Father Ray Kelly, the Irish priest who shot to fame on YouTube for his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, makes his major label US debut with the album ‘Where I Belong’, out on Manhattan Records March 10, 2015.
Over 39 million people around the world have fallen in love with Father Ray Kelly since the video of his performance of “Hallelujah” at a wedding first appeared on YouTube in April 2014. After the bride and groom were moved to tears by Father Ray’s adaptation of the song, a wedding guest uploaded the video, which drew more than a million views within a few days. The viral video attracted worldwide attention and led to late night performances on Ireland’s The Late Late Show, as well as radio, documentary and wedding requests from as far as Australia, Brazil, Japan, Chile, Lithuania and Croatia.
Each of the 10 songs on ‘Where I Belong’ showcase Father Ray’s powerful range and clear, “soulful” (Huffington Post) voice. Blurring the line between secular and spiritual, Father Ray’s lofty, ethereal timbre soars over Celtic-infused arrangements featuring acoustic guitar, piano, fiddle and Irish flute on classic ballads (REM’s “Everybody Hurts”, Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven”), Irish folk songs (“O Danny Boy”, “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears”) and hymns (“Amazing Grace”, “How Marvelous”), as well as two original songs, “Together Forever” and the dramatic title track “Where I Belong”.
Father Ray Kelly will also be making an appearance on Out of Ireland TV on Easter Sunday, April 5th at 1:00pm EST and Monday, April 6th at 11:30pm EST. Check your local listings here!

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and Daly Communications is as busy as ever! Our artists are off on their tours, or just about to be, and supplying audiences all over the US with music to celebrate the spirit, culture, and joy of St. Patty’s!

The Chieftains, our long time friends, started their tour in late February in Delaware and will be ending their US tour on March 21st in California. They visited great venues across the states performing with symphony orchestras, young musicians, and Irish Dancers from local schools & academies. Make sure to catch them on their last few dates!

Larry Kirwan set off on his solo journey this past weekend on Long Island, NY at the YMCA Boulton Center! He will be performing on St. Patrick’s Day at The Cutting Room in NYC for his first solo St. Patrick’s gig EVER! He will now have his new book, ‘The History of Irish Music’, available at his shows. Do not miss the former lead of band Black 47, Larry Kirwan, on his new solo adventure and keep an eye out for upcoming show dates!

The Celtic Tenors will begin their east coast tour TOMORROW, March 11th on Hilton Head Island! They will be making stops in South Carolina, West Virgina, North Carolina, and Georgia this time around in the States, ending on March 20th in NC. You can catch them, their entertaining humor, and beautiful singing at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, WV on St. Patrick’s Day. They will be back this May for more US shows.

Four Celtic Voices will be heading out to Wisconsin and Minnesota next week to perform! They will be spreading their beautiful traditional sound and voices just in time for St. Paddy’s. FCV have dates throughout April, the last being May 9th in Waukegan, IL. Check this great group & their dates out at: http://fourcelticvoices.com/events/

We are now working with Irish singer-songwriter, Mundy! He will be visiting the states this month to perform some shows. He will be in NYC this weekend (http://www.ticketfly.com/event/798737) and again the day after St. Patty’s, March 18th (http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/mundy), at Rockwood Music Hall. Make sure to get your tickets now!

A Saw Doctor and a Waterboy walk into a pub…a few that is! That’s right, Leo & Anto are back for their third US pub tour! They start their US tour on April 9th and go through May 22nd. Tickets are going fast and there is word of some early pub sell outs. You do not want to miss out on these two so clear your calendars and get your tickets for Leo & Anto!

This year Daly Communications is working on a great project and event for St. Patty’s, Sober St. Patrick’s Day®. This annual event brings family, friends, and all together who want to have a safe and fun day without alcohol. It is wonderful that there is something out there to bring the focus of St. Patrick’s back to Irish culture with music, dancing, performers, and activities. This is a big year for this event because of the addition of a new city, Dublin! A great thanks to musician and artist Frances Black and The RISE foundation for organizing the Dublin event. Visit the Sober St. Patrick’s Day® website: www.soberstpatricksday.org

Check back for more shows and events for the Daly Comm artists!

Happy New Year from Daly Communications!  With the start of 2015 we have wonderful and exciting projects coming up.  As you can see, we launched our new website & Facebook Page where you can find news on our clients, past & present.  Keep a look out for US tours and events from acts like, Four Celtic Voices, The Celtic Tenors, Larry Kirwan, and more.  We intend to keep the company growing and therefore are expecting to start working with new artists and groups throughout the year.  2014 brought great music, thrilling performances, and tremendous success from our clients and we can guarantee the same for the new year.  

