My Songs Of The Year (Local Music)

2013 was the year I, at last, intentionally went out of my way to investigate what was out there in the local N.I. Music scene, not the stuff on the radio but the guys & gals out there in the pubs & clubs and anywhere else they could get a gig...
I discovered, boy did I discover... Northern Ireland has an abundance of great, great talent out there most people don't even know about..

I probably could've added a load more songs here (I may do at a later time) from the like of Farriers, Sons of Calber, Southern, Emerald Armada, Saffyre, Cairan Lavery, Joshua Burnside, :Odibal and the list goes on and on and on

Thought not necessarily released this year these are a few of my favourite songs I discovered and grew to love in 2013

In NI particular order...

This Van Is Empty -The Lazy Flies
I love the Lazy Flies, this song is of their stunning EP 'Kill Your Darlings' I love all the songs but there just something in this song that I love maybe it's those harmonies, the subtle bass, those lyrics
...this van is empty, I don't know who is driving me

Janey - Foy Vance
Stunning!! I think we all recognise Foy is an immense talent..it's encapsulated in this song for me, again every track on his 'Joy Of Nothing' cd is great but every time I hear it this song stop me in its tracks... It just connects with me.

Annie - Aaron Ferris
I've been a fan of Aaron's a long time, love his stuff, this track tells the harrowing story of a young victim of child abuse, beautifully written and performed. I'm drawn in by it it captures my imagination and heart.

Be Still - Chasing Perpetua
This song, for me, represents everything Chasing Perpetua are, beautiful delicate harmonies, sensitive guitar backing, lyrics that draw you in and the power then the fragility of Lynsey's voice. On first hearing this song sent shivers down my spine, it still does.

Guiding Light - Foy Vance
Yip Foy gets 2 tracks, a duet with Ed Sheeran, this track reminds me of those I love and where I want to be most...

Story Book - Ryan Johnston
Of his Mother Earth EP, stunning vocals, musical backing and simple yet intelligent lyrics, that I relate to a lot...all  delivered with Ryan's stunning vocal... Ryan is probably my vocal discovery of 2013.

No One Can Hear Me - Mike Donaghy & Border Crossing
This is the title track of Mikes recent cd, and maybe a little different from his other stuff. A little almost Delta Blues/Folk feel to it. It lifts my spirit and has me singing along full throttle.. Sweet little riff... Great song!

AER Music Club Story.....so far

Earlier this year (2013) I met up with a friend in a local coffee shop I frequent. We were having a chat about music, life generally catching up and also finalising the details of a fundraising gig we were organising to raise funds for local children's charity CLIC Sargent, which supports children and young people with cancer along with their families. This gig was part of a planned month long fundraising effort we as a family had planned which eventually, with the help of a lot of people raised over £27,500 for the charity.

Part of the conversation included my friend telling me about a chat he'd had with a mutual friend and part of that chat included the remark 'Mark Reid (that's me) should start up a music event' that comment resonated with what I'd been thinking myself.... anyway to cut a long story short that conversation in that coffee shop in the presence of a couple of lattes saw AER Music Club conceived, at least in my head.

Amy meeting her hero Aston from JLS

Several months previous to this on 20th February 2013 we lost our youngest daughter Amy, who was only 20 to cancer, Amy fought long and hard against this hideous disease with outrageous courage and grace. This has been devastating to us as a family, but it has made me as her dad to determined to keep her memory alive and to do something worthwhile in her name.

In another conversation I had with another friend several months after this he said to me that I would do thing either because  Amy would have done it or I would do it in her memory....it was probably at that point I decided I wanted/needed to do this....
....and so AER Music Club was born....
I am a lover of music always have been and I've always been a person who loved to provide opportunities for others to discover and develop their interests, talents ifI I was at all able...
So I suppose there are several reasons why I along with some friends are launching  the AER Music Club in January 2014...
....firstly it's in memory of Amy, the club is named in her honour AER stands for Amy Ellen Reid even the colours in the logo have a significance to Amy... I want her memory to live on, I want people who didn't know her to be inspired by her story and how she faced the greatest challenge of life as I said before with outrageous courage, strength, grace and humour...

