Jimmy Monaghan

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Jimmy Monaghan
Monaghan performing at Hanoi Rock City, Hanoi, 2018
Monaghan performing at Hanoi Rock City, Hanoi, 2018
Background information
Birth nameJames Monaghan
Born (1988-02-25) 25 February 1988 (age 36)
Danbury, Connecticut, United States
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • drums
Years active2007–present
LabelsGhost Home Recordings, Rusted Rail, Psychonavigation, Dramacore
Websitewww.seamusomuineachain.eu

Jimmy Monaghan (Irish: Seamus Ó Muíneacháin) is an Irish musician from Belmullet, Ireland. He has released music as a solo artist, and as a member of the anti-folk band Music for Dead Birds.[1]

Music[edit]

In 2007, he formed Music for Dead Birds with drummer Dónal Walsh in Galway city.[2] One of the band's first gigs was a live performance on Anocht FM from the Roisin Dubh in August 2007.[3] Their debut album, And then it rained for seven days, was released in 2009 by the Irish record label Rusted Rail.[4] This was followed by the independently released The Pope's Sister, a concept album about the influence of the Catholic church in Ireland, in 2011,[5] Vitamins in 2014,[6] and Pagan Blessings in 2018.

He began releasing ambient instrumental music in 2011, with The Connacht Tribune writing in 2022 that; "Through five albums he has approached ambient, instrumental soundscapes with piano melodies, gentle guitar, percussion and field recordings – using his music to reflect the calm and space of the areas that inspire it."[7] In July 2012, Psychonavigation Records released his debut solo album Seamus O'Muineachain.[8][9] The Irish Times reviewed the album positively, calling it a "tremulous if tranquil success."[10] To promote the album he performed at The Electric Picnic festival and Whelan's, Dublin.[11][12] In 2013, his song Alone In Nature (Without Technology) was featured on an An Taobh Tuathail compilation released by RTE. In 2017 he produced and released his second solo album Cloves.[13] In 2019, he released the album City of Lakes while living in Hanoi, Vietnam.[14] In March 2020, KEXP premiered a track from his fourth solo album Blue Moon Set.[15] The album received a positive review in Rockerilla magazine,[16] and was featured on BBC Radio 6 Music.[17] Several music videos were created for the album, including a video for Slow Closing Day by Irish experimental film-maker Maximilian Le Cain.[18] In 2022, he released the albums Different Time Zones and Isthmus.

In 2012, he released an album with Aisling Walsh under the name Christian Bookshop. Hot Press wrote that the project was "an acoustic folk duo in the classic mode, with a decidedly lo-fi approach."[19] Also during 2012, he played the drums for the Galway-based folk band Yawning Chasm.[20]

From 2013-2014, he released a trilogy of lo-fi punk albums under the name The Crytearions.[21] Irish website Thumped called the project "Uncompromising, entirely unpolished and, in places, not entirely pleasant."[22]

Monaghan has stated that his early musical influences were Irish traditional music and nu-metal.[23]

Writing[edit]

In 2011, his radio drama Thumb was shortlisted for the RTÉ PJ O'Connor Award.[24]

In 2022, he began writing under the pseudonym Jay Honeycomb.[25] Working primarily in music journalism, he contributed to the webzine PopMatters, interviewing musicians including Mike Scott[26] and Eiko Ishibashi.[27]

In June 2022, he self-published the novella Post-Bliss. The Midwest Book Review called the novella "an evocative creation that challenges heart and mind on many different levels: psychologically, socially, ecologically, and ethically."[28] Self-Publishing Review reviewed the book positively, writing; "A raw and savagely contemporary novella, Post-Bliss by Jay Honeycomb taps into the fears and existential angst of today through tangential, subtle, and compelling storytelling."[29]

Personal life[edit]

Monaghan was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and moved to Ireland at the age of six.[30] He is of Irish and Italian descent.[7]

As a teenager, he was an amateur boxer, winning four Irish national titles.[31] He won a silver medal at the 2004 Four Nations tournament boxing for Ireland and received the Western People Sports Star of the year award the same year.[32] During his time representing Ireland internationally he fought against the German amateur boxer Gottlieb Weiss.[33][34]

In 2015, he appeared in a Maltese stage production of Butterflies Are Free, which ran at Saint James Cavalier in Valletta.[35]

In 2016, an image of him cycling on the Aran Islands was used on an Irish post stamp promoting the Wild Atlantic Way.[36]

He is an amateur chess player.[37]

Discography[edit]

As Seamus O'Muineachain

Albums

EPs

  • Stamford, CT. Circa 1941, 2014
  • Blood Apple, 2015
  • Unnamed Cafe, Hoang Hoa Tham, 2018
  • Sycamore EP, 2021

