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Gareth Brannigan bought his first guitar after receiving some money on his 12th birthday. After his father showed him a few chords he was off and running eventually learning lead guitar, playing on occasion’s guest lead guitar in his father blues band. On hearing music from Damien Rice, Declan O’Rourke, Ray LaMontagne to name but a few he turned to writing his on songs, this led to him accomplishing semi-finalist status in the UK Songwriters Contest competition 2008 with “Sunrise”. In late 2008 Gareth entered the recording studio to lay down four self penned songs that was to become his first EP entitled “Walk with me”. Gareth teamed up with experienced musicians, notably John Leighton on keyboards and Elaine Sokanovic backing vocals. What resulted from these performances and Gareth’s production is a collection of songs that well surpassed all expectations of a singer songwriter so young, Gareth was 19 at the time. In 2009 he was a finalist the Newtownards Guitar Singer Song writers competition. He is now currently promoting his EP as a solo artist in various venues around the country and has recently performed live on Dublin FM’s “On the verge” www.ontheverge.ie with Brendan Hickey, also appearing on U105 with Lisa Flavelle.
He is currently writing new songs and hopes to go into the studio again in the near future.

“Walk With Me” is currently available as download from ITunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Rhapsody…….

You can hear samples at Gareth’s music at his myspace page: www.myspace.com/garethbranniganmusic

Conor Mason, born August 27, 1981, is a singer-songwriter from Derry. Having learned classical piano from the age of 8, Conor soon progressed to a variety of other instruments including Guitar, drums and harmonica.

Conor followed a music production course at a local college where he began playing in bands and learning the art of recording. It was around this time that Conor played in a band called Gentle Ben. Soon after they split, Conor began recording songs for his first solo project.

It wasn’t long before people were taking notice of Conor’s music. His song ‘Circles’, was one of ten songs of the year in the BBC Across the line show in N. Ireland. More recently, Conor has also won both the XFM Unsigned competition and the monthy ’Your Sound’ showdown at the legendary King Tuts venue in Glasgow. This lead to a slot at the Hydro Connect Music Festival this year, where Conor played alongside artists like Elbow, Sigur Ros, the Coral and Gomez. At the end of last year, Conor released his debut album, ‘When it’s over’, on Antimatter music.

Conor is back in Derry working on his new album, and playing with a new live band, which he hopes to tour with after the summer. With his songwriting consistency, and the sheer warmth of every performance, we look forward to hearing (and seeing) what Conor does next.

Next Gig: IMRO Tour 2010 @ Masons, Derry – 15th April

When It’s Over is available through ITunes (click on album cover to go to ITunes) and also at the Antimatter shop http://www.antimattermusic.co.uk/shop.html

Visit Conor at:
his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/conormason
his facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conor-Mason/119434200227
his twitter page http://twitter.com/conor_mason
his Lastfm pagehttp://www.last.fm/music/Conor+Mason

 “Hope to see some of ye in the very near future folks. Slan..”

The Druids are a four-piece Irish REBEL band made up of three Kildare men and a Wexford man… Paddy Mangan from Johnstown Bridge on banjo, mandolin and vocals; Gary Lawlor from Clane on acoustic guitar and lead vocals; newest recruit Darren Egan also from Clane on bass, a great musician, he will also be singing when he gets settled in; and the one and only Mick O’Brien originally from Wexford but now living in Newbridge on five string banjo, bodhran, tin whistle and vocals. The group has recently taken onboard a manager, Adrian Moran from County Westmeath, who aims to take them “to the highest point of their careers.”

The Druids played their first gig on 9th May 2009 and since then have toured Ireland and Scotland where they play again in April. They are supporting the Celtic band Charlie and the Bhoys in the famous Barrowlands Glasgow to a sellout crowd of 2000 Celtic fans and returning  to the Brazen Head in Glasgow where they perform on regular occasions. On St.Patricks Day The Druids are playing in Belgium and have ten dates in Santa Ponsa in Spain for the annual Celtic Convention in May. Over 30,000 Celtic supporters will be there. They have had enquiries for American and Australian tours for late 2010 and early 2011. Currently they are working on their second album which should be available in early March, 2010. Writers as well as singers and musicians, The Druids have already written four of their own Rebel songs.

