January 2012...

Announcing The IYMAs 2012!

IYMAs 2012
The Irish Youth Music Awards 2012

We are delighted to announce that The Irish Youth Music Awards is returning for it's 5th year!

Beginning in 2007 with a run that culminated in Dublin's Sugar Club in March 2008, this Youth Work Ireland programme quickly expanded to take in young musicians and writers from all corners of the island of Ireland.

The 2011 IYMAs boasted participants from over 36 regions throughout the country, with as many as 1,500 young musicians and writers directly taking part, supported by their local communities with an overall interest of over 20,000 young people.

In the end, we hosted a massive day in Dublin's Liberty Hall on May 15th, featuring 20 young acts, alongside music industry workshops with some of Ireland's most influential music business figures.

On the day we were delighted to welcome our panel - Willie Kavanagh (CEO EMI Records Ireland), Jackie Hayden (Manager Hot Press Magazine), Alan Hennessey (CEO Rapture Records), Mick Quinn (top Music Photographer), Liza Geddes (CEO Friction PR - Snow Patrol, BellX1, Damien Rice), Liam McCormack (RTE TV), David Wilkinson (IMRO),  Will Ryan (Music Barrister).
We were also delighted to have special performance guests Miracle Bell, and of course ROYSEVEN, who have since gone on to sell out shows all over Ireland, with their album You Say We Say topping charts and awards lists everywhere!

At the end of a fantastic 60 date spectacle, Meath were crowned the IYMAs 2011 champions, and all of the young people from the Meath IYMAs team have spent time during the summer recording their very own album, now being prepared for release!
Donegal also recieved the brand new Paul Clancy Young Songwriter Award initiated by Kildare Youth Services - Donegal have now also recorded tracks which will be included on the upcoming IYMAs 4 Album alondside the Meath Team.

The Launch Date for the IYMAs 4 Album is currently in the planning stages, which will be before Christmas, and we will notify you all as soon as possible so you can support the success of The Meath IYMAs Team.


The format for The IYMAs 2012 will remain largely as before, although there will be some exciting new twists.

• We are currently simplifying the famous '30 Jobs', and putting focus back on local activities, with direct input and visits from Dermot Lambert as per years 1 - 3.
  

• We are also currently investigating which social media site is best suited for IYMAs 2012, as times change around us (we started in 2007 with MySpace, and moved onto IYMASPACE, we are now looking at Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and of course Facebook).

• We are also revisiting our choice of Venue and date of final day.
  

• Exact details of the NEW LOOK IYMAs will be announced shortly.

The GAA comes to Garageland!!!

Announcing the brand new Garage Acoustic Alternative Shows!

Starting on Wednesday 1st Feb, we will be running our first ever acoustic nights!

Our team (who brought you The Script, Royseven, Ham Sandwich, FLA, Ryan Sheridan) is hooking up with the team who ran the Molloys Sessions featuring Damien Rice, Damian Dempsey, Paddy Casey, Mundy!!

Every Wednesday in Solas on Camden Street we are opening up the floor to whoever wants to play, and we'll be having a couple of VERY special guests!

Doors 8pm admission whatever you think into a bucket (cash please!!).

If you want to play, write to us here or ring

085 8515035

Wow! Highlights from 2010!

2010 has been another spectacular year for The Garageland crew, and acts who started out on their small journies under our humble guidance!....Conor O'Brien and his band Villagers was famously nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize after an astonishing Jools Holland appearance, and his album Becoming A Jackal has been in wide demand all over the globe - Conor's first Garage Gig was way back in 2002 with The Immediate, who of course did quite well for themselves too.......The Script celebrated two US top ten hits simultaneously, and that was before the release of their second album! The Script, whose first Garage Gig was in 2006, have now sold out The Aviva Stadium for this summer, so we don't think we'll be getting them back any time soon!.....Ryan Sheridan, who actually worked as part of The Garage crew has had a fabulous year, with Ruby Records snapping him up, Ryan has been recieving huge amounts of radio airplay and has also been recorded for 'Other Voices' in the forthcoming series....Daragh Cullen has been tipped as number 5 in a 'top 100 likely to succeed in 2011' by The Tribune newspaper.....Fight Like Apes and Delorentos both released second albums, with Delorentos headlining our own Irish Youth Music Awards........The Ourz have been added onto the prestigious USA compilation Riot On Sunset......

