Fanrealm.com » Biography

MICHAEL BRUNNOCK

Jane Woods — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:31:22 +0000

Michael Brunnock possesses an extraordinary voice, and his songs mine the profound. So it’s not surprising that David Byrne cast him to sing the role of an Irish musician on the brink of success whose voice guides Sean Penn through an emotional journey of self-discovery in This Must Be the Place (2012). The score by Byrne with lyrics by Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) called for a distinctive vocalist, which Brunnock is.

Brunnock’s sense of himself and his roots is deeply evident on The Orchard (2012 Araglin Records) A collection of gorgeously crafted songs that embrace a breadth of vision. Featuring guest performances from Glen Hansard (Swell Season), Julia Stone, Ari Hest and Joe Sumner, the album is Brunnock’s third since Live in New York (2009) and So I Do (2007). Mixed by triple Grammy winner Patrick Dillett, The Orchard is due for release in February 2012.

His exquisite rendering of Down by the Araglin pays homage to the grandfather (also named Michael Brunnock) whose singing of this and other local ballads captivated those gathered around the fire in the family’s kitchen. The younger Brunnock has learned his craft well, deftly weaving fine lyric with powerful melody in a song like Man Overboard in which an emigrant’s material success is contrasted with the treasure left behind.

In Untouchable, with Glen Hansard on guest vocals, Brunnock asks what it means to be a man, a warrior, a father; to live free in the modern world: Am I man enough to taste flesh burned to the bone? Gameboy hero, as I kill from a drone.

Powerful melodies and angelic harmonies are driven by a strong personal vision on Song of the Lark, Every Step and Soft, White and Indigo. Brunnock’s remarkable voice shines throughout, drawing the listener in with an authentic vision and Irish soul.

Brunnock established his solo career when he relocated to New York City a decade ago, having performed through the 90s in Ireland with the bands Little Palace and The Van Winkles as well as with Dead Can Dance’s Brendan Perry. Since then he has toured extensively in the States, opening for the Frames and The Swell Season on recent sold out American tours, and has appeared on TV shows such as FOX 5′s ‘Fearless Music’.

You can find Michael at Facebook here

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Vintage WildFlowers ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:04:16 +0000

Acclaimed for their instrumental prowess, onstage charm and soulful vocals, Tulsa-based Vintage Wildflowers was formed in January 2009. Their performances “declare both their respect for traditional music and their desire to create a style completely their own”. Their music is a reflection of the musical lives and backgrounds of these three women, melding the trio’s wide-ranging musical interests with their Celtic music obsession.

Vintage Wildflowers debuted with a sold-out performance at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s 2009 Summerstage Festival and performed at the Midwest Harp Festival later that summer. They also participated in the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa’s Harwelden Institute, presenting concerts in schools throughout the Tulsa area.

In February 2010 the trio performed at the University of Tulsa to a standing-room-only crowd that overflowed the concert hall into the lobby and hallways of the building. In March 2010 they were invited to perform at North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas, TX. Their NTIF appearance coincided with the release of their first CD, The Upstairs Sessions. The Southwest Celtic Music Association’s Ceili Magazine noted, “These women will be delighting audiences in Oklahoma and the Southwest for a long time to come.”

Vintage Wildflowers has also performed at the American Heritage Music Festival, OKMozart International Music Festival, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Summerstage Festival (also in 2010 and 2011), the Oklahoma Celtic Festival, the Claremore Bluegrass and Chili Festival, Americana Unplugged and Global Oklahoma 2010. Other performances include the Yale Avenue Christian Church Summer Concert Series, the Salon House Concert Series, the Fall Harvest Art Fair, Inverness Village, Stone Bluff Vineyards Concert Series and The Canebrake Resort.

