Author: Press Officer

Dimple Discs (who recently brought you Cathal Coughlan, Keeley, Sack, Dragon Welding and more) are thrilled to announce the addition of revered Irish composer/musician Ger Eaton (pronounced Jair) to their family of artists. A multi-Instrumentalist, Songwriter, Hair Stylist and Retro-70s Aficionado, this iconic and stylish gentleman is most recently known as keyboardist/guitarist for Dublin alt-rock heroes The Pale. Indeed, Ger has been a mainstay of the Irish music scene for many years as a member of Premonition (EMI), Las Vegas Basement (Columbia), Les Marionettes, Pugwash, The Carnival Brothers and many solo and collaborative recordings. Throughout this time he also recorded and toured extensively with, among others, Mundy, Duke Special, Jack L and Fionn Regan, playing everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to the ‘Later With Jools Holland’ TV Show.

‘Three By Ger Eaton’ features the two self-released singles from 2020/21 – “I Thought I’d A Friend” and “Hollow” – that have found tremendous support from national radio programmers in his native Ireland, and bundles them with a brand new song “The Time It Takes To Fall”. The song is supported by a video shot in real time, which forms part of a thematic trilogy filmed in this style.

“A beautiful slice of Scott Walker-esque pop” – Mike Scott (The Waterboys)

“Hollow could be one of those ‘undiscovered’ Beach Boys tracks that seem to surface every 6 months or so, trust me here, this song is going to make your day” – Pat Carty (Hot Press)

“Hollow takes you to a very special place…there’s shades of Jimmy Webb, a taste of Prefab Sprout, but still distinctively Ger Eaton, a beautiful piece of music” – Martin Bridgeman (KCLR Radio)

“Hollow is beautiful…The world will be hearing a lot more from him” – Fiachna Ó Braonáin (RTE Radio1)

Dublin’s annual new music festival returns with six concerts in four days featuring the best of new Irish and international contemporary electronic music, Smock Alley Theatre, 8–11 November 2021. MUSIC CURRENT, now in its fifth year, gives a platform for the newest contemporary electronic music.

This year’s festival has a decidedly multi-media flavour, featuring: interactive web-based performance, performance with video, computer-based score following, private YouTube performances transported to the concert hall, guns, shovels and even buckets of sand.

The festival opens with the Irish debut concert of Australian pianist and new music adventurer Zubin Kanga, who performs in Dublin for the first time. A champion of collaboration and new music commissioning, Zubin performs a highly personal programme entirely of works he personally commissioned for piano and electronics, featuring: the Irish premiere of Alexander Schubert’s WIKIPIANO. NET, in which audience members can add to, or alter, the score; Michael Finnissy’s and Adam de la Cour’s, new Beethoven-inspired “Hammerklavier (Part 2)”; the world premiere of Nicole Lizée’s, revised “Scorsese Etudes”; as well as new works for piano and electronics by Scott McLaughlin and Fergal Dowling

Every year MUSIC CURRENT invites composers from around the world to develop new works for the festival. This year seven Irish composers have been invited to collaborate with five Irish soloists to prepared a concert of entirely new works based on the their year-long collaboration. The resulting Music Current Soloists Concert is a thought-provoking mix of intimate, imaginative, challenging and playful new works by established and next generation composers: Seán O’Dálaigh, Elis Czerniak, Jane Deasy, Gráinne Mulvey, Darragh Kelly, Paul Scully, Neil O’Connor, with works performed by Paul Roe, Marja Gaynor, Ilse de Ziah, Joe O’Farrell and Darragh Morgan.

This concert is normally associated with new works developed within the festival, rather than in advance, with one of the participating composers being offered a commission for the following year’s festival. This year the commission award will be open to online submissions and the announcement will be made at this event.

