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Contrary to what we published in local media this week, the One Take Sessions scheduled for Thursday June 25th (tomorrow night) in Cleere’s will not be taking place.
Apologies to all, but we’ll be back on Thursday July 16th for the next night of the ‘Sessions.
The One Take Sessions is back again this week as four more acts take to the recently redecorated back room at Cleere’s on Parliament Street.
In a previous life Neal Byrne was an athlete, rowing his sport of choice. Winning a couple of World Championship medals and racing at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 gave him a passion for life that he now uses when writing and performing his music.
In 2002 the water-sports stopped and Neal moved to Canada to make the transition from athlete to musician. Writing and playing music in every shape and size of venue that would let him through their door provided him with the outlet to find his style and his voice. This is where he wrote his debut album Booth Avenue, which was recorded on his return to Ireland in Elusive Studios, Temple Bar, Dublin by the creative force behind Halfset, Steve Shannon.
Originally from Dublin, Neal now resides in Waterford and has found a new and exciting musical space for himself. As well as his solo project he has joined up with fellow musical entrepreneurs Curly Bert.
Making a solo debut at the ‘Sessions is Wexford’s Bobby O’Keeffe, though he has made an appearance already at the One Take Sessions this year alongside Chaser at the most recent outing of the ‘Sessions.
Playing guitar four years, O’Keeffe released a low-budget eight track EP (online) at the start of the year featuring some choice acoustic numbers along with the vocal talents of Eithne O’Connor. Bobby, along with Chaser, was also involved in the latest round of the Kilkenny 400 Busker 2009 competition. The tracks, including New And Old, Waiting and I Was Told, show a much mellower side to that portrayed by Chaser, showing good versatility in a young performer looking to make his mark as a singer and songwriter.
Colm Gray, aka Dubh Ban, also takes to the stage this week. Resident in Kilkenny, Gray was involved in the revival of the music club in Ryans which sparked back to life earlier in the year after an absence of two years or so. Both a guitar and mandolin player, Colm is joined by drummer John Murphy and sometimes guest musician Idolde Proud on vocals.
They’ve played Oxegen and toured with The Blizzards, Director, Paddy Casey, Aslan and more. Their single Maria enjoyed two weeks at the top of the independent music charts via DownloadMusic.ie and it is said they play “hard rock with confidence, style and a punky attitude”.
It’s been a great few years on the road for Tipperary’s Jester who return to the One Take Sessions for their second appearance in as many years. As comfortable on the festival stage as they are in the back room in Cleere’s, the band bring with them a full and rounded sound that has been tried and tested with some of the top acts in the country, in some of the best venues in the country.
The band (Colly Dempsey, Tommy Maher, Mark O’Dwyer, Eoin Ryan and Johnny Gleeson) are continually playing live shows, working their live sound and persona but have also managed to get to the recording studio of late to work on their debut album.
All acts can be found in Cleere’s this Thursday night from 9:30pm, with admission free. Local acts interested in performing at the One Take Sessions from September onwards should also register in advance on OneTakeSessions.com or via KilkennyMusic.com where you can also find highlights in audio, photo and video of previous nights from the gig series.
This week’s One Take Sessions brings you three top acts
all live at Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny, tomorrow night (Thursday June 4th) from 9:30pm. Admission, as always, is free.
Join us tomorrow for the One Take Sessions at Cleere’s. For more, visit KilkennyMusic.com.
KKM
A trio of acts lay in store for you tonight at the One Take Sessions as Stace Gill, Wayne Brennan and Ken Bolton take to the stage in Cleere’s Theatre from 9:30pm.
While Stace was down with us before to open the 2008 series, Wayne and Ken will be making their One Take Sessions debuts later tonight.
Come down, enjoy the music and the comfort of Cleere’s and take in the One Take Sessions from 9:30pm.
The 32nd night of the One Take Sessions takes place tonight in Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny and features Valentine Black, ODi, Chucky’s River and Star Crossed Enemies (Dublin). It all kicks off at 9:30pm with free admission.
You can read all about the acts here or see them in the flesh from 9:30pm tonight.
The third installment of the KilkennyMusic.com One Take Sessions series for 2009 takes place this coming Thursday night in Cleere’s with four more top-drawer acts on the cards. Now in its third full year, the ‘Sessions have already played host this year to Bill Coleman, Bailer, The Resistance, Jimi Cullen and more.
The lineup for April 23rd includes three debut acts in the forms of Star Crossed Enemies, Valentine Black and Chucky’s River along with a very welcome return for ODi, one of the highlights of the 2008 series.
“We aimed to bring new music into Kilkenny”, says organiser Ken McGuire “and that’s what we continue to do. We’ve already seen a number of debut acts this year as the reputation of the night continues to grow and this week we’re delighted to continue the trend of bringing fresh acts to Kilkenny, for free.”
Hailing from Dublin, Star Crossed Enemies are the first of three new faces to the next round of the ‘Sessions. A semi-acoustic pop duo, they’ve been gigging around Ireland “giving away free biscuits” to those going to their gigs, along with their debut EP offering of D.E.P. Currently in the midst of an Irish tour, the duo take to Scotland later in the summer before recording and releasing their debut album, Mercury & The Painted Sky.
Valentine Black writes and plays music in the alt-country/folk-rock vein. Having spent a long time playing in original rock bands and various cover bands in the clubs and pubs of Ireland and beyond, Peco Mc Loughlin grew a bit disillusioned with ‘the music business’, more so the business than the music! He decided to take some time off, go back to basics and make the music that was most natural for him to do. So he borrowed his grandfather’s name and began to do just that. ….
During a break from playing in rock band Bright Light Fiasco (previous guests at the One Take Sessions) over the summer of 2008 he recorded a number of songs for his debut album, due for independent release in early 2009. Songs on the album are about everything from the scene outside a small town nightclub at 3am, to teenage suicide, to the old chestnuts of love and loss. The music is influenced by artists like Ryan Adams, Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Springsteen and bands like James, Wilco, The Band, and The Clash to name a few.
Chucky’s River have been in the making quite some time. Frontman Diarmuid Comerford appeared at the One Take Sessions in 2007 and 2008 and returns with a new band for 2009. From Wexford, the group entered the studio yesterday (Thursday) to start work on their first EP.
The charismatic personalities and diverse musical attitudes of three musicians (Diarmuid Comerford, Conor Stafford and Cupie) are amalgamated to form the musical force that is Chucky’s River. The sheer driving nature of the songs coupled with the real life observational lyrics of Comerford make the band’s music both compelling and arousing.
On the back of singles including Crawl and A Superman, ODi returns to the One Take Sessions as a fan favourite of the 2008 series. Described as “a singer/songwriter who manages to blend elements of Joan Armatrading’s pathos, Beth Orton’s eye for the quirky and deep with a touch of Dido’s bedsit romance”, she arrives back in Kilkenny in advance of the release of her debut album this September. A recording session over the Easter break also saw her link up with Colm MacConlomaire of The Frames / Swell Season to add some string arrangements to the new recording, the first single from which will be released in June.
The One Take Sessions are a free night of music and the organisers at Kilkenny Music are hoping people can join them on Thursday night.
“It’s a rare thing to get one or two bands for free these days, but to get four acts for free is another thing altogether”, continues Ken (McGuire). “We’ve a lot of established acts on the horizon, like ODi, and some new acts as well right up to December so we’re hoping that people will come along, support independent music and perhaps broaden their own musical horizons at the same time. We’ve got 14 free shows this year but such is the demand that if we get one act in, you might not see them again for another year – don’t miss out.”
Tracks from each act can be heard all this month on the Playlist Mix podcast, an award-winning online show based here in Kilkenny, going out every Sunday night online at PlaylistMix.com.
Highlights too from previous nights including tracks from bands over the last three years and videos from recent nights at the ‘Sessions are available on our parent site, KilkennyMusic.com.
It all kicks off on Thursday night next at 9:30pm in Cleere’s and admission is free.
Following the announcement earlier in the week that we’ve got five acts playing this Thursday night, that number has been reduced to four with Chucky’s River aka Diarmuid Comerford and band now playing on Thursday April 23rd.
This Thursday night you’ve got Bailer (band), The Resistance (band), Johnny B and Jimi Cullen. First act to the stage in Cleere’s Theatre at 9:30pm with seating limited. Do come down, support independent music and enjoy a great night with some of Ireland’s rising independent acts.
Diarmuid Comerford, Bailer, The Resistance, Jimi Cullen and Johnny B make up one of the biggest (in numbers) bills for the One Take Sessions this coming Thursday night in Cleere’s Theatre as the series continues for its second outing of 2009.
