• EVENTS
  • ABOUT US
  • HELP CENTER
  • SIGN UP
  • LOG IN
  • JOIN US/LOG IN
You are here: Home / Archives for musicians

youbloom HEADROOM #6: Featured Artists from the Dublin 2015 Music Festival

04-Jun-2015 By Shannon Duvall

Hi, it’s youbloom from the future (one week into the future, to be precise)! On our mission of music-loving mischief, we managed to get our paws on an old Eircom phonebox, and with a little help from some bleach, and a wise-cracking, inter-dimensional chaperone, we’ve been downright zipping around through time, jamming to tunes and having the major lols.

That story may or may not be a total lie. It may or may not have also been 100% ripped off of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. But this I can tell you, dear readers: we really do love jamming to tunes; we really, really do wish we had a phonebox time machine; and on this day in one week’s time, you really are going to be feasting your eyes and ears on an absolute torrent of new, exciting, crazy talented bands and performers.

The youbloom Dublin 2015 Music Festival & Conference is a mere week away, coming to Dublin’s Dame district next Friday – Sunday, Jun 12/13/14, hosting over 60 mint condition acts – for free – over five stages. So with that in mind, it’s time to take that time-travel-inspired trip back to the roots of music for a fresh muckraking session with our latest crew. (Quadruple air guitar solos)

 

So, guys, tell us the story of the first experience you can remember having with music. Feel free to spill all the beans.

 

acc

“I like to think that my first ever experience with music was in my mother’s belly a couple weeks before she was due to have me. She was at a Peter Gabriel concert. I was kicking and dancing like mad, and she almost fainted during it. I still love listening to Peter Gabriel.”    

– Christian Collins, singer/songwriter

With a voice that betrays a rich humility and fervent depth; reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s greatest years, Christian Collins is not to be missed. This is triumphant poetry at its touchable best. He plays Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Sunday, 14/6, at 10.05pm.

 

“It was summertime and me, my brother, and my cooler older cousin were staying at my aunt’s house in the country. There was an old caravan out the back so we snuck out there late one night with an old cassette player. (My cousin) put on The Doors and Led Zeppelin. I’d never heard music like that before! I was completely awestruck by Jim Morrison’s deep, wise voice, and found it so hard to comprehend (that) he had died really young. It was a magical music night!”    

– Miriam Donohue, singer/songwriter

Like something unearthed from a time capsule buried in the early 60’s by a still-green Bob Dylan, Miriam Donohue’s music feels like a gift from a time when pop music was still silly enough to be bypassed by those with more on their minds than twisting and shouting. A capable writer, with a sublime delivery that will leave you speechless. She’s on the Mercantile Gallery stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 8.30pm.

 

 

“Music was always part of my life. I don’t remember how it all started, but I do remember following my mum around the house and harmonizing with a vacuum cleaner, driving kids in school insane by tapping on every possible surface, and walking in beat with (every) song.”        

– Djollie, drums, WOB!

The latest in an esteemed line of technical wizards and engrossing Irish instrumental bands, WOB!’s spin on the genre is lighter, more ebullient; all the while respecting and commanding its complex formula and precision whomp. WOB! deliver a lively set from the Mercantile stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 8pm.

 

“When I was 3 years old, I was given a little violin. Apparently, I played with it by pretending it was a rocket ship and throwing it into the sky. Perhaps this was an early indicator that no, I would not enjoy attending classical lessons.”

– Amano Miura, singer/songwriter

Amano is such an enchanting musician, with a voice like an elegant ninja, and lyrics draped in a sweet, alarming know-how; fascination barely concealed. Great videos, too. She performs a beguiling set on Friday, 12/6 at the Mercantile Gallery stage, at 8pm.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Artist Discovery, Featured Artist, Independent Musicians, Interviews, youbloomDublin Tagged With: featured artists, HEADROOM, music festival, musicians, youbloomDublin2015

youbloom HEADROOM #5: Featured Artists from the Dublin 2015 Music Festival

31-May-2015 By Shannon Duvall

We’re back, snoopers and meddlers – – I, uh, mean fans! We’ve dug up more dirt and uncovered the bones of the bands that started it all for a second batch of youbloom Dublin 2015 Music Festival artists and musicians. They’ve all been incredibly gracious in sharing the deets of the awkward years (burns death threat; laughs nervously; files restraining order), and as ever, we’re super proud to show them some HEADROOM blog love. Be sure to check out your favourites at the Festival, coming up before you know it this June 12/13/14.

So, tell us about the first band you were ever in. Was it good? Cringingly bad? Is this the first one!?!?! Gahhh!! How exciting!!!

Leah (Singer) - 3

“Beware of You is the first proper band I’ve ever been in; they’re fine I guess. I let them talk to me sometimes…KIDDING! We gelled really quickly and we’re (like) a creepy little family who will send you picture postcards every Christmas. We love each other and have unreal craic, so making music comes naturally.”

– Leah, vocals, Beware of You

Gutsy, ambitious new act Beware of You have been busy this year drawing blood from the stone of pop punk and creating something earnestly elemental with their loot. Showing their colours, with influences the likes of All Time Low and Paramore, they’re ones to watch. See them on the Sweeney’s Downstairs stage on Sunday night, 14/6, at 10.30pm.

 

dk

“The first band I was in was at the age of 13, when I discovered The Libertines. I listened to their second album on my bed one night through a Walkman and it sounded like NOTHING I had ever heard before. The next week I bought an electric guitar and started to seek out like-minded souls. I found a few and we actually recorded an EP in a local studio. (It was) very “Libs” inspired; all Reebok Classics and funny walks.”

– David Keenan, singer/songwriter

Yes, he really did become famous for singing in a taxi. (Don’t believe it? See for yourself here: David Keenan taxi serenade) When voices like David’s come along, well, they usually clear a path through the musical landscape that takes years to fill back in again. It’s hypnotising, mighty stuff. Don’t miss his Sweeney’s Upstairs stage set, first on on Sunday, 14/5, at 8pm.

 

w

“My first band was a street punk band: fast and raw with lots of attitude. I always thought it was really bad, but all sloppy riffs aside, people loved to come to our gigs. I recently found that someone had uploaded our tunes on YouTube. It’s amazing that (the music) is still being listened to more than 10 years later.”

– Djollie, drums, WOB!

The latest in an esteemed line of technical wizards and engrossing Irish instrumental bands, WOB!’s spin on the genre is lighter, more ebullient; all the while respecting and commanding its complex formula and precision to deliver serious whomp. WOB! deliver a lively set from the Mercantile stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 8pm.

 

“A few of us in school formed what you might call a band, causing considerable mirth amongst everybody else. We couldn’t really play or sing, a fact that escaped us all. Our cheerier tracks used Emily Dickinson’s poetry for lyrics.”

Jerome McCormick, The Man, Imploded View

Imploded View is a one-man electronic alchemist and connoisseur of all things catchy. From the ethereal to the downright funky, his set’ll have your hips a-shakin’ before you can say “Why yes, I WOULD love more sneaky Bucky.” His appropriately late-night set kicks off on Sweeney’s Basement stage on Friday, 12/6, at 12.30pm.

 

“Well, I was never in a band. I started solo and remained that way for 14 years! I do have my own band now, which is kinda cool. I love the mix of doing solo gigs and then having (a) band with me. It’s the best of both worlds.”

– Rachael McCormack, singer/songwriter/badass

The Dublin powerhouse that is Rachael McCormack wields her talent like a barely tamed wild beast, chomping at the bit to give you all of what she’s got. Every shred the entertainer, with serious guitar chops and a voice that, no, will not sit down or shut up, she’s a whirlwind. She’s first on the Busking stage on Saturday, 13/5, at 4pm.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Artist Discovery, Featured Artist, Independent Musicians, Interviews, youbloomDublin Tagged With: featuredartists, HEADROOM, music festival, musicians, youbloomDublin2015

youbloom HEADROOM: Featured Artists from the Dublin 2015 Music Festival #4

29-May-2015 By Shannon Duvall

Artists and band members from the upcoming youbloom Dublin 2015 Music Festival are sharing little bits of their formative  years with us as we prod away in search of the source of all that musicality. We are proud to have them on the bill with over 50 incredible, unsigned acts, playing over five stages this June 12/13/14, and even more proud to have the honor of divulging what makes them tick.

Today, a new batch of rockers and minstrels tell us the story of the first time they knew that music was for them. N’awww.

Dublin City Rounders Selfie

“When I was 16 and I first got paid to drink free beer, eat free food, watch burlesque girls and rock out in the band Jimmy Willing & The Real Gone Hickups; that’s what did it for me. Music is magical for those making it and those listening. There are plenty of ups and downs, but we stick with it for those magical moments.”

– Rohan Healy, Dublin City Rounders

“When I realized that latex and black makeup is more comfortable than a business suit.”

– Al, Dublin City Rounders

TG4 darlings The Dublin City Rounders are here to party, bringing their trademark rabble-rousing, boot-stomping, rubber-necking sound to the youbloom crowd. Why is it so infectious? How did they write these wicked ditties? And what the hell is that guy doing to the bass? (Jimi Hendrix challenge accepted!) Their energy will blow you away on Sunday, 14/6 at the Busking Stage, 6pm.

 

IMG_1821

 “When I was very young, maybe around 5 or 6 years old, I wrote and recorded a song called “Mad Dog” in my father’s home studio. I played the drums on it, which I distinctly remember because my legs were too short to reach the kick pedal! The song was about a dog who chased the postman and wanted to eat him. I remember telling my father that when I grew up I was going to be the lead singer of a band who also played the drums. The drumming part didn’t pan out but one out of two isn’t bad.”

– Kim Monroe, Castle Creek

Everything is right with this band. They’re tight, bluesy, hooky, and inviting, and they’ve been winning over audiences everywhere they’ve performed since getting their rootsy rock sound together in the heart of New York state a few years ago. The soundtrack to your both your most nostalgic moments and all the beers with your best mates. Give ‘em a proper Irish welcome at Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 11pm.

 

miriamd

“The first time a friend introduced me to her work pals as a musician. Before I had time to object and say, “Oh no, I’m not a real musician,” they were asking me loads of questions about music. By the end of the night, feeling so happy, I realised that I wanted to start doing more with my songs. I booked my first venue, charged a fiver at the door, and 70 friends and supporters filled the room that night. And that was me hooked on being a musician!”

– Miriam Donohue, singer/songwriter

Like something unearthed from a time capsule buried in the early 60’s by a still-green Bob Dylan, Miriam Donohue’s music feels like a gift from a time when pop music was still silly enough to be bypassed by those with more on their minds than twisting and shouting. A capable writer, with a sublime delivery that will leave you speechless. She’s on the Mercantile Gallery stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 8.30pm.

 

photo (2)“Its difficult to pin point the one moment when I knew music was for me. It seems to have always been within me. Maybe when I discovered how cathartic writing songs was as a teenager, especially when I started getting my heart broken from pretty girls!”

– Christian Collins, singer/songwriter

With a voice that betrays a rich humility and fervent depth; reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s greatest years, Christian Collins is not to be missed. This is triumphant poetry at its touchable best. He plays Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Sunday, 14/6, at 10.05 pm.

 

rogal

“When I saw the first foot tapping to our music, followed by an outbreak of dancing, and then heard my first applause. Nothing beats playing live to an appreciative audience. Nothing!”

– Ronan Gallagher, vocals & guitar, The Ronan Gallagher Band

“Siderodromophilia – an obsession with or fixation on railroads, trains or train travel.” The music of the Ronan Gallagher Band seems to summon the wanderlust in us all, with wailing strings, blues cat vocals, chugging tempos, and a whole lot of things to reminisce about as the track goes by. As though the songs are merely turns of the radio dial, picking up on a permanent station, what they capture is raw; endlessly beautiful in its simplicity. They top off the night at Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Saturday, 13/6, at 1.30 am.