Much praise was received for Four Celtic Voices from their 2014 album ‘Four Celtic Seasons’ and they are back to get some more!  The group, founded by Celeste Ray, mixes the music and poetry of ancient Celtic traditions with their soothing vocals and beautiful instrumentation to create a truly authentic Celtic sound for their audience.  ‘Four Celtic Seasons’ incorporates both traditional Celtic tunes and original songs that represent the four seasons and supply its listener with a smooth transition through Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter.

Reviews of this album can be found on Celtic Music blogs (https://celticmusicfan.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/album-review-four-celtic-voices-with-celeste-ray/), in The Irish Echo in print, and more.  Four Celtic Voices also received national radio play of their winter songs during the 2014 Holiday season!

The ladies are heading out once more to perform at Performing Arts venues and Universities throughout the US starting in mid February and ending in early May.  They will be performing songs off of ‘Four Celtic Seasons’.  If you are interested in seeing one of their performances, visit their website, www.fourcelticvoices.com, for more information on dates and venues.

Keep an eye out on our website, Facebook page, and all social media for updates on this truly talented group!

2014 brought great news for The Celtic Tenors!  This internationally known Celtic group which has been performing together for 14 years was once again signed to a major record label, Decca Records Australia through Universal Music.  They toured throughout the US and around the world performing songs off their most recent album, ‘Feels Like Home’, and had a very successful Christmas season with their ‘A Celtic Christmas’ tour.  These guys received great praise and love from their wonderful fans and are ready to head out again and supply their audiences with enjoyable performances filled with beautiful singing, humor, and great fun!

Throughout the month of March, The Celtic Tenors have a nine show tour along the East Coast.  They will be appearing in Performing Arts Centers and performing songs off of their own albums along with traditional Irish tunes.  For more of information on dates and venues for The Celtic Tenors’ tour, please visit their website: www.celtic-tenors.com!

We expect nothing less than the uttermost success from these talented guys in the New Year!  Keep up to date with The Celtic Tenors events, releases, and news through the Daly Communications website and social media sites.

Six time Grammy winners, The Chieftains will be on tour in the US in March. The group that was formed in 1962 will once again be gracing the US with their traditional Irish music. Their tour will kick off in late February and run until late March. We are very excited to be working once again with this amazingly talented group that has been performing around the world for over 50 years. For more information on their US tour, visit their website: http://www.thechieftains.com/main/tours/. Keep an eye out on our website and social media sites for updates on the tour and the happenings of The Chieftains!

originally posted Sept 27, 2014

A few weeks back we were asked to distribute flyers to New York City’s best Irish bars announcing fall shows at The Paramount in Huntington Long Island including Imelda May (Sept 28), The Kooks (Oct 9), Kathleen Madigan (Nov 6) and Flogging Molly (Nov 28). We always enjoy the chance to get out of the office and run around the city meeting bartenders, locals and music lovers, and normally take pictures outside the bar or with bartenders to remember where we’ve been.

Yesterday as we were going through to organize the pictures, we realized that a lot of them were REALLY nice looking. I sent the pictures to the boss with a note: “How amazing are these?!The flyer is so good and she (Imelda May) is so gorg that the picture inside the picture makes the whole thing brilliant!” I asked her to look over them again to make sure it wasn’t exhaustion playing tricks on my eyes (we covered 4 out of 5 boroughs) and choose 6 of the best ones to share with you. These are our top picks according to the boss, ENJOY!

Imelda May at THE PARAMOUNT Sunday September 9/28 @8, FOR TICKETS: http://paramountny.com/shows/imelda-may/

originally posted July 16, 2014

Found on DigitalTourBus.com: http://goo.gl/hX8hPq

On the Road as a Gluten-Free Artist
I am a full-time musician, facing the many challenges that life on the road brings. How do I get in exercise? How do I find time to create and practice? How do I eat well? Trying to not only eat well, but eat gluten free, adds another dimension to that last challenge.

How I Figured it Out
Two years ago, I was having health problems that ranged from unexplained weight gain (10 pounds each year) to IBS issues after almost every meal. I knew that something was wrong, but I could not figure out the solution. Finally, while recording my latest album “Night Travels” in the East Bay, I stayed with my co-producer who eats a mostly gluten-free diet. When I left, I came home feeling clear-headed and better than I had since living in Ireland in 2001-02. I also ate gluten-free in Ireland, but I had never made that connection.

A New Life Begins
I decided to try a gluten-free diet for one month. I didn’t have a manual, a blog, a website, or a mentor. I started reading labels and talking to the good people at my natural foods store, who helped me to replace the foods that I love with natural foods and treats such as Udi’s frozen pizzas. I eliminated gluten from my diet 100%. One week in, I said to someone, “I feel like I’m high all the time.” He responded, “That’s because you’re no longer poisoning your body.” That phrase hit me hard. I was “poisoning” my body. In the first month, I lost 25 pounds with only one change — eliminating gluten. Seventy pounds and one year later, I have seen my body, hair and skin transform back to when I was 25 and living in Ireland.

