The Point of Everything is an interview series focused on Irish artists, going in-depth on the creative process, the music industry and everything in between. Hosted by Eoghan O’Sullivan, TPOE has been running since 2015, clocking up over 275 episodes and talking to new and older acts alike. Recent episodes have featured the likes of the Choice Prize-nominated Maija Sofia, Ailbhe Reddy, Murder Capital and David Kitt, hotly tipped Ezra Williams and Caoilian Sherlock, and the acclaimed Brigid Mae Power. Delving into the archives, there are interviews with James Vincent McMorrow, the Frank and Walters, Cormac Begley, Windings and hundreds of others. Eoghan was previously at Clonakilty International Guitar Festival where he talked with the Mary Wallopers.
Blonde are a four piece band form West Cork. Formed in 2023, they’re a fresh voice that is also a bit familiar. Sure to bring plenty of loud songs with nice melodies.
The band consists of Ferdia Gibbons (Guitar and Vocals), Cathal O’ Regan (Bass and Vocals), Aaron Crowley (Drums) and Harold Paulino (Guitar)
Incorporating the imprint of Krautrock, post-punk, and psychedelia, Belfast’s Junk Drawer’s intuitively loose and idiosyncratic brand of indie rock mines anthems from their crate-digging tendencies. Featuring four multi-instrumentalists & vocalists fluid in their roles, they’re driven by the inevitable harmony and discordance that comes from the sibling creative rivalry at the helm, and remain one of the most dynamic bands you’re likely to catch live.
Junk Drawer have been played by the likes of KEXP, BBC Radio 1 & BBC 6Music, and featured in Stereogum, Paste, Bandcamp, The Quietus, Clash, So Young, and The Line Of Best Fit, amongst others. Following an early pair of self-released EPs, the band spearheaded the grassroots Irish music community with their part in regular sell-out independent vinyl compilation ‘A Litany of Failures’.
Their latest EP ‘The Dust Has Come To Stay’ came out on March 11th, 2022 on 12” recycled black vinyl via Art For Blind. Singles ‘Tears In Costa’, ‘Railroad King’ & ‘Suspended Anvil’ were acclaimed by the likes of KEXP, Brooklyn Vegan, Bandcamp, Stereogum, Nialler9 and more. They were featured in Paste Magazine & The Quietus’ Tracks of the Month, and added to playlists from the likes of Sub Pop & Spotify’s Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds Rock & Fresh Finds Indie. They have shared stages with acts like Built To Spill, Suuns, Temples, Mclusky & Jeffrey Lewis, and have toured across the UK & France on the back of their recent EP.
“Mixing the influence of Pavement with kraut and post-punk à-la Fat White Family, Junk Drawer show how to move on in style from neo-psych, despite not renouncing, subtly permeating the 7-minute jam with ethereal and lysergic vibes” So Young
“A rambling rocker travelling down winding roads of guitar” Stereogum
“Their warm, fuzzy indie-rock edge makes for a familiarity that does not sound stale. Junk Drawer is an apt name for their hodgepodge of influences, but is not an indicator of their quality in the slightest.” Paste Magazine
“Tears In Costa is a charming instrumental, winsome jangles of guitar and looping riffs, taken to the next level by Stevie Lennox’s delightfully emotive vocal. It’s hard not to get swept up.”The Quietus
Although in their nascent-years, The Fynches have a long history together. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (frontman, producer, actor) formed a group with his friend Josh Hackett while still in primary school. Ferdia’s older brother Oisín (Villagers, Hudson Taylor) was teaching them both at the time in the ways of rock and roll and helped as they cultivated a style that was modern but harkened from another time. In college Josh met Cam Teehan and The Fynches were truly formed. With some formidable releases under their belt and many more on the way, they are a live act that is unparalleled. Their vocal harmonies echo the sounds of CSN and The Band and their performances are energetic, psychedelic and ecstatic. Formed in 2022, their 2 double A-side releases were met with critical acclaim, TV performances and radio play. They have so much more to do, stories to tell and music to make. Keep an eye out, because when The Fynches hit you, you had better hang on for dear life.
