POSTS TAGGED : Knoxville Morning

Win Tickets to Knoxville Morning: Celebrating 10 Years of Band On An Island :: Odessa Club, Dublin :: Friday, August 23rd

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Competitions and giveaways are a rare thing on here but I’m delighted to be able to offer two pairs of tickets for Knoxville Morning: Celebrate 10 Years of Band On An Island in the Odessa Club on Friday, August 23rd.

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is email your name to barrygruff[at]gmail[dot]com with ‘Knoxville Morning Giveaway’ as the subject title. Winners will be selected at random and the competition closes at 3pm, Friday, August 16th. If you still need persuading, here’s a wee bit of spiel about the band.

Under whatever guise, Knoxville Morning or BOAI, they have played a hugely important role in the development of what is now a rather healthy music scene in Newbridge. To be fair, few, if any have done as much for music in the town. So, before Knoxville Morning came Band on an Island. Formed over Campfire sing songs in Newbridge ten years ago, Band on an Island have enjoyed a good decade in Irish music. From the fire of those local campfires, they spread their music to places that even they themselves could never imagine. One of which was America, the birthplace of their beloved Country music, where the beginnings of a new project started to take shape. 

A trip across the US left Band on an Island founder and chief songwriter, Ciaran Dwyer with a collection of songs and stories, of a different variety to those of BOAI. Having assembled together the bones of a new album, with the help of his BOAI colleagues and a host of other musicians and friends, they recorded a new record under the new Alias “Knoxville Morning”. The resulting record was great – a sweet blend of folk, country and Americana, with Dwyer’s intuitive storytelling the linchpin that holds everything together. The record was well received elsewhere too and managed to secure a German record deal.

For this night only in August, with the help of many friends, they will dig deep into their extensive catalogue of jams and celebrate Ten Years of friendship and Newbridge Music.

Knoxville Morning: Celebrate 10 years of Band on an Island in the Odessa Club, 13 Dame Court, Dublin 2, Friday 23 August. Support: Daydream Regime, Appo & Rory Hughes. Doors: 8:30pm + Admission: €8. 

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BarryGruff Unplugged: Anderson + The P Affection + Knoxville Morning :: Thursday, July 25 :: The Liffey Studio, Newbridge

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It has been an incredible experience putting on all these BarryGruff shows over the past two years or so. On this occasion we have decided to do something a little different and do a set of six unplugged shows in the wonderful intimate surroundings of The Liffey Studio. It’s a great little venue in the heart of Newbridge and it’s a perfect setting for this kind of show.

The first of the series takes place on Thursday, July 25th and will see three superb performances from Anderson, The P Affection & Knoxville Morning. Tickets €5/€7 – doors at 8pm.

It’s €5 if you book in advance or €7 on the night. The cheap list is limited so if you would like to reserve a spot send an email to: barrygruff[at]gmail[dot]com – with your name, & ‘Cheap List’ in the subject title. More details & info below. [RSVP]

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BarryGruff Presents #16: Biggles Flys Again, Sive & Knoxville Morning :: Saturday, June 29th :: Flanagan’s Bar, Newbridge

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So, we took a little break, but we’re back again with ‘BarryGruff Presents’ #16 in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Saturday, June 29th. We’ve got the superb Biggles Flys Again and the wonderful Sive performing, and the ever brilliant Knoxville Morning playing a special solo show (expect to hear some new tracks he’s been working on).

This is a really exciting lineup and one that promises to be a great night, so come along and enjoy the music. It’s FREE in as usual & kicks off at 9 pm. [RSVP]

:: Biggles Flys Again

Biggles Flys Again is the moniker of Dubliner Conor Deasy, who’s got a real talent for crafting 3 minute pop gems. Biggles’ debut album Remember Saturday is brimming with enchanting and whimsical good old fashioned pop songs, filled with sinuous melodies and organic arrangement. This is pop in the old fashioned sense, played by a band, and with an assured sense of style. Remember Saturday is one of the finest albums of 2013 and there’s plenty of others smitten with it too. The Sunday Times made it ‘album of the week’, The Sunday Business Post coined it as “a wistful, enchantingly gentle brand of day-glo alt-pop” and The Irish Times quite rightly said “Deasy has a canny knack for creating tunes the right side of familiar”. Extremely excited to bring these guys down to Newbridge, should be quality.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] – [Stream Remember Me Saturday on Spotify]

:: Sive

It’s been far too long since we’ve had Sive play one of these shows, they’re performance is always impeccable. Sive is the brainchild of Naas musician Sadhbh O’Sullivan, who along with her band, draw from a wide variety of alternative rock, jazz and folk influences. Sive’s gorgeous sound comes from a combination of these influences being fused with excellent musicianship and charm; not to mention her voice, which is simply exquisite. Sive’s debut album We Are Moving is well worth checking out, if you haven’t already of course.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] – [Stream We Are Moving on Deezer & Spotify]

:: Knoxville Morning

It’s always a pleasure to have Knoxville Morning play one of these shows, they always go down an absolute storm. On this occasion we’ve got a special solo show from chief songwriter and frontman Ciaran Dwyer, who’s got some new jams and what’s to test them out. This will be the first new material since last years great self-titled debut which enlisted the help of  fellow BOAI members, Stefan Murphy, Gavin Elsted, Brian Gallagher, Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey and Laura Caffrey. The result? A record of sweet folk, country and Americana, and while it wears it’s US influences on it’s sleeve, Ciaran’s intuitive storytelling remained a cornerstone.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] [Stream Knoxville Morning on Deezer & Spotify]

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BarryGruff’s Irish Albums of the Year 2012

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Pretty self explanatory this one. There’s been a lot of great music released in Ireland over the past 12 months & here’s ten Irish albums I’ve enjoyed the most in 2012. You can also check out the ‘Albums of 2012‘ & ‘Irish Songs of 2012‘ if you want.

10. The Expert – ‘Neckbreakers’

Not strictly an album, more of a beat tape as it happens but who makes theses rules? Over seven glorious cuts of jazzy instrumentals The Expert takes us on a head nodding journey from start to finish. Having produced beats for over fifteen years, mainly with his band MJEX, it certainly shows. A worthy addition to any record collection.

09 Imploded View – ‘Picnics With Pylons’

Picnics With Pylons is the debut album from Longford based producer Imploded View (aka Jerome McCormick). Continuing with his forte for atmospheric downtempo electronic music, his debut rarely if ever, emerges from first gear. Preferring to meander through a vast and cloudy world of extremely chilled ambient sounds, an air of calmness permeates the entire record. McCormick is certainly comfortable in this skin, he seems at peace, a feeling transposed to the listener as the airy productions wash over you, allowing time for delicate detail, added emotional depth and mood and thought provoking atmospherics. An assured and composed debut.

08 The P Affection – ‘Cakes For Occasions’

The P Affection’s debut was a scatter-shot of indie-pop, rock, ska, and folk, a very good one it must be said. While staying true to the influences of that record, with Cakes For Occasions, The P Affection have grown as a band and refined their sound. It’s a pretty irresistible and varied selection of power-pop and harder edge indie-rock coated in a mix of humorous and heartfelt lyrics. The P Affection continue to improve in all that they do, it’s going to be exciting to see where to next.

07 House of Dolls – ‘House of Dolls’

Taking their cue from the likes of The Chameleons, The Verve, Jesus & Mary Chain and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; there is no messing around with House of Dolls. Equally adept in the psych-rock/shoegaze department or rip-roaring  dirty rocking guitar riffs. It is here where the albums persona lies, flipping seamlessly between the two styles, on the one hand the fired up brutish rock sounds and on the other, the more measured and steady but no less captivating psych-rock sounds. A very good album, one deserving of much greater exposure.

06  Our Krypton Son – ‘Our Krypton Son’

Our Krypton Son is Derry man Chris McConaghy, who on gathered close musician friends together to create the band in early 2010, they have taken time to produce their self-titled debut. It is a warm collection of alt-rock/folk songs, imbued with an eerie sense of melancholy and an autumnal feel. McConaghy proves himself an excellent songwriter and his voice is possess a real richness and warmth. Our Krypton Son is a solid debut with so much to like but, having seen them live, there is even more to come.

05 Knoxville Morning – ‘Knoxville Morning’

A trip across the US left Ciaran Dwyer of Band On An Island with a collection of songs and stories, of a distinctly different variety to those of BOAI, and so Knoxville Morning was born. Under this new alias, with Dwyer at the helm, he is joined by fellow BOAI members and The Mighty Stef, Gavin Elsted (We Are Losers), Brian Gallagher (Humanzi), Stephen Fahey (Super Extra Bonus Party) and Claire Prendergast. The record is a sweet blend of folk, country and Americana, and while it wears it’s US influences on it’s sleeve, Ciaran’s intuitive storytelling remains a linchpin that holds everything together. It maybe shouldn’t work, but it does, and remarkably well too, which is a credit to Dwyer and all involved.

04 Lethal Dialect – LD 50 Part II

LD 50 Part II is the second record from Dublin rapper Lethal Dialect and it is extremely impressive. Composed, confident and intelligent, there is no bullshit bravado here, just great rap tunes. LD’s greatest asset is his voice, spitting salient bars above beats and samples, he utilises every breath to paint an all too realistic depiction of life in Dublin. Delving into a whole raft of topics and issues others tend to refrain from, he’s cool, calm, sometimes agitated and angry but always passionate. A refreshing and thought-provoking new voice, not only for Irish hip-hop but Irish music in general.

03 Ghost Estates – ‘Ghost Estates’

Prior to this release, Ghost Estates had already carved out quite a name for themselves, their debut album goes someways to realising their potential. With three songwriters in the band, stylistically it’s diverse, taking in a mix of new wavey sounds, reach for the sky guitar anthems and straight up indie rock. This amalgam has seen them arrive at their own distinct sound of hazy electronica edged indie which send a shiver down the spine. It is said two heads are better than one, well, judging by Ghost Estates’ debut, three are certainly better than two. Easily one of the best Irish indie album for some time.

02 Nathan Conway & The River Valley Band – ‘Nathan Conway & The River Valley Band’

Nathan Conway & The River Valley Band certainly borrow from the past to create a timeless soulful country sound, and have found their niche. The tone is soulful country, set to overarching themes of demise and redemption, draped in Conway’s intuitive storytelling which paints vivid pictures with his words. Mostly you feel they are working together, from the swinging uptempo tracks to the less blustery, slower numbers. They have a rapport with one another; brass, percussion strings and Conway’s deep bellowed croon, all work in perfect tandem. Sonny Boy requires a degree of patience, but it is worth it. A beautiful, timeless and assured album.

01 Conor Mason – ‘Standstill’

Standstill continues where 2009’s When It’s Over left off, flowing gently by, amid a sea of soft lilting vocals, whispering lyrical poeticisms and subtle instrumentation. It is permeated by an air of richness, comforting tranquillity and shrouded in melancholy. Standstill is a slow burner and requires patience, understanding and repeated listens to be fully appreciated. Standstill is a beautiful, simplistic and assured album and sometimes that is quite enough.

Best of 2012: w/ Ciaran Dwyer of Knoxville Morning

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It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling end of year lists. This time around, I thought I’d shift the focus to the bands and artist’s who’ve played a ‘BarryGruff Presents’ show this year and ask them for their ‘favourite album of 2012′, ‘favourite song of 2012′ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’.

Right, that is enough from me, over to Ciaran Dwyer from Knoxville Morning + 1/3 and his picks from 2012.

Favourite Album of 2012: Father John Misty – ‘Fear Fun’

One of my favourite albums of the last few years actually. Joshua Tillman used to be in a pretty boring Folk band called Fleet Foxes, luckily for us he left and went and made this incredible album. Lyrically it is such a joy. It is funny as fuck, but not in a joke song kind of way. Humour is a really hard thing to pull off in a song and when Its done well It sounds like this. Its always good to have music in your life that makes you smile and gives you a good buzz, this is music like that. His vocal on the album is just incredible too. I’d say Gram Parsons would love this shit.

