My Fellow Sponges come from Galway on the salty west-coast of Ireland. The band is the creative union of two singer-songwriters. Donal McConnon with his lyrically-led folk ditties and Anna Mullarkey with her lush and elegant synth-pop sound. The two started a band together after performing together as actors on a number of theatre shows in university. They were later joined by David Shaughnessy (drums) and Sam Wright (bass). 2013 saw the release of their debut album Bonne Nuit. Mostly focused on a more rural sound, the single from it which received the most attention was This Dream Song, mainly for the highly-ambitious, surrealist backwards video which accompanied its release. The follow up Something Like Light (2014), displays a much more reflective, piano-driven sound from a band ever-willing to explore new possibilities with sound. Last year’s single, The Cold Hand, has been the band’s most successful release to date, gaining nationwide radio-play and convincing music lovers to flock to their shows during the festival season.
My Fellow Sponges have collaborated with story-tellers, comedians, dancers and brass-ensembles. They have played entire shows improvised, under the moniker, Community. Their live concerts are lively, unpredictable and intimate. They comfortably switch from eerie-electronica to hip-shaking-bossa-nova all with a dramatic flair that stay with Donal and Anna from their theatre days.
The Burning Hell is the alter-ego of Canadian songwriter Mathias Kom, and the band has been on the road in one form or another since 2007, playing everywhere from the chaos of Glastonbury to the loneliness of the Arctic Circle, popping up in bars, festival tents, living rooms, abandoned bunkers, and a mental asylum in rural France along the way. Musically, the lineup and sound of the Burning Hell has been ever-changing, running the gamut from introspective folk to hyperactive rock and roll. This means both that no two Burning Hell records sound alike, and that the band can adapt to its surroundings like a karma of anthropomorphic chameleons, taking the audience on a supermarket-cart ride through hooky, upbeat pop songs, dark ballads about pet euthanasia, and anthems for barbarians, economic conferences, and love.
In 2017, The Burning Hell is set to record and release their eighth full-length album, embarking on a tour that will take them from the Rocky Mountains to the Mountains of Mourne, across the Tyrrhenian and the Norwegian Seas, and many other places in between. Always restless, The Burning Hell looks forward to a year of new sounds, new songs, and new people to share them with.
Mathy pop punk with Cork accents and a serious case of the jerky jangles. For fans of noodley guitar parts, gang vocals and songs about vegetables. Together for just over a year, Ganglions have been making modest waves in the DIY scenes of their adopted cities of Sheffield and Leeds. Eimear O’Donovan (ex-KVX), Brian Scally (B Positives, ex-Spitvalve), and Chris Saywell (ex-cellent guitar player) self-released their debut EP FETCH! in August 2016, which has seen them tour the length of the UK. With a second release due in September 2017, the trio are set to bash you with their bible of bangers at CIGF17.
“Rapid-fire math-pop, intended to induce shit-eating grins and dancing feet for all who listen!” – Andy Hughes, Birthday Cake for Breakfast
“Your guitar playing reminds me of my ex-girlfriend’s Dad” – Random punter, Sheffield
“Now that is upbeat” – Father of two, The Forest of Dean
LUMINOS take a no holds barred assault to the deafening soundscape of rock! Surrender your ears and witness the revelation that blurs the line between intoxicating music and criminal intent.
its been a long year for LOWmountain , slowly & meticulously gathering inspiration for their next album, & now its time for them to offer a peak at their findings…
Sam Clague is a musician and songwriter from Clonakilty, Cork. He lives and works in Cork City, playing primarily as a jazz guitarist and also his own unique brand of original music. Jazz and folk influences blend together to make a form of kaleidoscopic chamber music, driven by intricate guitar arrangements and accompanied by psychedelic orchestral sounds. His debut EP “Balloons” was released in 2015 at the Clonakillty Guitar Festival. He plans to release his follow up E.P. at the festival in september this year.