The Druids can be seen and heard at:

BEBO:   www.bebo.com/druids32

MySpace:  www.myspace.com/thedruidsirishrebelband.com

Youtube:  www.youtube.com/thedruidsband

In celebration of St Patrick’s Day this month we will be showcasing as many Irish performers as we can. Everyone is Irish this month so we’d like to introduce you to your cousins from the old country. Ireland has long been the home of great music and stories. This country nurtures the creative soul which is evident in the great number of singers, songwriters and other artists who live there. It is difficult for young artists, and even not so young artists, to get a foot in the door in Ireland as it is the world over. If we, as fans, don’t help them out where will tomorrow’s music come from? So let’s bypass all the powers that be and give a listen to them. We featured Siobhan Day yesterday and today we will shine the spotlight on another young artist that we featured a while back.

Chris Keys is a singer-songwriter from Belfast. We posted his bio earlier but here is a little more info and a sample of his great music. Chris is 26 years old and has been featured in the film Imagine while busking in his home town. He is currently working on his second album. Listen to his songs then friend him on myspace http://www.myspace.com/chrisjkeys and facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-keys/52820986217 You can also see videos of his work at his youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/chriskeysofficial

Two more dates have been announced by the Saw Doctors so we will plug them into the tour schedule as we now know it.

May 7 The Magic Bag in Detroit Ticket info call 248 544 3030 or http://www.themagicbag.com
May 8 Celtic Fest Chicago in Millennium Park of Chicago as part of the Chicago Celtic Festival.
http://www.celticfestchicago.us
May 9 Cleveland House of Blues
May 13 The Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA) in Philadelphia call 215 9202 1011 or http://www.livenation.com or http://www.ticketmaster.com
May 14 Irving Plaza in New York City
May 15 House of Blues Club in Boston http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/418767 or http://www.ticketmaster.com
May 16 The Music Hall in Portsmouth NH

We will update as more cities are announced.

Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Day was born in Belfast into a musical family. Growing up she would be surrounded by a wide range of musical tastes from Irish Traditional to Guns N Roses to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. At a very early age Siobhan learnt to play the keyboard and tin whistle, but she first picked up the guitar at the age of 13 which would be the beginnings of a very clear and exciting path into music.

Having music as a way for Siobhan to cope with events in her life was a cathartic release; writing about love and loss, hope and growing up, memories and dreams. The music is a mixture of contemporary folk and acoustic rock, drawing influences from her childhood experience and her current musical tastes.

Siobhan has recently started gigging and is currently working on getting into the studio to record her first EP with a lot of positive interest in her work and exciting plans for the year ahead.

You can catch her live in coffee shops, singer-songwriter nights and even busking in and around Belfast city centre.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/siobhanday
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sizeborg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Siobhan-Day/180952197211

Siobhan also offers a free download of her song Outside at: http://www.nichart.com/downloads.html It’s under SSS

Timeless Traditions, released in February 2009, is Malachi Cush’s fourth album and follows successes with his debut album Malachi, New Day and Celtic Heartbeat. It is an exceptional collection of traditional Celtic songs enhanced by Malachi’s effortless laid back style and smooth mellow voice.

A favorite of mine is County Tyrone. I listen and my minds eye sees those vividly green high holy hills.                 The Donaghmore Exile, another favorite, is a perfect example of Malachi’s expertise at storytelling.
Peggy Gordon is beautifully done as a duet featuring Deirdre Bonner. Her lovely voice compliments Malachi’s and reminds me of Mary Black’s Anachie Gordon. They also join voices to sing Ned of the Hill.

Mention should be made of the considerably talented artists and musicians Plunkett McGartland, Brendan Monaghan, Davey Muldrew and Declan Magee who so ably contribute backup. I would highly recommend this album to anyone and find myself listening over and over again. The songs  are each a little different from the other and are well done and enjoyable listening. I just wonder how this one slipped past me when it first came out. It’s a winner for sure!

