Humans of the Theme Nights...

Dear Reader –

Anyone for the bus to Dublin?!

The Big Thing

There has been loads of chat about the Vicar St gig in the last week or so which is great to hear. And one question I have been asked plenty is if there will there be a bus from Sligo?

So - any interest? The bus would probably leave Sligo around 3pm and return straight after the gig.
Please reply to this email or get in touch ASAP if you or a gang would be interested. If enough of you are we will certainly put one on! Thanks…

Where else but Sligo?

Please keep an eye out over the next few weeks on my social media pages for our Humans of the Theme Nights series. The stories of some of the faces you see on stage, how they first got involved in the shows and what they get up to outside of the Theme Nights.

We’ll start this week with one of your favourites but will feature many more over the coming weeks.
Is there anyone whose story you’d like to hear?

What’s New?

1. TTN OPEN MIC: The first ever Teenage Theme Night Open Mic takes place this evening in the foyer of the Hawk’s Well Theatre. We hope to introduce a series of these events into next year’s TTN calendar. Hosted by James McManus and Sean Callaghan (AKA Bacon and Cabbage) - all are welcome to come along and join the fun. A small number of (extremely reasonably priced) tickets left here!

2. BEGINNINGS: A huge thank you to everyone who has sent in ideas for our Vicar St theme. I have been blown away by the number of you who got in touch with your thoughts. Last chance to do so today - just have a look at this doc first…

3. WAKE: THISISPOPBABY are a theatre and events production company whose latest show I had the pleasure of seeing in the National Stadium last Saturday. It was incredible and fantastic to see MOXIE’s Darren Roche in the thick of it all. Below pic courtesy of their Instagram page.

Finally…

The WAKE crew adapted this Leon Redbone song (also recorded by Peggy Lee) and it was one of the comedic highlights of the show…

Till next time - Kieran.

Beginnings...

Dear Reader –

Vicar St here we come - the fun starts today!

The Big Thing

“So what’s this Beginnings theme all about anyway?”

A question I have been asked once or twice (!) since we announced it…

All is explained today - and I’d love your help in picking the set too.

Read more here.

Where else but Sligo?

It was so good to see music back in the newly christened Méabh’s Square for St. Patrick’s Day.

There was a full programme of events this weekend - I got to see the Sligo Academy of Music Sinfionetta pair up with the Ceol na nÓg Traditional Orchestra for the world premiére of the North West Suite.

I loved everything about it - the music, the relaxed family-friendly atmosphere, the new angle of the stage and the sheer scale of the square, the fact that my son could fit through the security gate of a local institution in order to retrieve his football (!), and most of all - that Sligo has had the foresight to invest in its artistic, cultural and musical traditions.

This is a huge addition to the town - well done to all involved.

What’s New?

1. CLEAN THE DRESSING ROOMS: I was never the biggest fan of sports teams who felt the need to tell the world how amazing they were to clean their dressing rooms themselves after a game. But there was something impressive about seeing the Head of the Academy at Sligo Rovers (and former great) Conor O’Grady picking up the litter at the Showgrounds after the game on Saturday night. The 3 goals weren’t bad either!

2. THEME NIGHTS ON THE WEST END: Congrats to Theme Night regular Nichola MacEvilly, who stars in the West End production of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night. It opens this evening - and Nichola is keeping some serious company in this show!

3. THE LETTER TREE IN FULL BLOOM! As christened by you guys…it’s that time of year again!

Finally…

This is fantastic! The Chieftains and the RTE Symphony Orchestra in a clever, lively and sometimes hilarious face-off. Love that The Late Late Show encouraged this type of music.

Till next time - Kieran.

Murder on the Dancefloor...

Dear Reader –

Apparently it was mayhem at TedFest last weekend…read on to see which Sligo band were at the centre of it all…

The Big Thing

The big things at the moment aren’t that exciting, and so I’m not going to say much about them today.

But if these not-that-exciting things lead to what we hope they will, then that will be a big thing!

So let’s move on - I have some actual things to tell you about in the next section…

Where else but Sligo?

Specifically…two gigs featuring Sligo musicians at different ends of the province of Connacht last Friday night.

Firstly the Hawk’s Well Theatre celebrated International Women’s Day with a star-studded line-up for Ladies Night. Pauline McLynn hosted - and it was great to see lots of local groups represented, including our Theme Night Choir - just not quite sure how Dave, Liam and Robert (below) were allowed in!

