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youbloom artist spotlight: Simone Snaith

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Simone-Snaith-musician-writerAt youbloomLA 2014, hundreds of artists and fans turned out to share in a common passion, music. Because of this, an amazing opportunity to meet people and to network was created. One of the attendees we met was Simone Snaith, musician and author. We had an opportunity to sit with Simone after the event and learn more about her music and writing careers.

Are you from LA or did you move here to be near the music scene?

I grew up in SoCal and have lived in several areas here, but I’m originally from Louisiana. I moved to CA with my family in 1988 because my mom wanted to be near the beach and mountains, and to have broader job opportunities. We moved to Norwalk first and then we moved to Culver City and later Redondo Beach. I moved into the Hollywood area from Redondo Beach around 2005 to work at a small indie label.

Can you tell us a little more about your music history?

In school, I was always in whatever choirs or choruses were available, but I never learned an instrument and I didn’t really try to write songs until college. Both of my parents are musicians who played in bands in Louisiana when I was a kid, so I was always around music. Now, I play guitar. I started learning after college – about 2002 – but I’ve only played seriously for about a year.

I joined my first band around 2001. In this band, we didn’t get along, so there was a lot of fighting and misery. In my later bands I struggled with keeping members that were committed to practicing or who weren’t too busy because they were in ten other bands. The first band was post-hardcore and I sang and wrote the vocals, and the later bands were actually the same folk/rock project with different line-ups because of the aforementioned losing of musicians. In those, I sang and wrote the songs. The first band went on two independent tours where we booked shows around the country and drove in a crappy van that broke down repeatedly. We mostly fought the whole time, but we did have some fun adventures.

What are some of the struggles you have had along the way?

It’s difficult to find a group of people that are reliable, that you get along with, and that play the right kind of music. That is more or less why I’m playing solo now. I was previously always the singer and songwriter, so I had to teach myself guitar to play alone, which is difficult for me because I have a work injury that caused me tendinitis. Playing solo also revived some stage fright that I shook off way back in my first band! But I get by and I’m proud of myself for carrying on solo.

What are your thoughts on breaking into the music scene in LA?

Obviously, the LA music scene is very crowded so it’s hard to get anyone to pay attention to your music. Also, it’s gotten better lately, but there are still a lot of venues that demand that you bring a ton of people. I think that making friends with other bands and booking shows is a big help, both in getting a bigger crowd at shows and also in making connections for finding things like band managers and photographers, etc.

What are some of the musical projects you are working on currently?

Turning Violet is my solo project and I play at venues such as La Cuevita, La Cita, Timewarp Records, and The Viper Room downstairs. This project is the result of no longer wanting to try to keep a band together, but just playing my songs by myself! I really enjoy the freedom of booking shows without worrying about schedule conflicts, and being the sole decision-maker. Right now, I’m focusing on playing gigs, but I will probably try to record down the road. I’d like to record a Turning Violet EP, but I’ll need help with that on the technical end and probably on guitar too!

I’m also a writer and am currently finishing up a new novel. I’ve been writing stories ever since I could use a pencil, and so I majored in Creative Writing in college, and mostly focused on writing short stories at first. Right after college, I wrote several screenplays but decided that screenwriting wasn’t my thing, so then I began to write novels.

Around 2007, I completed a young adult book and began submitting it to agents; I signed with Dystel & Goderich and have written 4 other novels since then, but none of them have been published, so I have started self-publishing and now have 3 of them available as ebooks: ‘From The Ashes’, ‘Through The Eyes’ (a young adult vampire series), and ‘The Indigo Stone’ (a fantasy novel). The first two are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes, and the last is on Amazon. A physical paperback version of The Indigo Stone will be available in about a week on Amazon, and in a month or so in stores! I would love to be able to make my living as a writer and continue playing music as much as possible. That has been my lifelong dream.

What was your experience attending youbloomLA?

I went to two sessions at the conference, one about licensing music and one about marketing. I knew some of the information already but it was interesting to hear it from the perspective of people working with major artists, etc. The speakers seemed very knowledgeable and the other attendees had good questions. I think the host bands concept is a great idea to help the out-of-town acts make the most of their time while they attend the festival.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists that are trying to make it in the music industry?

As far as advice, I can reiterate that networking with other bands and booking shows together is helpful for getting decent size crowds and future show opportunities. I would also suggest making the most of social media, including buying the occasional Facebook ad, etc., to get your page more visibility, as well as just being active online. I think focusing on building a following is the best way to break through the hundreds of bands out there, to establish name recognition and have people hearing about you, looking you up, coming to shows.

We are looking forward to getting to know some other youbloom artists and music lovers at youbloomDublin Festival and Conference. Join us on June 12th/13th/14th so that you can create your own connections and we can get to know YOU! Read more about the Festival and Conference HERE (www.youbloom.com/dublin-2015/). Additional details and tickets available soon.

If you want to learn more about the youbloom community follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and check out our new youbloomTV channel on YouTube.

Please take a look at Simone’s work below:
www.simonesnaith.com
Facebook — Turning Violet (music)
Facebook — The Indigo Stone (books)

Save the right to perform: #saveirishbusking

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Keywest busking on Grafton Street
Keywest busking on Grafton Street

Dublin is famous for it’s busking tradition. Tourists love it, locals appreciate it .

Busking provides a free platform for bands and artists carving their craft of performance.

The list of famous buskers on Grafton Street includes names like Bono, Kodaline, Passenger, Sinead O’ Connor, Paddy Casey, Damien Rice, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Riptide Movement, Keywest and Mundy. Aside from just singers, Dublin city streets and open spaces are populated by dancers, jugglers, acrobats, poets and comedians. From St. Stephen’s Green through Temple Bar to Henry Street, numerous artists and groups perform daily enhancing the artistic ambience of the city.

However, there is a dark cloud looming over the expression of art within the city. The dark cloud consists of protest from residents of Temple Bar who don’t want anyone playing after 11pm, (even at the weekends) anywhere near their homes. Apparently business owners have complained about buskers being too loud outside their shops, which to be fair might be the case if it’s one guy with a crappy accordion squeezing out the same dirges all day. And several councillors who seem to think that busking is still back in the 60’s with one guitar, one voice and a golden plec.

As streetscapes become more populated, busier and noisier so the humble busker has had to compete by using amplifiers. Amps however are the devils hearing aid, according to the mysterious minority protesters. The anti-amp brigade wanted a complete ban on amps throughout the city. Especially residents of Temple Bar who don’t want them within three metres of their homes. It’s ok by the way for the sirens, traffic, disco bars and general city centre noise, but not for two guys singing Wonderwall at 1am on a Saturday night.

Keywest are a Dublin based band who have built a massive fan base, due to years of successful busking on Dublin’s streets. They have mounted their own campaign to draw attention to the ridiculous nature of the new by-laws. Here’s the letter they submitted to Dublin City Council.

Dear Councillors,
My name is Andy Kavanagh & I’m a member of Keywest. Lets talk about Street Performing. It is no longer just busking. No longer just a Banjo and a rebel song. It’s a varied and vibrant artistic community.

Before I start I want to be clear as I think we’ve begun on the wrong foot. I believe in control on street performance. On more than one occasion I’ve met with assistant city manager Brendan Kenny and the Lord mayor Christy Burke and discussed my position. I even had a part to play in bringing these regulations to the table. Now it’s time to make them reasonable and workable.

Seems rational right? Well according to Councillor Mannix Flynn, “the amplifier in street performance and busking is like a virus. It kills creativity and wards off other artistic individuals.”

WOW It’s this attitude in people that had Galileo in fear of his life.

If I’m interpreting this correctly, banging an acoustic guitar loudly and wailing Oasis songs out at the top of ones voice is real talent and therefore preferable to an acoustic guitar plucked expertly in the stylings of the incredibly talented and now world famous Dublin buskers Rodrigo y Gabriela! Surely not.

A old banjo player wailing rebel songs is more desirable to the public majority over the soft sweet voices and plucked guitars of buskers turned superstars Ed Sheeran and Passenger.You’d have bagpipe over a Violin that is beautifully enhanced by backing music. No longer can the people of Dublin or the Tourists that visit us enjoy a magician that performs a captivating show, a circus act that delights with its mastery of acrobatics or a Dance act demonstrating perfect synchronicity and skill.

And the expert Street Performers that travel the world every year can no longer consider Ireland a place to show off their skills.
All of the above mentioned acts require amps. Amps allow talented people to reach out to audiences. You may have a problem with Keywest but what did all of those talented people do. You have insinuated we don’t respect business’s. That’s simply not true.
We leave business cards in every store so they can text if they feel our volume control or crowd control is not up to scratch. We pop in after the first set to check if everything is ok.
We have never ignored a request to lower the volume or move on. Never!
We ask our crowds to stand at the halfway point on the street and we finish sets after 4 songs to disperse the crowd. We do 4- 5 sets lasting two hours in total. We don’t repeat songs even once in a day and we don’t play in the same place more than twice a week or ever at night. What more do you want ? We have written statements from managers in over 30 stores on Grafton Street supporting Keywest in particular.
No Mannix the real enemy here is a lack of talent and lack of respect, not amplifiers.
You’ve referenced going back to the days of Bono and Glen Hansard busking without amps. That is a day gone by I’m afraid just like Morse code and telegrams. The reality is very different. With no amps you will have a swarm of oasis songs, accordions, brass instruments, bongos and bagpipes.
There was a time people travelled in horse and carts until the birth of the car and upon it’s groundbreaking arrival it presented a whole new set of problems but in the interest of human progress we adapt and create new systems to integrate the newer more modern ideas. We don’t just abandon what we don’t yet understand and go backwards.
You may not like Keywest but many Irish people do.

We are now 52,000 people strong on Facebook because of busking. Ireland’s new arrivals on Aer Lingus and Arab Emirates flights are pointed in our direction through a landing tourist information video. Youtube views of Keywest performing on Grafton street amount to over 10 million views. Most importantly the voting Dublin public decided we were “Dublins Best Street Performers 2014” with 60% of the vote.
Like many buskers we’ve done our fair share to promote Irish tourism.

I’ve performed all over the world. The rules vary but by and large they are aiming at the same thing. Dublin is Ireland’s capital city and I believe we should be trying to come in line and break new ground on the international standard. I’m addressing you as a very proud Dubliner. I live on Ormond Quay opposite Temple Bar and I enjoy all the city has to offer. I am not at all hesitant when I say, to me, Dublin is the perfect blend of everything and one of the greatest cities in the world to call home.

I am organising this campaign to bring light onto a topic that has been shrouded in darkness when it comes to the Irish public. Keywest are no longer a regular sight on Dublin streets but as busking has now given me a voice I intend to use it to save the free spirit that makes Dublin so great. This campaign is not in the interest of self preservation it is on principle.
I believe in respecting everyone. I believe we can implement controls that improve the quality of buskers and the quality of life for business and residents. I believe in compromise. A ban on amps is not a compromise. A decibel level of 80 decibels is exceeded by just talking on Grafton St so I don’t believe that is fair either.

I’d rather not expend my efforts in a campaign against councillors but on a campaign with councillors that enhances living in or visiting this fair city.

Andy Kavanagh,
Proud Dubliner and Street Performer

In spite of Andy’s spirited and impressive campaign against the impending bye laws, earlier this week Dublin City Council voted to ban all busking after 11pm. A complete ban on busking outside the GPO and in O’Connell Street (wonder if that counts for choirs raising money for charities at Christmas?), no busking on Temple Bar Square, a limit of 80 decibels (street noise level) and a lower level of 75 decibels in Temple Bar. Buskers have to pay for a permit of €30 to busk or €90 extra if you have an amp. The Keywest campaigners haven’t given up yet. They’re determined to #SaveIrishBusking:

 

Glen Hansard, legendary Dublin busker and Oscar winner said: “As a busker, one thing that does not work is self-consciousness. A busker needs to be working. A busker needs to shed all ego and get down to work. Play your songs, play them well, earn your money, and don’t get in people’s way.”

