Author: Breffni Banks

Following the success of singles ‘Opera on the Top Floor’, ‘Patsy Cline’ and the Choice Prize Song of the Year nominated ‘Sea Swimming’, songwriter Jack O’Rourke delivers a beautifully-crafted summer serenade in ‘Runaway Train’.

Jack’s most recent album, Wild Place, explored links between literature and nature while returning to piano and his folk, blues and ballad roots. Tracks on Wild Place kept the story at the centre of the song; with tales of inspiration, the wildness of love and healing from grief.

Described as “a slice of romanticism” (John Meagher – Irish Independent), ‘Runaway Train’ tells the story of an impending reunion following a long period of absence. “The journey from Kent Station in Cork to Dublin has always seemed like a movie reel when looking out the window,” says Jack.

“There’s folk and piano ballad elements to the song, but I was inspired by The National and particularly, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen’s song ‘Like I Used To’, so there’s a bit of an 80’s rock banger element in the melody of the chorus. I recorded it on an old piano on the Triskel like the rest of Wild Place and it features Hugh Dillon on dreamy Daniel Lanois-inspired guitars and Aisling Fitzpatrick on cello.”

Jack is soon set to depart these shores to take up a writing residency Centre Culturel Irlandaise in Paris, where he will be working on a concept album about Roger Casement and LGBT figures from Irish literature who lived in Paris. The Cork songwriter also has a number of upcoming shows, along with a new video that will accompany ‘Runaway Train’, as well as recently recording a tribute to Paul McCartney with the RTE Concert Orchestra.

Upcoming Shows: 

July 12th – Centre Culturel Irlandaise, Paris

September 10th – Liberty Hall, Dublin

October 9th – Sea Church, Ballycotton, Co Cork

With just around two months since the release of the first Single from his upcoming EP ‘Dublin Inner City’, rapidly rising artist Ciarán Moran announces the Second Single (Title Track) “Life Inner City” from his Homegrown narrated EP.

Life Inner City is where Moran returns to his “most comfortable” style of writing voicing the lifestyle, accent and pureness of the folk raised in Dublin’s Inner City. A raw insight to Dublin’s North Inner City, with one line ploughing through in the first verse “There would be kids who’d use, another route to school, In case the needles cut their feet” simply showing his authentic, style of songwriting, and ensuring the voices he often describes as “left behind” are still heard whilst he repeats throughout “We Stand & Fall Together” referencing his relationship with the folk of his much loved hometown in the North Inner City.

Explaining the writing process of the second single, He states “This one is for those from the Inner City & those who want to know what Life is like in the inner City of Dublin, In recent months I heard a couple of songs about the flats and the area I’m from etc, and the main thing I noticed was that those tracks were missing the realness, and instead written for commercial purposes in my opinion. Life Inner City, Both the single and overall, Is a real representation of the Inner City, and when I wrote this, I wrote it in a way that you could close your eyes and see a real honest picture of our town, and when you open your eyes, you can see its framed with hope. -Life inner City, Life in our City-”

On a much more frequent basis since the initial single release, and following a recent appearance on one of Ireland’s Largest Podcast’s “Talking Bo**ix Podcast with Go Loud”, followers, DJs and journalists tend to lend comparisons of Moran with some Irish Pioneers including Damien Dempsey & Christy Dignam. Moran responds to the similarities occasionally “It’s always great to be compared to legends like those, but I do feel I’m very different in many ways, but I’ll never complain being compared to some of my biggest influences in the country, If I do half of what any of them have done, Il enjoy a great career!” 

With a rapid jump into 2022, A Massive Response to his First Single from the EP & a Sold Out Headline Show in Dublin’s Famous “Whelan’s”, Moran hints at the overall EP release date for September 2022, accompanied by a “Life Inner City” UK & Irish Tour with Dates booked in London, Belfast, Liverpool, Dublin and more to be announced.

Life Inner City was Recorded in Ireland’s Jealoustown Studios with Multi Talented Irish Musician & Producer Stuart Gray (Christy Dignam, Aslan, Royseven, Gavin James, & Many More) and mastered by Billy Farrell.

Along with the Audio release, Moran has announced his second single will also be accompanied by an Official Music Video starring Irish Actor Adam Murphy for a second time, Directed by Highly regarded Armagh Director & FIlmmaker Patrick Hughes.

The second track from the EP “Life Inner City” will be released on all major streaming platforms on July 15th 2022.

UK & IRISH TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED VERY SOON

Ciarán Moran on Social Media

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube – Spotify

’02:00 AM’ is a new single from singer-songwriter and producer Sarah Crean, alongside co-producer Adam O’Leary.

