Author: Breffni Banks

Speaking about the video for ‘Shy’ Marie said “it is an obvious follow on from the first released single ‘Shadow’ with a similar irreverence and boldness in its approach. It’s satirical and ironic take on the assumption of women to remain ‘nice’ at all times can impede the very sense of purpose necessary to achieve a sense of fulfilment in our endeavours.” “ It jumps straight out of the proverbial Pandora’s Box of inhibiting attitudes and celebrates owning the self” she added.

Marie Keane is a singer-songwriter with eclectic themes, from environmental protection (Marie’s a qualified environmental scientist) to Motown influenced love tunes. For 20 years she’s performed in various blues, soul and jazz ensembles. From the main stage in the Cork Jazz Festival to performing traditionally inspired tunes in the Botanical Gardens, her music crosses more than a few divides.

Her debut album ‘Russian Doll’ is a mix of folk blues and soul with subtle classical and traditional undertones. The release of Russian Doll followed on from it’s launch to a packed out Sugar Club performance of the full album in 2019. Russian Doll is available on vinyl & CD in Tower Records, selected Golden Discs stores and independent record stores in Dublin, Kildare, Athlone, Cork and Galway and record shops throughout the country, supporting Irish music.

‘Shy’ the second single from Marie’s second album ‘MNÁ’ is the power house of the whole album offering a culmination of the style and fervour of this anticipated new work from the artist. MNÁ will be released early in 2023.

‘Shy’ is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify, from today, 17th October 2023.

Connect with Marie Keane

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“As a kid I was always in a hurry, just so excited to grow up. But then when I started to figure out what’s actually involved, I think I’m just not ready! That said, I reckon a lot of people feel like that, no matter what age they are!”

Following the out-of-the-box success of her debut covers EP – ‘Undercover Heartbreak’ – which charted Top 10 in the official Irish album charts when released back in April this year; Dublin teenager Saibh Skelly is set to release her first self-penned solo material.

New track ‘Grow Up’ was written in London and was once again produced in Dublin by Cormac Butler (Gavin James, The Academic, Pa Sheehy). Since her Rubyworks debut last year, Saibh has been steadily building her streaming profile and has been featured on New Music Friday, New Pop, Sad Songs and Pop Covers official playlists. She has 90k followers on Instagram, 6 million views on YouTube and is quickly building a following on TikTok with 3 million views already.

Saibh Skelly will be on tour this autumn with Lyra.

OCTOBER  2022

Thursday 27th – Spiegel Tent, Wexford

Friday 28th, Saturday 29th – Cyprus Avenue, Cork

NOVEMBER 2022

Thursday 3rd & Saturday 5th – Monroe’s, Galway

Friday 4th – Dolan’s, Limerick

Sunday 6th – INEC, Killarney

Tuesday 8th – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin

Thursday 10th – Limelight, Belfast

Friday 11th – The TLT, Drogheda

Saturday 12th – Set Theatre Kilkenny

Sunday 14th – The Haven, Waterford

‘Grow Up’ by Saibh Skelly is out now on Rubyworks 

Podge Lane announces new single ‘Battle Wounds’, out October 14th.

Brimming with the customary instrumentation of country and rockabilly stylings, Podge Lane’s ‘Battle Wounds’ swells with his distinctive flair for comedic relief in a not-so-comedic setting. ‘Battle Wounds’, set for release on October 14th 2022, is the second single off of Lane’s sophomore album, “Common Country Misconceptions” which is due for release via his independent label, Teip Records in early 2023.

Set amongst a sonic backdrop somewhere between Buddy Holly and Old Crow Medicine Show, Podge interjects, “I’m not saying that I’m perfect, oh nobody is, but these one sided conversations are bringing me to tears.” Boisterous instrumentation can’t hide the glaring honesty of Lane’s lyrical critique of “sharing is caring.” Talk about your thoughts, open up to those you trust, seek the support of others, while also in turn, be that same shoulder for someone to lean on rather than the automatic door that disappears just as someone stands in front of you.

Lane shares, “It’s a song about those millions of times you’ve sat somewhere and someone empties every thought they’re having without asking anything about you. It’s poking fun at the idea that someone is “always there for you” when they never really are. And the fact that at any moment you could be doing that exact same thing to someone else.”