Surely we as a community cannot let the interests of a few over sensitive ears in a prime city centre location undermine the very fabric of our artistic society. Watch, post, retweet and contribute to #saveirishbusking.

youbloom artist spotlight: Kingdom Of Crows

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Kingdom-Of-Crows-youbloom-fetured-artist
Having formed Kingdom of Crows as a one man acoustic project in 2011, Stephen Kelly invited two guests, Bob Power and Brian Brennan to record a demo with him in the studio in 2012. Due to the unique sound this resulted in, Kingdom of Crows played some Dublin based shows as a three-piece acoustic act in late 2012.

Soon after this, Stephen started work on what would be the first track for his debut album. Stephen commented: “It was a humble three guitar piece named Call of the Void, it was suggested that I continue building the song, adding vocals, drums and bass to it”. Enter Lucy Early vocalist and lyrics writer (formerly with Factions) and guests bassist Robert Stanley (The Very Special/The Outsiders) and drummer Ken Mcgrath (The Very Special/The Outsiders).

Stephen notes: “Our sound grew and grew but we still maintained our acoustic roots and style. Eight new songs were written on top of Call of the Void, some including guests like the talented international violinist Nuria Garcia Salas of Catalunya and Ireland’s own Jonathan Yeates (Mr Blueface), who also produced our debut album The Truth is the Trip in his studio The Casualty Factory.”

In early 2014, now with nine new songs ready to go and the addition of two popular songs from their 2012 demo,these are Dreamless Sleep and Elizabeth which have been revamped in the new Kingdom of Crows sound, the band were ready to start recording their debut album.

However the process was brought to all but a complete halt after guitar/keys player and main songwriter for the group Stephen Kelly suffered serious injury in a motorbike accident. Through his love of music and sheer determination Stephen vowed “after nurturing the songs for so long nothing was going to stop this album being completed” and after six months of recovery Stephen returned to complete the project.

They chose the title of their debut album, due for release later this year as The Truth Is The Trip. Remarking on the influences for the album and title, Stephen said: “The title of the album has great relevance throughout the record and also in what was going on in the world at the time of recording. What really goes on in the world won’t be seen on mainstream news and when we open our eyes and realise the truth of what is actually transpiring, that is surely a trip”.

Stephen adds: “Our goal has always been to harness all of our influences into our music, be it from Luke Kelly to Bob Marley or Black Sabbath to opera, we don’t want to limit ourselves to one genre or style and we hope people can hear and feel that when listening to the album”. With that in mind, take a listen to some of the bands edgy and thought provoking music, which we feel would suit many movie and TV scores well: http://www.breakingtunes.com/kingdomofcrows

Keith Cullen follows his dream

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Keith-Cullen

Keith Cullen is a singer songwriter from Dublin. This week he will perform at the international youbloom music festival, showcase and conference in Los Angeles.

Keith is the guy who gave it all up to follow his dream.
He ran a very successful marketing company with his sister Jennifer in Dublin. They started with nothing and built their business into a profitable operation, bringing them both money, success and a good lifestyle. So, you’d think all this would make you happy, right ? Well, actually it didn’t.

Keith had a niggle. And it wouldn’t go away. A musical niggle, a yearning to write and perform. That voice in the back of his head that wouldn’t shut up.

A few years previously Keith had been offered a place in the London School of Music but get this — he didn’t believe in himself enough to pursue the opportunity. He chose the business option instead. In 2010 he decided to let the voice in his head take over. He quit the marketing business to focus on what he really wanted to do. “No regrets, ” he says, “I never wanted to look back on my life and have regrets”.

He started writing again, got a few professional opinions, worked on his voice, wangled a few introductions in the right places, worked the local scene as much as he could. Now as everyone knows, behind every good man is an even greater woman. Keith was blessed in this case as Jennifer took a leap of faith with him. She studied professional management in Dublin and completed her music management studies in London. All whilst juggling the combination of managing Keith, running their Believe Management Company and rearing her son.

As a result of all their efforts and focus , Keith got a bit of a break. He landed the support slot for Shanyne Ward for three nights at the prestigious luxury venue, The Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

This was his first taste of it. He got involved with festival promoters and played relentlessly at numerous festivals around Ireland. During this stint he worked line ups with acts like Bressie, Keywest, Jack L, Jedward and Ryan O’ Shaughnessy. He showcased his own new material and engaged with his audience. Keith and Jennifer were clever here, because they quickly realised the value of social media. They used the festival platform to build Keith’s substantial social media presence. He has 3,181 friends on Facebook and a Twitter following of over 35,000. That’s a lot of fans. Fans = customers = sales = success = sustainable dream of being a performer.

