As we get ready to close out another year and wind things down as we head into the holiday period, we would like to thank you all for your continued support throughout the year. I know we say it every year but we still mean it; your support means the world to us.
Music can be a faithful friend in good times and bad, happy days as well as sad. A big hello to all of you who discovered Barry's music for the first time this year. We hope it will bring you lots and lots of listening pleasure.
A new video clip has been uploaded to YouTube. It's for Barry's most recent composition, "The Day They Lowered You Down". This song is part of the overall soundtrack for the "Souls of Utrecht" documentary that Barry composed together with Ralph Schraven. You can view the clip here
Barry's music was featured recently on an NPR radio program on KQBM. The tracks "Lonely Road" and "In The Dead Of Night" were featured. The host is James Fox.
Barry was interviewed by Louise Dunphy for her "Celtic Crossings" program on 93.9 & 101.5FM, The River. That show goes out at 7am on Sundays. Louise is also the promoter who booked Barry's acoustic tour in the US when he toured there with Danny Vlaspoel.
CD Baby has teamed up with Show.co, a company that makes elegant marketing tools used by the likes of Ignition Records to promote big acts such as Oasis.
We thought we'd give it a try. You can view what we put together for The Peace Within song here
Some very exciting news regarding Barry's "Troubadour" album. First, let's explain what JPF is and what this is all about.
JPF stands for Just Plain Folks, an organisation founded by Brian Whitney in 1999. "Just Plain Folks is a community of over 51,500 Songwriters, Recording Artists and Music Industry Professionals - and host to the world's largest independent music awards. Our organization was created to provide a network of cooperation and inclusion for musicians."
2017 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Nominations
"After 18 months of screening 17,400 albums and 240,000 songs, the judges have chosen nominees for both Albums and Songs in over 70 genres of music. The competition was very high and the talent levels were top notch and many worthy songs and albums still didn't make the cut."
You can find the nominees listed here
Barry's song "The Peace Within" (the Troubadour version) has been nominated in the "Traditional Folk Song" category and the Troubadour DVD has been nominated in the Video category.
At this moment, the awards show date is slated for 11th November but that can still change. The show will be (somewhere) in L.A. (USA).
Note: JPF's definition of Trad. Folk: This is a bit misleading for purists. These are original songs, done in a more traditional production style than New Folk. Most of the lyrical content tells stories or laments the human condition and circumstances we all face.
We came across this clip recently on YouTube. We have no idea who these guys are. Judging by their names perhaps they're from Spain. If anyone has any info about them, please let us know as we'll add it to this news item.
The two pieces of music they are covering are from "The Peace Within" album; the opening piece called "Burrenstone Sunrise" and the closing piece called "Nobody's Hero". Well done guys!
You may remember that Barry's music was used in the film "Dead Load", written by Greg Corcoran & Colin Corrigan, directed by Greg Corcoran and produced by Dave Leahy. It premiered at the Galway Film Festival and was broadcast on RTE shortly after that. It has since been screened at:
-Cleveland International Film Festival
-Foyle Film Festival
-Victoria Int Film Festival
-Dublin Int Film Festival
-Cannes Festival Market
The good news is, it is now available for viewing online. It's technically classified as a 'short film' (it's 12 minutes long). Well worth watching in our opinion. You can watch it on YouTube here or Vimeo here
It would be lovely if you could give it a thumbs up or write a comment underneath it after viewing it.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We hope you will be able to spend it in peace and love with your loved ones, family and friends. Thank you also for your continued support. It means the world to us.
Today - 21st September - is International Day of Peace. Unfortunately, too many words from "The Peace Within" song still ring true. Here they are again to remind you that peace starts on the inside.
Turned on my T.V., what d'ya reckon I saw
People all around the world gettin' fed up with the law
They fought in Borodino, they're fighting in Beirut
Some are dressed in battle clothes, some are dressed in suits
Some are long past asking "Does it have to be this way?"
And some they know but do not show, just let it slip away
Our capacity for evil never fears to raise it's head
And no one learns from history so lots of men are dead
Picked up the paper, it made the front page news
It's funny how the papers always seem to have the news
Mother and a daughter, father to his son
Fighting fights and mini wars, battles that can't be won
But who really is to blame, who causes all this pain
We all must hang our heads in guilt, we all must share the blame
Different churches, different rules, What really is a sin?
The only way for peace without is to find the peace within
Heard it on the radio, so it must be true
Everyone's so scared these days, has it occurred to you
Watch out for your wallet, your baby or your wife
The one who's scared the most of all is the one who takes a life
Hiding in some alleyway, a knife his only friend
Is it any wonder, people say it soon must end
What's right for you, what's right for him, what really is a sin?
The only way for peace without is to find the peace within
"Ireland's Own", Ireland's leading weekly family magazine since 1902, has published a short article written by Barry in their bumper summer edition, which is out now. You can order the magazine online by going here and it is also available at all leading news outlets.The 96-page summer special [issue no. 5554] is very reasonably priced at only €2.95.
In contrast to most Irish magazines, Ireland's Own is not Dublin-based but is edited in Wexford. Barry has written a little more about it on the blog page.
