Tag: "ireland"

Now a month into the release promotion of their new self-titled album, Paramore have announced plans to venture overseas in the months ahead.

Kicking off their Fall touring efforts, Paramore’s stretch of UK and Ireland dates will run throughout the month of September. Not every date has been confirmed, but we do have a handful of dates and venues available now. No on sale dates have been announced.

Paramore will see the entire world in the months ahead, so keep checking back for updates. Continue reading ‘Paramore Announce UK And Ireland Tour Plans’

There’s nothing like a little UK rock to get your blood pumping midweek. Hailing from Belfast, Ireland and extending their reach as far as London and Rome, Unquiet Nights have been gaining notoriety since their 2011 release, 21st Century Redemption Songs. Taking ’90s influenced rock and roll to the next level with radio friendly riffs and gritty vocals, it’s no surprise that they’ve seen exposure through radio play on BBC and G3 and provided the soundtrack for several television and Internet broadcasts, including ESPN.

If that weren’t enough, the band has also broken into the OurStage Top 40 for Indie Rock with their song, “Someone’s Love On Drugs.” The charm of that single was enticement enough to check out the rest of the band’s catalog. 21st Century Redemption Songs may come in at only 35 minutes, but these guys make every second count. Where “Someone’s Love On Drugs” captures a softer side of the band, “We Were The Ones” charges ahead full force with unrestrained vigor, setting the tone for high energy, catchy tunes throughout, and making for an album that is simply bursting with ambition and potential.

Check out “Someone’s Love On Drugs” below.

More like this:

• Featured Artist: Noble Three
• Bronze Radio Return: Pro Artist Of The Week

The word “unapologetic” could mean a lot of things to Rihanna: her defiance of the public condemnation of her ”Man Down” video, her nude pastoral prancing that shocked a Northern Irish farmer, or maybe just the way that Chris Brown has never seemed truly remorseful for being an objectively terrible person. But with the release of the cover art for her latest album Unapologetic, Riri might just be admitting that her design team shamelessly lifted their creative inspiration from a stack of recent Esquire issues sitting in the Def Jam Records lobby. All typographical similarities aside, Rihanna’s cover lets her show off that sweet new chest piece and enlists her in the growing ranks of recent artists who have stripped for their album art, such as Natasha Khan and Christina Aguilera. While Rihanna, Khan, and Aguilera’s nude shoots are definitely daring, they’ve got nothing on that naked kid on the front of Nevermind.  Dude went full frontal years ago.

More like this:

• Sound And Vision: Rihanna Vs. Christina Aguilera Vs. Alicia Keys: Who Will Win November’s Battle of the Divas?
• Think Before You Ink, Chris Brown…

Time Is A Thief

“Time is a thief that will steal your tomorrows.” B.B. King said that once. With Irish rockers Time Is A Thief, losing days doesn’t seem that improbable—the music can be pretty enthralling. Hailing from County Cork, the band churns out polyrhythmic, jolting pop rock. A panacea for dull, listless days, “Crazy Moon” is a high-speed kiss off of frothy guitars, thrashing drums, and sexy, swaggering vocals. Not having a good time isn’t an option. “Water Skin” begins with a serpentine guitar line, leading the listener through angular, shifting arrangements that give way to a coasting chorus. Time Is A Thief are mercurial songwriters, jumping from one part to the next with ease. And they love to kick up some distortion while they’re at it. If those sound like two things you can get with, have a listen. Just keep an eye on the time.

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts: The Guggenheim Grotto

Plenty of Irish folk bands have found eager listeners on American soil over the years, beginning with the Chieftains and Clancy Brothers in the 60s and 70s. If Irish folk popularity had waned a bit in recent years, the 2007 Irish musical “Once,” and its resulting folk duo, the Swell Season, reindoctrinated audiences here in the States. So it’s no surprise that another duo of Dubliners, The Guggenheim Grotto, is riding a wave of success stateside as well.

The twosome is comprised of Mick Lynch and Kevin May, who create lush and euphoric folk pop with just a handful of stringed instruments, a keyboard and some pretty great vocal harmonies. “Her Beautiful Ideas” begins with marching beat and a funereal organ and then breaks into a soaring pop chorus of pulsing guitar and bubbling bass lines. Likewise, “Fee Da Da Dee” is a dreamy synth pop melody that harkens back to ‘80s dance floors. Sometimes complex, sometimes deceptively simple, The Guggenheim Grotto’s arrangements are almost always infused with joy. If you’re seeking solace in a sad song, maybe put on the soundtrack to “Once.” Otherwise, we recommend spinning these guys – just make sure you clear some room to dance.

Alphastates

Today we journey to The Emerald Isle to throw back a Guinness and take a look at the Irish music scene. Have you ever heard of some guy called Bono or a lady called Enya? How about the pope-picture-tearin’ Sinéad O’Connor? Apparently the entire world has. These international superstar artists helped throw Irish music into the consciousness of the American mainstream. Many Irish bands like The Chieftains and The Corrs stay true to their Irish folk roots. Other Irish acts, such as Bell X1 and My Bloody Valentine, are hard to tell apart from their American or British contemporaries. Then, of course, there are artists like Morrissey with Irish blood and English heart. Nevertheless, Ireland has a strong track record of producing quality music. Give a listen to these up-and-coming OurStage Irish acts before you’re spending $300 on their special edition iPods and taking a third mortgage out on your house to see them live from the nosebleed seats:

Irish folk rock band The Rye keeps things festive with their spirited tune “The Banana Song”. One listen and you’ll soon picture yourself in an Irish pub surrounded by an entire village of friends singing along. Just try not to your footprints all over the bar.

With Bloc Party rhythms and dreamy harmonies, Angel Pier has a sure fire recipe for power pop stardom. At least that’s what NME thinks. Judge for yourself by listening to their rock ballad “Emily”.

Sisters Fiona, Nayome and Evangeline O’Neill form the dangerously addictive pop trip The Girls DEFY. Formally known under the name Sirocco, The Girls DEFY moved to the states to try their hand at the American music scene. Lady Gaga better watch out for these girls. With hooks reminiscent of The Writing’s on the Wall album by Destiny’s Child, The Girls DEFY are poised to dominate Top 40 radio for the next decade.

BATS

BATS are a noisy Dublin rock band that recently recorded their debut full length, Red In Tooth & Claw with Kurt Ballou from Converge in Salem, Massachusetts. The band has been making a name for themselves after a few choice opening spots for bands like The Locust, Liars and These Arms Are Snakes. Their song “Credulous! Credulous!” is full of raw post-rock energy with a dash of dance-punk and a touch of cowbell.

Stand is an Irish band with an old school country fried approach to storytelling through music. Fans of The Hold Steady and Magnolia Electric Co. are sure to warm up to this band. Stand is set to co-headline with Jukebox the Ghost on CMJ Opening Night at the Delancey October 20th.

If you’re tired of waiting for Garbage to put out new material you can look no further than Alphastates to fill the void for electro pop with female vocal attitude. Their track “Angel Kiss” shows us a band that was reared on a healthy diet of Portishead and Joy Division. Alphastates have had the honor of opening for the likes of Cat Power, Mercury Rev and Zero 7.

In tribute to St. Paddy’s day, we searched through our  members list and found the best Irish OurStage artists.  Don’t expect any limericks or leprechaun tunes from Finian’s rainbow, these artists are the real deal. Straight from the Emerald Isle and fighting harder than the Notre Dame mascot, the OurStage Irish are finding their way to the top of our charts.  So before you down your first pint today, take a listen and raise a toast to these great Irish performers!