Dear Reader –
Last week I wrote about the possibility of writing a hit song that could set you up financially for life. And, as it happens, this week I am promoting not one but two new songs I helped to bring about. What are the chances??
*All hyperlinks will be in bold.
The Big Thing
As a musician, the definition of a big thing is when you are either releasing new music or announcing gig dates. And so this week, the first exciting thing to mention in this section is a brand new original song from the team behind our In The Lamplight podcast. It’s called Moments.
You can hear the story behind the song in more detail on this week’s show here (or see the What’s New section below). It includes the following:
The lyrics being written backwards
Our horror when we realised it sounded like a musical theatre song
How we moved it away from this genre
Why you shouldn’t mime when shooting a video
BUT…that’s not the only new release this week. Theme Night fans will know Naoise Devaney, Jayne Feehily and Gillian Brennan well - they are so precise in their harmonies and dance moves that Seamie O’Dowd memorably described them once as like three parts of the same clock.
They have only gone and got themselves a name - ‘Corcra’ - and written a song! They are releasing it as their debut single on this Friday 21st May. You can pre-save the link in Spotify here. More next week, but for now, check out our video for Moments.
Where else but Sligo?
There’s something about the Sligo town accent that makes certain things sound better.
The below words were said to me by a friend and colleague last year when I found myself in a tricky situation, and were delivered in one of the finest examples of a Sligo accent I know. Somehow it made them more memorable.
This particular man has a great way of putting things, and this was a great lesson for me.
‘Quinner’, he said, ‘You’ve been swimming with the tide for years. You just have to learn to swim against it for a wee while now. But don’t stop swimming’.
We all outgrow our school days.
But that doesn’t mean we stop learning.
The lessons just take different forms.
What’s New?
From next Tuesday, no more than Corcra, I am making this weekly letter a bit more official. It will be called ‘The Piano Has Been Thinking’, and will be my main form of communication with any of you who are interested in the work I do.
And…if you don’t want to rely on your social media feeds to show it to you, it will be available to receive in your inbox. Anyone who is signed up already to my blog or my email lists will automatically receive this next Tuesday.
If you’re not in that category, and would like to receive it, you can sign up here.
I mentioned last week that I have some space to teach new students in the month of June. Last shout for this today. Please send an email to kieran@kieranquinn.ie if you or someone you know is interested. Or if you would like to join our adult learning community, have a look at pianowithkieran.com - there’s a special welcome offer here.
As mentioned above, here is last week’s ‘Moments’ episode on In The Lamplight. Also, since I last featured the podcast in this letter, we had a very honest conversation with former Rackhouse Pilfer front man Leon Mooney, which you can listen to here.
Finally, Theo sums it up best…
To return to the opening lines of this letter, the whole idea of writing a hit song and living off the royalties reminds me of Nick Hornby’s book ‘About a Boy’. It tells the story of Will, a 36 year-old bachelor, who can go through life voluntarily redundant due to the royalties of a successful Christmas song written by his now dead father.
And this is the dream for musicians, or at least we sometimes think it is. Living off the passive income generated by that one hit.
But if I’m honest, although I hope that you all listen to our new songs, watch the videos and think they are amazing (!), the real buzz was in creating them. Hearing Luke’s lyrics for Moments. Choosing what type of key change would suit the intro best. Meeting the girls for the first time to hear them sing their first draft. The excitement when the song came to life. Tweaking this section. Getting rid of that chord. The craic on the video shoots. Getting into bed after signing off on a mix and being too excited to get to sleep.
No money in the world can buy that. And it’s a process we can start again any day we choose.
But it doesn’t count unless you release it. Like we did, like the girls are about to. And like Theo did.
Remember to sign up if you’re not already subscribed to any of my mailing lists and you’d like to receive this letter in your inbox next week.
Till then - have a great week everybody!.
Kieran.
Sent from Sligo.