Sounds and sights of the summer

It’s summer time and though we haven’t had many balmy evenings things are sure to get hot this Friday June 21. The Open Door Sessions for June is once again hosted in Nixy’s, The Square Bar, Bailieborough.
There is a well balanced line up for the arts extravaganza. Fergus Daly, Olivia Canavan and Danny Forde will be providing the entertainment on the evening.
Fergus Daly is an upcoming Irish indie-rock artist. His first song was released in December 2017 and has gone on to rack up over half a million cumulative views for his music videos.
Daly was a late starter on the music scene, only setting off on this journey in earnest in autumn of 2016. The catalyst was upheaval in his personal life, a difficult episode which he channelled into his latent, untapped songwriting ability. 
Speaking to The Anglo-Celt in anticipation of his Open Door session Fergus said: “This will be my first time to play Cavan. I have played in  many other places around; Sligo, Donegal, and Leitrim. I’m really looking forward to it “
He describes his sound as having a broad appeal: “It features loop pedals and drum machine.  I suppose it’s an unusual sound, played “on the fly”. It’s very much a live sound, but acoustic, so it’s not too loud,” he laughed.
Olivia Canavan is a professional visual artist living and working in Cavan. She holds a National Diploma in Textile Art from GMIT, a BA Hons Degree in Fine and Applied Art, University of Ulster and a H. Dip in Art Education from Crawford College of Art and Design.
Olivia has taught art for over 15 years and works in a broad range of mediums; including paint, textiles, felt-making, theatre and ceramics. She has a particular theme for her Open Door Sessions presentation.
“On the night I will be focusing on my work with ceramics. I opened my workshop three years ago and in that time it has developed. Recently I have started hosting parties for kids and adults where participants get to make their own ceramics. From throwing them on a potters wheel, to firing and glazing them,” the artist said.
Olivia said participating in the Open Door Session is stimulation: “A lot of what you do as an artist is in isolation. Events like this allow you to engage with other people interested in the arts. It’s a great networking opportunity.” 
Singer-songwriter and composer Danny Forde hails from Dublin. Vocal harmony, string quartets, fingerstyle guitar, and healing sounds feature strongly in all his music. Danny trained as a concert pianist, later cutting his teeth as a singer/guitarist with rock, folk, and funk bands, before diving into the world of film and theatre composition where boundaries between the art forms break down, all the while developing his songwriting craft.
Taking influence from a wide range of artists and styles, notably Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Elbow, and Nick Drake, the music is acoustic-driven, while often weaving in elements funk, disco, choral music and classical.

The Open Door Session is on Friday June 21 at 9pm in Nixy’s, The Square Bar, Bailieborough and as always the event is supported by Cavan Arts.