Ruairí Connolly
“I’ve encountered many proud achievements over the years with my music, but I believe my proudest is yet to come!”
Up n’ Comin’ NI is thrilled to introduce this weeks artist, Ruairí
Connolly, a musician from Limavady. “I’ve played in many NI bands over
the years (Furlo, Ruairí & The Owls, Rescue The Astronauts) travelling the
length and breadth of the country playing gigs and festivals and stopping along
the way to record in many of Ireland’s renowned studio’s north and south of the
border.”
“I’ve always loved listening to music, be it with my mother,
on the radio, in my brothers bedrooms, going through their cassettes and CD’s or
watching MTV around at my best friends house”. Even from a very young age, Ruairí
knew he was very musically inclined.
Ruairí got his first guitar on Christmas day when he turned
14, and this was the beginning of his musical journey. “I didn’t have a clue
how to play it but I slowly taught myself from reading guitar magazines and
listening to my favourite records. I discovered Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins,
Radiohead, REM to name but a few and that was me obsessed. There was no going
back. I wanted to be in a rock band playing music just like my newly discovered
heros.”
So it should come as no surprise that Ruairí’s favourite artist
would have to be ‘The Smashing Pumpkins.’ “When I heard Cherub Rock it just blew
me away. I remember thinking this band sounded so different to what was being
churned out at the time and Billy’s voice was just so unique. I jumped on a bus
to Derry one Saturday with my best mate (the one that had MTV) and he suggested
I bought Siamese Dreams. From that day forth I was obsessed.”
Ruairí has a new project underway that he is calling ‘Haha
Hear Hear’, which he is taking on as a solo venture. “I took a break from music around 6/7 years
ago but kept writing and recording demos. My laptop was absolutely packed with
demos so I decided to book into Darkland’s studios (Fontaines D.C, Coolio,
Damien Dempsey, Denzel Curry) and work on a few tracks with a producer, and all
around lovely guy, Dan Doherty jumping behind the kit. The sessions resulted in
a handful of high energy gritty post punk rock songs.”
“I believe it’s important to write the music you want to
write and not to be influenced or pressured into following certain trends or
flavours of the month. It doesn’t matter if the music you’re coming up with is
any good or absolutely terrible. As long as you’re having fun doing so is all
that matters.”
Ruairí, as discussed before, is both a musician and
songwriter. Every song he writes is different with regards to how he chooses to
approach it. “Sometimes I may have a melody in mind and start adding words and
phrases around it. Or I could have a story I’d like to tell and begin to sculpt
music around it. Then there’s other times where you get lucky and a song falls
fully formed on your lap. The process (well my process anyway) is very random.
You just have to go with the flow. For me, and many others, music is
therapeutic and a means of getting something off your chests or trying to make
sense of it all.”When asked what makes him different from other artists, Ruairí
said, “My beer stealing abilities and I can grow a beard within a week.” While
these may be two impressive things, in my opinion, what makes him stand out is
that he doesn’t have any definitive genre. He entirely trusts the process. “I just write
music and don’t give much thought to whatever genre it falls into.”
And speaking of trusting the process, Ruairí, doesn’t
necessarily draw his lyrics from his own life experience either. “My
inspiration comes from absolutely everywhere. Yes, it can come from my own
experiences in life, but I could also overhear a conversation on a bus and
catch an interesting phrase someone said and run with that or maybe I hear a
melody whilst watching a movie and a song may start to form in my head.”
Working from such a free spirited space is what has allowed Ruairí to start and develop this new project. While Ruairí doesn’t have any plans to gig with his new project ‘Haha Hear Hear’ at the moment, he certainly isn’t ruling out the possibility in the future. “We’ll see how it goes.” For now, though, he is going to focus on releasing singles and writing new material.
“I enjoy both aspect of writing music, be it by myself
writing and playing everything or being part of a band, knocking heads together, working out the best path for a song. Both have their pros and cons and both
can be very enjoyable and frustrating at the same time.”
“As cliche as it sounds, music can heal, or at the very
least make you feel better about a certain situation or problem you may be
encountering. So just have a bit of craic with it. Do it for yourself and no
one else and if something comes from it, well then happy days.”
“I’ve many great memories with past bands, gigging up and
down the country over the years. The one that springs to mind most, is
supporting Fall Out Boy in the ‘Limelight Belfast’ with my band 'Rescue The
Astronauts.' FOB were touring their album “From Under The Cork Tree” and were on
the verge of becoming one of the biggest band on the planet. The queues outside
stretched the whole way down the road and around the corner. The show that
night was absolutely jammed packed. Our set went great and it was fun hanging
out with the Fall Out Boys. They were a great bunch of guys and didn’t seem too
bothered when I stole all their beer right in front of them in their dresser
room after the show.”
So, What’s Next for Ruairí and ‘Haha Hear Hear?’
Make sure you follow him and keep up to date with all his songs, events and gigs:
Instagram: hahahearhear
Spotify: Haha Hear Hear
Apple Music: Haha Hear Hear
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