In Winter 2011 they returned to the University of Tulsa “Concerts with Commentary” Series as well as the North Texas Irish Festival. Their second album, Lovely Madness was released in March 2011 and was hailed as a “declaration of their evolving vision with adventurous choices in repertoire and a distinctive artistic voice”. Spring 2011 saw the trio’s debut in concert at the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts as well as the Dallas Acoustic House Concert Series. They were also invited to participate in the Acoustic Oklahoma recording project.

Summer 2011 began with Vintage Wildflowers’ national debut on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Marie Gullard of the Washington Examiner wrote, “Theirs is a full and rich sound that can fill a concert hall with song and three-part harmonies or, if they choose, make a tune resonate softly to float on the air…” The Kennedy Center concert was the centerpiece of the trio’s first tour which included notable performances at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, and a concert sponsored by the Clarksville TN Arts and Heritage Development Council. The trio finished the summer with a performance on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, a worldwide multi-media celebration of grassroots, Americana music.

Vintage Wildflowers music can be heard on radio stations from Alaska to the British Isles; they have been featured on NPR’s Folk Salad, Folk Sampler, Celtic Connections and Funk Roots Radio. Hometown fans recently voted them “Best of Tulsa Bands” in a poll sponsored by Greater Tulsa Reporter newspapers.

The Vintage Wildflowers are – Abby Bozarth – Fiddle, mandolin, guitar and harmony vocals; Dana Fitzgerald Maher – Celtic harp and harmony vocals; Melissa Schiavone – Lead vocals, Irish flute/whistle, banjo and mandolin.

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Sweet Jane ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:03:47 +0000

Sweet Jane are a four piece from Ireland, formed in 2008, with shared female /male lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums. The Irish Times recently described them as a ‘remarkably good Dublin band who transcend their influences by being bang on the money, (as evidenced by) their recently released debut album Sugar For My Soul which manages to blend loaded psych rock and a sweet-natured dream-pop disposition with a clear affinity for the rockier, sludgier end of Americana.’

The album is released on Reekus Records www.reekus.com and received brilliant reviews on its Irish release in summer 2010. It has also been licensed across Asia, and a first single, Close Your Eyes, got brilliant reviews on its UK release in February this year. Sweet Jane were Myspace Artists of the Week in September 2010, and so far 2011 has been great with two of their songs beating off hundreds of entries to make the playlists of leading gamesters Activision/Blizzard, and also MTV/Skins at the Midem synch Listening Sessions, followed by a US tour, including several shows at SXSW. Their album, Sugar For My Soul, gets a UK release in July. They have been chosen by Suede to support on all Irish dates in May, and play leading music industry festival Music Matters Asia in Singapore in May, with support from Culture Ireland.

They are also hitting the festival circuit in Ireland this year and recently played Glasgowbury. Fanrealm will have a review of their fantastic album next week. I meant to have it this week but this week turned out to be on of those weeks and I wanted to devote the time to it that it deserves. You can hear a few of the tracks from the album on their RevebNation widget. We had on last Friday’s post here

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Mary Kathleen Burke ~ Biography

Diane Splon — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:58:51 +0000

Mary Kathleen Burke, originally from Ireland but now firmly based in Scotland, has been described by Dr. Ian Green of Greentrax as “a brilliant talent”. “I’ve been in the music business for more than 40 years,” he said, “and I’ve not heard many like her.” She is a truly gifted singer/songwriter who released her first album “A Song in Her Heart” in February 2008 to great critical acclaim. Since the albums release, Mary has supported well known artists such as Donnie Munro and the Finlay Mc Donald Band and recently toured in Italy. She has also worked with Sean Cannon of The Dubliners and opened for Bob Cheevers and Tony Catlin.

Singing from a young age, by the time she was 15 years old Mary had learned guitar and keyboards and had played with a country band. Seeking to expand her horizons, Mary moved to Scotland at the tender age of sixteen to pursue a career in music. She has played different venues around the country as a solo artist, performing mostly Irish and Scottish traditional or roots music. Her song “My Scotsman and Thee,” included in her album, epitomizes a common theme in folk music; longing for home and love separated by great distance. Written when she was only 19 years old, it is still fresh and relevant today.

