Culture Night will take place on Friday 24th September when streets, venues and open spaces will come alive with colour, music, performance and workshops providing people with an opportunity to experience vast and rich cultural events. This year, Culture Night is spreading to 20 towns, cities and counties across Ireland.
IMRO will be taking part in the events for the first time this year, and to mark the occasion, we are inviting proposals from IMRO members for an event to be hosted at IMRO for the night.
All submissions are welcome as long as they are relevant to the creation of music. Proposals can be for live performance and/or interactive or non interactive installations. IMRO will be providing the use of our Member Area for the evening.
Proposals should be forwarded to membership@nullimro.ie no later than Thursday 12th August.
The IMRO member(s) whose proposal is chosen will need to be available in the days preceding the event, and for the day and evening of Friday 24th September, to co-ordinate the event.
World-first competition will put 10 musicians’ work onto the silver screen
Music video site MUZU.tv is offering musicians from all over the world the chance to be a part of film history. Launching today, Soundtraxs is the first-ever competition that gives independent music artists the opportunity to create the soundtrack for a major motion picture.
Soundtraxs is the brainchild of British independent production company NyAC and will see entrants compete online for their music to feature on the soundtrack of the hotly-anticipated new film Relative Desire by BAFTA award-winning director Michael Baig Clifford, starring Imogen Poots (Fright Night, 28 Weeks Later, V for Vendetta) and Harry Treadaway (Fish Tank, Control, Brothers of the Head).
Entrants simply download any of the movie scenes available on http://www.MUZU.tv/Soundtraxs, sync the video with an original music track and upload to MUZU.tv. The competition is free to enter and the top 50 tunes (ranked by the public according to the number of views on MUZU.tv, ratings and comments, tweets on Twitter and plays on social networks such as
Facebook) will then be considered by an expert panel who will choose the final 10 tracks to appear in the film. Winners will also:
• Re-record their track in a professional studio
• Receive a sync fee covering use of their music in the movie, Relative
Desire
• Receive revenue from the movie soundtrack album
“Soundtraxs is a world first. It’s a fantastic opportunity for artists of all levels and genres to get their music heard on one of the biggest stages possible. A movie soundtrack is usually the preserve of established artists only, but this project is helping to break down those barriers. In addition, by simply entering the competition and uploading their music to MUZU, artists have the potential to make some money from their recordings too" – Ciaran Bollard, C.E.O and co-founder of MUZU
Soundtraxs Judges
Michael Baig Clifford
Michael first attracted attention with his BAFTA nominated short ‘Bouncer’ starring Ray Winston, which was quickly followed by his Bafta winner ‘Brown Paper Bag’ ,written by award winning writer Geoff Thompson. He won his second BAFTA for ‘Think About it’ and an RTS award for his work in television where he has directed documentaries and several episodes of 'Doctors'. Relative Desire is his first feature film.
Ian Seymour
Ian began on award winning film drama like Four Weddings, Secrets and Lies and Donnie Brasco, where he learnt his craft working with some of the industry’s most distinguished and successful directors. Editing in his own right for some years now, Ian is increasingly busy in the UK, the US and South Africa. Recent credits include BAFTA winning 'In Bruges'; and The Proposition staring Ray Winston.
Hywell Evans
Competition Entry
To enter, users must visit http://www.MUZU.tv/Soundtraxs and download any of the movie scenes provided. The clips can be downloaded by right-clicking and hitting ‘Save As’ whilst watching any of the scenes. To sync the entry track with the video, entrants can use free packages such as 'Windows Movie Maker' for PC and 'iMovie' for Mac. Entries can be uploaded by clicking 'Enter Now' on the Soundtraxs homepage.
"Truly a beautiful piece of work. There is something primary, if not primal, about the album. It speaks to the human being who comes to these questions with nothing but a flimsy raft of openness buffeted on an ocean of doubt and fear.” John Waters
The Burning Word is the first completely new album Johnny Duhan has produced in many years. The dove emerging from the lick of fire on the cover is symbolic not only of the fact that the songs are spiritual but also that the collection has evolved from one of Johnny’s last studio albums, Flame, and may one day merge with it.