Challenges on the Road
Eating gluten free can be challenging enough at home, but add in the uncertainty of travel, and you can find yourself very hungry. New apps like Find Me Gluten Free are life-savers. For instance, last week I headed to Tulsa to play and give a workshop at the gorgeous new Woody Guthrie Center. The app showed me some good gluten-free options near the place where I would be staying. I am often stuck with just a coffee in the morning because the café where I land has only baked goods, but the app guided me to a coffee shop near the venue that had gluten-free breakfast tacos and gluten-free pastries.

Planning Ahead
The best advice for traveling gluten-free musicians is to plan ahead. I recently played at a festival in China, and we notified the organizers ahead of time that I had this allergy. They were very sensitive about it, and I carried around a card in Chinese that said: I am allergic to gluten. But we were guests at meals where 14 courses were served, almost all of them with a gluten ingredient (usually soy sauce). So when I was stuck without an option at the provided meal, I would fortify myself with a Kind Bar (of which I had packed 30 for a week). Now I carry bars with me everywhere I go just in case, as fainting is not ideal.

Good Health and Good Music
We are at our best when we are at our peak of physical and mental health — no secret there, right? I wrote all of “Night Travels” in the year that I gave up gluten. My mind was calm, I was energized, and I felt better than I had in years. If you think you might be suffering from gluten intolerance, I am proof that you can give it up, even if you live your life on the road!

Keep up with Ashley Davis on Twitter. Also, you can listen to her new album, Night Travels, on her website!”

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originally posted May 26, 2014

The Belfast Community Gospel Choir (BCGC) perform with power and energy, creating a dynamic vocal sound filled with joy and led by their charismatic director, Marie Lacey. It has always been BCGC’s dream to take their talent to the heartland of gospel music – the USA. They were afforded the opportunity to make that dream a reality after an invitation from the Belfast Lord Mayor Mairtin O’Muilleoir to sing at the New York-New Belfast Conference at Fordham University.

In addition to the private event, they have several performances in NYC meant to inspire; and create a space of bliss and happiness. It is an honor to be working with the Belfast Community Gospel Choir to promote these shows, including an evening at Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers University, several churches in Brooklyn and Harlem and rounding out the dates with a Sunday brunch at B.B. Kings and an evening at Connolly’s Klub 45 in Times Square on June 1st.

Check out this video of a heartwarming flash mob they did at the Belfast Airport, to welcome home holiday visitors: http://goo.gl/s8BxQe 

They are such a joy to see and hear; you won’t want to miss them!

Friday May 30th Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers University 81 Somerset Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901, $20 at the door night of the show – CASH ONLY – Doors at 6:45PM  show at 7:30PM.

Saturday May 31st Bridge Street A.M.E. Church, 277 Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11221 at 5:00pm, Donations.

Sunday June 1st Corinthian Baptist Church, 1912 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, Harlem, New York 10039 at 7:30am, Donations.

Sunday June 1st Bethany Baptist Church, 303 W 153rd Street, Harlem, New York 10039 at 11:00am, Donations.

Sunday June 1st Lucille’s, B.B. King’s Jazz Club, 237 W 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, $10 at the door + $10 minimum food/beverage — ALL AGES — show at 3:00pm, Doors at 2:00pm.

Sunday June 1st KLUB 45 at Connolly’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 121 West 45th St, New York, NY 10036, $20 at the door night of the show – CASH ONLY –  show at 6:30pm.

originally posted May 20, 2014

The musical passport of musician and songwriter Ashley Davis offers a rich display of colorful stamps from Ireland and Scotland, but also heavily draws from the influences of her birthplace, the plains of Kansas and the country music traditions of the Appalachian Mountains. The internationally recognized recording artist on her latest and fourth album release, ‘Night Travels’, has journeyed full circle, returning to the musical influences of her youth – incorporating her love of Irish music and in the process, creating an unforgettable collection of music.

With all of the songs written or arranged by Ashley, the album will resonate with lovers of Celtic, folk, bluegrass and Americana music. Recorded in studios in Dublin, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville and Kansas, ‘Night Travels’ reflects the musicality and the culture of each of those places. The album opens with the whimsical “His Bride I’ll Be,” on which Ashley shares vocals with Sara Watkins, renowned for her work with Grammy-winning trio Nickel Creek and then two tracks later moves into the heartbreaking duet of “Barbara Allen” with singer/guitarist John Doyle. As the album fluidly moves through various musical landscapes, the listener is taken on a journey that within the 2nd half of the album sees Ashley joining with fiddler Eileen Ivers and and Celtic maven, Moya Brennan to create new sounds with traditional backdrops.

In crafting this album, Ashley relied on a number of musical influences, but also put her considerable writing abilities to the test, creating in Night Travels something fresh and wholly invigorating for music lovers of all genres.

So sit back with a glass of sweet tea, watch the sun set and experience ‘Night Travels’. Available on iTunes at https://goo.gl/feuCZc