Two months after her album release, Celtic Music Radio, based in Glasgow, Scotland asked Mary to join their team and present her own radio show which can be heard at Celtic Music Radio on 1530AM in the Glasgow area and also online at http://www.celticmusicradio.net/. Mary plays artists from Myspace and Reverbnation along with established performers during her show airing Sunday nights between 7:00pm and 9:00pm (Scottish time). Mary also features a wide range of in studio guests performing live on her show and maintains a dedicated Myspace show page at: www.myspace.com/mkburkeshow where artists are invited to join and submit their music for consideration. Skilled in many areas of the music business, Mary was, for a time, Director of Country Music Scotland, a small media vehicle which helped many touring artists.

Along with her debut album, “A Song in Her Heart,” Mary also has an EP, “The Long Way Home” and a new single, Ireland I Miss You, available to download. She’s been doing some writing recently and hopes to have another album out in the future.

“Music is my passion in life. I couldn’t live without it!” …..Mary K. Burke

Visit Mary at her website: www.marykburke.net

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Red Brick House ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:22:35 +0000

Red Brick House are a Sligo based band who are renowned for their hook-laden and impossibly catchy songs. The four-piece graced the stage at Bundoran Sea Sessions and The Rory Gallagher International Festival in 2010 and have been gigging steadily for a number of years. Hot Press magazine described them as ‘a band that blends quality with some unapologetic commercialism.’

The group released their debut EP in March of this year and are now are gearing up fora the big commercial push. The four-track offering showcases the lyrical prowess and the musical swagger of the band. Lead out single ‘Daydream’ promises to be the song on everyone’s lips this summer.

Having played bars, backs of trucks, on top of pallets and even a castle along the way, Red Brick House have honed their live set into a harmony-driven brand of alternative pop, blues, folk as well as some wisely chosen covers. They are a band born of the playlist generation. Combining Indie Rock, Alt Pop, Blues, Noise and even Country with no set style to confine them. The group have also supported renowned Irish acts Codes and Túcan.

Patrick, Les, Danny and Peter have spent most of their lives in each-other’s company, sharing the worst of time and the best of influences (The Raconteurs, Rolling Stones and Radiohead ). It’s been a long hard few years but finally it’s beginning to live up to all it promised

You can find Red Brick House on the web at these sites. Be sure and check them out! We will have more about them very soon.

www.redbrickhouse.ie
www.myspace.com/redbrickhouse
www.facebook.com/redbrickhouse
www.twitter.com/redbrickhouse
www.breakingtunes.com/redbrickhouse

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Beltaine ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:41 +0000

Beltaine is a trad Celtic Music trio from Portland, OR (one of my favorite places in the world). All three of the band members, Brian Baker, Kris Chase and John Keys play multiple instruments but their unique sound is generally created with dual dulcimers, guitar, flute and vocals. They put their own twist on many of the trads you know and love and have a few original tunes to sweeten the pot. They are truly a Celtic Fusion band. They will be releasing their 4th CD on May 14th at Artichoke Music in Portland, Oregon.

Beltaine performs throughout the Northwest at many events including; The Highland Stillhouse, Irishtown, Portland Highland Games, The Bite of Oregon, Portland Rose Festival, Newport Celtic Music Festival, Yachats Celtic Music Festival, Tryon Creek State Park Summer Concert Series, Scappoose Concerts in the Park, Pittock Mansion Holiday Music Program, and many other local venues. If you are in the Northwest be on the look out for them.

Here is a sample of their work. You can hear more at their website here and you can find them on facebook here Enjoy!

