The show began at twelve, and by then a good sized crowd had already gathered in front of the stage area. There were individuals, couples, whole families, old and young all sitting on the grass and enjoying the sun.  Then the music kicked off.

Among the first bands on were Supertonic Sound Club, who provided the perfect cool, jazzy rhythm perfect for the chilled out audience.  At this stage most of the gathered audience were taking it easy, sitting on the grass and letting the pure soul energy of the music wash over them. The only exceptions were the young children, weaving playfully through the crowd.

The tempo was kicked up a notch when soul legend Buck Taylor made his way on stage.  With his huge, impossibly deep and gravelly voice, Buck launched into versions of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” and “I Feel Good”.  This really got the crowd excited, and not for the first time people got up and started dancing.  Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, but now living in Ballina, Co. Mayo, Buck also treated the crowd to songs by Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.

While Buck may have been a tough act to follow, the next performer was more than up to the task. Miranda Rosenburg has been described as one of the greatest, most powerful voices of our time and is well known for her action-packed live performances. Her surprise show at the Soul Picnic more than lived up to this reputation. Miranda brought the audience to life, and even went so far as going down and dancing her way through the mostly seated crowd. She danced with people, posed for photos, and even got down on bended knee and sang into one male audience member’s ear. Miranda was clearly having fun. Her excitement was obvious at the moment she invited Buck back on stage to duet with her, as she confessed she was a massive fan of his, but had never had the opportunity to meet him before. The resulting duet was simply mesmerising.

Miranda was joined onstage by The Rare Groove Funk Orchestra, who matched Miranda’s incredibly positive attitude with some incredible musical talent. By the time Miranda and The Rare Groove Funk Orchestra had finished their set, something magical had happened at the soul picnic. And there was still more to come.

Next on stage were the Irish Reggae band the Barley Mob, previous winners of the Rising Stars competition. The Barley Mob have a stage presence like no other band I’ve ever seen, and by the end of their set they had a significant crowd dancing right in front of the stage, not to mention everyone else tapping their feet and clapping their hands. With original songs like “We Go the Distance”, “Free Your Mind and Shine” and “Stand Up, Rise Up” the Barley Mob preach a message of undeniable positivity. Their sheer enjoyment of the type of music they play is infectious, and the many people who sang along and danced to the beat were definitely influenced by this overwhelming positivity. One real highlight was a cover of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain” which transformed into a reggae version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. The audience loved it.

The Barley Mob’s attitude can probably be summed up by the title of one of the final songs they played “Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music)”. From the way people at the soul picnic reacted, I’m pretty sure they agreed.

The final band on stage were the brilliant blues rockers The Riptide Movement. They played an all original set, with some super catchy rock songs like “Keep On Keeping On” , “Hot Tramp” (both available for free on the band’s website) and “Shake, Shake”.  The Riptide Movement are the type of rock band that you can dance to, like the Killers or Bon Jovi (who they are supporting this summer) and they closed the 2011 Soul Picnic in a frenzy of excitement.

The Soul Picnic really is an event unlike any other. It has the impact and enjoyability of a big music festival, but it is also a proper family event. You can go along to relax, have fun and hear some great tunes. It really is a celebration of peace and love, and especially a love of music. Without a doubt I’ll be going back next year.

by Bernard O’Rourke

Image by Calvin Scullion

The night kicked off with Fox E and the Good Hands, a six-piece band with plenty of punch packed into their lyrics. The lead singer, Eimear Fox, was personable and continuously engaged with the audience, she explained where the songs came from, including the movie inspired song, “When Harry met Sally,” with lyrics that were sparked from Meg Ryan proving that women really can fake it. Their sound was like no other and their style was original. Eimear also apologised to her mother for her ‘bold’ lyrics, particularly before “Sunday Whore,” a performance that literally brought the audience to its knees. As she sang about waking up on Sunday morning after sinning the night before, Eimear resolved the women in the audience of their sins. The audience also got to hear the rapping talents of Barry the band’s guitarist as a song about curvy women went into a bit of “Baby Got Back.” Before leaving, they thanked everyone for coming and made sure the buckets for the Musical Youth Foundation were passed around.

