'White Fox' - Album

Featuring the Singles "Ants", "The Naturist", "Models", and "OH-OH"
The Route 109A Recording Co. ~ Dedicated in loving memory of Derek Nally
Limited Edition Vinyl Release Date 14th February
Available Hamsandwichmusic.com and selected Record Shops, including Tower Records (Dublin)

Special Edition Digital Release Out Now until February 28th
Features 4 Live Bonus Tracks Taken from Today FM Sessions, including the cover of Kate Bush's "Running UpThat Hill" recorded on the Ray D'Arcy Show.
Available only from the shop on Hamsandwichmusic.com

"There isn't a duff tune here, which makes it that very rare thing: an album you can listen to all the way through without being tempted to press fastforward" ~ Tony Clayton-Lea THE IRISH TIMES (The Ticket - Review of "White Fox")

"Ants" Video Wins Award in USA
Well it looks like the little Ant did good in the end! The little guy travelled all the way to New York and WON an award at the Well done Marc! Apparently the little ant has been on the beer for the past week in Brooklyn somewhere... Wanna see it again? http://youtu.be/fwBe_jxkJ-A

Upcoming Ham Sandwich Shows:

WESTMEATH - Mullingar - Danny Byrnes - 10th Feburary
DUBLIN - The Academy - 18th Feburary
GALWAY - Roisin Dubh - 2nd March
Croke Park - Dublin - 11th March

Ham Sandwich have become one of the most consistent acts in the country in regards to producing a steady diet of pop-tinged melodic songs with a twist. Gradually brushing off their ‘guitar-indie band' tag, Ham Sandwich's fan base continues to grow steadily as the band pushes the boundaries with their song writing, instrumentation, & arrangements. Now regarded as one of the best drawing live acts in Ireland, the band's live shows have consistantly garnered excellent reviews. With the album "White Fox" consistantly in the charts & their singles gaining regular radio play across the country, 2011 has now become the year of the Ham Sandwich! White Fox is Produced by Karl Odlum & mastered in Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew (David Bowie, Beatles, ELO, Bob Marley).

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:

Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

Looking back last year, it's difficult to pinpoint where it all went right ! Starting the year off by releasing the 3rd single from their highly acclaimed album "White Fox", the band never envisioned "Ants" becoming the huge hit that it did getting playlisted on virtually every radio staion in the country. Video director Marc Corrigan approached the band with an unorthodox idea for a video for "Ants" featuring an animated ant in the most unlikely of scenarios for a video using stop-motion animation. The end result exceeded everyones expectations and once it went viral online, Ham Sandwich landed themselves a whole new global fanbase. At the recent IMTV Awards, Marc scooped the "Best Concept" Award for the "Ants" video.

The "Ants" tour saw the band selling out venues across the country  which ultimately landed them on Festival bills across Ireland & the UK as a "must have" act on any line-up. Attendance to Ham Sandwich's performances at such festivals such as Forbidden Fruit, The Electric Picnic, The Sea Sessions, and Indie-Pendence were jam packed and certainly a talking point! Over in the UK they were invited to perform on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Leeds & Reading Festivals and what transpired can only be seen to be believed (google it!).

Ham Sandwich were also selected to participate in the prestiguous music industry showcase festivals South-By-Southwest in Austin, Texas and Popkomm in Berlin. Ham Sandwich were then chosen as The Best Festival Entertainment act in 2011 by Members. AOIFE (the Association Of Irish Festival Events).

While the band were clocking up their travel miles, their music was being featured in various TV shows such as Fade Street, The Sunday Game, Off The Rails, Raw, and the upcoming The Importance of Being Whatever. TV performances included Bulletin TV, The View, Ceol Ar An Imeall and then finishing off 2011 with the acclaimed Other Voices for the 2012 series.

One of the biggest honours bestowed upon Ham Sandwich in 2011 was the inclusion of their "White Fox" album in the new book "101 IRISH RECORDS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE" written by legendary Irish Times music journalist Tony Clayton-Lea. Then to top it off nicely, they were asked by Tony personally to perform at the book's launch.

Ham Sandwich - A Short Introduction

Some rock bands fret too much about the successful fusion of commerce and creativity. Some rock bands think they can second-guess the music fan by blending strategies for world domination with mix-and-match, catch-all music. Ham Sandwich, however, instinctively react to rock music more than spending too much time thinking about it – which is nowhere near as bad as it might sound – and it is this that marks them out as one of the best Irish rock acts of recent years. Their unique sound is built around the dovetail vocals of Niamh & Podge flying against a cloudy sky, with catchy yet intricate songs. The Kells-based band have become one of the most consistent acts in the country in regards to producing a steady diet of pop-tinged melodic songs with a twist. Gradually brushing off their ‘guitar-indie band' tag, Ham Sandwich's fan base continues to grow steadily as the band pushes the boundaries with their song writing, instrumentation, & arrangements. Now regarded as one of the best drawing live acts in Ireland, the band's live shows have consistantly garnered excellent reviews. With the album "White Fox" consistantly in the charts and their singles -- especially their biggest commercial hit to date "Ants" -- gaining regular radio play across the country, 2011 will be remembered as the year of the Ham Sandwich!

After another sell out tour in December, which included SIX nights in Dublin's Olympia Theatre, and following on from the success of the their massive hit single "Addicted To Progress", The Coronas are back with their 2nd single from their 3rd album "Closer to You". Just over 2 months since it's release on Nov11th, "Closer To You" is the band's fastest selling album to date and has already gone platinum in Ireland.

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs for the Coronas:
Jim Lawless: jim@thecoronas.net or +353 (0)86 835 4349
Kate Knox:  kate@thecoronas.net or +353 (0)85 121 8793
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications: stevo@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

The New Album .
"Closer to You"
Out Now on 3ú Records
Featuring the singles "Mark My Words" and "Addicted To Progress"
Produced by Tony Hoffer - Recorded in the Sound Factory (Los Angeles)

ELEVENS will perform for one night only. After the success of their sellout show on 11/11/11, this promises to be a special night!

Tickets 11 Euro incl booking fee available online from  wavtickets.ie [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone or creditcard bookings) or in person 39 Camden Row (beside Whelan's Venue). Opening Hours Mon to Fri: 1pm - 8pm and Sat: 4pm - 8pm

ELEVENS are Martin McCann (SACK), Tony Barrett (BRILLIANT TREES), & Mark Healy (THE JOSEPHS / JERRY FISH & THE MUDBUG CLUB) with additional musical colour of Omnichord, Melodica & Toy Bells amongst other gadgetry.

"Torn At The Seams" & "Tender to the Touch" Both EPs Available on 22 Recordings / iTunes
The video for the title track: http://vimeo.com/29478747
elevensmusic.net

IRISH TIMES
Review of the "Torn At The Seams" EP:
"A new-ish Dublin band made up of old-ish musicians from bands such as Sack (Martin McCann), The Brilliant Trees (Tony Barrett) and The Josephs (Mark Healy), Elevens are a combined aural and visual entity who perform selected gigs in Dublin and beyond. We haven't yet seen what they offer for the eyes, but if the music on this recently released EP is anything to go by we're talking about summer haze, autumnal bliss, winter calm and spring-loaded steps. Taking it down a notch or three seems to be at the heart of the band, yet there's an innate dynamism at play that lifts even the quietest of music into an area that persuades you to listen to it. At six tracks, this might not be the full story of Elevens, but for now they're definitely on the right side of beautiful." ~ Tony Clayton-Lea  / The Ticket (Dec.9th, 2011)

Additional ELEVENS Shows
Jan. 26 - Thursday - Cork - The Roundy Bar
Feb. 2 - Thursday - Limerick - Bourkes
Feb. 4 - Saturday - Dublin - Unitarian Church
April 20 - Friday - Carrick on Shannon - The Dock Theatre
More to be confirmed; check website for updates

ELEVENS, named after the Finglas Dublin 11 postcode from which they hail, is a three piece acoustic band from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 2009 by Martin McCann and Tony Barrett from two of Dublin's most prestigious Indie bands (SACK and BRILLIANT TREES), it wasn't long before a third member Mark Healy (THE JOSEPHS / JERRY FISH & THE MUDBUG CLUB) joined forces to add some tonal colour to complete the overall sound. What sets ELEVENS apart from the average acoustic setup is their collaborations with photographers and visual artists to incorporate a subtle and complimentary backdrop for ELEVENS' poignant tales of love lost and found. In todays climate of the harsh and abrasive, ELEVENS have come to soothe the senses with their simple arrangements and unique delivery.

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications. com or +353 (0)87 244 2695
Contact for ELEVENS - 3elevens@gmail.com

The pre-eminent Irish independent label of the post-punk era Reekus Records celebrates 30 years in existence with a broad and varied selection from its sometimes roster, including selected rarities and previously unheard material.

For Information / Interview requests with Elvera Butler:
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications.com  or +353 (0)87 244 2695

30th years after the release of Kaught at the Kampus , this 40 track, 2 CD compilation album features tracks from that first release right through to the current and future releases. All of the 20 tracks on CD1 are available on CD for the first time including two ‘ lost tracks ' from Microdisney , which were recorded in Windmill Lane studios in 1981 but unreleased at the time, and two unreleased tracks from Paul Cleary/The Blades , and the album also features the classic Blades single, the original version of Downmarket. Among the other tracks from the early days are gems from Belfast's Big Self, and the original Aslan recording of their classic hit This Is. Known as the ‘demo' version, this was released in May '86 and is said to be the longest playlisted single on Irish radio; Aslan subsequently went on to sign with EMI and re-record ‘This Is' for that label, though to the afficiandos the original Reekus version has a greater warmth and feel than the later versions. ‘Please Don't Stop' the b-side to the original 7” vinyl version of This Is, is also included, as is the b-side from the original 12” version ‘Been So Long'. Also included on CD1 are tracks from Some Kind Of Wonderful, Montage, Nigel Rolfe, Barry Warner, The Camino Organisation and Nun Attax.

CD2 features tracks from 2000 onwards a including Paul Cleary , Sweet Jane, The Radio, Perry Blake, and Saville, Deetrich, Saccade and Keith Moss.

Hotpress supremo Niall Stokes, commenting on the album says:

“ Independent record labels are crucial to any music scene – and in many respects Reekus Records has been the outstanding independent label in Ireland over the past 30 years. It is extraordinary to look back at the roll-call of great artists that the label has incubated and supported at different times – including The Blades, Big Self, Nun Attax, Micro Disney, Aslan, The Moondogs, Perry Blake, Saville and David Hopkins, among them, as well as recent contenders like Saccade and Sweet Jane, among others.

Running an independent label is a labour of love – and in that respect no one has shown a more genuine and enduring love for the music than the label founder, driving force and inspiration, Elvera Butler. Irish music owes her a huge debt of gratitude – and the release of this 2 CD 'Best Of' celebrating 30 years on the road for Reekus is as good a time as any to repay it. Here's to another 30 years!”

Too Late To Stop Now is scheduled for its official release on Friday March 2nd 2012 , though pre-release copies are available for purchase online from the Reekus website and at Tower Records in Dublin.

Tom Russell is a master storyteller and Mesabi, his new release on Proper, corrals some of the acclaimed singer-songwriter's most compelling tales to date.

A thread runs through its songs, a zigzagging but determinedly solid line that connects the perilous bordertown of Juarez, Mexico to the real and faux glitz of L.A. and the bleak iron range of Minnesota—the Mesabi of the album's title. The broad landscapes created by Tom Russell for Mesabi are inhabited by characters we all know - Bob Dylan, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor - and some we may not: the now-obscure, once well-known singer Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, the tragic Disney child star Bobby Driscoll and the character actor Sterling Hayden.

It's a logical progression from Russell's last album, 2009's Blood and Candle Smoke, yet it's like no other album Russell has made in his nearly four decades as a recording artist.

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

Upcoming Ham Sandwich Shows:

WEST MEATH - Mullingar - Danny Byrnes - 2nd December
KERRY - Dingle - OTHER VOICES - 4th December
GALWAY - Monrose - 9th December
MEATH - Kells - The Headford - 23rd December
DUBLIN - The Village - 31 December
DUBLIN - The Academy (MCD) - 18th Feburary 2012
For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:

Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

2011 has been an absolutely amazing year for HAM SANDWICH and the Kells-based band want to finish it off with a bang with their very own New Year's Eve "HAMmanay" blow-out in Dublin's The Village Venue on December 31st. Looking back on the year it's difficult to pinpoint where it all went right! Starting the year off by releasing the 3rd single from their highly acclaimed album "White Fox", the band never envisioned "Ants" becoming the huge hit that it did getting playlisted on virtually every radio staion in the country. Video director Marc Corrigan approached the band with an unorthodox idea for a video for "Ants" featuring an animated ant in the most unlikely of scenarios for a video using stop-motion animation. The end result exceeded everyones expectations and once it went viral online, Ham Sandwich landed themselves a whole new global fanbase.

At the recent IMTV Awards, Marc scooped the "Best Concept" Award for the "Ants" video. The "Ants" tour saw the band selling out venues across the country  which ultimately landed them on Festival bills across Ireland & the UK as a "must have" act on any line-up. Attendance to Ham Sandwich's performances at such festivals such as Forbidden Fruit, The Electric Picnic, The Sea Sessions, and Indie-Pendence were jam packed and certainly a talking point! Over in the UK they were invited to perform on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Leeds & Reading Festivals and what transpired can only be seen to be believed (google it!). Ham Sandwich were also selected to participate in the prestiguous music industry showcase festivals South-By-Southwest in Austin, Texas and Popkomm in Berlin. Ham Sandwich were then chosen as The Best Festival Entertainment act in 2011 by Members. AOIFE (the Association Of Irish Festival Events). While the band were clocking up their travel miles, their music was being featured in various TV shows such as Fade Street, The Sunday Game, Off The Rails, Raw, and the upcoming The Importance of Being Whatever. TV performances included Bulletin TV, The View, Ceol Ar An Imeall and then finishing off 2011 with the acclaimed Other Voices for the 2012 series.

One of the biggest honours bestowed upon Ham Sandwich in 2011 was the inclusion of their "White Fox" album in the new book "101 IRISH RECORDS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE" written by legendary Irish Times music journalist Tony Clayton-Lea. Then to top it off nicely, they were asked by Tony personally to perform at the book's launch. In December the band plan to re-release "White Fox" digitally to include several bonus tracks; details on this will be announced on the band's website.

Ham Sandwich - A Short Introduction Some rock bands fret too much about the successful fusion of commerce and creativity. Some rock bands think they can second-guess the music fan by blending strategies for world domination with mix-and-match, catch-all music. Ham Sandwich, however, instinctively react to rock music more than spending too much time thinking about it – which is nowhere near as bad as it might sound – and it is this that marks them out as one of the best Irish rock acts of recent years. Their unique sound is built around the dovetail vocals of Niamh & Podge flying against a cloudy sky, with catchy yet intricate songs.

The Kells-based band have become one of the most consistent acts in the country in regards to producing a steady diet of pop-tinged melodic songs with a twist. Gradually brushing off their ‘guitar-indie band' tag, Ham Sandwich's fan base continues to grow steadily as the band pushes the boundaries with their song writing, instrumentation, & arrangements. Now regarded as one of the best drawing live acts in Ireland, the band's live shows have consistantly garnered excellent reviews. With the album "White Fox" consistantly in the charts and their singles -- especially their biggest commercial hit to date "Ants" -- gaining regular radio play across the country, 2011 will be remembered as the year of the Ham Sandwich! White Fox is Produced by Karl Odlum & mastered in Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew (David Bowie, Beatles, ELO, Bob Marley).

"There isn't a duff tune here, which makes it that very rare thing: an album you can listen to all the way through without being tempted to press fastforward" ~ Tony Clayton-Lea THE IRISH TIMES (The Ticket - Review of "White Fox")

"Silver Lining" , the charity album in conjunction with Headstrong and the Sound Training Centre , first went on sale back in May 2011 and has become a huge success. The album won the Audio/Music production category in The Digital Hub's Best in Show 2011 Awards . James Vincent McMorrow's cover of Steve Winwood's hit ‘Higher Love' from the album now features on Amazon's LOVEFILM.com advertisement. This ad is currently airing on television. James has also included ‘Higher Love' as a B-side to his new vinyl for the single ‘We Don't Eat'. This is great news because James has very kindly agreed to donate all monies paid to him by Amazon to Headstrong . A combination of James' donation and funds raised from the sale of the album come to €20,000 so far!

High Resolution Photos and interview requests:
Maggie Gallagher - Sound Training Centre - Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin  - (01) 670 9033 or soundtrainingcentre@gmail.com
Orlaith Foley - Headstrong - (1) 4727 010 or Orlaith@headstrong.ie
Stevo Berube - Berube Communications info@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695
If you would like a copy of the album, you can buy it on iTunes on http://lnkd.in/Mu69TD "SILVER LINING"

Cover Versions of Hits from 1986 By Contemporary Irish Artists

Proceeds will go to “Headstrong”, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Generously Supported by O2

Produced, Recorded, & Released by the Final Year Students in the Sound Training Centre (Dublin)  - €10 in O2 Shops, All Good Record Shops, & iTunes.

Album Tracklisting:

Superfly Featuring Bressie – Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel)
Louize Carroll – You're the Voice (John Farnham)
James V McMorrow – Higher Love (Steve Winwood)
Superfly Featuring Paul Noonan (Bell-X1) – You can call me Al (Paul Simon)
The Cast Of Cheers – Dangerzone (Kenny Loggins)
Heathers – True Colors (Cyndi Lauper)
The Chapters – Hip to be Square (Huey Lewis)
This Club – Dancing on the Ceiling (Lionel Richie)
Dublin Gospel Choir – Livin on a Prayer (Bon Jovi)
R.S.A.G – There is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)

The Final Year students in the Sound Training Centre have put together a charity album continuing a run of successful releases which included artists such as The Corrs, Bell X1, Republic of Loose, Damien Dempsey, The Thrills, Lisa Hannigan and many more on previous albums.The title of this year's album is “Silver Lining”, a title which invokes positivity and suggests hope for the future.  The album comprises of contemporary Irish artists covering hits from the year 1986, 25 years ago. We chose 1986 specifically, not only for the great songs, but it also coincides with the formation of the Sound Training Centre. In 2011 the proceeds will help the charity “Headstrong” ( www.headstrong.ie ),  the national centre for youth mental health. Headstrong's aim is to change how Ireland thinks about young people's mental health. They envision an Ireland where young people are connected to their community and have the resilience to face challenges to their mental health.  Throughout our campaign to raise funds and awareness for Headstrong we will be generously supported by O2, who themselves are affiliated with Headstrong through their 'Think Big' social action programme

CBD's classic single ”The Seed That's Been Sown” is currently featured in new Kia Rio advertising campaign for Kia Motors Ireland.

After almost 18 years apart - the acclaimed Wexford band Cry Before Dawn with two hugely acclaimed multi platinum albums to their credit - succumbed to fan pressure to reform for a summer tour in 2011. The tour was a massive success, including sold out concerts in Dublin's Vicar St and two nights at Wexford's Opera House, as well as appearances the Electric Picnic and the London Feis festivals, playing alongside Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and other greats.

Continuing on from the success of the re-union, the band will play three special dates in December 2011. These shows will celebrate the release of a new live album “Live At The Opera House” recorded over the two Wexford Opera House shows in May. This initial limited edition issue of the album will be on sale exclusively at the gigs. Live At The Opera House is independent release by the band and was produced and mixed by guitarist Steve Belton, who will again join Brendan, Vinnie and Pat on stage for the December shows. The multi talented Dara Munnis completes the line-up on keyboards.