 

Filed Under: Artist Discovery, Featured Artist, Independent Musicians, Interviews, youbloomDublin Tagged With: featured artists, HEADROOM, music festival, musicians, youbloomDublin2015

youbloom HEADROOM: Featured Artists from the Dublin 2015 Music Festival #2

24-May-2015 By Shannon Duvall

Artists and band members from the upcoming youbloom Dublin 2015 Music Festival let us poke around inside the creaky corners of their musical minds and share a little of what makes them do what they do. We’re proud to have over 50 incredible, unsigned acts on this year’s bill, so it seems only proper to get to know as many as we can before getting our blessed cotton socks rocked off for three days. So I must probingly request:

10703870_509983165804018_1341367259423262379_n
“I remember hearing alternative rock bands like Nirvana , Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies to name a few. I was hooked straight away.”                      
– Owen Geaney, Silent Noise Parade

SNP

“My first experience with music was going to see local bands in my hometown when I was very young. I remember being amazed at how good they were and that they could write their own material.”      

– Joe Geaney, synths, Silent Noise Parade

 

“The one that stands out for me is the time my neighbour showed me his drum kit at his house. I was 8 years old. He was probably 16, and it was clear from the posters in his room that grunge & metal was his thing. He sat into the kit and immediately started playing along to some Metallica song, stopping and explaining each part to me as he went. I didn’t understand any of it. But I understood that this instrument was definitely the coolest thing I had heard in my life. He handed the sticks to me after a while, and told me to try it out for a few minutes while he went downstairs. Roughly 4 hours later, he politely asked me to get out of his house as they couldn’t take the noise anymore. That was fine. I had my fun and that’s all that matters.”                                                

– Liam Hayes, drums, Silent Noise Parade

 

gar

“My neighbour showed me Guns ’n’ Roses and (I was) completely blown away.”            

– Gary Sherlock, vocals, Silent Noise Parade

Calling forth the moodiest, most thought-provoking pop music concepts of the late 80’s and early 90’s, soaking them in enchanting new wave atmospheres (Depeche Mode would be proud), and bringing it all home with that undeniably fathomless Irish intonation, Silent Noise Parade’s unique formula blows the dust out of your cobwebbed corners. Be moved at Sweeney’s Basement stage on Friday, 12/6, at 11.45pm.

 

“When I was 16, I sneaked into Éamonn Doran’s bar (now the Crown Alley) in Temple Bar. Back in the 90s it was the hub for unsigned musicians. Going down to the basement to hear Irish bands was amazing – it just made me want it even more! The smell of sweat wasn’t that cool, but the vibe, the energy, the coolness of the bands… just amazed me .”                   – Rachael McCormac, singer/songwriter

The Dublin powerhouse that is Rachael McCormac wields her talent like a barely tamed wild beast, chomping at the bit to give you all of what she’s got. Every shred the entertainer, with serious guitar chops and a voice that, no, will not sit down or shut up, she’s a whirlwind. She’s first on the Busking stage on Saturday, 13/5, at 4pm.

 

Imploded View profile

“When I was a baby my mother had a little tape recorder that she had won in a competition, and when she wasn’t taping everything that moved, she’d be playing a variety of her music cassettes, like Gilbert O’Sullivan, Perry Como, and The Beatles. I think I’ve been listening to The Beatles as a fan ever since, but whenever I hear Perry Como it can be a real nostalgia trigger for me.”                                            

– Jerome McCormick, Imploded View

Imploded View is a one-man electronic alchemist and connoisseur of all things catchy. From the ethereal to the downright funky, his set’ll have your hips a-shakin’ before you can say “another mojito sounds great, there, mate.” His appropriately late-night set kicks off on Sweeney’s Basement stage on Friday, 12/6, at 12.30pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Artist Discovery, Featured Artist, Independent Musicians, Interviews, youbloomDublin Tagged With: featured artists, HEADROOM, music festival, musicians, youbloomDublin2015

youbloom HEADROOM: Featured Artists from the Dublin 2015 Music Festival #1

22-May-2015 By Shannon Duvall

Artists and band members from the upcoming youbloom Dublin 2015 Music Festival let us poke around inside the creaky corners of their musical minds and share a little of what makes them do what they do. We’re proud to have over 50 incredible, unsigned acts on this year’s bill, so it seems only proper to get to know as many as we can before getting our blessed cotton socks rocked off for three days. So I must probingly request:

Tell us the story of the first experience you can remember having with music:

 

MutantLondon4

“The earliest experience I can remember is learning to play the recorder at school, around age 7 or 8. It was a squeaky, slow journey, but one that led directly on to picking up a saxophone for the first time & falling in love.” – Edwin Pope, saxophone, Mutant Vinyl


Mesmerizing, kinetic one-man electronic act Mutant Vinyl will be playing Sweeney’s Basement stage on Friday 12/6, at 1.30am. Hotly-tipped and irresistible, the live shows have attracted tons of praise – even from Sir Paul McCartney himself! Don’t miss this one.

