Bon Iver to play in the O2

Mark the date down in your diaries!!!!!! On November 12/12, Bon Iver will be arriving on Irish soil to play the O2 in Dublin. 

Following on from their extremely well-received show in the Bord Gais Energy Centre (Formerly The Grand Canal Theatre) last year, they make the step-up to the O2 this winter.

Tickets for the November 12 performance go on sale this Friday and are priced at €39.50 and €36.50.

Reasons to go??? hmmmmm

The View announce Irish Tour dates

With the release of their new album in the coming weeks, Scottish band The View have announced a three-date Irish tour for this September.

To coincide with the release of their 4th studio album release ‘Cheeky For A Season’, Scottish indie rockers The View have officially confirmed 3 brand new Irish Tour Dates whereby they will be visiting Belfast, Cork and Dublin this September 2012.

The View will be performing live on stage at The Limelight in Belfast on Friday September 7th, Cyprus Avenue in Cork on Saturday September 8th, and Whelans in Dublin on Sunday September 10^th 2012. Tickets for all three shows by The View will be on sale from each individual venue box office from Friday the 22^nd of June 2012. Tickets for The View live at Whelans in Dublin can also be purchased from Ticketmaster and usual outlets nationwide priced €22.90 including booking fee. This is a band you do not want to miss out on a live scale. And if the new single form their upcoming album "Cheeky for a reason" is anything to go by; it'll be one hell of a gig.  

The View will perform live at the following venues as part of their new Irish Tour Dates:

Fri 7th Sep: BELFAST, Limelight

Sat 8th Sep: CORK, Cyprus Avenue

Sun 9th Sep: DUBLIN, Whelans

Sandi Thom returns to her roots.

Returning to the online medium that made her breakthrough into the music industry a few years back with  her online sensational "I wish I was a Punk Rocker" song, Thom has decided to treat fans to weekly renditions of some of her favourite tracks by other artists. And man... can she fairly belt them out.

Sandi recently shared the news that her upcoming fourth studio album, 'Flesh and Blood' (recorded in Nashville with the Black Crowes' Rich Robinson), which is due out August 14th on the singer's own label Guardian Angels Records. The album's lead single, "The Sun Comes Crashing Down," is streaming on SoundCloud and available as a free download at sandithom.com.

Learn more about the recording of Flesh and Blood in this behind-the-scenes clip, and visit Sandi's official site, Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest news.

"I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt Cover):

Adela & The Meanits

In a truly Irish get-to-gether story.. the band formed after a chance encounter on a 'St Patrick’s Day float' in Portlaoise.....(as you do...)  Adela met drummer Ros O’ Meara. Then a member of several bands, Ros introduced Adela to Barry Hayes who in turn introduced everyone to John Davidson. Like peas in a far out pod… catapulted from years of abject obscurity in the Irish midlands… they soon became a group of four: Adela and the Meanits.

Their music has been likened to Madness, Sultans of Ping and Lily Allen, but comparisons aside their music contains refreshing elements of pop, folk & trash can jazz that when combined, somehow manage to have a mainstream appeal. 

Set to release their debut album in August ( No title as of yet ), single ‘Andy’ is released in Mid July.

I spose its also worth mentioning that the band are embarking on a 32 gig date tour which will span the 32 counties in Ireland to celebrate the albums release in the month of August.

'Andy' is a contagious little number that will lodge inside your brain where the word 'FUN' resides and it'll bloody damn well refuse to leave! But don't take our word for it, check it out below:

Fiona Apple + her album too long to include in a heading.

The princess of confessional sensibility with an edge, is finally back. The 90's poster girl for Dawsons-Creek-esque acoustic sonnets somehow managed to always rise above contention with every cliche in the singer songwriters manual being overwritten.  

Having just turned 34, and surpassing the line of adolescent grazing, her fourth album is titled, and wait for it... 'The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do'. Its a seriously laid back affair, with a bit more grain to the voice and substance to the music. Well worth checking out.

Fiona Apple

Dan Monick

p.s: is it just me or does Fiona Apple look ridiculously like Regina Spektor in that picture?

Regina Spektor

  

Radio Active Grandma

The Radioactive Grandma (Johno Leader, Peter Donohue & Ben McCarthy) are an original alternative indie acoustic rock band from Co.Cavan, Ireland- originally hailing from Peterborough, (Cambridgeshire) UK, and Dublin Ireland. 


They have their own style of original energetic acoustic driven alternative pop/rock music using nothing more than 2 guitars and a box.


From opener "The Game" to choppy closer "The Walls Have Ears"; The Radioactive Grandma deliver songs using sparse instrumentation but with heaps of passion and ability. With brilliant stand out tracks like 'The Game' (has echoes of Bon Iver and The Travelling band, which by all means is a fine testament to this Irish outfit) to 'The Walls Have Ears' - the vocal harmonies quickly become the major hooks. 