::: LIVE ::: Launch gig for "Hunting" - Sat 26/11/11 at Odessa, Dublin, 8pm. Tickets 10 Euro

Following their packed set at Electric Picnic & touring with the acclaimed Portland band Richmond Fontaine, the Gandhis return with a new single - "Hunting" - from the forthcoming album "After Autumn" which is pencilled in for release in early 2012 by acclaimed independent Irish music label 1969 Records, home of the Duckworth Lewis Method, Pugwash, Dave Couse, The Pale, Lir, Q, & Niall Colfer.

Reflective of a much more mature sound and possessing a newfound songwriting confidence since the release of their debut "You Are My Friend" back in 2009, the band have evolved up to a whole new level of musicianship while working extensively with the acclaimed producer & recording impresario Andy Knightley and legendary Dublin guitar bad-ass Conor Brady (The Blades, The Commitments, Jerry Fish, The Corrs, The Partisans, amongst many others). After developing their own unique style of pop quirkiness, epitomized in their self-released debut single 'Zaza' , The Gandhis were signed to 1969 Records. The fruit of this labour was to culminate in 2009's debut album "You Are My Friend" launched to a packed Whelans followed by a handful of high-profile RTÉ appearances (Arena, Saturday Night with Miriam O'Callaghan, The Cafe) . "Hunting" will be available as a free digital download through all usual channels and through the band's website.

• John Cooper Clarke is a British performance poet from Salford. He is considered a major figure in punk poetry and punk literature.
• Often referred to as "the bard of Salford", he usually refers to himself on stage as "Johnny Clarke, the name behind the hairstyle".
• He made an appearance in two UK adverts for Sugar Puffs in 1988, taking second billing to the Honey Monster.
• Clarke's recording of "Evidently Chickentown" from his album Snap, Crackle & Bop was also featured prominently in the closing scene of the The Sopranos episode Stage 5.
• His poem "Out of Control Fairground" was printed inside Arctic Monkeys' single "Fluorescent Adolescent" CD, which was released on 9 July 2007. The poem is also the inspiration behind the single's video in which clowns brawl.
• John Cooper Clarke's poems have featured on the GCSE English syllabus.

::: EP LAUNCH SHOW ::: 11-11-11 THE UNITARIAN CHURCH - Dublin - 11 Euro Doors 8:30pm

Following on from their recent triumphant gig in London's legendary venue Ronnie Scott's (attended by Morrissey & Chrissie Hynde ), the music & visual concept artists known as ELEVENS , named after the Finglas Dublin 11 postcode from which they hail, return following their soldout performance in Dublin's Project Arts Centre and the Odessa Club with the release of their second collection of songs of love lost & found. The new 6-track EP, entitled "Torn At The Seams", includes 3 new recorded tracks alongside 3 live takes from their debut Project Arts Centre show last April.

The launch of the 'Torn At The Seams' EP takes place on 11/11/11 at The Unitarian Church, 112 St Stephens Green West, Dublin 2 at 8:30pm.

ELEVENS is an acoustic guitar based musical & visual concept created by Martin McCann (SACK), Tony Barrett (BRILLIANT TREES), & Mark Healy (THE JOSEPHS, SUBTONICS) with additional musical colour of Omnichord, Melodica & Toy Bells amongst other gadgetry. Their debut EP "Tender to the Touch" was released last June to great acclaim.

ELEVENS - Live - November 2011

4 - The Dock, Carrick on Shannon
11 - Unitarian Church. Dublin (E.P. Launch)
23 - The Roundy Bar, Cork
25 - Black Box, Belfast

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:

Stevo Berube / Berube Communications stevo@berubecommunications. com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

Ireland has been home to some of the most influential artists and Dublin rock band The Coronas are no exception. This platinum-selling four piece have established themselves as one of Irelands biggest bands AND are now ready to take their place on the world stage. Their high energy live shows have made them one of the country's most popular concert attractions, and this summer they sold out their biggest ever headline concert in Marley Park to over 7,000 fans.

The Coronas are currently recording their eagerly awaited 3rd album in LA with producer Tony Hoffer who has worked with the likes of Air, Beck, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian and many more. The album is set to be released November 11, 2011

The New York Post lists The Coronas as “One Of The Top 10 Artists To Know In 2011”,  and with a new single set for release in September, and their new album to hit the shelves in November, The Coronas certainly are the band to look out for this year.

::: LIVE ::: Irish Tour Dates:

Sat 26th Nov - Nerve Center, Derry
Sun 27th Nov - Empire Music Hall, Belfast
Mon 5th Dec - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Tues 6th Dec - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Thur 8th Dec - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Fri  9th Dec - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Sat 10th Dec - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Thur 15th Dec - Savoy, Cork
Sat 17th Dec - The Fourm, Waterford

More Dates to be added

The Coronas platinum-selling album “Tony Was An Ex-Con” shot straight to #1 in the Irish Indie and iTunes charts and #3 in the National Album chart and won the guys a prestigious Meteor Award for album of the year beating the likes of U2, The Script and Snow Patrol.

• The Coronas sold out 3 nights in a row at The Olympia over the Christmas of 2010 and were special guests on The Script's European Tour this year.
• They also have previously played Ireland's Oxegen Festival in front of a crowd of 30,000 and have performed at many major UK and European festivals including Benicassim and Hard Rock Calling winning over a legion of new fans.
• The Coronas opened for Sir Paul McCartney in Dublin and also shared the stage with him at the Isle of Wight festival last summer.
• Hit singles include “San Diego Song”, “Someone Else's Hands”, “Won't Leave You Alone” AND 'Listen Dear'.
• The band maintains a high profile on YouTube with over 1million collective views and an international following.

Tom's songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. They are reaching around the world more than he is, or any of us could have realized. Keep on, Tom!" - Pete Seeger

2011 Irish Tour Dates:

Wed 28th September - DUBLIN, National Concert Hall (Main auditorium)
Thu 29th September - KILWORTH, Arts Centre (sold out)
Fri 30th September - GALWAY, Town Hall Theatre
Sat 1st October - CULDAFF, McGrory's
Sun 2nd October - BELFAST, Black Box
Mon 3rd October - BELFAST, Black Box

Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community .

In describing Tom Paxton's influence on his fellow musicians, Pete Seeger has said: "Tom's songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. Like the songs of Woody Guthrie, they're becoming part of America." Pete goes on: "In a small village near Calcutta, in 1998, a villager who could not speak English sang me What Did You Learn In School Today? in Bengali! Tom Paxton's songs are reaching around the world more than he is, or any of us could have realized. Keep on, Tom!"

Guy Clark adds: "Thirty years ago Tom Paxton taught a generation of traditional folksingers that it was noble to write your own songs, and, like a good guitar, he just gets better with age." Paxton has been an integral part of the songwriting and folk music community since the early 60's Greenwich Village scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today's "New Folk" performers. The Chicago native came to New York via Oklahoma, which he considers to be his home state. His family moved there in 1948, when Tom was 10 years old, and he graduated from Bristow High School and The University of Oklahoma, where he majored in drama while his interest in folk music grew and eventually predominated.

Brought to New York courtesy of the US Army, Tom remained there following his discharge. His early success in Greenwich Village coffeehouses, such as The Gaslight and The Bitter End, led to an ever-increasing circle of work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the United Kingdom -- the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years.

He and his wife, Midge, have been married 46 years and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate. All three women have served as inspiration for many songs, and now three grandsons, Christopher, Sean, and Peter are adding to the sources of inspiration.

He has performed thousands of concerts around the world in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. That these fans still enjoy his work is a testament to the quality of his recent work, and to the enduring power of modern standards like The Last Thing On My Mind , Ramblin' Boy , Bottle Of Wine , Whose Garden Was This? , Goin' To The Zoo and The Marvelous Toy . Paxton's songbooks, critically acclaimed children's books (available from HarperCollins - see the page for children), award-winning children's recordings, and a catalog of hundreds of songs (recorded by artists running the gamut from Willie Nelson to Placido Domingo), all serve to document Tom Paxton's 40-year career.

Tom received a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards. He was nominated for a GRAMMY for Comedians and Angels in 2007, and Live in the U.K. in 2006. He was also nominated for GRAMMYS in 2003 for his Appleseed Records CD, Looking For The Moon , and in 2002 for his children's CD, Your Shoes, My Shoes . He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCAP, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC in London.

Tom Paxton's place in folk music is secured not just by hit records and awards, but by the admiration of three generations of fellow musicians. An internationally recognized and loved cultural figure, he has always chosen goodwill over commercial success. His generosity has taken the shape of a benefit concert performance for a little girl fighting leukemia, or a personal note of encouragement to an up-and-coming songwriter. This is the man who wrote and lives the words, "Peace will come, and let it begin with me."

He is one of the great songwriters of the last century and will be reckoned as one of the greats in this new century, as well. He is a man we have come to regard as our friend .

"Tom Paxton's songs are so powerful and lyrical, written from the heart and the conscience, and they reach their mark, our most inner being. He writes stirring songs of social protest and gentle songs of love, each woven together with his personal gift for language. His melodies haunt, his lyrics reverberate. I have sung Tom's songs for three decades and will go on doing so in the new century, for they are beautiful and timeless, and meant for every age." - Judy Collins

"Tom Paxton embodies the spirit of folk music in the most beautiful sense. Not just in his song crafting, his work ethic, his politics and his dedication to people's music, but also in his kind and generous heart. When I first started playing folk festivals, I was all of eighteen, shaved headed and politically outspoken. Many people in the folk community at that time seemed defensive and threatened by me, but I remember Tom was a notable exception. He was nothing but warm, welcoming and supportive to me from the git go. He's the coolest." - Ani DiFranco

"Every folk singer I know has either sung a Tom Paxton song, is singing a Tom Paxton song or will soon sing a Tom Paxton song. Now either all the folk singers are wrong, or Tom Paxton is one hell of a songwriter." - Holly Near BIOGRAPHY

Tom Paxton is one of the great songwriters of our time. His songs, recorded and released over an incredible 34 albums, are known and loved around the world and have been recorded by hundreds of artists as diverse as Pete Seeger, Willie Nelson and Placido Domingo. Ramblin' Boy. ‘The Last Thing On My Mind', ‘Ramblin' Boy', ‘Bottle Of Wine', ‘Whose Garden Was This?', ‘Goin' To The Zoo' and ‘The Marvellous Toy' are just a few of his truly timeless works…

Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community. Guy Clark adds: "Thirty years ago Tom Paxton taught a generation of traditional folksingers that it was noble to write your own songs, and, like a good guitar, he just gets better with age."

Originally from Chicago, Tom moved to New York via Oklahoma, which he considers to be his home state. His family moved there in 1948, when Tom was 10 years old, and he graduated from Bristow High School and The University of Oklahoma, where he majored in drama while his interest in folk music grew and eventually predominated.

Brought to New York courtesy of the US Army, Tom remained there following his discharge. His early success in Greenwich Village coffee-houses such as The Gaslight and The Bitter End, led to an ever-increasing circle of work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the United Kingdom - the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years.
He and his wife Midge have been married 36 years and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate. All three women have served as inspiration for many songs, and now grandson Christopher is adding to the sources of inspiration.

He has performed thousands of concerts around the world and that these fans still enjoy him is a testament to the quality of his work. Paxton's songbooks, critically acclaimed children's books (available award-winning children's recordings, and a catalogue of hundreds of songs all serve to document his extraordinary 40-year career. Tom Paxton's place in folk music is secured not just by hit records and awards, but by the admiration of three generations of fellow musicians. An internationally recognized and loved cultural figure, he has always chosen goodwill over commercial success. His generosity has taken the shape of a benefit concert performance for a little girl fighting leukemia, or a personal note of encouragement to an up-and-coming songwriter. This is the man who wrote and lives the words ‘peace will come, and let it begin with me.'

He is a man the World has come to regard as its friend.

The Coronas announce they will play two Christmas shows at The Olympia Theatre on 5th & 6th December 2011. Tickets from €27 including booking fee go on sale on Saturday 23rd July at 8am.Tickets available from ticketmaster and all ususal outlets.
The Coronas recently sold out their Marlay Park headline concert, an incredible achievement for the Dublin band whose rise in popularity has been steady and consistent with repeat hit record releases.

Their high energy live shows and repeat hit albums have created a relentless army of hardcore fans across the country now exploding worldwide, that most bands can only dream of. They sold out 3 nights in a row at The Olympia last Christmas, they were special guests on The Script's European Tour and have just returned from a US Tour that included sell out shows in New York, Vancouver and San Francisco. Sir Paul McCartney personally requested that they open his Dublin show at The RDS last summer. Their two albums todate, ‘Heroes or Ghosts' & 'Tony Was An Ex-Con' have each exceeded double platinum sales.

The Coronas will release their third studio album in November 2011 and plans for a nationwide Irish Tour will be announced shortly.

Billy Bragg's brand new song ‘Never Buy The Sun' takes aim at the whole sorry story of News International's systemic failure to understand that there are limits to legitimate news gathering. Billy concludes that neither press, police nor politicians come out of this scandal looking good. Only the people of Liverpool can hold their heads high.

Their refusal to buy The Sun in the wake of that paper's unfounded accusation that Liverpool FC supporters robbed the dead victims of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 shows that not only do the scousers have principles, but they are also determined to hold onto them in an often cynical world.

Written last Friday, first performed on Saturday, a video clip posted on Sunday, recorded on Monday, mixed on Tuesday and made available as a free download today, Wednesday, Billy Bragg's new song ‘Never Buy The Sun' could hardly be more urgent.

In the wake of the announcement that Rupert Murdoch had decided to close the News of the World, Bragg put pen to paper after spending the day driving north listening all the way to discussions about the ramifications of the phone hacking revelations.

After writing the song in his hotel room, Bragg polished the song enough to debut it during his set at Garforth Festival. The rapturous response that he got convinced him to post a video of himself performing the song in the dressing room of the festival, which, after 48 hours, had notched up over 20,000 views.

Back home in Dorset on Monday, as the allegations against News International spread to include The Sun and The Sunday Times, Bragg gathered some musician friends together in a Weymouth studio to record the song for immediate download from his site. Mixed on Tuesday afternoon, the track is available now as a free download from billybragg.co.uk .

Commenting on the speed of the process, from creation to release, Bragg said ‘ During the Miner's Strike in 1984, I wrote a song about the struggle called ‘Between the Wars'. By the time I got into the studio to record the song, the strike was eight months old and, when the record finally got into the shops in February, the strike was over.”

Although the digitisation of music has had negative effects on the music industry, it has made the process of recording and distributing material much simpler and faster. If like Billy, you're the writer of songs that try to offer a different perspective on the big issues of the day, the turnaround time helps add to the topicality.

Bragg, who is appearing at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Trade Union Festival in Dorset next Sunday 17 th July, said “Over the past few years, any expression of social solidarity has been scorned – from the new activism of the climate camps and UK Uncut to the more traditional campaigns of the unions – but by sticking to their guns, the people of Liverpool have been vindicated in their principled stand against News International.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE office(at) braggcentral.com 'Never Buy The Sun' - Billy Bragg (words and music B. Bragg 2011) copyright control

Recorded 11th July 2011 at Mike Hallett Studio, Weymouth, Dorset

Billy Bragg - acoustic guitar and vocals
Tom Hughes - piano and organ
Chris Lonergan - bass guitar
Ady Milward - drums and percussion

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Mike Hallett

All pulled together at the drop of a hat by Adrian Collis of Thoroughbred Music For further information, interviews etc....contact: Adrian Collis 07727 126645 or adriancollis@thoroughbredmusic.co.uk

"Models" is the follow-up single to "Ants", "The Naturist" & "Oh-Oh" from the band's critically acclaimed album White Fox. Featuring Niamh Farrell's subtle lead vocal contrasting with her previously brassy approach on "Ants", the band changes direction yet again in what has become a sonic rollercoaster gently driven home by Sarah Lynch's masterful violin work.

Ham Sandwich have become one of the most consistent acts in the country in regards to producing a steady diet of pop-tinged melodic songs with a twist. Gradually brushing off their ‘guitar-indie band' tag, Ham Sandwich's fan base continues to grow steadily as the band pushes the boundaries with their song writing, instrumentation, & arrangements. Now regarded as one of the best drawing live acts in Ireland, the band's live shows have consistantly garnered excellent reviews. With the album "White Fox" consistantly in the charts & their singles gaining regular radio play across the country, 2011 has now become the year of the Ham Sandwich! White Fox is Produced by Karl Odlum & mastered in Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew (David Bowie, Beatles, ELO, Bob Marley)

"There isn't a duff tune here, which makes it that very rare thing: an album you can listen to all the way through without being tempted to press fastforward" ~ Tony Clayton-Lea THE IRISH TIMES (The Ticket - Review of "White Fox")

:::  Upcoming Ham Sandwich Shows :::

June 4th - FORBIDDEN FRUIT FESTIVAL, IMMA, Dublin
June 5th - Leixlip Festival
June 10th - Douglas, East Village
June 11th - Helium Festival, Longford
June 17th - No Place like Dome, Sligo
June 19th - London Feis Festival, Finsbury Park, London UK
June 24th - Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
June 25th - Ballybunion Co Kerry
July 16th - Gig for Derek Nally, Whelans, Dublin -Tribute Show for Ham Sandwich's late manager with special guests
July 17th - Prawn Festival, Clogherhead
July 23rd - Boyle Arts Festival
July 29th - Le Cheile Festival, Oldcastle co Meath
July 30th - Indiependence Festival, Mitchelstown Cork
July 31st - Rockstock Music Festival, Gorey, Wexford

More dates to be added! Check hamsandwichmusic.com for updates.

:::LIVE::: FREE ENTRY - Album Launch Show Thursday May 19 th in the Button Factory, Dublin - CD Available for €5 on the night.

Album Tracklisting:

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:

Maggie Gallagher - Sound Training Centre - Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin  - (01) 670 9033 or soundtrainingcentre@gmail.com
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications info@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

The Final Year students in the Sound Training Centre have put together a charity album continuing a run of successful releases which included artists such as The Corrs, Bell X1, Republic of Loose, Damien Dempsey, The Thrills, Lisa Hannigan and many more on previous albums. The title of this year's album is “Silver Lining”, a title which invokes positivity and suggests hope for the future.  The album comprises of contemporary Irish artists covering hits from the year 1986, 25 years ago. We chose 1986 specifically, not only for the great songs, but it also coincides with the formation of the Sound Training Centre.

Kate Knox  katejknox(at)yahoo.ie or +353 (0)85 121 8793

Stevo Berube / Berube Communications info@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

For over a quarter-century, singer Mary Black has been a dominant presence in Irish music, both at home and abroad. She has shared stages, tv shows and recording studios with some of the most revered performers of her time. She has also played a frontline role in bringing Irish music, past and present, to an increasingly appreciative and ever-growing global audience. The San Francisco Chronicle once described her as "One of the best interpretative singers around".

Known for her commitment to original material by Irish songwriters and her unique interpretations of the songs she chooses, Mary has released 11 studio albums all of which achieved platinum sales status and spawned countless hits. Indeed, one of Mary's albums - No Frontiers - spent more than a year in the Irish Top 30!

To the acclaim and awards Mary has received over the years from both the public and the critics must also be added the esteem she has generated from her fellow artists. Indeed, many of them have recorded and performed live with her, including Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Baez and Van Morrison, not to mention a host of Irish traditional musicians and singers. Along the way she has also recorded and performed with her siblings in The Black Family and with her highly successful sister Frances.

2008 marked the 25th anniversary of Mary's first solo album, and to celebrate the momentous occasion Mary released a special compilation double album 25 Years/25 Songs. It featured a personal, hand-picked selection of gems spanning Mary's career and it still serves as a testament to the extraordinary range and quality of both her vocal prowess and her astute song selection. Mary recorded two brand new songs for the project, and the album went straight to No. 1 in the Irish charts, where it remained for a staggering five weeks, spending over seven months in the Irish top 40!

