Freedom!

Dear Reader –

It’s all things Freedom today, as the preparations for Theme Night #29 begin in earnest.

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The Big Thing

Look at that page below. Full of possibility. Ready for ideas. I love the thought of it filling up and forming the basis of what we’re aiming to make our best show yet.

If you have any ideas - for songs, performers, anything at all, please hit reply to this email and send them on. Thanks!

Where else but Sligo?

Speaking of freedom, it’s been a while since I last spent ten consecutive days outside of Sligo, but I just did, and returned on Saturday.

And while I love opening my world up for a while, I count myself lucky that I always look forward to coming home too. There are always three big moments on that journey - crossing the county boundary at The Curlews, driving under Ballydrehid Bridge to enter our parish, and then the turn into our house. Home.

Those feelings of rejuvenation, of excitement, of comfort - it’s easy to take them for granted, but they form the basis of so much of how I live my life. And in today’s world where millions of people are being forced to abandon their homes, it’s worth taking a moment to be thankful.

What’s New?

1. FREEDOM QUOTES: Kris Kristofferson famously described it as ‘just another word for nothing left to lose’. Then I found this description in a book this morning - ‘freedom is the ability to suck at something without caring’. Any other examples? Again please reply to this email and send them on!

2. SANDY KELLY: This time last year we published our interview with Sandy Kelly on our podcast In The Lamplight. It remains one of my favourite episodes. What a story, what a storyteller.

3. FREEDOM SONGS: Here’s how this idea has been interpreted recently by Pharell Williams, Jon Batiste, and Beyonce. Will they make it onto the Theme Night #29 setlist - time will tell!

Finally…

It’s hard to beat this one however…because when I’m asked about my favourite piano player, I always find it hard to look beyond this man. Touch, technique, taste, he had it all. Skip to the solo at 2:05 and see what I mean. Or just watch the whole performance - the climax to a 1964 live show in Denmark.

It’s called Hymn to Freedom - Oscar Peterson’s sole original composition on his classic 1962 album Night Train.

Till next time - Kieran.

Music and memories...

Dear Reader –

Have you ever heard a song and been immediately transported to another place and time? I just love how music can do this. A few examples of it in this week’s letter.

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The Big Thing

Firstly back to last week’s letter however, where I wrote of my excitement at being asked to join the Second Captains lads on stage at the Liberty Hall Theatre for a run of live shows.

There were many highlights - the lads never shy away from covering the role of sport in bigger world issues but always do it in a thoughtful way, coated with humour, music and high production values.

My favourite moment happened on the Friday night. As part of the show, I had been asked to play a piece written by the late Swinford pianist Conor Walsh, and that night, March 11th, happened to be his anniversary. After the show, an old friend of his approached me with tears in his eyes and thanked me for playing his buddy’s music. He proceeded to tell me the story of where he was six years previously when he heard the news, of how much he missed him, and how hearing his music that night kept him alive in some way.

A reminder that you never know who is in the audience on a given evening.

Where else but Sligo?

Here’s one of the big vocal talents in the current crop of local teenage musicians. Simply stunning. Her voice will hopefully make memories for many in the future.

Leah Davidson with What a Difference a Day Makes from Teenage Theme Night #25. Thanks to Sean Carleton for the video.

What’s New?

1. MY LAST SLIGO WEEKENDER COLUMN: 76 columns later, here it is, with some reflections on a wonderful experience.

2. IRELAND v ENGLAND: Shane Horgan’s famous 2006 try was featured on one of the Second Captains shows during the week. Watch it again here in the context of a beautiful story, written by his brother Mark about his experience that day. No music here, but what a memory!

3. HEARDLE: A previous edition of this letter featured Wordle, the word puzzle which has taken the world by storm. Here’s Heardle - the musical version!

Finally…

Guitarist Jim Meehan passed away last week. He was a kind and gentle soul, always supportive, passionate about music and fair play for musicians. He was a key player too in the formation of the Sligo Jazz Project.

A tasty player in his own right, I always enjoyed listening to him over the years playing with the likes of Gerry Grennan, Felip Carbonell and Amy O’Hara (below). Here he is in 2016, performing with Amy at Theme Night #14.

Rest in Peace Jim.

Till next time - Kieran.

Teenage superstars...

Dear Reader –

Current 6th Yr and emcee Senna O’Hara was introducing a younger performer to the stage during last Saturday’s Teenage Theme Night #25. She told the story of how the song about to be sung was the song she sang on her very first Teenage Theme Night in 2019. She remembered the pun with which then-emcee Callum Wall had used that night to introduce her. So in a lovely moment, she brought things full circle and said she would use the same words now that the tables had turned.

