Tiz McNamara Releases Debut EP

May 6, 2020

Today, Cork singer-songwriter Tiz McNamara, releases his debut EP ‘April Fool’, comprising of five songs which capture his journey as a songwriter.

From 3 years of age, McNamara was banging on pots and pans before eventually getting his first drum kit. After applying 3 times, he was finally awarded a place in Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the prestigious Music and Arts school founded by Sir Paul McCartney.

During his second year of the 3 year degree, McNamara was moving a piano and it fell 4 feet down and burst his foot. At first doctors wanted to amputate, but thankfully his mother, who had flown over, convinced doctors to try anything else possible. After narrowly avoiding amputation, he was left in a rather strange position of having to drop out of the long-awaited degree and begin again.

Once he made a full recovery, he re-auditioned on a new instrument and carried on.

“I re-auditioned on vocals and wrote a song called ‘Falling Asleep’ which is played with only my thumb on the guitar as I did not know how to play at the time. Thankfully I was accepted in and have been singing ever since.” Falling Asleep is the opening track on Tiz’s EP.

“I’m holding out hope
That this ship may lay its anchor…”

Before his first birthday, Tiz tragically lost my father and two brothers. “My eldest brother and father died in a tragic boating accident and my other brother David died of Cot death when he was just a couple of months old. I have always found this extremely traumatic and for me music was always my release and way of getting these feelings and emotions out.”

Every year on April 1st (their anniversary) Tiz releases a new single in memory of them to make a difficult time of year into a more productive one. The latest offering (arriving a little later due to covid-19 restrictions) comes in the form of a five track EP entitled ‘April Fool’.

Tiz says: “These songs are extremely personal and close to the bone but for me that has always been what making music was all about. It’s about telling stories and hopefully giving comfort to others.”

Having battled through bouts of depression, which Tiz bravely talks about openly through his lyrics, the young singer-songwriter reveals his incredible strength. The EP closes with “Days Like These”, a song that offers hope, the light at the end of the tunnel. Tiz says “This song is about getting out the far end of the hard times and savouring the good days. Depression is a recurrent theme in my music but I love life and adventure, so this song is about the good times.”

“…I’ll give you everything
Give you every piece of me
You just wait and see…”

The ‘April Fool’ EP was recorded in a cabin in Nova Scotia on the East coast of Canada with producer Dan Ledwell. Tiz and Dan spent 6 days tracking the songs in his lakeside cabin and recorded all instruments themselves, with some guest vocals from Breagh McKinnon.

‘April Fool’, the debut EP from Tiz McNamara, is out now: