The Point of Everything

Maija Sofia released her second album True Love on September 1 via Tulle Records. I talked with her in Maureen's in Shandon as part of Cork Podcast Festival in August - it's a track by track of True Love, going through the songwriting process, inspirations, saints and influences that make up the record. You can get it at https://maijasofia.bandcamp.com/album/true-love Maija launches the album at W...

Galway-based singer/songwriter Brigid Mae Power released her fourth studio album Dream from the Deep Well on June 30. Here, she talks through the album track by track, as well as discussing her previous album Head Above the Water, released during the pandemic in 2020, the art of covering songs by the greats, and her album-making process. Brigid Mae Power Irish tour dates: October 5: Whelan's, Dubl...

Ahead of his appearance at Another Love Story 2023, Dublin photographer Rich Gilligan talks about his journey over the past two decades, how he found a calling and a career in the skate parks of Ireland and eventually further afield, how he got into portraiture and his way of working - he's shot the likes of Timothy Chalamet, Elizabeth Strout and Cillian Murphy, as well as Irish acts including Vil...

Ezra Williams fka Smoothboi Ezra released their debut album Supernumeraries in June 2023, a collection of introspective songs that hit hard. We talk through it track by track, whether they're a more confident person at the end of it. We also talk about moving to Cork for art college, playing Glastonbury, supporting Pillow Queens and lots more. Buy Supernumeraries on Bandcamp: https://ezrawilliams....

Krea aka Karen Cowley is one third of Wyvern Lingo, the Choice Prize-nominated group who are currently on hiatus. Krea has just released her debut EP, The Callows. Here, she talks about the band's hiatus and how her solo project started up, before we talk through the EP track by track. Cowley was awarded the prestigious Music Bursary by the Arts Council, as well as a residency at the renowned Cent...

One third of Wyvern Lingo, Caoi De Barra released her debut solo EP Thicket at the end of summer 2022 after the Choice-nominated band announced they were going on hiatus earlier in the year. Fresh off a European and UK tour playing drums with the Grammy-nominated Allison Russell, Caoimhe talks about her new single Treehouse and her second scooter tour of Ireland. Treehouse is about the housing cri...

Anna's Anchor aka Marty Ryan and friends release their fourth album The Merries on Strange Brew Records this Friday, July 7. On this episode of the podcast, Marty talks about moving from Limerick to the US for a PhD a couple of years ago, a scary accident that happened to him that led to the idea for The Merries - he suffered a head injury, with memory loss and long term issues an initial concern...

Sound artist Natalia Beylis released a brilliant collaboration with Cork cellist Eimear Reidy earlier this year, entitled She Came in Through the Window to Stand by the Door. Ahead of her appearance at MusicTown in Dublin on July 27, Natalia talks about sound recording in rural Leitrim, how her live show comes together, finding sounds around the house, and what's next. Natalia Beylis plays alongsi...

John Meagher recently compiled the Irish Independent's top 50 greatest Irish albums of all time list (https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/best-irish-albums-of-all-time-ranked-the-definitive-top-50/a387395613.html). He talks through how it was compiled - more than 50 judges, a weighted voting system - some themes that emerge from the list, such as a dearth of Choice Prize winners, three...

Dublin producer The Expert aka Cian Galvin was one half of Messiah J and the Expert and some 15 years on since they called it a day, is still releasing top-quality albums. In 2022 he released The Overview Effect with US rapper Jermicide and this Friday releases Ritual with another US rapper, Stik Figa. We talk about his journey from the late 90s, starting out with Creative Control, on through the...

Sir Bobby Jukebox is the solo project from Bobby Aherne (No Monster Club) who releases his second album In The Organ Loft at Midnight on Friday, June 9, via Popical Island. We go track by track through the record, talking about influences, living in Australia (and Dublin), and so much more. Bobby is also the creator of the brilliant RTÉ children's podcast Nero's Class, so we begin by talking about...

Kerry singer-songwriter Lorraine Nash talks about her debut album All That I Can be. We chat about her youth playing music and various instruments as her sound developed, the #WhyNotHer movement, which inspired the opening track on the album, 'SIng With Her', and we go through the record track by track, touching on slide guitar and influences along the way. Buy All That I Can Be: https://lorrainen...

Cork singer-songwriter Caoilian Sherlock releases his long-awaited debut solo album Teenage Jesus on May 26. We go through the nine songs tracks by track, how they were created and how they chart Caoilian's growth as an artist. We also talk about his other ventures, such as bands the Tan Jackets and Shaker Hymn, as well as working with the Good Room promotions in Cork and bringing back Quarter fes...