The song: Bowie’s Life on Mars?

The line: “This is Ciara Courell, and she’s out of this world"!

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The Big Thing

But first…we’re off to Dublin tomorrow, and I can’t wait!

I’m a huge fan of Second Captains - the Irish sports podcast with an illustrious international reputation. So it was a nice surprise to get a call recently from producer Mark Horgan asking me to put a house band together for their upcoming 6-night run in Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre. It starts tomorrow, and Sligo will be well represented with Luke Devaney, Mark Kennedy and Ken McDonald joining me in the band.

Mark put together this beautiful piece when Jack Charlton died in 2020. It features music from the late Conor Walsh. Both shared a love of football and fishing on the Moy. I always loved Conor’s music and it will be an honour to play this piece live.

Where else but Manorhamilton?

Or Manor, as the lads from Grooveline call it!

Bronwyn, Cian, Evan, Glenn, Matthew and Tarach made the long trip along the N16 on Friday night and blew us all away on the first night of Teenage Theme Night #25. Energy, musicianship, entertainment - these guys had it all (see pic below). They are a band that seem to be going about things the right way - working hard on their instruments, their songs and their sound - all the while having fun. You can hear their music here.

I’m singling them out here because it’s so rare that we get a fully formed band at these nights and they certainly brought something fresh to the shows. They were by no means the only stand-out performers however. 2020 graduate Jack Courtenay (pictured above) and 2017 graduate Gillian Brennan returned and showed where you can get if you continue to work at your craft. And without mentioning any more names, there was huge variety and lots of memorable moments provided by the current crew.

There is a real sense of momentum after the weekend, and we’re all now looking forward to two more Teenage shows before the school year finishes - details in the What’s New section below.

What’s New?

1. YOUNG SONGWRITERS AWARD: The return of this event - Friday April 15th in The Model. An opportunity for the teenage musicians of Sligo (and maybe even Manorhamilton!) to showcase their original music.

2. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT #26: Our 6th End-Of-Year showcase will take place in the Hawk’s Well Theatre on May 14th and 15th. Tickets went on sale today so your favourite seats should still be available.

3. DOGS: Last week’s Sligo Weekender column is about my dog, and how he risks his life for love.

Finally…

We were all brought back to the early 1990s at Teenage Theme Night #25 this weekend by Katherine McBride and her band. In her own words - ‘what a banger’.

Till next time - Kieran.

Repetition, rumour and refunds...

Dear Reader –

Our Ransboro daffodils (courtesy of our neighbour Patrick Downes) bring hope and the promise of brighter days when they arrive each year. They took a battering recently with all the wind, but are still looking great. So today’s letter is brought to you by….the letter R.

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The Big Thing

Repetition.

I had a breakthrough as a teacher this week. As students get older and more accomplished, I think it’s important that they get to pick a good proportion of the songs they want to learn. This means firstly that they are more likely to want to work at it, but also that I get exposed to lots of new songs that I might otherwise have never heard.

Some are difficult, and require a degree of real learning on my part. Here is the story of how one such choice made me realise that real learning on the piano (and elsewhere) is about more than just repetition.

Where else but Sligo?

Returning.

We’re trying something new at this weekend’s Teenage Theme Night #25.

I love to see past Teenage Theme Nighters continuing to include music as a central aspect in their lives. So many are still playing, writing, studying and even releasing music. Opportunities to perform can be tricky to come by, so at this weekend’s shows, for the first time, we have decided to feature one Teenage Theme Night graduate each night.

So come along and give them a big welcome. First up…each singing one song related to the theme (Questions) and one of their own choice, are Jack Courtenay (2020, Friday), and Gillian Brennan (2017, Saturday).

What’s New?

1. RUMOUR: Please note, in response to a question I have been asked regularly in the last week, Theme Night #29 tickets are NOT sold out. There are plenty left for everyone! Look here if you don’t believe me.

2. RASTAFARIAN: Eoin Troy and Gráinne McCarthy were good enough to interrupt their social outing in Connolly’s last night, and joined us to sing this great Bob Marley song.

3. REFUND: Congratulations to Ciara Herity, who won last week’s competition and got her Theme Night #29 ticket money refunded.

Finally…

Jimmy Ruffin was the original singer of this great Motown song. The title is a question of course, and so it will feature this weekend along with many other great songs on Friday and Saturday in The Model.

Till next time - Kieran.

