Bayview Sounds

Gary Thompson (Trigger) How did you first get into music?  As far as listening to it.. I was always one who loved music even as a child. I remember my mam used to be a regular in buying stuff out of charity shops cause as she said herself "there's rare stuff in there where you just might not find in regular shops" That and the added advantage of you could actually afford it a lot more this way haha. I remember getting a guitar at one point in there, and a keyboard which I became very interested in, done a few lessons but they kinda fell by the way side. My mam always loved music as well and used to write poems, so I guess it was an influence early on even since a toddler.  Who were/are your inspirations?   When it comes to musical inspirations my first and foremost was Tupac, everything about him I could relate to and admire, his intelligence was by far superior to your average street thug cause he came from that black panther background and his mother ...

London based Irish singer songwriter Linda Em will release her brand new single "Hey Baby" on March 30th. The song was written by Linda Coogan Byrne and recorded and produced by renowned producer Gavin Glass at Orphan Studios in Dublin. Influenced heavily by Woodstock and jazz, Linda Em has found her own unique style which pays homage to her inspirations. Linda has been compared to Patti Smith, Patsy Cline, Beth Gibbons and Billie Holiday. I personally detect a bit of Imelda May in there as well. The single will be released across all platforms on March 30th so keep an eye out for that. Here is a sneaky snippet of the brilliant track.

Steo Skitz x Gerryboy - The War Within The War Within was released just over a year ago by Louth rapper Steo Skitz and notorious producer Gerryboy. Steo Skitz's debut album features some heavyweights of the rap game including Kreo Ghost, Costello and Rebel Phoenix. The album kicks off with "Fake Friends" which features Costello and is a cracking first tune with a killer beat. English rapper Cosha Don appears on "Read Between The Lines Part 1" which is a song about social revolution and has some very deep and accurate lyrics. This is a formidable social commentary on the Syrian war and the blind eye that many turn. This is songwriting at it's finest and is what true hip hop can be about. "Hypnotised" is another impressive track with a meaningful message. The track features an exceptional verse from Rebel Phoenix and again bucks the stereotype of rap being all about drugs and violence. Niamh Murtagh features heavily on the album notching up ...

Sonja Sleator - Adams "Adams" is the second EP from Sonja Sleator. Sleator is a Belfast based singer songwriter who has gigged in places such as Nashville, LA, New Orleans and San Francisco to name a few. The EP was recorded at Millbank Studios in Lisburn with highly regarded producer Michael Mormecha. "Pour The Vodka" gets the EP off to a pensive beginning. It is a track full of reflection and longing. A good opener for "Adams". The second track "Calla" is a much more upbeat and in your face song. It has a certain Evan Dando/Lemonheads quality about it. "Mia" is an absolute gem of a song. It's such a feel good track and will have you dancing around singing the chorus despite the lugubrious lyrics. "Mistake On My Part" is again a cracking tune which has that Evan Dando feel to it. Sonja writes some very thoughtful lyrics and delivers them vividly. The slightly more rockier "Murder" is the penultimate tr...

Yesterday afternoon a group of local musicians from the Dundalk area banded together to busk on Earl Street for the Dundalk Simon Community charity which aims to help end homelessness. The event was the brainchild of Joseph Edwards from We, The Oceanographers. The buskathon featured musicians such as Nix Moon, TPM, Jinx Lennon, The Periods, Third Smoke, L-arry, We, The Oceanographers, David Bellew, Just Mustard, Sophie Lennon, The Mary wallopers, Elephant, Finnian, The Dandelion Few, Take The Money And Run, Danny Meegan and Tommy McGovern. From the musicians, the volunteers and the people watching, it was clear that everybody was having a great time and hopefully raised a lot of money for such a fantastic charity. Here are a few photos from the day and you can find more over on Facebook  Bayview Sounds Photos

Milk Straight From The Udders "Milk Straight From The Udders" is the new EP from Lisburn rapper Arcane Soakes. The first track "Be Right Here" features a very cool piano beat which is accompanied perfectly by Arcane Soakes' quick yet clear delivery style. This is quite the opener and and makes hearing the rest intriguing. "Swill From The Fountain Of Youth" has a wonderfully mellow feel to it with a heady beat again the Northern accent of Soakes is evident but not overpowering as has been the case with some artists form North of the border. His flow seems effortless which makes for a resplendent song. The EP is broken up by a short interlude "Just Escape". Interludes are integral to hip hop albums and EP's it would seem. "And The Atrocities Continue" is again a fine track. It would be easy to listen to Arcane Soakes over and over as each time, you discover another lyric that you didn't notice the first time. ...

Vestigial Vestigial is the debut album from Castlebar native Laura Ryder. The album follows on the heels of Laura's self recorded debut EP "Haiku" which was released to high praise early in 2016. Laura has now recruited a full band for this album hence the Ampersand addition. The album opener "Changed" has a poptastic quirky melody which both delights and enthrals you from the outset. The full band sound is evident on "Kerbs" with some beautiful piano and thunderous drums. The backing vocals really shine through also. Laura's unique voice is a joy to listen to and no more so than on the track "No Romantics". This is probably the best song on the album with it's alluring characteristics. "Chalk" is another brilliant song from the album. It's not often you will hear top quality clicking on an album but Laura Ryder delivers here. The violin is the star of the show on the album's longest track "Soda Pr...