Interview with Pauric O'Meara

Interview with Pauric O'Meara

Let's just say if The Voice of Ireland was judged on first auditions, I would already have my winner. Pauric O'Meara's simply breathtaking performance of 'Maniac 2000' blew the nation away, including myself.

I recently chatted to the up and coming Tipperary native about that audition and what he hopes to gain from the show!

Firstly though, I'm always curious when I interview artists who part-take in music competitions as to how they went about auditioning - Pauric's family were a clear influence!

"For the last few years my parents and my sister have been urging me to go for it, so this year my sister didn't give me an option. I wasn't hesitant because I've been gigging for the last few years and saw this as a great platform to build myself as a musician."

"To be honest, I only remembered how the audition really went when it was on TV because I was in a genuine state of shock while I was on stage. Words can't describe how I felt after each chair turned. I walked on stage knowing no matter what the outcome would be I would be proud of myself for getting to this stage, and I knew I'd give it my best. I'm not one to suffer with nerves, but when the chairs started turning I got a bit nervous because they were all looking at me perform!"

If you haven't already seen the performance, trust me, you are missing out, so I would advise you to check it out here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoDfPv94bIc. After his audition, with all four judges (Kian Egan, Una Foden, Rachel Stevens and Niall Breslin) turned, Pauric opted to go for Bressie.

"I chose Bressie because of his abilities as a musician and his song writing skills. My long term goal is to be a successful singer/songwriter, and most importantly to be my own artist and have my own style, and I think it's fair to say Bressie will help me strive towards this dream and make it a reality"

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the internet literally 'blew up' here in Ireland after Pauric's audition was aired on RTE last Sunday week. People were quick to take to social media in order to share the video with their friends and praise his outstanding performance.

"If you ask anyone who knows me, it's hard to shut me up, but the reaction and support I received left me speechless. I had a feeling I was going to get some sort of a reaction because of the song choice, but I had no idea it was going to be extreme as it has been. The last week has been one of the best of my life so far and I'd like to thank everyone who has made it like this. From YouTube views to Facebook shares, words can't describe how much it means."

Next up on The Voice is the 'Battles' and Pauric hopes that he will receive the same level of support from the general public but admits that he is remaining grounded and living in the moment.

"Next up is the Battles. I'm not really one to look past what's laying in front of me, so I'm taking each day as it comes and enjoying it to the last, I've wanted this for a long time and I'm not going to let it pass by me easily. If I get through the battles, the live shows will begin then where I'll hopefully be looking to everyone to support me with votes, but we'll deal with that when it comes to it! I'm loving the experience so far and just hope it keeps on getting better and better for me. I'm excited for people to hear more from me, some people have been saying that I'm a one trick pony and the song choice is what saved me, but all they have to do is stay tuned to the show and they won't be disappointed."

He certainly comes across as a charismatic and determined artist but this is what he feels he can bring to the competition.

"A personality and ambition that few people have. I'm the type of person who stays grounded at all times and doesn't over think situations, I'd like to think I'm a calm person who helps keep the mood positive. As for my ambition and long-term goal for this show, I don't want to be a carbon copy of another artist that already exists. I want to be known for the type of artist and musician that I am. I'm a risk taker and will work hard to ensure that my risks pay off."

I know who my money is on already.

EOIN!

Interview with Scoops

Interview with Scoops

With their eagerly anticipated debut EP 'Scenes of Joy' set to be launched in less than two weeks, trust me when I say that big things are waiting around the corner for this band.

I recently caught up with one half of Scoops (Stephen Cooper and Stephen O'Rourke,) to talk about how the band got together, what they have planned for the future and of course, what fans can expect from the EP.

Cooper: "I started off firstly as a solo artist. I just finished college, started doing my own thing, writing my own songs and trying to get my sound right. I then got a couple of support slots with the likes of Walking on Cars and acts like that. Then Stephen [O'Rourke] joined me not too long after I started getting heavily into the original stuff and Steve has been with me for the last two years?"