Amy was also very supportive of cancer charities and in particular CLIC Sargent, Stand Up to Cancer (Cancer Research UK) and Friends of the Cancer Centre were she received her treatment.. so we will be using the music club to continue to raise funds for these amazing charities by donating part of the door tax and also holding a ballot on each club night...

 

Also our we country is jammed pack with outstanding musical talent the more I hear the more I research the more I go to gigs the more I'm convinced of that.. So we want to provide a platform for people just starting out to get a gig in front of a listening audience but we also want to provide a platform for artists to reach a whole new audience to get a chance to play outside of Belfast and to get their music out there'
So to that end the AER Music Club will launch on Thursday 30th January 2014 and will be held on the last Thursday of every month after that... at Molly Browns in Newtownards... We are excited to be doing this and look forward to seeing you lovers of music there for a great night of music and to help make a difference to people with cancer..

 

we have facebook and twitter where you can keep up to date with whats happening at AER

www.facebook.com/aermusicclub

@aermusicclub

Thanks
Mark Reid



AER Music Club Venue Announced...

We are pleased to announce that the venue we are using for the AER Music Club will be the Live Lounge upstairs at Molly Brownst in Newtownards...
We used Molly's back in April 2013 for a fundraising event for CLIC Sargent... was a great venue...
Chris the manager there has been very helpful..
Looking forward to many great nights of music here...

Aaron Ferris - State of Emergency

7/10

Now on his 3rd release, Aaron Ferris introduces us to State of Emergency a 6 track EP. which follows up his album Solitary Realignment & the debut EP, A Round of Silence

There's no mistaking Aaron's music is informed by his Christian faith notably in the songs 1859, Jerusalem Of The East & Mission Field there's certainly a sense of emergency when he sings about North Korea in Propaganda Village also a subject covered on the absolutely outstanding N.K.  from Solitary Realignment.

There is a beauty in the sounds Aaron has produced through the whole E.P. ...from the choppy guitar ringing out in the lead of track Propaganda Village to the delicate almost intimate guitar on say Annie or the Way Out Of Here. Vocally Aaron is at his best... right out of the top shelf
By far the standout songs for me are The Way Out Of Here an intimate song of hope beyond our circumstance, also the harrowing story of a little girl Annie & interestingly for me Propaganda Village which I initially didn't take to.

It's obvious Aaron is not throwaway when it come to songwriting, these lyrics are well thought out they've been given a lot of attention and conjure up images in your mind were sometimes you feel you're there... likewise the music and playing allows a worthwhile setting for a set of songs full of hope, full of despair, that's show the dark in humanity but also the light of a hope greater than ourselves.

As a man once said on the radio these are not just good songs but they're good for something.

Check Aaron at www.facebook.com/aaronferrisni

Tracks
1. Propaganda Village
2. Mission  Field
3. 1859
4. Annie
5. Jerusalem Of The East
6. The Way Out Of Here

Mark Reid
www.facebook.com/aermusicclub

Now Playing...

Ok it's not all local but some of the music I've been enjoying lately includes....

Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Foy Vance - Joy of Nothing
Turin Brakes - We Were Here
Tired Pony - Ghost of the Mountain
The Farriers - Years Ago In Our Back Yard
Sons of Caliber - The Tundra
Dustin Kensrue -  The Water & the Blood

All worth investigating!!

A Flawed Beauty

Chasing Perpetua - EP

8/10

To be honest, I'm probably not the best person to be doing a review of husband & wife duo, Chasing Perpetua debut 4 track EP.. I've known Mark & Lynsey for a good few years...and count them as friends

....but here goes anyway....I'll be a honest as I can...