Over the years Johnny has received letters from people all over the world telling him that the spiritual dimension in his songs has helped them through times of crisis as well as marking occasions of celebration. This contributed to his going below the surface of his faith for this work.
In the opening song, The Coat, the listener is asked to lay aside doubt and put on a garment of faith so as to make a journey in a cold season to a place of prayer. An invitation to a spiritual meal is extended in The Flame is Lit. Emily Dickenson’s This World is not Conclusion choruses the unfathomable mystery of our world and heralds an afterlife. Wonders catalogues a series of miracles that stem from Christ’s charitable nature, and Surrender gives in to the declaration of faith of the Lord’s Prayer.
The incarnation mystery at the centre of the title song, The Burning Word, reflects on the paradox that pain lies at the heart of the joy of creation. Song of the Bird grew from a boyhood memory of arriving home with an injured bird which Johnny’s mother allowed him to keep in the garden shed till it was strong enough to fly. The Storm chronicles Johnny’s father’s exemplary courage after a family tragedy. Sure Amen is a hymn for the weary and doubtful. Part of a Tribe, an anthem for community. And finally, Old Story charts an epiphany experienced after a dawn mass.
Johnny Duhan
Biography
“Peerless.” The Sunday Times
“One of our great songwriters.” Christy Moore
“One of my favourite songwriters.” Ronnie Drew
Johnny Duhan started his career as a fifteen year old front man in the Limerick beat group Granny’s Intentions, the most popular band in Ireland in the mid to late 60s. After rousing Dublin with their soul touch, they moved to London (one of the first Irish bands to do so), were signed to the prestigious Deram label, released a string of singles and one album and disbanded before Johnny was twenty one. Though plied with offers to front other bands, Johnny turned his back on the popular music industry and started writing folk songs, poetry and prose. Known for his fierce independence and integrity as an artist, he has condensed a body of work spanning 40 years into a quartet of epic albums – Just Another Town, To The Light, The Voyage and Flame – which correspond to the four chapters of his recently published lyrical autobiography, TO THE LIGHT.
Johnny’s songs like The Voyage and Don’t Give Up Till It’s Over are sung all over the world in a variety of languages, thanks to the focus put on them by Christy Moore, The Dubliners, Mary Black and hosts of other Irish and international singers. A new album, The Burning Word, is due to be released on the 15 August 2010.
DAVID DOWNES RECEIVES AN EMMY® NOMINATION FOR “OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION” FOR CELTIC WOMAN – SONGS FROM THE HEART: Live at Powerscourt House & Gardens
David Downes has received the distinct honor of an Emmy® Nomination for “Outstanding Music Direction” for his work on Celtic Woman’s most recent PBS TV special – Songs From The Heart, Live at Powerscourt House & Gardens. He acted as music director, orchestrator, arranger and composer of the special, which also resulted in a CD and DVD release. The television show was directed and produced by Alex Coletti.
David’s fellow nominees include Marc Shaiman for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, David Foster for “Andrea Bocelli & David Foster: My Christma”, Sheila E. for “In Performance at the White House”, “The Kennedy Center Honors” for Rob Mathes and Rob Berman for the “Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony”.
The ceremony will take place in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in August 2010.
“This is perhaps the most prestigious award David Downes & Celtic Woman have received to date and it is well-deserved. Manhattan Records are extremely proud of the always stellar performances delivered by Celtic Woman as well as the tremendous effort the entire creative and technical team contributed towards making this TV special and related DVD such a huge success.” remarked Blue Note / Manhattan Records President Ian Ralfini.
