IYMA'S NEWS AND REVIEWS IYMA'S NEWS AND REVIEWS IYMA'S NEWS AND REVIEWS IYMA'S NEWS AND REVIEWS
News 10th Oct '09...Kids from all over Ireland get set to invade the Album Charts!!.....
Kids from all over Ireland get set to invade the Album Charts!!
On the 4th April 2009, as nothing but bad news filled the airwaves on a daily basis, as it became a chore to turn your radio or television on, and when you really could only bare to look at the crossword section of your newspaper, amid scenes resembling a teenage Woodstock, a wonderful event took place in Ireland.
The Irish Youth Music Awards came to the end of its second, incredibly successful run.
The IYMAs, which had started with as many as 15,000 kids, North and South, East and West, climaxed with 800 Young Musicians aged 12 - 19 attending and taking part in a massive seminar in Dublin’s Village Venue on Wexford Street.
And now it’s an Album.
IT’S THEM PESKY KIDS AGAIN!
IRISH YOUTH MUSIC AWARDS CELEBRATE ALBUM RELEASE ACROSS IRELAND
‘PESKY KIDS – THE IYMAs VOLUME 2’ – OUT FRIDAY OCTOBER 16TH, 2009
The Irish Youth Music Awards (IYMAs) will make history on Saturday October 17th at 2.00pm on the dot, when eleven young bands will simultaneously launch the new IYMAs double album ‘Pesky Kids’, in record stores across Ireland! This is a first in Ireland and a huge investment on the part of Irish record stores in their support of emerging home-grown talent.
The IYMAs is an annual initiative which sees 15,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years, from every corner of Ireland, working together to create music and develop their creative and collaborative skills. The programme is run by Youth Work Ireland and Garageland, in association with City of Dublin Youth Services Board and Youth Action in Northern Ireland.
In April of this year, the Irish Youth Music Awards took place in The Village, Dublin. Twenty-two bands and their music teams took part in the day’s events and Monaghan band The MGRB were awarded the top gong on the day. Since then, The MGRB and 12 other acts from all over Ireland, were given recording time at the legendary Ashtown Studios in Dublin. Each band had the opportunity to work with producers Dermot Lambert & Tommy O’Sullivanand lay down some tracks. For most, it was their first exciting venture into a real studio! And the music they made was beyond anyone’s wildest expectations! The end result is the double CD ‘Pesky Kids – the IYMAs Volume 2’ a 19 track collection of songs from some of Ireland’s youngest and most promising bands and performers.
To celebrate the release of the album, eleven bands will simultaneously gig at some of the key record stores around the country. Monaghan Bands The MGRB, Fixed Penalty and Laura & Sebastian, who are featured on the album, will be performing live at Sound Quality, 13 Dublin Street, Monaghan at 2pm on Saturday October 17th, to celebrate the launch of the Pesky Kids CD.
The double CD releases on Garage Records on Friday October 16th and will also be available through the usual on-line outlets. The full line up of Pesky Kids PA’s is as follows (all take place at 2.00pm):
Monaghan Sound Quality MGRB / Fixed Penalty
Carlow Roxy Music .................Killed In Action
Wexford BPM Records Seven Fables
Mallow BPM Records Karma
Dublin HMV Grafton Street ...The Dub Allstars
Dublin Tower Records Wicklow St ........Ten Days Vain
Limerick HMV Records Animal Beats
Navan E2 Music Blind Site
Tralee Roxy Music Izzy
Letterkenny Universal Records ....Bitter Red
Kilkenny Heartbeat Records ...Road Trouble
For further information contact Dermot Lambert 086 818 2812
All songs recorded on the Double CD are original songs, covering a broad spectrum of contemporary music, written by the young artists themselves, and the quality of their work is astounding.
‘Pesky Kids, the IYMAs Volume 2 Monaghan’ is being released on 16th October, on Garage Records, through All Media Entertainment Distribution, Cat No GR001.
Commissioned by Youth Work Ireland, the formula used for the IYMAs - which encourages young musicians to act in a responsible and mature manner in order to further their own collective goals - quickly attracted the attention of most of the other main Youth Services throughout the country. City of Dublin Youth Services Board and Youth Action Northern Ireland are now fully onboard, with others expressing their intention to come along in year 3.