After a short break, they were followed by Murder Plan, a five-piece band that changed the mood of the venue quickly. The change in ambience was one of the great experiences of the night because the audience was exposed to a great mix of everything. Murder Plan’s lyrics and soft sound drew the audience in and the lead singer, Stephanie had a voice that seemed to be an amalgamation of Norah Jones, Eva Cassidy, KT Tunstall and Eliza Doolittle in different songs. Their songs were a mixture of blues, jazz, rock, almost every genre. As the notes got higher and higher, the audience got a chance to really hear Stephanie’s massive range. For some songs, there was even a country feel as a funky baseline kicked in and there was a Kenny Rodgers feel of story telling in their songs.

As the night drew to a close, the final band of the night came on, The Barley Mob. The seven-piece band filled the stage and the active lead singer, Adam chatted to the audience frequently and thanked the organisers of the Soul Festival. With a reggae style sound, they’re unlike many other rising stars and Bob Marley heavily influences them, which is even evident in their name. Many of their songs were about nowadays and one entitled “The World Today,” had great trumpet talents while “Some May Say” had a very definite sharp beat in the verses while the chorus had a smoother, floaty feel to it. Their style got the crowd bopping along to all their songs and they sent out a strong message of being positive and happy, including “Stand Up, Rise Up,” which had a catchy tune and was very upbeat. “Breath in Buds” mixed reggae singing with a strong rock sound to the drums. As well as covering Bob Marley, The Barley Mob also covered “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix and “Imagine” by John Lennon using their own style.

The night finished up by 11.30 and the place was buzzing from the array of different music that had filled the room. The bands all supported each other and they all plugged the fantastic work of the Musical Youth Foundation, which was the whole reason the Rising Stars took over the Mercantile on Thursday night.

Covered Girl: Steve Kemp

The time we have all been waiting for has finally arrived and the Dublin City Soul Festivities kicked off today at 5.30pm at the Eye Candy Art Gallery on Exchange Street in Temple Bar with Rising Star artist Keith O’Brien entertaining guests with some of his own songs.  Keith has been playing acoustic guitar for ten years and has recently signed with Ricardo Records.  His performance was seamless and created a warm and friendly atmosphere in the gallery.

Numerous windows box the large room and light pours through, enhancing the visibility of the art work.  Inside viewers are warmly welcomed by the Dublin City Soul Festival team who are at hand to answer any questions and to take bids for the auction.  The gallery’s walls are lined with creative photography and art work from artists located all over Ireland.  Colourful images beam from every corner of the room with a wide variety of artistic expression, ranging from contemporary symbolism to suburban street art.

Among these wonders is Sasfi Hope Ross’ photograph named ‘Field’.  The image’s vibrant yellow jumps out from the wall and grabs your attention as you pass by.  It is an intriguing picture of a mustard field and the wide open space captured in the photograph immediately gives a feeling of tranquillity.  The contrast between the bright yellow and the rich blue of the sky is exquisite and certainly worth a bid, if not a gander.

There are an assortment of photographs, some which show the beauty of the Irish landscape and others which capture the subtleties of human nature.  Terry Mc Donagh’s photograph ‘Red Lady Awaits Green Man’ is an excellent representation of the coincidental charm of everything which appears around us.  The perfect place at the perfect time and Terry Mc Donagh shot a winner.  No description can properly describe the humour conveyed by this photograph.

Chasing the Pink: Derek Cully

Those of you who are Andy Warhol fans will not be disappointed.  There are a number of original and interesting stencil pieces and Steve Kemp is definitely up there at the top of the must see list.  His print ‘Covered Girl’ is absolutely beautiful.  Made through a process of stencils and Giclée print the piece looks like something you would find in the Museum of Modern Art.

