Entertainment
Catch up with Relish at Róisín Dubh show
Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegrove@live.ie
Relish bring their uplifting, rocky sound to the Róisín Dubh on Friday, November 13. Led by Co Down brothers Ken and Carl Papenfus, Relish re-released their first two albums Wildflowers (2001) and Karma Calling earlier this year. The brothers got in touch with Universal Records, which had taken over their old label EMI.
“They brought us down for a meeting and discussed re-releasing the material,” Ken says. “We couldn’t have been happier, especially because the second album didn’t get around that much; there wasn’t much of a push behind it for whatever reason. Getting it out there again was great.
“There’s a whole new audience out there, maybe two generations that aren’t aware of Relish,” he adds. “It feels like we’re coming back in one respect, and we’re starting over in another.”
Relish are bolstered by two new members, with Paul Musgrave on bass and Nick Joseph on guitar.
“Paul Musgrave was a bass player in other bands that we used to play in when we were kids,” Ken says. “It just so happened that he rang me one day talking about buying some new equipment. He was totally off the scene and wanted to know what he could get for his money.
“We started talking about equipment, and it went on from there to ‘are you doing much playing?’ I said ‘Paul, you’re more than welcome to come up, let’s have a jam’. It went on from there.”
Nick joined the band after spending an evening with Carl and some other friends, and the subject of Relish came up.
“It’s been very informal, very relaxed,” Ken says. “The guys are fans of the music, so we said we’d take it a step at a time.”
Relish returned this year after a few years away from the live scene. Carl and Ken have kept themselves busy, with Carl playing with Paul Weller and both brothers joining Sinéad O’Connor’s band. Given the demands of playing with A-listers like that, where does Relish fit in their list of priorities?
“Relish is number one right now,” Ken says. “We’re finished the Sinéad O’Connor tour and we have some studio work with another artist in November. The rest of the month is taken up with Relish on tour, and getting ready for the next record. We’re in the middle of recording our next album at the minute.”
Where is that album being made?
“Different places. We’ve done some recording in Dublin and we have a studio at home. We’ve done some bits in London. We’re not being too particular in how we put it together. It’s a nice mish-mash, and hopefully it’ll make sense in the end.”
Relish first signed to EMI in 1998. After almost two decades later, does Ken find the music business any easier to negotiate? He laughs ruefully at the question.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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