Author: Breffni Banks

It’s not often that a Lord Mayor actively supports the Rock Community, but in Dublin 2011, that’s exactly what’s happening! Dublin City Council is working with local street arts group MaSamba, to create a new pageant for Dublin City – ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’

‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ is based on the life and work of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy, and will take the form of a street pageant through the centre of Dublin. This year is a big year for all things Thin Lizzy, and in tough financial times, it is heartening to see the local authority backing a project honouring a Dublin icon and a great band.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Gerry Breen says “I am very happy to be supporting this gig which will commemorate one of Dublin’s favourite musicians.  I encourage the people of Dublin to come to Grafton Street on 20th August to support MaSamba and remember Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy.”

"Twenty-five years after his death, Phil Lynott still holds a special place in the hearts of Dubliners, and we are delighted to have this opportunity to honour him and his work on the very streets where Phil once busked, as a struggling musician" enthused Simeon Smith, MaSamba’s Creative Director.

MaSamba has chosen some of the better-known Thin Lizzy songs, and designed costumes and choreography to represent them. For example, a group of Celtic warriors will perform the song ‘Emerald’, and a group of stylised heavy metal fans will represent the song ‘The Rocker’, complete with leather jackets, patches and electric guitars!

These costumes are currently being produced especially for the project in Sao Paulo, Brasil, and will bring the colour and exhuberance of Brasilian Carnival to the Streets of Dublin.

In terms of performers, this pageant will be a collaboration of several partners. The musicians will be MaSamba members but the dancers will come from a range of different places. Masamba will continue their long-standing partnership with the Brasilian community in Dublin, under the direction of main dancer, Kelly Baldonado.
We will also be working with young people from the Smithfield and Darndale areas of Dublin, through the local youth services and some excellent dance and drama facilitators.

While the offer of funding from Dublin City Council is seen as a huge vote of confidence, and support for one of Dublin’s best known sons, MaSamba still needs considerable funding to complete this ambitious project. They will be placing the project on the innovative Fund:it website in coming days in the hopes of getting public support to make ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ a truly memorable event.

The performance is set to take place on Phil Lynott’s birthday, which is Saturday, August 20th. We will set out from South King Street, outside the Gaiety Theatre, parade down and back up Grafton Street, finishing at the Phil Lynott statue.
 

Irish People on stage with their idols thanks to MTV and Corona Extra

‘If you like the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album Raising Sand or anything by Emmylou Harris, you’ll be on the right musical wavelength for Shadow Road Shining.’ Irish Times

The Contemporary Music Centre welcomed Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, to launch CMC’s major digitisation initiative, the Irish Composers Project (ICP), 12pm, 24 May 2011.

The Irish Composers Project is a digital archive for Irish Contemporary Music and is a partnership between the Contemporary Music Centre and the An Foras Feasa research consortium comprising the music departments of Dundalk Institute of Technology, NUI Maynooth, and St Patrick's College, Drumcondra. The project also received funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Its overall purpose is to enable the research and promotion of the music of Irish Composers of the 20th and 21st century.

Launching the project Minister Deenihan complimented the Contemporary Music Centre and their partners in the Irish Composers Project on the initiative. “This  project  is  of  huge  significance  as  it increases access for the general  public as well as musicians, teachers, composers and performers to the  music  of  Irish  composers.  It is a major achievement to have such a complete collection of work immediately available to browse online.”
CMC’s Director, Evonne Ferguson, outlined the importance of the launch to the CMC. “The launch of the ICP celebrates the contribution of Irish composers to the cultural development of this island and CMC’s unique position in the development of expertise in digital archiving. Of course the ongoing support of the Arts Council has been essential in CMC achieving the project goals to date”

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Recalling The Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Helmet (with whom the band have toured Europe) and NI heroes Therapy? LaFaro have character, chops and emotion oozing through every seedy riff 'I love to write about life's dark little secrets – the things we all know happen but never get discussed'.
 
On 'Easy Meat' their sophomore offering, LaFaro have transplanted their sound into a black, hellish and apocalyptic space. Gone is the echo of grunge, it has been replaced with metal's electric chair. Part meditation on Northern Ireland, part metal concept album 'Easy Meat' is a dense, troubling and exhilaratingly kick ass affair – these are riffs to shoplift to.
 
The LP will be out at the back end of the summer, preceded in June by a limited edition 7” vinyl release of the title track and select, UK/Ireland tour dates with pop-punk princes Ash:
 
06/06/11 – Whelan’s – Dublin, Ireland ***SOLD OUT***
07/06/11 – Playhouse – Portrush, Northern Ireland
08/06/11 – Empire – Belfast, Northern Ireland
 

Fionn Regan has just released the first track from his upcoming album, “100 Acres of Sycamore”, and announced a series of live dates to coincide with the release.

Hot on the heels of a major success at The Great Escape festival in the UK Ireland has just been announced as the country focus for Eurosonic Noorderslag 2012, one of the most important music events in Europe.

Rising Irish 5-piece Storyfold will release their debut album Rocket Science, on Friday, May 20th and celebrate it with an exclusive headline performance in Whelan's, Dublin.