Theme Night #28 starts tomorrow!

Dear Reader –

It’s all Theme Night news this week - a huge week of 5 shows ahead of us - and I can’t wait!

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

As you will know by now, the album is out, but the second BIG part of the Theme Night 10-Year Celebration arrives today, and I’m excited to see it!

It’s a hardcover coffee table book, a comprehensive pictorial account of the Theme Night story (adult and teenage) over the last 10 years. A few good stories in there too.

It has turned out beautifully - thanks to Kevin Noone and Tiger Print for the design, production and printing, and indeed to Kris and Dominika Manulak for the original idea.

You can pick it up in Sligo bookshops Liber and Easons from tomorrow (Wednesday) or order it directly from me in the shop on my website.

A few sneak previews of how it will look below…

Where else but Sligo?

It’s lovely to hear all of your feedback on the album. It really makes all the work worthwhile.

The CD is currently available in 15 shops and businesses around the county of Sligo. A huge thanks to everyone who agreed to stock it. The full list is below.

Sligo town: The Record Room, EJ Menswear, Centra Maugheraboy, Murray’s, Lyons Cafe and Bakeshop, Ed Lee Photography Pop-Up Shop (Johnston’s Court).

Ballisodare: Sherlock’s Butchers

Beltra: Collery’s

Collooney: Maitland’s Barber Shop

North Sligo: Grange Pharmacy, XL Rathcormac

Rosses Point: Bay View Stores, The Little Cottage Cafe

Strandhill: Shells, Centra Strandhill

What’s New?

1. We can’t wait to play the album live for you all at our 5 Hawk’s Well shows this week. The Hawk’s Well will be at 50% capacity, which means that audience members will be distanced from each other. We have put a lot of thought into how to put these shows on safely for everyone, and can’t wait to see you all there over the coming days.

2. Apart from the album songs, the setlist is also full of Christmas classics. Wednesday’s show in particular will feature a new 7-piece string arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s River, a boogie version of Here Comes Santa Claus, a Mallorcan carol, an original seasonal song and our brand new duet version of This Christmas. Wednesday is the only show with any sort of a decent choice of tickets left. Find them here.

3. Finally, on every theme night we make it our business to find new talent and bring them into the theme night fold for the first time. So please make sure to give a huge welcome this week to Theme Night newcomers Paul Cadden, Rebekah Comerford, Cuan Durkin, Annie Feehily. Roisin Fitzpatrick, Declan Flavin, Johannes Kavanagh, Lisa Kelly and Joanne Stenson.

Finally…

This is track 2 from the album. We’ll be playing it every night this week, and we hope it can have the impact it had when we played it for the very first time in 2016.

Till next time - Kieran.

Theme Night #28 WILL go ahead...

Dear Reader –

A Monday letter instead of the regular Tuesday edition this week, because there is good news this morning.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

And that is…that we have found a way to make next week’s shows work. Here’s how…

An extra show has been added on Wednesday 15th December to make sure that there is a seat for everyone who has already bought a ticket. Some ticket-holders may be asked to consider moving their tickets to another night and we would appreciate your understanding on this.

Ticket-holders will be contacted by the Hawk's Well Theatre either today or tomorrow in order to detail what happens next.

Where else but Sligo?

These shows wouldn’t be happening without the great people at our local theatre, the beloved Hawk's Well. I’d like to thank them here for their flexibility and support on this matter, and their determination to do what it takes to make sure that these shows take place as planned. We are so lucky to have such a well-run and welcoming venue in Sligo.

Their box office team (pictured above) will be under pressure this week, as will box office teams all around the country. They deserve our patience and support in dealing with this difficult set of circumstances.

Once all existing ticket-holders have been catered for, if any tickets are left I will let you know later in the week.

Most importantly however, the safety of all audience members, artists and theatre staff is paramount.

I can’t wait to see you all at the shows. Despite everything, this December our stages will stay lit, live music will be heard, and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that Theme Night #28 is one you will always remember.

What’s New?

1. With all that has been going on regarding restrictions and next week’s shows, I have almost forgotten about the release of our new album last week!

2. Details on how to get your hands on it/listen to it are at the start of last week’s letter. The best way is to contact me directly or click here.

3. It is also currently on sale in The Record Room and Eddie Lee’s pop-up photography shop in Johnston’s Court. If any other local business owner has the facility and would like to take a few albums I’d love to hear from you.

Finally…

Another track from the album below. From Theme Night #23 - here’s Chris Baillie with Jesse James. Chris has since moved back to New Zealand and couldn’t possibly make an appearance at next week’s shows…could he??

