July 2008
Time Out New York reviewed Fionn O Lochlainn's debut 'Spawn of the Beast' in the July 22nd edition of the journal. Thanks and major kudos to Time Out for their review;
'We’ve heard few recent debuts as bold and provocative as Fionn Ó Lochlainn’s Spawn of the Beast. Not only does he demonstrate a knack for observant songwriting, but he’s an impressive guitarist and musters a vocal range that stretches from dry witticisms to power-crooning worthy of Jeff Buckley. The biggest surprises come in a drone-based cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” (complete with rustic uilleann pipes) and two transformed Frank Zappa tunes, “I Am the Slime” and “Dumb All Over.” Elsewhere, Ó Lochlainn cuts to the bone with the stark “Blues for America.”'(Time Out NYC)
We are delighted to announce that Fionn O Lochlainn has been invited to perform at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on August 6th at 8pm. Kudos to Hotel Cafe for the invitation. Check back soon for details on the show. For details on the venue please visit hotelcafe.com. This is O Lochlainn's first performance in California.
Fionn O Lochlainn at Joe's Pub July 26 2008
The show at Joe's Pub in New York City was a great success. The room was filled to capacity and the show was received with overwhelming applause. New material from the forthcoming ‘A vs B’ EP, such as ‘A Secret Code’ and ‘Imaginary Song’ was showcased. The show also featured the wonderful aesthetic of visual artist Chris Roth’s work. Thanks to the people at Joe's Pub for their warm support and atmospheric venue.
Special thanks to Ivan Goff (pipes), Dana Lyn (v), Alan Grubner (v), Cindy Blackman(dms), George Mitchell (b), Jennifer DeVore (c), Egil Rostard (c), Chris Roth (visual artist)
Photos below by Siobhan Mullen, Colm Gray and Kristin Viens:
Fionn O Lochlainn will be releasing his E.P. 'A vs B' in September 08 on iTunes and other major online stores. A limited edition of the E.P. will also be available on 12" vinyl in November 08. The E.P. features some of the great players from O Lochlainn's debut along with some new collaboration that we are delighted about. Songs from the EP will be posted periodically on the official Fionn O Lochlainn Myspace.
June 2008
Other than writing and sporadic performances around New York City, Fionn O Lochlainn has been in the studio recording and is close to the completion of his forthcoming 'A vs B' EP. The EP should be available on iTunes in August / Sept. Fionn will be performing the new material at Joe's Pub on July 26. Sign up for the mailing list to be informed of the impending details.
Tickets are now available for Fionn O Lochlainn's show at Joe's Pub in New York City on July 26th at 9pm. Fionn will be performing with some of his favorite New York musicians and the show will feature the visual art of Chris Roth. Click here to order advance tickets online or call the box office at 212 967 7555.
Fionn was also invited to perform with one of New York's finest Irish traditional fiddlers, Tony Demarco, on his CD launch, along side superlative uilleann piper Ivan Goff and intricate percussionist Anna Colliton. The performance was held at Ireland House in New York City. The evening was presented by Blarney Star (a brilliant monthly event featuring some of the worlds finest traditional Irish players click here to find out more).
Fionn also played at Tony's informal release party at one of Demarco's long standing traditional session bars, Paddy Reilly's in New York; where many great musicians such as Jerry O'Sullivan, Joanie Madden and Pio Ryan among others, all lent their hands to a wonderful night, in celebration of Tony's most substantial contribution to the New York Irish traditional scene over the years. Tony Demarco has just released his long awaited debut CD entitled 'The Sligo Indians'. Fionn appears on Demarco's record as an instrumentalist along side many other guest musicians including Kevin Burke, Natalie Haas, Ivan Goff, and Seamie O'Dowd – to mention a few.
May 2008
Fionn O Lochlainn will be performing a free show at The Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on May 24th at 9pm. Fionn will be performing new material, while taking advantage of the relaxed intimate setting to stretch out a little with virtuoso accompanist and soloist Alan Grubner.
196 Allen Street
New York City 10002
212.477.4155
between E. Houston and Stanton
take the f and v subway to 2nd ave
Tickets are now available for Fionn O Lochlainn's show at Joe's Pub in New York City on July 26th at 9pm. Fionn will be performing with some of his favorite New York musicians and the show will feature the visual art of Chris Roth. Click here to order advance tickets online or call the box office at 212 967 7555.