At the same time on Inis Mór it was TedFest weekend - not sure how Pauline McLynn avoided this one (!) - but who headlined the festival on the Friday night only Sligo band The Pound St (Altar) Boys - who as you can see below dressed up for the occasion. The stories coming back from the weekend are brilliant - priests and nuns everywhere, no Fr. Ted detail too small to be included.
However drummer Micky Downs’ biggest takeaway had nothing to do with Fr. Ted - ‘how’, he asked, ‘in days gone by - did men row over and back to the mainland in a currach with cattle and sheep’?!

How indeed.

What’s New?

1. MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR: Counter-intuitively, Theme Night off-season means more time at the piano…

2. THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP: Watch it…

3. TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON: How clever is this video? And emotional. Making full use of modern technology…

Finally…

This was the finale from Friday’s Ladies Night which featured Sinéad Conway, Joy Feehily, Katelyn Ressler and the Theme Night Choir. This version merely features Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin…

Till next time - Kieran.

Both Sides Now...

Dear Reader –

Some insight into the crazy world of the musician’s brain today, some must-see shows over the next few weeks, and a tribute to a giant of a man.

The Big Thing

This week is workshop week!

Always a favourite of mine in the teaching term - it’s where I meet lots of our younger students in groups and try to show them a different side of music to what they get in their regular lessons.

Yesterday for example we spoke about the differences between clapping on beats 1 and 3 of the bar and doing so on beats 2 and 4. I showed them this Harry Connick Jr video where he tricks an unknowing audience to change from clapping on the 1 and 3 (musicians don’t like!) to the 2 and 4 (musicians like!).

Have a look - it’s short - and see if you can spot the drummer cheering when he pulls it off - trying to do this was the highlight of yesterday’s workshop.

Where else but Sligo?

One morning last September Joe Shannon told us a story.

It was a story from his teenage days about a prank his friends played on him. Young Joe had been secretly writing letters to a mystery female penpal for a number of weeks now, and this was the day he was finally going to get to meet her.

Little did he know that the letters had been part of an elaborate set-up and this gorgeous girl in a floral dress hadn’t a clue who he was when he walked up for his big moment. Torn between keeping a brave face and the heartbreak he was feeling inside, he walked away and never saw this beautiful lady again. 

Thankfully many years later Joe could see the bright side of this story and he had a great laugh telling it to myself and Georgie (and thousands of listeners) last September on Ocean FM.
It summed him up really - honest, positive and full of craic.

Soon after he told the story Joe sang Both Sides Now. The feeling and passion with which he sang it moved many people that day and I remember leaving the studio with that feeling of having experienced something real.

Sadly Joe passed away yesterday and is now looking at life from the other side - so on behalf of all in the Theme Nights thanks Joe for all you brought to our shows over the years. I’ll never forget the feeling in the room when you sang Rocking All Over The World and indeed many of us, in the Theme Nights and beyond, will never forget the feeling you gave us when we met you. 

Rest in Peace Joe.

What’s New?

1. HAWK’S WELL 1: I had a great Saturday night out last weekend at Shaun Purcell’s musical Esmeray. I love Shaun’s music - and Stardust sung by Éabha, Niamh, Aoife, Kieran and Ryan - was a real highlight.

2. HAWK’S WELL 2: Am hoping to get to see No Crows this coming Saturday too. What a band!

3. HAWK’S WELL 3: Can’t wait to see what Karen Gordon and her crew do with One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest! On at the end of this month…and still a small number of tickets here.

4. HAWK’S WELL 4: I won’t be seeing much of three of my friends for the next while - Sinéad, Luke and Niamh are part of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change - a musical comedy directed by new Hawk’s Well Theatre director Kieran Griffiths. Apparently they are going into full-time rehearsals for the next few weeks - I can’t wait to see what results that brings!

Finally…

Take a moment…

Till next time - Kieran.

Stuck for words...

Dear Reader –

I had a moment this morning on the phone to my mother where we both realised that it doesn’t get much better than this. What a few weeks we have just had. Playing great music with great musicians for great people. Working with young musicians to help them on their way. All the time surrounded by an amazing team and huge generosity of spirit.

And so today I’d like to say a heartfelt thankyou to you all for the part you play in making that happen.
Long may it last!

The Big Thing

I don’t really have too much to say today apart from that.

And a few words about last Friday - the Theme Night spaceship landed in Ballyshannon for the last show of the run. It was a lovely way to wrap it up. One of the Ballyshannon musicians wrote to me afterwards to thank me for a great night of friendship and music. And that sums it all up really.

Where else but Sligo?

OK one more thing (!) - I LOVED this. Niall was one of our visiting artists at the Sligo shows a few weeks ago and he is a class act..