Midway through and coming to the end, the album  keeps a steady solid flow with each track becoming an extension of the one before.

What The Radioactive Grandma sound like is the result of a chance meeting between Editors & The Frank & Walters, who hang out and decide to have one big acoustic jamming session. So for what it is: It's a stellar acoustic effort with very basic minimal instrumentation and production, that after a few listens begs for the repeat button on its stand out tracks. I do feel though, that it could've been a stellar-great-magnificent-who-the-hell-are-this-band!?- album, if it wasn't for the sparse production and overzealous repetition due to the 'two guitars and box' situation. (And if they left out that snappy cajun from some of the tracks- the album might have flowed better for me. It just got too much half way through). 

From track 2 to 5, Instrumentally speaking, the band rely too much on quick pro quo starts to the songs with snap shot muted guitar strum or bass note intros for most of the songs. In each case; the chord progression is implied with a non varied simplified structure comprising a combination of quickly strummed chords, single notes and palm muting. A bit of a change would have benefited and prevented the listener from drifting off. Percussion wise, I would have liked to hear some standard drumming in place, as opposed to the cajun throughout the whole record, which again gets very repetitive. (Literally most of the songs have the exact same intro; which gets immediately samey). For instance; I am a fan of Ryan Sheridan but what I don't like about his work is that is starts to get that 'Samey' feel to it. There is a slight case of it here. Having said that; it does work tremendously well with certain aspects of the record, such as the song highlighted at the beginning. 

Overall the album is a fine testament to what a couple of lads can do on what appears to have been a shoe string budget record, that might have been great had a high end production been within reach. So for what it is; it's got 2 or 3 stand out tracks that would appeal to the repeat button. I'd recommend you take a listen.

Download 'Another Wasted Line' for free here.

Check out the album here. Or listen below.

Fantastic new single from Katie & The Carnival is a bag full of fun!

The official Video was announced today and its a bit like a mad hatters tea party but lots more fun and with not so much Burton-esqe darkness but a lively quirky fun fest for their fantastic new song Dinosaurs which is due out on June 18th via iTunes.

Katie and the Carnival is the musical project of musician and actress Katie Richardson and her band. Known for their energetic and engaging live performances, their music is soulful and harmony-driven with influences from folk, pop, indie and torch song.

Following a number of sell-out special events last Summer the band have made several TV (BBC NI’s Out Of The Blue and Come Dine With Me), radio and festival appearances.

Katie has also worked with fellow luminaries such as: Duke Special, The Inishowen Gospel Choir, The Salt Flats, The Jane Bradfords and many more.

Her voice is currently featured in the new Dale Farm ice cream advert singing her own arrangement of ‘Bring me Sunshine’ by Arthur Kent.

New single ‘Dinosaurs’, is out June 18th, was recorded in Start Together Studio’s, Belfast (General Fiasco, Duke Special, Sharon Corr).

Gig dates:

24th May 2012 – Ulster Hall Sofa Sessions, Belfast, Northern Ire

21st July- Glasgowbury –Northern Ire

4th August – Forefy – Co. Fermanagh.

17th – 19th August Sunflowerfest – Northern Ire

Links: http://www.facebook.com/katieandthecarnivalband

for Hd version of the video please see VIMEO:

The View come back in style. "how long" did that take?

The View come back in style. "how long" did that take? see what I did there (O:

new song is sounding top notch. Check it out above. its taken from their new album ‘CHEEKY FOR A REASON’ Out July 6th

‘Cheeky For A Reason’ will be released by the bands new label Cooking Vinyl on July 6th and pre-ceded by a single on 25th June. The album is the band’s fourth after the Mercury-nominated #1 debut ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’, the Top 10 follow-up ‘Which Bitch’ and 2011’s Top 20 ‘Bread & Circuses’, and is currently being recorded at Liverpool’s Motor Museum Studios with producer Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, Foals). Early track titles that are vying for inclusion on the album include ’Bunker’, ‘The Clock Has No Sympathy’,’ Anfield Row’ ‘How Long’ and ‘AB’.

When asked to describe the album, lead singer/guitarist Kyle Falconer said “its Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours done by The Clash”.

The self-penned album includes three songs written by Kyle & Kieren with writer/producer and unofficial 5^th member of Kings Of Leon – Angelo Petraglia.

The Scottish quartet will preview the album’s release by embarking upon an intimate tour in June & July. The tour is their first full UK trek in over a year, having concluded 2011 with a run of dates across Scotland. Irish dates tba!

www.theviewareonfire.com / www.facebook.com/view     twitter.com/viewofficial

www.cookingvinyl.com

Suzanne Savage, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, magic.