I can remember the first time I heard Chasing Perpetua, it was a video that just appeared on my Facebook timeline the song was Purple Coat, it blow me away i was totally taken in by the sound, in their performance especially Lynsey's & sound they reminded me of The Civil Wars they still do. And that's a good reference point for these songs... Purple Coat its still my favourite CP song, though sadly not on this EP but it was the start of a musical journey that has led to this, their debut release.

So to this release, I think the songs here showcase the Chasing Perpetua sound very well, a beautiful almost magical blend of harmonious vocals taking centre stage but driven along by some low key musical backing, for the most part a simple acoustic guitar accompanied by some strings courtesy of Mike Donaghy & Gill Adair, which although there do not overwhelm, they compliment. All beautifully captured on this EP recorded by Matt McIvor.

I think the two greatest weapons in the Chasing Perpetua armoury are the vocals, and their potential as songwriters.... Lynsey Hill, for me has one of the most beautiful, powerful female vocals I've heard in a long time, whether its those fragile, vulnerable, intimate moments like when she joins her husband Mark on the lead track, the Climb..which to be honest is not my favourite song, on first hearing it that particular moment sent shivers through me, it's sublime Then there's the soaring, reach for the sky vocal that are admirably controlled and evident in tracks like the already mentioned, The Climb & also in Conquering Heroes. The combination & harmonies these two bring to the table are at times Wonderful. For the most part their voices just seem so right together...

Also as fledgling songwriters these 4 tracks show some great lyrics that stir some  powerful images in my mind. If they pay attention to their craft I think we will benefit from many great songs from this pair in the future.

These are songs of longing, despair, life, love and hope.... having listened to the songs on this haunting EP many times I just keep thinking to myself this is beautiful...and that's not a word I often use to describe music.

Don't get me wrong it's not perfect, but to these ears it's a flawed beauty and sometime, just sometimes that we're the greatest beauty is found just below the surface...and in the imperfect..

See told you I probably wasn't the right person to review this...

But don't take my word for it..

Check it for yourself

http://chasingperpetua.bandcamp.com/album/chasing-perpetua 

Tracks

1. The Climb

2. Conquering Heroes

3. Be Still

4. Changing Tides

Mark Reid

It's A Grower

Amanda St John - Where is the Man?

5/10

My first experience of Amanda St John was as the female vocal in what I guess was a 70s tribute act, certainly she was vocally very powerful...

It is with that, my only previous encounter with Amanda that I approach this debut 4 track EP, which before I'd heard a note I was impressed with how well the packaging was put together..

Under the guidance of Gareth Dunlop, who produced this,  Amanda delivers a cd that introduces a very different artist to the one I'd first seen... This is a set of songs driven by a Northern Ireland soul sound which carries Amanda powerful vocal well. she has a group of talented musicians supporting her who play out of their socks...

For me this EP took a bit of time Initially it didn't connect with me but the more I listen the underlying beauty started to show although maybe because I'm a man lyrically that connection still not there though I must admit I've found my self singing the chorus of Where Is the Man....

I think this EP shows there's potential, it's a decent start.. and I really do look forward to hearing more from Amanda and I definitely need to see her live.

Tracks

1. Where Is The Man?

2. Reach

3. You'll Never Change

4. Come Back To Me

Mark Reid

Eyeball Melting..... Apparently

Lazy Flies - Kill Your Darlings

9/10

hahaha I just love being surprised & discovering new local music and it's certainly out there by the bucketload.... This 5 track EP 'Kill Your Darlings' came with a few others for me to review, so far the others haven't got a look in... this is on constant repeat....

The other night I was chatting to some friends about this trio of brothers, who have seen them live the feedback included "their harmonies melted my eyeballs" to "they're a cross between Bowie & the Bee Gees"

Certainly one of the strengths in the overall sound is those 'to die for' harmonies... tighter than the proverbial ducks end bit. These are showcased spectacularly on the a-cappella lead of track Disco Tears, 54 seconds of vocal dexterity & beauty.

The Lazy Flies  blurb informs us they are influenced by Beck among others andI I certainly hear that in the music, the influence stretches to the fact that they named the band after a track of Beck's Mutation album... (Can you guess which one?) ;)

Listening to this debut, self recorded EP conjures up all sorts of stuff in my mind, I hear Beck, I hear early Bowie I even have this image of early Blackadder style wandering minstrels in my head. Yet despite all the influences & the sounds I hear, the Lazy Flies have produced something different, something timeless yet fresh & beautiful.

These songs are well put together all hung on the foundation of the acoustic guitar on which they have developed a sonic landscape. There's the floaty almost ethereal feel of Who Are You? Next up is my favourite, Tin Man a great wee singalong with some great horns... In fact I have been singing it to my 10 month old grandson.....

This is a beaut of an EP, full of wondrous sounds that make you feel that warm, gushy feeling of satisfaction, i love it...

I think I'll let the Lazy Flies sum it up for themselves....

Lazy Flies....delicately weaving vocal harmonies conjure a charming pop aesthetic..... they combine evocative melodies with a lyrical wit to create something wonderfully recognisable yet totally unique.

yea that sums it up nicely... 'something wonderfully recognisable yet totally unique.'

Find out more at www.lazyflies.co.uk

Tracks

1. Disco Tears

2. Who Are You?

3. Tin Man

4. This Van Is Empty

5. Fantasy Islands

Mark Reid

Mike Donaghy & Border Crossing - No One Can Hear Me

Mike Donaghy & Border Crossing - No.One Can Hear Me

8/10

You certainly do from time to time meet people in unusual places, I first met Mike in the back row of a church, we introduced ourselves & had a coffee though ot all on the same day..

Several years later here I am sitting on my sofa with the sounds of Mikes new cd with his band Border Crossing filling the room. No One Can Hear Me, a mammoth value for money 14 track cd, is the follow up the Mikes I Wish You Well debut offering.

It has to be said Mike Donaghy is a folk singer, but then again there's something for me that is universal about his sound. Mikes music has a broad appeal, people relate to these songs.

In April at a fundraising gig Mike was playing at I'm sure only myself &'one other had heard of Mike Donaghy... when he recently played the Black Box to launch this CD I was easily able to round up a group of 20 people from that charity gig to go who are now fans...He has that sort of drawing power

No One Can Hear Me is an album that to me seems to be filled with longing, it also has a sense of belonging, there are songs here that give you that warm feeling of hone but in the middle of all this we have the fun songs like He Drinks Whiskey a great wee folk stomper full of life and certainly gets the feet going about the alleged antics of a Border Crossing member & The Flood a comical story of trying to get to America.

The album kicks of with the almost latter day Springsteenesque sound of Peace Begins With Me a song I personally love...another particular favourite is what seems to be a bit if a different sound for Mike almost a delta blues with hint of folk feel to the title track.

The overall sound & feel of this album is grounded in what Mike does best, ballads. Although writing that just doesn't do it justice...

Mike is very ably backed by the wonderful musicians of Border Crossing whether its the dependable backbone of the bass, those beautiful whistles or the fiddle or an array of other instruments all blend beautiful with Mikes guitar to create one of my favourite cd of the year so far. Mike appears to be a very chilled, laid back sort of a guy an that certainly comes through on this release...

All in all Mike Donaghy & Border Crossing are worth checking out...

In fact you can do it here

https://www.facebook.com/bordercrossingband

Tracks

1. Peace Begins With Me

2. This Is Where I Call My Hone

3. No One Can Hear Me

4. Love Birds

5. Seven Seas

6. Walls For The Wind

7. He Drinks Whiskey

8. I Am Not Afraid

9. You Won't Be Around Hear Anymore

10. Look On And Cry

11. All In Your Hands

12. The Flood

13. Sun Will Rise

14. The Parting Glass

Mark Reid