April 2008
Fionn O Lochlainn was asked to perform two shows for the 12th annual Rosehill Review in Mukilteo, Washington. Fionn performed to a packed house and a highly appreciative audience. He was also highlighted in three Washington publications, including the Washington Herald, who hailed him as a “creative genius.”
March 2008
Fionn O Lochlainn performed at the SXSW music industry festival in Austin, Texas, on March 12 at the beautiful and ambient St. David's Church. Fionn played with violinst Alan Grubner as a duet, experimenting with new songs such as 'A Secret Code,' 'Perilous Road," and also included Irish traditional compositions such as 'The Humors of Ballyloughlin' with extended instrumental pieces. The show was recorded and will be streamed on Fionn's player soon. British publisher Paul Kramer reviewed the show hailing Fionn as....
"Truly brilliant" ~ Paul Kramer
Given the independent nature of Fionn's music, we send thanks and kudos to SXSW for the invitation to play!
Fionn O Lochlainn was featured on the Mike Hagan Radio Orbit Show KOPN fm. Mike was the first DJ to broadcast 'Spawn of the Beast' outside of New York. Mike Hagan's show is a fantastic show that explores the esoteric aspects of life. Fionn gave a small interview within the Dr. Gordon Pedersen episode about Silver Solution. Mike Hagan played many cuts from the record and described Fionn as;
"One of my favorite new artists" ~ Mike Hagan
p.s. " I first heard of Mike Hagan when he interviewed Michael Tsarion. I loved the interview; Michael is a great mind of our time. I am delighted that Mike was the first Dj to air the new record" ~ fo
Fionn O Lochlainn has been asked to play SXSW Festival on March 12th at 11.30pm in Austin TX. The venue is St. David's Church. Please check the tour page for details.
"'Spawn of the Beast' is an album for our times and for the people who can still feel and think for themselves. It is an album that can touch your heart because it is written from the same depth in which it reaches. With beautiful arrangements and instrumentation, "Spawn of the Beast" is a soulfully written and performed gift of music to the world".
January 2008
Fionn O Lochlainn started the year in the studio, recording for the next release, which is scheduled for June / July 2008. Fionn was also invited to perform around the city at a number of songwriters ‘salons’ and traditional sessions. One event was called the Writers Hang in Hoboken, hosted by a songwriter called Scott Moore. The night was reviewed by Stephen Bailey who referred to Fionn’s music as “ethereal magic”.
December 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn will be featured on XM Satelite Radio on Thursday 12/27/07
Fionn Ó Lochlainn will be featured on Radio Orbit for the Mike Hagan show tonight (Tuesday December 10th) between 12am and 2am. You can tune in at http://www.kopn.org or listen retrospectively at www.radiorbit.com
November 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn released the ‘official’ extended edition of his debut ‘Spawn of the Beast’ to a sold out Joe’s Pub in New York City. The show featured an all star line up of musicians; Natalie Haas on cello, Brittany Haas on five string fiddle, Cindy Blackman on Drums, Orlando Le Flemming on upright bass, Alan Grubner on violin and Ivan Goff on uilleann pipes. Special guest singers from Reverend Billy’s Stop Shopping Choir added a gospel element to ‘Green of the Grass’, ‘Ode to FZ’, ‘Blues for America’ & ‘Here Today’. The show also featured the outstanding visual art of Chris Roth. It was a exceptional night to be remembered by all who attended. The performance was received with overwhelming applause throughout and was met with a standing ovation. We would like to thank the great staff at Joe’s Pub for looking after us in every way. We would also like to thank all the good people that came out in support and made the night special.
The re-mastered, extended edition of the record includes new recordings, mixes and art work. We would like to acknowledge the beautiful work of illustrators Oksana Badrak and Chris Roth on the cover art. The re-mastered fifteen song edition is only available on CD at this time and will replace the pre-release limited edition on iTunes and other major online stores by the end of 2007. Click here to purchase the CD
October 2007
Tickets are now on sale for the re-mastered 'Spawn of the Beast' CD release party! With an all star line up of musicians and very special guests scheduled, the night looks like it will be a memorable one. The incredible work of visual artist Chris Roth will also be featured. The party will be held at the atmospheric and great sounding venue, Joe's Pub in New York City on Saturday November 17th. The band will hit the stage at 11pm. Click here to purchase advance tickets at the Public Theater's online box office or call 212 967 7555 to secure tickets by phone.