O'Rourke: "Yeah, almost two years now. We actually met in San Diego of all places and I really liked Stephen's original stuff. We continued to work hard and then in the last while, the other two lads have come on board and we created the full band."

I always find it interesting when a band is formed after one of the members has kind of set the ball rolling as a solo artist. So I put the question do the guys; for Cooper, did he find it difficult adapting to other people coming on board and for O'Rourke, was it weird becoming a part of it.

Cooper: "To be honest, when I wrote the songs, I always imagined them being filled out and different instruments by different people being added like an extra guitar or drums and stuff. So it was relatively easy to adapt to it. It just felt natural."

O'Rourke: "I had played in different cover bands and stuff before I met Stephen in San Diego but from that moment I really loved what he was doing and for me, it was really easy to join a band when you love the music. And as well as that, I felt as though I could bring a lot to the band."

As I mentioned in my intro, the band are set to launch their EP 'Scenes of Joy' to a SOLD OUT Whelan's, Dublin on January 21st. And the guys are understandably extremely excited.

Cooper: "We finished recording 'Scenes of Joy' at the end of August, then of course it was all mixed and mastered and went live online on the 2nd of November. Really, it was a pretty long process. From the recording of the first song to now obviously the release, it took quite a while but we really can't wait for January 21st to come around."

O'Rourke: "Yeah I think the process was so long because we had to change songs from a solo song to a two piece song and then into a song that the whole band could perform so there was a couple of months in the studio getting our sound right and getting the songs structured the way we wanted them and we are thrilled with the end product!"

I was chatting to the guys after they supported Keywest in the Grand Social back in December, a performance that would have been worthy of their own headline show. But the lads were very grateful to Keywest for giving them the opportunity.

O'Rourke: Yeah when we heard that Keywest were looking for support on their tour, we got in contact with them and showed them our stuff and thankfully they really liked it! We have gotten on really well over the past while and they have been nothing but good to us and we have really enjoyed getting our music out there, not only here in Ireland but also over in the UK too!"

And people have obviously been impressed by what they have heard from Scoops because the EP Launch is sold out and the guys promise that it will be a night to remember!

Cooper: "Doors will open around 8pm and we will have a support act on around 8:30pm and then we will hit the stage about 9:30, and fingers crossed the place will be hoppin'"

O'Rourke: Yeah we have a few surprises lined up too. I mean, it's not just going to be your average gig. It will be exciting and fun. It's not just a gig, it's a launch night, a debut launch night and we want to really make it memorable for ourselves and the people who come along"

I hope to make it to Whelan's for the launch of the EP! But if you won't be there, I have a copy of the EP to give away, All you have to do is send me a message on Twitter with a screenshot of this blog to be in with a chance to win!

You can keep up to date with all Scoops' activity in the following ways:

Facebook: Scoops Music
Twitter: @scoopsmusic
Website: www.scoopsmusic.com
YouTube: Scoops1989

EOIN!

One To Watch: Picture This

One To Watch: Picture This

Have the pen and notepad at the ready to take down the name of these guys, because trust me, 2016 is going to be a massive year for Picture This.

Comprised of Jimmy Rainsford and Ryan Hennessy, both from Athy in County Kildare, their unique sound is incredible and blew me away upon first listen.

And it's clear that I'm not the only fan of their music! Their debut track 'Take My Hand' has clocked up over 260,000 (and counting!) views on Facebook and almost 50,000 views on YouTube since October. 

They also came up with an outstanding Christmas song entitled 'This Christmas' which received a phenomenal amount of airplay across the radio stations here in Ireland, with an exceptional response from the public. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtXL4qUW4bA

Their page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BandPictureThis/?fref=ts is close to 5,000 likes and is rising rapidly each day, with fans commenting and posting on the page about how excited they are for the guys to release more material in the near future. 

Personally speaking, I believe there is a huge niche in the music industry for the style that Picture This have. Not only are the lyrics exquisite but the contrast in Jimmy and Ryan's voices, especially in the harmonies is nothing short of brilliant - it's no wonder they have almost 1,000 subscribers on YouTube!

This year promises to be one hell of a year for these guys so as they say, watch this space!

EOIN!