Entertainment
Halves play free gig to celebrate fine new album
It may be a little early to start drawing up a ‘best of 2013’ list but it will take some record to rival Boa Howl from Halves. The Dublin based trio celebrate the release of their second album with a free show in Róisín Dubh on Thursday, August 8.
The band began working on Boa Howl in December 2011, just after they had played a well-received show in Dublin’s Unitarian Church.
“As soon as we got the Unitarian thing done, we really kicked off working on the second album,” says guitarist and drummer Brian Cash. “We realised if we were going to make a second album, we had to record it the following August. Once the deadline was set in place, we just kept writing.”
Halves debut album, It Grow and Grows (Forever and Ever) earned the band a prestigious Choice Prize nomination. Did they feel under pressure to match it?
“It’s initially very daunting,” Brian says. “For your first album, you have years of riffs, and little ideas and songs, even. This time, we had absolutely nothing. But once we got past the first three songs, we knew we were OK.”
Boa Howl begins with the cacophonous Drumhunter, a gem of a track that sets the standard for a great album. Why did Brian and his band-mates (brothers Elis and Tim Czerniak) decide to start with this track?
“That’s a direct reflection on the first album,” says Brian. “We love it, but I think the one problem we have with it now is that the song that opens the first album is very wishy-washy for the first two minutes. There’s no immediacy; for people that didn’t know our stuff, it was kind of a hard sell.
“So we wanted a very definite message to start the second album,” he adds. “And we wanted people who knew our previous stuff to be a little taken aback at the change. It was almost dancey; it was very deliberate to put that first.”
One of the highlights on Boa Howl is Tanager Peak, which features Gemma Hayes. Why did the guys want to work with the Tipperary-born singer?
“She’s amazing,” Brian enthuses. “Her first album was gorgeous, when it came out we all fell in love with it. One of the places we were going to record was in France with Dave Odlum, formerly of The Frames, simply because we love his production on her records.”
“We always like bringing in vocalists. This time around, we had one person on the list and it was Gemma Hayes. I heard through a friend of a friend that she really liked the band, so I just sent her an email. She’s an absolutely lovely person.”
They mightn’t be competing with the Fab Four on eBay, but Halves are certainly in the running for Irish album of the year. Are they contemplating a second Choice nomination, and the €10,000 that comes with winning it?
“Before we got the nomination the first time, it didn’t enter into our heads, because we didn’t think we get nominated,” Brian says. “When we did, we were quite realistic that they weren’t going to give it to us. We were the smallest act on the shortlist, but we got publicity out of it.
“We’d obviously love ten grand. But I don’t know if we’ll get nominated again. Even if we did, we definitely wouldn’t win!”
Halves play the Róisín Dubh on Thursday, August 8. Doors are at 9pm, admission is free.
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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