’02:00 AM’ is an Indie Rock track with Indie Pop remnants, influenced by the likes of Japanese Breakfast and Dayglow. This track, like the entirety of Crean’s discography, is self-written and is produced by herself and Adam O’Leary as mentioned above.

After her most recent release ‘Show Me Nuance’ – a single heavily influenced by the likes of Men I Trust  – Crean decided to work towards a much bigger sound in comparison to her earlier works. With this single ’02:00 AM’, a different approach was taken as a result;

‘’This was my first taste of releasing a song that had been played live before a studio version even existed. It started as an unreleased song on each set for each gig, but it always received the most attention/praise in comparison to other songs on the set. Taking it from the live version to the studio version was a trickier experience because of that, but it definitely encouraged the track’s full potential and pushed us to really perfect the song.’’

The track itself is a passion-filled plea for a person to explicitly tell you how they feel, instead of relying solely on their actions to do so. Though the lyrics communicate the above alongside an element of reminiscing, the vocal delivery, instrumental arrangement and dynamics overall push that passion-filled plea to the forefront. ’02:00 AM’ is upbeat anthem-like track with a lingering sense of anger and frustration, and features dreamy harmonies and an addictive hook throughout.

’02:00 AM’ will be released across all streaming platforms on Friday, July 15th.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcrean/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahbcrean
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahcreanmusic/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5tbb3BtKz6wc1qQmjmgfe0?si=Ffx8DZpORPaQVnHEyJeUqQ
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYQVqyQCYko4cj0c5y6w9g

After his main stage appearance at the ‘Beyond the Pale’ festival in June, Sussex-born poet and songwriter Christian Wethered has announced the release of a summery music video for his feel-good single ‘Way Back’. It’s his first song and video since the release of his debut album, ‘Mon Petit Jardin’. 

In the film, two women fall in love amid lingering sun, wildflowers and feverish kisses. A gull cuts through the sky, perhaps hinting at Dublin, while a pagan woman dressed in gold spreads her arms (à la Midsommar). Under this, the song’s refrain repeats like a mantra, ‘And there was something in the air, that time we had/ We’ll trade our sorrows for the sky’.

“I was hoping to capture the ecstasy of falling in love. We’ve all been having a tough time of late, and now summer’s here there’s a lovely collective spirit in the air. With all that’s going on in the world we need to remind ourselves of who we are,” Christian says. 

 Choice rhythms from Soda Blonde’s Dyl Lynch recall early Prince, or Serge Gainsbourg in his heyday; while a sultry, lo-fi vocal evokes early Bob Dylan, The La’s, or Sufjan Stevens.

 “With the band it sounds almost jazzy; on the album it’s more pared-down and serious, a lonely indie folk tune. I like both: It’s great having these options playing live as it helps define my sound more clearly,” Christian Wethered says of the track. 

The release is timely for a folky songwriter already starting to turn heads, and rumoured to play further support slots with Selective Memory in the coming months. More songs, gigs, and even a poetry book to come from this emerging artist. 

ChristianWethered.com

Listen: Apple Music Spotify Youtube

Connect: Instagram Twitter Facebook

Photo: Graeme Coughlan

Hank Wedel is set to release his summer single and video ‘(We Are) The Rakes of Mallow’.

Featuring Clodagh Mai and produced by Declan Sinnot, the single will be available on all platforms from Wednesday July 20th.

The public launch of the single and video is at this year’s Mallow Arts Festival, with a concert featuring Hank Wedel with Declan Sinnott on Friday, July 22^nd at Mallow’s Hibernian Hotel Ballroom and then a “Rakes” inspired fancy dress costume party at “The Hawks” Murphy’s bar on Mallow Town Plaza on Saturday, July 23^rd at 6 pm

Tickets available at the following link:https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/hank-wedel-band-featuring-declan-sinnott-tickets-364364533127

These events will signify the single’s and the video’s availability on internet platforms from Wednesday, July 20th

The single can be pre-saved at the following link; https://streamondistro.lnk.to/WeAreTheRakesofMallow

‘Nobody Has To Know’ is the lead single off Lloyd John’s Debut EP ‘Homesick, and is due for release on July 15th.

‘Nobody Has To Know’ tells a heartstopping story of Lloyd and his boyfriend’s struggles being in a closeted gay relationship for the first 6 months of them being together. The song focuses on the frustration that can bring but also the Hope for future change.

Speaking of the song, Lloyd says;

‘Nobody Has To Know’ tells a story about life inside a closeted gay relationship. My boyfriend and I were in a serious relationship for almost 6 months before we felt the courage to tell anybody. The song shows the struggles that come with it and frustration towards to world for making us feel uncomfortable in our choices and our own skin.

The song possesses positive energy consistently throughout as those first 6 months were still amazing behind closed doors and I knew that discomfort wouldn’t last forever. 

Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backup_lloydjohn/ 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4esOyetcBTqDPzntUCPZk0?si=nOx3j1SaTZyx2B4DGdtjcQ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LloydJohn 

Carlow-based music producer-songwriter Hawk Jupiter has released his sixth single, ‘Sliding Door’.

The uptempo 80s-inspired track fuses funk-filled guitar riffs, soaring saxaphones, enigmatic lyrics and rich synths that all converge to create an immersive sound.

Lyrically, the song explores the sense of mystery, enigma and illusion that can accompany the early stages of a potential relationship.

The song debuted in live form earlier this summer at Carlow Arts Festival, where Hawk Jupiter was joined on stage by a number of collaborators including Luke Clerkin, Zeinab and more.

The Irish songwriter-producer is currently producing a forthcoming E.P. for Dublin based RnB singer Zeinab, while also working on a collaborative E.P. with folk singer songwriter Luke Clerkin.

Sliding Door is Hawk Jupiter’s sixth single and follows the widely acclaimed previous release ‘Cut and Run’.

About Hawk Jupiter 
Hawk Jupiter (artist moniker of Eoin Mulvihill) is a music producer-songwriter from Carlow who takes inspiration from a diverse and eclectic range of producers including Mark Ronson, Chemical Brothers and more.

Hawk Jupiter Social Media Channels 

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Soundcloud
Spotify Artist Page

Photo: Julia Dunin

Earlier this week, Pa Sheehy joined us for the presentation of an IMRO award, in recognition of his chart-topping debut solo EP ‘The Art of Disappearing’.

The IMRO Number 1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach number 1 in the album charts in Ireland.

Pa Sheehy paved the way for his debut solo EP ‘The Art of Disappearing’ with the radio hit ‘Róisín’, which received widespread acclaim, and on release the EP shot to Independent Number 1 in the Irish album charts. To celebrate the release, he also took to the road for a sold out nationwide Irish Tour.

This summer sees Pa performing at Indiependence Festival, Cork on the 29 July, with a host of European dates over the coming months.

Pa Sheehy’s latest single ‘Surrender’ feat. Sinead White is out now across digital platforms.

EU Tour Dates

10.10 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

11.10 – Maschinenhaus, Berlin, Germany

12.10 – Artheater, Cologne, Germany

18.10 – Academy, Dublin, Ireland

19.10 – Dolans, Limerick, Ireland

20.10 – Limelight 2, Belfast, Ireland

22.10 – Omeara, London, UK

The Black Captain are a 3-piece band from Balrothery in North Co Dublin. Featured in 2013 by 2XM as best of Irish for their debut single ‘Calling to you’ the band went on to release their self-titled debut EP in 2015. After a long hiatus. the band reformed in 2019 and began

working on their debut album in Crookedwood studios Slane with producer Dave Arkins.

The band are made up of close friends Paul Rock, Alan Lynch and Dermot Hagan and have been creating music together as long as they can remember. The name comes from navigating life’s challenges through the darkness and back into the light.

The Black Captain’s sound is rooted in folk, indie and Americana taking in elements of Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon with a touch of 90’s guitar pop sprinkled on top. Drenched in festival sing along choruses and soaring melodies their latest music is sure to grab a hold of your heart and never let go. Let the black captain help you navigate the darkness.

One Last Summer is set to be one of THE sounds of the summer. According to the band it’s “an energetic, soulful, and melodic longing for a time when the light seemed to burn forever, and we were living the best days of our lives”.

 The band is excited to share with you a song that will grab a hold of your heart, and never let go. The song is rooted in influences from Indie, folk and Americana and was written against a backdrop of grief, isolation, and a longing for simpler days that had passed.

Fans of artists like Sam Fender, Radiohead, The Verve , Oasis and The Killers will love this record.  The track was written by Paul Rock (Vocalist and Guitarist), arranged by The Black Captain, recorded, and produced by David Arkins @ Crookedwood studios, Slane Co. Meath, and Mastered by SoundPorter in Nashville, Tennessee.

Instagram  Facebook  Twitter  Spotify

Renowned session musician Jake Richardson who has worked with Dermot Kennedy, Lyra, Mark Feehily, Robert Grace, Ryan Mack, Tim Chadwick to name a few, is set to step into the limelight with his own original Project “JNR”.

His Debut single ‘Fallin’ is an infectious upbeat alt pop number of which Jake states;

“…about investing too much of yourself in someone too early when you’re not sure if the feeling is mutual”

JNR’s sound is grounded in pop infused with jazz. His influences are “Honne” & “Bruno Major” but he has carefully crafted and honed his own sound through years of being one of Ireland’s “go to” session musicians.

‘Fallin’, the brand new single from JNR, is out on July 28^th across all digital platforms.

TikTok: @jnrthemusic

Instagram: jnrthemusic