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Meet The Kreellers

Jane Woods — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:58:07 +0000

The Kreellers are a high energy Celtic rock band out of Detroit and they might just be the best thing to hit the Motor City since the assembly line. The band, in its current line up, has only been together since 2008 but have already made a huge name for themselves. If you live in the Midwest you are most likely familiar with this great band. If you are a regular listener of shows and podcasts like Cleveland Celtic Podcast, Marc Gunn’s Celtic Music Podcast, Paddy Rock Radio. 67 Music Radio show from Portland, OR, AIRN WSBC 1240 AM in Chicago, Irish Power Hour Radio Program in Syracuse, NY or Beyond the Pale in Cleveland, you also know this band as they are in regular rotation at all of them.

The band members are Derek Wade, Paul Bruno, Bob Gilbert, Steve Vilnius and Charles Fitzgerald. They are highly sought after entertainment for pubs and festivals around the country. They played at IBAM in Chicago last year and will be there again this year. If you are in the Chicago area, be sure to mark the first weekend in November on your calendar and get yourselves to this event.

The Kreellers first cd Sixth and Porter is the 6th best selling cd of all times at cdbaby. Cdbaby sells cds for nearly a million artists so it is no mean feat to be on their all time bestsellers list. Their latest cd is called Saints and Sinners and we will be reviewing it here very soon.

Enjoy this sample of their work ~

You can buy The Kreellers’ cds at cdbaby.

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Paul Shevlin ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:32:07 +0000

Paul Shevlin is a teenage piano based singer/songwriter from County Antrim,
Northern Ireland.

Described by one music journalist as a “jack in the box” having, it seems, came from nowhere, he has over a period of six months, created a considerable buzz in Irish music scene and beyond. His 2010 single releases ‘Goodmorning’ and ‘Lift Up Your Head’, combined with a dynamic live set, has won him critical acclaim and attracted the attention of both record companies and publishers.

With influences such as Ben Folds, Foy Vance and The Frames, his energetic sound and soulful voice brimming with youthful confidence, allows him to reach out to pop music fans and indie purists alike.

Having copious amounts of radio play throughout 2010 has undoubtably been the main driver in elevating Paul to the next level and with labels lining up, the
odds of significant success are narrowing.

Paul heads to Sligo on 23rd October to play at Sligo Live Sessions (www.sligolive.ie) and on to Glasgow on 18th November.

The new single ‘Lift Up Your Head’ is available on itunes in the US and UK.

For more information please visit www.paulshevlin.com

You can download Paul’s song Good Morning here.

We would like to add to the bio that Paul’s manager sent, that Paul also played at Glasgowbury Music Festival this past July. Paul would love to play in Dublin. For booking info please contact:

Paul Campbell
On Behalf of Paul Shevlin

+44 (0)28 2589 2001
+44 (0)7779 803 814

Transit Music
PO Box 1025
Ballymena
BT42 9AU

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Craig Herbertson ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:33:37 +0000

Last week we featured Craig in our Great Scots post and got a lot of positive feedback about him so we asked Craig to tell us a bit more about himself. This is what he had to say:

I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. There was no internet then. The local pig farm
was on the decline. From the back of the house the last prefabs, relics of the war,
gave way to wastelands that splayed on to the park. There I hunted pheasants with
makeshift bows, jumped the Devil’s Leap and popped the Indian balsam that grew in
profusion by the Figgate burn.

Now I sing Scots and Irish songs. For many years I’ve also written my own songs where I have tried for several years, to fill in some gaps in the historical conundrum of Scotland.

My musical traditions stretch back across several generations. I’m the son of the
Edinburgh band leader, Ken Herbertson, who gave gave me an early introduction to
Swing music. I was bottle fed to ‘Songs for Swinging Lovers ‘, which explains a lot
of the contradictions in my music. My uncle Doug, played harmonica in a Skiffle
band. My mother always sang in the kitchen. On my father’s side of the family, my
grandparents performed in theatre and vaudeville, on my mother’s, they were self
taught musicians and like most of Scotland could always sing a bit if pressed. My
grandmother was a friend of Harry Lauder, folk world nemesis, but I’ve always
thought a bit more Music hall would send a refreshing breeze through the Traditional
music scene. (Plenty of people are glad I’m in the minority). My grandfather, Jock,
played the fiddle and English concertina. He was a journalist. One of his Edinburgh
Evening News articles reveals that my Great Grandmother’s favourite party piece was
‘The Rowan Tree.’

