Last night we hosted the most recent instalment of The Leap Sessions. Well supported, it was another wonderful advertisement for both local and international, independent musicians.
Making her second appearance at tLS was the entrancing Elly D. Elly D launched her debut E.P. ‘Rise’ only last Monday, so we were extra delighted that this be her first appearance since her launch. Presently you can purchase the E.P. (€5!!!! c’mon folks) at Tower Records or contacting Elly directly. It will be available soon by download.
To this observer, Elly has a distinctly Pat Benatar quality about her voice (especially in ‘Stay’) and while this is not a review of her E.P. (which we’ve been listening to for the past 3 weeks!) ‘Rise’ is honestly a steal and should be purchased en masse. Skilfully engineered, beautiful melodies, fabulous dynamics and most importantly GREAT songs. Go buy it!
Myc Sharratt and Anatol McGinnis, all the way from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada stopped in for a warm up of their short Irish Tour and regaled our audience with an energetic and skilful performance. They debuted a 4 year old, Irish traditional ditty self penned on the night, it was that kind of evening! Great stuff!
Our very own Ross Breen tried out three new songs on the night. Specially now, anybody that was in attendance can say that they were there when Ross played these tunes for the first time. Ross captivated the audience as only he can with his performance.
The Leap Sessions audience was treated to a considered and soulful set by Rathcoole native Declan Carruthers. Declan has such a wonderful tone to his voice, his final song ‘Shots At Dawn’ – a tribute to a 1916 Revolutionary was poignant and had us all at the edge our seats.
Javier Carillo added to the international feel of this night. Hailing from Lima, Peru, Javier won the Leixlip locals with his warm smile, skilful guitar technique and his accent!! It really is such a joy to see guys (and gals), like Javier get up and bare their inner thoughts and skill for our entertainment. For me, this is quite inspiring.
All the way up from Wexford, I was personally quite excited to check out Shane Kenny in person for my first time and boy did he deliver! Again, speaking as a vocal teacher Shane has such a vibrant tone to his voice, a control that is a joy to listen to, and wasn’t afraid to let everybody in the room know! Shane will be launching his third album in a couple of months and I promise we will do our best to get him back ahead of the launch.
Our next Session takes place on Tuesday, 14th June. For info, contact theleapsessions@vma.ie