In an industry noted for its fickleness and its almost insatiable need for fresh novelties, Mary Black 's enduring successes have proven that her depth of talent and her love of singing transcend the generations, as well as national and musical boundaries too. She is indeed a real Irish treasure and her talent a gift from this small island to a grateful world.

Taking place within the unique surroundings of Marlay Park, @ The Park is a series of concerts which will provide fans with some of the best live music the venue has seen, all located within dark intimate surroundings of a tent giving people the festival experience set to the picturesque backdrop of the Dublin mountains.

Tickets priced €29.50 (standing) with limited tiered seating available at €34.50 go on sale next Thursday 14th April at 9am from Ticketmaster.

The Coronas' high energy live shows and repeat hit albums have created a relentless army of hardcore fans across the country now exploding worldwide, that most bands can only dream of.

The Coronas sold out 3 nights in a row at The Olympia at Christmas, they were special guests on The Script's European Tour and they have just returned from a US Tour that included sell out shows in New York, Vancouver and San Francisco. Sir Paul McCartney personally requested that they open his Dublin show at The RDS last summer. Their debut album ‘Heroes or Ghosts' has exceeded double platinum sales.

Now The Coronas with special guest KT Tunstall will play their biggest ever Irish headline concert limited to 6,000 revellers @ The Park this summer.

Multi platinum Scottish singer songwriter KT Tunstall released her third studio album ‘Tiger Suit' last autumn. KT Tunstall won a Brit award in the Best Female Solo artist category in 2006. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for her smash hit ‘Black Horse and The Cherry Tree'.

Throughout the years, Marlay Park has provided a stage for some of the world's biggest performers including Radiohead, The Who, Aerosmith, The White Stripes, R.E.M., Daft Punk and Van Morrison. Continuing on in this fine tradition Marlay Park is about to be transformed into a music lovers paradise once again.

Tickets for The Coronas with special guest KT Tunstall go on sale next Thursday, 14th April at 9am.

To buy tickets in person: from 100 Ticketmaster outlets nationwide 24hr hotlines: Tel: (ROI) 0818 719 300/ ( NI ) 0844 277 4455. Ticket prices are inclusive of booking fee. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Subject to licence. Doors 5pm.

www.thecoronas.net / www.ticketmaster.ie / www.mcd.ie

For media information please contact Rory Murphy, MCD Productions
T: 01 284 1747 / E: rory@mcd.ie

Cashier No 9, the Belfast five-piece are hugely pleased to announce their signing to the feted record label Bella Union. Their debut release for the leading indie imprint will be preceded by Goldstar, out April 25th on CN9 recordings. It was produced by the hugely-rated and respected David Holmes. Simon Raymonde, MD of Bella Union, tells how he came to sign Cashier No.9 :

“I had a call from David Holmes out the blue and he told me a story that made my heart sing. What he has been doing for Cashier No 9, was in so many ways, what I have been doing with Bella Union. Bringing bands to my studio flying them in from wherever, recording them and producing them at my own expense, just ‘cos I loved them, that was how Bella Union worked in its early years when the label had the use of our Cocteau Twins studio. Hearing David speak about the band in this way, I was naturally intrigued, but a good story would be somewhat empty without some plot and substance. So interest firmly piqued, I listened to the album that night and was blown away by it all. The songs, the talent, the production, yes but most of all, the truth that we are all looking for. These are not songs for the sake of it, they are songs with heart and soul. The album has a deep soul, and I imagine this is what David saw. I now see it too, and I am delighted to welcome the band to the Bella Union family. They already feel part of it to me.”

... From the UK's RECORD OF THE DAY (Issue 417)

"They'll be a big band" - The Times, London

“Pure pleasure from start to finish – marvelous” - Artrocker

"They weave layer upon layer of melody together to create an unforgettable tapestry of noise. Every song could be a hit single" - BBC

“Danny Todd has all the swagger of Bobby Gillespie and possesses the kind of energy needed for a hall filled with 1600 people” - The Fly

April 25th marks the release of Goldstar, the new EP by Belfast five-piece Cashier No 9, which was produced by none other than David Holmes and mixed by Hugo Nicloson of Screamadelica, Boys Own and In Rainbows fame.

Adding to the dream team involved, further contributions come from Jason Falkner who's played with Air & Beck, Sly Stone's horn section and American recording legend Tommy Morgan, who laid-down the harmonica solo on Goldstar. Tommy has played with Elvis, on the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and was responsible for the intro to He Ain't Heavy by the Hollies.

Cashier No 9 conjure up a warm feeling of summer-evening-good-times-by the-sea, with Echo and The Bunnymen, The Byrds, Teenage Fanclub, Joy Zipper, Phil Spector and Creation-era Primal Scream breezing from the radio.

The record was recorded over the course of the last year in Belfast, LA and Paris and comes with a remix by the hotly-tipped electronic outfit Keyboard Choir.

Cashier No 9 have played Glastonbury, Oxygen and The Great Escape, headlined shows at the Belfast Limelight Empire Music Hall and broadcasted live on BBC 1 from a performance in the Ulster Hall. They've supported Air, Two-Door Cinema Club, Republic Of Loose, Frightened Rabbit and Foals.

Cashier No 9 are Danny Todd (guitar/vocals), James Smith (guitar/vocals), Stuart Magowan (bass), Ronan Quinn (guitar vocals) and Phil Duffy (drums).

Watch this space for information on the forthcoming David Holmes produced album - expectations are high.

ELEVENS is a four piece musical and visual concept created by Martin McCann - Vocals (SACK) and Tony Barrett - Guitar (BRILLIANT TREES). With the addition of Mark Healy on extra guitar (THE JOSEPHS/SUBTONICS/JERRY FISH & THE MUDBUG CLUB) and the photographic projections of Aidan Kelly (CANDY COLLECTIVE), both mediums are married for an unforgettable live experience. Acoustic guitar based and with the additional colour of Omnichord, Melodica and Toy Bells amongst other gadgetry, these songs of love lost and found, are aided by Kelly's urban landscapes incorporating interactive tell tale snap shots of everyday life. A 3-track release and download is scheduled for April 22nd, 2011 on 22 Recordings.

::: LIVE :::
April 1st, 2011 - BARRETSTOWN INSPIRATIONS 2011 -The Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The 3rd Inspirations Gig in aid of Barretstown takes place on Friday April 1st at The Olympia. The night will feature a host of acts performing songs by their musical heroes and some of their own material.  Confirmed performers so far include Elevens, Glen Hansard, The Stunning,  Delerentos, O Emperor , Dirty Epics and Ryan Sheridan, Declan O'Rourke, Mik Pyro(Republic of Loose), & more.

April 23rd - Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin
Debut Dublin performance and ep Launch

THE DANGER IS :: All For Gold
Niamh Farrell, who performs under the moniker THE DANGER IS, performing "All For Gold" track from her debut ep. Directed by the incredibly talented Myles O'Reilly ~ www.ArbutusYarns.com

Quotes for THE DANGER IS:
"Farrell's eponymous debut EP contains four confident alt folk ditties, each brimming with emotion and humour (see the delightfully-titled 'Rub Who You Love'), while standout track 'All for Gold' has a sneaky tribal underbelly. Feist fans, form an orderly queue." Celina Murphy - Hotpress, Dec 2010
"Striking, classic indie-pop with alluring ties and bows from Niamh Farrell" Jim Carroll - The Ticket, Nov 2010

"A lot of people falling in love with The Danger Is in Whelans right now"   -Blogger Nialler9, Tweeting during the "Ones to Watch Festival", 15 Jan 2011

"Niamh Danger is one of the most recognizable singers to appear on the scene for several years. Her songs, voice and onstage charm are all instantly likeable and rolled together they make for a very special performance." Robert O'Connor, goldenplec.com , Nov 2010

The follow-up single to The Naturist & Oh-Oh from the band's new critically acclaimed album White Fox. Gradually brushing off their ‘guitar-indie band' tag, Ham Sandwich's fan base continues to grow steadily as the band pushes the boundaries with their song writing, instrumentation, & arrangements. ANTS continues that trend and it just so happens to be damn fine pop song to boot! Check out the brilliant animated ANTS video by Marc Corrigan ! White Fox is Produced by Karl Odlum & mastered in Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew (David Bowie, Beatles, ELO, Bob Marley)

"There isn't a duff tune here, which makes it that very rare thing: an album you can listen to all the way through without being tempted to press fastforward" ~ Tony Clayton-Lea THE IRISH TIMES (The Ticket 4-Star Review of "White Fox")

::: 2011 National Tour Dates :::
2nd Feb - UCC, Cork 3rd Feb - (Private Function) 4th Feb - Roisin Dubh, Galway
5th Feb - The Bar Ritz, Mayo
10th Feb - The Spirit Store, Dundalk
11th Feb - The Stables,Mullingar, Westmeath
12th Feb -  Whelans, Dublin 15th Feb - The Old Oak, Cork
18th Feb - The Loft, Limerick
19th Feb - Greystones Theatre, Wicklow 4th March - The Cellar, Drogheda, Louth
5th March - Kavanaghs, Portlaoise, Laoise 14th-21st Mar - SXSW 2nd April - The Forum, Waterford

More dates to be added!
Check out the brilliant animated ANTS video by Marc Corrigan!

 

Up-and-coming indie-pop artist THE DANGER IS aka Dubliner Niamh Farrell is to play a headline show at CRAWDADDY on Saturday 5th March. Farrell's self-titled debut EP has been making waves since its release last year. Support will come from Tony Wright's (ASIWYFA) new project VERSECHORUSVERSE. For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs: Stevo Berube / Berube Communications - stevo (at) berubecommunications. com or +353 (0)87 244 2695 Management: Jim Lawless jim(at)thedangeris.com   and Alan Cullivan alan(at)thedangeris.com THE DANGER IS

The Danger is the working title adopted by Dublin based artist Niamh Farrell for her musical endeavours. Niamh has been writing for years and after a two-year period of experimentation has created a 4-track E.P. recorded in Wicklow in 2010 and produced by Ken Mc Hugh. The E.P. confronts a multitude of emotions; from fear to happiness, love and its confusions. It is laced with honesty and humour and features climactic instrumental arrangements.

Niamh graduated from N.C.A.D. with a degree in fine art in 2008. Her art and music strive to question our place within the world and within ourselves. An important element of The Danger Is, is the artwork. It consists of an imagined horizon combining the past and the present, the personal and the universal. These micro/macro landscapes and musical experimentation enable The Danger Is to present an animated, hopeful and honest perspective of life and a young musician interrogating the idea of what happens when complacency rules.

Some highlights of recent months include performances in Crawdaddy supporting Warpaint, The Olympia supporting The Coronas, and supporting Brit Award winning Ellie Goulding on her Irish tour dates.
Niamh will also be featured in the upcoming season of RTE's Other Voices.

"Striking, classic indie-pop with alluring ties and bows from Niamh Farrell" ~ Jim Carroll / IRISH TIMES

"Farrell's eponymous debut EP contains four confident alt folk ditties, each brimming with emotion and humour (see the delightfully-titled 'Rub Who You Love'), while standout track 'All for Gold' has a sneaky tribal underbelly. Feist fans, form an orderly queue." ~ Celina Murphy- Hot Press, Dec 2010

"A lot of people falling in love with The Danger Is in Whelans right now" ~ Blogger Nialler9 Tweeting during the "Ones To Watch" Festival 15-1-11

"Niamh Danger is one of the most recognizable singers to appear on the scene for several years. Her songs, voice and onstage charm are all instantly likeable and rolled together they make for a very special performance."  ~ Robert O'Connor, goldenplec.com , Nov 2010

The first proper headline Dublin gig for the highly tipped Belfast band who  release the "Goldstar" ep (Out March 25th), the first taste of their much upcoming debut album "To The Death of  Fun" (Out in the Summer 2011). In an age of stagnant sound-alike bands where style seems to have all but usurped substance, Cashier No.9 are an alternative pop band ready to lead the counter revolution.

Harmonica solo by Tommy Morgan who played with Elvis, on Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, & the intro to 'He Ain't Heavy' by the Hollies!

"Proper songs with no generic bits" Niall Byrne - State Magazine

"Ominous shuffle-beats and head-bending guitars" - Paul Lester - Guardian

"Get your cheque-books out!" Rob Da Bank - BBC Radio 1

“One of my favourite tunes” – Janice Long, Radio 2

“Thanks very much for turning us on to this! Cashier No.9 is the name of the band” – Steve Lamacq, Radio 2

“A band you want to hear more from.” – BBC.co.uk

"It's almost a cliche to say, but every song they play tonight could be a hit single. From the chiming bells and timpanis of 'Goldstar' to the closing rumble of 'Goodbye Friend', Cashier play with an intensity and confidence that would have seen the most die-hard naysayer tapping their toes. With their metronome pulse at the core of things, they weave layer and layer of melody together to create an unforgettable tapestry of noise." -- Steven Rainey - BBC NI ATL

"Cashier No.9's new album... a modern country rock classic, at once both epic and intimate, each song seems to hover in a kaleidoscopic bubblebath of darting, refracting, teeming detail before soaring heavenwards on a sonic thermal wave of glowing sound, swaddled in a warm multi-layered featherbed of gentle narcotic bliss - a bit like the Notorious Byrd Brothers on really good acid, librium, opium, prozac and soma, the mythical, mystical heavenly high of the ancient ones." - Mat Ducasse - SKYLAB

"Great songwriting and great delivery from a band who reward repeated listening and who offer a rich tapestry of sound." - Bert Scott - BBC NI ATL

Cashier No.9

Daniel Todd – Vocals, Guitars, Sequencing
James Smith – Guitars, Vocals
Stuart Magowan – Bass guitar, Vocals
Philip Duffy - Drums
Ronan Quinn – Keys, Percussion, Guitar, Vocals

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs:
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications info@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

"The Danger Is" is the working title adopted by Niamh Farrell for her musical endeavours. Niamh has been writing music for years and after a two year period of experimentation and self doubt, has recorded a 4 track EP. Recorded in Wicklow and produced by Ken McHugh, the EP confronts a multitude of emotions from fear to happiness, love and its confusions. It is lyrically confessionally laced with both humour and heartache with wonderful instrumental builds and intimate moments.

Tracklisting:
1 - Rub Who You Love
2 - All For Gold
3 - Same Face
4 - Awkward

ICONIC SOUTHERN SONGWRITER TONY JOE WHITE GETS RAW ON “THE SHINE”, HIS MOST INTIMATE, UNVARNISHED ALBUM TO DATE

One of the most distinctive and respected songwriters of the Deep South, Tony Joe White, gets raw and real on his new record “THE SHINE”, set for an Irish November 12th release on Munich Records. “THE SHINE” is a stripped-down collection of ten new White-penned songs that beautifully lays bare his rich, nuanced baritone, and distinctive brand of swampy southern soul. While White's critically acclaimed “Uncovered” featured a slew of special guests including Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald and J.J. Cale, “THE SHINE” is all about White. He produced and recorded the album himself in his home studio outside Nashville. From the first whispery notes of “Season Man”, in which he recounts an ominous dream, to the record's closing track, “A Place to Watch the Sun Go Down”, “THE SHINE” is an album of understated beauty and beguiling mystery.

TRACKLISTING
01 Season Man
02 Ain't Doing Nobody No Good;
03 Paintings on the Mountain;
04 Tell Me Why;
05 All;
06 Long Way From the River;
07 Strange Night;
08 Something to Soften the Blow;
09 Roll Train Roll;
10 A Place to Watch the Sun Go Down

Tony Joe White has accomplished much in the years since he emerged from his home in Louisiana's swamp country and the hardscrabble circuit of Texas honky-tonks. His music is part of America's soundtrack – sparse and elegant, filled with shadows, sadness and beauty. Nobody else writes songs like these – songs that evoke both the mysteries of the place were he was raised and the spirits that haunt us all in our most private, lonely moments. Nobody sings them like White either. That dark baritone, scarred and sweet, brings these songs to life like none other.

Even so, others have memorably interpreted his songs, from Brook Benton's unforgettable take on “Rainy Night in Georgia” in 1970 to Tina Turner's intensely soulful rendition of “Steamy Windows.” Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Etta James – iconic artists in their own right have honored “the Swamp Fox” by cutting his tunes. Others have joined White, with Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne among those who have paid tribute as guests on recent, theme-oriented projects such as The Heroines and Uncovered.

But with The Shine, released September 28 on White's Swamp Records imprint, this long road circles and comes back toward where it began. Before exploding onto the Top 10 with “Polk Salad Annie” in 1969, before beginning his ongoing commitment to perform regularly for fans in markets as distant as Europe and Australia, White built his vision on a bedrock of blues, backwoods country, and sounds too much his own to categorize. This foundation is simple yet seductive and strong: Within its fabric of raw guitar, hypnotic rhythm and spellbinding lyrical imagery, White's soul pulls from its roots and reasserts itself with deep conviction. There are no all-star cameos on The Shine – only White on guitar, harmonica and vocals, bassist George Hawkins, drummer “Swamp Man” Jack Bruno, Tyson Rogers on keyboards, John Catchings on cello, and a selection of songs that had sprouted in White's imagination over the previous few months. “They just started stacking up on me and my wife Leann over the wintertime,” White says. “They hit me every day and every night. When I'd go to bed, they were going through my mind. It was really cool stuff, and I was like, ‘Man, I've got to put these down, just to see what they sound like.'” Each one told a different story, but taken together they seemed to call White back to the well that had first nourished him.

From the feverish, dreamlike images that course through “Season Man” to the heartbreak that colors the romantic nostalgia of “All", these tracks live on their own yet exist together as memories and premonitions of a single story. “They're all about truth and life and daily or nightly happenings,” White says. “They all came to me, the guitar parts and the words, maybe at a campfire down by the river with a few cold beers. I'll sit there, strum a little bit, and all of a sudden a lick will come – except for the ones I wrote with Leann. She's a real word person, so she'll say ‘what do you think about this,' and all of a sudden a little light goes off in my head, a guitar chord will pop up and here we go.” “Paintings on a Mountain” is one example of this collaboration between Tony Joe and Leann White. “We have a place up in Taos, New Mexico,” he says. “Our house sits on land that backs up to an Indian village. It's a magic spot. In the late afternoon, the sun makes so many paintings on the mountainside; they change as the sun moves on. A lot of that was written by Leann.”

The guiding principle for The Shine can be heard in one of its details, from “Tell Me Why,” which preaches “it's all about the song, keeping it simple. Got to have passion. Got to have soul.” That was the mission when White and his musicians began cutting these tracks in the living room of his home south of Nashville. Beneath high ceilings, on original hardwood floors in a building old enough to have been used as a battlefield hospital during the Civil War, they played with minimal direction, trusting in the moment as they brought these songs to life. “Sometimes I would say ‘simplify,' but that's all,” White remembers. “It was almost like I was a bystander. I had this weird feeling of looking at everybody as we played, watching the song happen without really trying very hard to make it happen.” Most songs were captured in one take. The emotions and connections were so strong that even without any rehearsal, with only the barest indication of which chord followed the next, each one seemed to draw deeper from somewhere within White. He sensed this himself, sometimes not even singing where he was supposed to because the music they were laying down was so compelling. “All of a sudden I'd remember, ‘Hey, you should have been singing right there,'” White says, chuckling. “So I'd go back later and punch it in. But we were all very aware that something was happening in the air between us. Maybe there were some spirits walking about.” They roamed especially free on the one track where White recorded solo, “Roll Train Roll.” “I think that one was a matter of being taken back,” he reflects. “That's what made it sound like I was going back to listening to Lightnin' Hopkins, when I lived on the Boeuf River in Goodwill, Louisiana, first learning the guitar. That's the kind of stuff I'd play out on the porch at night.”

One doesn't have to have been a Tony Joe White fan to appreciate that there is something elusive and hard to define in this music. But these depths surface in The Shine. More than a return to an artist's seminal references, this project seeks the seed from which his work took form. White finds it on The Shine; from here, all that he produced before and all that will follow come into a revealing and enduring light.

Jinx Lennon the antagonist genius of social disorder and scuzzy beat lyricism returns with NATIONAL CANCER STRATEGY another peep under the rock of this Septic Tiger Island equipped with uplifting anthems to clear the demons out of  the heads of those willing to listen. Besides Miss Paula's magic tonsils, there are guest appearances from Captain Moonlight, The Stellar Dublin Poet Stephen James, Former Whipping Boy Colm Hassett provides some extra percussionon several tracks and Marc Aubele (Guitar), and Bill Blackmore (Trumpet) Appear on the song "It's Not Good to BeAlone in Your House When The Weekend Comes". Overall the sound veers towards Suicide's 2nd Album and the second Jinx album "30 Beacons of Light For A Land Full of Spite,Thugs, Drug Slugs, and Energy Vampires" Recently he played a slew of festivals this summer including The Electric Picnic, Flatlake Festival, Cork SXSW, Waterford Spraoi, to name but a few. He's a Punk / poet / performance artist whose repertoire contains elements of magic, rawness, rage, bullhorns, one chord Taylor guitars, Lee Van Cleef, a cascade of electro sound. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed albums TRAUMA THEMES IDIOT TIMES and KNOW YOUR STATION GOUGER NATION.

NATIONAL CANCER STRATEGY TOUR
OCTOBER
01 Roisin Dubh, Galway - Friday (special guest Fia Rua)
02 Gonzo Theatre, Cavan - Saturday
14 Bewleys Theatre, Dublin - Thursday (SOLD OUT)
15 Pavilion Cork City - Friday
22 Tain Festival:Spirit Store, Dundalk - Friday (special guest Captain Moonlight)
23 Saki Bar, Manchester - Saturday
24 Nottingham, Bodega Social - Sunday (with Captain Hotknives)
26 The Cricketers Keyleigh,West Yorkshire ,UK- Tuesday (with Captain Hotknives)
28 Sandinos, Derry - Thursday (special guest Captain Moonlight)
29 Phil Grimes, Waterford - Friday
30 McGirls Bar, Ballinamore- Saturday

NOVEMBER
06 Pumphouse, Kilkenny - Saturday (with special guest Captain Moonlight)
10 13th Note, Glasgow - Wednesday
11 The Forest Cafe, Edinburgh - Thursday (supporting Robert Blake)
12 Drouthie Neebors, Dundee - Friday (supporting Robert Blake)
18 Monroes, Galway - Thursday (supporting Milk Kan)
19 The Stables, Mullingar - Friday
20 Sligo,Venue TBC - Saturday (supporting Milk Kan)
26 The Bailey Enniscorthy - Friday (special guest The Focus Group)
DECEMBER
10 Murphys Bar, Waterford City - Friday

‘Won't Leave You Alone' is the latest single from the Coronas' Meteor Award-winning album, "Tony Was An Ex-Con". The album has already gone platinum in Ireland and produced 3 hit singles, “Listen Dear”, “Far From Here” and “Someone Else's Hands'. The band's Olympia Dublin dates, December 10th and 11th are already sold out and MCD have just announced a third night December 13th – on sale now. This, coupled with some Nationwide dates in December, will be fans last chance to see The Coronas before they head off on a U.S. tour in Jan/Feb.

The CORONAS ::: LIVE ::: December 2010
2nd - Dolans, Limerick
3rd - Dolans, Limerick
10th - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
11th - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
13th - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
16th - Savoy, Cork
17th - Set Theatre, Kilkenny
18th - Forum, Waterford
19th - Black Box, Galway

You will, of course, know The Coronas by this stage. Meteor Music Award nominees, significant Irish participants of Oxegen, the band behind the smart 2007 debut album, Heroes Or Ghosts – The Coronas have slowly but surely been embraced by their ever growing contingent of fans as one of the best Irish bands to have emerged in the past five years. Success by virtual word of mouth? Without so much as a planning meeting? It's enough to make a Marketing Manager resign. “We just went with the flow,” relates Danny O'Reilly (vocals/guitar). “We never sat down and discussed what type of music we were going to make, and I think that's stood to us. Some bands do that, and talk about image, clothes, hair, and to this day we still don't do that. We just worked with the songs we had, and let it happen.” “What we would discuss and agree on,” comments Dave McPhillips (lead guitar), “would be songs that might gradually be left off the set list.”

According to Dave, the band's overall sense of ambition is wrapped up in a subdued collective confidence, rather than “any game plan of reaching a certain goal by a certain time, and being disappointed if we don't achieve it.” It also helped the band, remarks Danny, that they never grabbed any significant critical acclaim or hype. “There's a sense in some bands that they think they're better than they are, when really you're only as good as your last gig. We found that getting responses from gigs was much more encouraging in a productive way, as opposed to reading a brilliant review about the band. We're quite a humble group, anyway, and we've always had an underlying belief in ourselves. I mean, at this point we're confident enough that we can win over people who have never been to a Coronas gig before.” The Coronas have been around in some shape or form for over five years. Danny met up with Graham Knox (bass) and Conor Egan (drums) while at school and college, and a short time later hooked up with Dave during a working holiday in Vancouver. Come the start of 2007, a flurry of Irish chart activity commenced with their debut single, ‘Decision Time', reaching the Top 10. This success was enhanced with three further hit singles (‘Grace, Don't Wait', ‘Heroes Or Ghosts', ‘San Diego Song'), all of which preceded their debut album, ‘Heroes Or Ghosts', which subsequently spent over a year in the Irish charts.

Time moves on, though, and the band – following a licensing deal in Japan with JVC – have trumped ‘Heroes Or Ghosts' with their new album, ‘Tony Was An Ex-Con'. The debut album still resides in the heart of The Coronas, however, as it positioned them at a particular place and time. “We were proud of it at the time of release and we still are,” confirms Danny. “We were, I suppose, naïve at the time, but I wouldn't necessarily call ‘Heroes Or Ghosts' a naïve record. Joe Chester, the producer of it, really got the best out of us. We were winging it, big time, of course, but we knew we had to have an album because the records sell the gigs and vice versa. We also knew we weren't going to make the perfect record…”

Whether the new album is perfect is open to debate – one thing The Coronas won't do unnecessarily is to make big or superficial claims about it. All they can do is trust in their intuitive pop/rock instincts, release a few singles, play a rake of shows, light the fuse and stand back, and see what the reaction will be. Recorded in Cornwall's renowned Sawmills Studios (and overseen by Razorlight/Muse/Supergrass/ Oasis producer John Cornfield), Dave reckons the main difference between the new and the old album is that the band were far more cool, calm and collected second time around. Less nerves, more cohesion, less mess, more structure. “It was great to have the opportunity of trying out new songs,” offers Danny, “and because of the gap between the first and the second album – the guts of two years - we had lots of time.”

Both Danny and Dave agree that ‘Tony Was An Ex-Con' – which features more trademark smart rock/pop than you can shake a stick at – quietly boasts a more collaborative feel. The Coronas even more of a band than they used to be? You'd better believe it. But there's more to come

“We're happy enough at the stage we are in Ireland,” says Dave, “but we believe we have a sound that can actually travel. We're not a minimalist techno band, what we do is not for a niche audience, and between the two albums we have a consistency that will make an impact.” “If you improve, then things will happen,” states Danny, clearly in Field of Dreams mode, “and if we keep getting better then good things are bound to take place. We're the biggest critics of ourselves, yet we feel the new album is ten times the record ‘Heroes Or Ghosts' was. We are quietly confident that things will happen for us overseas. We have ambition to play to as many people as we can and, who knows, take over the world.”

‘Tony Was An Ex-Con' is available now through 3u Records

The popular promoter, manager and fondly loved raconteur Derek Nally died of a heart attack on Thursday 15 July, 2010. His sudden passing sent shockwaves throughout the entire Irish music community.

Derek worked with the great and the good over the years including Judy Collins, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Bert Jansch, John Cale, Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt, John Martyn, Allen Toussaint, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Alex Chilton, Arlo Guthrie, Booker T, and John Cooper Clarke, to mention just a few.  He also managed the acclaimed Irish acts Juliet Turner and Ham Sandwich, steering their careers with remarkable passion and enthusiasm. Derek was particularly generous with his time when it came to offering advice to up and coming musicians, promoters and managers. His encyclopedic knowledge of music coupled with his straight-forward business ideals served him well in a long and esteemed career. His legacy is a positive example to everyone who works in the music industry.

The band Derek was most closely associated with Ham Sandwich and numerous other friends from the music community will together on October 9th in memory and celebration of this legendary figure.

Tickets priced 20 Euro on sale from www.tickets.ie & Ticketmaster outlets nationwide ( http://www.ticketmaster.ie )

All proceeds will be donated to the Nally family.

The Kells-based band release their second album "White Fox", the follow-up to their 2008 award winning debut long-player "Carry the Meek". A glimpse of what was to come appeared on the nation's airwaves back in May which raised the bar of expectations for the much anticipated new album; the "The Naturist" announced to the fanbase that the band were pushing the boat out and not resting on their laurels! The track highlights the classic intertwining vocal wordplay from Niamh and Podge and driven by D'Arcy's anthemic guitar playing thus marking a soaring return from one of Ireland's most popular bands. The follow-up single (out 24/10), "Oh-Oh" continues to visit new territory with more complex arrangements and instrumentation taking the band's writing to new creative heights. “We've definitely grown up since ‘Carry The Meek',” maintains Niamh. “In terms of all of us getting involved in the song writing process and, I suppose, just maturing as people. Making the song structures more interesting is crucial for both the listener and the band, because it holds the attention for longer.” Podge recounts, "The first album was practically all electric guitar; the new album is more musically varied – and not for the sake of it, either. It's just that we're getting our heads around different instruments. It's a natural evolvement, and more texture is no harm.” Produced and mixed by Karl Odlum and recorded at Sun Studios, Temple Bar (Dublin) & May Lodge (Co. Meath). Mastered by the legendary Abbey Road Studio (London) engineer Peter Mew ( David Bowie, The Beatles, ELO, Bob Marley, etc)

TRACKLISTING: THE NATURIST / WHITE FOX / ANTS / OH-OH / MODELS / THE FOG / LONG DISTANCE / IN DECEMBER / ANIMALS / FLOORS

Upcoming Ham Sandwich Gigs:

21st SEPT ~ LSAD Limerick
23rd SEPT ~ GMIT Galway
24th SEPT ~ WEEVERS, Drogheda
25th SEPT ~ THE FORUM, Waterford
01st OCT ~ TOWER RECORDS, Dublin - ALBUM RELEASE
09th OCT ~ DEREK NALLY TRIBUTE SHOW, WHELANS, Dublin (One of several bands on the line-up)
14th OCT ~ THE SPIRIT STORE, Dundalk
30th OCT ~ THE BUTTON FACTORY, Dublin - OFFICIAL ALBUM LAUNCH

More Shows to be added. For bookings contact Mark Downing, mark(at) audionetworks.ie

Australia's Dublin-based acoustic powerhouse Rory Faithfield is back with his latest single release from his fourth album "Songs For Sooner" . With Celtic songlines in his head and grains of sand between his toes, Rory has conjured an alluring songbook of life, love and consequence!

Dividing his time between Dublin and Vasse on the West Australian coast, Rory has honed his craft on the European pub circuit to create this authentic home-coming album. Big Blue Western Skies casts a wistful spell; capturing the hypnotic harsh beauty of our summers, while the single release Born in Sydney Town is a little piece of home for every erstwhile Australian traveller. Clonard beguiles as a Celtic ballad of the journey featuring John O'Brien on Uilleann Pipes & Whistles.

Much of Songs for Sooner was written last year in Australia, then recorded in Ireland with a full band which included Nick Scott (Van Morrison) and Johnny Boyle (The Frames). Rory co-produced the album with industry veteran Gavin Murphy  and also includes top local musicians Bill Shanley, Christian Herzberger, Lorcan Daly, and Ciaran Byrne.

Applauded by the often unforgiving Irish music media, Rory is described as "Power Acoustic" by the Irish Independent, and "invigorating and inspiring" by The Irish Times.

In a recent 4 Star review, 'The Australian' (national newspaper) noted that, “his message is that all shades of experience can be metamorphosed into positivity and individualistic growth”, and the West Australian newspaper remarked that “this is beautiful, straightforward storytelling, saturated in Irish folk traditions but with a keen edge born of Faithfield's days as a punk rocker in Sydney. I was reminded of Paul Kelly's more lyrical excursions, which is a high compliment”.

Spare, but beautifully recorded and played, this, by anyones standard, marks a departure for Dave Couse as an artist. With an entirely new palatte of sounds, the songs are a heady meditation on life and love and loss. Following "The World Should Know" (2005), Dave raced back into the studio, and after a Blue Nilesque recording session re-emerged with the majestic "Alonewalk". Mastered by the beyond legendary Bob Ludwig....go on wiki him...anyone who has heard this album has been raving about it. Now its your turn. enjoy!! "Alonewalk" is the third album released by Dave Couse since the break up of A HOUSE, his second on the Irish Indie label 1969 Records. Originally given an online release back on Good Friday April 2nd, the album now gets it's commercial release in all good record shops nationwide on Oct.1st, 2010.

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional Copies contact:
Stevo Berube / Berube Communications info@berubecommunications. com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

NICK KELLY ~ IRISH INDEPENDENT
“Couse has returned, Phoenix-like, with — shout it from the rooftops — the finest album of his career. No, really. Released on 1969 Records, Alonewalk is a total revelation — the songs are written in a more classical mode, with nuanced cello (courtesy of Rike Soller) and electric guitar (courtesy of A House alumnus Fergal Bunbury) embroidering Couse's evocative, soulful piano melodies.”

TONY CLAYTON-LEA ~ IRISH TIMES
“… so much here is the work of a singular songwriter getting to grips (as is his wont) with nitty-gritty subjects in a reflective, almost sombre (but always compelling) manner”

JOHN MEAGHER ~ IRISH INDEPENDENT
“… a pair of songs, ‘Black and White' and ‘Don't say a word' are as good as anything he's written, but the Standout song is ‘Good Friday'. With just eight tracks, ‘alonewalk' doesn't outlast its welcome and it's a collection to reward the patient listener.”

COLM O'HARE ~ HOT PRESS
“Dave Couse's place in the pantheon of great Irish songwriters is assured. His first solo album in five years finds him in a mellow, introspective mood blending classical song structures with pop, post rock and even doo-wop. The songs range from the poignant, elegiac beauty of ‘what will become of us' and ‘don't say a word' to the melodically quirky ‘Good Friday' which features another singularly unique Irish voice in Cathal Coughlan.”

NIALL CRUMLISH ~ STATE.IE
“…I'm conscious of the absurdity of comparing Dave Couse to Beethoven. I have just spent two weeks with "Alonewalk" and it is such a thrilling and mysterious and moving record that, for now, the comparison stands.”

Over the last four decades Arlo has toured throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia winning a broad and dedicated following. In addition to being an accomplished musician—playing the piano, six and twelve-string guitar, harmonica and a dozen other instruments—Arlo is a natural-born storyteller whose hilarious tales and anecdotes are woven seamlessly into his performances.

In 1961 a young Arlo Guthrie took to the stage for the first time … solo. He played in England, Scotland and Denmark during the summer of 1965, showing up at clubs or singing on street corners … alone.

In November that same year he began work on his epic adventure, “Alice's Restaurant.” He worked as a solo artist touring around the world to as far away as Japan for the next two years until “Alice” was recorded. In 1967 “Alice's Restaurant” hit the radios and the record stores.

In 1969 four events converged to change everything. He appeared at Woodstock Music Festival, starred in the motion picture Alice's Restaurant, married Miss Malibu, Jackie Hyde, and bought an old farm in Massachusetts. He has rarely toured solo since those Woodstock days.

In 1983, alongside his thriving performing career, Arlo launched his own record label, Rising Son Records that holds his complete catalogue. His latest album, In Times Like These, is a dynamic work in which Arlo collaborated with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. It will be released on his 60th birthday, July 10.

In 1991, Arlo bought “The Church” which now houses The Guthrie Center, a not-for-profit interfaith church foundation, and The Guthrie Foundation, an educational foundation, dedicated to providing a wide range of local and international services.

In 2005, using the Guthrie Foundation as a springboard, Arlo and his family rode the Amtrak City of New Orleans train from Chicago to New Orleans, stopping along the way to perform benefit concerts. “‘We saw the disaster unfold in New Orleans, on a level that probably hadn't been seen since the Dust Bowl era…and I wanted to do something that would actually help.' said Arlo” – The Wall Street Journal.  Arlo Guthrie & Friends – Ridin' on the City of New Orleans (Benefiting Victims of Katrina) raised over $100,000 directly targeted for musicians.

"In Times Like These" (2007), one of Rising Son's most recent releases, features Arlo alongside the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. The album marks the culmination of his work with 27 different symphony orchestras and more than 40 live concerts. His show at Boston Symphony Hall, conducted by Keith Lockhart, was recorded and aired on PBS's Evening at the Pops. In 2001, the Fourth of July celebration with the Pops was broadcasted live by A&E. A compelling collection of original songs and select American classics performed by Arlo and the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, In Times Like These was released on vinyl in the fall of 2009.

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, Rising Son released (August 18, 2009). Recorded just prior to Woodstock, the recently discovered lost tape highlights Arlo live in concert in Long Island, NY and features nine tracks including an epic 28-minute talking blues tale as well as three previously unrecorded songs.

When not at home in Washington, MA hanging out with family and friends, Arlo tours the world. “Guthrie Family Rides Again” marks the second North American tour featuring Arlo on stage with his children and grandkids; in 2006 they traveled together in the "Guthrie Family Legacy Tour." Arlo comments, "Its really fun and an adventure to hit the road as a family. We get to travel together to all these wonderful cities. My parents always had a dream of doing this, but they never had the chance to pursue it. We've always been family oriented, and it's a great excuse to get everybody out of the house."

In 2005 as part of a Guthrie Foundation sponsored tour, the family rode the Amtrak City of News Orleans train from Chicago to New Orleans, stopping along the way to perform benefit concerts. Arlo Guthrie & Friends' "Ridin' on the City of New Orleans" has raised more than $140,000 in cash and garnered hundreds of replacement instruments for musicians suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Arlo's ambitions have always included various community projects in addition to his artistic pursuits. In 1991, he purchased the old Trinity Church near Stockbridge, MA, which is now home to The Guthrie Center, named for his parents, and The Guthrie Foundation. The Guthrie Center is a not-for-profit interfaith church foundation dedicated to providing a wide range of local and international services. The Guthrie Foundation is a separate not-for-profit educational organization that addresses issues such as the environment, health care, cultural preservation and educational exchange.

"Guthrie Family Rides Again Tour" (October 2009 – May 2010) featured three generations of Guthries including Arlo's son Abe, who has contributed keyboards and backing vocals to his father's live shows since the '80s. His daughters Cathy, Annie and Sarah Lee Guthrie, all of who have their own bustling music careers, will support by singing songs and accompanying on acoustic guitars. Sarah Lee's musical partner and husband Johnny Irion will lead songs and lend his stalwart guitar playing. The youngest generation of Guthrie kids took to the stage as well on select songs.

Fela Kuti and his Africa 70 popularized the hybrid of highlife, jazz and James Brown style, big-band funk he invented: Afro-Beat.

In Nigeria, his countrymen knew his music like Americans know Elvis. On foreign shores, a chosen few Westerners – Cream's drummer Ginger Baker and New York-based jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers amongst them – could claim to know the extent of Fela's genius. As a result, while music historians have filled books with references to the influence of Westerners on Fela's creation, little has been said about Fela's inspiration on others.

Fela's music, and that of his organization inspired musicians across the global village when Afro-Beat was new and novel. This compilation focuses on the music Fela inspired – whether by fellow Nigerians recording alongside him in the early 70s, neighbors in Ghana, then-modern Colombian cumbia ensembles inspired by the man who injected a new feel into the Yoruban rhythms that formed cumbia's base, Trinidadian steel bands or the select few organizations left that have maintained Fela's fury in the new millennium.

This is but a cursory investigation into those inspired by Fela Kuti's genius, but it is unique: the first time that many of these tracks are not only offered a second chance for worthy introspection, but, in the case of many, the first time they're being issued full stop.

Tracklisting:

1. Cumbia Moderna De Soledad - Shacalao
2. Dan Satch and his Atomic 8 Dance Band - Woman Pin Down
3. 6th Infantry Brigade of the Nigerian Army - Black And Proud
4. Bola Johnson - Hot Pants
5. Segun Bucknor - Adebo
6. Bola Johnson - Never Trust A Woman
7. Jerry Hansen - Sisi Mi
8. Daktaris - Up Side Down
9. Phirpo Y Sus Caribes - Comencemos
10. Lever Brothers Gay Flamingoes - Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley)
11. Mosco Tiles Fonclaire Steel Orchestra - Black Man's Cry
12. Sylvania East Side Symphony - Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley)
13. Lisandro Meza - Shacalao
14. Karl Hector and The Malcouns - Toure Samar
15. Whitefield Brothers - Lullaby For Lagos

The Self-Titled Album "THE DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOD" Fea. the Singles ‘The Age Of Revolution' & ‘Meeting Mr Miandad'.
Nominated for Best Album in the Meteor Music Awards (Ire), Choice Music Prize (Ire), and was shortlisted for the prestigious Ivor Novello Award (UK). Released in Ireland on 1969 Records and available on itunes, Amazon, Play.com and HMV.com dlmethod.com

"The Open Road "

Available now from New West Records

www.johnhiatt.com ~ www.newwestrecords.com

>>> For Information / Interview requests / Promotional Copies contact Berube Communications on info@berubecommunications.com or phone 0872442695 <<<

LEGENDARY SONGWRITER JOHN HIATT TAKES A JOURNEY DOWN THE OPEN ROAD

Looking at life through the rearview mirror was the inspiration for John Hiatt's brand new album, The Open Road, out now New West Records. The legendary songwriter's 19th studio album is classic Hiatt, picking up the tempo and returning to rock following his previous critically acclaimed Same Old Man. Backed by his touring band, (Kenny Blevins on drums, Patrick O'Hearn on bass and Doug Lancio on guitars), the songs are inspired by life on the road, without looking back. "All the other years, my songs are about coming home," Hiatt says. But within these 11 new songs, home is never the destination.

Hiatt will take the new songs on the road beginning with a run of international dates with Lyle Lovett (see below). Upon returning to the states, he will appear on the 3rd annual Cayamo cruise, on which he's played since the first voyage. Tour dates in North America will follow in March with shows including NYC on March 10th followed by Pittsburgh, DC and Annapolis, which is already sold out.

Hiatt has written songs covered by a multitude of artists in a wide variety of genres including Bob Dylan, Rosanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Jewel and Bonnie Raitt, who most famously recorded "Thing Called Love." On The Open Road he showcases both his lyrical and musical talent with his blues driven, rock songs including the title track and "Haulin'." Hiatt produced The Open Road himself after recording with his band in his garage-turned-studio.

Of The Open Road, The Boston Herald says, "Proving that 2008's surprisingly moving “Same Old Man” was no fluke, singer-songwriter Hiatt continues his late-career renaissance. Trading the bittersweet look back of “Same Old Man” for the through-the-windshield view of “The Open Road,” Hiatt knocks together a rocking, full-throttle road record that in its tone, toughness and mix of blues, r & b and country harkens back to his landmark “Bring the Family. Known for his extraordinary songwriting talent, Hiatt was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2008 and also was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting from The Americana Music Association. Hiatt has written songs covered by a multitude of artists in a wide variety of genres including Bob Dylan, Rosanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Jewel and Bonnie Raitt, who most famously recorded "Thing Called Love."

THE OPEN ROAD TRACK LIST:
The Open Road
Haulin'
Go Down Swingin'
Like A Freight Train
My Baby
Homeland
Wonder of Love
What Kind of Man
Movin' On
Fireball Roberts
Carry You Back Home

CORK - Thurs 22nd July '10 - Cork Opera House - SHOW CANCELLED DUE TO VENUE CLOSURE
DUBLIN  - Fri 23rd July '10 - The Helix - SHOW CANCELLED

It was 1962 that Motown's Artist and Repertoire Director William “Mickey” Stevenson first heard the voice that would become synonymous with "the sound of young America." A young jazz/blues singer with the unlikely name of "Martha Lavaille" was bringing audiences to their feet at Detroit's famed 20 Grand Nightclub singing songs made popular by singers the likes of Gloria Lynne and Della Reese. He invited her to audition at the new Motown Records headquarters, "Hitsville, USA."

Though the audition never happened, within a year, Martha had taken the reigns of the company's A&R department, ingratiating herself. She saw that musicians showed up on time and got paid. She watched, learned, and whenever opportunity presented itself, she sang. And when she did, everyone took notice. When Mary Wells couldn't make a session, Martha was called to the mic. With her group, the Del Phi's, she recorded "I'll Have to Let Him Go," and Martha and the Vandellas was born.

The song was rather forgettable, but Reeves' sound wasn't. While waiting for her first hit, Martha (along with Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard) backed Marvin Gaye on his first three releases and sang with him on stage. Soon, however, they emerged from the shadows with "Come and Get These Memories," followed by an enviable string of hits: "Heat Wave," "Quicksand," "In My Lonely Room," "Nowhere to Run," "My Baby Loves Me,", "Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things," "I'm Ready For Love," "Jimmy Mack," and, of course, the Motown anthem, "Dancing In The Street."

After leaving Motown in 1972, Martha continued to expand her musical horizons, establishing herself as a singer-songwriter with few limitations. She sang rock, jazz, country, gospel, blues and classical. Her singing companions included everyone from the Godfather James Brown and the Boss Bruce Springsteen to opera diva Beverly Sills and gospel king Rance Allen. She headlined a national touring company of the musical "Ain't Misbehaving," and for three years toured the UK in the musical review "Dancing In The Street."

Martha Reeves continues to thrill audiences around the world. Her self-produced 2004 CD, "Home to You" was named one of the year's best by the Asbury Park Press. In 2005, Will Smith mined the Motown vaults to uncover her unreleased gem, "It's Easy to Fall In Love," and included it in the hit movie "Hitch."  Also in 2005, Motown released Martha's "Lost and Found" collection, which included the rare Smokey Robinson-penned "Spellbound," her studio recording of "For Once In My Life," and covers of hits by the likes of Aretha Franklin, the Marvelettes, Vikki Carr, Sam & Dave, and the Four Tops. She was also featured in the PBS special, "Motown: The Early Years," writing liner notes for the four-set CD package. A "Gold" collection was released in March 2006 and "The Definitive Collection" in 2009.  (Her 1968 "Live at the Copa" remains in the vaults, but we hope for a release in the not-too-distant future.

Martha just completed a four-year run as a member of the Detroit City Council. She is back on the road full time, making sure that no one ever forgets the Motor City!

::: LIVE :::
May 20th - Launch Party Show - BUTTON FACTORY, Dublin - May 20th - 10 Euros ( Featuring Noise Control, Juno Falls, The Aftermath, and History of Harry)
May 21st - Album Launch in TOWER RECORDS, 6-8 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2 - Starts at 1pm - includes a performance by the Delorentos

CD Tracklisting:
·         Neosupervital - Just Be
·         The Aftermath - Need
·         Juno Falls - Same old Song and Dance
·         Delorentos - Hallucinations
·         Oliver Cole - Spotlight
·         The Corrs - Spancill Hill
·         Noise Control - Addiction
·         Travelle - Big Blue Sky
·         Dave Geraghty - Watch her Win ( Weensteen Mix )

For Information / Interview requests / Promotional CDs contact:
Maggie Gallagher / Sound Training Centre soundtrainingcentre@ gmail.com or 01-670-9033

Introducing "Behind Closed Doors"; a charity album in aid of the ISPCC; coordinated, engineered, mixed and compiled by a group of second year students in the Sound Training Centre in Temple Bar. "Behind Closed Doors" is an acoustic compilation of mainly unpublished and exclusive works from Irish artists which are not available anywhere else. The album was recorded in Temple Lane Studios; Temple Bar.

Artists featured on the album include the Corrs, Dave Geraghty, Juno Falls, Delorentos, Oliver Cole, Noise Control, Neosupervital, Trevelle and The Aftermath. "Behind Closed Doors" continues from last years "Sparks and Mind" album; in aid of Aware; which featured artists such as Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan, Damian Dempsey, Cowboy X, Ham Sandwich and The Thrills amongst others. The album will be released on "Sound Training Records" which was set up and run by a group of second year students in the Sound Training Centre.

We have chosen to work with the ISPCC (Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) this year to assist in their efforts on behalf of under privileged children in Ireland. The ISPCC was founded in 1889 and is Ireland's oldest and most well-known children's charity. ISPCC has developed and delivered innovative child centred services meeting the needs of children and their families. The ISPCC has a network of local regional centres in Castlebar, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Monaghan, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. It's four key services include childline, Leanbh, Childfocus, Teenfocus and the Mentoring support Project. On Christmas day alone last year Childline received 770 calls from children in distress. The ISPCC is an independent charity and receives no funding from the Irish government. For more information see www.ispcc.ie

Behind Closed Doors will be launched digitally on the 28th of May (available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby etc). The CD launch party will take place in the Button Factory on the 20th of May at 8pm and will feature acts such as Noise Control, Juno Falls, The Aftermath and History of Harry. Admission is 10 euros on the night. Physical release will take place on the 21st and will include a live performance from the Delorentos in Tower Records at 1 pm. The album is available exclusively from Tower Records. You can keep in touch with us on the following websites

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ SoundTrainingRecords

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ soundtrainingrecords

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Sound-Training-Records#!/ pages/Sound-Training-Records/ 325886088083?ref=ts

"You've got a singer here who is willing to stretch and is not content to live in the safety zone." - Elvis Costello

"Bettye Lavette has always been a wonderful singer - I have been a huge fan for many years. To my delight and surprise she recorded an amazing version of "Talking Old Soldiers" - a song which nobody else has covered, and made it her own. Now she has recorded "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and has done exactly the same - but this time with a much more familiar song. I am truly touched by her picking these songs and can only hope that this album brings more attention to this incredible artist." - Elton John

"When you hear a voice like Bettye LaVette's there's a sense of transportation (NOT to a penal colony!), but a certain freedom of movement and emotion, which is rare. Especially to me and I suspect other Englishmen who were so fascinated by the music that is so natural to Bettye while we were still getting our feet wet. The 'hands across the pond' aspect gives me a warm feeling. A connection! A great record. Put me in the fan club! How did Bettye LaVette slip thru the net for so long?" - Keith Richards

"What a voice, and what a soul to compliment such a talent. I believe every word, as does everyone that has had the pleasure of hearing Bettye LaVette sing. She's inspired a lot of great music. You can hear clearly that her influence is all over the new music today." - Joss Stone

Music references Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Candi Staton, Solomon Burke, James Browne, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, etc.

Bettye LaVette gears up for the release of her new CD, "Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook" - accompanied by praise from Keith Richards and Joss Stone.

The release of Bettye LaVette's eagerly awaited follow up to her Grammy-nominated Scene of the Crime is just around the corner with the May 25 release of "Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook". In anticipation, Anti- Records and Paste Magazine are making Bettye's take on the Jagger-Richards' gem from the classic "Beggar's Banquet" album “Salt of the Earth” available for download now from Paste Magazine.

On her upcoming Interpretations, Bettye brings the British invasion home to its American R&B roots, looking to the past for inspiration and uncovering common ancestry in seemingly divergent musical avenues. Throughout the new album, her performances are a revelation, inhabiting each song so completely as to make them her own. To that end, Bettye made some changes to the lyrics on a number of songs including the aforementioned track “Salt of the Earth,” whereby she modernized “strange beauty shows” to “reality shows” and “polio” to “HIV.”

Fittingly, Keith Richards has given Bettye some advance praise, noting: “When you hear a voice like Bettye LaVette's there's a sense of transportation (NOT to a penal colony!), but a certain freedom of movement and emotion, which is rare.  Especially to me and I suspect other Englishmen who were so fascinated by the music that is so natural to Bettye while we were still getting our feet wet. The ‘hands across the pond' aspect gives me a warm feeling.  A connection!  A great record.  Put me in the fan club! How did Bettye LaVette slip thru the net for so long?”

Produced by Bettye, Rob Mathes and Michael Stevens, the album is a 13-song journey through compositions by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd among others, before concluding right where the very idea for "Interpretations" started: Bettye's visceral show-stopping rendition of The Who's “Love Reign O'er Me” from the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, which appears here as an extended bonus track.

Meanwhile, Joss Stone, who has shared the stage with Bettye, declares: “What a voice and what a soul to compliment such a talent. I believe every word, as does everyone that has had the pleasure of hearing Bettye LaVette sing. She's inspired a lot of great music. You can hear clearly that her influence is all over the new music today”.
Throughout INTERPRETATIONS, her performances are a revelation not just of raw emotion, but of the inexorable ties between British rock ‘n' roll and American blues and R&B, which when combined, catalyzed popular music. That Lennon, McCartney, and so many others who crossed the Atlantic in their wake, were deeply influenced by American music is no great secret. What BETTYE demonstrates here so convincingly is the degree to which rock ‘n' roll and American soul remain bound by bloodlines.

The Beatles' pre-psychedelic Rubber Soul classic “The Word” takes on an almost religious fervor, while Paul McCartney's “Maybe I'm Amazed” is transformed from a majestic pop song into a stark, almost desperate expression of devotion. Profound alienation becomes intense longing on Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here,” and the wistful naiveté of The Moody Blues' “Nights in White Satin” matures into a deep and unshakeable lament. BETTYE inhabits these songs, revitalizes them and exposes the humanity that makes these 13 tracks not just pop songs, but enduring works of art.

Such mastery hardly comes as a surprise to at least one legend featured here. Elton John (whose “Talking Old Soldiers” appeared on The Scene Of The Crime) offers this endorsement of BETTYE's impassioned take on “Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
:
“Bettye LaVette has always been a wonderful singer – I have been a huge fan for many years. To my delight and surprise she recorded an amazing version of ‘Talking Old Soldiers' – a song that nobody else has covered – and made it her own.

“Now she has recorded ‘Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' and has done exactly the same – but this time with a much more familiar song. I am truly touched by her picking these songs and can only hope that this album brings more attention to this incredible artist.”

Track Listing:
1. The Word (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
2. No Time To Live (James Capaldi/Stephen Winwood)
3. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Bennie Benjamin/Gloria Caldwell/Sol Marcus)
4. All My Love (John Baldwin/Robert Plant)
5. Isn't It A Pity (George Harrison)
6. Wish You Were Here (David Gilmour/Roger Waters)
7. It Don't Come Easy (Richard Starkey)
8. Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
9. Salt Of The Earth (Michael Jagger/Keith Richards)
10. Nights In White Satin (David Hayward)
11. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad (Eric Clapton/Bobby Whitlock)
12. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Elton John/Bernard Taupin)
13. Love Reign O'er Me (Peter Townshend) [BONUS TRACK]

Booker T. won a GRAMMY in 1997 for his work with Booker T. & The MGs, taking home honors for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. He was presented a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, also for his work with the MGs. But this year at the 52d Annual GRAMMY Awards, Booker T. scored his first-ever GRAMMY as a solo artist, winning the Best Pop Instrumental Album trophy for his April 2009 release Potato Hole (Epitaph/ANTI-). Potato Hole, on which Booker is backed by the blistering Drive-By Truckers, was Booker T.'s first new album in nearly two decades, and the lead single "Warped Sister" had been nominated for Best Rock Instrumental (the legendary Jeff Beck took home that award.)

Booker T and The MGs were the session band at Memphis based Stax Records, playing on the classic recordings by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam And Dave, Irma Thomas, amongst many other classic recordings. He's also had hits in his own right with timeless instrumentals including Green Onions, Time Is Tight , Hip Hug-Her, Hang Them High ,Groovin', amongst many others. It is hard to believe that Booker T was only 15 and still at high school when he started as a session player at Stax Records and also wrote many of the great soul classics! Booker T's current project is recording a new album with hip hop outfit THE ROOTS. He is also a producer of some note having produced million selling albums for Bill Withers, Rita Coolidge and Willie Nelson's breakthrough album Stardust. Back in 1993 he appeared in Slane Castle with Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Van Morrison.  

Hammond B3 alchemist Booker T Jones is one America's most prolific, distinguished and instantly recognizable musical forces, and the arrival of his new Anti- album, Potato Hole, not only re-affirms his greatness, it also re-introduces the neglected all-instrumental format to a noisy, crowded marketplace crying out for precisely the type of soul satisfying pleasure which Jones excels at.

With choice accompaniment by the capable Southern rock visionaries Drive By Truckers and a sound often pushed into over drive by the volcanic lead guitar of rock and roll legend Neil Young, it is an altogether extraordinary set. Featuring a mixture of newly written songs and a trio of intriguing covers, all recorded in a scant one weeks time, Potato Hole captures Booker T at the critical peak of a renewed creative phase in his storied career.

"I really feel like I've been opened up again, I've got the creative muse working for me," Jones said. "It's like I have discovered a new method, a little road I can take to open it up, and I'm excited about playing this music."

The album rolls through a selection of far-ranging compositions, each separate and distinct pieces that, by turn, manifest his characteristic adoration of the groove, exploring and exploiting each mood to the limit. Whether it's a case of cosmological serenity or funky staccato chicken peck work-outs, Jones' melodic vision and expansive arrangements are delivered with a mesmerizing quality. The album also pushes into sometime previously unvisited-by Jones territory: lead track "Pound It Out" is a brawny, relentless exercise in hard rock, an intense, driving song that's far more of a head-banger than a blast of steam-heated soul.

If that seems out of place, you don't really know Mr. Jones; "I like rock music, always have." he said. "Otis [Redding] did too, and we were getting into it a bit, but couldn't really do it back then. It just wasn't right for Stax." The statement is more than a bit provocative, but the musician tosses out such revelations like carelessly hurled thunderbolts, an arsenal accrued over the course of his remarkable career.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 12 1944, Booker's interest in music manifested itself early, and as a child he both sang gospel in church and received classical training on the piano. A fascination with the Hammond B3 grew to the point where he funded his own organ lessons with newspaper route money and by his teens, Jones found himself at Stax Records, first as an underfoot hanger-on and soon on staff, as leader of the house band. Backing fabled stars like Rufus and Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Eddie Floyd both in the studio and on the road, the teenager's multi-instrumental prowess--on keys, brass and reeds--was impressive.

With his Memphis Group cohorts Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jones laid out the blueprint for the fabled Stax sound and reaped his own rewards with a string of hits that frequently crossed over to the pop charts. Jones post-Stax resume has been equally impressive, recording with everyone from Bobby Darin to John Lee Hooker and producing for numerous artists (including Bill Withers' signature Just As I Am album and Willie Nelson's 1978 multi-platinum blockbuster Stardust). Jones and the MGs re-formed to serve as house band for the famed 1991 Bob Dylan tribute at Madison Square Garden (which led to a sustained alliance between Neil Young and Jones). Along the way, he's also scored numerous films and enjoyed induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Potato Hole demonstrates that not only is Jones' talent and power undiminished, it also reveals how much there is to his music that we've never heard before. Jones has a remarkable knack for telling a story with his melodies, compositions so thoughtfully constructed that one can almost visualize narrative events, as the self-explanatory "Pound it Out", the room-to-room filial warmth of "Family Reunion", the illimitable intimacy and affection of "Nan" (Jones' wife), and, in the case of title track (the term is a 19th century Afro-American colloquialism for the spot where smuggled food items were stashed beneath slave quarters), a cinematic, almost epic recounting of the struggles and spiritual resilience slavery imposed.

This quality is so pervasively seductive that you may find yourself singing along, as if Jones was telegraphing lyrics that exist only within the listener. Even the three songs here that did not originate with Jones (Outkast's "Hey Ya," Tom Waits' "Get Behind the Mule" and the Drive By Truckers' own "Space City") are transformed into vintage Booker T jams, shimmering with relaxed, after-hours atmosphere and full of the fiery, taut organ work for which he is rightfully prized.

Whether laying down a meditative ramble or hard-charging rocker, Jones' sense of artistic liberation and depth of involvement on every track here is breath taking--with Potato Hole, the cat is going into orbit. "The Hammond B3 and me have this thing goin' on. It's always there inside me. I've heard whole pieces in my head that I'll never even remember--and now I'm finally getting them out." he explained. "It gives me a freedom that I didn't have . . . I sort of had it with the MG's in the 60s, but even then it was more murky. This is lot more clear. I don't know how to put it, except it's like I can see again."

::: LIVE ::: Single Launch - Saturday May 15 - Whelans,

Dublin "The Naturist" is the first single taken from the Kells-based band's upcoming sophomore album set to be released in September '10. Featuring the classic intertwining vocal wordplay from Niamh / Podge and driven by D'Arcy's anthemic guitar playing, "The Naturist" marks a soaring return from one of Ireland's most popular bands. They'll be launching the single in Whelans on the 15th showcasing their new material as well as playing the live favourites from their ‘08 debut long-player "Carry The Meek"

"On the evidence of this effervescent album, Ham Sandwich could be Ireland's answer to Rilo Kiley." ~ IRISH INDEPENDENT
"Eclectic without being all over the place, judiciously selecting choice harmonies over dissonance, and boasting arrangements that favour subtlety over swagger, Ham Sandwich deliver, with an apparent minimum of fuss, a mini triumph." ~ IRISH TIMES
"With a name like Ham Sandwich, this needed to be good. It is so, so much better than that." ~ MAIL ON SUNDAY
"..a locker full of killer tunes." ~ METRO
"Carry The Meek is an album of beautifully sung, crisp, tight, lush, emotional and fun guitar songs that is much more than the sum of it's parts." ~ HOT PRESS
'''Carry The Meek' is a marker that other Irish albums of 2008 - and beyond - will have to match. " ~ CLUAS.COM
"While some sound the death-knell for the album ever louder, there are still plenty whose records drown it out. Like this one." ~ RTE GUIDE
“Spiky indie anthems & irreverent attitude are matched by the striking presence of lead singer Niamh Farrell" ~ SUNDAY TIMES

The Coronas - Australian Tour - May 2010

20th - The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD 21st - The Factory, Sydney, NSW
22nd - Newcastle League Club, Newcastle, NSW
23rd - The Mean Fiddler, Sydney, NSW
27th - The Governor Hindmarsh - Adelaide, SA
28th - The Prince of Wales, Melbourne, VIC
30th - The Fly By Night Club, Perth, WA

::: LIVE ::: Upcoming Irish Shows

01 May - Bewleys Cafe Theatre - Dublin
11 May - Ruby Session - Dublin
19 May - Roisin Dubh - Galway
20 May - Mullarkeys Bar - Clifden
26 May - Spirit Store- Dundalk
18 June - McCarthys Bar- Dingle
27 June - The Sky & The Ground Bar - Wexford
14 July - Whelan's - Dublin

Australia's Dublin-based acoustic powerhouse Rory Faithfield is back in Ireland to launch his fourth album. With Celtic songlines in his head and grains of sand between his toes, Rory has conjured an alluring songbook of life, love and consequence!

Dividing his time between Dublin and Vasse on the West Australian coast, Rory has honed his craft on the European pub circuit to create this authentic home-coming album. Big Blue Western Skies casts a wistful spell; capturing the hypnotic harsh beauty of our summers, while the single release Born in Sydney Town is a little piece of home for every erstwhile Australian traveller. Clonard beguiles as a Celtic ballad of the journey featuring John O'Brien on Uilleann Pipes & Whistles.

Much of Songs for Sooner was written last year in Australia, then recorded in Ireland with a full band which included Nick Scott (Van Morrison) and Johnny Boyle (The Frames). Rory co-produced the album with industry veteran Gavin Murphy  and also includes top local musicians Bill Shanley, Christian Herzberger, Lorcan Daly, and Ciaran Byrne.

Applauded by the often unforgiving Irish music media, Rory is described as "Power Acoustic" by the Irish Independent, and "invigorating and inspiring" by The Irish Times.

In a recent 4 Star review, 'The Australian' (national newspaper) noted that, “his message is that all shades of experience can be metamorphosed into positivity and individualistic growth”, and the West Australian newspaper remarked that “this is beautiful, straightforward storytelling, saturated in Irish folk traditions but with a keen edge born of Faithfield's days as a punk rocker in Sydney. I was reminded of Paul Kelly's more lyrical excursions, which is a high compliment”.

Aiken Promotions are proud to present Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club
::: LIVE :::  Vicar Street, Dublin ~ Friday,  May 7th
Tickets 25 Euro through Ticketmaster and other usual outlets nationwide. Booking Line: 0818 719 390.

The debut album from Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Be Yourself, was described as "Leonard Cohen doing Dean Martin" and "an album that bucked the zeitgeist with so much enthusiasm you just had to love it." High praise indeed, for one of Ireland"s (by way of Brixton) most enigmatic songwriter/performers.

Watching Jerry Fish do his lounge-lizard turn onstage evokes the smoky ghosts of Tom Waits, Willy DeVille, Professor Longhair and Dr John. With his rolling band of troubadours, Jerry Fish weaves a strange, heady brew of barrio blues, juke-joint jazz, psychedelia, Tropicalia and whatever you"re having yourself.

Eager crowds have flocked to Fish"s traveling musical medicine show. The debut album reached multi-platinum status, with the single, True Friends, truly ingrained in the Irish hum-along psyche when it was featured on a Vodafone advertising campaign. The band played three consecutive nights at Glastonbury ("We were like the court jesters, it was fantastic") and turned a triumphant gig at the Spiegeltent into a best selling live album.

Already The Beautiful Untrue is garnering positive reaction, with The Irish Times saying: "The Beautiful Untrue builds imaginatively on The Mudbug Club"s debut album and Jerry"s Mudbug world of comic-cut theatre feels more attractive with each track...this record is guaranteed to put a smile on troubled faces."

"There have been massive changes in the music industry since I released Be Yourself," explains Jerry. "So you have to take all that in. This is the first album I've completed digitally. I became a sound engineer under the tutelage of Dick Meaney (The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine) and Phil Hayes (The Cake Sale, Bell X1) I got to re-learn how to make a record. This is a one-man show. I am the record company, manager and artist."

Jerry Fish is the alter ego of singer Gerard Whelan who through the 1990"s was the main creative force in An Emotional Fish, the Irish rock band who released one of the most successful debut Irish albums ever. The band were signed to Atlantic Records by the labels legendary founder the late, great and much loved Ahmet Ertegun. "Ahmet really took us under his wing in the early days of An Emotional Fish, he brought the band to his holiday home in Turkey, and told me stories about Otis Reading and his band, Ray Charles, his brother Nesuhi, he was a great storyteller. Ahmet was a legend, and is one of the main reasons I still write songs and make music today."

Jerry made three albums with An Emotional Fish working alongside record producers, Dave Stewart, Tim Palmer, Alan Moulder, and Clive Langer. The band toured the world many times, sharing stages with the likes of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode, The Velvet Underground, Pearl Jam and U2. Playing such iconic venues as the El Mocambo in Toronto and CBGB"s in New York.

Once the band came to an end, Fish retreated from the rock scene and went back to an old hobby, tinkering around with old motorcycles. He also went traveling to "find himself" and ended up finding the love ofhis life. However, it wasn"t until the birth of his first child, that The Mudbug Club"s bandleader felt he had to follow his heart and return to the other thing he loves most in the world, music.

It's all about the roots – we are what we are because of circumstance, upbringing, family environment and influence. For proof of this all you need to do is take even a cursory look at the career of Colm Quearney (aka Q). If his father had been a plumber then it's likely Q would have tackled the intricacies of U-Bend technology rather than music. But Q's father wasn't into such work, and so it was that a young Colm grew up listening to blues and jazz, and checking out his dad's nifty bass playing at Sunday afternoon gigs in various venues around Dublin.

Q says he had little interest in becoming a musician until he heard the guitar riff from Satisfaction (a song by a band called The Rolling Stones – you may have heard of them). “It sounds like a cliché,” he relates, “but when I heard it I just wanted to find a guitar to replicate it as quickly as possible.”

And so started a life's journey in music: initially playing electric bass at the School of Hard Knocks, and studying double bass in the rather more refined quarters of the College of Music. “I was academically trained up to a point,” admits Q. “Conversations with my dad were always about music, and that informed how I approached the playing of it. I went on to forming bands, discovered the music of Jimi Hendrix, and then moved from playing bass to the lead guitar.”

In tandem with all of the above was Q's experience in the early 1990s at the Ballyfermot Rock School, of which his time there he describes as a terrific experience, “a melting pot of people from different backgrounds with the same aspirations. It had a profound effect on me – being surrounded by people that loved music as much as I did.”

While at Ballyfermot, Q formed Dragonfly, a cultish rock act that imploded in 1994. Within weeks of Dragonfly splitting, he received a phone call from (then) Irish contenders Lir, whose keyboard player had left the band. There followed a time spent living the life of a rock star in a band that was on the cusp of potential significant success. Like so many before and after, however, plans for this Irish rock band didn't work out. Every cloud, though, has a veritable silver lining.

“I learned how to be in a band, how to write songs,” says Q, “and of how hard it was to be in a band, and how much fun it was. The people that I worked with were likeminded, yet I never felt with Lir – as well as with Dragonfly - that I was doing anything that would ever be commercially viable. It didn't matter to me, though, because I felt that would come later. I was working through a lot of music I was interested in and influenced by. It was a bit self-indulgent, perhaps, but it was also great fun.”

Yet the realisation that being in a band isn't all it's made out to be set in around the time when Q broke one of his legs in a football match. Putting his record store job (the first job he had since he
left school) on hold for a few months afforded him the space to demo a batch of solo material he had been working on.

“The interesting thing about being in a band writing songs with other people,” states Q, “is that you're not entirely free because you're starting to censor yourself. In your head you're going, ‘well, the guitar player won't like that riff, or the singer won't like this song, or the drummer won't like that rhythm'.”

The penny, as they say, finally dropped: being a full time member of a band inhibited the flow of independent creativity. According to an intriguing theory of Q‘s, this is how bands develop those famous ‘music differences', because they become so comfortable with each other that creative viability is, ironically, undermined by their close friendship. “That's not unique. I've seen it happen in a lot of bands. So it's great to be writing songs when there's no agenda, when there's no idea of who you're writing the song for, or when you might be releasing it.”

In 2001, these songs eventually found their way onto Q's contrarily titled debut album, The World's Not Round. Thereafter followed more songwriting, a sophomore solo album in 2004 (Bodyelectric) and, to a gradual degree, a switch from solo act to contributor/collaborator/co- conspirator with the likes of Mundy, Jerry Fish & the Mudbug Club, Pugwash and a plethora of other acts that required help from a nifty guitarist as well as someone who could find their way around a song. All of this creativity and work, reckons Q, built up its own singular head of steam that fed - directly and by osmosis - into his own songwriting.

As if that wasn't enough, Q was often delving into the roots of his own inherently personal influences by performing with unsung Irish blues heroes (and his father's contemporaries) such as Pat Farrell, Jimmy Faulkner, Ed Deane and Noel Bridgeman in bands such as The Houseshakers and Left, Right & Centre. “I secured a work ethic and integrity from these people,” states Q, “that otherwise might not have been there.”

These influences notwithstanding (“playing with bands is a challenge, and your game has to be up to scratch.”), Q's primary focus is his solo work. Resilient and resourceful, he has kept himself busy through downtime periods by building a studio (The Qube Analogue & Digital) from where he plots, ponders and produces.

Q's new album, Root To The Fruit, sees the multi-faceted musician once again chase a sound that promises to blow you away. Unusually, it's an album where the production (courtesy of Q) and the sound are elements of the songwriting.

“You can get the song right and the recording totally wrong,” claims Q correctly. “Have I got it right? Maybe I have and maybe I haven't, but perhaps down the line I'll realise I've created all these songs. Maybe I'll look back when I'm not so close to it, and just enjoy the album.

“And it feels like an album, in the old sense of the meaning. The previous two albums, proud of them though I am, felt as if they were experiments. Root To The Fruit is an album I made that sounds like it's going somewhere. The songs deserve to be there, there's ebb and flow to them. They fit.”

Root To The Fruit is released on Strange Vibe/1969 Records. Q will be performing at the following venues throughout April and May.

For Information Regarding the Movie / Screenings contact:

Janice Kearney / Twentieth Century Fox janice.kearney@fox.com or +353 (0)1 661 7171

“The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” received an ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINATION in the Best Original Song category. Co-written by T BONE BURNETT and RYAN BINGHAM, the two recently won the Golden Globe® Award in the Best Original Song – Motion Picture category. The song also received a nod from the BFCA Critics Choice awards, and Stephen Bruton & T Bone Burnett’s original score won the The LA Film Critics Association award. The music was also The Crazy Heart Original Motion Picture Soundtrack debuted strong on the Soundscan charts first week, coming in #5 Top Soundtracks and #6 Top Country Albums. The record also placed #5 on the Independent Record Label Chart and at #37 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. Crazy Heart Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was coproduced by 10-time Grammy® Award winner Burnett and guitarist/songwriter Bruton, whom the film is dedicated to.

New West Records announces the release of Crazy Heart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. A deluxe edition of the soundtrack featuring all 23 songs from the film, sequenced in their running order, will be in stores .. The releases are companions to the upcoming Fox Searchlight Pictures movie Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Robert Duvall. The soundtrack was co-produced by 10-time Grammy® Award winner T Bone Burnett who is also credited with the 2009 Album Of The Year and Record of the Year Raising Sand, the worldwide smash album from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Burnett, who co-produced the soundtrack with guitarist/songwriter Stephen Bruton, earned past Grammy Awards for his work on the 8-times Platinum release, O Brother Where Art Thou? and Platinum soundtrack to the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line. The film Crazy Heart, which will have a limited release December 16th and opens wider in January, is already garnering praise from the press including The Wrap who declared, “The Oscar race needs to make room for Jeff Bridges and T Bone Burnett.”

With Burnett also producing the film, the music plays a prominent role. Burnett co-composed the film’s score with Bruton and co-wrote many of its original songs, including the pivotal track written throughout the film by Jeff Bridges’ hard-living country singer, Bad Blake, “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart),” written with acclaimed Texas singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham. The song is performed numerous times in the film by Bridges himself and a Bingham version premieres over the film’s trailer. At 28, Bingham has encountered more at this early stage in his life than many will in an entire lifetime. He writes from the genuine perspective of an old soul and has a growing fan base in the US and abroad. Most recently he toured with the legendary Flatlanders and performed at Farm Aid. Bingham makes his acting debut in the film and performs “I Don’t Know” co-written by Bruton and Burnett. Buddy Miller, Jay Bellerose and Greg Leisz were among the notable musicians called in to play on the original songs.

The film is dedicated to Bruton, a lifelong friend of Burnett who passed away earlier this year. In a long and distinguished career, Bruton excelled as a musician, songwriter and producer. He played guitar with Kris Kristofferson since the early 70s, had songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash among others, and released five records as a solo artist, the last three for New West. Just before passing, Bruton was working on Crazy Heart both musically and in a consultation role for Bridges. Bruton was able to see the completion of the project before his death.

On the soundtrack, the new original music sung by the films actors, is interwoven with songs by artists who’ve lived the movie’s story including Waylon Jennings (“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way”) and Townes Van Zandt (“If I Needed You”). The soundtrack is rounded out with music from Buck Owens (“Hello Trouble”), The Louvin Brothers (“My Baby’s Gone”), Lightnin’ Hopkins (“Once A Gambler”) and Sam Phillips (“Reflecting Light”).

Tracklisting for the Deluxe Edition:

01. Hold On You - Jeff Bridges
02. Hello Trouble - Buck Owens
03. My Baby’s Gone - The Louvin Brothers
04. Somebody Else (Instrumental) - Stephen Bruton
05. Somebody Else - Jeff Bridges
06. I Don’t Know - Ryan Bingham
07. Wesley’s Piano - Tom Canning
08. Fallin’ & Flyin’ - Jeff Bridges
09. Searching (For Someone Like You) - Kitty Wells
10. I Don’t Know - Jeff Bridges
11. Once A Gambler - Lightnin’ Hopkins
12. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings
13. I Let The Freight Train Carry Me On - The Delmore Brothers
14. Color Of The Blues - George Jones
15. Joy - Lucinda Williams
16. Fallin’ & Flyin’ - Colin Farrell & Jeff Bridges
17. Gone, Gone, Gone - Colin Farrell
18. If I Needed You - Townes Van Zandt
19. Reflecting Light - Sam Phillips
20. Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza
21. Live Forever - Robert Duvall
22. Brand New Angel - Jeff Bridges
23. The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart) - Ryan Bingham

About Crazy Heart (From Fox Searchlight)

Four-time Academy Award ® nominee Jeff Bridges stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic antihero Bad Blake in the debut feature film from writer-director Scott Cooper. Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhall), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

About T Bone Burnett:

T Bone Burnett is a 10-time Grammy Award winner, earning numerous statues in 2009 – including Album of the Year and Record of the Year – for his production work on Raising Sand, the worldwide smash album from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. That same year, he was also awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album for his work on B.B. King’s One Kind Favor. He previously earned five Grammys for his work on the 8-times Platinum release, O Brother Where Art Thou?, which also spawned two highly successful national concert tours: Down From The Mountain and The Great High Mountain. Further Grammys followed for his work on the platinum soundtrack to the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line, and the platinum Tony Bennett / k.d. lang duets album, A Wonderful World. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004, along with Elvis Costello in the category of Best Original Song for “The Scarlet Tide” from the film, Cold Mountain. For his work on that film, Burnett also earned the BAFTA’s Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music.

About Stephen Bruton:

Renowned, Texas musician, Stephen Bruton had a long and distinguished career as a musician, songwriter and producer. He released five records as a solo artist, the last three for the New West Records label. As a lead guitar player Bruton was in high demand among legendary contemporaries including Kris Kristofferson and Bonnie Raitt. He recorded with Delbert McClinton, T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Carly Simon, The Wallflowers, Sonny Landreth, Peter Case, Ray Wylie Hubbard and a slew of others. He produced records for Alejandro Escovedo, Marcia Ball and Jimmie Dale Gilmore to name a few. Bruton's songs have been widely covered as well, by artists including Raitt, Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Martina McBride and Patty Loveless.