This programme is part of a double-bill concert which also showcases “classic” works from the repertoire. Darragh Morgan, one of the most highly regarded interpreters of contemporary music, will give the Irish concert premiere of Pierre Boulez’s “Anthèmes 2”, a seminal work for solo violin and electronics, in which the computer literally “follows” Darragh’s performance in real-time and renders a live accompaniment. Boulez’s masterwork is twinned with Frank Lyon’s recent commission “Spin 2”, commissioned by Darragh Morgan, the work follows similar development to Anthèmes 2, having undergone revisions and addition of an electronic part.

The festival sees the Irish debut of renowned London-based iconoclasts, Bastard Assignments, who bring their unique brand of collaborative composition and ensemble performance to Dublin in a programme of four recent works. This concert is a true multi-media performance that defies the limits of what is considered music – this is a show that can only be experienced live.

The festival closes with a double-bill concert of Irish and international works for flute and electronics. Australian flautist, Lina Andonovska gives a programme exclusively of Irish premiers featuring some of the most widely performed international composers of the current generation, including: Brigitta Muntendorf’s “Public Privacy #1 (flute cover)”, a study on the schizophrenic relationship between at-home YouTuber soloists and their very public performances; Sarah Nemtsov, “amplified imagination”; and the Irish premieres of Nicole Lizée’s cinema-inspired “Tarantino Etudes”.

Renowned Scottish flautist and new music champion, Richard Craig, closes the festival with a programme of recent works built around Richard Barrett’s “Vale”, mesmeric study for amplified flute. Richard will also premiere Seán O’Dálaigh’s intimate and searching “Landscape II” for flute; a work Seán wrote especially for Richard in response to the Music Current 2019 commission.

Visit: http://www.musiccurrent.ie

Sponsored by IMRO

Having spent over four decades performing with legendary acts Stockton’s Wing, Ronnie Drew, Maura O Connell, Eleanor Shanley, and Leslie Dowdall, County Clare singer-songwriter and guitarist Mike Hanrahan is back out on his own, singing new songs from isolation, sharing gems from his very successful back catalogue, and a whole bunch of stories from his critically acclaimed memoir “Beautiful Affair: A Journey in Music, Food and Friendship”.

Earlier this year, during lockdown, Mike shared a recording of his song by The Forgetmenots Choir. Penned by Mike, ‘A River Rolls On’ was inspired by his mother’s slide through the phases of vascular dementia, and imagining her life as a beautiful meandering river starting high in the mountains, nourishing many, giving so much to the world as it gently rolls to the sea. All proceeds from this song went to Dementia projects.

Mike Hanrahan now shares ‘Chase the Moon’, the first song from his forthcoming album “Songs from the Box Room”, which is set for a 2022 release.

“Chase the Moon was originally inspired after talking to an old friend who was quite apprehensive about an impending medical procedure. It began as a personal word of encouragement, and then lockdown introduced me to a global audience on my daily Facebook livestream #cookingupastorm. We were all struggling on a rocky ocean heading for that distant dry land. The song soon evolved and the line “Let mercy be the wave that takes us home” became our daily mantra as we talked food and music across several timelines.”

Hanrahan has spent decades writing and releasing songs with other artists, and now is stepping out with his own solo project. Speaking about how it came about, he says:

“I spent all of last year on my own in my little box room homemade recording/ writing space. I reconnected with the writer I had left somewhere on the roadside. The songs and tunes kept coming and I decided to record another album. It has been almost twenty years since I released my own music. The time seems just right. The music business has certainly changed but people will always want to listen to new music. I have songs and a story to tell and I really look forward to sharing it all.”

 ‘Chase the Moon’ by Mike Hanrahan, is out now on Bandcamp and Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/track/3uE6ox2d5fYp6ZGU9e8ISZ?si=98910a6ba6c54cef

See Mike perform his new songs and old favourites, live:

• October 21^st Gigs in The Garden Room, Sage Midleton, Cork, 6pm. To book, phone 021 4639 682
• October 28^th Bob’s Hideout, Durrow, Co. Laois. Ticket link: https://www.bobsbar.ie/events/an-evening-with-mike-hanrahan?fbclid=IwAR1UDPZANzWprAqHGeCk7hpFLEdE8_J3y9byqctR3a3waxUxhOJMoggBcBk

https://www.instagram.com/mikehanrahanmusic/

https://www.facebook.com/dinkyhanrahan/

https://www.facebook.com/mikehanrahan46

https://twitter.com/mikehanrahan58

 https://mikehanrahan.bandcamp.com/releases

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_j8ficIJ3bH2wK-91-xxmg

 www.mikehanrahan.com

IMRO catches up with Bobbi Fallon as she releases her new single ‘I Won’t Stand in your Way’.  Currently based in Los Angeles, she wrote and produced the song with her mentor Rodney Alejandro – who has worked with Tevin Campbell, The Temptations, and many more. Raised in Johannesburg, Bobbi Fallon’s new single and video is receiving exciting radio, streaming and online support in South Africa.

What was the inspiration for the single?
I wrote this song when I knew that I would have to leave my home, my family and my relationship in South Africa in order to pursue my dreams. I hypothesized how the conversation would go from the opposite point of view, from the people that love me’s perspective.

What is the song about?
The thought of ending a chapter of my life in order to welcome the next one scared me a lot. However I decided to rethink it from the other perspective, from the people supporting me and motivating me to leave my comfort zone and pursue my passion. Sacrifice is something that requires trust and love and that is what the song is all about. It is about embracing opportunities despite the temporary discomfort it may bring. It is about jumping into the deep end and learning to swim with the love and support of those around us. I knew that when I decided to follow my dreams and leave home, that I would be surrounded by love, understanding and support.

Tell us more about your background.
I was always musically inclined from a young age. By the time I was 14 I set my sights on the world’s best contemporary music school – Berklee College of Music. By 2017 I received a scholarship and jumped on a plane to attend my dream University. Being at Berklee allowed me to grow exponentially. I was challenged every single day to get better at my craft and expand my musical knowledge. While at Berklee I had the opportunity of being mentored by giants of the music industry. One of my greatest mentors has been multi-Grammy nominated musician, composer and producer Rodney Alejandro who has collaborated with the likes of The Script, Quincy Jones, Destiny’s Child, Sting, Fergie, Ray Charles and more. He has had belief in me from day one and has guided me in releasing my debut single ‘I Won’t Stand in Your Way’.

Previous singles that you’ve released?
This is my debut single as Bobbi Fallon. However I have been featured on collaborations for dance music some of which to name: One Night – Kasango feat. Jamie Fallon Smith which also features on Black Coffee’s Music is King 2019 Appreciation Mix, Suddenly – Vanco feat. Jamie Fallon Smith, Humanity – Roy Malakian feat. Jamie Fallon Smith. These tracks have been successful worldwide. Vanco and Bobbi’s “Suddenly” has been remixed by Badbox from London and is being released September 10th 2021 by Sondela (Defected Record’s new South African division).

What can we expect from you in the future? Any planned releases?
Sondela released my collaboration Badbox & Vanco feat. Bobbi Fallon – Alive in September and I plan on releasing my next single at the end of this year and a follow up at the beginning of next year.

Tell us more about your connection with the South African audience.

Born and raised in South Africa, South Africa will always be my home. When I released my track “One Night” South Africa were right there supporting it and cheering me on. I performed at Ultra Music Festival South Africa in the beginning of 2020 and that was life-changing. There is nothing like the warmth of a South African audience.

Electro goddess Lux Alma and soul popstress MissKate have teamed up to create their musical baby. “In The Place “ to be released on the 15th Oct

It is a perfect synthesis of MissKate’s dark lyrics and Lux Alma’s deep but uplifting beats and synths.

Alma and Kate have toured the world together with Thisispopbaby’s hit show RIOT, but never collaborated on a track before, so this is a first for the award winning artists .

With both voices on the track, they are a perfect juxtaposition for a song about “the place between asleep and awake” where dark meets light, trauma and ecstasy, pleasure and pain, good and evil co – exist.

In addition to the single release on 15th Oct just before Halloween, a suitably spooky video, shot on 360 virtual reality camera by Juliana Scodeler will make its debut – an experimental but exciting project that they produced against all odds during lockdown with eight dancers in The Complex on Arran Street, choreographed by the award winning Philip Connaghton.

