Acoustic Picnic – Busiest Yet!

Our family friendly community is growing ever bigger!

Last Saturday Oh Yeah ran its March Acoustic Picnic as part of the wonderful Young at Art Belfast Children’s Festival. It was most certainly our biggest to date and we want to thank all the families that came along and made it such a great day.

Acoustic Picnic is a lunch time event that usually runs on the second Saturday of each month. It takes place in the main Oh Yeah venue space and is a relaxed event with games and crafts for children and live music from the Over The Hill Collective for all the family. We encourage families to bring own picnic lunch to save on cost of eating out, but we do sell a nice coffee too!

If you would like to become part of the network and hear about upcoming events first then join the Facebook family group – search for Acoustic Picnic at Oh Yeah.

Please note photo and film are sometimes taken at events – if you would prefer not to have your photo taken, let a member of staff know.

Youth Response to Arts Council Plan for the Arts in NI

Are you aged 14-21? Do you enjoy art, music, film? Would you like to let the Arts Council know how you feel they could improve creative and arts opportunities, support artists, audiences and communities through the arts? The Arts Council are working on a new 5 year plan and they would like to consult with you. Oh Yeah is facilitating a response from the young people of Belfast on Thursday 14th March between 5pm-7pm. Your voice is so important and this a chance to have your say, meet some new people and enjoy some pizza! If you would like to get involved contact sian@ohyeahbelfast.com

 

More Volume at the 6th Annual Digital South Youth Event

This week, the More Volume team were invited to attend and present to young attendees at the 6th Annual Digital South Youth Event organised by Forward South Belfast in Elmwood Hall. The event is designed to give school children in Years 11-14 the opportunity to meet with organisations that use technology and digital skills in their working contexts. The range of organisations attending was vast, from film makers to banks to lighting specialists.

We brought along two young up and coming artists and industry professionals who use technology every day to create, record and mix music both in professional studios and at home in accessible set ups. We engaged with over 190 pupils from schools all across Belfast and beyond, using the opportunity to promote our youth engagement programmes as well as the career avenues within the music industry that could be open to the young people.

We were delighted to attend and very excited to have been approached by one of the attending schools to look at the possibility of delivering More Volume within their school environment! Watch this space!

If you want to find out more about More Volume, get in touch via morevolume@ohyeahbelfast.com

More Volume is a youth events and industry mentoring project coordinated and delivered by Oh Yeah Music Centre and supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Volume Control Are Now Accepting Applications

 

Applications are now live! Please click here to apply.

Volume Control is an award-winning industry and events mentoring scheme for young people aged 14-19. It offers young people the chance to run their own live music events under the guidance of Oh Yeah staff and mentors. In the process, they learn about the events and music industries; from box office to marketing and promotion, to sound, stage management, artist liaison, and more.

We are now looking to recruit a team of 12 enthusiastic young people with a passion for local music and a desire to work in music and events, to organise a series of events for 2019.

Successful applicants will meet weekly and make it happen, with help and support from Oh Yeah staff and a dedicated mentor. The project runs for one year and there are around eight gigs for the team to organise, plan, and deliver in that time.

We are also offering an OCN qualification as part of the programme.

For more information, please contact volumecontrol@ohyeahbelfast.com

 

“Volume Control was the gateway to which I got into the music industry, the experience I got has been invaluable in my career success. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the industry, and it’s great craic! So get applying!!!!”

Ethan Owens, Volume Control Graduate

#33tilinfinity

We would like to say a huge thank you to Steve Boyd and Thompsons Garage for donating the last edition of three specially commissioned Track One portraits of the late Michael Cullen.

There is now a fund raising campaign #33tillinfinity to raise £33,000 for mental health awareness and suicide prevention and intervention charities, in memory of Michael Cullen.

We would urge you to give if you can – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/33tilinfinity

They are raising funds and support for Inspire, Community Rescue Service Belfast and Tamhi. To celebrate Cull’s life and honour his memory by raising a £1000 for every year he was alive.

 

Volume Control present cheque to Every Day Harmony!

Volume Control are the team of young promoters (age 14+) running their own all ages gigs in Belfast. Their annual ‘Clash of the New Breeds’ competition on Friday 9 November at Oh Yeah Music Centre provides a fun intro to live music in a safe environment for younger attendees. And better still, all in the name of a good cause! This year our in-house superstars donated all proceeds (all £885!!) to a local charity, Every Day Harmony.

Every Day Harmony is passionate about, and committed to supporting, people who find communication and interaction difficult. This may be for a defined period in someone’s life or as the result of a lifelong condition. We believe that because music is a fundamental part of being human, it crosses all barriers. Year after year and person after person we see the evidence of that.

Their vision:

“To see every child, young person and adult in Northern Ireland receive the level of music therapy service that meets their need.”

 

Well done Volume Control!!! You are our heroes!

Snow Patrol Press Conference @ Oh Yeah – Ward Park 3

On 7th December, Snow Patrol held a press conference at Oh Yeah to announce their return to Ward Park in Bangor, Northern Ireland on 25th May 2019. Ward Park 3!

We are delighted to see they will be joined by an all Northern Irish bill of Foy Vance, ASH, SOAK, Jealous Of The Birds, Brand New Friend, JC Stewart, The Wood Burning Savages, Kitt Philippa, and ROE and a very special guest as yet to be confirmed.

 

General tickets for this show go on sale Friday, 14th December at 9am local time HERE.

Information and tickets to all Snow Patrol shows can be found HERE.