In the last few years Keith has been signed by Notting Hill Music in London, he has acquired an agent in the US. He has invested significantly in his videos and self released singles over that time. He has proven his weight and worth to any prospective labels. He is working his dream like he worked his business and building from the ground up.

He recently supported Hozier at The Academy in Dublin, he has several industry legends to visit when he gets to LA. He was part of the Guinness Amplify programme and just recently performed for the BBC. He has no illusions about realising his dreams. He took a big risk. It will pay off, his talent will endure and everyone will ask about his “overnight success”. Check him out on www.kcmusic.ie

Keith plays La Cuevita on Saturday night at ten thirty. Here’s his video for Eyes Wide Open:

Post by Ciara Sheahan. I’m a self confessed indie rock n’roller. Live music addict, writer, blogger, festival veteran. Native to Dublin, my degree in Journalism is from The University of Sheffield. With a proven track record in business and a creative side that refuses to recede I’m firmly focused on my future in the music/creative industry.

Top Music Producer meets Dublin’s hottest new Band

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top-music-producer-Rupert-Hine-meets-Hot-Sprockets
Rupert Hine meets The Hot Sprockets

The Hot Sprockets closed out the final night of the much acclaimed youbloom@Dublin Festival at The Mercantile on Dame Street. They came straight from stage to couch where legendary producer Rupert Hine delved into the essence of their sprocketing and gave them the pearls of his wisdom.

Those people who missed the youbloom@Dublin conference in the College of Surgeons may not know Rupert but he is rock n’ roll royalty. His Christmas card list includes people like Jimmy Page, Stevie Nicks, Suzanne Vega, The Waterboys, Bob Geldof , Tina Turner, RUSH, Howard Jones, Underworld and The Thompson Twins. He basically formed his own genre in championing the integration of digital technology into music production and art.

He has composed, produced and released some of the best known music in the world. His experience as a musician goes back to the early sixties when he formed half of a duo called “Rupert and David”. He played clubs and pubs and occasionally shared the stage with a little known chap called Paul Simon. The duo released one single in 1965. It was a cover of “The Sound of Silence” and featured Jimmy Page and Herbie Flowers.

That’s where the story starts. Since then Rupert has established himself as a composer, producer, songwriter, environmentalist. He is a founder member of the Music Producers Guild, the International MIDI Association and a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the U.S. In 2011 he received an APRS Fellowship Award from Sir George Martin.

The Hot Sprockets are probably the hottest thing smouldering out of Dublin this summer. They’ve been gigging around for a few years now, cutting their teeth at many Irish festivals. They’ve played every stage, street corner and cubicle in central Dublin. They trade on a combination of folked up, funked out, rock and roll flavoured good time tunes.

They are very funny, a comedic quality that’s evident in all their videos. The most notable it has to be said, the video for “Shake Me Off”. Who else could get away with a motorbike flying off a ramp through a massive burning phallus? Their live shows have more energy than a crate of Red Bull, showreels of cartoon lady lumps and an impressive array of percussion. They’ve bagged a deal with AIB providing the music on the new advert, full of “Whoooo’s” and a hook that will follow you round all day.

They formed their own label Cherrypopper Records and released two albums. The latest one “Brother Nature” was launched in early June. They sold out The Button Factory, leaving a trail of tear stained faces from devastated fans who missed the gig. Yeah, these guys are spreading the love and keeping it real. Pure advocates of joy are what they are.

So, if you want to know what Rupert Hine, The Hot Sprockets and The Rolling Stones have in common watch this short but insightful interview.
For more info check out their website where all their artistic pleasures are available online. Check out the upcoming Knockan Stockan, Latitude and The Green Man festivals to catch them live.

Post by Ciara Sheahan. I’m a self confessed indie rock n’roller. Live music addict, writer, blogger, festival veteran. Native to Dublin, my degree in Journalism is from The University of Sheffield. With a proven track record in business and a creative side that refuses to recede I’m firmly focused on my future in the music/creative industry.

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