“A distopian “Shakespeare’s Sister, Stay” vibe.” Look out for updates online on the coming release and upcoming shows.

LUX ALMA:

Alma is an award winning composer, sound designer and musician, working throughout Ireland, Europe, Australia and America. LUX ALMA is her solo, electro-folk act with music that is sometimes contemplative, sometimes pulsing, concentrating on themes of female strength and Irish mythology, all wrapped in a dreamy electro aesthetic with Alma’s soaring vocal at its core.

As musical director and performer with the hit show RIOT by thisispopbaby, Alma is no stranger to the stage. She has also sung for the likes of Saint Sister, Villagers, The Coronas, Sorcha Richardson, AE Mak and Roisin O, gigged with I Have a Tribe and Sun Collective, and supported acts including Wallis Bird and The Lost Brothers. Her trio The Evertides were a mainstay of the Irish folk scene for a number of years, playing all the major folk festivals and getting broad radio play throughout Ireland.

She works with many media including theatre, film, circus, live art, music and animation. She blurs the lines between music and sound in all of her work which includes Very Old Man With Enormous Wings (Collapsing Horse), RIOT (THISISPOPBABY), riverrun (Olwen Fouéré), and The Elephantom (National Theatre UK).

Alma is an associate artist with THISISPOPBABY and has written music for many of their successful projects including RIOT, Elevator and WERK. She is also an associate artist with The National Folk Theatre at Siamsa Tire for whom she created the audio-visual project To The Sea – an elemental celebration of the ocean.

Nature and the environment play a key role in much of her work, both thematically and by using real world sounds in her music.

www.luxalmamusic.com IG: @theluxalma FB: `Luxalma Twitter: @theluxalma

MISSKATE

Kate is a singer/songwriter, actor and director from Dublin. Performing solo now, she lit up festival stages in 2019 with her new act at BeatYard, Love Sensation, Block Party, and Heineken Stage at Electric Picnic 2019. A mix of Hiphop, Triphop, RnB and House, Kate released an EP in 2019 produced by MathMan- the soundtrack to her self penned stage show WALK FOR ME, including the summer Pride anthem JUST BE as one of the stand out singles.

Whilst with her band prior (an 8 piece funk and soul ensemble), Kate released an EP MISSKATE and THE HIGHER STATE and a follow up EP “A collection of remixes” by Daithi, Hystereo, Bastien Keb, Fatty Fatty and Bobofunk to name a few, and played many festivals including Main Stage at Groove Festival, Castlepalooza, headlined at The Metropole for Cork Jazz Festival and played many venues around Dublin including Sugar Club, Grand Social, Tivoli, Workman’s and Liquor Rooms.

In 2021 she made her directorial debut in short film with CHERRY (Official Selection Galway Film Fleadh 2021) She has directed her last three music videos, TOOK THE LIFE, GET ME (Due for release early 2022, A video cola with Kate’s brother, graphic artist Johnny Brennan) and a collaboration with Lux Alma IN THE PLACE due for release later this year.

Theatre work includes Conversations after Sex (Thisispopbaby), her self penned show WALK FOR ME (Project Arts Centre), Restoration (Shaun Dunne), Evening Train (Everyman Palace), RIOT (THISISPOPBABY), The Plough and the Stars (Lyric Hammersmith/ Abbey Theatre) Crestfall ITTA nomination Best Ensemble (Druid), The White Devil (Shakespeare’s Globe), Hedda Gabler, The Risen People, Terminus, Saved, Playboy of the Western World (Abbey Theatre), The Night Alive (Lyric /Gaiety), Wuthering Heights, Salome (Gate), Witness, Best Man, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Irish Times Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress ,Love and Money, ITTA nomination for Best Actress (Project/ Everyman) , Yerma (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Sanctuary Lamp (Arcola Theatre London).

