Author: Breffni Banks

Named one of the Irish Examiner’s Ones to Watch, Irish Singer – Songwriter Megan O’Neill returns with a new collection of songs, a shares the first single All Those Yesterdays.

All Those Yesterdays compares the seasons of youth and adulthood. “When we’re young (in most cases), life is all about exploration, opportunities and looking ahead. We’re not quite as easily scarred and we don’t have the baggage of the past to carry around. During the season of adulthood, more worries set in, responsibilities can take over and the losses of loved ones usually become something we have to deal with. This season is more about goodbyes, reminiscing on old times and as much as we can be looking ahead, we also spend a lot of time looking back” says Megan.

Last year, O’Neill released an EP titled: Time (Thought you were on my side), featuring five songs written and recorded with producer Richey McCourt. This EP merges her folk, storytelling roots with more electronic elements and was stylistically somewhat different to previous material, highlighting O’Neill’s ability to successfully move between genres. Both singles (Wildfire and Fail Better) became top 10 charting singles and were playlisted by RTE Radio 1, iRadio, Spin 1038 and more, as well as featured performances on BBC’s Across the Line and Virgin Media’s Six O’Clock Show.

Megan’s sophomore studio album Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty was released in March 2021. Time in a Bottle, the bonus track, featured in the opening scene of hit Netflix TV Show Firefly Lane and one week later, O’Neill performed the song live on the RTE Late Late Show – charting that same weekend in Ireland across all genres. Megan’s subsequent Late Late Show performance was this past September when she performed Brian Byrne’s ‘Lay Your Head Down’, originally released with Sinead O’Connor on vocals.

Deemed a “rising star” by uDiscover and Timeout Magazine London, Megan has toured globally. She has performed at private Oscars’ parties in LA alongside Gavin James (on invite from JJ Abrams) and has had her song ‘Don’t You’ featured on ABC’s hit TV Show ‘Nashville’ (Season 3). She has opened for the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Lighthouse Family and Jamie Cullum (to name a few) and the late Olivia Newton-John was a self-proclaimed Megan O’Neill fan.

Late in 2022, Megan toured with Glen Hansard across Ireland as part of his band and took part in the famous Christmas Eve Busk on Grafton Street. She is also a member of indie-electronic project ‘Where the Waters Meet’ alongside Paul Kenny which launched in November 2022 with a commissioned piece for the Recording Academy (The Grammy Awards): their cover of ‘Bette Davis Eyes’.

Megan will tour in Ireland and the UK early 2024, for dates and tickets, visit http://megan-oneill.com/#liveshows

FEB 14, 2024 WEDS

Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

FEB 16, 2024 FRI

Heeley Parish Church @ 7:00 PM

Sheffield, United Kingdom

FEB 17, 2024 SAT

ExCellar @ 7:00 PM

Surbiton, United Kingdom

FEB 18, 2024 SUN

The Colne Delta Blues and Americana nights @ 7:00 PM

Brightlingsea, United Kingdom

FEB 19, 2024 MON

Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre @ 7:00 PM

Barnoldswick, United Kingdom

FEB 20, 2024 TUE

Retro Bar @ 7:00 PM

Manchester, United Kingdom

FEB 21, 2024 WED

The Half Moon @ 7:00 PM

London, United Kingdom

https://instagram.com/meganoneillmusic

https://twitter.com/meganoneill / @meganoneill

https://www.facebook.com/MeganONeillMusic

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWajlM_WS19L91STNMyyyPw

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1JqJXI7idjd9rrxOox7yiB?si=nVehpzaXQ-mW2FljQIqDvQ

Bucket release their highly anticipated single ‘Who Knows?’ on Friday November 10th 2023.

Having signed with Dublin-based label house A Baker’s Dozen earlier this year, the single marks the band’s first release since their DIY 8-track cassette & digital album ‘The Big Sin’ in October of 2021.

‘Who Knows?’ is a blistering effort at capturing Bucket’s deafening live performances. Smeared with textural guitars, driving basslines, and weighted drum grooves – the track is bursting with smitherings of garage, noise, and hardcore. While the track’s lyricism loosely discusses topics of insomnia and slow-paced city centre pedestrians, Who Knows? is largely a sonic statement piece; a testament to Bucket’s aural ability – it’s explosive breakdowns and increasing tempo marking the band’s shift towards even noisier contemporary planes whilst preserving the punk & garage qualities in the track’s influence.

For fans of: TheeOhSees, Gilla Band, black midi, Model/Actriz, METZ.

About Bucket:

The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Cian Dahdouh, bassist Emmett McNamee, and drummer Josh Dorrell, Dublin-based 3 piece Bucket seemingly appeared from nowhere with their debut album in the latter half 2021; breeding the DIY ethics of garage and punk rock, soon endowing a reputation for their sweaty live shows. The band’s first show saw them sell out The Workman’s Club, soon playing an array of wall-to-wall DIY shows across Ireland. Just this year, Bucket have played support to the likes of Heavy Lungs and Press Club.

Connect with Bucket

Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp

Indie soul/funk artist Rain Jamerson has arrived with his debut album, A House Where the Light Is Master, set for release on November 10th. The ten track feat is infused with his signature lyrical positivity and feel-good grooves. Smooth guitar riffs, funky bass, and moody vocals create the chill atmosphere Jamerson has become known for. This body of work is entirely self-made, with tracks written, performed, and recorded in his home studio in Ireland. Listeners of Jungle, Mayer Hawthorne and George Clinton will find themselves gravitating towards Jamerson’s unique blend of old and new. 

Based in Dublin, Rain Jamerson is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Luke Fitzgerald. His inspiration is derived from the soul and funk of the 60s and 70s, paired with a modernized twist. Devoted to creating “funky cosmic sounds,” Jamerson explores spirituality in most of his songwriting. Simple refrains beg to be sung, while a closer listen easily reveals uplifting mantras. By combining elements of hip-hop, electro, R&B, and pop with a deeply intimate lyrical style, he brings new cool to the old school. “You won’t start livin’ till you’re ready to die,” he professes on the jam-infused track “Fear Less.” 

A House Where the Light Master Is explores themes of love and healing as a means of moving away from trauma and fear. “The intention I had when making this album was to explore who I am, or who I think I am,” Jamerson shares. 

Standout single “Blessings” was written as a personal message to always center kindness. After time spent in Malawi, Jamerson received a handmade acoustic guitar from a man who shares the same name as the track. He finished a half-written demo on that guitar, ultimately titling it after his serendipitous encounter. It is about, “….giving yourself over to the magic of the Universe.” He reminds the listener that there are “blessings waiting for you, my friend,” over a danceable, steady drum beat and energetic bass lines. 

Speaking on the LP as a whole, Jamerson shares, “What I found through the process of recording these songs is that I am not who I thought I was. I am not my job, I am not the things I own, I am not my past, I am just the energy that flows through me.”

Connect with Rain Jamerson

Spotify | Instagram | YouTube

Rio Ferdinand Foundation today announced that Sello has joined the Foundation as a music ambassador in Ireland and beyond, in a move that will see the Irish artist share his journey and insights into the music industry to inspire future generations.

A talented artist Sello has an unsurmountable community spirit with a true passion for inspiring and influencing young people in Ireland to reach their maximum potential.
Sello will be welcomed as Music Ambassador for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation during a panel-based launch event with industry insiders at Warner Music Ireland Offices on Thursday, 9th November. Dublin’s first ‘Into the Industry’ event will offer insight and networking opportunities in A&R, marketing and events, broadcast, and media to thirty young people interested in careers in the music industry.
Joining Sello on Thursday’s panel are Warner Music Senior Vice President Priscilla Kotey and music producer Simba Bianchi. Further panellists include Dylan Murphy, District Magazine, Claire Beck, Bauer Media, Patrick Trautt, MCD, Nathan Sauramba, Waverton Corp, Eric Davidson, The Tenth Man and radio producer Beta Da Silva, RTÉ2FM.

Thursday’s ‘Into the Industry’ event follows the success of the Belfast ‘Into the Industry’ careers showcase early this year in June, when Sello joined a line-up of industry insiders. The event, attended by over 75 young people aged 14-16, celebrated youth culture and signalled a new phase of partnership work in Northern Ireland to empower equality and create opportunities for young people.

Sello’s ambassador role will be delivering workshops, meeting young people, and attending events as part of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation’s and Warner Music UK and Ireland’s commitment to engaging young people from diverse backgrounds in understanding and building careers and social mobility in all work areas.

Rio Ferdinand, Founder of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, said:
“It was great meeting Sello in London recently and hearing his commitment to giving back to society and supporting young people in mental health, life skills and building careers.

“I loved hearing his enthusiasm and ideas, and I want to take this opportunity to formally welcome him to the Rio Ferdinand Foundation team and look forward to working with him in the future.”

Sello said: “I’m huge into the community; where I’m from, everyone has the spirit; if I want something good to happen and to flourish in what I’m doing, the community must be behind it. I want to impact young people’s lives. That’s been the mission from the start; my first release was for the community.”

Priscilla Kotey, Senior Vice President of Warner Music Ireland said: “We are delighted to have partnered over the last year with the Rio Ferdinand Fountain and to help grow the community in Ireland. Our partnership aims to help the youth of Ireland get a stepping stone into the music industry and learn how it all works. We are very excited to host our first event this week at our new offices. Sello has always shined a light on the importance of community and giving back to where you came from and is the perfect ambassador.”

Tim V. Smyth has been an active participant in the Irish music scene for many years under a variety of different monikers. His most recent musical endeavor was Hidden Highways, a dark and minimal folk/alt-country outfit inspired as much by “The Hired Hand” and “Return To Oz” as it was by Townes van Zandt and Gillian Welch. Unsurprisingly, then, the songs he penned for that project found their way into a number of film soundtracks.

However, despite his love for Americana, he has recently moved away from his alt-country roots to explore a darker, more glutinous sound in his latest self-produced work. This new body of work features a wide range of influences, from the solo guitar pieces of Loren Connors to the lo-fi electronica of John Maus. Tim utilizes a variety of tools, toys, and techniques to create a unique and textured sound. Test equipment, botched guitars, dictaphone vocals, broken bass synths, and wonky tape float together around lyrics dealing with the age-old subjects: life, death, and love.

The third single, “Love’s Not Through With You Yet,” will be available digitally on the 10th of November 2023.

About the song:

“Love’s Not Through…” started as a song with a beginning, middle, and end but ended up as a loop on the Zvex pedal, the Lo-Fi Loop Junky. I had been re-watching “The Harder They Fall,” a 50’s film with some less than complimentary portrayals of boxing when the vaguest of lyrics sprang to mind. I worked on it over the next couple of weeks, trying to match it to tunes that just wouldn’t wear it. Around that time, I had an opportunity to buy a Zvex Lo-Fi Loop Junky looper pedal. I say “opportunity” as they are prohibitively expensive, but this one was reasonably priced. It’s an odd beast – if you want to use it like a Boss looper, you’ll be hard-pressed! I believe it’s analog or analog-ish, utilizing a chip from old answering machines. Not surprisingly, there’s no quantization, smart start, or overdubbing. However, whatever is looped into it comes out like some old scratchy 78 record or a warbly cassette recording.

I recorded a few demos with just circular riffs into this machine and started to match lyrics to one. The boxing analogy for resilience is a tritely obvious one, but I thought I was pretty clever working a sport into a song. Pretty clever, that was, until I heard “When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease” by Roy Harper.

I did a first run of the song that evolved into an unsuitable synth-pop oddity and had to start from scratch using the loop itself as the track’s starting point. It was immediately clear that less was more for this track, and I added gentle chords from my Epiphone Dot Studio 335 copy and lush strings from a Korg SP-80s. The reverbs were from a Zoom MS-80CDR in my Tascam mixer’s send/return. A swimming feedback howl was recorded with the 335 copy and my favorite amp of all time – a Coron Live 10 mic’d with a Blue Hummingbird and used as you would a synth pad. The track still felt empty, and I left it alone for weeks, hoping something would come to me.

It wasn’t until after finding an LP copy of one of my favorite film scores, Gabriel Yared’s for “Betty Blue,” that I dug out my melodica to complete the track. Now maybe it’s harmonica on that score, maybe it’s a melodica – I’ve never been able to get a clear answer on that, but to me, it sounds more like a melodica. My own melodica is the cult classic Hohner Piano 26 models, and I’ve tried to incorporate many tracks, but it’s never made the cut. I had doubled or complemented its line with my Korg Poly 800, but these sounded intrusive when paired with it and were dropped. The melodica was mic’d again with the Blue Hummingbird, which is ideal for small spaces, and the mic itself sounds great.

Queen Bitch, Queen Mother. Bethsheba, the bird who held the heart of David, who brought the poet King to his knees before God, and we remember poor brave Uriah sacrificed in the name of mad infatuation. Wise, powerful and steadfast was she who guided the history of mankind, the bearer of wise rulers and saviours. She is the eye of the storm, the calm at the centre of the tempest raging around her. Lust, desire and thirst precedes chaos and ruin, in turn preceding rebirth and rebuild in her image. Temples are raised, riches gathered.

Queen Bitch, Queen of Hearts, and “reader of hearts’ ,’ like Mariana de Paredes whose feast day and death day falls on the birthday of our Queen Bitch. A mystic, healer, ascetic, who takes the pains of the world on her body, and transmutes it to music so that we might listen and become closer to the divine.

A voice that emanates with otherworldly authority, commanding all those who listen to her bidding, a siren song to lure, to destroy and create anew. Crashing percussion like desert wars, and stringed distortions that make atoms dance.