Announcement - Theme Night #29

Dear Reader –

Good morning! Tickets go on sale this morning (Tuesday) at 11am for Theme Night #29. First though - here’s how we announced the theme last Friday.

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The Big Thing

It’s a broad theme, the broadest live theme in quite a while, so we'll have songs from a huge variety of artists and genres. From Queen to Christy Moore and from Nina Simone maybe even as far the musicals!!

Tickets go on sale this morning.

All you have to do is call into the Hawk’s Well, ring the box office on 071-9161518 (and be nice to them!), or click here from 11am to secure your tickets.

And check the What’s New section below for a special offer (today only).

Where else but Sligo?

No words needed today - just this pic from last Saturday morning…

What’s New?

1. GET YOUR MONEY BACK: A special prize for one lucky person buying their Theme Night Tickets today. Go to my Facebook page any time after 11am today for details. **NB Competition is now closed.

2. WILL: Will Smith’s memoir. What a story. What honesty and insight. What a book!

3. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT #25: Vocal and performance coach Sinéad Conway was having fun at rehearsals last week (see below pics with emcee Rosha McDonnell). The show takes place on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th March in The Model. Tickets now available here.

Finally…

Speaking of Will Smith, from his pre movie-star days, here is some classic early 90s rap.

We’ll do our best to shake the room in May - can’t wait to see you then…

Till next time - Kieran.

The theme has been picked...

Dear Reader –

Thanks so much for the overwhelming number of responses to last week’s letter. Some of you replied by email, others (including some prominent members of the Theme Night ensemble) preferred to be more public with their suggestions.

Now I’m not sure where this idea that I’m not a fan of musicals has come from, but I can assure you all that it has as good a chance as any other theme of being selected…when I sit down and try to pick a theme for Theme Night #91!

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The Big Thing

All joking aside, the theme has been picked (!), and will be announced on my social media later this week.

Keep an eye out for next Tuesday’s letter, as it will contain details on your special early access to tickets for Theme Night #29. As usual, this access will be only for subscribers to this letter.

Tickets will go on sale to the public next Tuesday morning at 11, so this email will arrive in your inbox before that, with details on how you can access tickets before that time. So don’t miss it!

Dates for the shows are May 5-7.

Where else but Sligo?

It really was lovely to hear back from so many of you on the Theme Nights.

Some of your favourites surprised me I must say. Some of the shows you mentioned I had almost forgotten, such as the Michael Jackson night and the Burt Bacharach night. Theme Nights #13 and #15 - the shows in which we were joined by the Sligo Academy of Music Sinfionetta - also featured prominently.

The words you used to describe the nights blew me away, and gave me a great insight into what you as audience members and performers look for in these shows.

And then the real craic started with the suggestions for the next theme. The likes of Queen really will have to be looked at soon, there were some interesting thoughts on re-using themes we have done already, and I especially loved the detail into which some of you went in your submissions (including two full setlists) on why a particular theme should be picked.

As always, the two groups of people I keep in mind when picking a theme are the performers and the audience. It needs to be something that will challenge and interest the musicians yet crucially must be entertaining too. Especially this one - our first one back with full capacity theatres - it needs to be a big party I feel, and we’re certainly going to do our best to make it so!

What’s New?

1. THE PRODUCERS: A musical it may be (!), but I can’t wait to see this. Karen Gordon always pulls out all the stops for her shows, and with Niamh Crowley as musical director there’s no way it’s not going to sound amazing. Great cast too! It’s on in early April but you’ll need to book tickets soon to avoid missing out.

2. MICKEY MORAN: This Derry man gave me my debut for Sligo back in 2000. Even then he had been coaching teams for many years, so to see him finally win his first All-Ireland title as a manager last Saturday was heart-warming to say the least. This picture shows him kissing the particular spot of turf in Croke Park from where his team’s last-minute wining goal was scored.

3. SUPERBOWL SHOW: I love this short article on why this year’s show in particular worked.

Finally…

Not from an official Theme Night, but it was mentioned by one of you as a highlight this week and I’m not going to argue with you. It’s just gorgeous. I first fell in love with this song when I heard Sinéad sing it on a show we did to celebrate the lives of Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen in 2017.

This version is from October 2020 on In The Lamplight.

Till next time - Kieran.

Things that make me excited...

Dear Reader –

Preparations are beginning for Theme Night #29. Tonto and Steve are excited, and so am I!

But we need your help…

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The Big Thing

As advertised in last week’s letter, Theme Night #29 will take place in the Hawk’s Well in the first week of May. Before we can announce the dates however, I need a theme, and I’m stuck! Maybe I’m overthinking it (a friend joked recently that we could do the Teletubbies Greatest Hits and people would come) but all joking aside, it’s important to get it right, for the audience and musicians alike.

