In the autumn of 1808 Bradley Excelsior Thomas III decided to form The Ryan O'Reilly Band by whittling it out of a log shaped like a dog. He did this in order to take his mind of the pressures of writing the first season of 'Ferguson' the port/harbour based drama for which he will soon be revered and reviled for in equal measure. Luckily he found a man of the required name to front the project after one replied to the slightly unorthodox men-seeking-men advert he placed on the post office bulletin board. This terrifying personality cult follow a bizarre hierarchical system, loosely based on that of an eighteenth-century frontier town. The current sheriff is T-Bone Trow and he is comforted and assisted by leading conspiracy investigator Dave-Dog Granshaw & Mystery-Meat salesman Spencer Special-Sauce Cullum. The gang now insist upon thrusting this authoritarian musical theocracy into the streets, from Brixton to Upminster... and beyond?! The live album you are listening to while reading this (unless you've paused it?...) was released in March 2009 to startlement from the musical establishment elite, who were stunned into becoming large chocolate fish eggs. And finally after all that excitement from a live album I can reveal that the resident band from Ronnie Scott's (that’s us) first studio LP, that has been eagerly silently anticipated by the silent majority for so long (tentatively titled 'If You Can't See My Windows... Then Baby, I Can't See You), is now edging closer to its beautiful emancipation from the bunker. We are The Trob Band-The Musical! If you like what you hear then await further instructions.
Reviews/ Press:
"Ranging from the top end of Americana through to highlights of Irish folk, Ryan O'Reilly and his cohorts are making serious waves on the underground blues/folk scene. If you could imagine The Pogues slow dancing with Solomon Burke to the beat of a Dylan drum you might well be getting close imagining quite what this highly promising youngster and his outfut bring to the table" - (Bloody Awful Poetry - January 09)
"Truly astounding harmonies and mesmeric live. Not to be missed. Definitely one of our one's to watch in 2009." - (Brighton Communion - May 09)
**** - 4 STARS
You'll be blown away... The songs are gentle, evocative and self-assured. Ryan's voice is edged with woodsmoke, the harmonies fit like jigsaw pieces. (Maverick - August 08)
"Evocatively sublime and effortlessly bewitching. O'Reilly has a passionate and characterful voice, Celtic fire, faltering heartbreak and the commanding stage presence of a young matador, If he could bottle it he would make his fortune." -(Rock'n'Reel - August 08)
"an emerging new talent" - (MBC - September 08)
"One of the best unsigned talents in the UK right now. Their music is dynamic and moving. A True Gem." (Notting Hill Arts Club Communion - October 08)
'A beautiful sing-along ensued, with the whole tent singing ‘I’m not good enough but I’m still in love with you’ (MintSouth/Blissfields Festival - July 09)
"Glorious, the new residents set the bar so high" (Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club - February 09)
" Inspirational, vibrant and stimulating. Making songs ubiquitous with youthful articulation and playful vocal melodies, the sense of epicness attained sending shivers up your spine." -(RawRip - September 08)
" Guitar hooks fall over each other spectacularly, cascading like waterfalls. improbable yet delightfully bittersweet, so well harmonised it’s criminal and a rhythm you can’t help but tap your feet to. There is enough to ensnare you and ensure that the disk doesn’t leave your stereo for a long time." - (In The City - August 07)
"He has a fragility and sense of sad solace that strikes at chords many older than he are struggling to hit"- (Electricity & Lust - Septemeber 08)
"My is he talented. Excellent. O'Reilly has a unique vocal which combines brilliantly with harmonica" (Americana UK - August 07)
"His highly refined lyrics are fiercely emotional, sometimes surreal, packed to the gills with raw emotion and set to a toe-tapping, edgy beat." - (Hampshire Music Live - December 06)
'awesome piano solo played by Brad Thomas' (FFS - February 09)
My Dear The Ryan O'Reilly Band, I want you to know that your music and your songs are my passion. I am addicted. There is something that pulls me towards them. Keep it up The Ryan O'Reilly Band. Di PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
Thanks for being our friend...
We've moved, too - now upsatirs at Albert & Pearl, 118 Upper
Street, Islington (opposite the Town Hall). December SoftlySoftly is on
THURSDAY 3rd ..hen from January, it's every first and third
Wednesday of each month...
See you there I hope x
A bit of advance notice - MondayMonday proudly presents Rún and Steven Finn and more at The Wilmington Arms, Clerkenwell on Monday 7th December
Rún collect and arrange old folk songs written in the ancient language of Erin. So far, thanks to Nora from Donegal, they have a nice wee collection of well-known ditties and are now adding to their repertoire with some unusual old forgotten songs from the province of Ulster. Rún are five fantastic lassies who perform four-part vocal arrangements of old Gaelic songs like ’An Cailín Rua’ (the red-haired girl), ’Casadh an tSúgain’ (twisting the hayrope) and ’Bo Na Leath Adhairce’ (the one-horned cow). Rún is the Gaelic word for ’secret, wish or love’ (cf. rune). See http://www.myspace.com/runceol ..
Steven Finn’s ears were filled with the music of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Johnny Cash and old time country music. Aged 15 he began teaching himself the guitar, learning songs like Leadbelly’s ‘Bourgeois Blues’ and Charlie Daniels’ ‘The devil went down to Georgia’. On hearing Bob Dylan songs Finn started to write his own words and in doing so found a lifelong passion for Jazz and Folk Blues, a getaway car he could drive. See http://www.myspace.com/stevenfinn for more details
hey chaps- lovely song you played last night- as its not on your myspace player it looks like i'm goin to have to see you come and play to hear it again haha! hope ronnie scotts went well and it was a bit warmer for you!
when we've got some dates sorted out down this end at the railway we'll let ya know and we can get a bit of a shin dig on the go!
Hello The Ryan O'Reilly Band, Whenever I listen to your music. I feel like singing too. But your talent is unmatched. How much time you spend to rehearse per day The Ryan O'Reilly Band? Love ya. Di PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
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