With the participation and support from top music industry figures including Willie Kavanagh (EMI Records), Jackie Hayden (Hot Press Magazine), Aileen Galvin (Entertainment Architects), Keith Johnson (IMRO), Michelle Doherty (Phantom 105.2), Will Ryan (manager Travega, Ollie Cole), and run by Garageland, the IYMAs seems destined to very influential in the field of fostering new music over the coming years.
www.youthworkireland.ie
www.garageland.ie
NEWS.....January 31st 2009
Meath / Midlands / Tipperary
Headford Arms Hotel, Kells.
Saturday 31st January at the Headford Arms Hotel in Kells.
This was the first time that the IYMA's had more than one region participating in their Local Live Selection Day, with 6 acts taking part, 4 from Meath, 1 from Tipp, and 1 from Midlands.
A.T. from Athlone took the stage first, showing off their work from the last year, which has definitely tightened up their show considerably. Followed then by Zero Tolerance from Tipperary, also showing considerable improvement on their position from last year's appearance at the IYMA's in the Sugar Club. The Assignment showed a nice twist on early 80's punk / alternative ala Joy Division and The Gang Of Four. Hypocratece has proven to be one of those very interesting and unusual acts, one single guy winding guitar tracks over a pumping backing track....nice. Black Babylon landed somwhere between Black Sabbath and Guns N Roses, with a very impressive tight showing. Then last but definitely not least, Blind Site performed a very clear pair of tunes, with all the tightness that a three piece is supposed to have!
The acts got their voting shoes on, and selected Blind Site as their representing act. Blind Site will go to Dublin to perform one of their own tracks, alongside 'Better Man' by Black Babylon.
Brian Collins, Cathaoirleach of Kells Town Council, who came along to the event to show his support, said "The IYMA's is such an amazing project. It's great to see all these kids having such a positive outlook." He was referring to the huge number of musicians and friends from three different counties, all enjoying the afternoon, "All too often resources are channelled into sports projects, which quite a number of young people are simply not interested in, so It's great to see a music based project get this kind of support, which it richly deserves. I really wish the IYMA's every success!"
Thanks to all the crew from Meath for organising such a well run show, and also for hosting Tipperary and Midlands.
Things are getting very interesting now........
NEWS.....January 31st 2009
Monaghan
Monaghan, Saturday 31st Jan.
This event was great fun. Three acts took part in Monaghans' Live Selection Day, and all three pulled together to put forward a great Team spirit.
At the initial meeting a few weeks previously, an issue was raised in relation to a participants' abilities to take part. The girl in question, Laura, did not play an instrument, and was reluctant to sing unaccompanied. It was decided at this meeting, that one of they guys from MGRB would team up with her, write a song, and perform as a live partner.
This is not the first time this issue has been raised, but it is time that I noted this in these reports, especially seing as how good Laura's (and her co-horts) performance was!
Laura's song was selected as the representing song, while MGRB were chosen to go to Dublin on 4th April to play the song, as well as one of their own.
While Fixed Penalty will remain in the background for now, that certainly will not be their long time aim, and going by their performance on the day, I suspect we'll be hearing a lot from them over the next few years.
The organising of the event was fantastic, and there must have been about seventy people or more there, so well done!
Next up is Clare, who are having their Live Selection Night on Sat 7th Feb in Ennis, and we wish them the very best!
NEWS.....January 25TH 2009
CDYS (Cloyne District Youth Services)
Another really well run event, this time in Mallow. CDYS have had the unique experience of massive over-application for the 2009 round of the IYMA's.
With over 32 acts applying to take part in the project, the enthusiam of everybody involved was clear to see.
In order to house the Local Live Selection event with a manageable number of acts, it was deemed that an even earlier round of events would be put in place for CDYS.
These earlier events were hosted separately in Mallow, Youghal, Fermoy, Midleton, and from these events, nine acts were sent forward to this Local Live Selection day in Mallow.
The participating acts were
Karma, Nameless, Forget The Name, Planet Claire, Leah & David, Scream Aloud, 3 Kings, I Call Shotgun, Pot Of Jam.