About Ryan Bingham:

Ryan Bingham is a Texas-bred singer/songwriter who spent part of his teen years on the bull-riding rodeo circuit, before taking up music. Bingham’s latest release Roadhouse Sun (Lost Highway/June 2009) is the follow up to the singer/songwriter’s critically acclaimed Lost Highway debut Mescalito (2007). Bingham received high-praise for both albums, including a major cover story in the Los Angeles Times ‘Calendar’ section. Bingham, and his band The Dead Horses, have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Austin City Limits, and most recently performed on The Late Show with David Letterman on November 6, 2009.

TO VOTE FOR THE CORONAS IN THE BEST IRISH BAND CATEGORY, TEXT "VOTEBAND2" TO 085 7114444

TO VOTE FOR THE CORONAS IN BEST IRISH ALBUM CATEGORY, TEXT "VOTEALBUM2" TO 085 7114444

Recognised worldwide as Ireland’s definitive music awards it will celebrate its ten year anniversary this year. The event will be held at the RDS Dublin Friday 19th February 2010 in what promises to be the music highlight of the year. There are a limited number of tickets available from ticketmaster.ie

::: LIVE ::: Irish Dates
March 6th, 2010 - DUBLIN - Olympia Theatre
March 7th, 2010 - BELFAST - Mandella Hall
www.ticketmaster.ie

Birmingham’s emperors of rock’n’folk Ocean Colour Scene have announced that they will be releasing a new album, Saturday, on 1st February 2010, which will be preceded by a digital single, Magic Carpet Days on 25th January.

OCS, who will be celebrating their 21st anniversary next year, have clocked up an impressive eleven Top 20 singles and five Top 10 albums during their illustrious career. Saturday, their ninth studio album, was recorded over six weeks last summer at the iconic Rockfield studios in South Wales with producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors/ the Twang), and finds them as vibrantly tuneful as they’ve ever been.

From the opening bars of psych-folk opener ‘100 Floors Of Perception’ - written by Simon about the on-going financial crisis - to epic climax ‘Rockfield’ (think ‘Baba O’Riley’ meets ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’), it’s a reminder than when it comes to delivering classic rock hooks there is simply no one better. Denim-driven boogie ‘Old Pair Of Jeans’ (written by Bennett) will delight those hankering for the full-tilt mod-pop of ‘For Dancers Only’, while Harry Kidnap’ (written in tribute to John Weller) boasts shades of North Atlantic Drift stand-out ‘Make The Deal’. The single, ‘Magic Carpet Days’, meanwhile (key lyric: “The world won’t shake you/Knock you down and break you/I’ll steer you through these magic carpet days”) is a reminder that their belief in the Mod aesthetic of self-improvement remains as strong as ever.

OCS are renowned for their live performances, and stole the show at this year’s V, where they were named ‘Band Of The Festival’ by BBC Radio 2 and Absolute Radio.
In February and March 2010, the band will be undertaking a 24 date UK & Ireland tour.

Available on CD and as a digital download, the full tracklisting is as follows :

1. 100 Floors Of Perception
2. Mrs Maylie
3. Saturday
4. Just A Little Bit Of Love
5. Old Pair Of Jeans
6. Sing Children Sing
7. Harry Kidnap
8. Magic Carpet Days
9. The Word
10.Village Life
11.Postal
12.What’s Mine Is Yours
13. Fell In Love On The Street Again
14. Rockfield

Stevo Berube / Berube Communications info@berubecommunications.com or +353 (0)87 244 2695

CD Contents:
1 Tolerance
2 Bohemian Rhapsody
3 Alien Abduction Probe
4 Omen
5 In the Backyard
6 Eine Kleine Trinkmusik
7 Norfolk Girl
8 She's Just My Type
9 Underneath the Bed
10 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
11 Won't Get Fooled Again
12 Ramblin' Man / Don't Cry For Me

::: LIVE ::: Whelan’s, Dublin, on January 30th

‘Alphabet of Hurricanes’, McRae’s first album for Cooking Vinyl, was written over a two year period during which he toured extensively across Europe, North America and the Far East. “Touring lost me my sense of home,” Tom explains. “Traveling constantly kept my feet itchy – being in motion is the best way to feel alive without actually engaging. I loved it.”

“After a while I just ran out of steam. I wound up in New York and started writing songs, trying to make sense of the last few years. Somehow I had to reconcile the self-destructive side of my nature and the desire to constantly smash things up with the need to feel settled in order to have a better grasp on song-writing and recording. If everything feels breathlessly exciting all the time it’s probably time to take a break from touring.”

McRae, whose debut album was nominated for the Mercury Prize and a Brit Award, recorded the album at his house in Bow, London. He bought a banjo, ukulele, mandolin, drums, violin, an old piano and “other junk from ebay”. Here he began fleshing out the songs he’d been writing on his travels. He dragged his band and a few friends into the studio for a couple of songs and the record began to take shape.

The title ‘Alphabet of Hurricanes’ comes from a song that actually started the writing process, but won’t see the light of day on the record of the same name. Each year hurricanes are named alphabetically and last year the world went through the alphabet twice, which had never happened before. Such was the huge increase in hurricanes the world over. The revenge of the natural world unveiling itself in one of its fiercest forms.

“There’s a line in that song,” expands Tom. “‘An alphabet of hurricanes can’t blow this drifter home,’ which sums up how I felt. The turbulence in my life seemed stuck on repeat, but then I realised if you stop fighting the wind and tides and work with them, you can call it sailing."

So, maybe this is the sound of an angry man coming to terms with the vagaries of the world, the imbalance that it causes both personally and globally and the beginning of his understanding of where he fits in

"Wandering Eye, Brighton, Clown, Money in the Bank – it’s hard to pick a highlight on an album that so consistently delivers." SINÉAD GLEESON -- Irish Times 'The Ticket' ****
“Sweet Heart Rodeo is pure quality; there is a sureness and maturity in the songwriting, and a lightness and poise in the delivery, that is utterly beguiling … Effortlessly magnificent.” – Clash 8/10
“Beautiful.” - Mojo ****
“Delicately adventurous. Young Girl leans towards a previously untapped rockist side, while a semi-freaky cover of Margo Guryan’s Love posits Landes as a muted banshee. She’s on plainer ground with Money In The Bank and Dance Area, feathery acoustic songs that shuffle and sway beautifully, though it’s the graceful cadence of Wandering Eye that steals the show.” – Uncut ****
“As close to graceful as anything I’ve heard in a long time … A gentle canter of mesmerising, summery-tinged tunes which are gilded with effortless vocals and understated melodies … If you’ve already got Cerys Matthews’ Cockahoop, you’ll love it..” - Artrocker
“Writing an album about your great-grandma’s adventures might sound riddled with pitfalls, but Brooklyn-based singer Dawn Landes has struck it lucky. Her great nan ran away with the rodeo, and this country-tinged tribute sounds as sweet as its title.” - Grazia

Landes first came to the UK & Ireland's attention with the release of her acclaimed second album (and her UK / Irish debut), Fireproof (2008). Q declared it to be “Understated and beautiful” (Q **** Recommended Album), whilst The Guardian called it “vivid girl-next-door indie pop in the spirit of Frente and Cat Powers.” Uncut said “Landes propels the whole project skywards with a voice that encapsulates the best qualities of Laura Veirs and Cat Powers. It’s pretty much essential stuff.”

Sweet Heart Rodeo was inspired by Landes great-grandmother’s beau, who ran away to join the rodeo during the Great Depression. A rodeo theme runs throughout the record as she compares the ups and downs of romance to the rigours of bull riding. “Each song is like its own bull,” the twenty-eight-year-old deadpans. “Each ride its own love-story … you know, trying to hang on to a wild thing isn’t always graceful.”

Recorded in Landes own studio (Saltlands in Brooklyn) with regular collaborator, drummer and all-rounder Ray Rizzo, guitarist Josh Kaufman and bassist Annie Nero, the album kicks off with the new single, “Young Girl”, which ponders gender stereotyping - competitive boys, jealous girls - over a reductive and distorted keyboard riff. The haunting ‘Money In The Bank’ marries down-home hippie wisdom ‘the night before you die, what are you gonna buy?’ to a glorious chorus bolstered by a wistful French horn. Landes even drums on an unlikely cover of Margo Guryan’s already unlikely ‘Love’, a 1968 collision of cool jazz and nascent psychedelia. Rizzo’s idiosyncratic harmonica style "kinda cloudy- the opposite of ethereal” boosts the quirky ‘Wandering Eye’, a rare song that combines sex and travel without causing offence, while ‘Little Miss Holiday’ imagines a conversation between Jodie Foster and the teenage hooker that inspired her character in Scorsese’s unhinged “Taxi Driver.” It’s tender rather than bleak. ‘Brighton’ is a tribute to a magical day in that great Southern (English) town, yet it could hardly sound more American, Appalachian even. “I hope I captured it in the song,” she says. Her Brighton though is more romantic than the resort us Britons know, already a fond memory. By the album’s conclusion, the wobbly wedding march of ‘All Dressed In White’, you’ll probably be thinking of giving love a try. Even if it does hurt when you fall off.

Groove Armada – Andy Cato and Tom Findlay - release their hotly awaited new studio album ‘Black Light’, February 22nd, which sees the masters of reinvention move in some thrilling new directions.

Written and produced by Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, their sixth studio album ranks among their best work to date.

“We needed a new challenge, explains Andy. “Bands like Friendly Fires, Klaxons, Passion Pit, and MGMT, they're the ones really leading the charge, making genuinely exciting, dance-informed music. That sound really pushed us back towards people like Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and Roxy Music."

Recorded in Tom’s studio in North London, the blistering 12-track album features intriguing and fascinating collaborations with Bryan Ferry, Will Young and Nick Littlemore (Empire Of The Sun/PNAU) to name a few.

Bryan Ferry supplies his first ever guest vocal to the softly intense ‘Shameless’. Having had ‘Love Is A Drug’ on repeat for much of the recording it seemed only right. While the yearning voice heard on the stirring house lullaby ‘History’ belongs to Will Young, a good friend of Andy’s.

With their fingers sitting permanently on the musical pulse Andy and Tom recruited lesser-known quantities but equally impactful in Nick Littlemore (Empire Of The Sun/PNAU), electro wonder kids Fenech Soler, livewire female vocalist SaintSaviour and Brooklynite Jess Larrabee.

Nick appears on the first song for the record ‘Warsaw’ – a juddering electro-rocker that became an online hit when it was offered as a free sneak preview in September. His vocals drive the delicate ‘Fall Silent’, the menacing ‘Not Forgotten’ and 80s-tinged popper ‘Cards To Your Heart’.

Another of Black Light's main contributors is SaintSaviour who fronted the ‘Black Light’ preview tour in October. The singer has lent her crystalline vocals to the album's first single ‘I Won't Kneel’ (Out November 23rd), as well as the second single ‘Paper Romance’ (Due February 15th), who she shares vocals with Ben from electro wonder-kids Fenech Soler.

SaintSaviour also appears on the driving, electro-‘Time and Space’ alongside Jess Larrabee. "We've never actually met Jess," says Andy, "We got really into her albums and started emailing tracks for her to add vocals. Her music usually has more of a White Stripes kind of vibe. She got really into the disco flavour and absolutely nailed it."

Larrabee lends her voice to the album's gorgeous mellow gem, Just For Tonight’ and provides some New York attitude to the spiky, rocked-up ‘Look Me In The Eye Sister’ - a track the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would kill for.

"It's amazing to make a record at this point in your career that you're viscerally excited about," says Tom. "Even people who've hated everything we've ever made before could absolutely love this record. I'm incredibly proud of it.”

Tracklisting & List Of Collaborators
Look Me In The Eye Sister Feat. Jess Larrabee
Fall Silent Feat. Nick Littlemore
Just For Tonight Feat. Jess Larrabee
Not Forgotten Feat. Nick Littlemore
I Wont Kneel Feat. SaintSaviour
Cards To Your Heart Feat. Nick Littlemore
Paper Romance Feat. Fenech Soler & SaintSaviour
Warsaw Feat. Nick Littlemore
Shameless Feat. Bryan Ferry
Time & Space Feat. SaintSaviour & Jess Larrabee
History Feat. Will Young

After an incredible 2008/09 so far, which has included a debut top 10 album, 2 full headline UK and European tours, European dates with Simple Plan, Radio 1 B listed singles, over 125,000 singles sold and a whole run of festivals, ELLIOT MINOR are now set to release their new single ‘Electric High’ and 2nd album ‘Solaris’.

‘Electric High’ signifies a more mature leap forward in every department for ELLIOT MINOR, from playing to song writing, production and ambition. Frontman and songwriter Alex Davies started writing the new material as soon as the band came off the road in December last year. The new songs pull from the band’s experiences of making and touring their first album.

The new single was recorded during the album sessions starting in April this year at Chapel Studios in Lincoln and at Mavehole Studios in York. Produced once again by Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank, Something Corporate) and mixed by the multi Grammy award winning Tom Lord-Alge (Manic Street Preachers, Taking Back Sunday, Weezer, The Rolling Stones), this second collaboration meant that the band and Jim knew what had worked before but gave them a lot of room to add new creative ideas and to push into bold new territory. Live wise, the band have played Oxygen, T in the Park, Leeds and Reading and Download last year. They also played main support to Simple Plan in Europe and Fall Out Boy in the UK, been to Japan three times doing their own headline shows, have toured as a headline act through Europe into Paris, Prague, Brussels and Amsterdam on every tour. On top of this, they have also taken the likes of You Me at Six, We are the Ocean, The Higher and Mission District as support.

TRACKLISTING

1) The Dancer
2) I Believe you need me to...
3) Electric High
4) Coming Home
5) Carry on
6) Better than the Courtroom
7) All Along
8) Solaris
9) Discover (Why the love hurts)
10) Shiver
11) Tethered
12) Sometimes You're Wrong

Plus Special Piano Tour of Europe includes Four Irish Dates:
10.11.09 - Cork - Cyprus Ave
11.11.09 - Dublin - The Village
12.11.09 - Galway - Roisin Dubh
13.11.09 - Sligo - Tobergal Lane

For Mark Eitzel’s new tour he will be performing special piano shows across Europe with the accompaniment of American Music Clubs arranger and keyboardist Marc Capelle.
Mark will sing American Music Club songs along side solo tracks.

‘Klamath’ (décor records) is the album that a lot of people have been asking Mark Eitzel to make for a very long time, just Mark’s amazing voice, an acoustic guitar and minimal instrumentation.

After a full year of touring Mark came back to San Francisco exhausted and called on some friends for an escape. They were living in Happy Camp, California - by the Klamath river, a small cabin in the middle of the woods and way off the grid in Northern California. Mark says about writing the album:

“I wandered around for a couple of weeks in this untouched forest and decided I would make a record that included the stillness - the vicious beauty - I heard there. I had not felt this way for a long time. I should have made another American Music Club record for the label - but didn’t hear drums and big electric guitars. Klamath is a simple record. I am a simple man. Or I wanna be. It's the kind of record i would want to listen to.”

The basic tracks were written and recorded in Klamath and finished off in San Francisco in the following three months with Eitzel producing and the likes of Franz Nicolay from the Hold Steady and Marc Capelle from American Music Club and Dave Douglas (who drums with Kelley Stoltz) guesting on the album. The pastoral – laid back, late night sparse feel to the album harkens back to Eitzel’s folk influences of Nick Drake and John Martyn and earlier work with AMC. The only electric guitar featured is in Eitzel’s tribute to local Columbus, Ohio (where Eitzel grew up) new wave hero Ronald Koal. After the instrumental lead in to the album ‘Buried Treasure’ Eitzel puts on his lyrical and melodic best.

‘Klamath’ is Mark’s first proper solo album of new material since 2001’s ‘Invisible Man’ on Matador. Just prior to AMC’s breakup in 1995, Eitzel began his solo career in earnest and since then he has released six albums including “60 Watt Siliver Lining”, “West” with REM’s Peter Buck, “Caught in a Trap...” with members of Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo and two albums of cover versions. In 2003, American Music Club got back together for one of the most anticipated and amazing reunions in ages. Their 2004 album, “Love Songs for Patriots”, received widespread critical acclaim as well as the follow up “The Golden Age”. In between these albums he released a collection of soundtrack material called ‘Candy Ass’. Eitzel is now working on a new record with Peter Buck, the next AMC album and a musical in London called Marine Parade co-written with Simon Stephens.

“Klamath” - Tracklisting
1. Buried Treasure
2. Like A River That’s Reaching the Sea
3. The Blood on My Hands
4. I Miss You
5. I Know There Is Someone Waiting
6. What Do You Got For Me
7. The White of Gold
8. I Live In This Place
9. Why I’m Bullsh!t
10. Remember
11. Antennas
12. Ronald Koal Was a Rock Star

Mark Eitzel is the singer and songwriter out of American Music Club. Mark has been making records since 1980. He has a full beard and is bald. Mark is one of the best songwriters in the world, Rolling Stone said this back in 1992 but it is still true. Mark Eitzel is sometimes his own worst enemy so it is fun to get them fighting each other, Mark Eitzel II normally loses out to Alpha Eitzel. Mark has also sung with the Toiling Midgets and with Peter Buck of REM. Mark hates long haul flights and loves writing rants about bad hotels on travel sites, someday we may collect these into a book. Mark Eitzel has released 8 solo albums, 9 albums with American Music Club and many other side projects, tour albums etc. I’m not sure Mark Eitzel is a very good lover, he is defiantly not a very good fighter. Mark Eitzel is currently working on his new solo album, another album with Mr Buck and after that a new American Music Club album. Mark lives in the city of San Francisco in the Mission District…the worlds best burritos come from here. Mark has lived in Ohio, NYC, Southampton and can often be found walking the streets of London. If you see Mark II stop and say hi and he may get you a drink but please don’t hassle Alpha Eitzel, we are not insured here for any public liability.

::: LIVE ::: New Years Eve Carnival Extravaganza ~ Vicar Street, Dublin

Supports...
Bone Idle Circus
The North Strand Kontra Band
Candice Gordon
& very special guest Carol Keogh
Ticket price 29.50 Euro

Upcoming Jerry Fish & the Mudbug Club Shows
Sat, Nov 21 - McHughs, Drogheda
Thu, Dec10 - The Olive Grove, Athlone
Sat, Dec19 - Roisin Dubh, Galway
Tue, Dec22 - Party with Imelda May in the 02, Dublin
Sun, Dec27 - The Late Lounge, Kildare
Mon, Dec28 - The Pavilion, Cork
Thu, Dec 31 - New Years Eve Party / Carnival Extravaganza!! Vicar Street, Dublin

::: LIVE :::
Thursday 5th November 2009 - THE VILLAGE, DUBLIN
Saturday 7th November 2009 - HEADFORT ARMS HOTEL, KELLS
Thursday 12th November 2009 - THE BACKROOM, NAVAN
Check website for more information.

"Beekeeper", the 3rd single to be released from the critically acclaimed album INVITATION TIME (Album of the Week - RTE Radio 1)
following "Eviction" and "Secret" is out now on LP Records and Available on iTunes & downloadmusic.ie

Idlewild has announced it will be releasing its seventh studio album, "Post-Electric Blues"

The album, which was available earlier this year as a limited edition via the bands website, will also feature two bonus tracks – Take Away The Night Time and Take Me Back In Time (demo). These tracks will be available to download once the album has been purchased. The release was be preceded by a digital single, Readers & Writers, which will feature an extra track, (The Night Will) Bring You Back To Life (demo)

'Post-Electric Blues' is an indie-rock album of Boss-like bombast, flecked with 70s synths and dashes of brass. It's an album that leaps from Fleetwood Mac epic folk/rock/pop peaks into joyous Loch-side sing-a-longs. It's the sound of a deft and defiant band(completed by Rod Jones on guitar, backing vocals, keyboards; Colin Newton on drums, percussion; Allan Stewart on guitar and Gareth Russell on bass), exploring soundscapes whilst finding hooks and generally, genuinely and quite clearly, having a fookin’ good time.