Graciously accept our Queen Bitch, bow reverently, take up your sword and go forth in her glory.

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Queen Bitch is a musical project by Irish artist Róisín Bohan. Through the genres of rock, blues, grunge and more, she explores the vastness of human experience, touching on trauma, toxic relationships, sexuality, doubt, pain and joy in her inimitable and powerful style.

A new voice to add to the rich lineage of fearless female bards like Patti Smith. PJ Harvey, Karen O and Siouxsie Sioux. Guitar in hand, she brings a regal air to the stage and stereo. Enter her Queendom and join her amassing army of loyal subjects!

Her first single ‘Bones’ from upcoming self titled album, ‘Queen Bitch’ is a fracturing frenzy of crashing guitars and cymbals. A ferocious wail heralds the powerful track to come, a song about healing, about strength and rebuilding, losing your trust before finding a great trust.

‘Bones’ was recorded at Beardfire Studios Dublin, featuring Al Quiff on drums, Rohan Healy on bass and Petri Visser on lead guitar. Produced by the Beardfire team, Rohan Healy, Al Quiff and David Virgin, who in their collective decades in the music industry have worked on stage and in studio with the likes of Nick Cave, INXS, RUNAH, Ailsha, All The Queen’s Horses, Patricia Lalor, Lloyd Cole, Leslie Dowdall and many more.

Don’t miss Queen Bitch’s rise as she conquers the rock scene with her powerful live shows and string of compelling releases into 2024 and beyond.

Socials:

Queen Bitch Instagram / Facebook

Beardfire Instagram / Facebook

Partland is the stage name of Galway based singer songwriter and artist Thomas McPartland. Partland has gigged in various countries such as Canada, Germany, France, Scotland and England over the years, including support slots with the likes of Damien Dempsey, Ham Sandwich, Picturehouse and Heathers.

His first album, ‘Sing Me to Shore’ was released in Summer ’16, and was featured as Internationally renowned songwriter Charlie McGettigan’s Album of the Month on his radio show. His most recent single ‘Don’t Shoot Me Those Baby Blues’ released in August 2022 and picked up support in HotPress, RTE Entertainment, InMusic, Near FM, Dublin South FM, Shannonisde FM, This Galway, Flirt FM and many more making the Galway native one to watch.

Forthcoming album ‘The Empty Atlantic’ will come with quite a unique feature, in that the songwriter has also created a music video for each song. This gives an extra cinematic dimension into the storytelling of each song, creating a visual world in addition to the listening experience.

Now with his new album on the horizon, Partland is now set out to make an even bigger name for himself.

Last Chance Hero is the third track from the Partland album ‘The Empty Atlantic’. It more than any of the songs on the album draws most from his main influences; from Simon and Garfunkel to Elliott Smith. This heartbreaking ballad tells the story of the helplessness felt at the breakdown of a relationship. The music video for the single interprets the title from a different angle; that of an aging superhero who is struggling with becoming old and the declining of his powers. He strives for one last heroic deed which may ultimately cost him his life. The music video was handcrafted by Partland singer and songwriter Thomas McPartland and the track was produced and recorded by Canadian producer Robert Kelly both in parts in Galway, Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada.

Connect with Partland

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

Brand new track ‘Defence’ sets the scene for Toshín’s upcoming album ‘I Own Everything’, marking the return of the rising talent and promising to make waves in the Irish music industry.

‘Defence’ is the result of Toshín’s creatively-fuelled hiatus during which she set out to discover her true sound. It comes loaded with high energy and unapologetic confidence, showcasing a dynamic musical style that draws inspiration from rock, pop & soul.

The new release is a reflection of Toshín’s musical journey to date which saw her open for Macy Gray and sell out iconic venues, while also marking the beginning of a new chapter for the self-expressive, genre-blending vocalist.

Toshín’s forthcoming single features the collaborative talents of Tosin Bankole, and Tosin Adebayo, written by Zapho with production by #2 Billboard charting songwriter and producer Liam Geddes. As part of her debut 10-track album, a fresh musical experience that is not to be missed.

Stay tuned for more details about the official release of ‘I Own Everything’, to which ‘Defence’ is a tasty introduction.

Upcoming Toshín Live Dates

Thursday, NOV 23RD: Bar Bobu, Berlin

Saturday, NOV 25TH: Monroes, Galway

Friday, DEC 1ST: The Sugar Club, Dublin

Thursday, DEC 14TH: ICC, London

Don’t miss these fantastic opportunities to see Toshín perform live!

https://toshinmusic.com/