Seneca are our favorite band at the mo. this irish 4-piece have an extremely impressive history, given that they're a relatively new band on the scene (full details on their bebo page, NO.1 in our bands box), and we think they're the band to watch for 2008.

It’s a wee bit tricky to pigeon-hole Seneca to a specific genre. Their sound ranges from the chilled out and melancholy harmonies of ‘Sweeter than Bourbon’ (the title track of their very much anticipated debut album), to the edgy bitterness of ‘Clarity’, and all points in between. The lyrics of Rob Hope (think happy Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley) are delivered beautifully by his impressive vocal range, and nicely complimented by the almost contagious hooks and sweeping guitar lines of Brendan O’ Gorman. The groups powerful presence comes from the driving bass playing of Yvonne Conaty and the explosive drumming of Daragh O’Loughlin. Their live shows are energetic and intense, interspersed with humorous and good natured interaction with the crowd between songs, and should not be missed. Theirs is a beautiful mix of melody and magic, combining a contemporary style with Celticy (it’s a word!!) highs and lows. Their loud stuff rocks, their quiet stuff haunts, you’ll still be humming ‘The Outside’ days after the gig (guaranteed!), and some of the lyrics are likely to stay with you long afterwards.

The above shows in Limerick aren’t to be missed. Do yourself a favour and check out their bebo or myspace pages, or better still, head along to the shows. In fact, even betterer still (also a word), do both!! You won’t regret it.

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In order to download our new single smile, text music 520 to 57501 and follow the instructions that are texted back to you. It will cost 99c from your phone credit. Alternatively you can download the single at Itunes.

SENECA ARE ALL SMILES

LIMERICK band Seneca will have good reason to be grinning like Cheshire cats when they take to the stage at Underground in Baker Place this Saturday, September 15 to promote their stunning new single 'Smile'. Comprised of Rob Hope on guitars and vocals, Yvonne Conaty on bass and vocals, Brendan O'Gorman on guitar and Daragh O'Loughlin on drums, the local four-piece is without question one of the most promising and talented Irish bands to have emerged in recent years. By mixing Snow Patrol's anthemic and grandiose melodies with Damien Rice's heart-warming and endearing lyrics, Seneca have an indie yet commercial sound that screams for the same kind of international success as the aforementioned acts. This is the band that really could be the next Cranberries! After forming two years ago, Seneca won the Limerick heat of the Jack Daniels 'Hardest Working Band' Competition on their first ever live performance. Since then they have opened shows for Republic of Loose and Director as well as having one of their songs - 'So Beautiful' - placed on the 'Ceol 2007' album, which put them in good company with established Irish acts such as Bell X1 and The Corrs. The band have just completed their sensational debut album 'Sweeter Tahn Bourbon' which is due for release early next year and are now about to unleash their first single 'Smile' to give us a taste of the treats in store. Influenced by song-smiths such as Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Tim Buckley and Nick Cave, the bands talented songwriter Rob Hope is so prolific that he has already finished the songs for album number two - before their debut even sees the light of day. "You have to try and keep ahead of yourself," Rob tells me at the band's rehearsal space in Mary Immaculate College. "The first album was recorded over a year at Monolith Studios and a lot of the songs were written while we were recording. It pretty much all came together while we were recording with the songs and the arrangements falling into place; it just seemed to happen that way," says the Seneca frontman. The Limerick outfit that have been compared to alternative rock acts such as Doves and Arcade Fire have a definite Irish radio-friendly lilt to their music which could see them go down a storm across the pond. It is this beguiling mix of indie guitars with an air of romantic Ireland looming underneath that makes Seneca a dead cert for greater things than just headlining slots at Whelan's in Dublin. "If people hear that Irish sound in our music I would see that as a positive thing, but to be honest I don't hear it myself. I suppose it could just simply be the fact that we are an Irish band. The violinist that plays on some of the tracks on the album is a Dutch jazz violinist that wouldn't know the first thing about Irish traditional music so we definitely didn't set out to give that impression," Rob claims. "The one band that have really helped us out the most over the last year or so are Kila, The guy who engineered our album, Mark Gavin, a lifelong friend of mine, has worked with members of Kila on solo projects over the years, so we got to know them through him. Their music is a million miles away from ours but they are my favourite live band and they have been hugely supportive and given us some great advice. They have been really helpful and we have got to know them really well. They are a great bunch of people. Seneca's debut single 'Smile' will be launched at Radio City in Dublin this Thursday and the band are preparing to head out on the road for a whirlwind tour of the country to promote this well-crafted and totally be-witching pop tune. The local quartet will also be touring Ireland as part of the'Limerick Breaks Out' Tour alongside some of the cities other more promising acts - The Fewer The Better, Walter Mitty and the Realists, and We Should Be Dead - in the coming weeks. "I suppose our plans for the immediate future are to get as