Timeless Traditions Song list:

Young Matt Hyland
Lover’s Heart
Ned of the Hill
Step it out Mary
The Wild Goose
The Donaghmore Exile
Spanish Lady
I Wish my Love was a Red Red Rose
Peggy Gordon
The Creel
County Tyrone
A Soldier’s Farewell
 

Timeless Traditions

Available at iTunes:

Visit Malachi Cush at:

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

Website:  http://malachicush.net/

Fansite:  http://www.malachimad.com/

I came across this band first at the NI Charts site and then at myspace. They are a great band remind me a bit of the Saw Doctors in that they sing to and about real people and real experiences. Paddy sent this bio and we will review their cd when it comes out.

Paddy Nash & The Happy Enchiladas @ Glasgowbury Festival 09

After a fantastic performance at Glasgowbury 09 and gigs in Derry, Draperstown, Limavady and beyond. Here are just some of the things people have been saying about them.

Glasgowbury 09

Eamonn McCann – Hot Press

For more info and samples of their music check out their website www.paddynash.co.uk and their myspace page www.myspace.com/paddynash Their are free downloads at their website!

I was actually planning to do this post later in the week but since there is some news I thought I would bump this up a few days. The band has tweeted that they are doing a radio interview on Feb 17 between 8 and 9 AM GMT which means fans in the US will need to be up with the chickens to catch it. This is the link for the broadcast http://www.todayfm.com/Home.aspx There is also a great interview on RTE that was done several years ago when the Cure was released. It can be heard here http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0228/rattlebag.html

It occurred to me that the only people who aren’t fans of the Saw Doctors are the people who haven’t heard them. I think the best way to rectify that is to grab their widget from ReverbNation so here it is. Give them a listen and join us as fans of this great band. They will be touring Australia in March and the US in May and June. We will update the US tour as we get more confirmed dates. In the meantime, enjoy!

Last fall Mickey Coleman and Plunkett McGartland sat down with Malachi Cush on his Sunday Morning Jukebox radio program and discussed Mickey’s newest song and upcoming album, A Mothers Lullaby. During a lighter moment and as friends do, Malachi poked fun at Mickey about being referred to as the “next Irish folk sensation.” Obviously self-conscious about the reference, Mickey responded without hesitation; “talkin the talks one thing, but walkin the walks another.” Prophetic words…. With his A Mothers Lullaby, Mickey most certainly is “walkin the walk” in the footprints of the likes of Christy Moore and Bob Dylan. Mickey advocates for powerless abused children, innocent casualties of war having no escape from the devastation, loved ones left to cope with suicide, the end of political corruptness, the unemployed and those unfortunates caught up in the associated turmoil. For this album, Mickey has written lyrics guided by his conscience and from his heart. His fine voice lending so much power to the words they take your breath away. Having Plunkett McGartland accompanying Mickey on some of these songs is the perfect compliment to the richness and clean clear sound of the new songs.

A Mothers Lullaby is the next step in Mickey’s journey up the road to becoming one of the great folk singers both in Ireland and here in the states. He’s surely “walkin the walk” with A Mothers Lullaby!      Brilliant Mickey, just brilliant!!!

The reasons why Mickey wrote Mothers Lullaby have been explained eloquently by Mickey himself and would be diminished by any synopsis I could pen here. Visit his MySpace page and read his blog: Mothers Lullaby (why I wrote this song). http://www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1

Locked Gates, a narrative written by Patricia Campbell, draws not so subtle parallels between County Tyrone’s recent past and present day Gaza. It is brilliant in its simplicity. Agree or disagree with Mickey’s recitation, where and when he spent his formative years makes him uniquely qualified to give voice to these words.

With Brighter Day Mickey describes the strife occurring in present day Ireland, both the Republic and the North. In three short verses Mickey covers dissention and hope for reconciliation, unemployment, alcoholism, corrupt politicians, poor or non existent services, wasteful excess and child abuse. Plunkett McGartland gives added depth to this piece with his considerable talents at the piano.

Mickey wrote Miss You More Than Words Can Say for a mother who had lost her 22 year old son to suicide. It has been included in a charity album, From The Heart, and performed by Mickey during a benefit concert last July to raise the profile of the Suicide Awareness campaign.  This song is beautiful and it’s great to see him share it with a wider audience.

