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youbloom LA 2016 Press Release

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 22, 2016

youbloomLA Music Summit and Festival enters its third year showcasing local and international bands and music industry speakers.
September 29, 30, and October 1st across Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, CA: youbloom, an annual international music festival and conference, expands its reach for youbloomLA 2016 to include Downtown LA, Northeast LA, and Culver City.

Now in its third year, youbloomLA 2016 is excited to announce its bands and speakers. “No”, and “Mars and the Massacre” are two of the musical highlights this year. The conference organizers have managed to maintain the level of intimacy and integrity expected from a youbloom conference while growing their reach considerably. The panelists are top notch and the areas of expertise covered have widened, and youbloom will be presenting special sessions on live and touring, music licensing, digital marketing, and a special panel on “Women in Music”. Music conferences are often underrepresented on the Westside, and youbloomLA is thrilled to partner with Hamilton High School for the Arts for the conference segment and with Musicians Institute with a number of its artists showcasing.

This year’s keynote speakers are Liz Garo, talent buyer/event producer at Spaceland Productions (The Echo, Echoplex, Regent Theater and more) and Darrell Brown, songwriter, arranger with worldwide music sales of over 72 million units. There will be over 40 speakers from all areas of the industry, including Loretta Munoz (ASCAP), Brad Rains (Atlantic), Les Borsai (Gridhub), Kevin Day (SkyRocket), and Jeremy Hammond (Western Front).

The youbloom A&R Team has also curated over 80 bands from 6 countries as well as the US, including, Brazil, UK, Sweden and Ireland and includes genres such as hip hop, rock, reggae, folk, bluegrass, pop, Mediterranean and more. Full list http://www.youbloom.com/ybla-2016/

A truly signature aspect of youbloom is the community it develops; their generosity and understanding of artists’ essential needs and comfort is paramount. To that end, the local LA bands will be adopting and hosting acts from farther afield. These ambassadors include Evol Walks, The Blue Dolphins, The Vigils and Turning Violet, along with about 25 more fabulous discoveries and hometown treasures.

The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, September 30/October 1 at Hamilton High School for the Arts (Culver City adjacent) from 11am to 6pm. Tickets are on sale now as follows: Delegate price $100 ($75 students with ID) with access to all of conference and gigs.
All 3 nights gig wristband $30. Otherwise buy tickets at door, $7 Old Towne Pub, Five Star Bar and The Lexington. Free entry to La Cuevita and Griffins of Kinsale.

Available online at http://tinyurl.com/jmarwar and at the door. At last, the music! On Thursday September 29th, and Friday September 30th and Saturday October 1st to wee hours of the morning, music lovers and discoverers can find it all at five locations: Griffins of Kinsale; La Cuevita; The Old Towne Pub; The Lexington Bar; and Five Star Bar. Cover charges range from free to $7. See ALL Artists

About youbloom: Learn. Connect. Play. That’s the youbloom motto; the creed for this community of music enthusiasts whose mission it is to help artists build a sustainable living. youbloom was founded in Ireland by doctor, musician, Phil Harrington and nurtured by visionaries like Bob Geldof and Nigel Grainge. What started as a modest online song contest in 2010 surged into an annual Music Festival and Conference in both Dublin and Los Angeles, bringing nearly 100 bands from a dozen countries to each event.

For more information contact Phil Harrington philh@youbloom.com
website http://www.youbloom.com/ybla-2016/
Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/youbloom
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/youbloom
Instagram.com/officialyoubloom
YouTube youbloomTV

Hey Lana Del Ray, there’s a new girl in town.

