Rob Hope (Guitar & Vocals), Yvonne Conaty (Bass & Vocals), Brendan O Gorman (Lead Guitar) & Daragh O Loughlain (Drums).
Influences
(and inspirations)
Kashmir, Kila, Jeff and Tim Buckley, Tom Wait's, Nick Drake, Bjork, Interpol, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins (circa 'Eva Adore'), 22, Neil Young, Led Zepplin, Sigur Ros, Massive Attack, Tommy Emmanuel, Robert Johnson, Any good Bluegrass, U2, Radiohead, The Cranberries, Kasabian, Wallis Bird, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Elbow, Daves Radio, Vesta Varro, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Buckethead, Slash. Jimi Page, Yngwie Malmsteen, Johhny Mars, Liam Gallagher, Johhny Cash, Jerry Seinfeld, Fr Ted, The Edge, Bono, Fidel Castro, John F Kennedy, Walter Mitty and the Realists, Damo and Fergal from Limerick, Thin Lizzy, Sigmund Freud, Karl Yung, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Paco de Lucia, Brendan Behan, Brendan Markham, Guitar Techiques Magazine, Albert Einstein, Mozart, Bethoven, AL pachino, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Martin Luther King, George Best, Eminem, Arrested Developement, Tribe Called Quest, Bernard Naughton, Nigel Killeen, Franki Coughlan, Declan Collins, Frank Mulveen, Adam Sandler, Johhny Depp, Jean Claude Van Damme, Prince, Albert Lee, the guy that operates the Rouge River draw-bridge in Delray on Jefferson, Insane Clown Posse, Kirk Hammet, Frank Zappa, Also good coffee and back to back episodes of Seinfeld and Scrubs.
It's been three years since Seneca burst onto the Irish music scene with their first ever live performance at Dolan’s where they scooped the local heats of the Hardest Working Band competition.
Since then, their ascent has been steady and consistent - the four-piece independent outfit seamlessly hop off one ladder rung and on to the next, garnering accolades and an ever expanding legion of fans along the way.
Seneca is: Rob Hope (vocals, guitar & keys), Yvonne Conaty (vocals, bass & keys), Brendan O'Gorman (guitar), and Daragh O' Loughlin (drums).
The band's collective energy is as powerful from the studio as it is the stage; Rob's remarkable range, Brendan's distinctive hooks and sweeping guitar lines, Yvonne's magnetic bass playing and Daragh's explosive drumming, gel together to electrifying effect.
Rave reviews have poured in to the Seneca camp from the likes of Stuart Clark and Jackie Hayden of Hot Press Magazine. Fusing a range of genres and distinctive sounds from rock to indie folk, adjectives like 'fresh' and 'original' have regularly been stamped on the Seneca sound by music fans and pundits, from home and abroad. It was clear from the offset; the Irish music brigade has an itch for a spanking new noise, and Seneca have the stuff to scratch it.
Seneca’s debut single, 'Smile', went straight in at number 33 in the Irish charts when it was released late last year, and a very respectable finishing position of 27 gave the band even more reason to smile.
Fast forward a few months and Seneca were rocking their way to the top 14 finalist line-up of the National Murphy's Live 08 Band Competition. All the while, touring extensively throughout the country, headlining in venues such as Dolans, Crawdaddy and Roisin Dubh while supporting top acts including Kila, The Frank and Walters, Republic of Loose and also very gratefully involved in an acoustic set at Historic Glenstall Abbey sharing the stage with Moya Brennan of Clannad .
Album track 'So Beautiful' was selected for the ' Ceol' Seachtain Na Gaeilge album which featured the cream of Irish talent including Bell X1, The Corrs, Kila and Paddy Casey, to name but a few, the Ceol Album is a collection of songs performed in Irish (Gaeilge). The second single 'Clarity', released on Friday June 13 reached number 19 in the Irish single charts. Seneca’s tunes 'The Outside' and 'Empty Seat', were featured on Setanta Sports Irish International ladies Soccer documentary entitled 'Winning Women', while also included on RTE's Capital D program.
