenced crescendos.

At a recent Seven Quarters event at Whelans in Dublin the band announced that their debut album will be released this year.

Runabay celebrates release of new single ‘Moon Turns Blue’

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

Runabay runabayrecently celebrated the release of their new single ‘Moon Turns Blue’ on the 28th of February.

Runabay, county Antrim’s unique indie/folk six piece look set to build on its previous single sequences with a new catchy melodic single available from digital retailers by early March 2015. Runabay’s music is accessible, catchy, intelligent but yet so simple and so far appeals to anyone who will listen.

The new song ‘Moon Turns Blue’ has a haunting powerful vocal by John and is filled with stunning harmonies, delicate guitar riffs, melodic cello, driving bass line and thumping beat.

Having just made their debut national television appearance on BBC2 NI in November and also having played their two highest profile gigs with the Rapparees in the Limelight (sold out) on the 19th of December and extra added date in Mandela Hall 20th December, the future is looking very bright for the band that formed in early 2014.

Runabay are playing the Empire Music Hall Belfast on the 7th of March as part of Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival to promote their second single, information regarding the single will be released nearer the time on their Facebook and webpage.

For more information on Runabay you can follow them on their website, Facebook or Twitter page.

O Emperor “Lizard” EP out March 2nd

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in News.

O Emperor‘Lizard’ the new EP from O Emperor is released on March 2nd.

Like its predecessor, the album ‘Vitreous’, the EP is an entirely self-recorded affair coming about over the space of a week’s jamming at the band’s “Big Skin HQ” in Cork City. 

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Irish Composer Nominated for ASCAP Film Score of the Year

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

Patrick CassidyIrish composer, Patrick Cassidy, has been nominated by ASCAP for Film Score of the Year for his original score for “Calvary”. The ASCAP Composers’ Choice Awards give their members an opportunity to honour their peers in the film, TV and video game music world. The winners will be revealed at the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards on March 9th.

Speaking from his home in Los Angeles this week, Patrick said: “I am delighted that ASCAP has nominated Calvary in the Film Score of the Year Category. Composers’ Choice nominees are hand-picked by a select group of composers, film and TV industry leaders, so it’s a great honour to be have been chosen by other music professionals for such a prestigious nomination.”

The Calvary score has also received a nomination for a Cue Award, the official awards of Tracksounds.com in the category of Best Dramatic Score. The score was previously nominated for the Discovery of the Year Award at the 14th World Soundtrack Awards.

Cassidy has composed the music and worked on the soundtrack for numerous films including ‘Hannibal’, ‘Veronica Guerin’, ‘King Arthur’, ‘Layer Cake’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven’.

The nominees for 2014 FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR are:

Patrick Cassidy – Calvary

Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Theory of Everything 

Mica Levi – Under the Skin

Gary Yershon – Mr. Turner

Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

Twelve Songs in the Running for Pan Celtic National Song Contest 2015

Written by Breffni Banks on . Posted in Industry News.

Pan Cheilteach Amhrán Náisiúnta 2015 postaer A3 jpegTwelve songs will go head to head in the Pan Celtic National Song Contest 2015 which will be held in the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow on Saturday, 7 March at 8pm.

Sponsored by IMRO in association with Gael Linn and Glór Cheatharlach, the composer of the winning song will receive a cash prize of €1,000 and the song will go forward to represent Ireland at the Pan Celtic International Song Contest to be held in Derry in April.

The twelve finalists are:

Sharon Ní Chuilbin – “Tá Dóchas Ann”

Helena Byrne – “Is Tú Grá”

Pádraig Mac Domhnaill – “Oíche na Gaoithe”

Brighdín Carr – “Árainn Mhór”

Marcus Mac Conghail – “Is Cuma sa tSioc”

Eilín Ní Bheaglaoich – “Deoraí”

Tiarnán Ó Sé – “€50,000,000,000”

Bríd Ní Chionnaith & Róisín Nic an Starraí – “Imithe”

Colette Nic Aodha – “Oileán”

Damian Mac Gabhann & Aidan Cranny – “Imigh a Dhamhsóir”

Enda Reilly & Séamus Barra Ó Súilleabháin – “Go Beo go Deo na nDeo”

Lorna, Laine, Eoghan, Evelyn & Kiarán Ó Maoileáin – “Anseo”

The judging panel will be made up of Seá Ó Sé, Liam Lawton and Pádraigín Caesar.

All are welcome. Tickets @  €10.

Enquiries to 087 2857048, 059 9158105 or  pancelticcarlow@nullgmail.com

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