Apart from the enormity of the task in CDYS, other unique features of note were
A4 posters throughout the venue, backstage and front-of-house, 'advertising' the 30 Jobs. Each poster had a small number of job titles, along with job description, and was actually like something you'd see in a job centre (only nicer!). Personally, I thought this had the effective of simplifying the idea of the 30 Jobs, and even making them look attractive!
A full, wall-sized video of onstage proceedings, very cool!
The acts provideds their own highlights also, with the first 'Girl Band' of the IYMA's (Forget The Name) performing an Acapella version of 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' by The Script, on the same stage as a killer version of Lynard Skynard's 'Freebird' by Planet Claire. An excellent rap set from 3 Kings, unbelievable songwriting from I Call Shotgun, and brilliant performances from Pot of Jam, Scream Aloud, Nameless...... In the voting room however, it was decided that Karma will be the act representing this very strong team. Karma will be performing one of their own tunes at the Awards, along with a song from Leah & David, a major crowd favourite on the day.
The organising of all this was massive, and I would like to say well done to everybody involved!
Roll on Dublin 4th April.......
NEWS.....January 16TH 2009
Carlow.....
Friday 16th January, and Carlow proved that the IYMA's Local Live Selection Nights have the ability to surprise in the oddest ways!
The crew from Carlow YWI did a fantastic job again this year, with a seamless show featuring 8 acts, 3 of whom had taken part last year, with the remainder being newcomers.
The venue was rammed with young people, 150?...200?... not sure, but lots and lots.
Last year, Niall and Paul ran the length and breadth of Carlow, pulling gear together from everywhere for the occassion... This year they have lovely new equipment (drums, bass amp, 2 guitar amps) all courtesy of our intervention with the Arts Council and the Capital Music Scheme.
I noticed that the PowerPoint presentation idea, first witnessed in Newry, was in operation here, and it certainly makes it easy for the audience to know who's on stage, and what song they're singing.
All the acts were fantastic, and the job to select a representing act / song was never going to be an easy one.
Last year, Carlow's musicians selected Killed In Action as their act, with a song written by Civilian.
Bizarrely, strangely, or perhaps logically, they've done the exact same thing this year!
I must point out that the competition was fierce (killer sets from Free Fall Angel, Mark Buckeridge, Showdown) and the voting was very tight (Subject 107 nearly being selected in both categories), so it wasn't just a case of 'send in the guys from last year'.
As it happens, Killed In Action did get selected last year by the judges at the Awards day, and it was the backroom Myspace teamwork work that left Carlow wanting.
I've been advised that that won't be the case this year!
Good luck to everybody who has a Local Live Selection Night coming up soon!
All photos taken by Colin Price of Carlow Regional Youth Services. www.colinprice.com
NEWS.....December 5TH 2008
Newry......
Newry held their Local Live Selection Night on Friday 5th December, and it was a tremendous success. Eight acts took part, and from what I could make out, there must have been about 200 young people at the event, either taking part directly, or supporting their mates.
One or two unique things happened that would be good for everybody to know.
The staff had arranged a really impressive projection which was shown as a kind of a backdrop. The image projected was actually a Power Point presentation with the name of the act Currently On Stage, and the name of the two songs they were performing, also indicating which song was original, and which (if any) was a cover of a famous song. At the end of the performances, they projected all eight Act names, alongside the song names again. This acted as a great source of information to the audience and people casting votes alike (we actually used this idea in Wexford last year, using Flip Chart pages on a wall, but the projected Power Point Image was incredibly effective).
Two of the acts taking part in the event actually wrote songs so that they could take part. I am very impressed with this, as it shows that young people are prepared to go the extra effort if they see the reward as worthwhile.
One of the Acts travelled to the event by boat. I don't know what's to be learned by this, but the sheer determination knocked my socks off!
I would like to say a big Well Done to everybody on the night, it's a great kick-off for Newry.
This means we have 3 regions ready to go (Donegal, Kerry, Newry) with another 10 either confirmed, or just about to be confirmed..
NEWS.....November 15TH 2008
Kerry.....
The IYMA's: Kerry Result
The Kerry Diocesan Youth Service recently held their heat to select an act to represent them at the IYMA's in Dublin next April. The event was held in the KDYS Killarney last Saturday the 15th of November.