"Album opener 'Younger than America' was the first track we wrote for the album," says singer Roddy Woomble. "The idea for the lyrics came from a spate watching Westerns - simple stories of justice and courage set at the 'frontier'. It sounds the way it does because we're all big fans of Neil Young & Crazy horse. After we'd written the song I though the record might turn into a American sounding piece of classic rock, but it didn't turn out that way really, especially after writing 'Readers and Writers'. The record went in whatever direction it chose to.”

Lyrically, the punk-rock sloganeering of their earlier work has become a mixture of poignant observational small-world imagery and universal ponder-neering. This isn't all textural wilderness-gazing or woe is me Morrissey-like rambling. There are a few wry lyrics because "sometimes you need some daft lines in there," explains Roddy, "I don't that think it's possible to have a rock song where every line is perfect, I don't think that's the point of rock music."

Whilst the band were writing and recording the album, members of their fanclub-like online community saw and heard work-in-progress snippets: "The fans of the band were part of this album and were entitled to see the songs being written and to feel a part of them," beams Roddy. "They paid for them to be recorded after all. In today's musical world when everything has to be available and instant and people get bored quickly (far too quickly in my opinion) this album was our attempt to get with the times. I suppose the album title reflects this. We all really like and appreciate the fact the fans paid for us to make this album and that all their names are inside of it."

Written in Scotland and recorded in Wales (and Scotland), Post-Electric Blues is an album made to play live, as Roddy explains: "Most bands now make their living through concerts, and we're no exception, so records have to be tailored that way. With 'The Remote Part and 'Warnings...' we were writing songs that would sound good on the radio (and live, but the radio was more important - so we were told). There are a million new bands on the radio waves, or digital waves, now so it's more important to us how we will sound good through a PA system in a club and that we can play and sing it all!"

There can be no doubt that this year belongs to the Prodigy. They’re back, getting in the world’s face and doing what they do best: they’ve proved themselves as the last gang in town all over again, selling over a million copies of new album ‘Invaders Must Die’ and playing a string of devastating live shows across the world that turn any gig into a festival and any festival into an snarling, pogoing orgy of full on rave power. Three men standing completely at the top of their game.

So with the world at their feet, the bar has been set pretty high to make this three disc special edition of ‘Invaders Must Die’ a memorable end to a very special year…

Featuring heavyweight underground rhythm tracks from Liam Howlett’s now scarce and much talked about Lost Beats EP, new mixes from Liam Howlett, Yuksek and Bang Gang as well as collecting the cream of the album’s remixes to date including radical dancefloor reworkings from Josh Homme, Sub Focus, Chase & Status, Benga, Herve and Rusko, as well as live versions of tracks, videos and live footage plus a 48 page tour booklet.

The album will also include Invaders Must Die (Liam H Re-amped version) and as a mark of respect to their fans this track will be available to download for free from www.theprodigy.com from Wednesday 21st October for 7 days and will then get a full release on November 30th. Full details to follow …

This is a collection that shows off both a band at the peak of their live powers and a collection of some of the most vital contemporary music being made by anyone today.

Disc 1 - Audio CD - original album plus …

The Big Gundown (from Lost Beats EP)?
Wild West (from Lost Beats EP)
Omen - Live - Rock am Ring

Disc 2 - Audio CD

1. Invaders Must Die - new Liam Howlett mix
2. Invaders Must Die - Chase & Status Remix
3 Omen - Noisia Remix
4. Omen - Herve Remix
5. Warriors Dance - Future Funk Squad Remix
6. Warriors Dance - Benga Remix
7 .Warriors Dance - South Central Remix
8. Take Me To The Hospital - Rusko Remix
9. Take Me To The Hospital - Subfocus Remix
10. Take Me To The Hospital - Josh Homme & Liam H's Wreckage Mix
11. Take Me To The Hospital - Loser 's Middlesex A & E Remix
12. Invaders Must Die - Yuksek Remix
13 .Thunder - Bang Gang Remix

DVD Disc

1. Invaders Must Die - video. directed by Paul Dugdale
2. Omen - video. directed by Paul Dugdale
3. Warriors Dance - video. directed by Corin Hardy
4. Take Me To The Hospital - video. directed by Paul Dugdale
5. Worlds on Fire - live. directed by Paul Dugdale
6. Warrior's Dance - live. directed by Paul Dugdale
7. Run - live. directed by Paul Dugdale
8. Take Me To The Hospital - Big Day Out - Australia 2009. directed by Paul Dugdale

THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU CAN APPLY

Over the years there has been barely a handful of Irish bands whose dizzying ascent to the top of the music industry has been made in double-quick time. Bands like The Thrills and Cranberries are two examples of acts that had barely finished playing village halls and local pubs when they found themselves tripping the live fandango across huge stages in front of vast crowds. They, however, are as rare the proverbial hen's teeth, and even bands like U2 and the sickly sweet Corrs, earned their stripes, parading up and down the country, as they sharpened their skills waiting for that moment; when your luck finally meets up with your opportunity. And when you are a musician with any ambition, it is that "moment" that you strive for, although most never even get that close. As a small example of just how far the odds are against you becoming a working musician, consider the following statistics. In Ireland, experts vary about how many original bands exist in the country at any given time but estimates ordinarily fall somewhere in the region of 8,000 or more.

Each year, perhaps a half dozen of these will make the jump from obscurity to national renown, with perhaps only one of these going on to achieve anything on an international level. Considering Ireland's anemic national support for its homegrown acts, it is a wonder that even that many make it to solvency, but such adverse odds have done little to dissuade the tens of thousands of kids that dream everyday about being a rock star or even those bands that continue to carry amps up and down the stairs of gin mills and dives every weekend for years on end, in the dogged pursuit of that "moment". For Ireland's latest indie sensation, Ham Sandwich, that moment is now and few bands on the island have worked as hard to achieve it.

According to legend, Ham Sandwich's birth was positively biblical given the fact that Johnny Moore approached, Podge McNamee and, Niamh Farrell about the idea of forming their own group, while the trio were at a Good Friday party, in 2003. With Moore as the main songwriter and the other two as vocalists, they then set their sights on combing through the musicians they knew in hometown, Kells, County Meath, in an effort to shore up the lineup with likeminded individuals. Guitarist, Darcy, was recruited from the school he attended with Moore in the nearby town of Navan, which, curiously, is the same school that gave Ireland three of its most esteemed comedic talents, in the shape of Dylan Moran, Tommy Tiernan and Hector O'hEochag·in. With the addition of Ollie Murphy on drums, the band was complete and rehearsals began in earnest. After almost one year of intense jamming and absorbing a multitude of tastes, the band finally took its first steps into the public spotlight, becoming something of a local phenomenon, on the strength of their charged live performances and colorful personalities.

In early autumn of 2005, the national underground music scene got its first taste of the band with the release of their first single, the superb, Sad Songs, which called to mind acts such as Jesus & Mary Chain, Pavement and The Smiths. With McNamee and Farrell's vocals projecting a perfect balance of light and shade, the single served as an early signal that Ham Sandwich had potential to be a band of consequence. The next two years would only confirm this notion as the five-piece set about touring the highways and byways of Ireland, drumming up support wherever they went, with a show that is as energetic as it is unpredictable. In Farrell, the band has the ultra-cool female singer, who is unafraid to mix it up with her fellow band members, yet is not beyond projecting an air of cool detachment when the mood demands it, while in McNamee, the band has a bona fide space cadet (sometimes quite literally when he wears his astronaut costume). Bounding around the stage, exuding fun and mischief, and alternating between ringmaster and clown, his energy alone could probably power all their amps. Together, the pair are almost sound somewhat like The Sunday's Harriet Wheeler and Crash Test Dummies, Brad Roberts, might sound like if they ever played in a high-octane indie band, although it's doubtful then that they would retain a scintilla of the natural chemistry evident between Farrell and McNamee. Such a live show soon had the band selling out venues throughout the country, despite little or no promotion and winning them the title as Ireland's greatest cult band.

Two more singles followed, St Christopher and Click... Click... Boom!, the latter of which exploded the band onto the national consciousness, with it's Pixies-like collision of energy and substance. Suddenly Ham Sandwich found themselves opening for names such as Electric Six, Buzzcocks and My Morning Jacket, as their public profile grew and their singles began to receive airplay in prime time shows. They also made their first appearances on TV and as the year drew to a close, the band retired to a cottage in Cavan, to begin work on their debut album with producer, Karl Odlum. In fact, the view from the cottage was the same view that Irish writer, Jonathon Swift, was looking at when he was struck with the idea for his novel, Gulliver's Travels, adding just the right amount of solitude and mystique to proceedings.

On February 15, the band's labors attained a physical form, when their debut album, Carry The Meek, hit stores and promptly debuted at 23 in the Irish album charts, an extremely creditable result considering they released it on their own label, Route 109 Records, which is named after the bus route from Dublin to Kells. In case the band needed any more affirmation that they were on their way to the next level, they were also presented with the Meteor Music Hope For 2008 Award, on the same day as their album release. The interest is such that the band is already in talks with several labels with a view to getting the album out overseas and it will undoubtedly only be a matter of months before the band start gigging outside of Ireland on a regular basis. The years of dedication appear to be paying out, proving the adage that hard work always pays off in the end. McNamee recently alluded to this fact saying: "It's always been a slow rise. We've never forced our music on anyone." Now the people are coming to the music in their droves, leaving only one slightly downbeat note for the rest of us; we're going to have to find another band to call Ireland's greatest cult band, because Ham Sandwich has gone above ground and if they keep producing albums like that, they are there to stay.

By Joe Kavanagh (Irish Examiner - USA)

Ocean Colour Scene, who have clocked up an impressive eleven Top 20 singles and five Top 10 albums during their illustrious career, have announced that they will be giving away a free track ahead of the release of their forthcoming album, "Saturday". Taken from the album (due for release on Monday 1st February 2010), the free download, "Mrs Maylie", will be available for 2 weeks only from Monday 2nd November at
www.oceancolourscene.com

During their illustrious career, Ocean Colour Scene have clocked up an impressive eleven Top 20 singles and five Top 10 albums in the UK alone. They recorded their new album "Saturday" at legendary Rockfield studio (Oasis, The Stone Roses, and Black Sabbath), with esteemed producer Gavin Monaghan (Kings of Leon, Robert Plant ,The Editors, The Twang) at the helm, and is due for release on Monday 1st February. Earlier this year, the band previewed some of the new songs during its performances at the Oxegen, V and Belladrum Festivals. Commenting on the album, frontman Simon Fowler says, “During our six weeks at Rockfield we have recorded fourteen new songs so far, and it's shaping up to be our best collection since Marchin’ Already. Now we are looking forward to playing a whole new set early next year.” More details to follow ….

Hot on the heels of stuffing Dublin's Whelans with over 400 punters on the same night as the Ireland v Italy World Cup qualifier, Rising Dublin popsters The Gandhis have just released their debut album ‘You Are My Friend’ through 1969 Records. After raising a few eyebrows around the country with their memorable performance RTE TV's "Saturday Night With Miriam" show during the summer, the band now hit the road to play dates around the country.

::: LIVE :::
22 Oct 2009 - The Spirit Store - Dundalk, Louth
23 Oct 2009 - The Stables - Mullingar, Westmeath
25 Oct 2009 - Dublin Flea Market (Acoustic Gig Thingy) - Dublin
28 Oct 2009 - Dolans Warehouse - Limerick
31 Oct 2009 - The Lower Deck - Halloween Gig w/ Van Cleef - Dublin
17 Nov 2009 - Roisin Dubh - Galway
21 Nov 2009 - Whelans - Dublin
...check the myspace site for added gigs.

• Saturday 24th October 2009 - PUMPKIN FESTIVAL - VIRGINIA (SUPPORT TO BELL X1)
  
• Thursday 5th November 2009 - THE VILLAGE, DUBLIN Saturday 7th November 2009 - HEADFORT ARMS HOTEL, KELLS
  
• Thursday 12th November 2009 - THE BACKROOM, NAVAN

Check website for more dates to be added.

In March 2009, Meath based band "Little Palace" released their second studio album, titled "Invitation Time".

Two singles were subsequently released, the melodic and thought provoking "Eviction" with shared vocals from Ann-Louise Mulvany and Anthony Cregan, and the heart-felt ballad "Secret", featuring Colm Mac Con Iomaire of renowned Irish band the "Frames". Both singles received substantial airplay across national radio.

The release of the album was followed by a very successful Irish tour, taking in venues in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Louth and Meath.

"We really enjoyed being back on the road together" says drummer Ian Melady who incidentally also played with critically acclaimed indie band "Turn" "because we'd taken a break from playing live for a few years we were all fresh going in to it".

With main songwriter Michael Brunnock now resident in New York, recording and touring were never going to be easy. Bassist Anthony Cregan says "the logistics of getting us all in the same place were a bit of a nightmare, but the fact that we did it just shows how much we really wanted it to happen". And, happen it did! With sold out shows and rave reviews and even album of the week on RTE radio 1.
________________________________________

Little Palace went back into the studio in 2008 to record some songs written by Michael Brunnock. "They were good songs and we all felt that there was unfinished business, so why not!" says Michael. These recordings became "Invitation Time" the new album from the band.

Previously they had released two very successful E.Ps. The debut "Beekeeper" featuring the song "Gift" produced by "Dead Can Dance" main man Brendan Perry, and the follow up "Car" which were both accompanied by extensive touring of Ireland, several dates in the U.S and some shows in Paris, France.

Long term member and co-producer Martin Quinn says of the new record "This is some of the best work we've ever done and it all came together pretty easily!"

The new album features a re-working of the very popular song "Secret" with a fine piano performance by James Quinn, also a member of the band since day one, and additional strings played by Colm Mac Con Iomaire of the Frames.

Band Members

Ann-Louise Mulvany - Vocals
Michael Brunnock - Vocals/Guitars
Anthony Cregan - Vocals/Guitars/Bass
Martin Quinn - Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keyboards/Producer
James Quinn - Piano/Keyboards
Ian Melady Drums/Percussion
David Butler - Manager

:: LIVE ::: WHELANS (Upstairs), Dublin - October 10th, 2009"Analogue Droids"Launch Gig

"Analogue Droids" is the 3rd single taken from Cowboy X's long awaited second album - "Meant To Be Machines" - out 2010 - and will be available on download.ie with 3 other tracks, Squirrel Chase Ball, Ed White's Glove, and Villain In Disguise, as the Analogue Droids EP. This is the first time Cowboy X have released an EP and the other 3 tracks, will not be on the forthcoming album.

Also the two previous singles Japanese Toy and Break Me (Featured as the theme to RTE2 "Raw Sessions") will for the first time be available on download.ie
_______________________________

John and David have been in several bands together since they were knee high to grass hopper. They failed miserably. Then one day, on a beach like the one in The Beach they both rescued Karen, a complete stranger, from a shark, crocodile and pigeon attack.

After many months of recuperation in hospital (and with a few plastic surgery operations thrown in for good measure) Karen was back on her feet and tracked down John and David to thank them for saving her life. They suggested many ways in which she could repay them...none of which will be mentioned at this time. Then they realised she could sing and her voice would work well on the music they had been writing. From then on, they were collectively known as Cowboy X and their music rang throughout the land.

COWBOY X:
Karen McCartney - Vocals/Guitar
John Hanley - Drums
David Grealy - Guitar
Wayne Gibson - Bass

The Indigo Girls launch their own imprint to release their first studio album in 3 years
The release will contain 2 CDs – a full band version and acoustic disc with a bonus track

It’s been two decades since the Indigo Girls launched their career with their independently released debut album, 1987’s Strange Fire. Now, after entertaining millions of fans with their 10 major-label studio albums (nine on Epic Records and one, 2006’s Despite Our Differences, on Hollywood Records), Emily Saliers and Amy Ray have come full circle with the independent release of their new 2-CD album, Poseidon And The Bitter Bug, on their new label IG Recordings, distributed through Vanguard Records.

The new album reunites the Grammy-winning duo with veteran producer, arranger and keyboardist Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Los Lobos and others), who worked on the Indigo Girls’ acclaimed 2006 release, Despite Our Differences. Longtime bassist Clare Kenny, drummer Matt Chamberlin and engineer David Boucher make up the rest of the core band but the sound is pure Indigo Girls, with uplifting, effortless harmonies; honest, passionately involved lyrics and infectious melodies.

“Mitchell was able to build a bridge between Emily’s songs and my songs more successfully than anyone we’ve worked with“, says Ray, “he’s a musicians’ musician and has a very clear idea of what will work.” Adds Saliers, “He likes Amy’s music and he likes my music, which is not the easiest thing to find because we are so different and our songs are different.”

The album was recorded in Atlanta in a whirlwind three week session – they wanted to keep a sense of spontaneity and discovery to the process. And it’s the songwriting that shines on Poseidon, with the duo exploring new approaches to melody, harmonics and rhythm, especially on Saliers’ “Digging For Your Dream,” which she says is “as close to R&B as I’ve ever gotten,” and Ray’s “Sugar Tongue,” a fevered meditation on colonialism that finds her experimenting with her higher vocal range to capture an innocence not commonly displayed by the fiery rocker.

Says Saliers, “For a band like us, it might feel inauthentic if we tried to branch out in some crazy way musically. That's why Amy makes solo records, so she can do her own thing outside of what we do together. As a unit, we do what we do and Mitchell just happens to bring the best out of it. That's a good thing at this point in our career.”

One thing the Girls have done differently on Poseidon is include a second CD that features acoustic versions of all the songs, plus a bonus track, “Salty South.” It’s a chance for listeners to hear stripped down, organic versions of the songs – just the Girls in a room with a few mics – before the arrangements changed with the addition of the band.

With a Grammy, six Grammy nominations and a legacy of releases and tours behind them, the Indigo Girls have outlasted many of their peers and forged their own way in the music business. They’ve always thought independently, and have always balanced their commitment to music and performing with an unwavering commitment to social, political and environmental issues – Ray and Saliers don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk. In 1991, Ray and Saliers co-founded the non-profit organization Honor the Earth to raise awareness and financial support for indigenous environmental justice, and over the years they have supported groups fighting for women’s rights, civil rights for same-sex couples, and the abolition of the death penalty as well as voter registration.

Now with their own imprint, the Girls have come full circle; they’ve weathered the ups and downs of the music industry and come out with their musical vision and enthusiasm intact.

“I am overwhelmingly excited to be independent because it really is where the heart of music sits for me,” says Ray, “I don't have many regrets about the major-label life of the band because we certainly got a lot out of it. We were lucky enough to be on Epic when Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine were our label-mates and the company was developing bands with the intent of creating catalog artists. That has all changed, and it's just not worth being on a major. It hasn’t felt worth it for a long time. Beyond that, it never fed my soul the way an independent career can.”

“I feel a great sense of freedom in finally being rid of the major-label world,” Ray says. “It’s been a burden for a while for me. I felt an honesty and sincerity making Poseidon, because I fully believe in independence.” Saliers says, “It fees liberating and centering, even in the midst of change.”

Poseidon And The Bitter Bug is the work of career artists at the top of their artistic game, invigorated to be doing what they love best – writing and performing music. With these two CDs, the Indigo Girls give listeners an intimate look at their songwriting and how it’s affected by the recording process. Poseidon is a release that affirms their position not only as musical icons but as artists who continue to live up to the high standards they’ve set for themselves.