Building on the success of his debut album launch for ’Outer Monologues’ (2021) in Winthrop Avenue, Lane showcases his “feel-good energy and vibrant instrumentation with painfully honest lyrics” (Hot Press Magazine) for audiences attending his 2022 Irish and UK tour and with the release of his 2022 single ‘Paradise’. Performing before enrapt crowds as support for Charlie Parr, Tootawl and The Brother Brother, Lane also arrived onto the London music scene in Lion Records.

With “Common Country Misconceptions” around the corner, “Battle Wounds” marks an exciting new era for Podge Lane and hints towards what’s to come for 2023.

Taken from her highly anticipated debut album, due for release Thursday 20^th October, contemporary harpist BRÍDÍN shares a recording of ‘The Dawn Chorus’, written by one of the foremost contemporary Irish poets Derek Mahon, and performed by Brídín and multi-award-winning actor Stephen Rea.

Speaking of the song, BRÍDÍN says:

“The Dawn Chorus is a poem written by the incredible Irish poet Derek Mahon. I was asked by the wonderful Donal Scannell to take part in a commemoration to Derek in 2021 and I had the honour of writing music for this vivid and colourful poem. I am so grateful to have had Derek’s friend Stephen Rea recite this poem so powerfully on this recording. ‘It is not sleep itself, but dreams we miss’, the poem is all about that state our mind is in as we just wake up, trying to grasp onto any memory of your dream you can. It is true, it’s not the physical aspect of sleeping that we miss but the land that we can escape to when we do, I think there’s something magical about that.

Special thanks to Peter Fallon at Gallery Press for giving me permission to include this poem on my album.”

Official Video – Live at Juniper Barn 

“Thanks to Christopher and Dorothy at Juniper Barn and to Sophie at Space to Grow for decorating the space so beautifully. Thanks to Stephen Rea for reciting the poem so beautifully. Brian Dillon on keys, Sarah O’Gorman on fiddle. Video production by Fionn Rogers. Light and sound by Ray at EAV Ireland. Photographer Steve Rogers. Headpieces from Sister Sparkle in Ballymote, Co. Sligo. And makeup by Alanis McKai.”

BRÍDÍN, West Co. Sligo native, carries on the tradition of Irish music into the fourth generation of her family. BRÍDÍN sings, plays the harp, flute and piano. BRÍDÍN’s musical talent emerged at a very early age. Over the years she has achieved many accolades for her musical ability. Her love of music led her to pursue a musical career, having studied music at University College Cork achieving a degree in Music and Irish and Masters in Music and Performance. BRÍDÍN’s recent performances include ‘The Late Late Show’, ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’, ‘Ireland AM’, ‘Today with Maura and Daithí’, ‘Claire Byrne Live’, ‘The Mainstage’, ‘Extra.ie’ and national radio.

Over the past number of years, BRÍDÍN has developed her own style influenced by her natural surroundings and rooted in her background in traditional Irish music.  BRÍDÍN uses her loop and effect pedals to create her musical pieces. Her layered melodies on harp and voice blend beautifully with contrapuntal fiddle, keyboard, electric guitar and bass, woven together with pulsating drums.

BRÍDÍN grew up in a funeral home and is a full time funeral director and embalmer at her father’s funeral home and has always found from a young age she has been fascinated by life and death. ‘I’m fascinated by the constant flow of nature and the beginning and ending of life.’ This has helped her form a great appreciation of life and says she is so grateful for the people she has in her life and all the work unknowingly our bodies do to keep us alive.

Since becoming a full time funeral director and embalmer, BRÍDÍN has also found that writing and playing music is a great healing process for the pain of people’s grief that she deals with on a daily basis. ‘In an unexpected way, I need one to have the other. Music is my love and emotional outlet and acts as my healer, while on the other hand, the funeral industry reminds me every day how lucky I am to be alive and to still have my loved ones with me. I think in general we need to appreciate the “little” things we have and come back to nature’.

‘This album is my best work yet, I’m so proud of every last note and the musicians who have joined me. I can feel a real honest journey throughout of grief and healing, and I hope it helps people as much as it’s helped me.’