Favourite Song of 2012: Mumblin Deaf Ro – ‘Cade Calf Call’

Again, Easy to pick. I get shivers down my back listening to this song every time. The lyrics in this song are pure poetry (“Feeling a kiss of the mother I miss, a love that’s now in exile”). ‘A Cade Calf’ is a calf that has been abandoned by Its mother and this song refers to the loss of the writers own mother. It is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Ronan Hession is a ‘National Treasure’ of a songwriter.

Favourite Irish Song of 2012: Anderson – ‘History’

Another honest, simple and beautiful song and another from an Irish songwriter. Daniel Anderson, in my opinion is firstly a poet, secondly a musician (a very good musician at that, he plays on everything here). Inspired by our literary greats his songs take the shape of poems and whether they are set to the background of a Rock band like his first band The Rags or here in the shape of a beautiful piano balled, the passion and sincerity is always there, and is a trademark of Daniels work. “History” is a Gorgeous song which longs for the yesteryear and calls for us to take stock of what is actually important in life and not to be getting bogged down in the hustle that is society today. Also a mention must be made for the incredible video that accompanies this song. I for one am very excited to see what Daniel does next.

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Best of 2012: w/ Cormac Brady (DJ/SEBP)

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It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling end of year lists. This time around, I thought I’d shift the focus to the bands and artist’s who’ve played a ‘BarryGruff Presents’ show this year and ask them for their ‘favourite album of 2012’, ‘favourite song of 2012’ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’.

Enough chat from me, here’s Cormac Brady (SEBP/DJ extraordinaire) and his picks from the year that was 2012.

Album of the year: El-P – ‘Cancer for Cure’

Cancer for Cure is an intense piece of work, dealing with paranoia, escapism through substance abuse, loss, and ultimately the idea that we, society, are the world’s greatest problem. That’s not to say it’s un-listenable though. This album is a beast, it has enough venom and satire to tackle the subject matter in a manner that leaves you revitalized – this is a fight record, not a whinge. The lyrical delivery is sharp, aggressive and unapologetic, featuring a rake of top emcees that move comfortably within the boundaries of El-P’s dystopia. Killer Mike and Despot weigh in on Tougher Colder Killer, while Danny Brown and Mr Muthafuckin’ eXquire feature on ‘Oh Hail No’, a cleverly titled ode to telling religion and blind allegiance where to shove it – “I’ve been told I was put here to fail, never ask me to hail”

El-P’s skills as a producer take on a new edge with each album he releases, Cancer for Cure hits hard, hi hats rattle in the background as bombastic hits rupture the abrasive synthlines. It’s the type of album you want to play loud as fuck and shove in people’s faces. I can’t write about this album without also mentioning R.A.P Music by Killer Mike. Another incredible album produced by El-P, reminiscent of Bomb Squad and confirming that Killer Mike is the best emcee in hip hop right now. Check it out. Anyway, the reason I picked C4C as my album of the year is because I’ve listened to it the most. Bam.

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Favourite song of 2012: Baauer – Harlem Shake

I didn’t pick this tune on the basis of its poetic endeavor  I could probably re-evaluate my decision here and pick another tune for very different reasons, but I won’t. Times are hard, we all need to lighten the fuck up and party more, this tune sound-tracked some great nights for me this year, so why not pick it? Throw it on loud and jump around with your mates before they all emigrate.

Favourite Irish song of 2012: Knoxville Morning – ‘Lighthouse Song’

The tune I’ve picked here is by my mate Ciaran, released under his Knoxville Morning project. It was the highlight of that record for me. It’s a heartwarming tune sang in an honest way and it speaks of a sanctuary from the madness that we all need.

Album of the Week: Knoxville Morning – Knoxville Morning

So, yeah, on the surface the idea of a young man from Newbridge spinning yarns about Austin, New York and New Orleans may sound a bit mmeh. For Ciaran Dwyer, chief songwriter in Band On An Island, it wields a far greater reward than one might expect.

