A News update, I would like to announce the release of my new single “The Human Tide” featuring two tracks “Our Human Frailty” and “Ryan Vs The White Star Line”. They are available to download from my store from CD Baby and iTunes now.
A special limited edition will be available at my gig in the John Field Room of the Concert Hall on the 19th of April 8 PM.
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/simonquigley2
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/simonquigley
Human Frailty is my most recent composition about the humanitarian crisis in Europe and how media and politicians denigrate and dehumanise our fellow human beings in their time of crisis. This is a radio edit of the piece with an atmospheric video by visual artist Bernadette Beecher.
A Night By The Ocean is the launch of new music by composer and pianist Simon Quigley who was a member of the successful Dublin indie group Sack that first performed in the mid 1990’s. In his new solo career and with collaborative special guests from some of Ireland’s most creative musicians; singer-songwriter Martin McCann, soprano Clare Kavanagh (English National Opera), singer-songwriter Fiach Moriarty, singer-songwriter Briana Corrigan (Beautiful South), this special night also prominently features music from Quigley’s hand-picked string quartet; musician, producer and engineer Pete Meighan and musician Katherine Atkinson. A Night By The Ocean and runs for one night only at the National Concert Hall, John Field Room on Tuesday 19th April at 8pm.
This perfect French paradox in new Irish music crosses classical with electronica, opera and pop, all in a magnificent symbiosis – Simon’s repertoire includes songs that have passionate storylines pertaining to powerful relationships, events and social justice – all relating to the ocean.
The night hosts a visual treat too that will include the first screening of the short film 41° 46’ North directed by Kilian Waters. The film that will get inquisitive minds working about migration and anti -austerity issues and is about the making of one of Quigley’s songs, Ryan v The White Star Line – a pop opera hybrid composition that portrays a court case based on the loss of a life on the Titanic, and the impact of that case on our laws today.
Human Tide, a single will be released at this launch featuring Human Frailty, which is about the response to the current humanitarian crisis in Europe, and Ryan v The White Star Line a companion piece about Irish migrants and how differently that is perceived:
‘I am really excited to present my music with such a great group of musicians in a brilliant venue, it’s a joy to hear live performances of what has been in my head for years.’ – Simon Quigley
ABOUT:
Simon Quigley is a composer, pianist and producer. He was a member of successful indie group Sack, and has recorded and performed with well-known artists including Camille O’Sullivan, Briana Corrigan, Edwyn Collins and Dave Couse, whom he did two solo projects, including “The World Should Know” nominated as best Irish Album in the Meteor Awards. He has composed for documentaries and TV series for RTÉ. Simon released his first solo EP Ireland Is to critical acclaim with poet Colm Keegan and songwriter Mark Cullen. His musical influences include Rufus Wainwright, John Grant, Kraftwerk and Steve Reich –www.simonqc.com
Martin McCann was the lead singer and a songwriter with indie band Sack, who opened for Morrissey in Europe and West Coast USA. Martin also toured with an international song cycle for theatre called Silver Stars with Broken Talkers by Seán ‘Doctor’ Miller. Martin writes and performs with his acoustic three piece band ELEVENS and has been a club DJ for over 25 years playing an eclectic mix of styles – www.mccannmartin.com
Irish Soprano, Clare Kavanagh, a music studies graduate of Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, is a native of Co. Wexford. Clare was selected by English National Opera to take part in their professional development programme “Opera Works”. She has taken part in many exciting projects since then including a recital in the NPG London – https://www.facebook.com/clarekavanaghsoprano/
Playing support for A Night By The Ocean is singer-songwriter Fiach Moriarty. Dubliner Fiach Moriarty released his debut record ‘So i’ in 2010 to critical acclaim landing support slots with Ray Davies (The Kinks), Eddi Reader and Glen Hansard.Countless gigs followed in his home country of Ireland, as well as the U.K., Mainland Europe, Australia and North America –www.fiachmusic.com
Simon Quigley arranged and co-produced Fiach’s second album Revolution.
‘The Revolution is a stand-out album for a number of reasons: its timelessness, its genre crossovers, its historical scrutiny, and quite simply, its unique sounds.’ Colleen Taylor, The Irish Echo, America 2015
In 1990 when Briana Corrigan sang A Little Time with The Beautiful South, the single topped the UK chart and the video won the 1991 Brit Award for Best Video. ‘Carry On Up The Charts – The Best Of The Beautiful South’ entered the British album chart at No1 in early December 1994 and stayed at the top until the end of January 1995, becoming one of the fastest-selling British albums in history. With “a voice that could melt icebergs at 50 paces” (VOX) The Beautiful South catapulted Briana into the public consciousness. Celebrated for her “stupendous vocal” (NME), her time as lead female vocalist with the band lasted six years, three albums and enjoyed international acclaim – www.brianacorrigan.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hksb10xrChg?version=3&vq=hd1080
Below a great review from The Irish Echo in America of Fiach Moriarty new album The Revolution which I produced with Pete Meighan at Bay Studio.
By Colleen Taylor
For centuries, Irish history has given rise to good music, and in turn, history has scrutinised music as a substructure for its progress. Singer-songwriter Fiach Moriarty, however, has turned the musical lens back on the concept of history itself. This time, music gives rise to a scrutiny of history. The songwriter’s latest album, “The Revolution,” examines a number of historical moments, from 1916 and World War I to the San Patricios, in soft balladeer tones and peppy pop-rock jams alike.
Dubliner Fiach Moriarty began his career in 2010 with the release of his debut album, “So I,” which was heralded by RTE and by a wide Irish listening community for its inventive incorporation of strings orchestration. It was named “Album of the Week” in Ireland immediately after its release. Since then, Moriarty has earned the praise and support of Irish music legends like Paul Brady, Mary Black, and Damien Dempsey. In the interim between his sophomore album release, Moriarty spent his time touring around Ireland, the UK, Australia, and North America. Most recently, he’s promoting his latest work around Ireland. For all his past accolades, it’s his most recent album, “The Revolution,” that caught my attention.
The music of “The Revolution” is constantly traversing the timeline, never settling in one particular decade or style. Moriarty has mastered a mysterious kind of magic which turns his musical orchestration into a time machine, allowing you to be in two centuries at once, from a Beatle-esque 1960s rock sound to a modern-day electro vibe, and even a 19th century acoustic guitar ballad. It’s astounding the way he can meld all these times and genres into one song. His music not only examines history and war through its lyrics, but conjures a number of pasts through sound alone. To listen to his work is to travel in a time machine. “The Revolution” is like a sci-fi film and history documentary rolled into one polished, cohesive, eclectic sound.
For instance, when I listen to his track “The Mother” I’m placed in mid-19th century Western America, while the title track, “The Revolution,” invokes 1960s British rock invasion. “Nightingale” is the most contemporary-sounding track on the album, and it’s a beautiful love song. “Mount Street Bridge” is the keynote Irish track, dealing with—as the title suggests—the 1916 Rising’s Battle of Mount Street Bridge. Not only is it a truly gorgeous ballad, it is a moving tribute to the history of the battle itself, to what was lost. The lyrics imaginatively engage with what both the volunteers and the British soldiers might have been thinking as the battle commenced—their dreams, their prayers. The song is modern and original, yet honors the integrity of the historical moment. Moriarty recently performed an exquisite, dramatic rendition of “Mount Street Bridge” with the RTE Concert Orchestra as part of Dublin’s Culture Night last month (the video of that performance is available online).
Throughout the album, Moriarty crafts a moving soliloquy of the inner most thoughts of a soldier on the eve of battle—why he’s fighting, what he fears. The ultimate result is a very moving experience that is both musically creative and lyrically powerful. That said, one of my favorites on the album, “Rain Drops” offer joyous reprieve from the intensity of the album’s subject matter. As a cohesive whole, “Revolution” deftly balances a meditation on history, inward subjectivity, a myriad of genres and orchestrations, elegy and happy energy.
“The Revolution” is a stand-out album for a number of reasons: its timelessness, its genre crossovers, its historical scrutiny, and quite simply, its unique sounds. Check it out at: fiachmusic.com.
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