Happy Wintermas

Men at Work, The Beach Boys, Pearl Jam, Skunk Anansie, Faith No More, The Eagles, Queensryche, Rush, King's X, King's X again, Rush again, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Mr. Big, Cutting Crew, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell, John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, Brad, King Swamp, Stone Temple Pilots, Jerry Cantrell, Zero Pilot...*

I cut down the fir that will be our Xmas tree today. A little belated so we are, in bringing the festive spirit into our home. However, since Xmas paraphernalia has been available in Tesco since before my (September!) birthday, I don't think we were in danger of being bypassed.

As is my wont, I tend to reflect a little at this time of year, asking life's tough questions: Do I have enough booze in the house? What time is dinner served on 25th December? How bloody good is Jerry Cantrell's 'Degradation Trip'? Heavy stuff, right?

As I review 2012, it has been very fruitful year on the musical front, with the release of 'Unauthorised Soundtrack', 'Mountain Goat Misadventures in the Wicklow Wilderness' and most recently, 'Mission'. These were all solo efforts, all produced entirely by myself for my own amusement, on a strict budget, in a limited space. In the background, I've been working heartily on a number of collaborative efforts, though. It is these that are likely to form the backbone of next year's output, and in the spirit of eclecticism, it's going to be an exciting ride. Here are a couple of names to look out for in 2013:

Maggy Simpson
Working on this debut album with Bat Kinane since June. Expect an original album of genuine breadth early in the New Year. We've already courted comparisons with King's X, Maiden, Glyder, QOTSA, The Kinks, Pantera, Santana and U2, among others. Plenty of hot playing, matched by smartly crafted stories, and pure songwriting skill. Here's a sample:



Filthy Bayonets
Working on this project with Trev Mooney, Dave Horan and Justin Maloney. The near future will be occupied with tracking down a top notch percussor to add even more weight and dexterity to our Groovy, Grungey Rock / Metal tunes. This will be for anyone that loved the good stuff in the '90s - Unapologetic Hard Slabs of ROCK with memorable tunes, and devious dollops of PROG. Y'Know, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Tool, Corrosion of Conformity. As opposed to the 2D punk by that other famed Pacific North Western combo. No offence.



Anyway, I want to wish everyone I know a delightful, wondrous Christmas season. I certainly won't be able to catch up with you all individually, so SPAM it is ;)





*oh yeah...the eclectic set of artists whose work is currently within arms reach

Mission - The Update

My new (mini) album will be available tomorrow over at bandcamp, so here is a sneak preview for your bemusement:

Until Later

Shane

Mission

Details of the upcoming release from The Room of Rock in Wicklow:

'Mission' is a 7 track album (probably considered to be a mini album in this day and age!) of original works in the cinematic PROG style I have become known for in my house :)

Written, recorded and produced on a very tight budget between August and October of this year, the tracklisting is as follows:

Side One:
SPC40 Overture
The Why Factor
Frank
Wednesday's Child

Side Two:
Mission to Mars
Mission to Civilise
Mission Accomplished

Full release details to follow.

Until Later

Shane

The Hits just keep on coming!

Well, it's actually been a couple of months since the last one, but I'm pleased to say this track got picked up by a Canadian media production house - based in TO, they specialise in ads for the auto industry.

Originally written for a brief listed on TAXI nearly 3 years ago, this was probably my very first attempt at more commercially biased material. It was rejected at the time, but I always had a soft spot for it. The brief called for something in the vain of Nickelback, Creed, Foo Fighters for a sports show. Never having been great at copycatting, it was quite a challenge and I don't think my tune owes that much to the aforementioned bands. Anyway, after a few revisions, it started me on a journey that still pays the occasional dividend, and is testament to the durability of good quality music: if it doesn't fit in the first time around, it may still fit somewhere down the road.

You can enjoy it here:

Nickel Creek at Yooka Music

or here:

Nickel Creek at Bandcamp

...and while you're at it, check many of of my other masterpieces :)

Good News First, Bad News...then some more Good News

I am attaching the final promo video here for your enjoyment. Thanks for the positive feedback, so far - much appreciated!

The album will now be available in digital format only. Boo! As previously advised, the bandcamp download will also include the artwork, so you can make your own :)

Therefore, 'Unauthorised Soundtrack' will be available slightly earlier than scheduled. Get back to you next week with the relevant notice.

Until Later, here's a snippet of 'Conquest for Planet X':

Unauthorised Soundtrack Release

So...I have set the promo wheels in motion, and hope some of you have seen the videos and / or heard the sounds emanating from The Room of Rock in Wicklow.

I am planning a release date of Saturday 18th February, as this will be exactly one year on from 'Set Fire to the Snow'. I hope there will be sufficient interest to make physical CDs for this one, too. Either way, I will be making all the artwork available as part of the digital release.

Here's the latest promo video, featuring portrait shots taken by Aoife Brennan. From the final part of the 'Das Experiment' suite, this is a sample from 'Repatriation':

Free Audio Samples here

Until Later

Shane

Drum roll, please...

Having spun a number of variations on the movie imagery that has so inspired the music this time around, my next album will be titled 'Unauthorised Soundtrack'. Here's a peek at the front cover artwork:

On the musical side, all tracks are mastered (1st pass), and I plan to release some audio / video promo clips in the coming weeks. Release details to follow.

Until Later

Shane