Author: Breffni Banks

The first EP ever to excite your olfactory as well as aural senses?

Imagine a tryst between Brian Eno, Olafur Arnalds and a classic Moog synth in a Berlin back alley circa 1982. Ambient? Check. Haunting? Certainly. Interesting? You betcha.

Petrichor, the debut EP from Colin J. Morris, is all of these things, and more. This 26 minute, instrumental 4-track EP is, like all Morris' work, music for thinking to, walking to, basking in and maybe getting a little lost in (in a nice faffing-around-on-a-Sundayafternoon kind of way, mind you).

The Contemporary Music Centre presents two short films by Irish composers and visual artists
 
The Contemporary Music Centre’s Platform for Performance presents a cross art-form night of contemporary music and visual art with the screening of two short films, 6pm – 7pm, Tuesday, 15 November 2011.
 
Relic by composer Rhona Clarke and visual artist Marie Hanlon is a short film approximately ten minutes in duration which draws its visual material from the Burren landscape of North Clare in Ireland. Initially the sequences seem to be unconnected but gradually a pattern of cycles emerges: the cycle of the tides, the cycle of the seasons and ultimately the cycle of life and death. Relic was first viewed at the 8th Burren Annual exhibition, curated by Josephine Kelliher, 27 August 2011. The exhibition ran from 27 August 2011 to 24 September 2011.
 
The Sea by composer Stephern Gardner and visual artists Gary Coyle is a collaborative film which explores a shared passion for the sea. It was commissioned by Wexford County Council under a Per Cent for Art Scheme in 2005 as part of a new round of commissions open to all disciplines inclusive of writers, choreographers, artists, filmmakers, etc. Coyle and Gardner's collaborative film is an exploration of the sea along the 200 kilometers of Wexford Coastline. The project was curated by Cliodhna Shaffrey. Their film was screened for a week at Christ Church Old School, Gorey. www.publicart.ie
 
Rhona Clarke was born in Dublin. She studied music at University College, Dublin, and completed a Ph.D at Queen’s University, Belfast under the supervision of Michael Alcorn. Her output includes choral, chamber, orchestral and electronic works. She has received commissions from RTÉ, the Cork International Choral Festival, Music Network and the National Concert Hall, among others. Her work has been performed and broadcast throughout Ireland and at several European music festivals. Rhona Clarke is a lecturer in music at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. In 2005 she was elected to Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists.
 
Stephen Gardner was born in Belfast and studied at the University of Ulster and the University of Wales from 1984 to 1989, gaining the degrees of BA in music and MMus in composition. In 1998-99 he was composer-in-residence with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the first such position with a local authority in Ireland. His orchestral works have been performed by the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Youth Orchestra. Stephen Gardner was elected to Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists, in 2003.

Marie Hanlon, born Ireland 1948, is a visual artist, now based in Dublin represented by the Rubicon Gallery. Recent solo exhibitions include Rua Red, Tallaght, Dublin, 2010; Éigse Carlow 2009 and Rubicon Gallery, Dublin 2009.

Gary Coyle was born in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin in 1965, where he now lives and works having spent nearly a decade living in New York and London. He works in a variety of media, drawing, film, photography, and more recently performance. He has exhibited widely in Ireland and abroad. His work has been included in shows at The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, The Sainsbury Gallery, Norwich and The Tate Liverpool. 

Admission is free for the screening which will be followed by a wine reception in the Centre’s library. Places are limited so booking is recommended.
 
The Contemporary Music Centre celebrates 25 years in 2011 and this event is part of a series of Platform for Performance events taking place across 2011 to celebrate 25 years of the Centre.
 
The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive, resource centre and promotional body for new music, supporting the work of Irish composers from the Republic and Northern Ireland.  The Centre is supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
 
For further information on the screening and the composers involved and to book contact Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, The Contemporary Music Centre, 19 Fishamble Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 8. Tel: 01 6731922 Email khennessy@nullcmc.ie web site www.cmc.ie
 
 
 

"Closer to You"
Out 11-11-11 Available on 3ú Records
Featuring the single "Addicted To Progress"
Produced by Tony Hoffer – Recorded in the Sound Factory (Los Angeles)

 
Produced by Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck, The Kooks, Belle & Sebastian) The Coronas release their eagerly awaited 3rd album. Recorded in the Sound Factory (Los Angeles), the Dublin based band have made their most far-reaching album to date & will be embarking on a nationwide tour which includes FIVE shows in Dublin’s OLYMPIA THEATRE.
 
Ireland has been home to some of the most influential artists and Dublin rock band The Coronas are no exception. This platinum-selling four piece have established themselves as one of Irelands biggest bands AND are now ready to take their place on the world stage. Their high energy live shows have made them one of the country's most popular concert attractions, and this summer they sold out their biggest ever headline concert in Marley Park to over 7,000 fans.
 
The Coronas ::: LIVE ::: Irish Tour Dates 2011:
Nov 25th – Live at the Big Top, Limerick
Nov 26th – Nerve Centre, Derry
Nov 27th – Empire Music Hall, Belfast
Dec 2nd – Black Box, Galway
Dec 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th – The Olympia, Dublin
Dec 15th – The Savoy Theatre, Cork
Dec 17th – The Forum, Waterford
Dec 26th – Royal Theatre and Event Center, Mayo
Dec 28th – INEC Gleneagle Hotel, Kerry
Check thecoronas.net for updates
 
 
The Coronas platinum-selling album “Tony Was An Ex-Con” shot straight to #1 in the Irish Indie and iTunes charts and #3 in the National Album chart and won the guys a prestigious Meteor Award for album of the year beating the likes of U2, The Script and Snow Patrol.

• The Coronas sold out 3 nights in a row at The Olympia over the Christmas of 2010 and were special guests on The Script’s European Tour this year.
• They also have previously played Ireland’s Oxegen Festival in front of a crowd of 30,000 and have performed at many major UK and European festivals including Benicassim and Hard Rock Calling winning over a legion of new fans.
• The Coronas opened for Sir Paul McCartney in Dublin and also shared the stage with him at the Isle of Wight festival last summer.
• Hit singles include “San Diego Song”, “Someone Else’s Hands”, “Won’t Leave You Alone” AND 'Listen Dear'.
• The band maintains a high profile on YouTube with over 1million collective views and an international following.

www.thecoronas.net

Composer, Dave Flynn, was presented with a PhD for his composition-based dissertation Traditional Irish Music: A Path to New Music last week at a ceremony in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin,. He undertook his studies under the supervision of Dr. Jane O’Leary at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The dissertation was highly praised by external examiner Dr. Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and internal examiner Dr. John Feeley.

Flynn becomes the first person to complete a composition-based PhD through the DIT.

The dissertation is an important document in relation to the interaction between traditional Irish music and contemporary Irish composition. The dissertation contains three strands in relation to the subject;

a)     An analysis of traditional Irish music from a compositional point of view, including the development of a detailed notational system for Irish ornamental techniques.

b)      An analysis of how 20th and 21st Century composers have utilised elements from traditional music in their works. Composers featured include Donnacha Dennehy, Roger Doyle, Rachel Holstead, Michael Holohan and Eric Sweeney.

c)       A body of 9 new compositions written by Flynn with the aid of his research. These works include Aontacht: A Concerto for Traditional Irish Musician and Orchestra, composed for Martin Hayes and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, String Quartet No.3 ‘The Keening’, composed for the Con Tempo Quartet and a series of new concert works composed exclusively for traditional musicians, including the first known set of Études for Uilleann Pipes which were composed for Mick O’Brien.

Flynn’s latest composition Quirk No.7 ‘Slides, Cuts, Rolls and Crans’ receives its world premiere on 13th November in the Rubicon Gallery, Dublin where it will be premiered by the new music ensemble Concorde who commissioned the work with the aid of a Project Award from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Quirk No.7 ‘Slides, Cuts, Rolls and Crans’ written for wooden flute and clarinet/bass clarinet, is a development of some of the ideas Flynn explored in his PhD studies in that it combines the use of traditional Irish ornamentation techniques alongside contemporary concepts of aleatory improvisation and structure.

The piece will receive two performances between 2-5 pm in a marathon of new music featuring several other Irish composers including Flynn’s doctoral supervisor Dr. Jane O’Leary. Admission is free.

Further details can be found here http://www.culturefox.ie/event/up-close-with-music/5019.aspx

Ulster Hall, Belfast
Wednesday November 2, 2011
Doors 7pm
Tickets: £12, available from Ulster Hall Box Office and www.ulsterhall.co.uk

AU Magazine and The Oh Yeah Music Centre, with the support of Belfast City Council, Invest NI and the NI Tourist Board, are proud to present the first ever Northern Ireland Music Awards. Voted for by a broad range of stakeholders in NI music, the awards will recognise the diverse and high level of talent that heralds from our corner of the globe. Hosted by MCs Rigsy (BBC Across The Line) and Emma Fitzpatrick (Citybeat), the event will also feature a number of performances from our most prominent Northern Irish acts, including Cashier No. 9, And So I Watch You From Afar, Stiff Little Fingers and more.

The musical landscape in Northern Ireland is currently enjoying the most fertile and rich period it has ever experienced, with acts from a wide range of genres are enjoying huge success right across the globe. Two Door Cinema Club are selling out shows as far away as Australia, And So I Watch You From Afar are continually rolling their rock juggernaut across continents, and The Japanese Popstars are ripping up massive dance festivals the world over with their storming live set. Add to this the strong heritage from bands such as Snow Patrol, The Undertones, Ash, and Stiff Little Fingers and it is clear that Northern Irish music is riding atop a giant wave of success.

The NIMAs will bring together the established legends of Northern Irish music and the young guns of the scene in an evening of much deserved celebration and recognition. The historic and glorious Ulster Hall is the ideal setting for such a momentous occasion, and there isn’t a better time to shine a light on this part of the world.
Jonny Tiernan, Publisher of AU Magazine said “Northern Irish music is in the rudest of health right now, with young bands like Two Door Cinema club and And So I Watch You From Afar gaining global recognition, as well as a vibrant local scene. Not only that, we have a better support network than ever before, with great recording studios, media outlets, photographers, filmmakers, mentoring services and more, all helping Northern Irish musicians reach ever greater heights. These awards are a reflection and a celebration of all of that. What's more, we've been really lucky in that we've been able to secure a real wish list of Northern Irish acts to play at the event, and it's incredibly exciting to think that they're all going to be on the Ulster Hall stage on the night.”

Stuart Bailie, CEO of Oh Yeah Music Centre, said “Oh Yeah and AU were both thinking about an awards night at the same time, so the smart idea was to combine energies. Overall, the awards are proof that we rock, fantastically well. We have a wonderful spread of talent at the moment and a legacy behind us that we should be awful proud of.”

THE NOMINATIONS IN FULL

Best Band (sponsored by Beck’s Vier)
And So I Watch You From Afar
Cashier No.9
LaFaro
Not Squares
Two Door Cinema Club
 
Best Song
And So I Watch You From Afar – Search:Party:Animal
Cashier No.9 – Goldstar
General Fiasco – The Age That You Start Losing Friends
Rams’ Pocket Radio – Dieter Rams Has Got The Pocket Radios
Seven Summits – Burning Heart
 
Best Solo Artist
Duke Special
Foy Vance
Pat Dam Smyth
Rainy Boy Sleep
Robyn G Shiels
 
Best Electronic Artist
Boxcutter
The Japanese Popstars
Not Squares
Phil Kieran
Space Dimension Controller
 
Best Album
And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs
Cashier No.9 – To The Death of Fun
Girls Names – Dead to Me
Mojo Fury – Visiting Hours Of A Travelling Circus
Not Squares – Yeah OK
 
Best Live Act (sponsored by the British Council)
And So I Watch You From Afar
LaFaro
Mojo Fury
Not Squares
Pocket Billiards
 
Best Video
Cashier No.9 – Goldstar
Cashier No.9 – Lost at Sea
General Fiasco – The Age That You Start You Start Losing Friends
Kowalski – Outdoors
Mojo Fury – Colour Of The Bear
 
Best Festival
Belsonic
Glasgowbury
Open House Festival
Pigstock
Sunflowerfest
 
The Oh Yeah Legends Award
Following previous recipients Terri Hooley (2008), Henry McCullough (2009) and The Undertones (2010), Belfast punks Stiff Little Fingers are recognised with the Oh Yeah Legends Award. “By challenging the given notions of sectarianism in songs like ‘Suspect Device’ and ‘Wasted Life’, they encouraged a generation of young people to see life beyond the bigoted, tribal world of Northern Ireland,” says Oh Yeah’s Stuart Bailie. “And when they sang “grab it, take it, it’s yours” they let us all know that we were in charge of our own destiny. Inspiring.”
 
The Oh Yeah Contenders Award
“The Contenders night was launched last year with live music from A Plastic Rose, Wonder Villains, Farriers and More Than Conquerors,” explains Oh Yeah’s Stuart Bailie. “We had a 12-track CD of new bands and then we took them on a bus tour around the north.” Following a poll of NI music experts, the winners of the inaugural Contenders Award will be announced on the night.
 

The Contemporary Music Centre in partnership with RTÉ Performing Groups and the Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama presents Sunlight and Shadow – A celebration of the music of Frederick May, 2.30pm – 5.30pm, Saturday 12 November 2011, Mc Cann Hall, DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Chatham Row.

With contributions from leading Irish voices on Frederick May, his work, life and influence on the development of Irish music, the afternoon marks the centenary year of the composer’s birth and features an opening address from multi award winning author Colm Tóibín, workshop performances from the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, with guest soloists Peter Kerr, tenor, Fergal Caulfield, piano and Colette McGahon, alto, alongside an overview of his work from Dr Mark Fitzgerald, lecturer at DIT.
 
Often described as one of the most innovative and pioneering composers of his generation, composer Frederick May is regarded by many as one of the founding fathers of Irish music in the twentieth century. This celebration features workshop performances of several of May’s works including extracts from his String Quartet (1935) and Four Romantic Songs (1933).
 
Admission is free but booking is highly recommended. To book contact the Contemporary Music Centre at details given below.
 
“The Contemporary Music Centre was keen to celebrate the work and life of Irish composer Frederick May in his centenary year. The Centre is delighted that RTÉ Performing Groups and DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama equally wished to celebrate this and that all three organisations have partnered successfully to bring this day to fruition” says Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, The Contemporary Music Centre.
  
For further information and bookings contact The Contemporary Music Centre at tel: 01 673 1922 or email: khennessy@nullcmc.ie

www.cmc.ie
 
Programme:

The deadline for entries for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is 1st November 2011. This is the last chance to enter your songs for a chance to win one of the prestigious ISC prizes. 

ISC gives away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes (shared among the 68 winners) including an overall Grand Prize consisting of $25,000 (US) cash and $25,000 in prizes. Now is your chance to enter what the NY Times calls “the songwriting competition to take note of."

Renowned for having the most prestigious judges of any music competition in the world, ISC offers a judging panel comprised of high-profile recording artists and influential music industry professionals. Included are Tom Waits, My Morning Jacket, Kelly Clarkson, Jeff Beck, Ozzy Osbourne, Lucinda Williams, McCoy Tyner, Monte Lipman (President of Universal Republic Records), David Massey (President of Mercury Records), and many more. 

For entry information and a complete list of judges, visit:
http://www.songwritingcompetition.com