Till next time - Kieran.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Dear Reader –

An unscheduled letter today for a special reason.

And remember - don’t miss out on the last few tickets for the first live performance of the album. Theme Night #28, Hawk’s Well Theatre, 16-19 December. Get them here.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

OK - so I told you about it in the very first of these letters back in May, and now it gives me huge pleasure to let you all know that the first ever Theme Night Album is out now!

Here’s how you can get your hands on it, but remember that the special Joe Hunt/Steve Wickham bonus track is only available on the CD and Vinyl copies. Vinyl available in early 2022. CD available TODAY!

• Get your copy of the CD right now by replying to this email or contacting me on 087-2390710.

• Purchase it from my website here.

• Buy a digital copy on Bandcamp.

• It is currently on sale in The Record Room and Eddie Lee’s pop-up shop in Johnston Court.

• Or stream the album on Spotify or Apple Music.

Where else but Sligo?

This album is all about Sligo really.

About 53 musicians backed and supported to make this album by over 200 funders.

About some of my favourite Theme Night performances from the last 10 years.

About lots of our own arrangements but also about not messing with the originals we loved.

And about how even the pandemic couldn’t keep us from singing.

It simply wouldn’t have happened without the input of a huge number of people - I am so grateful to you all and I have a long list of thanks and credits on the CD and vinyl.

However the two in the picture with me below deserve a special mention. They were there at the start, all the way through, and now on release day.

What’s New?

1. Thanks so much to Brian, Brendan and everyone at The Sligo Show for having me on for a chat last Tuesday. I must say the time flew by. We did speak about the Theme Night Album, but lots more too. As host Brendan Tierney himself put it yesterday…

   • He wants to put a piano in the Garavogue River

   • He did consider insuring his fingers

   • He would love the challenge of GAA management

   • Watch the full interview here.

2. Thanks so much also to everyone at Ocean FM for featuring the album as their album of the week and all the spins they gave the tracks!

3. While we’re on the subject of Sligo people coming together to make music, check this out. Sligo Sings 2021 from the great people at the Hawk’s Well Theatre. Go on - get involved…

Finally…

My favourite track on the album changes all the time. At the moment it’s the one below. Here’s the original version - from Theme Night #13 all the way back in 2015. Featuring Seamie O’Dowd and the Sligo Academy of Music Sinfionetta.

Please get in touch and let me know what you think. Any highlights, anything that particularly hits home for you, or indeed anything that you would have liked to hear on it (maybe it will make it to the next album)!

Till next time - Kieran.

Now That's What I Call Music!

Dear Reader –

Teenage Theme Night #24 took place last weekend, and it was a joy from start to finish.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

The themes that the teenagers choose are always very different to those featured on the adult theme nights. They are far more broad, for one. Usually quite quirky too. The title of this email was the theme this time, and it sums up the whole weekend really.

All going well the next one will be early in 2022, and the theme has already been chosen. Another broad one - songs with a question in the title. So I’m looking forward to playing songs like Do You Want Your Auld Lobby Washed Down? and Who Let The Dogs Out?

You can read more about the Teenage Theme Nights here, and if you or someone you know would like to get involved in these nights, send an email to kieran@kieranquinn.ie. You don’t have to have had any previous musical experience. More about these shows below.

Where else but Sligo?

These shows are all about the music, yet they’re also not. Here are 10 of my favourite things about last weekend.

1. Seeing many of these teenagers finally getting to experience what a live show is all about.

2. The awareness of each and every performer about the precariousness of these events at the moment, and their commitment to doing things safely and adhering to protocols.

3. The buzz of a full house.

4. Seeing 6 5th Yr lads from Summerhill put a band together from scratch and go for it on Stacy’s Mom. We’re always crying out for more lads to get involved in these nights - so well done John Mackey for putting this crew together.

5. The support from the audience for every single performer.

6. Getting called out by Jersey Gaffey! When she came out, I mistakenly thought that she was in TY and made a long speech about the importance of attracting more TYs to the shows. Jersey politely waited until I had finished talking and matter-of-factly said ‘Actually Kieran I’m in 5th Year’.

7. A brief meeting with one father in the foyer afterwards. He said nothing, but the clenched fists and look of sheer pride on his face said it all.

8. Watching the emcees grow into their roles as each night progressed.

9. Being in Sam Purcell’s band.

10. Due to knowing their parents, and seeing them perform in various guises over the years, I have been aware of Senna and Freya for a long time. It has been obvious since they were young(er) that performances like this were in them. It was so special to see it happen live on stage on Friday. Thanks to Dad Carl Brennan for the video.

What’s New?

1. I am currently finalising my piano teaching timetable for January. A small number of slots are available for students aged 7-18. Send an email to kieran@kieranquinn.ie if you or someone you know might be interested.

2. Two more performances from the weekend’s shows here - Cara (TY) and Orla (5th Yr).

3. I’m looking forward to being a guest on The Sligo Show tonight (Tuesday). We’ll be chatting a bit about the Theme Night Album, but I have just read the list of questions and it looks like we’ll be talking about a lot more too! It’s live on Facebook at 8pm.

Finally…

We did this arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody at the weekend. I don’t have a video of the performance, so the original will have to do. Take a minute - it’s special.

Till next time - Kieran.

There's a Lad Works down the Lanterns Swears he's Jesus

Dear Reader –

This week’s title is the Sligo version of the first single from the Theme Night album, released today. Courtesy of a letter reader earlier this year.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Do you remember The Story of Number 5?

A tale from last July of how Joanne Stenson was picked to be the newcomer on the Theme Night Album.

Well today, the first single from the album is released, and you can hear just how good Joanne’s vocal is.

Listen on Spotify here, or on Apple Music here.

Or watch Joanne sing it live last September in the Hawk’s Well below.

Where else but Sligo?

Around the time I met Joanne last summer, I wrote of the feeling I get when a new singer walks into the room. The promise, the potential, the possibility. Not knowing what the next few minutes hold and how they might change things for one or both of us.

It happened to me many times last week again as I rehearsed with what is largely a new set of teenagers for this weekend’s Teenage Theme Night #24. One young lady in particular surprised me.

I had never met her before, so when she came in we had a nice chat. She proceeded to let rip on a Miley Cyrus song and we changed key not once but twice to facilitate her impressive range. And then we had another nice chat, as if nothing had happened. But it had.

There was something about her accent that made me think she wasn’t from Sligo. I asked her how she had heard of the nights, and she said she had come from Drumshanbo with her mother to a Christmas shopping event in Shells last year. Two college students who had previously been involved in these nights were playing music at the event and when she approached them, was told unequivocally that she HAD to look in to them.

And so she did, and will make her debut this Friday night.

There is also a show on Saturday, and both will take place in The Model. And it’s not just about the music, it’s about young people expressing themselves, finding a place for themselves in the world, and reinforcing the fact that Sligo is the place to come for great music, no matter what age you are.

You will need to book your tickets beforehand, and you can do so here.

What’s New?

1. Mícheál Kearney is also a Teenage Theme Night graduate, and has joined us as a co-host on In The Lamplight this season. We interviewed him on last week’s show - you can listen here.

2. Joanne Stenson also gave an amazing performance of Summer in Dublin on last September’s show - have a look here.

3. And a big hello to the letter reader I met on Saturday who gave out to me for sending him too much each week!!

Finally…

The original Theme Night performance of today’s new single.

Ide Leddy, Ana Leddy and Mary Roche from The Cosmic Banditos on Theme Night #14 back in 2016.

Till next time - Kieran.

Get the Theme Night album this Friday!

Dear Reader –

Let me give you the bad news first…

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Supply chain issues.

The catchphrase of 2021 has struck again and unfortunately delayed the release of the forthcoming Theme Night album. Not for long, but just enough to change plans. Next week’s letter should have more on this, but enough on that - it’s time for the good news!

It’s great to be able to say that many months after this project was conceived, you will finally be able to listen to the Theme Night album from this coming Friday 19th. It’s a limited digital release, and here’s how you can be the first to hear it.

Click here to buy a Digital Download of the album (available from Friday 19th November). You can choose either a CD or Vinyl copy of the album along with this digital download. These will be posted to you on release date (CD estimated early Dec 2021 and Vinyl estimated February 2022.

**NB - If you supported the crowdfunding campaign earlier this year or you sang/played on the album, I will be sending download codes to you on Friday anyway, so no need to purchase anything.

Where else but Sligo?

The tree in my front garden looked like this when this project began.

Now it looks like this…

What’s New?

1. Teenage Theme Night #24 (live) will take place in The Model on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th November. It’s a whole new gang of teenagers, and hopefully they will get a better run of live shows than their predecessors. Tickets for both shows available here.

2. John (The Map) Callanan continues to update his guide to all the best music in Sligo - on and off-line. Live music is happening in some places, while others are providing online entertainment. All details here.