The re-mastered ‘official’ edition of ‘Spawn of the Beast’ will include new cuts, new mixes and new beautiful artwork designed by the highly acclaimed designer Oksana Badrak, who has also designed the first ‘Spawn of the Beast’ T Shirts. Both CD’s and T’s should be available at the show.
September 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn played a week with The Cindy Blackman Group in New York City at the particularly scenic venue, Dizzy’s at the Lincoln Center. The group was a quintet for these dates featuring George Mitchell (bass), JD Allen (tenor saxophone), Carlton Holmes (electric & acoustic piano) led by the blazing energy of Miss Cindy Blackman on drums. Fionn is featured as an instrumentalist in this ensemble, playing electric guitar. The band played two sets a night with three sets on Friday and Saturday. The music mainly consisted of Cindy’s original material with sporadic tributes to the great Tony Williams (mainly from his ‘Lifetime’ era). The week was packed with dynamic and creative music that could be loosely described as Jimmy Page meets Bitches Brew era Miles Davis, meets New York City 2007. Fionn is next scheduled to play in Istanbul with Cindy mid November.
August 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn’s August show at Joe's Pub featured the Alan Grubner (violin), Cindy Blackman (drums), Orlando Le Flemming (Bass) and Mazz Swift (violin and voice). The show also featured the fantastic Ivan Goff (Uilleann Pipes / Irish pipes), who performed Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' with Fionn as a traditional sean-nós air. Fionn and Ivan adapted the famous melody to a traditional setting as if the song was written hundreds of years ago. It was an emotive Irish / Anglo-Irish statement, a message of peace. Stating in no uncertain terms that many (if not most) Irish people / descendants are not represented by the nefarious likes of Bill O'Reilly; who seems to be the only 'figurehead' in the US mainstream media who constantly refers to himself as 'Irish'—despite the fact he represents the same ideology that has oppressed the Irish people for the last eight-hundred years. The song 'A Versus B' was also performed for the first time after being written the day before. Other highlights were Fionn's lament to the vanishing human rights in the US 'Blues for AmericA'. The crowd reaction to the show was overwhelming and Fionn will be playing at Joe’s Pub November 17 at 11pm to celebrate the official CD release of ‘Spawn of the Beast’ (check the tour page for details).
Rest in Peace Aaron Russo - (1943-2007) - Read Fionn's weblog on Aaron Russo here.
Fionn Ó Lochlainn was invited to accompany Cindy Blackman on her first mini tour of Brazil. The trio played three shows in Rio, Buzios and Sao Paulo and were very well received. Footage from the show in Sao Paulo aired on Brazilian national television and the tour was a huge success. Fionn appears as an instrumentalist on electric guitar in this ensemble along with George Mitchell on bass. The Cindy Blackman Group will be playing in New York City at the Lincoln Center from September 4th – 9th. Check Cindy’s site for more details.
July 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn has been invited back to Joe's Pub in New York City on August 22nd, sharing the bill with songwriter John Francis from Philadelphia. John will be performing at 7pm and Fionn will be performing at 7.50pm. Purchase advance tickets at the Public Theater box office 212 967 7555 or click here to get to the online box office.
June 2007
Fionn was honored to play with The Cindy Blackman Group last week at the famous Blue Note jazz club in New York. Cindy Blackman is an inspirational drummer who plays jazz with explosive energy. Heavily influenced by Tony Williams Lifetime and Miles Davis, Cindy has her own gift for blending authentic rock and soul with hard bop and experimental styles of jazz. Note, Fionn plays as an instrumentalist on electric guitar in this band. The band is scheduled to play at Dizzy’s at the Lincoln Center in New York September 4th - 9th. Don’t miss a chance to see this woman play, she’s a rare talent!
Fionn Ó Lochlainn returned to Joe’s Pub in New York city with an amazing line up of phenomenal musicians and a flowing set, presenting new material and re-workings of songs from ‘Spawn of the Beast’. Fionn’s solo piece ‘Blues for America’ was prefaced with a declaration of his love for America as well as its people; which was apropos, as its delicate and beautiful delivery was contrasted with strong subject matter, including Guantánamo Bay and The Federal Reserve. He also sighted the people of cities like Arcata (CA) and Eugene (OR) standing up against the ‘Patriot’ Act as being a manifestation of the true spirit of freedom and acknowledged the US constitution as something to be cherished and protected. Other new songs were the soulful ‘Until We Work it Out’ as well as an original arrangement of Frank Zappa’s ‘Dumb All Over’. The show featured the incredible work of visual artist Chris Roth, bringing an exciting new aesthetic and was met with roaring acclamation from the audience. A large thank you to Mazz Swift (check out her Brazztree show at Joe's on July 10th), Alan Grubner, Orlando Le Flemming, Donie Ryan, Isaac Alderson and Chris Higginbottom for their great playing as well as a big thanks to Joe’s Pub for their atmospheric room and brilliant staff.