 

 

 

image1

“…I was about 3 years old, I walked into my parents sitting room…they just got a new VCR and some video tapes, (and) one of the video tapes was Now That’s What I Call Music. The first video on the tape was Kylie Minogue, “I Should Be So Lucky”. (It was) the only one I wanted to watch. My parents ended up losing the tape (read: throwing it in a skip) because they heard it so many times and went mad. (They) ended up getting me a Walkman.” – Ahren-B

Sligo-reared and soulful, Ahren-B pushes boundaries both topical and musical with his unique Irish hip-hop. His is a masterful sound, deftly navigating the choppy waters of hip-hop crossover with lyrical clarity and carefully considered – never too pushy – rock layers. He plays Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Friday 12/6, at 9pm.

 

 

“When I was a kid, I was in a choir but I got fired. Then when I was in the school band I was moved from xlyephone (sic) to triangle; can’t believe I still can’t spell it (xylophone, I mean; not triangle!) Once I broke into my brother Jimmy’s room to mess with his drums. But still, in spite of all the Led Zeppelin posters, my first record was “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” (by Jimmy Osmond). Then, one Christmas I remember asking my dad for “Never Mind The Bollocks” by the Sex Pistols, but I couldn’t bring myself to say “bollocks” to him. Somehow it arrived on Christmas morning, though, and my life was complete… for a while.” – Clodagh Rooney, Reverend JM’s Panic Worship

“The answer to that could be very rude, and I’m sorry that I don’t have a very juicy answer. My mother had a record that her boyfriend had given her. It was a bunch of Franciscan monks singing in a choir, recorded in a big cathedral or something like that. She used to put it on when I was going to sleep at night and I could hear it from the record player in the living room. It was a truly beautiful thing to listen to when you were finishing your day, even as a little kid. When I got older I replaced it with Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”. Not the same, but similar.” – JM Burr, Reverend JM’s Panic Worship

One of the best things about music in Dublin is that since the city is so small, bands from wildly differing genres often find themselves drawing influence from all the other unexpected sounds around them. Reverend JM’s Panic Worship is one of the best examples of this uniquely Irish “genre-less” sound. Dark, playful melodies wind out of an assembly of unexpected instruments, played with intimate know-how. A second-to-none act, they play the Mercantile Stage on Friday, 12/6, at 9.30pm.

 

ShelitaBurke-Goofy

 

 

“The gospel music I heard in church – at the time it was the only I music I listened to. When I was 7 years old, my older sister Melissa heard me singing off-key to one of the songs, so she took pity on me and decided to teach me how to sing. Through her training I eventually became the lead singer in the choir. It wasn’t until later that I branched out and was exposed to different genres of music. During a trip to Ocean Shores, Washington, my uncle gave me my first CD player. I was 11 years old and it was the first time I got to choose the music I listened to. I would go to the thrift store in downtown Seattle that had $1 used CDs and buy 20 random ones at a time and listen to one album after another. Some were amazing and some of them I didn’t like so much but that’s how I got exposed to artists like Joni Mitchell, Lauren Hill and Nick Drake. This has influenced my songwriting today.” – Shelita Burke, singer/songwriter

Seattle native Shelita Burke is something of a perplexity, raw of voice and precocious, charmingly facebook-shy; a warrior of the ideas kind. We can’t wait to welcome her to Ireland and be transfixed. She’ll take to Sweeney’s Upstairs stage on Sunday, 14/6, at 8.40pm.

Filed Under: Artist Discovery, Featured Artist, Independent Musicians, Interviews, youbloomDublin Tagged With: dublin, featuredartists, HEADROOM, musicians, spotlight, youbloomDublin2015

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8

Live events your way.

Step into the fan-owned future of music.

Main Pages

  • Home
  • Blog

Get Involved

  • Intern

Contact

  • Contact youbloom

Legal

  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Terms

Copyright youbloom © 2025

By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies.