Beautiful Day

Gemma Hayes, indie singer/songwriter, The Village on Thursday, the 6th of July

Gemma Hayes brings it all back home with a concert in The Village, showcasing songs from her new album, The Roads Don't Love You with support coming from Choice Music Prize nominee, Joe Chester.

Gemma Hayes rose up through the ranks of the Dublin music scene in the late '90s, introducing her well-crafted songs and engaging stage presence with spell-binding performances in The International Bar and Whelans.

Word got out and soon Hayes was being courted by a number of record companies and decided to sign to France's Source label. Critics sat up for Hayes' first release, the five track EP, 4.35am and musicians of the calibre of David Gray and Mark Eitzel asked her to tour with them.

Enlisting the talents of Mercury Rev's producer, Dave Fridmann, Hayes began recording live favourites like "I Let A Good Thing Go", "Work To A Calm" and "Lucky Haze" for her debut album, Night On My Side.

After receiving rave reviews and touring her album around the world, Hayes settled down to write her second album. But she found it very difficult and decided to decamp to the splendid isolation of Ventry in Kerry to cure her writer's block. Hayes gradually began to piece her new album together but then she had to find musicians and a recording set up, so she moved to LA.

In LA, Hayes tracked down guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, bassist Cedric LeMoyne, keyboard player, Roger Manning Jr. and drummer, Joey Waronker to help her record her new album. When she found out Waronker had co-produced one of her favourite albums Lisa Germano's Lullaby For L Liquid Pig Album, she asked him to take over production duties for The Roads Don't Love You.

Returning to the capitol with a new, brasher West Coast sound, this concert in The Village on the 6^th of July is an excellent opportunity to hear Hayes' new songs.

From Dublin Links

My Bloody Valentine man plays rare gig

Kevin Shields joins Gemma Hayes on stage
My Bloody Valentine main man Kevin Shields made a rare live appearance in London (February 9).

The reclusive musician joined Gemma Hayes during her gig at the Enterprise pub in Camden.

Introducing Shields during the encore Hayes explained: "There are two people I've always wanted to play with, Bob Dylan and Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine and he's here!"

Inviting Shields - who had watched the gig largely unnoticed by fans in the audience - to join her on guitar, Hayes added: "If we get this right he's going to come up here and play with us, I'm shaking in my boots."

Sheilds played guitar with Hayes on a new song 'Nowhere Man And Whisky Girl'.

The Irish singer-songwriter meanwhile played a full set drawing on songs from her debut album 'Night On My Side' and her recent record 'Roads Don't Love You'.

From NME.com

U2 scoop three Meteors

U2 stole the show at tonight’s Meteor Ireland Music Awards as the rock band swaggered away with three awards at their home town event.

The band, who have been topping the charts for over 20 years, successfully fended off newcomers to rake in the award for Best Irish Band, whilst their latest effort ’How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ took the Best Irish Album.

Before a packed out Point Theatre in Dublin, U2, who were represented by Adam Clayton, were also awarded the Best Live Performance for their sell-out Croke Park gigs which had left music lovers scrabbling for tickets.

Meteor Award nominations announced

The nominations for the 2006 Meteor Ireland Music Awards have been announced, with U2 nominated in three categories.

The quartet are nominated in the Best Irish Band and Best Irish Album categories, while their Croke Park gigs have made the Best Live Performance shortlist.

17 Meteor Ireland Music Awards will be presented in February, with public voting in six categories - Best Irish DJ, Best Irish Band, Best Irish Male, Best Irish Female, Best Irish Pop Act, Best Live Performance - and RTÉ 2fm listeners choosing who wins the Hope for 2006 award.

Joining U2 on the Best Irish Band shortlist are: BellX1, The Chalets, The Corrs, Hal and Turn.

Along with U2's 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb', Bell X1's 'Flock', Dave Couse and the Impossible's 'The World Should Know', Damien Dempsey's 'Shots', the Frank and Walters' 'Souvenirs' and Turn's 'Turn' are shortlisted for Best Irish Album.

Joe Chester, Dave Couse, Damien Dempsey, Tommy Fleming, Christy Moore and John Spillane are nominated for the Best Irish Male Award.

Mary Black, Gemma Hayes, Róisín Murphy, Sinéad O'Connor, Sharon Shannon and Claire Sproule make up the Best Irish Female award shortlist.

Coldplay's Marlay Park gig, The Flaming Lips at the Electric Picnic, Green Day at OXEGEN, Elton John at the RDS and Scissor Sisters at Lansdowne Road join U2 on the shortlist for Best Live Performance.