The line up, which originally numbered seven but eventually became five due to injuries and cancellations, was: Carnage, Izzy (Isobel Roberts), Sparkle Motion, Michigan and Sever the Nerve.
Carnage kicked off the proceedings with their raucous cover of Ozzy's, 'Crazy Train' and the gig rocked on from there.
All the acts delivered but one must be chosen to go forward; Izzy proved to be the popular choice on the day, wowing the crowd with her soulful voice and stripped back piano style. Izzy also won best song for her composition, 'Hold On' but, according to the rules, had to forfeit that glory. Second choice for best song was a tie between Sparkle Motion's, 'Can You Not See?' and Sever the Nerve's, 'Final Hour'. The audience vote swung it for Final Hour; the only question that remains is how the songbird will deliver this powerful metal anthem on the day…watch this space.
It was a great evening, a good time had by all and (almost) everyone was happy with the result. Roll on April…
NEWS.....November 1st 2008
Donegal.....
So Donegal have their representatives for this year they are Asscracks and flashbacks" Who emerged as the best of the bunch and a big bunch it was!! 17 bands from Glenties to Killy begs to Letterkenny took part. We also heard the Boy number 7 track on highland radio for the first time today!. The fantastic album that we made last year is currently on sale in 2 local music shops and we hope to increase that so looking forward to Iyma's 2009
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NEWS.....APRIL 5TH 2008
7 Donegal Acts aged 12 to 19 travel from Letterkenny to Dublin To Record Album in Ashtown Studios as Awards Recipients!
Following a hotly contested final at Dublin’s Sugar Club on Saturday March 8th, Donegal band Boy Number Seven and their music and media team emerged victorious at the inaugural Youth Work Ireland/Garageland Seven Steps Up Music Awards 2008. The accomplished acoustic four-piece from Donegal, along with their music and media team, were crowned winners by the Minister of State for Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs, Pat Carey T.D. Simple Rhythm from Kildare and Killed In Action from Carlow were both highly commended by the judging panel.
Boy Number Seven are singer songwriter Marty Gilroy from Drumkeen, with Sarah Walsh on violin and Aidan Earley on bass, both from Ballybofey and Richard Durning from Castlefinn on drums. More than twenty five young people from across the Donegal Youth Work region came together to form a ‘music and media team’ who worked on publicity campaigns, band photographs, fundraising drives and gig management for Boy Number Seven. It was a combination of the band performance and the music and media teams’ highly creative efforts that brought the award home to Donegal. Jackie Hayden, journalist with Hot Press, who was one of the judges at the Awards Day said: “Boy Number Seven particularly impressed the judges because they avoided the obvious and brought something fresh to the party”.
Dermot Lambert from music promotions company Garageland, who organised the Awards said: “The standard of music entries was incredible, but the level of participation from the music and media teams was beyond anything we had envisaged. The commitment they made to their acts behind the scenes was so professional and well organised, any promoter or record label would have been pleased with their efforts. The Donegal team in particular shone through for their collaborative efforts.”
The Music Awards Day began with Jackie Hayden and EMI Records boss Willie Kavanagh discussing CD demos with various bands and acts. Jackie Hayden said: “It’s encouraging to see that good Irish rock music isn’t confined to big cities but is obviously thriving throughout the country. We have lots of promising new musicians with the potential to be the stars of the future”. The demo dip was followed by mentoring sessions with various key players within the music industry including Keith Johnson, Marketing Manager with IMRO, William Ryan from SAVI Entertainment and Emma Harney, PR director with Entertainment Architects, who answered many questions from young bands and acts about working in the music business. Also on hand was Phantom FM DJ Sinead Ni Mhordha who handled queries from the young participants on what radio DJs are looking for in a track. It is estimated that over 10,000 family and friends tuned into the Awards performances and presentations on the night through a live web broadcast on both Youth Work Ireland and Garageland websites.
The win for the Donegal team means that all those who participated in the Seven Steps Up Music Awards in Donegal will be invited to record an album of their own music with top Irish producers and engineers, in Ashtown Studios in Dublin. One thousand copies of the finished album will be presented to Donegal Youth Services.
