Stranded in Paradise, doing what we do best!

What great night! Intimate venue, familiar faces, and positive feedback all round! We saw, most of the bands on the album take to the stage. We had performances from bands that haven't gigged in a long long time, and bands who have had there fair share of gigs, locally and beyond. Any nerves that may have existed, disappeared amongst the music played. Despite a few last minute changes in line up.... Substance, Dave Aspell (Appo), Go Funk Yourself, Athma, Band on an Island, Sedna, We Are Loosers, my own band She Speaks, and local legend Luca Bloom, provided 4 hours of entertainment for all who came to see. Talk about great value for money! I personally was very proud to be part of the night, which was to raise money for housing for the youth. But also, just to share such a modest stage with some of the most talented people around.

Every time I play a gig, I learn a little more about what works for us, and what doesn't! This time, I learned the importance of breathing! We squeezed four of our own songs into a 15 minute set, but by the time we reached the final one, 'Park Song' I was a little out of breath!!! Lesson learned. Luca Bloom said we had a lot of potential, and that I was a 'Star'! amongst other lovely things. It meant a lot to hear this from a professional who has been there, done that, and gave me hope for the future. Sometimes I feel invisible in the industry, in the shadow of all the other talented musicians that exist! But Luca says there's no way I could be invisible, he advised me to keep doing what I'm doing and said not to worry, all our hard work will pay off. It is also always lovely to hear my band receiving compliments, I heard numerous people talk about how talented they are, which made me so proud, and so lucky to have them, backing me up on stage. They certainly are my back bone.

The Culture Factory team deserve a lot of credit for what they managed to achieve, I'm very thankful for the opportunity to play this gig, and I wish them all the best in their future projects. Onwards and upwards!! 

http://culturefactory.ie

http://facebook.com/shespeaksmusic

Contact: shespeaksmusic@gmail.com

Culture Factory Album Launch 'Stranded in Paradise' (Aug 20th 2011)

"Culture Factory is a voluntary group of young people who are attempting to establish a creative and social centre, not only for ourselves but for future generations of young people of Newbridge."

So about a year ago, we were asked to put a song forward for consideration for the culture factory Cd. We were exited to be part of it! So off we went to yew wood recording studio, where Peter Lee took us into his capable hands, and helped us to embellish a song that had great potential (If I do say so myself). It was the first time I ever recorded one of my own songs, so the whole process was very exciting for me. It was a revealing experience, and one that I will never forget. Hearing my song, guitar, bass, drums, piano and backing vocals intact was just incredible. It seemed that 'Park Song' had come a long way from a 16-17 year old school girls bedroom. When I wrote it, I rang one of the girls and sung it down the phone to her, at the time, it was just some lyrics, a melody and a few badly played piano chords bashed down on my Yamaha! So it was a proud moment all round, to hear the finished version of the recording.

The song is about having the craic with friends down the park, in this case the park in Newbridge, the spur of the minute gigs, the dancing, the singing, the smiling and laughing, the 'Memories of the summer days' and all that. Its just a fun, sing along song that everyone can relate to. So it was the perfect choice for this Cd, seeing as though it is all about the locals, the youth in this case. So long story short...the song was chosen, to our delight! A year on and we finally have the Cd in our hands. I am so proud to be on this Cd, to represent local talent. The Culture Factory have done a great job putting this together. The Cd looks very professional, from front to back. The image on the cover was a photo that was taken by Niamh Mahon, a very talented 17 year old student from the Holy Family Secondary School, where I also studied, (back in the day). She won the Culture Factory Photo Competition last year. The photos on the inside, are from various events run by the culture factory locally. All reminiscent of the good times within the local community. And finally, the other artists that contributed to the album, all local. Including two great tracks Bridge of Sorrow by Luca Bloom, and Strike Weapon by Christy Moore.

A lot of time and effort has been put into this Cd, and the launch, which is to take place on August 20th, 8pm in Sarsfields Gaa, Newbridge. The Culture Factory is all about supporting each other. It cant succeed without your help. Tickets for this event are €10, or €15 with Cd included. You will have the pleasure of hearing most of the artists on the Cd perform live including a performance from special guest Luca Bloom, and of course my own band, She Speaks! Im very excited, and very proud of this Cd so please do come and support, its a great great cause. For more info on the culture factory and the artists involved, AND if you'd like to check out my band, see links below.

http://facebook.com/shespeaksmusic
http://culturefactory.ie