The long awaited debut album ‘Sweeter Than Bourbon’ was released on June 20th 2008. Brimming with superbly crafted songs like 'Marks', 'Sleepless Amazing', 'Playing Fair' and 'Good for What Ails You'. The Sweeter Than Bourbon menu also features the two singles, 'Smile' and 'Clarity'.
'Sweeter than Bourbon' is listed by L.E.G magazine as one of the top 20 albums of 2008.
Jackie Hayden of Hotpress gave some much appreciated kudos to the band by making them his Pick of the Fortnight in Hotpress Magazine. Tony Fenton of today FM made the album track “Down to Today” his shows Daily Download and stated “Down to Today is another single contender”. The end of 2008 saw 'Sweeter than Bourbon' nominated for best Album of the Year by Clare People Interactive-Irish Music Awards and also nominated for the best new comers award in the Irish Mid-West Media Awards.
Seneca teamed with ‘In-Outdoor’ management/promotions Company in the USA who stated:
"This four-piece is one of the most promising and talented Irish bands to have emerged in recent years".
2009 saw the band clock up a six month tour of the United States in 2009 which took in over 90 shows, 25 States and over 40,000 miles. While there they played numerous high profile festivals, teamed up and performed with Rock and Roll hall of fame legend Bernie Worrell (Talking Heads and Parliament), perform at the infamous Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, The Boulder Theatre in Colorado, and The Denver Post Underground Music Fest as well as many, many more great events.
Seneca’s home-coming gig will be on the 20th of November in Dolans Warehouse Limerick and further dates of their November National Irish tour will include the Tivoli Theatre Dublin, Crane Lane Theatre in Cork, the famous De Barra’s in Clonakilty, more venues and dates will be added soon!!
Further plans include a three week Scandinavian tour starting in Gothenburg Sweden on December 2nd and a return to the USA in March 2010.
Tony Fenton~TODAY FM~Daily Download
If you’re asked to come up with a name when the words Limerick and rock band are mentioned, it’ll probably be The Cranberries. However, a new 4 piece from Limerick are already making waves stateside with the release of their debut album last year. Seneca are Rob, Yvonne, Brendan and Daragh, and we’ve chosen an album track of theirs as our download today.
Seneca released the album Sweeter than Bourbon late last year and the majority of reviews were in their favour, with comparisons to Snow Patrol, Damien Rice and Crowded House being thrown into the mix. They have a winning sound and their single Smile made the Irish top 30, but one track, Down to Today, is another single contender and shows that there are still good things coming out of Limerick!
SECOND SUPPER(La Crosse, Wisconsin) ~Seneca gig review:
..Irish band Seneca's performance at the Warehouse put muscle to their philosophy. Opening with stomp-dance and hard basslines in "The Outside," Seneca moved through a chameleonic set that merged upbeats with downbeats, softness with tension. It was a set that had the brass to morph from the smooth bank robbery theme running through "Good for What Ails You" into the Death Cab-pretty acoustic song, "Marks."
After the ghostly blues of "Clarity" brought the show to a close, Seneca had more than proved their ability to span oceans of song without spreading its gravity and wonderment thin. No song was vestigial, no member's contribution was unimportant or repetitive. The spectrum-running creed was adhered to, and it paid off big.
You will be hearing more from this band. Seneca will return to America in 2009, visas intact and a proper tour underway. See that you're there.
THE LIVERPOOL ECHO -
"SWEET indeed, with a jangly Smithsesque guitar
and the emotive voice of Rob Hope, Seneca make
melodious music that reminds of Snow Patrol,
Coldplay, Crowded House,and The Broken Family Band.
Plaintive and anthemic, visceral and cerebral, this music is
broad in scope and pleasing in countenance, with an
Irishness that touches the Celtic spirit in all of us."
NEW HAVEN ADVOCATE -
"The foursome's debut album is a 14-track mix of tunes with catchy pop melodies, heavy electric guitar riffs, peaceful strings and vocals by lead singer Hope, who sounds like Eddie Vedder on his best day. Energetic and somehow plaintive, Sweeter than Bourbon might be the perfect soundtrack for any John Cusack movie."
THE MALIBU TIMES -
"The band's highly anticipated first album, "Sweeter Than Bourbon" combines not just rocking great melodies, but contemplative lyrics, diverse grooves and the pure, soaring falsetto of Hope's lead vocals."
MARQUEE MAGAZINE -
"Though the album is filled with ambient, softer sounds, some of the true magic of Seneca comes through on the harder-driving numbers like “Good For What Ails You” — a song that still fits that power-pop formula, but builds to a climactic bridge which showcases the depth of the band’s musical and vocal talent.....Seneca goes deeper than the hackneyed themes of shallow relationships and lovey-dovey drivel....It’s a slippery slope that they traverse with graceful realism and a musical conclusion that leaves the listener feeling empowered and righteous."
RESUME (SWEDEN/DENMARK) -
Clarity and Smile would fill any stadium and Sweeter than Bourbon and So beautiful accompany the autumn darkness nicely. It is a melancholy and promising debut with one hand in Irish earth and the other up in the international heavenly stars.
RADIO GLOS ~91,4 Mhz~(POLAND)
"Sweeter Than Burbon - the debut album from Irish alternative rock band 'Seneca', is this weeks album of the week on the station."
UNIKATOWE.PL (POLAND) -
"Zespól Seneca powstal okolo 4 lata w Limerick (Irlandia). W sklad zespolu wchodzi czwórka wspanialych muzyków. Pod koniec 2007 roku ukazuje sie ich debiutancki singiel pt "Smile", który startujac z 33 pozycji na Irish Charts osiada ostatecznie na dosc wysokim, bowiem 13 miejscu. Drugi singiel "Clarity" plasuje sie na 19 miejscu w zestawieniu.
Utwór "Sleepless Amazing" otwierajacy plyte wita sluchacza przyjemnymi melodyjnymi riffami na gitarach. Juz od pierwszych sekund mamy wrazenie iz bedzie to mila dla ucha, melodyjna muzyka. Po przesluchaniu calej plyty tylko utwierdzilem sie w tym przekonaniu. "Sleeplees Amazing" jest spokojnym utworem, stylistycznie przypominajacy troche REM, czy The Pixies. Bardzo przyjemnie sie tego slucha."
DORSET ECHO -
"Seneca, from Limerick (Ireland), specialise in an inscrutable and
extremely pleasing noise on their album Sweeter Than
Bourbon which touches many bases but commendably refuses
to settle on any of them: the REM of Murmur, Nada Surf in the
wistful, falsetto melodiousness of Smile, the poppier end of The
Pixies – the songs where Kim Deal sang harmonies and Frank
Black didn’t rupture his larynx –and even Curved Air on Clarity.
Marks in particular is gorgeous– a circular fingerpicking pattern
adorns the kind of warmly insular melody Elliott Smith
made his name with. Thinking about it, if there is any earthly reason why Seneca should not be massively successful and revered by
simply everyone everywhere, I’m yet to discover it. Their
ideas are boundless and there is no deadweight on the
album; every track is the equal of its predecessor."
THE SUNDAY STAR -
"Packs an Alice in Chains-style whack"
THE LIMERICK LEADER -
".. This is a power-pop album and influences range from the A-Z of pop-music. However, for what it purports to be - an indie-pop record that is sweet at times and harder edged when it needs to be - this is an extremely impressive debut and that is good enough."
THE LIMERICK LEADER -
"SENECA Combine the heartfelt sincerity of Damien Rice's lyrics with the lush and anthemic sounds of Snow Patrol to startling effect."
ROCKWIRED.COM -
"'SWEETER THAN BOURBON' is a sweet surprise!.....It will be very interesting to see what happens when these guys and their music hit the airwaves stateside. Disenchantment has never sounded so enchanting!"
BUZZ MAGAZINE -
"Sweeter Than Bourbon is a beautifully crafted collection of music."
THE LIMERICK INDEPENDENT -
"Without question one of the most promising and talented Irish bands to have emerged in recent years"
THE CLARE CHAMPION -
"Bands like Seneca are few and far between"
'GREEN AND LIVE' LIVE 95FM -
"Mother of Christ, this is fantastic, absolutely fantastic"
HOTPRESS MAGAZINE -
"A band with a knack for taking big and bold jabs at the heartstrings, they blend sweeping arrangements with naked emotional lyrics to create a very anthemic and mainstream sound. This Limerick four-piece could have a very bright future ahead of them if their forthcoming debut album Sweeter Than Bourbon is anything to go by."