Pillow of Tears gives a voice to faceless closeted children abused by clergy. The stark honesty of Mickey’s words strongly illustrate the almost unbearable pain suffered from these ugliest of acts.

This man writes, sings and plays from his heart whatever the topic. Don’t let his more serious songs overshadow the other touching, more traditional songs penned by Mickey for this album.

Writing, singing and playing from the heart is clearly illustrated  with Culdaff. (a village in Donegal on the Inishowen peninsula). In this one Mickey tells the sad story of high hopes, disappointment and resignation over what will never be, and almost unbearable loneliness for home.

Stranger in the City weaves a tale of youthful exploration, immaturity of decisions made and the wisdom of realizing what’s important in life.

Your Love Pulled Me In and Can Always Count on You are most obviously written for a special person. The first song is the story of finding love at the exact right time, the second a confirmation of love and commitment to a present and future together.

Judgement Day is a genuinely happy tune that’s unashamed by its tilt toward good old fashioned country and western. It’s a toe tapping sing along song that will bring a great big smile to your face. Hard to choose which is more fun, Mickey’s words or Plunkett’s honky-tonk piano style in this one.

A Mothers Lullaby song list:

Mothers Lullaby

Locked Gates

Brighter Day

Your Love Pulled Me In

Miss You More Than Words

Pillow of Tears

Can Always Count On You

Judgement Day

Stranger in the City

Culdaff

Purchase A Mothers Lullaby on Mickey’s website: http://mickeycoleman.com/index.html

Now available at: and

Singer/songwriter Mickey Coleman, from the shores of Lough Neagh, County Tyrone Ireland is on his way to becoming the latest sensation to hit the Irish music folk scene.

Mickey who has been writing, singing and playing music from an early age completed his critically acclaimed debut album Carefully Crafted, consisting of all original material, a short 18 months ago. And, since its debut has been sharing the stage with artists such as The Chieftains, Cara Dillon, Francis Black, Liam Reilly, Steve Cooney and many more.

His talent for penning songs that in some way or another have shaped his life and which have captured the hearts of many in his live performances has been well documented in songs such as The Brantry Boy, The Holylands Belfast, My Coalisland Girl and Kilkeel Fisherman.

Drawing influences from Christy Moore, Bob Dylan and Luke Kelly, Mickey has developed his own identity saying; “I am like myself. I don’t think I sound like anyone” in an interview with popular folk artist and producer Column Sands.

James McGarrity from JW Promotions says; “Mickey Coleman is another example of the class and caliber of new musicians in the Province. This talented singer/songwriter produced a sensational debut album and is set for great things.”

Mickey is currently writing with some of Ireland’s finest and adding the finishing touches to his brand new album, Mothers Lullaby. Scheduled to launch on 29-Jan-2010, it is now available for purchase and pre-order on his website:   www.mickeycoleman.com

Listen to some of Mickey’s songs now at: www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1   

Become a fan and follow Mickey on Facebook at: 

Mickey Coleman Folk Singer/Songwriter: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=156313743038

Another great singer/songwriter I found on MySpace is Chris Keys. You have to go give him a listen too. We will be reviewing his EP when it comes out and it will be available at ITunes and cdbaby soon also.

Chris Keys 27 year old singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist, had a passion for music from a young age and taught himself to play guitar, bass and piano. He was filmed busking in Belfast and was featured in the ‘Imagine’ best European cultural city promo video. In 2006 Chris won ‘pubstar’ and recently came runner up in the ‘Freedom live’ competition to support the Script at the Spring & Airbreak Belfast, organised by Cool fm /Northern bank. He has supported LA singer/songwriter ‘Ricky Warwick’ and is currently giging on the road with the ‘Chris keys duo’. Chris has just finished his second Ep ‘Shadows’ and at present is targeting radio stations and record labels.

You can hear Chris’s music at his website, YouTube and on his myspace page and become a fan on facebook.
http://www.chriskeys.com
http://www.youtube.com/chriskeysofficial
http://www.myspace.com/chrisjkeys
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-keys/52820986217

Oracle is a band I ran into on MySpace. At the time I knew nothing about them other than the fact that I loved their music. I have since been in contact with David and he sent me a band bio. I hope to have photos to add when they become available.