In my youth I played in experimental bands including the Scottish New Wave band ‘The Androids’, reviewed in NME and called ‘surprisingly good’ in the definitive guide to punk, ’45 Revolutions’. The Late John Peel, was kind enough to give us air play on BBC Radio 1. I met him in Liverpool once and had the chance to thank him. After The Androids split up I played with a variety of bands including ‘The Keltix’ whose songs were featured on BBC radio and television.

Latterly, I was invited to join the spectacular dance show ‘Celtic Life’. It toured
Germany and also afforded me the opportunity to sing Loch Lomond at Hopetoun house supporting Chris De Burg. As an exile, this is surprisingly more fun than you could guess and there is nothing like a free trip home to make the job seem worthwhile. The show stimulated me to record solo CD’s. The most recent being a Scottish Trilogy: ‘Hearts of Glory’, ‘ ‘Lord of Whisky’ and ‘A Health to the Ladies’. Thankfully, they have all received good critical reviews.

I’ve had many exciting gigs in my time: played for several Irish Ambassadors, a
British Ambassador,millionaires, company directors, mulitnational firms and big folk
festivals, Tynecastle park in front of nearly twenty thousand but regardless of
whether I played in the streets of Paris to a single homeless bloke or a crowd of
thousands the thing for me is always the music itself and the pleasure it gives.

I suppose I’ve been pretty lucky.

If any of you who missed the post on Friday and for all of you who want to hear more of his music I am adding his ReverbNation video widget to this post. Enjoy!

You can read more about Craig at his website http://www.craigherbertson.com/ and you can friend him at myspace http://www.myspace.com/craigherbertson

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Kate O’ Callaghan ~ Bio

Jane Woods — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:57:06 +0000

Kate O’ Callaghan is a singer/songwriter displaying a pot-pourri of musical styles from soulful blues to jazzy folk. Born and reared in Dublin, she chose to leave behind a career in science to explore a world of music and creativity in Inishowen, Co. Donegal. Inspired by rural living, the awesome beauty of her surroundings and the whole spectrum of emotions that accompany life in general, Kate decided to pick up a guitar and start writing songs of her own in 2009. With an already established background in music – having managed and sung with the Inishowen Gospel Choir for 4 years and worked as a backing vocalist for various acts, including Jamaican born Natty Wailer & The Reggae Vibes – Kate has performed with various artists (incl. Duke Special, Liam O’ Maonlai, Foy Vance, Moya Brennan and Henry Mc Cullough) and appeared at many festivals and events including Glastonbury, Electric Picnic and the Festival of World Cultures. Kate is regularly accompanied by a number of musicians including Mark Black, Seamus Devenny, Peter Doherty (The Drifters) and Ted Ponsonby (Mary Black, Van Morrison and Emmylou Harris) and is currently collaborating and guesting with a variety of acts including The Henry Girls, Mark Black & The Roots Orchestra, US folk artist Jennifer Kimball, Californian Accordion-ista Amber Lee Baker and the critically acclaimed Massachusetts band Session Americana.

“Kate O’ Callaghan is that rare bird that manages to combine evocative melodies with intelligent considered lyrics. They cover a gamut of emotions from the sublime to the cathartic always imbued by a personal sadness that lingers constantly in the background. But this is the sadness of humanity that has the power to be uplifting” – Peter Doherty, Musician.

‘To You’ EP due for release June 2010.

www.kateocallaghan.com
www.myspace.com/kateocallaghanmusic
www.breakingtunes.com/kateocallaghanmusic

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