Interestingly I nearly didn’t play on this recording with him. The piano track on the original Paul Brady version is so iconic and so embedded in my head that it was difficult to come with a piano track that wasn’t that.

With a bit of encouragement from Niall I found something however…and I’m so glad I did. A great experience. Massive thanks to Niall and to our Theme Nights crew for capturing it so well.

What’s New?

1. KENDY/RAYBO: I was at my first live show with the lads last Thursday - a great night out. Congrats to all, especially to Brendan Tierney for another hugely successful Sligo Comedy Festival. What this man is doing is nothing short of amazing.

2. 1-20: Not a bad score to put up! Big third win in a row for Sligo GAA on a lovely spring day in Markievicz Park last Sunday…great to see things continuing to move in the right direction.

3. A TIME FOR DOING AND A TIME FOR THINKING: It’s hard to do both. Am looking forward to switching gears for a while. I’ll keep you in the loop!

Finally…

Hard to pick one favourite from all the fantastic Sting and Paul Simon music we played over the last few weeks. This was so much fun to play each night though…great version too!

Till next time - Kieran.

17 new songs!

Dear Reader –

On the week when we heard 17 new songs written by our teenage crew, here are two young men performing a song about being 17. Written by a man called Sam and performed by two more Sams…here’s Seventeen Going under - the latest release on our Theme Nights YouTube channel.

The Big Thing

Two great Theme Nights Unplugged gigs last week - in Lillies on Wednesday and in Roscommon Arts Centre on Thursday. I just love these nights - they bring me such joy - playing great music with a wonderful crew of musicians - this time it was Aileen, Dave, Seamie and Sam (plus Bianca, Hayden, Saibhe and Alicia in Roscommon). It was such fun playing all that great Paul Simon and Sting music again.

Back to a big show this Friday though for the last gig of the Theme Night #33 run - in Ballyshannon with a huge crew of both Sligo and Donegal musicians involved - still some tickets here.

Where else but Sligo?

Last Friday saw my favourite night of the Teenage Theme Night calendar - the Young Songwriters’ Showcase.

17 original songs from our teenage crew - almost twice last year’s total - and huge variety throughout the night. In particular I enjoyed the initiative shown by each ensemble to not only compose but arrange and rehearse the pieces themselves. And bring in the gear. And emcee the show. And provide huge support to each other. This is something we try and foster through the programme and so it was great to see real life concrete examples of it.

There is a different energy in the room when original songs are involved. More honesty, vulnerability, openness and hence nerves. But the atmosphere was so supportive. A huge thanks to all who came along for filling the theatre and getting into the spirit of it.

There were of course highlights, and we will discuss these in the coming weeks as we choose which song we will record this year. A special word regarding Pro Murray and his band though. We recorded Pro’s White Foyer after last year’s event and it was lovely to see Pro back this year out of the love of playing his own music.

And what a song he showcased. Pro has grown so much over the past year as a songwriter and performer - and it was great to see him with a band who match his musicianship - Michael Clancy on guitar is a great player and a TTN regular (and told me recently that I was in school with his brother!). Pro’s own brother Sean was on bass and I had never met Morgan McNamee before but my he is a tasty drummer!

Pro and the lads will also feature on this Friday’s Ballyshannon Theme Night…

What’s New?

1. NIAMH FARRELL: Her Fields of Gold video from Theme Night #33 is getting huge feedback. Watch it here if you haven’t already.

2. THEME NIGHT #33 PICS: Some fantastic photos of the Sligo run taken by Kris Manulak. See them here…

3. SO FUNNY SLIGO COMEDY FESTIVAL: Started this Sunday - and the reports are already fantastic. One of the big events is this coming Friday in the Clayton Hotel - and all money raised is going to the Irish Lung Cancer Community.

Finally…

On the subject of comedy - here’s a classic song of the genre.

Till next time - Kieran.

One of the great Theme Night moments...

Dear Reader –

What a week! My thoughts on a wonderful few days are below in the Where Else But Sligo section, but we’re hoping to keep the magic going this week at the latest Theme Night Unplugged gigs with Aileen, Dave, Sam and Seamie. Upstairs in Lillies on Wed and in Roscommon Arts Centre on Thurs. Tickets here.

And we got this recording of one of the big moments from the shows…

The Big Thing

First though - usually on this day we would be announcing details of the next show. It’s a bit different this time of course - the details are already out there - but just a reminder that the next Theme Night is in Vicar St on Thursday May 16th 2024.