“Sam’s writing is unique. He writes from the heart and creates his own world – his own sound world and lyric world. As well as that his musicianship is beyond reproach – capable of capturing many genres with multi instrumental abilities” – Carl Corcoran (former Presenter of The Blue of the Night)
“The EP is a gorgeous slice of harmonious pop music that touches on the big themes of getting older, love, home, death and friendship, and played out and ruminated on over a delicately struck acoustic guitar” — The Point of Everything
The Clonakilty Jazz Collective are a mix of young and old jazz heads, along with one or two new guys to jazz. They will be playing songs by the greats, like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, along with some Bossa nova numbers, and even some funk! It is a full jazz band featuring saxophone, flute, clarinet, trumpet, bass, guitar, and drums. As it is an Open Jazz Session, the stage is free to welcome visiting guests – so expect some great guitarists! Free admission. See you all there!
2015 was an amazing year for Paddy Dennehy & The Red Herring. A personal invitation from Glen Hansard to perform with him in the Everyman Theatre in Cork, two wonderful performances at Electric Picnic and the release of their debut EP “Once Upon A Night” has seen them touted as “ones to watch” for 2016.
Paddy Dennehy & The Red Herring are a group who draw influences from as far back as the early 1900s right up to the present day. You can hear hints of Tom Waits’ theatrical warble; feel the passionate intensity of Louis Armstrong’s delivery; and be stirred by poignancy reminiscent of that of Hozier and Mick Flannery. A variety of influences then; all of of them blended together to form a live performance that is at once unforgettable and utterly unique.
QUOTES:
“I was just f**king knocked out” – Glen Hansard
“Hearing Paddy Dennehy for the first time I was almost knocked out of my boots. A powerhouse voice & classic songwriter in every sense of the word” – Ciaran Lavery
Australia’s finest purveyor of emotional psychedelic dystopian comedy and social satire, Dan Kelly is much-garlanded songwriter whose fourth album ‘Leisure Panic was recently released on ABC records to national acclaim. Expect extravagant melodies and lyrics that mix a Delphic sagacity with the sardonic observations of a globe-trotting dilettante.
Clonakilty International Guitar Festival is proud to present a programme of workshops, masterclasses and seminars from some of the world’s best performers and experts, giving us a glimpse of the methods and techniques which make them so successful. This year’s educational programme will take place in the Schools of Clonakilty (Closed) throughout the festival as well as open workshops right in the heart of town on Saturday & Sunday facilitated by Music Generation Limerick in upstairs in ‘The Twig Refill Shop- in Spillers Lane
MONDAY 16th SEPTEMBER
9pm – Clonakilty Park Cinema – Workshop on Guerrilla Film Making with Myles O Riley
After the screening Director Myles O’Reilly will give a short workshop on live performance ‘Guerilla’ film making, followed by a Q&A. Topics will include:
* Positive reasons for choosing to be genre specific.
* Deciding on locations and visual narratives.
* Choice and use of equipment.
* The creative editing ethos.
* Social media promotion for music content.
* Building and maintaining regular client base.
SATURDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER
12pm – Asna Square -Ukulele Le Cheile FREE
1pm – 5pm Upstairs at the Twig, Spillers Lane – Songwriting work shop Facilitated by Music Generation Limerick – these classes take place on the hour every hour and booking is in advance is suggested info@clonguitarfest.com
5pm – DIALOGUE: PIERRE BENSUSAN & GEORGE LOWDEN IN CONVERSATION @THE VENUE, O’DONOVAN’S HOTEL. SAT// 5PM €5 – It’s 1978 and one of the world’s best young guitarists meets an Irish artisan on his way to becoming one the most respected luthiers on the planet. What happened next? George and Pierre look back on 40 years of friendship and creative collaboration, detailing Pierre’s “mad” design requests and co-evolution of George’s craft in dialogue with Pierre’s music. With some musical interludes and a Q&A, this is a must for fans of acoustic guitars and the characters who keep driving innovation in this ancient craft. info@clonguitarfest.com
SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER
1pm JOHN SPILLANE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP @ UPSTAIRS AT TWIG REFILL SUN // 1pm // €5 – One of the most accomplished songwriters in the country today, award winning trad/folk poet John Spillane continues to redefine musical boundaries with his own unique style of playing and songwriting which he likes to call ’Sean Nós Blues’. BOOKING RECOMMENDED: info@clonguitarfest.com
2:30pm TPM – HIP HOP & CREATIVITY WORKSHOP FOR TEENAGERS @ UPSTAIRS AT TWIG REFILL SUN // 2:30pm -Fresh from performing at Glastonbury & all the major Irish festivals, the hip-hop duo T.P.M. will lead a workshop in rap aimed at unlocking your creative flow.