Kemp’s passion originates in his love for street art and the underground suburban culture.  He uses a process of layers and shading which give the minimalistic image great depth.  You can’t miss it and you won’t be disappointed.

I don't know where I am: Adrian&Shane

Adrian and Shane might ring a bell for some of you graffiti art connoisseurs.  These two artists have been working as one since 1998.  Their work has appeared in the Irish Times and the Irish Independent, also the MILK Festival and the Antics Rogue Show.  Their futuristic creations are quite unique as they are produced with a variety of things like aerosols, paints, collages, stencils and video.

‘Chasing the Pink’ by Derek Cully ticks all the boxes when it comes to modern art in its rawest form.  Cully’s abstract expressionism blasts out from the canvas in a mad array of psychedelic candy-cane colours. It’s one of my favourites and worthy of a view.

Deirdre Geraghty’s work is also a vibrant mix of all the colours in the rainbow.  ‘Urban Soul’ is an oil on canvas painting and presents a vivid representation of a city during nightfall.  The bright colours are bold against the deep blue of the night sky and work extremely well.

The list goes on but I would give the best away if I were to tell you anymore.  All in all the exhibition is definitely worth a visit.  It will continue all weekend so there is plenty of time for a stroll over to Temple Bar to check it out.  And if you want to add some colour to your walls there is a great deal to choose from at very affordable prices.

http://www.dublincitysoulfestival.ie/events/visual/eye-candy

In 2010 they released their debut album See You When I See You. The album picks up brilliantly where their live sound finishes off, and is a brilliant fusion of genres different from anything else out there. Band members Ciaran Lavery, Stephen McGurk, Laura Kerr, Eamon Lavery, Christopher Molloy, Damien McAlinden and Stephen Kerr play together brilliantly, motivated by what they describe as “Mutual love for honest hard working folk music”.

Vocalist Ciaran Lavery sounds a bit like a cross between Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen, his voice is tender, sweet, but definitely not lacking in power. Meanwhile Capitan Kennedy as a whole have all the variety and sheer energy of the E Street Band at their best.

The resulting sound, according to Ciaran, is something like “A house party at around 3am only more in tune”. There is some truth to this. Like Springsteen’s backing group, Captain Kennedy are at their best letting their talent and creativity flow live on stage, and See You When I See You captures this brilliantly. The songs surge in many different directions, with all the spontaneity of a live performance.  The mix of styles is huge. The album moves form rockabilly to blues, from folk to rock, from country to soul, but never loses a certain distinctive quality that define Captain Kennedy. These guys are all great musicians, as well as great performers.

With seven band members, it would be easy for See You When I See You to sound cluttered, or overpowering, but it never does. Lavery’s voice comes through constantly strong, well supported by back backing vocals, guitars, violin and drums. Songs like “Factory Whistle Call”, “Roll Ramona” and “Suppertime” all have certain catchiness about them that will have you listening again and again. The Blues-y “Scratch that Penny” reminds me a bit of Bob Dylan. The poetic lyrics “I’m gonna live off every golden thread, till there’s nothing left to use” really come across as heartfelt and sad, and stand up perfectly with an insanely catchy melody behind them.

Following their big festival gigs in 2009, and the process of recording their album in 2010, Captain Kennedy have spent the last few months spreading the good word about themselves,  and have been dedicating their time to “Meeting some great people all over the country including Dublin, Cavan, Belfast and Derry to name a few”.

At the moment Captain Kennedy are “Working on a lot of new material with a hope to return soon to the recording studio that bit older and wiser”.  Until then you can find them in any small smoky bar doing what they do best, as well as trying out some new things. Captain Kennedy will be playing in Dublin this May as part of the Dublin City Soul Festival, so catch them while you can. It’s only a matter of time before they make it big.

For more information on Captain Kennedy you can visit their website and Myspace.

With such unique songs and soft sounds, musical trio, Wyvern Lingo, are sure to have a bright future. All three girls hail from Bray and formed between 2006 and 2007. Karen Cowley and Saoirse Duane started writing songs together for a year before adding Caoimhe Barry to the band. They started playing together when they were just 15. They originally started playing as an electric band but they recognised their strong talent in song writing and used a more acoustic sound to focus on this.Karen plays the piano and sings but she also plays the bass a little. Saoirse plays the guitar while Caoimhe adds the percussion and more vocals. There is strength in every area of the band and none could possibly be spared. Saoirse throws out that authentic acoustic sound while Caoimhe’s drumbeats make them unique. Karen’s piano gives many songs an interesting sound and her vocals bring life to the words she sings. The tone of her voice is not unlike Kate Voegele.

All three girls participate in the song writing which make this a band that truly shares the workload. Their sound is hard to compare, but there are elements of KT Tunstall and Sandi Thom mixed in with a touch of blues or country depending on the song. Their Rising Stars entry, “Herbert Park” has a sharp beat but remains quite soft. It is a great example of Wyvern Lingo’s deep lyrics.

Songs such as “Fallen For You” and “Little Missy” also create soft complimentary sounds that show the extent of the work that goes into harmonising writing songs. “Little Missy” also has a great piano sound that keep it upbeat. The soft chilled out mood is easy to listen to without being too generic or commercial. However, their tone would appeal to an array of audiences while their talent would appeal to those critics who aren’t as easily swayed by catchy beats.

Wyvern Lingo are influenced by some of the greats, including Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Michell and Led Zeppelin as well as the singing talents of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Fleetwood Mac is also a huge influence of theirs and is reflected in their harmonies.
The girls are constantly trying to develop their sound and the launch of their new EP in June points to exciting times ahead. Follow Wyvern Lingo on Facebook and Myspace.

Q1. Where are you from?

Mountmellick,Co.Laois

Q2. Musical influences?

Paul Weller,Jack Johnson,Pink Floyd,The 4 Of Us,Kt Tunstall,Cold Play.

Q3. What’s your song writing process?

I generally just sit back with the guitar and find one chord that resonates and build from there to form the melody in to a progression and usually, I have the lyrical idea already in my mind before the music. I also like to write alot of ideas down and then go back to them and piece them together with the guitar.

Q4. Most bizarre gig experience?

I did a gig in Prague some years back for the ‘Jameson Irish Music Festival’ and while sitting at the bar before the gig, a camera crew from the UK arrived in for a beer and after a quick chat, they decided to record the gig! Within a half hour they had the crowd really stirred up and cameras everywhere and the gig was just amazing! Unexpected but thats the biz.

Q5. If you could share the stage with anyone, who would it be and why?

It would have to be KT Tunstall right now as I just love her stage presence and I think we could manage a pretty good duet song!

In their own words

Following the release of his hotly anticipated debut album ’Bring Out The    Light’  in November 2010,Dave Morrissey has literally crashed on to the Irish music scene with a bang in 2011 and has been touring the length and breadth of the country both as support to Aslan on their nationwide tour as well as his own acoustic tour! His debut single and title track ‘Bring Out The Light’ gathered huge attention on release and was shortlisted for the ‘Meteor Newcomer Awards’ and still recieves massive radio play. This Summer, Dave will be embarking on a series of festival dates to coincide with the release of his brand new single called ‘Butterfly’ earning him the Music Review Unsigned

‘Artist Of The Month’ title for April 2011 and is currently recieving massive hits on youtube leading up to the release!

Watch out for the album in all Heartbeat City music stores or simply order it from the website and have it posted directly to you worldwide. Also the usual itunes download is available too.

Q1. Where are you from?

We are a six piece band fom Dublin & Galway.

Q2. Musical influences?

Ranges from The Beatles to Miles Davis, from Dave Matthews Band to Bob Marley. With six members, our musical influences are massive with Rock, Jazz, Reggae and Blues being our core.

Q3. What’s your song writing process?

Generally, we jam out an idea and see where it goes. Sometimes it will be more finished and sometimes it might be a line and the band builds it to a song naturally.

Q4. Most bizarre gig experience?

Too many to mention! There was one time we arrived at a “Peace rally” at Shannon Airport to play and the show was cancelled due to rain and gardai! Fun times! Also, somehow managing to support The Frames at Vicar St was bizarre but in a good way!

Q5. If you could share the stage with anyone, who would it be and why?

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Mainly so we can learn how to do 3 hour shows every night! Oh and it would be fun to see 16 band members on stage at once!

In their own words…

Good day to whomever may find themselves reading this. Welcome…..
We are a band called TKO based in Dublin, Ireland. We are currently in the final stages of recording our debut album. It’s due for release in September 2011.
We feed off our live shows; we have played hundreds of shows in venues other bands would fear to tread throughout the country. We are unafraid of any audience, bad sound system, poor lighting or small stage that crosses our path and have been described by Hotpress Magazine as “One of the best live bands in the country”. Nice quote eh?!

The TKO “sound” is best described by no-one, not even those in the band. Basically, there is Guitars, Drums, Bass and Vocals. There is also Violin, Saxophone, Harmonica, and Clarinet and then there’s lots of other stuff which you’re best left to discover on your own. The songs are all in different styles, different time signatures, rhythms etc. etc. The idea, if there is one, is to create some good tunes, and leave the rest up to the listener.

We have done so much stuff since we began playing together that it’s going to be hard to mention it all here but sure we will give it a go; we have released two accomplished EP’s, a top 40 charting single and a live album. We have played over 200 shows which include an Italian tour and five big tours of Ireland. We also supported The Frames in the amazing Vicar St venue and have played with bands such as The Wailers, The Undertones, Mercury Rev, Martha Wainwright, The Waterboys, Mundy and the incomparable Damien Dempsey. We have also played with a bunch of other people and bands that are probably just as good as any of them but you’ve never heard of.

There’s also been a bunch of TV, radio and press appearances, including our music being played on RTE, performances on Pop4 on TG4 and City Channel as well as a much viewed appearance on YouTube favourite “Balcony TV” and up and coming channel “Bandwagon TV”. Our music has been played on radio stations such as Today FM, 2FM, Phantom and 98FM.
That’s not to mention an almost fatal fondness for playing in (and continually selling out) Dublin’s most famous music venue, Whelans. Last summer saw us playing at festivals such as the Temple House Festival, Sea Sessions, Festival of World Cultures and Cork X Southwest Festival among 20 more. We also won the vote to play at the Castlepalooza Festival by the readers of Hotpress and were finalists of the “Our Thursdays” Guinness competition and played Arthurs Day 2010.

So, what’s happening now Batman? Well, the album is recorded. We are mixing and mastering it as we type. We just released a three track EP called “The Keystone” in March; the lead track “The Busker” has been getting lots of airplay all over the country. We are touring all over the country in the coming months so keep an eye on our gig listings for shows near your town. Thanks for reading this, it’s an exciting time in the TKO camp and we hope you’ll be around to share it with us….

Peace & Love

Mic, Gram, Si, Eoghan, Steve and Mikey

TKO

In his own words…

Johnny Murphy is a man borne of Wexford coasts and Dublin streets. Fascinated by music throughout his childhood, at 16 he set about teaching himself guitar and at 17, moved by the sounds of the Beatles and Van Morrison, he felt compelled to start writing his own kind of music. After moving to Dublin city at the age of 18, Johnny quickly became permanent fixture in the capital’s ever changing music scene.