The Emmy® nominated PBS TV special began airing in December as part of the network’s quarterly pledge drive, immediately yielding outstanding viewership results and demonstrating the extraordinary ability of Celtic Woman to transcend their performances from a live concert into a viewer’s home. Upon release in January 2010 the companion DVD debuted #1 on the Billboard DVD Music Video Chart. The visually stunning DVD also translates to the live concert stage in the Songs From The Heart tour.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Ireland’s biggest traditional music festival, will take place this year in Cavan from 16th – 22nd August. As part of the festivities, the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) will be presenting a traditional music seminar hosted by renowned songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Colm Ó Snodaigh.
Representatives from IMRO will also be present at the Fleadh Cheoil throughout the weekend of Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August, providing information for songwriters, composers and arrangers of traditional music.
Date: Friday 20th August
Location: Farnham Arms Hotel, Main Street, Cavan
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Entry to the seminar is free of charge, but spaces are limited so booking is essential. To reserve your seat, please email membership@nullimro.ie.
Colm Ó Snodaigh, has been a member of Kíla, one of Ireland's most innovative and exciting bands, since 1988. His instruments are flute, whistle, harmonica, saxophone and djembe, and he also sings. As part of Kíla, Colm has performed in countries throughout the world at various festivals and venues. Kíla have created their own distinctive style of world music with traditional Irish roots, which has won over audiences around the world through their eight recordings to date and their spectacular live performances. An established singer songwriter, Colm also released a solo album in Irish, "Eist", in 1994 and is currently working on his second album. He has also co-written works with Kíla for various film, theatre and dance productions. For further information see: www.kila.ie
Dublin – Andrews Lane Theatre, The Button Factory, The Mercantile, Pravda, Sweeney’s, Twisted Pepper and The Workmans Club
Hard Working Class Heroes returns to the streets of Dublin over the weekend of Thursday 7/ Friday 8 / Saturday 9 October for its 8th consecutive year.
Taking place in Dublin City Centre the festival is now once again calling on the best of Ireland’s bands to register to secure a slot to play at the event. Applications will be through FMC’s own “Breaking Tunes” site (log on to www.hwch.net and click on the “BANDS APPLY HERE” button). Closing date for applications is July 30. The judging panel for applications will be made up of writers, A&R and music industry people from around the globe as well as international festival programmers.
Once again, Ireland’s photographers are being called on to submit their finest music related shots for a chance to feature in a HWCH Photographers Exhibition. Photographers’ applications will also be via www.hwch.net – simply click on the “PHOTOGRAPHERS APPLY HERE” button and follow the instructions. This year’s call for photographers will add the renowned photographer Glen E. Friedman to the judging panel.
And keeping up its high standard of additional events and activities there will be HWCH panels, mentor sessions and more with a host of international delegates on hand to share their wisdom and experience (thanks to the generous support of The Arts Council, Culture Ireland and IMRO). As always Hard Working Class Heroes promises a spectacular collection of music and fun for the whole weekend.
For the third week in a row Waterford-based duo Blumenkraft has carved itself a place with the dance music elite by holding a position in the UK Upfront Club Charts with a current placing at #8 ahead of Kylie, Christina Aguilera and Paul Oakenfold.
Blumenkraft is Ireland's new Electro-Pop sensation consisting of Swiss Producer Marc Roosli and Irish singer-songwriter Kiki. The name 'Blumenkraft' which means 'Flower Power' in German, was born out of Marc's Swiss-German name – Roosli – meaning 'little rose' but is also a reference to electronic music icons 'Kraftwerk'.
Roosli grew up in the midst of the burgeoning Swiss techno scene of the early 90s. After the classical piano training of his childhood he swiftly swapped his piano for a Korg, Commodore & set of decks in his teenage years when he began crafting his own sounds. In 1994 Marc met with Kiki, a talented songwriter and singer. The couple settled in Ireland but it wasn't until early 2009 that Kiki & Marc decided to start a musical project together in an effort to get creative again after putting the children to bed! “We are not really TV watchers…” says Kiki “so instead we turned to the studio!” And so was born Blumenkraft.
