*************** Festival Lineup Latest ****************
Final preparations are being made to the Glasgowbury Festival list for 2009 and the all important details will be annouced over the coming days and weeks.
So fret not fine musicians and music lovers, Glasgowbury is back bigger and better than ever in 2009.
Check back regularly for festival updates including some exciting and exclusive news about camping, festival layout and entertainment throughout the day.
small but MASSIVE
The Glasgowbury Music Group awards cabinet got a little bigger with the announcement that their Rural Key Music Project was selected as Northern Ireland’s Rural Spark.
The Carnegie Rural Spark Awards recognise those groups who have helped to transform the areas in which they live and have achieved something remarkable within their rural community.
The Rural Key Music Project, a diverse music program which offers local acts a chance to meet and learn, has been chosen to represent Northern Ireland in the esteemed awards.
Now an established and massively respected project, the Rural Key began from humble beginnings, realising a demand for rural musicians and filling the gap, giving bands and artists the time, space, resources and respect needed to develop their careers.
Industry professionals, music stalwarts and the participants themselves work together, building and developing a strong music community where like-minded people work towards a common goal.
The course founder and tutor, Paddy Glasgow, is privileged that the Rural Key has been recognised as Northern Ireland’s Rural Spark.
“We’re honoured that the Rural Key has been identified as a rural champion and chosen as Northern Ireland’s representative,” he said.
“The project has long given its participants an alternative approach to the music world, offering a sanctuary for acts both locally and further afield to learn about the practical side of the industry and through its completion, many bands and acts have progressed into fields of work that may not have been possible without the help of the course.
“While supporting local talent and offering them a sanctuary, The Rural Key Music Project is part of a much bigger picture where the whole community benefits,” said Paddy.
“Although still in its relatively early stages, the Rural Key will continue to grow while maintaining the same standards which have already seen it recognised as a rural innovator.”
Enjoying his second year on the course, indie songwriter John Gribbin said:
“The Rural Key Project is more or less a mix of singers, songwriters and bands all sitting down together every Saturday with some tutors and good friends discussing different aspects of the music industry.
“There are key areas covered during the year – for example how to make a press pack, how to talk to a sound man, song writing techniques, live recording – although some days you come in and it’s decided that certain people might be paired together and asked to work on a tune.
“Last year was my first year on The Rural Key Project, and it was my first time in a recording studio so I really appreciate the opportunities that I have been given by Paddy and the team.”
As one of the country’s most exciting young bands, The Q have relished the opportunities offered by the course.
“The Rural Key has, and will, change our band,” they said. “We’ve been taken out of the comfort zone in which we were just gliding.
“Before joining the Rural Key we had never given much thought to pre-production, dynamics or presentation. But the Rural Key isn’t just an academic course, it’s an opportunity to discuss and learn with, and from, similar musicians about all aspects of making, producing and performing your own music.
“Other projects may give you some letters after your name or a nice certificate to hang on your wall but the Rural Key will give you the know-how and the ‘know-who’ to go out and make your mark as a serious artist.”
Songstress Shauna Tohill has welcomed the relaxed atmosphere offered by the course:
“It’s such a refreshing thing to be involved in,” she said. “Every Saturday I come down to the project and there’s a massive smile on everybody’s face – no matter what kind of mood you’re in, they make you feel happy.
“It’s a place where acts are really encouraged to play without being criticised. Everyone works together for the benefit of everyone else; it’s a really productive environment.”
Established songwriter Junior Johnson used the Rural Key as a tool to focus in on the most important parts of his music career.
“Talents and abilities are brought to the fore with the help of everyone. Drawing from the wealth of knowledge possessed by the organisers as well as mixing all kinds of musical tastes, genres and backgrounds has enabled me to expand my own songs and diversify my music to create an entirely new sound, one I’d only ever wished I could achieve.
“I’ve learnt a detailed account of the inside of the industry and that very few people are as honest or as genuine as the Rural Key team. I draw deep inspiration from being around people with such drive and truly believe that this approach is the way forward.”
The initial line-up for Glasgowbury 2009 has just been announced and includes a plethora of the country’s finest musicians:
Fighting With Wire, In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar, General Fiasco, mojoFURY, Henry McCullough, Jaded Sun, LaFaro, Swanee River, Cashier No 9, Ed Zealous, The Jane Bradfords, Little Hooks, A Plastic Rose, Here Comes The Landed Gentry, Clown parlour, Yes Cadets, Dutch Schultz, The Beat Poets, Furlo, Dirty Stevie, Kowalski….with many more yet to be announced.
Now in its ninth year, Glasgowbury has become the must-play festival for acts throughout the land.
And this year’s festival will very much be giving the power to the artists as well as showcasing some of the biggest success stories of the last few years.
Festival organiser Paddy Glasgow said:
“Glasgowbury has always been about new and unsigned music and this year’s line-up is testament to the power of the music culture in this country,” he said.
“The music scene in Northern Ireland, in particular, is thriving and has given so many good acts to the world over the last few years.
“So this year is very much about giving the power back to the people who have made Glasgowbury so successful throughout the last decade.
“In fact some of the acts who began their careers at Glasgowbury, where they got their first lift onto the ladder, will be coming home to roost at this year’s festival – at the top of their game.
“Bands like Fighting With Wire, In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar and General Fiasco have gone on to sign record deals and become known worldwide and have the capability of doing something monumental. Glasgowbury always knew and supported that.”
And with its upcoming tenth anniversary in 2010, plans have already been set in motion for Glasgowbury to reach iconic status.
Glasgowbury 2009 will take place on Saturday 25th July and tickets are currently on sale online (www.wegottickets.com) and from independent retailers across the country.
For their support, Glasgowbury thanks its funders, sponsors and friends including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council for Northern Ireland, Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and Magherafelt District Council.
Small but MASSIVE
The Glasgowbury Music Festival has won two prizes at the Irish Festival Awards 2008.
Voted for by the public, the awards represent the best festivals, concerts, acts and services provided throughout the musical year.
And Glasgowbury, the home-grown independent festival which nurtures talent from across the country has won the Best Service and Best Family Festival Awards.
Entering its ninth year, the Glasgowbury Festival has strived to offer a sanctuary for local music, delivering an outlet for the best that the country has to offer.
The annual July festival is the culmination of a full year of hard work and determination that sees bands and acts from across the country descend upon Eagles Rock in the heart of Mid-Ulster for an unforgettable music experience.
And each year the festival reaches new heights of expectation delivering dozens of acts – most of who are unsigned – across multiple stages against the picturesque backdrop of the Sperrin Mountains.
Festival organiser Paddy Glasgow has said it is an ‘absolute honour’ to be recognised by the Irish Festival Awards – bringing with it a sense of pride for the festival and the local community alike.
“It’s a brilliant achievement for us to be recognised in league with so many other great festivals,” he said.
“The Best Service and Best Family awards mean so much to Glasgowbury and show that we have firmly put Mid-Ulster on the map.
“To be recognised after nine years of hard work is testament to the dedication of the Glasgowbury committee, the local community and everyone involved – there are so many people doing good things for the festival and I want to thank them all,” he said.
While the awards are proof of the invaluable work Glasgowbury is doing for the music community in Ireland, Paddy is also proud that the festival has boosted the country’s rural image, enhancing its tourism appeal and its standing with the community.
“It gives the festival a great boost and considering we are bringing thousands of people into Mid-Ulster every year for the best that music across the UK has to offer, it’s also something which enhances the appeal of the area to the outside world.”
Glasgowbury has also celebrated knowing it’s the only independent festival recognised by the awards.
“It’s all about the level and standard of music we provide,” said Paddy.
“If we look some of the great acts who have come to play the festival over the years – In Case Of Fire, Fighting With Wire, General Fiasco, And So I Watch You From Afar, Duke Special, Oppenheimer – they’re all going on to some great things, showing that the music scene here is packed full of talent and promise and to be a part of that is just fantastic.”
But it doesn’t stop there for Glasgowbury.
After securing Ash to headline the festival in 2008, 2009 is already shaping up to be the most vibrant year yet for the local home grown music provider.
Details of the festival, line-up and ticket details will be announced in the coming weeks.
We are pleased to announce that tickets for this year’s Festival are available online from
and also from the Ticket Outlets listed below
When booking on wegottickets.com two options are listed:
Day ticket to the Festival is priced at £25.
Those wishing to camp will have to purchase a ‘Festival + Camping’ ticket costing £30.
There will be limited camping available, so best to book early !
Once you’ve bought your tickets you will be given a unique booking reference.
WGT.com will email you confirmation of your booking reference shortly after your order has gone through.
This booking reference, along with some ID is all you’ll need to gain entry to the Festival.
Tickets are also available from the following outlets:
Belfast
Alternative Ulster, 56 Bradbury Place (028 9032 4455)
Guitar Emporium, 22 Bradbury Place (028 9024 2335)
Quigley’s Music Bus, John Quigley (07747 700 820) email: johnquigley@yahoo.com
Coleraine
Solstice, 1 Society Street (028 7034 4423)
Derry
The Nerve Centre, Magazine St (028 7126 0562)
Draperstown
Cellar Bar, St Patricks St (078 1000 3607)
Credit Union, High St ( 028 7962 8762)
Enniskillen
Easy Duplication, 42 Main St Maguiresbridge (028 6772 2311)
Holywood
Solstice 87 High Street (028 9042 4363)
Lisburn
Music Matters, 37 Railway St (028 9267 9994)
Lurgan
Skelton Travel, High Street (028 3832 4741)
Magherafelt
Top 40, 1 Rainey St (028 7963 3808)
Omagh
Classic Urbanwear 17 Market St (028 8224 1233)
Music Master, 4 Foundry lane (028 8225 9225)
ASIWYFA launched their album in Draperstown recently with the almighty support of a Glasgowbury G Session.
InExistence won the right to open the door, taking home with them a substantial fan base to their thick, animated wall of sound type noise that fronted through Johanna’s lead female vocals was something a little special.
It’s fresh, raw and exciting rock that shows signs of real early promise and considering their less than four month existence, that can only be a good thing.
LaFaro on the other hand are as close to seasoned pros as you’re likely to encounter.
From the opening mostly instrumental opening, Jonny Black et al ooze a constructed coolness and have the crowd eating from the palm of their hand within minutes.
In fact, LaFaro are so good, if ASIWYFA had to pull out we wouldn’t have been overly disappointed.
Leningrad is an early ear basher, one that grabs you by the nuts and isn’t afraid to tug hard while that song about big dicks has us worrying for our own.
LaFaro were the epitome of all that’s good in a G Session, and they didn’t even need Tuppeny nudger to prove it.
But ASIWYFA thanlkfully don’t have to pull out and Draperstown is still pinching itself at the thought of stealing their album launch from Belfast.
Taking themselves and their music as serious as humanly possible, you can almost feel every one of their hairs simultaneously stand on end.
For ASIWYFA are the most professional innovators on the circuit, throwing kitchen sink and all against your ears, guaranteeing their infectious work will ring in your ears for nigh on two days.
Not that you’ll be complaining too much however, for what you hear will leave you pondering issues from your very existence to its inevitable demise, arguably saying more with no words than most bands accomplish with an essay of lyrics.
Sonically challenging, thoughtfully proactive and unique, ASIWYFA performed a set so perfected right down to the last riff, it’s as if the gods got together and built a new world right before our eyes.
And just like that start, middle and end process so too goes the heavy metal wonder of such instant hits as ‘If It Ain’t Broke, Break it’ and ‘A Little Solidarity Goes A Long Way’, starting small before enveloping all you know in small worlds of fantastical beauty and rightly positioned anger before concluding their journey with an answer, a cause.
There’s a visible heart that pounds through the personas of the four leading men, feeling every note, every beat, every meaning flow their visible and charismatic stage souls, loving every minute and knowing that we feel likewise.
Rory and Tony in particular act as the would-be vocalists, echoing all that’s good about the band, the glue between four likeminded individuals out to shape the future of music; music that glides effortlessly between scorching post-punk assaults and delicate, light as air intricacies.
‘I Capture Castles’ and ‘This Is Our Machine…’ represent the oldies, still holding their own in the band’s impressive artillery while a fanatical ending, absorbing the combined energy of everyone around them, sees ASIWYFA make a bold statement of intent. Live music has never sounded so good.
Wednesday 17th June sees the Rural Key Music Project move into the city of Derry when The Acoustic Lounge plays host to a Showcase Night featuring this year’s participants.
After the recent successful Launch of ‘Songs in a Rural Key 3’ in Draperstown, the G Team are hitting the road with their new release.
Performing on the night will be The Q, Silhouette, John Gribbin, Oonagh Clarke and Junior Johnston
The CD will be available on the night. If you would like to place an order for a copy, then get in touch with us here, www.myspace.com/glasgowbury or email: glasgowbury@gmail.com
Rural Key Artist Links
www.myspace.com/theq42
www.myspace.com/silhouetteofficial
www.myspace.com/johngribbin
www.myspace.com/oonaghclarke01
www.myspace.com/juniorjohnsondotnet
The Rural Key Music Project is funded by UnLtd* Millenium Awards and Awards For All
The Sound Advice Project presents a new strand of workshops designed to be available to the emerging talents of young musicians seeking development of their music and advice for their future music career. It’s ethos is to help improve musicianship, sound and understanding for young musicians wishing to develop and broaden their
musical horizons.
In its first year the project successfully delivered a series of workshops looking at aspects of live sound, performance, production, recording and guitar sounds. With further development from listening to the experiences of young musicians and bands, the project now has developed further services available in the form of the New Music Generation workshops.
New Music Generation – The Workshops
Live Recording / Demo Workshop
This workshop will be a 6 hour session including demo recording where acts will record a demo live without cut and paste, improve their sound and performance, and receive next step advice before entering a professional studio.
Workshop fee: £150. Location: Cellar Bar,
Draperstown or where suitable
Rock Out Workshop
This workshop will be a 3 hour coached rehearsal session where acts will improve their sound and performance levels, look at development, and receive next step advice of what is required to move to the next level.
Workshop fee: £80. Location: Where suitable.
Next Step Workshop
This workshop will be a 90 minute consultation where the act will sit down, look at their present position and receive advice for moving forward in the music industry.
Workshop fee: £40. Location: Where suitable
For further info:
Contact Dermot
www.myspace.com/soundadviceproject
soundadviceproject@gmail.com
Sound Advice Project New Music Education for a New Music Generation!