Oracle was formed by singer/songwriter David McClean and Brian Mellors in 2009. Chris Logan (lead guitar) and Christopher Hylands (drums) complete the line up. The band are currently working towards a debut EP with recordings “Lost and Lonely” and “Best Days” having already received airplay on local radio. Another song “Final Mile” has also received airplay on Cool FM (N Ireland’s largest radio station) but this song is not expected to be on the mini album that is as yet untitled. Chris Logan has also acted as producer and he has used his expertise to achieve a very polished and marketable sound. Currently they are rehearsing with plans for some gigs in Belfast in the new year to showcase the music. A music video is also in the pipeline for the band.

David McClean -Vocals, rhythm guitar
Chris Logan -Lead guitar, backing vocals
Brian Mellors -Bass, backing vocals
Chris Hylands- Percussion

You can hear samples of their music at the band’s myspace page http://www.myspace.com/davidmcclean

This is a great band with a great future. Go and give them a listen. Be sure and friend them too. Let them know how you found them. The more exposure we can deliver to bands the more bands we can get you info on. As fans we need to support indie bands so they keep making great music for us to listen to. And for our readers in Northern Ireland, check them out in person at one of their upcoming gigs.

The Saw Doctors began to see some success in Ireland back in 1988. After a steady climb they burst on to the scene in the US in 1997 when one of their songs Never Mind the Strangers was used in an ad campaign by Guinness Beer to launch their Harp Lager. Although their songs are all heavily influenced by their lives in Ireland, they have been favorably compared to the Beatles, the Byrds in sound and Bruce Springsteen in that they pay homage to the trials and tributes of the working class not the conspicuous consumer types.

This album was released in 2006 and is up for album of the decade on Irish Central. There is a variety of styles and topics on this cd. The songs combine the wisdom learned only by life experience as well as a few good old fashioned love and love lost songs. The songs reflect life in a band as well as more universal themes everyone can identify with like parenthood, Christmas and thoughts about the past and the future. From the beautiful Stars Over Cloughanover to the thought provoking Funny World this cd will keep your attention and provide hours of entertainment. It certainly earns the right to be considered as Irish Album of the decade. This cd can be found at Amazon and major record stores as well as ITunes.

Song List

1. Out For A Smoke
2. Last Summer In New York
3. Addicted
4. Stars Over Cloughanover
5. If Only
6. Wisdom Of Youth
7. Vulnerable
8. Me Without You
9. Going Home
10. Your Guitar
11. Funny World
12. I’ll Say Goodnight

Their official website is http://www.sawdoctors.com
Their my space page is http://www.myspace.com/thesawdoctors

Stile 13 is another great group I stumbled upon at MySpace. This cd showcases the talents of Irish songwriters Gerry and Martin O’Malley. They gathered 11 other wonderful voices to create this group. With so many singers, the cd delivers a wonderfully eclectic mix of songs and can’t be pigeonholed into any one genre. There is truly something for everyone here, from acoustic ballads to songs with a more pop sound. With both male and female lead singers interpreting the various songs, the cd offers something new with each track.

I’m really hard pressed to choose a favorite song. Each one is special and takes you along on a musical journey through the magical stile 13. Where Were You and The Evangelist really stand out but they are all so good that I am constantly changing my mind about which one I like best. I’ve been listening to this cd most of the weekend and I’m still loving it.

This cd was launched at a party at the Sugar Club in Dublin in July of this year. It is currently available through Road Records in Dublin and at ITunes but will soon be available at cdbaby. I will post an update once it becomes available.

Song List

Where Were You
Don’t Need A Reason
The Evangelist
Dreamin’ Your Dreams
Reaching Out For Tomorrow
Said You Loved Me
Recede Into the Blue
You
As I Sit Here
The Waiting Room
Put It Out There
Required
Stile 13

You can hear samples of this cd at the group’s myspace page http://www.myspace.com/stile13 This cd was recorded at Malbay Studios. Gerry and Martin’s first cd Freeflow can be purchased at the studio website http://www.malbaystudios.com