Wednesday 28 March 2018

SARAH McQUAID - Live @ BAG - Monday, April 30

Photo by Phil Nicholls (www.philnicholls.co.uk).
Sarah McQuaid returns to Mick Murphy's - Stage Inn Bar - in Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare for the fourth time on Monday, April 30th. Doors open at 8:30pm for a 9pm show. Admission is €12 at the door. Patrons are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Visit http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/ for other tour dates and more information about Sarah.

“The precision and sophistication of the writing and playing blows me away. I am so glad to be involved,” writes guitar legend Michael Chapman in his introduction to Sarah McQuaid’s fifth solo album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous – which he offered to produce after meeting Sarah at a festival where they were both on the bill.

Recently honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ards International Guitar Festival in Northern Ireland, Sarah’s also drawn critical praise for her voice (which has been variously likened to malt whiskey and melted chocolate) and her engaging rapport with audiences: “I’ve attended hundreds of concerts of all kinds, and her subtle mastery onstage launches her straight into my fave shows ever,” wrote The Huffington Post.

With the release of her new album, the Madrid-born, Chicago-raised, Cornwall-based singer/songwriter has expanded her battery of instruments to include piano, electric guitar and drum, and it’s drawn critical raves internationally: Dutch music magazine Heaven hailed it as “an early contender for folk album of 2018,” the UK’s fRoots said it was “a collection to savour” and the USA’s PopMatters called it “a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.”

“Seeing a shared world in a new way, from a different angle, is the role of the songwriter. Sarah gets a gold star on that front. This is a fabulous album.” —The Afterword

“A darkly melodic, richly layered folk tapestry ... haunting and sparse, yet beautifully rendered ... a voice as thick and soft as fur.” —Elmore Magazine

“A work of formidable passion.” —FolkWords

sarahmcquaid.com
facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic
twitter.com/sarahmcquaid
youtube.com/sarahmcquaid
instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic

PETER MULVEY - Live at BAG - Monday, April 23, 2018


www.petermulvey.com

Peter Mulvey returns to Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare - where he has been coming for 20 years - to play BAG at Mick Murphy's Bar on Monday, April 23rd. I've been onboard since pretty much the start, and it is my personal pleasure to welcome him 'home' again. Doors will open at 8:30pm, when I will gently relieve you of €12 to fund Peter's continuing troubadouring around the world! Patrons are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Its a difficult challenge to select just one video to give the uninitiated a flavour of what Peter Mulvey's music is all about. But I've chosen a pretty recent one, off the current album, 'Are You Listening'. In it, he takes the ordinary, and makes it extraordinary - as is his gift. Pound for pound, a true heavyweight among American songwriters of our generation.
'DIA' - https://youtu.be/CjizWGaTFFU

Now, what the website says:

Peter Mulvey is a veteran singer and songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began his career on the streets of Dublin, as a busker, and from there moved on to performing in the subways and streets of Boston. This led to his first record deal and a leap to full-time national and international touring, beginning in the early Nineties.

Mulvey is an iconoclast within the singer/songwriter world. Restless and inventive, he has made seventeen records,spanning rock and roll, folk, Jazz, spoken word, and Americana.
A long-standing gig at the National Youth Science Camp led toa spoken word piece, “Vlad the Astrophysicist”, which became a TEDx talk, and then an illustrated book. In 2007 he began an
annual late summer tour by bicycle instead of by car andairplane- the 10th annual bicycle tour will happen this September. He has taught songwriting and guitar workshops at the Swannanoa Gathering and at various folk festivals across the U.S.

In 2015, “Take Down Your Flag”, his song about the victims of the shooting at the AME Emanuel Church in Charleston, reached 200,000 people when many songwriters, including Ani DiFranco, Anais Mitchell, Keb’ Mo, Paula Cole, & Jeff Daniels, re-wrote the middle verse and posted their own videos of the song. This movement led to an online benefit concert, and a deepening of the friendship between Mulvey and DiFranco.
Early in 2016 DiFranco produced “Are You Listening?”, Peter Mulvey’s 17th record, which was released on March 24th 2017 on Righteous Babe Records.

Mulvey continues to tour, playing over a hundred shows a year as he has for the past twenty five years. This is the core of what he does: music, in a room, performed for a live audience.

ARBORIST - Live at BAG - Monday, April 9th

Photo: Carrie Davenport, Getty Images.

http://www.arboristmusic.com/

ARBORIST (Mark McCambridge) makes his debut BAG appearance at Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, on Monday, April 9th. Doors open at 8:30pm. Admission is €12 at the door. Patrons are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

I saw Arborist for the first time last December, opening for Malojian in Kilkenny's Set Theatre. I was hugely impressed with the material, and the charasmatic, yet understated stage presence. I knew immediately that I had to bring him to Ballymore, and I'm delighted to be able to do so. R.T.

ARBORIST released their debut album, 'Home Burial', in November 2016 to critical acclaim. UNCUT 8/10 “A staggering debut of depth and substance", ★★★★ The Guardian "A Man of My Age feels like an instant classic" and ★★★★ Mojo "A deliciously self-assured collection."
Listen to 'A Man Of My Age', here: https://soundcloud.com/arboristmusic/a-man-of-my-age

Mark McCambridge played his first show as ARBORIST in 2014 supporting James Yorkston. A solo tour of Ireland followed before impressive performances led to notable support slots alongside Low, Cat Power, Echo and The Bunnymen and Guy Garvey.

Since the release of their debut single "Twisted Arrow" in 2015, Arborist have become somewhat cult properties, thanks in no small part to KIM DEAL (Pixies, The Breeders) contributing delicate harmonies to the song. A nonchalant and thoughtful piece of Americana, conceived in Belfast, it premiered on Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit with extensive play on BBC 6 Music. It was also featured in The Guardian Guide’s tracks of the week.

They are set to record their sophomore LP in 2018.

Tuesday 20 March 2018

GREENSHINE - Live at BAG - Monday, March 26th


GREENSHINE return to BAG on Monday, March 26th for their second appearance. 
Doors will open at 8:30pm, and admission is €12, at the door. Patrons are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment. 

Video: 'The Girl In The Lavender Dress' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzPzW7BW7Gk


A family trio comprising Noel Shine, Mary Greene and their daughter Ellie, their material straddles the boundaries of contemporary, folk and roots and includes many self-penned songs. Their fast picking and close harmonies are a treat to the ear.

Noel is a multi-instrumentalist, turning his hand to guitar, bass, mandolin, bouzouki and traditional whistle and this musical dexterity had seen him much in demand as a session and band player by artists as diverse as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and funk and soul legends The Republic of Loose amongst many others.

Mary brings rhythm guitar to the mix and her voice is a wonderfully versatile instrument. She is much in demand for her recording session work and has added her talents to the albums of Christy Moore, John Spillane, Mick Hanly and Frances Black as well as cult psychedelic outfit Dr. Strangely Strange. As a duo, Noel and Mary have released 3 critically acclaimed albums to date ~ The Land You Love the Best (placed no. 3 in The Irish Times Folk albums of the year of its release), Unspoken Lines (described as ‘The heart and soul of folk music, coming from a deeper well…,’ by John Spillane) while Mary’s solo, Sea of Hearts, earned an impressive 8 out of 10 in Hot Press.

Ellie Shine has grown up surrounded by music and has been performing in concerts and festivals since the age of 13 including an appearance with GREENSHINE for President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina at The Abbey Theatre. Despite her tender years, Ellie has featured on 4 recordings to date. She has a huge interest in the songs of the Muskerry Gaeltacht and reached the All-Ireland final of Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann’s under 15 Sean-Nós Singing competition in her debut try-out. She enjoys singing songs of all genres and has a special place in her heart reserved for classic Beatles and country as well as good contemporary songwriting. She accompanies herself on the ukulele.

The music of Greenshine has been covered by several Irish music artists and has been used commercially by Follain Preserves in their ad campaigns, Carrie Crowley in her film Waterway and as signature tunes by several national radio station programmes.

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Pat Coldrick - Live at BAG, Monday, March 12


www.patcoldrick.com

'Antarctica' - https://youtu.be/puduG1QWW7c (Original piece by Pat Coldrick)

It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome Pat Coldrick back to BAG, where he has come to play for us, year after year, to the delight of BAG regulars and new listeners, alike. 
Once you see Pat Coldrick in concert one time, you'll want to see him again, and again. Now with a new Management team, and about to embark on a nationwide tour of larger concert venues, Pat never forgets his fans, and is delighted to be returning to the intimate surroundings of Mick Murphy's to entertain us with his unique approach to classical guitar performance. Joining Pat on the night, will be guitarist and Producer, Peter Eades.
Here's a video of the two men in action recently:
https://www.facebook.com/conor.eades/videos/10155087773356906/

More info below.

Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, Monday, March 12th. Doors open at 8:30pm, and Admission is €12 at the door.

Pat Coldrick is an Irish Classical Guitarist and Composer, who has been working for the last six years in Ireland but has also performed Recitals in Europe, the USA and Russia. Pat has been described as ‘pushing the boundaries of classical guitar’ with his musical interpretations and compositions and has made Classical Guitar exciting, interesting and more accessible to music lovers in general. Through his interpretation of music and by exploring and embracing new technologies he strives to enhance the dynamics of the classical guitar and bring his music to a wider audience both at home and abroad.

His music defies genre and appeals to a wide cross section of music lovers. While Pat plays his own arrangements of great classical pieces, it is his own compositions that sets him apart – pieces such as Lament, CityJam and Antarctica to name but a few. Pat’s skillful and atmospheric connection with his audience is an art form in itself and is in total contrast to other more formal classical performances. He has a very easy going, laid back and unassuming approach and his interaction with the audience and philosophy of ‘entertaining’ rather than ‘educating’ his listeners is a breath of fresh air.
Once Pat begins to play people are immediately captivated by his dedication, passion and skill. His interpretation and delivery of each piece combined with his superb artistry as a performer results in his unique ability to make his audience laugh and equally move them to tears.

To date Pat has produced 2 albums – Cayendo in 2010 and CityJam was release in November 2014. Since CityJam was launched his music has been played on all the major radio stations in Ireland and was voted ‘Album of the Week’ on RTE Lyric FM. It’s fair to say that Pat’s music is currently attracting a lot of attention in classical quarters and beyond. Pat is now widely acknowledged as a very accomplished musician and composer who is succeeding in bringing classical guitar music ‘Centre Stage’ where he so passionately believes it belongs.