Of the Awards, Michael Mc Loughlin, Director of Central Services for Youth Work Ireland said: “The Seven Steps Up Music Awards Day was a huge success. It was heartening to see such a great spirit of togetherness between young people from across Ireland. Sixteen regions were represented, young people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, each recognising and respecting the work of the other.”
On Saturday 5th April, the first wave of musicians travelled from Letterkenny to Ashtown Recording Studios, to kick start what would turn out to be an extremely exciting set of sessions.
'The quality is astounding' Garageland Director, and album producer, Dermot Lambert noted, 'The quality of the songwriting, and the sheer raw talent of these kids, was shocking. It's brilliant to see such development and commitment at such a young age!'
The album, as yet untitled, is already completed, and currently being Mastered for pressing.
The quality of the work is set to shock many people in the Industry, not least some of the 'over 18's' musicians!!
For further media information, please contact Emma/Bernie/Aishling at Entertainment Architects on 01 2194662
NEWS.....MARCH 11TH 2008
DONEGAL TRIUMPH AT
SEVEN STEPS UP MUSIC AWARDS 2008
Following a hotly contested final at Dublin’s Sugar Club on Saturday March 8th, Donegal band Boy Number Seven and their music and media team emerged victorious at the inaugural Youth Work Ireland/Garageland Seven Steps Up Music Awards 2008. The accomplished acoustic four-piece from Donegal, along with their music and media team, were crowned winners by the Minister of State for Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs, Pat Carey T.D. Simple Rhythm from Kildare and Killed In Action from Carlow were both highly commended by the judging panel.
Boy Number Seven are singer songwriter Marty Gilroy from Drumkeen, with Sarah Walsh on violin and Aidan Earley on bass, both from Ballybofey and Richard Durning from Castlefinn on drums. More than twenty five young people from across the Donegal Youth Work region came together to form a ‘music and media team’ who worked on publicity campaigns, band photographs, fundraising drives and gig management for Boy Number Seven. It was a combination of the band performance and the music and media teams’ highly creative efforts that brought the award home to Donegal. Jackie Hayden, journalist with Hot Press, who was one of the judges at the Awards Day said: “Boy Number Seven particularly impressed the judges because they avoided the obvious and brought something fresh to the party”.
Dermot Lambert from music promotions company Garageland, who organised the Awards said: “The standard of music entries was incredible, but the level of participation from the music and media teams was beyond anything we had envisaged. The commitment they made to their acts behind the scenes was so professional and well organised, any promoter or record label would have been pleased with their efforts. The Donegal team in particular shone through for their collaborative efforts.”
The Music Awards Day began with Jackie Hayden and EMI Records boss Willie Kavanagh discussing CD demos with various bands and acts. Jackie Hayden said: “It’s encouraging to see that good Irish rock music isn’t confined to big cities but is obviously thriving throughout the country. We have lots of promising new musicians with the potential to be the stars of the future”. The demo dip was followed by mentoring sessions with various key players within the music industry including Keith Johnson, Marketing Manager with IMRO, William Ryan from SAVI Entertainment and Emma Harney, PR director with Entertainment Architects, who answered many questions from young bands and acts about working in the music business. Also on hand was Phantom FM DJ Sinead Ni Mhordha who handled queries from the young participants on what radio DJs are looking for in a track. It is estimated that over 10,000 family and friends tuned into the Awards performances and presentations on the night through a live web broadcast on both Youth Work Ireland and Garageland websites.
The win for the Donegal team means that all those who participated in the Seven Steps Up Music Awards in Donegal will be invited to record an album of their own music with top Irish producers and engineers, in Ashtown Studios in Dublin. One thousand copies of the finished album will be presented to Donegal Youth Services.
Of the Awards, Michael Mc Loughlin, Director of Central Services for Youth Work Ireland said: “The Seven Steps Up Music Awards Day was a huge success. It was heartening to see such a great spirit of togetherness between young people from across Ireland. Sixteen regions were represented, young people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, each recognising and respecting the work of the other.”
www.youthworkireland.ie / www.garageland.ie
For further media information, please contact Emma/Bernie/Aishling at Entertainment Architects on 01 2194662
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