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This year over sixty bands played at our youbloom Dublin music festival. You name it, we had it. Indie rock ‘n rollers, heavy metal moshers, earnest singer songwriters, feisty folksters and electro pop synth wizards. Hidden in amongst this treasure trove of unsigned talent was a wee lassy from Cavan. She arrived unassumingly at the youbloom tv pop up studio in Musicmaker. Herself and the inimitable Paul Cox, he of Cavan TV fame were ready to shock and awe us.

aine-cahill

Aine Cahill stunned the room into silence as soon as the first note of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” hit.
She’s twenty and writes all her own songs. She’s a shimmering little songbird with powerful polished vocals and a penchant for writing tales of glossy melodrama.
Believe it or not, this is the girl who couldn’t get into the school choir. At Loreto College, Cavan they was told her she wasn’t good enough. She never sang at all till she was sixteen. Her pivotal moment happened when two pupils sitting at the school piano were struggling to hit the high notes of an Adele song. Aine walked over and started singing. She hasn’t stopped since. She did a music course in Cavan five years ago, just as she started writing her own material. She gets inspiration from artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Melody Gardot, Lana Del Ray, Marina And The Diamonds and Lady Gaga.

We discovered Aine in June. Since then she has been chosen by 2FM to play at Ireland’s biggest festival Electric Picnic. She’s playing three stages over three days. She’s performed her new single “Black Dahlia” live for Ian Dempsey on national commercial Irish radio station Today FM. She wowed crowds at the boutique Ballinamore Fringe Festival. She’s turned up at secret gigs and is set to headline her own gig at Whelan’s in Dublin on September 27th.
Here’s a link to her new song “Black Dahlia”. A tale of Hollywood murder mystery from the 1950’s. If chocolate was sonic, it would sound like this… (but that’s just my opinion).

Corner Boy Conquer Europe and do reality TV

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Cornerboy by Colm Kelly
Cornerboy by Colm Kelly

“Four and half beards and a van “ is how Michael D’Arcy frontman describes his band Corner Boy. He’s so modest, this Waterford ambassador for the arts. It’s Friday night and we’re having a chat in between kit load in and soundcheck for a gig at the Clonmel Busking Festival. Their new single “Untie The Noose “ has just dropped. So far they’ve had over eight thousand views of the video in one day. Oh my, what a beauty it is. Directed by highly accomplished writer David O’Brien, he of the “Blood Red Turns Dollar Green” trilogy. The film has a distinct Tim Burton flavour, superb storytelling stylishly framing this stomping tune. Michael reveals the song was written under a bridge in Waterford, adding yet another layer of lyrical intrigue.

Now firmly formed as a five piece, the band have totally self funded all their releases to date. They invest all funds from playing back into the band whilst juggling jobs and weekday routines. Hitting the road on Fridays, they’ve played every county in Ireland. Except Clare for some reason. But there’s a gig planned for that one. Enjoying the freedom to make their own musical decisions, whilst building a massive fan base has ensured Corner Boy maintained their own artistic integrity. Unlike many other aspiring artists it’s not all about a label. Michael preaches the word of the independent music maker. He’s not seeking a magic formula. “We do it because we love it. We love travelling, meeting all kinds of other bands and musicians, artists writers and filmmakers. We’ve met people from all over the world touring Ireland. Yeah I’m sure the day will come when a label will be there but for us it’s not just about that.”

In a bizarre twist, the band found themselves with a top five in charts in Holland. They had taken part in a reality show about two Dutch guys made learning Irish folk music. They played with The Young Folk and other remaining members of The Dubliners as part of the show. It was aired in The Netherlands on primetime tv as the two fellas were part of the panel for The Voice. So, Michael comes in from the farm at 4 am, (it was calving season) only to find their facebook page had gone mad with new Dutch fans and top five hit in the charts. Hence the reason Corner Boy are hitting the road to Europe in September.

I’ve been lucky enough to witness their True North and “Morning Morning” EPs live several times. From the energetic, uplifting, rousing “Morning Morning” to the romantic, ambling melody of “Move To Paris”. These guys are no one trick pony. There’s a big range of influences apparent, whether is blue-grass or alt-rock. We were lucky enough to have them for the finale of the youbloom Dublin 2015 festival in June. If they show up in your part of the world go see them. They will rise you like no other. In the mean time you can watch “Untie The Noose” here.

From youbloomLA to major management deal — Keith Cullen gets signed

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Keith-Cullen-youbloomIt’s less than nine months since Dublin singer songwriter Keith Cullen graced the stage at youbloom LA last November. In that nine months Keith has been working the scene in Dublin, London and LA . He’s juggling time zones and body clocks to be in the right place at the right time. Thankfully, it all worked out. So far.

The big news from Keith is that he has signed a management deal with Phil Quartararo – Former CEO at Virgin records, Warner bros and EMI. Phil is credited with numerous musical legends like Madonna, Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Eric Clapton, Red Hot chilli peppers. He was the guy who was instrumental in breaking U2 into the American market.

Keith managed to get double Grammy winner Bob Cutarella to produce his new album. Bob has worked with musical heroes like Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Sheena Easton, Air Supply, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston, Michael Henderson, Diana Ross, Deborah Allen, Dolly Parton, The Police, Elton John, REM, Culture Club, Human League, ABC, Linda Rondstadt, Frank Sinatra to name but a few. This heavy hitter has produced records with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Sting, Billy Gibbons(ZZ TOP), Allison Krauss, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), John Rzeznik (The Goo Goo Dolls), Keith Richards and Cyndi Lauper He won two Grammys in 2005 and currently is soliciting music for American Idol, X Factor, and the Voice.

The KC dream team is ready. Keith, Bob, Phil and the woman behind it all Jennifer Cullen. Jennifer is Keith’s sister and manager. They both ran a highly successful commercial business back in the boom, they have both given it all up to follow the dream to see Keith succeed as an artist. Keith lists off his highlights since youbloom LA as having his song “ Say Something” placed into the film “High Strung”, signing the management deal with Phil, working with Bob and his longtime sonic companion JJ Daly and hanging with Hozier during Grammy season in LA.
“It’s really weird hearing your music on a film, like sitting there watching the movie, then your song comes on. It’s amazing, don’t get me wrong but it takes time to actually take it in, when it materialises. I still can’t believe it when I think about it”. Keith found himself in the artistic company of Jayne Seymour and “Inception” and “Batman” actor Andrew Pleavin, both of whom starred in the film.

2015 has been really productive for Keith so far, but it didn’t happen overnight. Keith has been chasing his musical ambitions since 2010. He quickly realised that the music scene in Ireland was too small for him to succeed. Controlled by a few key players with a significant challenge to get airtime on Irish radio, it’s a story many Irish artists will relate to. Keith and Jennifer began sussing out the scene in LA and London.

Funding trips to conventions, meetings and festivals they both networked every opportunity. Wading through the swamps of bullshit to eventually find key people and big chances to make an impression. The impression seems to be working, but as Keith will tell you “ we treated it like a business. We quickly understood who could deliver and who was bullshitting. You can bluff all day, but it’s the ones who deliver to make the grade”. And the grade has been made. There’s no big label news yet, but I get the feeling… it won’t be long now.

If you have a musical niggle that won’t go away, take a look at the apply to play form for #youbloomLA2015. You never know, it might be you we are writing about in 2016.

Keith-Cullen-with-Hozier
Keith with Hozier in L.A.

Your next Hozier moment: check out PORTS

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Ports-youbloom

The “Blurred Lines” copyright case between Marvin Gaye’s family and Robin Thicke continued this week. Ironic that it’s centred around the pop hit “Blurred Lines” as the defence tried to induce a smoke and mirrors approach to their side of “Hey, hey, hey” story. The row centres over Thicke’s alleged stealing from Gaye’s track “Got To Give It Up”. It’s all good girls, chewing gum for the brain and $16 million dollars worth of “Feel but not infringement” accord to Thicke. “Blurred Lines” caused offence and controversy over the lyrics, but stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for three months. So clearly, somebody likes it.

The whole episode leads me to think… Mainstream music. Who does want it?

Saturated with overrated Kanyes, Taylors, Mileys and Pharrells. Low in fibre, high in sweeteners. Produced by the mindless, consumed by the masses. Musically replicated nodding dogs moulded by a warped mercenary system that’ s dominated by big labels, bland radio, deluded talent shows and engorged awards ceremonies. Stay on the standard FM band and that’s all you’ll get. But…. there is hope.

If you tweak the dial, go up the indie scale, step out of your musical comfort zone you may find a BBC Radio app. When you do, you’ll uncover a universe of eclectic musical diversity spanning multiple genres and generations. It’s on this frequency that you may encounter your next Hozier moment. That moment in time when the world stops for a second. When a voice, a lyric or a sentiment seizes your subconscious. Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 6 regularly provides such musical moments. Best known for her indie pop heritage in 90’s band Catatonia, she is a faithful advocate of the band in Whelan’s tonight.

PORTS, formerly known as Little Bear are a foursome from Derry, Northern Ireland. They came onto Cerys’s radar having appeared twice on “Other Voices” music series in 2014. She was so impressed, she included them in her live broadcast from the RTE studios in April last year called “From Dublin With Love.” PORTS came in and did a set that included “The Devil Is A Songbird,” which is tonight’s opener.

It starts with a lonesome melody whistled through the reverb feedback from two mobile phones. Softly framing insightful lyrics, a lingering luxurious arrangement with a delicate yet desolate sound scape. It’s a thing of beauty. “The devil’s a songbird picking at my heart/ Her face was black/ Her dress hung like a painting on the wall” writes frontman Steven McCool. His writing style is visual, carefully weaving the words through the music. Attributing his key influence to Dylan Thomas, McCool’s poetry is engaging before it even meets the music.

“The song reflects the delicate nature of of the trouble in a relationship” Stephen told me. “When you see past the ugliness that can sometimes arise, you realise the songbird is actually a beautiful thing. You just need to look at it differently.”

Stephen seeks to create a cinematic connection with his writing, taking the listener on a journey through the songs. He wants his words to paint so many pictures. And that they certainly do.

Moving onto Night Dries Like Ink is a song about his brother leaving for Australia, the grief of the departure, the essence of loss. It’s another fragile decadent beauty. A swollen sound scape with oceanic tones throughout, sombre and dark. McCool’s language, “Night dries in/Like ink against a glowing sea/Brother I swim, part of you is part of me/ Fixed to the land motionless I call to thee/ Blessed by the leaves and the autumn skies surrounding me.” Perfect poignancy for this sparkling set list. I’d Let You Win follows, carrying the delicate jewel of regret and wistful yearning layered with lush guitars, shimmering in Richard Hawley style.

The lads deliver a stylish, dramatic version of Moby’s Why Does My Heart? part of a recent BBC recording. Oversized, exaggerated with massive effect, it’s as good if not better than the original. There’s a song from their highly anticipated new album called In Summer next. Magnificent, sunshine, Summer scape sound. A faint whiff of Groove Armada, huge cymbals, uplifting hooks. If feels like PORTS just stole the sunset and put it in a song. The band have been travelling with The Prima Quartet, I can only imagine how utterly stunning the combination must be. They’ve been playing Killer, reworked and rearranged with the quartet. It’s on the new album apparently. Bring it on. Final offerings of the night were Letters. Ghostly vocal echoes, a folky feel and charming percussion on a rising pace that evolves into extended serious riffs from Ryan. Closing with The Few And Far Between PORTS end their set much to the disappointment of the crowd.

PORTS will give you your next Hozier moment. The Devil Is A Songbird will wind it’s way into your universe. It won’t be on Bland FM or on samey samey MTV. It will blaze a trail through the hungover haze of plastic fantastic pre-manufactured pop. It will shine like a rebel diamond cut out of the sun.(Brandon Flowers phrase, thanks BF) Be ready for it. You can get your hands on Anicent Wave right now. The album has been two years in the making but it will be here very soon. These guys have worked hard to retain their artistic integrity. They’ve politely refused a couple of contracts, declined offers to make their work more “Radio 1 friendly.” This album is their baby. Very soon it will be woven in your soul. (That’s Imagine Dragons by the way). Check out PORTS Band on Facebook for more info.

Here’s a look at the Other Voices performance:

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