Have had a few queries about the theme - Beginnings - so without giving too much away all I’ll say is that it’s a great umbrella term under which we can perform many of the standout songs from the last few shows - as well as keeping things fresh with some new offerings.

It’s shaping up to be another famous Sligo night in Dublin…get your tickets here (but not for long)…

Where else but Sligo?

I could write forever on last week’s shows.

Firstly I got a huge kick out of our visiting artists. I’ll always remember the surprise and joy on Mike Hanrahan’s face when he heard our choir singing the start of Beautiful Affair, and Niall McCabe lifted the roof with Roxanne on Friday. They both immediately got what the Theme Nights were all about, and contributed on and off stage to a great week.

But our Sligo crew brought the magic too. Niamh Farrell, Joe Hunt, Emily Meades, David Keane exposing my dark side (!) and of course Niamh Crowley on the tin whistle. Our choir have never sounded so good and I thought Sam Regan on alto sax on Englishman in New York played beyond his years. The infamous Graceland provided some interesting talking points too!

But the moment without a doubt happened on Friday and Saturday night - when 18-yr old Anna Rose McLoughlin (pictured below) sang Bridge Over Troubled Water. I met Anna Rose a couple of years ago as part of our Teenage Theme Nights and knew immediately that she was special.

However as I said on stage, despite her clear talent I did think long and hard about giving the big finale number to someone so young. But she is tough too - nothing seems to faze her - and she delivered on both nights. I loved how she was gone off stage almost before the song was over - and when we coaxed her back on she got an even bigger reception.

It’s back to the Leaving Cert books for Anna Rose this week, but thanks for giving us all that moment!

What’s New?

1. THEME NIGHT #33 IN BALLYSHANNON: We have been working behind the scenes on this one too - and will be releasing the names of the 15+ local artists involved tomorrow on social media.

2. YOUNG SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE: Takes place this Friday 16th in The Model. 18 new and original songs written and performed by various members of our Teenage Theme Night crew. Plus graduate Leah Davidson.

3. OUR ACTIONS MATTER. ALL OF THEM. In the midst of the Theme Night madness last week I was stopped in my tracks with some sad news, and brought back to an earlier version of myself. Reminded that no matter what you do in life, the most important thing is how you treat others.

Finally…

It wasn’t quite this version that Anna Rose sang - but it’s so good - especially the piano playing…

Till next time - Kieran.

Some big questions to be answered...

Dear Reader –

So why Sting and Paul Simon anyway??

PS the shows are not quite sold out so you can get the last few tickets now…

The Big Thing

That’s the big question we are looking forward to answering for you all this week!
But there are some others too…

• There has been great feedback regarding the last few shows and the variety of performances in them. So can we maintain variety in this show while being limited to the music of two artists?

• What similarities are there between the two men? And what differences?

• What new performer is going to make their mark on the Theme Nights?

• How do Willy Wonka and Mo Salah fit in to the music of these two gentlemen?

• And how can we fit ALL the amazing songs they have written into one show?!

Finally, I really can’t wait to welcome Niall McCabe and Mike Hanrahan to Sligo and to share the Theme Nights stage with them.

Niall is from Clare Island and is just back from a series of USA, UK and Irish tours with the likes of Sharon Shannon, Mary Black and Ed Sheeran.
Mike hails from Co. Clare and still performs with Stockton’s Wing as well as currently writing, recording, and touring with Eleanor Shanley. Oh and he has played alongside Michael Jackson - must ask him about that one!

Where else but Sligo?

Sligo - we have your Valentine’s day sorted!

The latest in our Theme Nights unplugged series…love this line-up too!

Tickets (only a tenner) on sale Friday morning at 10 here.

What’s New?

1. BRIGID OF THE FLAME: New release from one of our Music Club members!
   Fantastic achievement and a powerful song from Helen Cantrell. Watch it here.
   Helen and over a dozen members of our Music Club will be joining us on stage this Wed and Thurs too…

2. TRACY CHAPMAN AND LUKE COMBS AT THE GRAMMYS: This version of Fast Car - great to see Tracy looking so happy too!

3. FIRST MORRISSEY, NOW IMELDA MAY: Our Teenage Theme Nights are catching the attention of some big-name artists. Last November Morrissey shared Keelan Murphy’s performance of his song Jack The Ripper. And then last week Imelda May shared Cara Carleton’s performance of Black Tears - loving Cara’s vocal and the horn section that accompanied her. Well done to all.

Finally…

One of this week’s visiting artists - Mike Hanrahan - with Stockton’s Wing singing Beautiful Affair.

Till next time - Kieran.