So - I’m looking for help, specifically with the following questions. Just hit reply at the bottom of this email.

1. What was your favourite theme in the past and why?

2. Send me three words that describe a great Theme Night.

3. What should the theme be for May’s show?

You’ll find the list of themes we have done so far at the bottom of this page. I wouldn’t rule out repeating one, especially one of the early ones. Thanks!

Where else but Sligo?

I’m entering the world of Sligo GAA underage club management. The Coolera-Strandhill U-12 girls to be specific. And I’m excited, so much so that I wrote about it last week - have a read here.

What’s New?

1. THEME NIGHTS: THE VIEW FROM AUSTRALIA: Thanks Matthew for taking the time to write this - and yes, it is an Irish jig!

2. UP SLIGO! This table is blatantly and openly misleading, but it’s still better to be at the top than the bottom.

3. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT #25: This will take place in The Model on March 4th and 5th. The theme is Questions (any song whose title is a question), and I’m currently looking for anyone in 4th, 5th or 6th Yr who would like to take part. Check out the Teenage Theme Nights on Instagram and reply to this email (kieran@kieranquinn.ie) if you or someone you know might be interested.

Finally…

More Steely Dan this week - I know if the smiling gentlemen in the picture at the top of this letter had their way, this theme would be done very soon! Maybe you agree? Or maybe not - let me know!

Till next time - Kieran.

Impostor syndrome - bad or...good??

Dear Reader –

I’ve seen your picture. Your name in lights above it. This is your big debut. It’s like a dream come true.

Or is it? You tell me.

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The Big Thing

Many of you nice people are asking me these days what it’s like to be back gigging. And it’s great - see last week’s letter, but (please don’t laugh) I’m nearly more happy to be able to plan again. Not being able to do so was really frustrating over the last two years.

I had one such chat with Ciaran in my local shop last weekend. He said to me ‘your head must be bursting with ideas’. And it is. But while ideas can be exciting, if they’re not the right ones they may not lead you where you want to go. So first you have to figure that out. And that can be scary. Because while you may want to go somewhere really cool, another part of you will no doubt pipe up and tell you you’re not good enough to get there and not to bother trying.

So the big thing this week is that there’s no big thing. Not yet anyway. But there will be. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be, but it will be exciting. And as soon as I have something to share, you will be the first to hear.

For now here are some dates. Details aren’t finalised so don’t go looking for tickets.

Teenage Theme Night #25: The Model, March 4&5.

Theme Night #29: Hawk’s Well Theatre, May 5-7.

Where else but Sligo?

We had another wonderful Monday gig in Connolly’s last night. Cathal Roche (above, second from right) joined Seamie and I and we put our collective memories (muscle and otherwise) to the test by throwing out songs and tunes that we hadn’t thought of, let alone played since early 2020.

Halfway through the gig I spotted a face in the crowd who brought me back not two, but 22 years, to a Sigerson Cup match in The Mardyke in Cork at the age of 20. I was in first year in college, and this man was in his final year. He was the resident midfielder on the college team and I was a raw fresher. But the manager must have seen something in me, because a few days before the most important game of the season, he named me at midfield. Ahead of Joe. My big debut.

It was a bit controversial at the time, but we had fun about it last night. Joe was with his wife and some friends, and they took pleasure in stirring the pot. In a more serious moment though, I told Joe and the gang that at the time, being selected ahead of him made me feel like an impostor. Not good enough. Not deserving of my place. And something I had to actively battle in the lead-up to the game.

Anyway, we’re still friends (!), and it was by chance that they walked into the pub where we were playing, so we had a drink after the gig. It was lovely to hear that Joe and his group have had a great few days away. Good food, golf, swimming and a bit of music to top it off. On a Monday. Where else but Sligo indeed.

What’s New?

1. IMPOSTOR SYNDROME: I think this is a good definition: ‘an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be’. If this is something you have experienced, this is a great (and short) listen about how to look at it differently.

2. MY FAVOURITE BOOK QUOTE: Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend; Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.

3. SLOWIN DOWN: Theme Night regular Joe Hunt does much more than sing. That was clear from his contributions to Theme Nights #26 and #27. Below is his latest project - a look at the locked-down world from some incredible angles. Beautifully produced and with a great soundtrack.

Finally…

Hopefully some of you guessed what this was going to be today! It’s so good.

Till next time - Kieran.