May 2007
The pre-release edition of 'Spawn of the Beast' is now available on iTunes! Click here to purchase the album and post review:
April 2007
Fionn Ó Lochlainn played SXSW (South by South West Festival) in Austin TX. Fionn was joined by a very beautiful and talented line up of musicians. His set was short but powerful. Winning the unfamiliar industrial audience over, bringing the venue to total silence throughout his a’cappella of Black Sabbath’s 'War Pigs'. The show was a great success. We would like to thank the SXSW organization for the invite to play the festival and the extraordinary musicians who traveled to Texas to play the show with Fionn.
Due to a technical failure on the part of Myspace..we have been locked out of the Fionn O Lochlainn Myspace profile since Nov 22nd and 'My'space have not yet responded to our numerous tech support emails about it. So if you are waiting to be added, the reason that we haven't added you yet is that we can't log in, but do not fret, because, as of last week, we have now created a new official Fionn O Lochlainn Myspace site that you can visit by clicking here!
March 2007
'A Message of Peace' Event with Howard Zinn, Michael Lally & Moises Saman
Fionn recently performed in New York at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, for an event hosted by the non-profit, non-political organization Emergency USA (Life Support for Civilian Victims of War). The event was titled ‘A Message of Peace’ feauturing legendary historian, activist and author of best seller ‘A Peoples History of the United States’ Howard Zinn.
Fionn opened the event with a strong performance of War Pigs, setting the mood for a slide show of photojournalist Moises Saman’s extraordinary work. Followed by the poetry of Michael Lally, whose social, environmental and political observations, were relentless and left no prisoners.
Howard Zinn delivered a powerful speech expressing revolutionary concepts including the feasibility of an absolute abolition of war. He re-visited historical presentations of past ‘failures’ and ‘successes’ in humanitarian and political action, while nurturing the optimism for change. He questioned blind allegiance to those who make wars and and who set about conditioning the populous to fight them.
Jeff Freeman(Emergency USA) also gave a heartfelt speech about the truly admirable work of Emergency USA and the cry for humanity from the many surgeons and medical staff, treating innocent victims of needless war (a third of which are children). He closed the evening with the quote:
"War cannot be humanized, only abolished"
~ Albert Einstein
A movie of this event (including footage of Fionn’s performance) is due to be posted up online. We will link to it as and when it is up so check back soon.
Fionn Ó Lochlainn's traditional music endeavor 'Bunch of Green Rushes' was featured in the March 07 Irish Music Magazine.
February 2007
Fionn O Lochlainn has been invited to perform and participate in panel discussion with progressive Historian Howard Zinn at Cooper Union on February 20th.
The event will be hosted by the non-profit and nonpolitical humanitarian organization Emergency USA, established to provide care to civilian victims of war.
Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States" and " You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times" will speak on the subject of 'just' war and take part in a panel discussion with Fionn O Lochlainn immediately following the main event.
The Great Hall of Cooper Union 7 East 7th Street at 3rd Avenue ~ 212-353-4100
Fionn will perform at 6.30pm to open the event.
Download Howard Zinn's press release for the event here
Spawn of the Beast' - O Lochlainn's debut album - will be released to online shops during Fionn's showcase at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, TX, in March.
Ending a pleasantly multifaceted run at the Rockwood Music Hall, Fionn took to the stage
last night on one of the most blisteringly cold evenings of the season. The house was
packed, the stage was packed, and a tropical warmth descended on the crowd as
Fionn opened with Green of the Grass.
Accompanying him on stage were unmistakably some of the finest talents imaginable.
The finessed & fearless strings of Caitln Warblow and Alan Grubner - who delightfully played off of each other all evening, the formidable tenor banjo of Darren Moloney, the funky bass pounded out by the always entertaining and George Mitchell, and the inimitable rhythmic grooves of the stunning Cindy Blackman on drums.