Stephen Shannon is gearing up to release his first album under his own name. It's called Fathoms and is out Friday, May 19, on 251 Records. But it's far from Shannon's debut release - he's made many albums over the year under guises such as Halfset, Strands, and Mount Alaska. And that's all on top of his work as a sound artist, composing scores for TV and film. We talk about all of that and his up...

The Bonk release their second album, Greater Than or Equal To, on Friday, May 12. Band leader Phil Christie joins to talk about making the record. Mainly comprised of tracks recorded at Big Skin in Cork City in 2017 and Ailfionn Studios in Drumcondra in late 2018, Christie teamed up with a slew of fellow musicians on this album, including Niamh Dalton on fiddle, Andrew Grant on clarinet, Ultran La...

Dublin-based band No Spill Blood, comprised of Matt Hedigan, Ruadhan O'Meara and Ror Conaty, have recently released their brilliant second album Eye of Night on Svart Records. Per the press release: An arsenal of analog synths and electronics alongside pounding low end strumming underpin a series of inward folding tales of a protaganist's journey within the self. An exploration of the cosmos withi...

Amelia Baker aka Cinder Well has just released her third album Cadence with Free Dirt Records. From California, Baker has come to call Co Clare home - her previous record No Summer was a love letter to her adopted home. A fiddle player, it was an encounter with Lankum a decade ago that gave her the impetus to come to Ireland - and Cormac Mac Diarmada from the trad band plays on a couple of tracks...

Chris Kabs is a rapper and producer from Dublin who's just released his debut EP Y NOT? He's worked with artists such as Tolü Makay, Hudis, and JyellowL, including on the latter's Choice Prize-nominated debut album 2020 Division, and with Coolio right up to about a month before his death in September 2022, which sounds like it hit him quite hard. He's signed with Roughbones, got a deal with PureSy...

Whenyoung are Aoife Power and Andrew Flood, and they've just released their second album Paragon Songs, via AntiFragile Music. Formerly UK based, I caught them in transit on the move back to the west of Ireland. We talk about hype and major labels, why they're moving home, finding their voice through music, supporting Nick Cave, and lots more. Aoife says: "Every step is a new time in your existenc...

Dublin-born, London-based artist Niall Jackson aka Swimmers Jackson releases his second album Now Is All via his own Wonky Karousel Records label this Friday, April 7. Made between March 2020 and March 2022, it's a journey of sorts through the pandemic. He released his debut album Murmuration in May 2020, but with no opportunity to tour, Jackson took to writing as many songs as possible to documen...

David Kitt releasees his ninth album Idiot Check via the label Re:Warm on March 31. Fresh from opening up for David Gray - as well as playing in his band and on his record - Kitt talks about spending time in Paris and Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, during Covid and how that led to Idiot Check as well as 2021's album of reworkings of his previous work, entitled 20. Then we talk through some of the track...

Dublin singer-songwriter Ailbhe Reddy has just released her second album Endless Affair, the followup to 2020's Personal History. She says: "Endless Affair is about a fear of letting go. Either of a party or a relationship. The start of the album is about wanting to hold onto youthful chaos and old romances. The end is an acceptance of how letting go is natural and grounding. I think it shows the...

We start off by looking back at last week's Choice Music Prize ceremony and hearing the winning speeches from Irish artist of the year Fontaines DC (Conor Curley), classic album recipient Sinead O'Connor, introduced by Dave Fanning, and Irish album of the year winner CMAT for If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, with a speech given by drag queen Lavender. 12.25: Sister Fenix are a new act comprising Senita...

Tilt's John Barker (https://twitter.com/JohnBarkerTilt) returns as we run the rule over the 10 nominees for the Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2022 and try to predict the winner. The actual victors will be revealed at a live show at Vicar Street on Thursday, March 9. Shortlist (and order of discussion on podcast): Anna Mieke - Theatre (Anna Mieke under license to Nettwerk Music Group)...

Ballydehob, West Cork-based duo Colyne Laverriere and Julie O’Sullivan released their debut album There's a Sea Between Us on Valentine's Day. They talk about how they started out, having worked together at Budd's in Ballydehob and crafting the songs in the acclaimed, beloved venue Levis's, recording in Canada with producer Daniel Ledwell(Mick Flannery, Ben Caplan, Jenn Grant), and then go through...