Hiya Darren! Thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Cheers!
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
Well, I’m a singer songwriter from Dublin. I’ve been doing it a long long time. I got into it to impress a girl when I was a teen. That didn’t work, but I realised I didn’t care because the music was more interesting to me anyway!
What’s the live music scene like in Dublin right now?
Really vibrant! Ireland in general is just overflowing with great music right now! Check out CMAT, for example, who just blew away Coachella! Every day, I’m not kidding, I hear about some new talent which is just off-the-charts!
Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Jesus, where do I start? Kate Dineen, The Lion Colhoun, there’s a really cool act from Donegal called Charles James and the Rise….
Do you think its easy to become a victim of of our surrounds sometimes?
I guess so… we are products of our environments. But once we realise that, we get to choose, to a degree, if we want to accept that or not.
What are your ambitions for your music?
It’s always been the same – get to play it live to as many folks as possible. I love the recording process, but music is a dynamic and living thing. It functions best when it’s a bridge directly between the one making it, and the one listening. And the listener is a vital part of that whole thing.
Whats your favourite social media platform to use and why?
For the longest time I was resistant to social media – understanding the necessity of it whilst not really embracing it. I’m still wary, but I can see that it is a way to reach folks you normally wouldn’t. I don’t really have one that I prefer – I use them as much as my brain can handle and that’s it!
We believe its essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
I have never gone near X. It was just one too many for me. My girlfriend compelled me to get on Tik Tok, which I did begrudgingly, but I’m getting used to it now. Facebook and Insta are my two mainstays, I suppose. And yeah, you can’t really get away from them these days. They are only a gateway, though. They’re the method to reach folks who you can then connect with in a fuller way through your music.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
Messy and hard, and full of talented folks. Most of them are great at music, terrible at business. I’d count myself a little amongst that cohort. It makes for a lot of heartache.
Whats your thoughts on AI generated music?
Meh. Music is a dynamic connection between creator and listener. Even if it’s a DJ working a playlist, there is intention there, responding to what they’re feeling from the crowd. Any entity that is bereft of that facility will never make something truly beautiful.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Plan shit.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
Songs our Daddy taught us by The Everly Brothers. And I keep finding myself humming the riff to Anderson Paak’s “Come Down”.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
One of my first ever gigs, years and years ago. We were playing in the student bar in University. There was a pretty decent crowd there, and we were half way through our set when the barman opened up the shutters to other half of the bar at the back of the room. Literally the whole crowd migrated to the back of the extended bar, as far away from us as they could get! It was all I could do to not beg them “No! Come back!” over the mic!
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
My new single is just out. It’s called “I ain’t gonna worry about it”. I wrote it as a reminder to myself to try and relax a bit more, sometimes!
What was the recording process like?
For this one, a breeze. Anthony Gibney, my producer, is both a gent and a genius. It’s a pretty simple arrangement, though. The only thing I had to do was make sure I didn’t screw up while I was playing it (though that was a bit tricky!)
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Not this one, no!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Going to be doing some gigs over in Denmark in the summer, so if you’re in that neck of the woods, keep an eye out for me!
FOLLOW HIM HERE
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