His music career began like so many before him; performing at open mic nights throughout the city, including long established and well respected gigs such as the Glor Sessions in the International Bar and the Zodiac Session in Bruxelles. Early successes at these open mic nights quickly led to showcase gigs in the Voodoo Lounge, Bewleys and Whelan’s, featured spots on both national and Dublin based radio and support slots for acclaimed singer/songwriters such as Anthony Furey and Fiach.

While Johnny was honing his skills as a live performer he was also recording demos at a furious pace, experimenting with genres, mixing styles and recruiting like-minded musicians to help him forge the sound he was looking for. This current EP, recorded over the course of 6 months, is the culmination of his musical journey thus far and demonstrates Johnny’s gift for melody and ambitious lyrical insight. Johnny writes about his world, what he sees and what he has experienced. As a result, his songs are highly personal accounts of life that will resonate with the listener long after the last note has played.

Q1. Where are you from?

We are from Lucan and Cabinteely, located somewhere in the giant housing estate that is Dublin!

Q2. Musical influences?

Well all members of the band have so many different influence’s and with so much good music from the past its hard to narrow it down to a few, but in a nutshell: U2, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Blur, The Foo fighters, Nirvana, The National, Led Zeppelin, Kila, The Kinks, Muse, Ocean Colour Scene, Elvis Presley, Rory Gallagher, Frank Zappa, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the list goes on and on and on……………………………………………

Q3. What’s your song writing process?

The band may have changed but the song writing is the same!!!!! Noel writes most of the lyrics and guitar riffs but other members of the band also contribute with lyrics, riffs, fills and melodies. However the most important part of the song writing process is that when an idea is brought to the band everyone contributes and while this may sometimes change the idea it ultimately becomes a Madra song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q4. Most bizarre gig experience?

We played a gig in the legal eagle on the same night Ireland played England in a rugby match at Croke Park in 2007. It was one of those gigs where loads of bands play in 3 or 4 areas in the one venue. Anyhow we were supposed to be on early but ended up being moved around twice before playing 5 hours late in a room the size of my kitchen!!! We were so drunk at that stage that the only part of the night we remember is Noel the guitarist spinning around on the floor like Homer Simpson and running out of the room when the gig eventually collapsed.

Q5. If you could share the stage with anyone, who would it be and why?

Anybody along the lines of Paul McCartney, Phil Lynott, Dave Grohl, Damon Alburn as they are all great musicians and I would love to have a drum battle with Dave Grohl!!!!!!!!!!

In their own words

Madra are a Rock ‘n’ Roll band from Dublin who formed in late 2006.

Originally a four-piece, we have since evolved into a more intense, tight and solid three-piece. Recently our bassist departed and Mark Phelan has come in to fill the void.

Each member brings their own diverse and unique styles and tastes in music, but it is the guitar driven, drum pounding, bass thumping rock ‘n ‘ roll of the 60′s and 70′s that shines through in our original material.

While listening to Madra, one can expect to hear anything from Zepplinesque heavy rock to melodic music in the vein of The Beatles to songs with just a hint of good solid punk like the Ramones or a touch of the alternative, a la Bowie.

Madra have spent the past four years gigging as much and as hard as possible, in venues big and small, from Eamonn Doran’s & The Sugar Club, to Pravda, The Village and local festivals in Lucan & Leixlip. We believe that music can help people and society in many ways, and have played at various charity events for groups such as Focus Ireland and The Nagarhope charity.

We are constantly writing and refining our material, and it’s all getting better and better.

From our time gigging around Dublin, we’ve come to realise that there are two types of band, the one that stands and plays their songs with little to no recognition of the audience, and the type that we like to think we fall into, which is a band who go out there with great music (its gotta have a good pulse be loud & great live) and really up the tempo and get the place rocking.

Madra are:

Darragh Dalton – Drummer & Backing Vocals

Noel Gleeson    – Guitarist  & Lead Vocals.

Mark Phelan    – Bassist & Vocals.