3. Tommy Higgins was our guest on In The Lamplight last week. He has lived an amazingly full and interesting life, from younger days as a DJ and League of Ireland referee, to a ringside seat at the heart of the ticketing business as it grew hand-in-hand with the live entertainment industry. You can listen to the episode here.

Finally…

We were on the other side of the country for a few days last weekend, and my wife started singing this song. The weather was sunny and calm, and she had seen ‘the falling leaves’ drifting by our window. Funny - she had never been reminded of this song on our side of the country - possibly because here the leaves tend to be blown off the trees!

Nat King Cole explains it best.

Till next time - Kieran.

As Time Goes By...

Dear Reader –

I spent some time with a few really good friends at the weekend. It’s the first time we met since we all turned 40. And the conversations were a bit different as a result.

So this letter is all about time.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Firstly about the small amount of time left before the Theme Night album and book come back from the printers. This has been THE big thing of 2021, and I can’t wait for you to hear and see the results of the hard work many of us have put into this project.

Here’s a pic from early in the process , with Sinéad, Georgie and I obviously delighted after coming up with a new arrangement of a song they sang together all the way back in Theme Night #8.

All details in next week’s letter.

Where else but Sligo?

Kian Egan was our guest on In The Lamplight this week, and it was very much a Sligo story he told.

One about Mary McDonagh and the Feis. About sold-out shows in the Hawk’s Well Theatre, The Record Room and James Blennerhassett. And ultimately, one about fairytales and heartbreak.

It was so interesting to hear him describe how a stadium show is put together from start to finish, and he also told us why he chose Sligo as home for his family.

Click on the image below to listen (and to find out why Kian’s pic is flanked by the German flag and a rock-climber).

What’s New?

1. In keeping with the theme of the letter, this week’s featured song on pianowithkieran.com is Clocks. Click here to learn how to play the melody of this signature Coldplay song, or here to challenge yourself with 6 ear-training questions.

2. Here is last week’s column for the Sligo Weekender - on whether November is actually in autumn or winter.

3. And finally, my favourite quote about time…

   “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana”.

Finally…

Who better than Mr. Sinatra to tie up this week’s letter. Just listen to his phrasing!

And if anyone ever tells you your work is no good, take heart from the fact that there are 120 people out there (at time of writing) who dislike even this masterpiece!

Till next time - Kieran.

Yeah, but who wrote it?

Dear Reader –

Even the best writers need great players to bring their music alive, and even the best players need great writers to make them something nice to play. There is no need to pitch one profession against the other.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

So - as promised - if any of you didn’t get tickets for Theme Night #28 this December, more will be on sale from 11am tomorrow (Wednesday).

What’s more, there is now an extra show on Sunday 19th December, so as of tomorrow morning there will be tickets available for all 4 nights. I’m looking forward to lots of great music and laughs with everyone again. Here is the link you need.

Where else but Sligo?

I wrote a couple of months ago about Gabriel Connelli - a young Italian man currently studying in Sligo IT. He asked for the use of my piano so he could practise a couple of times a week, and blew me away with his playing. You can read his story in the Where else but Sligo section of this letter.

Someone who did just that was regular letter reader Imelda Harte, who got in touch and suggested I pass Gabriel’s details onto Anna Houston, in the hope that she might consider him for one of the IMA gigs she helps to run in The Model.

I did, and promptly forgot that I had done so, until lo and behold this week I got a request from Gabriel for a few extra hours at the piano this week, because he needed to brush up on some Chopin and Debussy pieces for a gig this Sunday. I smiled to myself - Sligo had struck again. Well done to all and good luck Gabriel.

And the good news is…that audiences are once again allowed at these gigs, but tickets MUST be booked beforehand. You can do so by clicking on the pic below.

What’s New?

1. You’d swear after getting well beaten in the county final I wouldn’t want to talk about it again, but there has been great interest in it over the past week. So, despite the result, this video (made by Rory Maitland) about our day out at the game is worth a watch. So well made.

2. And this column I wrote about it for last week’s Sligo Weekender is a longer version of what was published in last week’s letter.

3. I love this new version from Sive and Danny G & The Major 7ths of Paul Brady’s The Island.

Finally…

I love playing this song on gigs, indeed I played it on my last album, and I often get asked if I wrote it. The answer is no - it was written by Michael Rooney, our guest on this week’s podcast, which by the way is worth a listen to hear Michael’s approach to melody-writing alone.

And it was so nice to get to play it with him on the show.

Till next time - Kieran.