Blumenkraft's debut single 'Skinny’ (2009) went on to become a massive club anthem. Now Blumenkraft are back and have teamed up with Drum & Bass MC ‘IreeMC’ to record their second single ‘Fresh Times’. Making a strong entry into the UK Club Charts at number 36 before jumping to a 17th place and now holding its current Top 10 position at number 8 (source: Music Week), Blumenkraft’s new release is rapidly putting the duo on the map.
Fresh Times is a catchy dance/pop anthem featuring Blumenkraft’s now trademark future retro sound and Kiki’s clever verbiage. The ‘Fresh Times’ release includes the original mix, full of hooks with a chorus that will have clubbers and radio listeners screaming for more.
Blumenkraft’s new single ‘Fresh Times’ is out now on iTunes, Amazon and all major download stores worldwide and on CD from select outlets in Ireland.
The headliners for Glasgowbury 2010 are primed and ready to go and in their own words, they’ve never been more excited about a gig.
Cahir, Jamie and Craig, the men and monsters who make up Derry’s Fighting With Wire, are all set to leave their mark all over Glasgowbury 2010 with a performance that will put them back on top of the pile.
And after being forced to pull out of least year’s headlining slot to begin work in America on album number two, the punk rock trio have never been more energised about a performance.
“It would almost have been more appropriate for us to headline last year with Man Vs Monster just out and on the back of everything that we were doing it would have been the perfect end to that cycle," said the band's frontman Cahir.
“But we’re extremely excited about Saturday – because this is our comeback, and to do it on Glasgowbury’s big birthday is just something else.”
The long wait for the follow up to Man Vs Monster is almost over and Bones Of The Twilight will, says Cahir, see the light of day in the new year.
“We’re going to try and play as best a rock show as possible and get the craic going. So hopefully people will join us for the celebrations.”
Glasgowbury 2010 takes place this Saturday 24th July and a number of tickets are still on sale.
Kilkenny County Council Arts office in partnership with Kilkenny Arts Festival is delighted to be hosting a free public seminar discussing the future of music promotion and distribution. The unprecedented pace of change in the music industry in recent years has created a host of new challenges and opportunities for musicians, audiences and industry professionals. But how are changes to the way music is sold, shared and enjoyed affecting the music industry, and how should musicians respond? What do music fans really want, and how can they get it?
Through an open discussion with key industry insiders, including musicians Pierce Turner and Robert Hacker Jessett (Morton Valence), Edison Waters (Vibe Music Management), Susan Gill (9Music Research) and Laurence Macken (Irish Times) this session will challenge conventional thinking about the business of music, and explore new ways of creating, promoting, and distributing it.
Kilkenny Arts Office
76 John Street
Kilkenny
Sunday 8th August @4pm
Admission to this event is free. Come early to avoid disappointment! To book a place at this event, please email niamh.finn@nullkilkennycoco.ie
Dublin City Council in partnership with Axis Arts & Community Resource Centre, Ballymun are currently taking applications for the Music Recording Assistance Opportunity. The recipients of this award will receive 2 days rehearsal time and 1-day studio time in the Underground Music Studios in Axis, Ballymun towards an original music recording. An independent expert panel will assess the applications. The Recording Opportunity is for new recordings only. No completed packaged CDs can be funded. Only works in progress will be considered. The Award is open to all forms of Music and to people born or living in Dublin City (administrative area).
About the Underground Music Studios, Axis Ballymun
The Underground Music Studios consist of two rehearsal studios and a “live room” with industry standard Protools recording equipment. For further information log on to www.axis-ballymun.ie
To apply, send a written application CV of musical career/ experience, a copy of the recording on CD, and a lyric sheet if relevant, to:
Making Tracks – Music Recording Assistance Opportunity
C/O Ann Marie Lyons
The Arts Office
Dublin City Council
The LAB
Foley Street
Dublin 1
