Kíla
Kíla are an Irish folk music/World music group, originally formed in 1987 in the Irish Language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin in Co. Dublin.
Band history
The original lineup for the band was Eoin Dillon (uileann pipes), Colm Mac Con Iomaire (fiddle), Rossa Ó Snodaigh (whistle, bones), Rónán Ó Snodaigh (bodhrán), Karl Odlum (bass), and David Odlum (guitar). Colm Ó Snodaigh, the brother of Rónán and Rossa, joined the band before the first recordings were made. Rónán, Rossa, and Colm Snodaigh are sons of publisher Pádraig Ó Snodaigh and artist Cliodna Cussen and are brothers of Irish TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh.
In 1991, Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Dave Odlum left Kíla to join The Frames, an Irish rock band. In the same year, Dee Armstrong and Eoin O'Brien joined the band as replacements. Dave Reidy also joined as a lead guitarist, though he emigrated to San Francisco a year later. Karl was then replaced by Ed Kelly on bass who emigrated to Scotland a little over a year after the recording Mind the Gap in 1994. Eoin O'Brien was replaced by Lance Hogan. Laurence O Keefe filled in temporarily on bass until Brian Hogan assumed that position prior to recording Tóg É Go Bog É.
In 2003, in a review of their album Luna Park, Kila's blend of Irish traditional music and World Music with a modern rock sensibility was credited with breathing new life into contemporary Irish folk music.[1]
In 2009, Donegal guitarist Seanan Brennan joined the band to replace Lance who was on a sabbatical. He has remained with the band since then bringing an electric guitar to the line up for the first time since Eoin O'Brien was a member. He made his first appearance with Kíla in early January of that year on a televised version of Leath ina Dhiaidh a hOcht.
Kila have played at many festivals around the world, including Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, Electric Picnic, Womadelaide, Glastonbury, Féile an Dóilín, St. Chartier and the Stockholm Water Festival. All members of the group participate in composing and arranging Kila's songs.
The band collaborated with French composer Bruno Coulais on the soundtrack of The Secret of Kells, an animated film by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. The film was nominated for best animated film at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. That same year their music was heavily featured in two other feature films - Maeve Murphy's controversial "Beyond the Fire" and Ciarán O'Connor's Trafficked. Kila's music also features in the award winning documentary film "Fight or Flight".
Current members
- Rossa Ó Snodaigh has performed at numerous drumming workshops, raves and dance classes and has recorded with many other bands. He plays many instruments but concentrates on percussion. He has organized the Irish language tent at the Electric Picnic and founded a Gaelscoil (Irish speaking national school) in his local area, Cluainín Uí Ruairc/Manorhamilton. He also set up the Speaker’s Square in Dublin’s Temple Bar area.
- Rónán Ó Snodaigh continues to develop his bodhrán playing. He toured with Dead Can Dance in the 1990s. Since DCD's Spiritchaser tour in 1996, he has focused his energies on Kíla and his solo work. He released his fifth solo album in ten years in 2010, Water Off a Duck's Back. His latest book of poetry, "The Garden Wars", was published in 2007. In 2010, he composed the background music for two episodes of RTÉ's 4-part documentary, "The Eagles Return".
- Colm Ó Snodaigh joined the band in 1988, on the occasion of Kíla's first festival appearance, at the European Youth Music Festival, held in Bonn, Germany. Giving (2007), a follow-up to his first solo album, Éist (1990) was described by Hot Press as a work of "true beauty" and featured contributions from Hot House Flowers, Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin, saxophonist Richie Buckley and rising star Lisa Hannigan. His first novella was published in 2007. He translated a children's book in 2008. He is currently working on a book about civil disobedience and on his next solo album, which is scheduled for release in 2011.
- Dee Armstrong is a daughter of classical musicians Gillian and Lindsey Armstrong. She has illustrated a number of book covers, designed sets for plays and has worked with street theater company Macnas. Dee has recorded with other musical artists (Bobbie Lee, The Clay Dolls) and is currently working on a solo album scheduled for release in 2011.
- Eoin Dillon is a piper with a unique style. Originally a cabinet maker, he taught woodwork on Tory Island before embarking on an apprenticeship with pipe maker Cillian Ó Briain. He is a composer and a Dublin music session organizer. Eoin has released 2 albums of his own, The Third Twin (2005) and The Golden Mean (2010).
- Seanan Brennan, a native of Rossnaulagh, is a guitarist and mandola player, formerly a member of the groups Boxty and Georgia. During his days off he serves tea and bakes cakes in his mother's tea shop in Rossnaulagh.
- Lance Hogan was born in Limerick in 1969 and grew up in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He is a music producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured with Dead Can Dance and has worked with U2 and Oscar winning director Neil Jordan. In the studio he has produced five gold albums and one platinum album. He recently produced the Trouble Makers' remake of the Horslips' song "Trouble With A Capital T" for a music TV Series "The Raw Sessions". The song was also released as a single with all profits going to the Irish Youth Foundation charity. Lance's most recent composition work was for the Finnish feature film "Lapland Odyssey".
- Brian Hogan followed his brother Lance into the band in 1996 having guested with Kila in a tour of the southwest of Ireland in December 1993. Brian has toured and recorded with several bands such as the Eurostar Band. He has illustrated a number of books, including Rossa's "Joy of Pissing", and has recently been designing sleeves for CD's. His side project band Preachers Son released their first single "X for Sandra" in March 2010. He is currently working on a solo album. Brian and Lance are sons of folk singer Larry Hogan and artist Róisín Daly.
Images
Discography
Albums as Kíla
- Groovin' - 8-track cassette (1991)
- Handel's Fantasy (1993)
- Mind the Gap (1995)
- Tóg É Go Bog É (1997)
- Lemonade & Buns (2000)
- Live in Vicar St. (2000)
- Monkey - soundtrack to West End pantomime (2002)
- Luna Park (2003)
- Live in Dublin (2004)
- Best of & Live in Dublin (double album) - Japan only (2005)
- Another Beat - remixed Kíla tracks by Japanese artists - Japan only (2006)
- Kíla & Oki - with Oki (2006)
- Gamblers' Ballet (2007)
- The Secret of Kells - film soundtrack, with Bruno Coulais (2009)
- Rogha - The Best Of (2009) - a 2-CD collection
- Soisín (2010)
Singles as Kíla
- Ón Taobh Tuathail Amach (1997)
- Tóg é go Bog é - Live Christmas single (2002)
- Glanfaidh Mé - radio edit (2003)
- An Tiománaí - with Heatwave (2005)
- Tóg é go Bog é - with Oki (2005)
- hAon Dó & Ní Liom Féin - with Oki - radio edits (2006)
- Half Eight/Leath ina dhiaidh a hOcht - radio edit (2007)
- Cabhraigí Léi/Nothing Changes Around Here - Remixes with The Thrills giveaway with Hot Press (2007)
- The Ballad of Ronnie Drew - with U2, The Dubliners & A Band of Bowsies (2008)
- Cardinal Knowledge - radio edit (2009)
Solo
- Éist - Colm Ó Snodaigh (1990)
- Tip Toe - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2001)
- Tonnta Ró - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2003)
- The Playdays - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
- The Third Twin - Eoin Dillon (2005)
- The Last Mile Home - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2007)
- Giving - Colm Ó Snodaigh (2007)
- The Golden Mean - Eoin Dillon, Steve Larkin, Des Cahalan & Frank Tate (2010)
- Water Off a Duck's Back - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2011)
- Love, Life & Limb - Preachers Son (Brian Hogan) (2011)
DVDs as Kíla
- Live in Vicar St - bonus dvd with Luna Park (2003)
- Kíla 'Once Upon a Time' - Concert Film filmed in Vicar St Dublin (2008)
Books
- Turasóireacht (short stories) - Colm Ó Snodaigh (1995)
- Luascadán (collection of Rónán's song lyrics in Irish) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
- Songs (collection of Rónán's song lyrics in English) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
- The Joy of Pissing (humorous insights into pissing) - Rossa Ó Snodaigh aka Professor Jimmy Riddle & illustrated by Brian Hogan (2006)
- Pat The Pipe - Píobaire (novella) - Colm Ó Snodaigh (2007)
- The Garden Wars (poetry) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2007)
- Céal & an Buachaill Gorm (children's story) - Sandy Fitzgerald - translated to Irish Colm Ó Snodaigh (2008)
- Cliúsaíocht as Gaeilge/ Making Out in Irish (Phrase book) - Rossa Ó Snodaigh (2010)
Trivia
The band's first gig was upstairs in the Baggott Inn, Dublin, a gig that was attended by three people.[2]
The feature animated film that Kíla worked on, The Secret of Kells, was nominated for an Oscar and an Annie award in 2010.
References
- ^ bbc Kila Luna Park Review
- ^ Kicking it with Kíla: ThePost.ie
External links