In their own words….

The Taxmen are a lively four piece band are based in County Cork.
The Taxmen boast a huge back catologue of original self-penned “tried and tested” material with styles ranging from rock, country, reggae and blues.
The Taxmen are :
Terry Datson , Guitar and Vocals.
Justin Flynn , Bass Guitar.
Con O’Donovan , Drums.
Ivan Holden , Lead Guitar.

In their own words….

Some of life’s most powerful interests and avenues of expression begin at an early age. In my case, the desire to play the guitar started at the tender age of eight. A neighbor first exposed me to the wonders of this marvelous instrument, and watching her play immediately sparked my interest. At that point in life, I was hooked and knew that music would play a major role in later years.
It took little convincing to persuade my parents to purchase a guitar so that I could begin learning the art. The first one I held was a modestly priced instrument, red, white and blue, of questionable quality, but certainly adequate at that stage of my musical development.
Looking back on that time, I now realize that many youngsters have not been as fortunate as I. Children have an innate need for expression, but frequently they are not afforded the opportunity for a variety of reasons. In my case, I was provided with an avenue of expression – music – and that has led to enormous fulfillment and personal satisfaction.
Essential to my development as a musician was formal instruction, which began shortly after I was introduced to the guitar. With tremendous motivation and dedication, even at that young age, I made rapid progress in my studies. By the time I had reached early adulthood, my talents were such that I was able to enter into collaboration with like-minded musicians, eventually leading to the creation of a band focusing on cutting-edge experimental rock and heavy metal.
After many well received live engagements and promising recording sessions, my disillusionment with the commercial music scene began to grow. This eventually led to my putting aside my beloved instrument, a hiatus lasting some nine years.
During that time, I grew personally, explored other methods of artistic expression, and put my music career in perspective. I began to realize just how important music was to me. It was becoming more apparent with each passing year that the genuine expression of my musical soul might best be articulated in acoustic styles rather than the more provocative and energetic electric medium I had confined myself to in earlier years. Fingerstyle artists such as Alex Degrassi (with whom I have studied) and Michael Hedges spoke to me in ways that other guitar virtuosos had not. It was their commanding influence that brought me back to music, this time focusing on the acoustic medium exclusively.
By 2005, I was once again dedicated to music with a passion I had never before experienced. It was as if a higher power were guiding me to a deeper, more spiritual involvement with this medium. The result is a satisfaction and fulfillment unmatched in my younger days.
In addition to the personal gratification I have gleaned from my music pursuits, I hope that, in some way, I can reach and inspire others to similar interest and expression. Ultimately, arousing and nurturing such interest in others is undeniably even more fulfilling. This would explain my compelling desire to instruct others willing to study music and the guitar, a pursuit that has harnessed my wholehearted commitment.

In their own words….

Goats Don’t Shave

“You have a uniquely wondrous sound!!!”

Josie (Univers Folk Radio Montreal)

“I just fell in love with Rockabye Baby. Could I play it on my radio show?”

Russ (The French Flier/ Radio Liberte, France.)

“It is always a pleasure to listen to the music of you guys – so please send me mp3s whenever you want”

Veronica Jones (Ronnie B Goode)

“Why your music could make Christy Brown do jigs with the right foot, give Shane back his million

dollar smile, make a hippy out of Ian Paisley, end the deforestation problems in Brazil and even make

Anne Widdecomebe pretty … Hang on – may be not that, but you’re the best thing since everybody started

Kung Fu Fightin, and we loves ya”

This EP is highly recommended as a fine listening experience.

Once heard, it’ll be difficult to forget the journey

that is Queen Elvis.

Guaranteed!

In their own words….

“The audience was captivated by the notes of a true master musician” (Bray Arts Journal, January 2010). Since graduating  as a scholarship student from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2006, Bray-based saxophonist Alex Mathias has established himself as a major performer on the Irish jazz scene. The Alex Mathias Quartet consists of some of Ireland’s most creative and versatile young jazz musicians, Johnny Taylor (piano), James Little (bass) and Dominic Mullan (drums) and together they perform Alex’s original music which he draws from jazz, funk/fusion and rock music

In their own words….

There are few bands out there that write intelligent music. There are few bands that come up with perfect harmony lines that capture your attention immediately. But when the right ingredients come to play and a right meeting of minds, there are no boundaries. This band began with a meeting of minds -“Rob and Dave” wrote all these well thought and crafted songs at home. Next came the additional musicians to give it new dimensions. Thus making up The Resistance. With a number of accolades already on their belt (Pick of the Week on Phantom FM, Pick of the Fortnight in Hotpress Magazine and numerous radio support Nationwide) the band have just completed their debut album (Bag of Bones).

Their fine musical texture, which is very hard to find nowadays in new bands, is a very important part of this debut Album- comprised of Rob Mc Donnell, David Patterson, Eanan Patterson, Rob Allen, Diarmuid Breathnach a collection of instruments which make their way onto the record (double bass, Guitar, Violin, Keys, electronica, and glockenspiel. There’s even a salt cellar in there somewhere!).

Last year saw the releases 2 singles from their debet album and a nationwide tour with Press and media coverage including supports with the likes of Cathy Davey, Delorentos and JackL . The summer also saw the band open the Dublin City Soul Festival “Soul Picnic” in merrion square to a raputous welcome.

Bag of Bones is currently avaiable on itunes and various independent record shops in the country. The end of 2009 saw them travel to Peter Gabriels Real world Studios in the UK to begin the recording of their follow up due later this year.

You can try to ‘resist’ the temptation to listen to their music but Adam & Eve wouldn’t approve of that now would they.

In their own words….

Syd Lane is a Canadian born musician who has recorded under the names of The Loaded Whispers and Chansons De Geste .

She has been writing and recording music in her own home studio in Dublin,Ireland for six years, and in that time has released seven full length records.

In their own words….

Come from computers and backdoor cigarettes, from rested Saturday afternoons and recovering Sunday mornings. This is their first try.

It started with Christmas songs and country melodies with no real plan of what was going to happen. Things just seemed to sound good so 2 tracks turned into 3, then 4, then about 10 or 11 and we picked our favourite 7 for a finished collection of these demos from home.

Superblondes are Eoin and Lory. Both come from a background of rock bands that used to play together a couple years ago, but got together to try and do a bunch of homemade demos, different from what they had done before.

The result is a kind of retro electro sound, at times it brings forth elements of rock but this was at least attempted to be kept to a minimum and guitars overall are given a backseat to layers of keyboards.

Though they have not played live yet, the full live band is all together now and the first rehearsals sound good, with a slightly rougher sound than the recordings. The first shows will hopefully be done in March followed by more gigs and more recording.

In their own words….

SHOCTOPUS: Ireland’s top classic metal/hard rock band, are gearing up for the release of their debut six track EP “King of the Mountain”. Since their triumphant return to the live scene opening the KnockanStockan Music Festival in Blessington in July 2008, the band have gone from strength to strength, launching a hugely successful website and playing sell out gigs across the length and breadth of Ireland.
The band, originally formed as a five piece in November 2006, gigged around Dublin and built up a loyal fan base before stripping down to a leaner and meaner four piece in January 2008. An extended session lasting a few months of continued rehearsals in their studio has resulted in one of the tightest and musically most accomplished bands coming out of the Dublin scene.
In November 2008 the band went into AP Studios to record with the legendary Sean Genockey as producer, and the equally talented Antimo Puca as their engineer. Sean Genockey, courtesy of Solar Management UK, previously worked on albums by Tom McCrae, Kula Shaker, Manic Street Preachers and Suede, among others. The six tracks were recorded over a period of five days, and then sent to Black Dog Studios in London to be mixed and mastered by Sean and Ed Woods, who previously worked with Love Like Fire. A video for one of the tracks from the forthcoming EP is also currently in production.
The bands website, www.shoctopus.com, has had over 40 000 hits since the start of 2009 from countries as diverse as Japan, the U.S., Germany, Finland, Brazil, France and Russia, and showcases some of the band’s music. A strong presence on MySpace and YouTube has helped to consolidate the band’s reputation, and a constant schedule of live gigs is building an ever larger support base for the band.
SHOCTOPUS have been favourably compared to classic acts like Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Guns and Roses and Black Sabbath, but bring a fresh modern sound to the hard rock scene. Live, the rock solid and perfect timing of the team of drummer “Ripper” and bassist “Tank” is a perfect foil for the electric theatrics of guitarist Stavis and manic energy of lead singer Charlie Black.
The band have turned down all offers so far, waiting for the right deal that suits their ambitions, and are currently fielding offers from several companies. This is a band that knows that they have what it takes to succeed and are eager to tackle the UK, Europe and America.

In their own words….

Sethway is a five piece pop rock band from Ballymena.  We formed in December 2006 when 4 best mates (Adz, Mikey, Ricky and Michael) who played instruments decided to enter a local battle of the bands for a bit of fun.  To our surprise we were voted winners of the competition and we gained a lot of fans who wanted to hear more of our music.  Therefore we began to take the band more seriously.  In months and years from then we have recorded quite a few tracks, played many gigs all around Ireland and we have even performed live on the BBC.  In Februrary 2010, long time friend Pete Gamble joined the band to play guitar and sing backing vocals.  Since his arrival we have developed a new, much improved sound and we have also recorded lots of new material which will hopefully help us to make an impact on the local and national music scene.

In their own words….

Roadrunner are a no-nonsense 4 piece rock outfit from Dublin who “capture rock music with the essence of rhythm and blues with a funk edge”. They have been together since 2006 and have been gigging extensively throughout Ireland for the past four years. In November 2008 they release their first EP ‘Try Keep UP’ which was received in an edition of Hotpress magazine in which they were awarded the title of best up and coming band of the month. The lads believe in creating positive uplifting music with tight melodies, good singing and high quality musicianship. They are currently recording their second EP which will consist of 5 new songs that are guaranteed to have you ‘Shakin on the Dancefloor’. Roadrunner consider themselves to be a breath of fresh air to people who have had just about enough of this so called ‘Indie’ rubbish that is currently polluting the airwaves.