“This is one of our biggest nights in terms of numbers of artists since we’ve started”, says one of the organisers, Ken McGuire. “The demand for slots at the ‘Sessions for the first half of the year has been incredible, and while it will be a busy night this Thursday, we’re delighted to welcome back a mix of familiar faces and new faces to the venue.”
Diarmuid Comerford hails from Wexford and is no stranger to the One Take Sessions series having performed during 2008 and 2007. Diarmuid Comerford spent the year that was 2007 touring around Ireland’s acoustic nights as well as a short London tour accompanied by the drumming brilliance that is Conor Stafford. The electric guitars have been dusted off a bass player in the form of Cupid was added to the lineup last year. This week’s performance will be Comerford’s third in as many years, with videos of his previous nights available on Kilkenny Music TV.
Fronted by Catriona McGuinness, Bailer was formed in 2001 and the band has performed at leading venues and festivals all over Ireland including The Point Theatre and Vicar Street. Regular supports with some of Ireland’s most popular acts like Aslan and The Hothouse Flowers have provided tremendous exposure.
Following a few EP releases, the band bring with them debut album Running, recorded in Dublin and released last July. Produced by Bobby Bought and mastered by industry legend Bob Katz, the album echoes all the melody and vitality of the band’s acoustic-driven live material while adding a brass section with some featuring some of the country’s finest jazz and classical musicians. While there might not be a brass section in Cleere’s this week, you can be assured of top-drawer performance from this four-piece making a welcome return to Kilkenny.
‘Running’ is the debut album from Irish band Bailer. Recorded in Dublin over the course of a year it features all the melody and vitality of Bailer’s acoustic driven live material, with the added excitement of a brass section featuring some of Ireland’s finest jazz and classical musicians. The album was produced by Bobby Boughton and mastered by US industry legend Bob Katz.
Dublin quintet The Resistance make their One Take Sessions debut this week. There are few bands out there that write intelligent music. There are few bands that come up with perfect harmony lines that capture your attention immediately. But when the right ingredients come to play and a right meeting of minds, there are no boundaries. This band began with a meeting of minds -“Rob and Dave” wrote all these well thought and crafted songs at home. Next came the additional musicians to give it new dimensions. Thus making up The Resistance. With a number of accolades already on their belt (Pick of the Week on Phantom FM, Pick of the Fortnight in Hotpress Magazine and numerous radio support Nationwide) the band have just completed their debut album, Bag of Bones.
A troubadour. The junkyard poet. Some of the names associated with Gorey’s Jimi Cullen who returns to the One Take Sessions for his fifth show over the past three years. Jimi has established himself as a ‘Sessions crowd favourite, his political meanderings through song often leaving the crowd in stitches. If you want to go on a journey from protest songs through love songs to those that squeeze every drop of emotion out of you, then Jimi Cullen is the man for you. You will laugh and nod with understanding when he sings of hangovers and you’ll cry when he reminds you of how many of us walk by homeless people on the street. Cullen can also be counted amongst the hardest working performers on the singer-songwriter circuit with over 500 shows to his credit in recent years.
Finally, from Cahir, Co. Tipperary, comes Johnny B with debut album Wrestle With The Devil. Fresh from an appearance in Brazil’s in Clonmel on Wednesday, Johnny is the third act this week making a ‘Sessions debut. The album, released at the start of the year sees all proceeds from sales go to the Chernobyl Childrens Projects.
For more details on each of the acts, plus music and video, visit KilkennyMusic.com or OneTakeSessions.com. The second One Take Sessions night of 2009 kicks off at 9:30pm this Thursday night in the intimate surrounds of the back room in Cleere’s on Parliament Street. First act takes to the stage with each act performing a twenty-minute set. With five acts on the bill and a running order decided on the night, those interested in attending this week’s free gig are urged to get down early to grab a seat.
Highlights of the last One Take Sessions in March, including performances from Bill Coleman, are available now on both KilkennyMusic.com and leading Irish online music video site, Muzu.tv. Photo coverage by Kilkenny Music’s Ross Costigan are also available on the site.
If you’re awaiting a reply on bookings, rest assured, your booking request has been received and there’s a whole batch of emails and calls going out tomorrow to acts looking for space from June onwards!
If you’re worried, you can always email us to sessions AT kilkennymusic.com but we should be in touch tomorrow.
The first of the videos roll off the production line with Bill Coleman’s ‘I Want You To Know’ now available on KilkennyMusic.com and via KilkennyMusicTV.