NI Music Prize – ‘Best Album’

Derry band The Wood Burning Savages picked up the NI Music Prize 2018 for their debut album ‘Stability’ – a snarling, articulate equally in thrall to the catchy buzz-punk of Husker Du or the headbutt riffs of Queens of the Stone Age.

Charlotte Dryden, CEO of Oh Yeah said: “Congratulations and massive thanks to all the nominees, performers, presenters and winners of each category. It was a fantastic night of some of the best homegrown music we have to offer. It was a community coming together, much more than a gig, and one of the things that stood out for us was how important it is for us to look out for each other. Gary’s speech was from the heart and his openness about mental health was very moving. We were delighted to present him with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award in association with Inspire and congratulations again to The Wood Burning Savages on taking home Best Live and Best Album, to ROE for The Oh Yeah Contender Award and to Kitt Philippa for Best Single. The Ulster Hall looked absolutely stunning and thanks again to all our funders and supporters for helping to make it happen.”

Gary Lightbody to receive ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’

Gary Lightbody to receive ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ award in Belfast on November 15th.

Gary Lightbody, the singer, songwriter, musician and Snow Patrol front-man, will be presented with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ award at the NI Music Prize in the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on November 15th.

Gary is the first recipient of this special award, which is in association with Oh Yeah Music Centre and Inspire Wellbeing. The presentation is in recognition of his exceptional contribution to music as an artist, but also for his active role in supporting grassroots and emerging acts from NI through the various projects and initiatives he has worked on over the years.

Gary Lightbody is a multi-platinum selling and award-winning songwriter from Bangor, Northern Ireland. He first started out in 1994 in the band ‘Shrug’, later known as ‘Polar Bear’, before gestating into Snow Patrol. He has completed a number of high-profile co-writes with artists that include Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and One Direction. He has been involved in several side projects during his career, including two albums with Glasgow band ‘The Reindeer Section’, and more recently ‘Tired Pony’, which he formed with his long-term producer Jacknife Lee along with members of both REM and Belle & Sebastian.

Gary has played a huge role in supporting artists from Northern Ireland and was instrumental in the inception and formation of the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast. He also established Third Bar, a Belfast based Artist Development business set up to support Northern Irish artists in the advancement of their careers.

Charlotte Dryden of the Oh Yeah Music Centre says: “It is with great pleasure that we are able to offer this special award to Gary. Not only is he one of the most successful musicians to come out of NI, but he has always been an incredibly supportive and committed champion of the local music community. He has invested emotionally, financially and artistically to support its growth, promotion and development. Gary has also very recently opened up about his own battle with depression and so it is only fitting that this presentation is in association with Inspire Wellbeing, a charity doing brilliant work in the area of mental health. We are delighted to be able to combine the opportunity to thank Gary and to promote the work of Inspire, at what is going to be a fantastic evening in celebration of local music as part of the NI Music Prize”.

Peter McBride, CEO of Inspire said, “Gary Lightbody’s contribution to music is immense and all of us from this part of the world are very proud of his global success. The entire team at Inspire is particularly grateful for his powerful contribution on mental health. Through sharing his own story, Gary has helped breakdown stigma and encouraged all of us to seek help when we need it, talk about our mental health and to look after each other. Inspire is very proud to be associated with Oh Yeah Music Centre and with Gary on such a special night celebrating creativity, community and all that is good about Northern Ireland. On behalf of our service users, staff and volunteers we offer a huge Inspire congratulations to Gary on this award and our deepest gratitude for his solidarity in challenging the stigma surrounding mental ill-health.”

The ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’, presentation will be preceded by the NI Music Prize, an awards evening featuring four categories including Best Single, Best Album, Best Live Act and The Oh Yeah Contender Award. There will be performances from six of the nominees on the night, including Hannah Peel, Roe, The Wood Burning Savages, Ciaran Lavery, Ryan Vail featuring Arco String Quartet and Brand New Friend. The announcement of winners and all presentations will take place throughout the evening. The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased from the Ulster Hall website.

This event is part of a wider programme, Sound of Belfast that will take place November 8-15th Nov.

Tickets only available via Ulster Hall website at

tinyurl.com/NIMPrize

The NI Music Prize is supported by Belfast City Council, British Council, Arts Council Northern Ireland, PPL, PRS, Help Musicians NI, Invest Northern Ireland, and Just Lite Productions.

For more info contact jeff@jeffrobinsonpr.com or info@ohyeahbelfast.com

For more info on Inspire https://www.inspirewellbeing.org/

The NI Music Prize – www.nimusicprize.com

Third Bar Belfast – https://thethirdbarcom.wordpress.com/category/third-bar-artist-development/

Snow Patrol – https://snowpatrol.com/

Sound of Belfast – www.soundofbelfast.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie Flavelle – Oh Yeah Legend Award 2018

The Oh Yeah Legend Award recognises the exceptional contribution of a musician from Northern Ireland.

This year we are honoured to add the late great Jackie Flavelle to the Legend series at the NI Music Exhibition in Oh Yeah. Jackie was the Bass master from North Belfast via Donaghadee, a giant of the Jazz an Blues scene who worked with many well known names over the years including Ottilie Patterson, Chris Barber, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Dr John, Sonny Boy Williamson and Rod Stewart to name only a few.

The event which takes place on Thursday 8th November has been curated by his daughter Lisa and will be presented by Stuart Bailie. The evening will include a posthumous presentation in his honour and several accomplished musicians and artists will come together to celebrate and pay tribute with a night filled with live music.

As Lisa said it will be a Jam for Jackie.

Tickets Here