The Conway Sisters, Ronan Keating, Brian McFadden, Tabby, Westlife and Zoo are the nominees for Best Irish Pop Act.

8 Ball, Humanzi, Leya, Red Organ Serpent Sound, The Immediate and Delorentos are the nominees for Best New Irish Act.

Antony and the Johnsons' Mercury-winning 'I Am a Bird Now' is shortlisted for Best International Album, along with albums by The Arcade Fire ('Funeral'), Coldplay ('X&Y'), Depeche Mode ('Playing the Angel'), The Kaiser Chiefs ('Employment') and Mylo ('Destroy Rock and Roll').

The Best International Male award will be contested by Beck, Jamie Cullum, David Gray, Jack Johnson, Rufus Wainwright and Kayne West.

The six nominees for the Best International Female award are:
Tracy Chapman, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Katie Melua, Gwen Stefani and KT Tunstall.

The Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdinand, Gorillaz, Kaiser Chiefs, Pussycat Dolls and The White Stripes are nominated for the Best International Group award.

Altan, Kila, Lasairfhiona, Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon and John Spillane are the nominees for the Best Folk/Trad award.

Humanitarian, Lifetime Achievement and Industry awards will also be presented.

From RTE

Gemma Hayes Is "Happy Sad"

New single and album from Irish Mercury nominee!

"Happy Sad" will be available on November 14 on CD (featuring the B-side "Holy Places") and on 7” vinyl with the track"Bad Day".

The 27-year old Tipperary-born star released her first album "Night On My Side" in 2002. The songs met phenomenal critical acclaim and the album was nominated for a Mercury award.

After writing a whole new batch of songs, Gemma moved to Los Angeles last year to recruit musicians and a producer to record the tracks on ‘The Roads Don’t Love You’.

She met renowned drummer Joey Waronker, who offered her his production skills. Having assembling a band of musicians she admired greatly through their individual work with PJ Harvey, Beck and Remy Zero, work on ‘The Roads Don’t Love You’ begun.

'Happy Sad’ is unmistakably Gemma Hayes. The dazzling melody and the terrific voice is there and the remarkable ability to join the dots between the loud of My Bloody Valentine and the calm of Joni Mitchell.

From the-raft.com

Back on the write track, from Ireland to LA

THE second album is notoriously difficult. A musician or band have their whole life to come up with that scintillating debut and then suddenly they are expected to do it all over again.

Most artists talk down this syndrome, unwilling to look less than perfect to the media and the public, which makes Gemma Hayes' excited chatter refreshing. The 27-year-old Irish singer/songwriter has taken three years to come up with the follow-up to her Mercury-nominated debut, Night On My Side, but she is charmingly frank about the situation.

Gemma Hayes announces October gigs

Gemma Hayes announces October gigs

Gemma Hayes has announced a five-date Irish tour in October to celebrate the release of her new album 'The Roads Don't Love You'.

Hayes will play the Savoy Theatre, Cork on 17 October; Dolan's, Limerick on 18 October; The Village, Dublin on 19 October; The TF Royal in Castlebar on 22 October and The Limelight, Belfast on 23 October.

A single from the new album, 'Happy Sad', will be released on 7 October.

'The Roads Don't Love You' follows Hayes' 2002 Mercury Prize-nominated debut 'Night on My Side'.

Tickets for the Irish tour go on sale this Saturday, 10 September.

From RTE

Gemma Hayes Embraces L.A. For Second Album

Billboard carries an article by By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

  Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes is eyeing a fall release for her as-yet-untitled sophomore Astralwerks album. The artist relocated to Los Angeles to record the set, which was produced by Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and mixed by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney).

"I have to say I sulked like a kid in the back of the car when I had to leave L.A.," she writes on her official website. "I never thought I would say that but it turns out L.A. is a pretty amazing place."

Although the final track list has not been announced, the set will likely feature contributions from session guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Alanis Morissette keyboardist Zac Rae and violinist Lisa Germano. It was one of the last sessions to take place in Los Angeles' Cello Studio, where such storied albums as the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" were put to tape.

The new album will be the follow-up to 2002's "Night on My Side," which earned a nomination for the U.K.'s Mercury Music Prize.

Gemma Hayes second album is nearly ready

According to the Gemma Hayes official webiste , Gemma is currently mixing her second album in L.A with none other than super mixer/producer Nigel Godrich.

Beautiful Day will cover Let A Good Thing Go (2002), which is the second single from the well acclaimed Night on My Side album.