Ham Sandwich celebrated the release of their fantastic second album, although sadly, we all lost a great friend and supporter when Derek Nally passed away suddenly in July. Derek had managed Ham Sandwich and had also been particularly supportive of new music. The passing of Derek Nally has been a great loss to everyone involved in original music in Ireland. Here's to Derek!

Garageland is an independent music organisation, working in partnership with many of the main music industry figures and bodies throughout Ireland and beyond. Our job is to encourage new unsigned bands, artists and musicians, using the vast experience and facilities at our disposal.

Our four main projects are

The Garage Gigs:For 10 Years The Garage Gigs have assisted new acts and unsigned bands to develop and grow. Many showcases have been staged, and acts who have played the Garage Gigs include The Script, Fight Like Apes, Delorentos, Ham Sandwich, The Kinetiks, Run Kid...

Ashtown Recording Studios: Top class recording studio for demos and albums, producing quality recordings using above industry standard equipment, in a very unique and comfortable farmhouse environment. Important recent recordings include Ryan Sheridan, Thomas Walsh, The Chaos Emerald (album), Paranoid Visions (album), Jerome's Law (label demo's), Dirty Nine's (label demo's)....

Garageland At The Grainstore: In association with Dunlaoire Rathdown County Council, a unique and specially designed educational programme. Garageland At The Grainstore brings the music business directly into this fun and informative programme. Using our seemingly unlimited resources, we have developed a programme of song writing clinics, drum clinics, jamming sessions, gigs, promotional advice and recording training all under the banner of one very thorough programme!

The Irish Youth Music Awards: The biggest ever contemporary music project designed for young people aged 12 - 19. Commissioned by Youth Work Ireland, this project (we call it The IYMAs) has grown rapidly due to it's entirely unique formula, which allows kids to be in charge, while giving them all the benefits of the wealth of experience at our disposal.

We are non exclusive, non judgemental, and we do not prioritise acts based on our mad opinions.

All original unsigned bands, musicians, songwriters are welcome to contact us.

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Welcome To The Garage Gigs.....

IN A NEW BAND? WANT TO PLAY? NOT SURE WHERE TO START? CALL US....

IN A RECORD COMPANY? FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE SLIPPING PAST YOU? LIKE TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT?

IT'S OK, YOU CAN CALL US TOO.....

Since 2000, it's been a hell of a lot easier for a new, unsigned rock band in Ireland to get gigs, and to develope their act. Since that time Garageland and the Garage Gigs have helped over 2,800 acts to make significant inroads into their careers, by providing consistent and professional services from the first, nerve-racking Garage Gig, right through to major showcases in Dublin, London and New York.

Several record labels are regularly in touch with us to see who's good, way before anyone else knows.

Sometimes we tell them.

Sometimes we keep it to ourselves.

HotPress have long since teamed up and we have a two page spread in every issue called Garageland.

Ashtown Recording Studios gives all of 'our bands' fantastic discounts on recording demos and/ or albums (currently offering a daily rate of 300.00 euro, including 10 hours recording, and fully experienced, not to mention, very popular, engineer.

IMRO has been a supporter of Garageland and The Garage Gigs right from the very start.

Phantom 1052, Corks redFM, Limerick Live 95, Beat 102/103 in Waterford, all have associations with us.

We have hosted over 1,334 Garage Gigs.

We have seen and helped over 3,200 acts.

We also enjoy the support and goodwill of printed press and media, through listings and editorials.

LIKE TO KNOW OUR TIPS FOR 2012?

BET YOU WOULD.

It's getting easier to be unsigned.

Welcome to Garageland.