GUESTLIST MAGAZINE -
"It has been a long time, probably since the Cranberries broke through, that a band from Ireland has made the kind of impact that Seneca is about to make on the US alternative/indie rock scene.....As you begin to dive into the album you find yourself smack in the middle of one of the best albums you have heard in recent times"
FREQUENCY-IRELAND.COM -
"Warm, propulsive, melodic, anthemic and emotive"
THE CONNAUGHT TELEGRAPH -
"This outfit are without doubt one of the greatest prospects to emerge from Ireland in quite some time and this, their debut album, is one of the standout albums of the year"
HERALD EXTRA -
"So finely tuned that they are beyond the perfection aspired to by the so-called music professionals....Seneca are not a stencil, they have an original stamp."
THE LIMERICK WEEKENDER -
"Soaring, anthemic melodies that will stick in your head long after you hear them".
THE LIMERICK POST -
"Spanning the emotional spectrum, from touchingly heartfelt to dark and menacing, Seneca's is the sort of music you could bring home to your mother but wouldn't sound out of place near a mosh pit?"
From your IRISH friend in America! Enjoy my blog poem today : THANKFUL And check out my 2 albums here on my snocap music store or check out ITUNES Search:rockncrew Enjoyed meeting you in Monterey , Ca.!
By rinascitasuona at 2009-11-08 "La frittata"è l’ottavo episodio della serie Recover Band!,in cui si intravede la fine di un tunnel economico iniziato con i mutui subprime e che aveva costretto il Dr Richard Over a razionare cipolle ai suoi pazienti feticisti,come avevamo visto nella precedente puntata.Ora la frittata assurge a simbolo della supposta ripresa economica,che fa capolino persino nel suo disastrato Fetish Hospital.Egli però non ha mai smesso di seguire il suo destino,ciò che ha cambiato la sua vita e quella di altri sventurati e che forse lo ha salvato da gesti inconsulti:la RECOVER BAND!,covers improvvisate da 45 giri(ad estrazione).
con:Felice Lechiancole(Dottor Richard Over) Lorenzo Lustri(Dottor Clean) Alex Mendizabal(oggettistica) Adriano Lanzi(elettroniche) Leonardo Milani(elettroniche) Errico De Fabritiis(sassofono) Giuseppe Savino(trombone) E,in questo capitolo la partecipazione del sorprendente attore teatrale Gaspare Balsamo...
DICONO DI LORO
"...adesso Venezia non mi sembra più così triste " (Gil Fontolan,gondoliere)
"...dateli a me,li curo io,ja..."( Mengele,dottore)
"...quel cantante tozzo...Adriano......Pappalardo,sì,è stata proprio una cattiveria da parte sua portarli in tribunale!"(Carla Pedissequo,casalinga)
"...conosco Richard dal '61,si è fatto da solo..." (Hank"Crack"Tombstone,free lance)
"...hanno rifatto Dindonne de Lando Fiorini,je volevo spezzà le mano,ma quer dottore Richarde m'ha arigalato er 45 giri,allora me sò dato 'na carmata" (Alvar
Hi Guys, it was great to meet you to, Photos of the show will be up on the page here in the next few days, i hope you enjoyed it, hope to do it all again very soon, thanks a million,
12 in a family killed! I need you and your friends help to help them! Read my blog poem and bulletins at myspace.com/rockncrew AND your message! Thanks!
30 Oct The Tivoli Theatre - Dublin 31 Oct Kennys Lahinch, Co Clare 6 Nov Emmet Maloneys Ballina, Mayo 7 Nov Bar Ritz Castlebar, Mayo 14 Nov Crane LaneTheatre Cork 20 Nov Dolans Warehouse, Limerick 21 Nov De Barras Clonakilty, Cork
I have enjoyed your music since you guys came through my Illinois toll booth and gave me your cd!!!! Thank you again! Hope to see you eventually back in the States. - Meghan
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