BRÍDÍN’s new single ‘The Dawn Chorus’ from her self-titled debut album is out now.

‘BRÍDÍN’ the album, out Thursday 20th October is available to pre-order on Bandcamp: https://bridin.bandcamp.com/album/br-d-n

Connect with BRÍDÍN

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The Exact Same Kid is the moniker of Dublin born songwriter Alex Conroy. Early musical memories with his parents’ record collection introduced him to a wide variety of artists such as Meatloaf, Queen, Steely Dan, Glen Campbell and many more. Initially trying his hand as a folk musician, Alex has performed alongside acts such as The Ghandis, Clara Byrne, Apella, The Blizzards, I Have A Tribe, Cathy Davey and Neil Hannon. Ultimately growing uncomfortable with the stillness and isolation that comes from being a solo artist, the desire for a bigger sound and more collaboration led to some years of experimentation. The Exact Same Kid is the result, a heavier indie rock sound that still retained the lyrical focus of folk music.

AMATEUR HOUR:

Amateur Hour is the upcoming EP from The Exact Same Kid. Featuring 3 tracks recorded in the summer of 2021 with producer and sound engineer Aidan Cunningam. Taking influence from genres as wide ranging as classic rock to country to jazz, each song is centered around a different theme and musical style but maintaining the same narrative voice throughout.

Taking inspiration from his own life, Don’t Cry, Butano and Blue China deal with ideas of love, loss and self-discovery. Amateur Hour is about confronting your own emotions, finding out who you are and finding the strength in that knowledge.

The name itself is partly self-deprecating – falling well short of 60 minutes it’s a literal amateur hour. However, it also reflects Alex’s acceptance that music should primarily be about having fun and expressing yourself, and that owning your status as an ‘amateur’ actually just means that you are free to take risks without the added worries of success or failure.

Inspired by events in his own life, the songs deal with personal struggles and universal themes. Whether it’s the lost love of Don’t Cry, finding strength in Butano, or finding yourself in Blue China, each song should strike a different chord with everyone who listens.

“I don’t think I’m alone in having turned to music for answers at some stage in my life,” says Alex, “Amateur Hour is definitely not for that. It’s about saying I might not have the answers, but I have the same questions as you do so you’re not alone. I think there’s comfort there, in being united in our confusion.”

BUTANO:

Butano is the first single and focus track from The Exact Same Kid’s upcoming EP Amateur Hour.

Written during a winter spent in Barcelona with nothing but a butane heater for warmth and company, Butano is about everything falling apart, about the connections we make between people and places, about facing your memories, and about telling yourself that everything will be ok.

The song itself takes its influences from classic songwriters like Tom Petty, Neil Young and Lou Reed as well as contemporary artists such as Bonny Doon, War on Drugs, Phoebe Bridgers and Kurt Vile. It was recorded in the Nutshed Studios in Clara, Co Offaly with producer and sound engineer Aidan Cunningam (Wheatus, The Blizzards, Apella, The Scratch), drummer Ronan Nolan (Ryan Sheridan,Gavin James, Apella,Murdock,Bressie,Hozier) and Dara Quilty (Apella, Fox Avenue).

In order to echo the theme of the song, the recording process used barely functioning handmade instruments, old cassette tape and audio tricks like Shepard Tones to give a sense of a song that is barely held together before ultimately completely falling apart.

“With Butano I want people to feel like I could be sitting across from them having a chat. I wanted to write something that was lyrically unambiguous – there are no clever metaphors for me to hide behind, so from that perspective it’s one of the most honest songs I’ve ever written.”

“Musically, myself and Aidan and Ronan threw everything we could at it for no better reason than we were having fun with it. We had planned to record together for years before Covid ruined our plans, so listening to Butano is listening to a bunch of guys just letting loose and really enjoying the process”

Connect with Exact Same Kid

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Thursday 27th October sees Dublin singer-songwriter Gerr Walsh release M50 Song, the final single from celebrated debut ’21/’22 album Ghosts of Hope & Magic. M50 Song is a lively sing-along with a full band that explores the human struggle with the stresses and monotony of a 9 to 5 existence. Lineup includes world class musicians Max Greenwood on piano, Keith Duffy on Bass, Adam Marcello on Drums and Will Wilde on Harmonica.