A trip across the US left Dwyer with a collection of songs and stories, of a distinctly different varietyto those of BOAI, and so Knoxville Morning was born. Under this new alias, with Dwyer at the helm, he is joined by fellow BOAI members and the likes of The Mighty Stef, Gavin Elsted (We Are Losers), Brian Gallagher (Humanzi), Stephen Fahey (Super Extra Bonus Party) and Claire Prendergast.

The record amounts to a sweet blend of folk, country and Americana, and while it wears it’s US influences on it’s sleeve, Ciaran’s intuitive storytelling remains a cornerstone, for which the whole album is built on. It flows nicely, without a stale moment, peppered with illuminating trumpets on ‘Knoxville Morning’, ‘Tulsa (m.o.e.)’ and ‘Trumpets’. It is lifted here and there with an added vocal collaboration, especially on the beautifully soulful duet with Prendegast on ‘Baseball Song’, and ‘Alphabet City’ with The Mighty Stef. The album is tainted with an underlying air of mournfulness, not sadness mind, but a lamenting for better days and happier times long since gone. Something everyone can identify with.

Plenty of artists have attempted a project like this, many of which veer on the ridiculous, while some, like The Lost Brothers or Fionn Regan (specifically his second album Shadow of The Empire) found that perfect balance. Knoxville Morning like the latter two is a success, and without a cliche in sight. Knoxville Morning wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve and it maybe shouldn’t work, but it does, and remarkably well too, which is a credit to Dwyer and all involved.

BarryGruff Presents: Trap Door, Knoxville Morning & Ginola :: Friday :: June 8th :: The Workman’s Club :: Dublin

The ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows in Newbridge have been great and long may they continue! I’m absolutely thrilled that ‘BarryGruff Presents’ will be hitting the capital for the first time this Friday (June 8th) in The Workman’s Club.

We’ve got three top bands on the bill; Trap Door, Knoxville Morning & Ginola, followed by Gav (We Are Losers/ADULTROCK) spinning some tunes till the early hours. I really hope to some of you on Friday, it’s going to be a cracking night and best of all it is FREE in. 

Admission Free/Doors 8pm & The Facebook Event Page is here. Here’s a few words on each of the bands. 

Trap Door

Dublin trio Trap Door combine a rich mix of punk, folk, ska and hip-hop with insightful flowing and streetwise lyrics. In a similar approach of one Jamie T, Trap Door take the listener rumbustious rattle through urban life, something borne out on their excellent debut EP, Lata Town. With songs of lyrical depth, plenty of youthful lairiness and rebelliousness; Trap Door are a band to contend with.

Trap Door – Lata Town

Knoxville Morning

Knoxville Morning began life as a side-project of Band on an Island’s Ciaran Dwyer, before in time, growing into something far bigger. Joined by fellow BOAI members, Stefan Murphy, Gavin Elsted, Brian Gallagher, Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey and Laura Caffrey, they have created an inviting blend of folk, country and Americana, with an Irish twist. Knoxville Morings’ self titled debut will be released on this summer.

Knoxville Morning – Baseball Song (w/ Claire Prendergast)

Ginola

Like your music loud? Then look no further than Ginola. This ragged Dublin punk trio have hardly put a foot wrong over the past twelve months, impressing with a number of singles, split releases and numerous scintillating live shows. Their forte is loud highly charged punk-rock with hopping basslines and battering drums.

Ginola – Thruster

Knoxville Morning – ‘The Lighthouse Song’

For many people outside Newbridge it must seem as though there’s something in the water, given the flow of music from the town right now.

The latest, Knoxville Morning, began life as a side-project of Band on an Island’s Ciaran Dwyer, before, in time growing into something far bigger. On this self titled debut he is joined by fellow BOAI members and the likes of Stefan Murphy, Gavin Elsted, Brian Gallagher, Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey and Laura Caffrey.

Before the album arrives in June it is preceded by single, ‘The Lighthouse Song’, a sweet, tender and ballad of friendship which tips gently along delicate acoustic strumming. It really is a beautiful little song. I have been lucky enough to hear some of the other tracks live too and they have been rather impressive.

You can stream / download ‘The Lighthouse Song’ below and judge for yourself.

Download: Knoxville Morning – The Lighthouse Song