Film/TV includes KIN (Townsend Film/AMC) Float like a Butterfly (Samson) Fading Away (Filmbase), Inspector Jury (IJ Prods), Chasing Green (Hallmark), Doll House winner of Best Ensemble Acting Odessa Film Festival (Visit Films ), Raw, Fair City (RTÉ), The Tudors (HBO).

www.misskateofficial.com IG: misskate_music FB: misskatemusic Twitter: MissKateTweet BOOKINGS: Lisa Fox lisa@nulllikeminded.ie (00353) 1 863770508

“I’m very into Irish songs, especially ones like this that tell a story. And the reason it does that is all due to Brendan’s talented songwriting. It’s like a mini- history lesson more than anything.”

So said Mayo singer Nicola O’ Haire recently when speaking about her forthcoming debut single, ORPHAN GIRL. And its writer – the Brendan in question – is none other than that expert crafter of song, Brendan Graham.

But when Nicola releases Orphan Girl on Wednesday, October 6th, any feelings of elation and satisfaction will be tempered somewhat by a fact which the musical theatre graduate admits will shadow her thoughts throughout the day. For on that very day, some 173 years before, the young Irish women whose utterly heartbreaking story is so eloquently conveyed in Graham’s master-work, first set foot on Australian soil, landing at Sydney Harbour as passengers aboard the merchant ship the Earl Grey, having been forced to leave their native Ireland the previous June.

Unlike in more recent times, these luckless, helpless souls had little by way of choice in their journey. Their destiny was decided by Earl Grey, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, after whom the vessel that carried the “scarcely turned sixteen” protagonist orphan girl of Graham’s tale from a Westport workhouse to Australia where she hoped to, “…find myself a better life”, was named. Under this most heartless of schemes, one which also bore his name, Earl Grey decided that the perfect solution to the problem of overcrowding in the workhouses of Ireland, was to ship this excess number of human beings to the other side of the world where they would help to settle the new Australian colony, making up for a shortage of serving staff and domestic labourers there.

So how did Nicola – a graduate of the American College in Dublin – go from a make-shift ‘stage’ of hay bales, singing You Raise Me Up to a shed full of cattle in the wintertime at home on the family farm – just on the Mayo side of the Galway/Mayo divide – to singing in a recording studio with Brendan himself watching her take on one of his songs, something she described as being “a real ‘pinch-me’ moment”?

Nicola herself took some time out from release preparations to fill us in on exactly how it all came to be…

“There was talk of a concert involving Brendan Graham happening in my locality, and I would usually sing at any events like that, you see. Two great men for supporting their community, Ray McHugh and Paddy Rock from Cong, had me in mind to sing at it, so they put in a good word for me. It all took off from there. I spoke with Brendan about it and he suggested I perform one of his songs at the concert. And that song was ‘Orphan Girl.’ Brendan initially wrote it back in 2012, to commemorate the relocation of over 4,000 Irish orphan girls who were shipped to Australia during Ireland’s Great Famine of the 1800s.”

Due to Covid, however, that concert was never able to go ahead. But, having fallen in love with the song, and being so moved by the story, Nicola still wanted to record it. And Brendan, impressed by the version Nicola went ahead and recorded on her own, invited her to Ventry Recording Studio in Balbriggan to record a new arrangement of the song, overseen by arranger and producer Feargal Murray, and engineered by Dave McCune. And, to do so with a view to releasing it as a single.

“My dream is and always has been”, declares Nicola, “to become a successful recording artist. And every day I aspire to taking a step closer to that dream. I’ve always worked so hard to make this dream of mine come true. But I was also met with an amazing opportunity of getting to work with the incredible Brendan Graham himself when our paths crossed last year. He has made this opportunity possible for me, and has assisted me every step of the way. It has been an incredible experience for me. A very surreal one at that. This project with Brendan has been an amazing adventure, one I will truly never forget.”

And thanks to songwriters like Brendan and artists like Nicola, Ireland’s lost orphan girls will never be forgotten either.

~ ORPHAN GIRL (written by Brendan Graham), the official debut single from NICOLA O’ HAIRE, will be available on all platforms from WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6th.