Previous singles Strays and Sleeping Giant hit the Top 10 in the RTE Radio 1 Airplay Charts and were included on the RTE1 Recommends Playlist. Strays also got a mention from actor Robert Carlyle on twitter calling it a “Beautiful tune”. Ghosts of Hope & Magic received a 3.5 star review from from Tony Clayton Lea in The Business Post calling it “Fluid, Cinematic, Seductive”.

Gerr Walsh, is a singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. He released his debut EP ‘Prevailing Winds’ in 2016 – a collection of indie-folk songs, with a melodic heart. With regular plays on radio by late night DJs, including RTE Radio 1’s Fiachna ó Braonáin and John Creedon, Gerr is building a loyal fanbase playing live with the likes of Joe Chester, Naimee Coleman, Max Greenwood and Alice Jago.

Connect with Gerr Walsh

Website | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Cork based indie band The Burma release their debut album “Sucker For Stars” this Friday the 14th October . All 3 of the bands singles from the 11 track LP hit the Irish Charts in the Homegrown Top 20 and Top 5 Irish iTunes singles .

Accrediting their sound to influences of the American Indie scene of the early 2000’s and British guitar bands of the 80s and 90s, The Burma lists bands such as The Killers, Tame Impala, The Smiths, Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes as their inspiration. They have landed support slots for acts such as The Academic, The Strypes, Delorentos, Ryan Sheridan, The Blizzards, Paddy Casey, The Frank and Walters and more.

The 3 piece is made up of Tony O Donovan (Vocals), Peter Piggott (Lead Guitar) – both from Cobh Co. Cork, and Cian Doherty (Drummer) from Doolin, Co. Clare. The band is named after The Burma Steps in Cobh.

The indie trio will promote their new album with a run of dates around the country in Dublin, Dundalk, Cork and Limerick.

Saturday 15th Oct – Whelan’s, Dublin
Thursday October 20th – Spirit Store, Dundalk
Friday October 21st – Seachurch, Ballycotton
Friday November 14th – Dolans, Limerick

“Dancey Glowing Indie Rock” – Rolling Stone

“A desire to express something different – couple this with a poignant sense of intimacy” Clash Magazine

“The Cork trio shimmer, jangle and sneer in all the right places.” Hot Press

“Jangly guitar pop at its finest.” – Dan Hegarty, RTE 2FM

Danó and Goldie Bron$on will release new single, ‘Tokyo Trip’ on October 28th in line with the Cork Jazz Festival weekend.

Danó has amassed over 100,000 followers on TikTok and Goldie Bron$on was nominated for Most Promising Act By Hot Press Magazine in their Hotties 2022 alongside the likes of Malaki, Gemma Dunleavy and Cian Ducrot. Which even surprises himself as he only began making music in 2021.

“Myself and Daniel have written nearly 100 songs together but this was the first one with complex enough chords that he was happy to stand by it and put his name to it. He did the music I just did the lyrics on this one. Last November, I also played my first sold out Cork show and fundraised for Pieta House and me and Daniel played some of the unreleased tracks we have written.” Says Goldie Bron$on

He continues, “‘Tokyo Trip’ is many different things – from recounting my daily routine from the time I wrote it, to now sending emails at 9am its a bit different, to wanting peace on earth while we trying to make music our career shouting out two legends Dbo Funds and Kojo Funds. I write the Goldie Bron$on stuff from the perspective of a Goldfish or the world being a fish bowl where we have 10 second memory. I had this idea in initially and did it from the beginning with the concepts but now is the time to reveal. The more I think about it the more similarities I think Humans and Goldfish have now with technology making the world a lot more connected literally but with the unrealistic expectations placed on people and attention spans getting shorter and shorter chances are you didn’t even read this long. As I write this, I’m in my fish bowl of Cork City I used to long for Tokyo, Amsterdam or West LA but they don’t have Beamish there so whats the point in going really. We made this track on a budget of pretty much 0$ but with a lot of love and just doing what we want to do, originally written on my out of tune Piano and then we upped the production to a college accommodation using Garageband. We would love to see some support in any way so we can continue to produce some of our best tunes that we have written but have yet to record.”

Pre-save ‘Tokyo Trip’ here.