With Music for Dead Birds

Albums

EPs

  • Black Tides Falling, 2010[38]
  • Your Brand New Life, 2015 [39]
  • Nail & Tooth EP, 2017[40]

Singles

  • English Weed/What A Waste, 2015.[41]
  • Summer in Suburbia/Untied, 2020.[42]

As The Crytearions

Albums

  • The Crytearions, 2013, Dramacore[43]
  • I See What It Is And I Am Scared, 2013[44]
  • These Songs Hate You, 2015

Compilations

  • The Crytearions: Selected Recordings from the Album Trilogy, 2016

Other

Bibliography[edit]

  • Post-Bliss. Ghost Home Publishing. 2022. ISBN 9798793313360.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Rise of the Tribes". The Irish Times. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Across the Line". BBC. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Raidió na Gaeltachta to release session compilation". hotpress.com. 15 August 2007.
  4. ^ "Music for Dead Birds - And Then It Rained For Seven Days". Ondarock. 24 June 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. ^ Andrews, Kernan (17 November 2011). "Music for Dead Birds release new album". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Watch: Music for Dead Bird's song, Magic Witch". RTE. 6 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b O'Connell, Cian (18 August 2022). "Multi-instrumentalist draws inspiration from west coast". Connacht Tribune.
  8. ^ "New music from Jimmy Monaghan". Advertiser.ie. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Seamus O'Muineachain – Seamus O'Muineachain | Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Seamus O'Muineachain – Seamus O'Muineachain". The Irish Times. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Clashfinder General :: Electric Picnic 2012 Clashfinder". Clashfinder.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Plan your route to Psychonavigation". The Irish Times. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  13. ^ "The Ten Best New Irish Tracks Of The Week". The Irish Times. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  14. ^ "City of Lakes album review". nomoreworkhorse.com. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Seamus O'Muineachain". KEXPlorer. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  16. ^ P.81 "Rockerilla Album Review". Rockerilla. April 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone". BBC. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Slow Closing Day on Youtube". Youtube. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  19. ^ O'Hare, Colm (5 October 2012). "Christian Bookshop". Hot Press.
  20. ^ "Talented Folk Acts at Passionfruit theatre Tonight". Westmeath Independent. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  21. ^ "The Crytearions - Selected Recordings From the Album Trilogy". thethinair.net. February 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  22. ^ Neil Dougan "The Crytearions - I See What It Is And I Am Scared". thumped.com. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Interview with Seamus O'Muineachain". nomoreworkhorse.com. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  24. ^ Archived from the original "PJ O'Connor Awards for Radio Drama 2011". RTE. 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Jay Honeycomb". No Transmission.
  26. ^ Honeycomb, Jay (5 May 2022). "THE WATERBOYS' MIKE SCOTT ON THE DELIGHTFULLY STRANGE 'ALL SOULS HILL'". Popmatters.
  27. ^ Honeycomb, Jay (18 April 2022). "COMPOSER EIKO ISHIBASHI VEERS OUTSIDE CONVENTION WITH 'DRIVE MY CAR'". PopMatters.
  28. ^ Donovan, Diane (1 March 2022). "Midwest Book Review". midwestbookreview.com. Midwest Book Review.
  29. ^ "Post-Bliss on Self-Publishing Review". selfpublishingreview.com. Self-Publishing Review. 10 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Music For Dead Birds to release debut mini-album". Advertiser.ie. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  31. ^ Archived from the original "Geesala Boxing Club History". Geesala Boxing Club. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  32. ^ "Western People Sports Star Awards". Mayo Pics. 3 March 2005.
  33. ^ Mooney, Brendan (9 January 2003). "Lee back in action against German". Irish Examiner.
  34. ^ "Ireland Vs Germany 2003". Amateur Boxing. 3 January 2003.
  35. ^ "Butterflies are Free". Malta Independent. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Pimp My Stamps". broadsheet.ie. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  37. ^ "James Monaghan FIDE profile". FIDE.
  38. ^ "Music for Dead Birds Release new EP". Galway Advertiser. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  39. ^ "Music for Dead Birds to open October Citog Gigs". Galway Advertiser. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Music for Dead Birds - Tooth and Nail". thethinair.net. The Thin Air. 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  41. ^ "Watch: Music For Dead Birds – English Weed". The Thin Air. 10 August 2015.
  42. ^ "Irish Tracks of the Week - September 4th". 4 September 2020.
  43. ^ "The Crytearions". dramacore.com. 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  44. ^ "I See What It Is And I Am Scared". The Fire Note. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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