Highlights of the show were the upbeat Racing Against the Time, the momentously Bach-esque Mandola & violin duet on Nature's Solution, and the awe-inspiring Zone which was sung and played as if it were the end of the world and this was our chance to rock it together.
Thanks to the Rockwood Music Hall for hosting a wonderful series, and thanks to all who shared in the experience.
~ s-e
January 2007
Beginning his January residency (every Thursday at 10PM) at the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, Fionn kicked off the New Year debuting songs from Spawn of the Beast. The first of the shows on January 4th was a rare solo performance containing new material including 'I Won't be Waiting', a song co-written by Fionn & the legendary UK singer / songwriter Andy Caine. Special guest Darren Maloney: www.darrenmaloney.com, gave the second show a traditional undercurrent, weaving his imaginative style of tenor banjo through the songs.
Here is a downloadable mp3 from last weeks show:
‘You’ll be Here’ / ‘Soldier Blues’ (Live at the Rockwood Music Hall, NYC) (Kudos to Martin Guitars for the custom OM guitar used on this recording.)
Fionn has two more shows at the Rockwood; Special guests will be performing for the remainder of the month. Each event promises to be a unique experience.
We have officially been informed that the digital album release date of 'Spawn of the Beast' will be now be in early March, corresponding with the SXSW showcase in Austin, TX and prospective tour dates on the west coast. However CD’s can be purchased at Fionn’s remaining shows at the Rockwood as well as pre-ordered via this web site (Just click on the ‘music’ tab)
December 2006
The launch party for the release of ‘Spawn of the Beast’ took place on December 13th, at Joe’s Pub, New York City. It was a monumental night! The house was packed with an attentive and demonstrative audience. The band were pretty much as good as it gets, featuring Natalie Haas (Cello), Brittany Haas (Fiddle), Cindy Blackman (Drums), Orlando Le Flemming (Bass), Darren Moloney (Tenor Banjo), Caitln Warblow (Violin / Viola) and Jacob Lawson (Violin) with Fionn on Guitar, Mandola, Piano & Voice.
The set mainly consisted of songs from the debut album, other than a sneak preview of 'Nature's Solution Parts 1 & 2 (featuring Caitlin Warbelow & Natalie Haas)'. The show was a great success in every way. Thanks to the faces from Ireland and the UK that represented and the Ceol brigade for showing support. Massive thanks to Joe's Pub for keeping one of the nicest rooms to play in New York alive and kickin'.
~ Jon Sobel www.blogcritics.org
~ Stephen Bailey www.stephenbailey.com
Read the recent four page, front cover interview with Fionn in Indie Sounds NY(Nov 2006) - www.IndieSoundsNY.com.
Hail! The US launch event for ‘Spawn of the Beast’ is December 13th! The party will be in New York City at Joe’s Pub from 11pm. Tickets are now available at the box office and online. Copies of the pre-release limited edition album will be available for the first time at the party.
Yes, the record is finished, mixed, mastered and sent for pressing. We have some folks to thank for support through-out the making of the record, one being Telefunken USA, who graced us with a truly sublime vocal microphone! We cannot endorse their work highly enough.
Photo by Sue-Ellen Stroum
Martin Guitars designed a custom guitar with Fionn, which is featured on 'Zone' and 'Boo Hoo'. Gibson also bestowed a fine Dobro upon us, that can be heard throughout the album, as well as the Les Paul Standard on 'Search for Reality'. An elaborate list of acknowledgements will be up on the details page soon.
Fionn has also been asked to play the SXSW music festival in Austin Texas in March 2007. Check back soon for date and venue etc.
Fionn was asked to give a lecture at New York University this week for their ethno-musicology course. The course has been put together by renowned folklorist and musician Mick Moloney. Fionn's lecture was partially biographical but mostly regarding corporatism and how it has given rise to the perpetual banality of mainstream music. 
A pre-release limited edition of the album that includes bonus material & artwork is available for pre-order only at the music page.
'Bunch of Green Rushes' is a title that Fionn uses for the his traditional Irish music endeavor. The first New York show was at the Rockwood Music Hall last night December 1st 2006, featuring some of New Yorks great trad musicians. The show was a great success. The music was flying and the crowd showed their love. It was a beautiful night. Fionn is also working on a 'Bunch of Green Rushes' record that will feature some of his favorite players in the genre. Aside from this endeavor, he is also setting about re-releasing his Grandfather, Colm O Lochlainn's milestone books 'Irish Street Ballads' & 'More Irish Street Ballads' in 2008.