The Altered Hours are a rock group based in Cork City, Ireland. Their music explores vast psychedelic spaces, immediate post-punk tones, repetitive rhythms and propelling structures. The lyrics bind this wall of noise together, comfortably connecting the escapism of the abstract with the honestly of realism. This duality is played out in song and on stage by the male/female lead singers Elaine Howley & Cathal MacGabhann alongside Patrick Cullen on bass guitar/effects and Nora Lewon on drums. Continuing an ‘art-punk’ tradition while being influenced by artists such as The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Iceage, Lydia Lunch, Spacemen 3 & Stereolab.
The band most recently joined fellow Irish rockers Fontaines D.C on a major European tour, playing sold out venues such as Le Bataclan (Paris) & Paradiso (Amsterdam). The Altered Hours are now back in the studio putting the final touches to what will be their third full length album. The past few years the 5 piece have been headlining tours in the UK & Europe, creating what some journalists have described as a ‘cult-like’ status. Playing everywhere from ex-government buildings, deconsecrated churches, sheds, parties & anywhere else that will have them. Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) invited them to record in his studio in Berlin in 2012 which resulted in a 10” vinyl being released on his label. The years ahead are set to be as exciting & energetic as ever for The Altered Hours with the group continuously carving out their own path in rock ‘n’ roll.
We are delighted to once again welcome the return of the Acoustic Forum to this years Guitar festival! This year’s AF will be composed of all the amazing musical experiences you have come to expect from this event however the one thing that may be unfamiliar is the venue. We’re delighted to team up with Scoil na mBuachailli to host this years event in their purpose built music room.
The Acoustic Forum is an eclectic event unlike anything else you’ve ever seen which sees a selection of artists from the festival playing in an intimate and informal concert in the round, with each artist staying onstage for the duration.
Guided by the guest host, each performer gives an insight into their craft and performs a short selection to whet the appetite for the weekend ahead.
It’s off the cuff, it’s friendly and it provides the listener with a varied and spontaneous night that never fails to surprise!
This year’s event will include host George Lowden & guests Gwenifer Raymond (WLS), Gemma Hayes (IRL), John Spillane (IRL) & Junior Brother (IRL)
In keeping with The Acoustic Forum tradition a portion of the tickets for this event will be available at a reduced rate for the unwaged.
This will be operated on an honour system so please be sound!
Yonder Boys are an Americana band, who while performing on traditional folk instruments, show great depth in the variety of influences they bring to the genre. Traditional old-time Americana sound is mixed with rock, Latin, pop, and psychedelic influences. The band features the singing duo of Jason Serious (USA – vocals, guitar) and David Stewart Ingleton (Australia – vocals, banjo) who have performed as support for such names as Billy Bragg, The Wood Brothers, Timber Timbre, Other Lives, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Joining them is multi-instrumentalist Tomás Peralta (Chile -vocals, mandolin, banjo, bass). Their first Album Acid Folk (2020) has been featured on BBC Radio, RTE Radio, Dublin City FM, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and MTV Australia.
Catch them
Thurs – The Courtyard 10pm
Fri DeBarras 8:30 pm
Sat Shanleys 8:30pm
Sun The Emmett 3pm
“‘Acid Folk breaks through the walls of genre, convention, and predictability, taking you on a wild ride which you don’t want to get off”. – Folk Radio UK
The Céilí Allstars are an exciting traditional Irish music band from Cork.
They formed from a group of friends playing the session trail in Cork city in the late nineties. Their musical style includes shades of Sliabh Luachra – where they originate from – combined with generous sprinklings of folk & country.
They’ve played residencies in some of Cork’s legendary folk venues and have also performed at festivals around the globe.
The Ceilí Allstars are: Michael O’ Sullivan – Banjo, Flor Rahilly – Guitar and Vocals, Stan O’ Sullivan – Fiddle and Lisa O’ Sullivan – Fiddle.
