Looking Back on 2010
Well as we say goodbye to 2010 and welcome in 2011 I wonder what’s in store for us musically. Looking back on the last year it’s interesting to see the newcomers on the scene and the old stagers still working away holding their own. Today we are not doing an interview but rather a retrospective look at the year gone by. 2010 was a good year for local music with artists like Eva Porter from Carrightwohill taking to the stage and releasing her first album. Since her album release and our interview she has gone from strength to strength. With several awards under her belt and lots of airplay, performing constantly and even playing support to John Spillane it’s been a good year for this mother of three who has quite literally exploded onto the scene with her own brand of music. Speaking of John Spillane I was lucky enough to be able to sit and chat with John during the year and his star is still burning bright on the Irish and international music scene.
Staying in Carrightwohill we have another local singer songwriter Nicole Maguire who has been to Nashville recording songs for her new album. In a year that saw her guesting alongside world renowned singer songwriter Nancy Griffiths its easy to see why her appeal is growing on the international songwriting scene with Nancy’s own producer taking time out to work with her and record some new songs with this wealth of talent.
Moving from Country to Local lad Michael Del Punta who we have written about her several times over the last year he has released his first album which is selling quite well from singing in a restaurant to working onstage and recording it’s been a great year for this rising star with a voice that Michael Buble would kill for. We have had the Showband Legends Brendan Bowyer and Art Supple at the other end of the scale with a long history of entertaining between them they would be considered the elder statesmen of the showband scene. Both having crafted there skills on stages across the globe entertaining many thousands over several decades lets not forget Phil Coulter a man who has written songs for all the big names from Elvis, The bay City Rollers to many of the stars of today Westlife, The Four Tenors, Boyzone to name but a few.
We can also look back at the new bands we spoke to all doing quite well Ugly Beautiful from Cork Palko who have been working non stop drawing crowds to their different music styling’s, We have singer songwriter LJ Devlin who as we speak is beginning to make a name for herself, Lets not forget Paulina Drozd who arrived from Poland and settled in here and started singing, Local girl from Shanagarry Bebhinn Hurley who is working on a new album as we speak, Clare Horgan from the Kerry side who has graced many a jazz festival, you should hear her sing the traditional Irish songs again something different but equally as good. Rounding off the ladies we had Louise Lanagin who brought her own style to the country songs she put on her album, she has been working non stop check her out on Youtube. Of course we are not forgetting the lads here. The bard himself Jimmy Crowley still singing songs as soft and gentle as any poet, to the upcoming and International songwriter winner Barry Tierney, Local Folk singer from Cork Roy Buckley with a voice as strong and powerful as the Ballycotton fog horn on a dark foggy night.Moving back to the bands how can we write an article on Irish music and not mention Aslan, who when we interviewed them were winning another IRMA award to local Youtube sensation and more then likely the funniest bunch of lads I have ever interviewed in 8 years interviewing bands and singers I am of course talking about local group from Ballymacoda Hell for Leather with there big song Seamus just wants to be famous From America we spoke with Harrison Roche making a name for himself on the Vibrant New York scene, Gavin More nephew to the one and only Christy More. A fine singer songwriter in his own right and a hell of a nice guy. One of the more interesting interviews I had during the year was with John Joyce nephew to the famous James Joyce, as the saying goes the apple didn’t fall far from that tree, John who writes composes and sings his own songs also writes plays but is a very interesting guy to chat with. In case your thinking that its all young rock bands, folk singers, writers we also had a great chat with Darragh mcGann from Cobh better known as the singing Taxi driver another fine singer who is flying with new management, a new album on the way the future is bright for Darragh. Finally for me one of the nicest and most talented people I spoke with was Tomas O Dubghail a man who after all this time recorded some songs over Christmas. What made this so special was the fact that Thomas was in his 70′s and still going strong.
Looking back its easy to be filled with optimism with so much talent still on offer and so many fine singers coming through, things have changed there was a time that local pubs were a breeding ground for young bands to learn there trade, but alas with venues drying up and the ban on young teenagers in pubs after certain times it did look worrying for a while but like everything it balances out when you take away the venues it didn’t stop the younger people from writing or recording or even performing young singers sitting in a bedroom would log onto the internet upload a video clip of them singing to Youtube record using the new technology from the internet to create a new sound and place for them to air their work. Thins change but the music lives on through it all. The last time the music scene brought out lots of new talent was in the 80′s when every town in east cork had several bands singers’ songwriters. Amazing what a recession can do for the music world. So yes were in the middle of a recession but you know what every cloud has a silver lining and in this case I think it may be also filled with music. Here’s looking forward to a great 2011 and remember if you have any friends relatives that you think we should be talking about in the music world then get in touch.