I always liked my female vocalists, from the demanding fiery Tori Amos, to Odetta and of late yes, I must admit I even like Jessie J. Some of the aforementioned being very well known and some being so far within a niche that their music demands the right audience to forfeit to them and succumb to a sound that is not what is played on the radio. And what is not considered 'pop' or 'mainstream'. However their main weapon being their voice. Suzanne Savage fits that list, very well. That voice, my oh my...

Suzanne Savage has the tones of a well trained classical vocalist, and the free style accents of someone who has lost themselves in Jazz and come out at the other side of Blues. Now somewhere along the way Savage dabbled in all the above. Hell, she can even sing the instrumental lines, playing with the band, almost toying in a show off bravado that belies her seemingly shy exterior; behind l the mic -  her true nature and that every impressive subtly stunning voice, not to mention her virtuoso violin playing. ( she also plays guitar among other instruments on the album )

Have a listen to 'Dart' the single: her voice is a powerhouse of beauty and control on this track. Utterly impressive and unique. It's all about the voice with this artist, as its ultimately her tool and vehicle throughout the album, transitioning each track and showing off all that this artist has to offer.

Hailing from Belfast, Suzanne's devotion to music has been a lifelong affair. She began playing violin when she was 8; her teens were spent receiving classical training in school but a more colourful education went into gigging with bands in Belfast, varying from heavy rock to funk fusion. While completing her Music degree at Queens University where she studied singing with Irene Sandford, Suzanne never stopped gigging. Jazz, contemporary music and drum and bass began to play a bigger part in her output. The gigs moved from bustling bars to T.V. studios, international tours and collaborations in addition to being an established fixture of the music scene in Northern Ireland. She then won a scholarship to FABRICA MUSICA in Italy, a hugely important experience for her culturally, musically and artistically. While there she worked with musicians from all over the world, collaborating with composers like William Barton, Andrea Molino and Hugo Smit. She was constantly performing and recording; even taking part in a documentary for German television about her work. After this fruitful period in Italy, Suzanne toured with Riverdance, eventually finding herself in Dublin. She is currently based between Belfast, Dublin and Karlsruhe, Germany, taking full advantage of what these vibrant music scenes have to offer.


'Jellymould' is her first musical offering on her own accord. It's a magnificent and defiant tale of her musical journey, a journey that you all must hear. A fine record. Well worth checking out. It is not released until August, Dart being a rather inviting preview of what is to come.

Iron and Wine acoustic 4AD session: pure bliss.

Iron & Wine, the work of Austin-based Sam Beam, released their fourth album, Kiss Each Other Clean through 4AD in January 2011. Somewhat of a departure from earlier recordings and representing an expansion of the ideas explored on last album The Shepherd's Dog, the record saw Beam's often stripped-back compositions development into ornate arrangements/ Live performances also saw Beam joined by a cast of musicians, helping flesh out his sound.

For this beautifully rendered 4AD Session, Beam made the conscious decision to return to his roots. Taking those album tracks back to their nascent form, Beam delivered five acoustic performances that immediately make clear the craft and care that constitutes each Iron & Wine track. Pushed to the fore is Beam's languorous vocals, showcasing the seemingly effortless ease with which he is able to imbibe his music with a nuanced poetry.

Filmed at Miloco Recording Studios in Bermondsey, London, the location proved truly fitting of the performance. Beam found himself surrounded by an array of vintage analogue equipment, a perfect compliment to the down-home wood-and twine classic songwriting that has continued to characterize the work of Iron & Wine over the course of four albums. Playing four songs from the new album, long time fans will also note the inclusion of the 'Upwards Over The Mountain', a track drawn from the band's much-loved back catalogue.

Tracklisting:

1. Tree By The River

2. Biting Your Tail

3. Big Burned Hand

4. Half moon

5. Upward Over The Mountain

Shes a beauty

'Too Much Confusion' by Shes a beauty;  with it's Lush piano intro will pull on your heart strings in a rather non invasive way drawing you in with a delicate charm that too many Indie bands are missing these days.

What you get here is a vastly impressive melodic indie-pop track. Distinctly and rhetorically Irish in its vocal delivery, the overall sound and appeal here is evident in both production and musicality. It's not a good tune; it's a great tune that I have had on repeat since I heard it.  Well worth checking the band out.

Members	Cathal Farrelly - Lead Vocals/ Rhythm Guitar Robert Hogan - Lead Guitar/ Backing vocals Francis McDonnell - Drums & Percussion Jamie Caprani - Bass Shanty McBride - Vocals eile

Too Much Confusion is available for download from Sunday, 27th May. The track will cost a minimum donation of €1 to download and all proceeds will be going towards Oxjam Ireland's grow campaign.