Sive is a songwriter and musician dubbed ‘one of the most inspiring and exciting artists of our time’ by Female First UK. Her album The Roaring Girl was released with the support of a hugely successful crowd-funding campaign in 2017 and following its release she earned her stripes as a live act, touring extensively across Ireland and beyond and winning the audience choice vote to perform on RTE’S Other Voices. Her latest album We Begin in Darkness was released on VETA Music in 2022 to critical acclaim across the board; it was named Album of the Week on BBC Radio’s Late Show, received a 9/10 review in Hot Press Magazine and was described as ‘hugely impressive’ by Paul McLoone on RTE Arena. She is currently working on her next release: a commission to compose a song cycle celebrating the legacy of Brigid the saint and the goddess. Possessing a unique and dynamic vocal, and having studied finger-style guitar under renowned players including William Coulter, Sarah McQuaid and Alan Colfer, Sive has carved a truly compelling style of alt-folk that makes for a beguiling live show.
Seamie O Dowd is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who also plays fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, and a number of other instruments.
He has travelled worldwide playing music and has shared stages and played with many great musicians and bands including the following;
Mairtin O’Connor, Cathal Hayden, Christy Moore, Declan Synott, The Chieftains, Jimmy Higgins, Tommy Emmanuel, Dervish, Steve Wickham, Matt Molloy, Liam O’ Flynn, Thom Moore, Dick Gaughan, Cathy Jordan, Rick Epping, Kieran Quinn, John Joe Kelly, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Cathal Roche.
His experience also includes recording production, teaching and more recently, film soundtrack work, and encompasses solo performance as well as extensive work with bands and small groups as both a member and a session musician.
Biography
Seamie O Dowd is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who also plays fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, and a number of other instruments.
He has travelled worldwide playing music and has shared stages and played with many great musicians and bands including the following; Mairtin O’Connor, Cathal Hayden,
Christy Moore, Declan Synott, The Chieftains, Jimmy Higgins, Tommy Emmanuel, Dervish, Steve Wickham, Matt Molloy, Liam O’ Flynn, Thom Moore, Dick Gaughan, Cathy Jordan, Rick Epping, Kieran Quinn, John Joe Kelly, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Cathal Roche.
His experience also includes recording production, teaching and more recently, film soundtrack work, and encompasses solo performance as well as extensive work with bands and small groups as both a member and a session musician.
Seamie’s public musical experience spans four decades. He made his first radio appearance at the age of ten on a Radio Eireann programme called Young Musicians and began playing publicly with his father, the renowned Sligo fiddle player Joe O’Dowd at around the same time.
He has been a tutor at the South Sligo Summer School in Tubbercurry, Co.Sligo on a regular basis since its beginnings in the late 1980s, teaching fiddle for six of its first seven years and teaching traditional guitar since the mid 2000s up to the present day.
He was awarded The Freedom Of The Borough in 2004 by Sligo Corporation while a member of internationally renowned traditional group Dervish and acknowledged again in 2010 at a civic reception given by the Mayor of Sligo for his personal contribution to the cultural life of the area.
He also worked with film score composer George Fenton in London’s Abbey Road Studios on part of the film score of Jimmy’s Hall, a film made by Ken Loach in the Sligo/ Leitrim area.
As part of the Masters of Irish Music project devised by Martin Hayes, he, along with Mairtin O’Connor and Cathal Hayden played the group’s concerts in the Sydney Opera House as well as a flagship performance at the Lincoln Centre in New York.
He also joined the project on three US tours.
He played and recorded with Dervish for six years, during which time he played with them at the legendary Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.
He was nominated for the Best Folk Musician award in 2018 in RTE’s inaugural Irish Folk Awards.
PRESS QUOTES
“A revelation of style and panache..” Irish Times.
“Seamie’s blues guitar driven folk tunes have a timelessness that speaks to everyone” Xpress Magazine, Perth, Australia
“…a master of many genres..” Irish Music Magazine
“….a hugely impressive musician and singer..” Irish Music Review
“….a voice steeped in grit conviction..” Irish Echo, New York.
“ His performance included tracks which testify to his extraordinary versatility across music genres..” The Irish World, London.
“Put simply, this man is a genius… every note is laden with conviction and passion.” Fatea .
“..wonderfully quirky and fresh…” The Journal Of Music, Ireland,