The smartest guys in the vroom
The hype parade doesn't interest Carlow's finest, 79 Cortinaz. Whether it's cold-calling record stores or hand delivering CDs, they'd rather take a grassroots journey to the top.
Hannah Hamilton, 11 Jul 2008
In an industry where the velocity of a band’s success is just as important as the quality of their records, it’s refreshing to come across a band that – after their initial breakthrough – resisted the temptation to hit Argos and snap up every badge-making machine in stock. Nope, patience – and good songwriting – is the name of the game for 79 Cortinaz.
Just under four years ago, this Carlow quartet had an unexpected hit with their single, ‘Deirdre’s Song’, which, after a month in the Irish charts reached No. 18: an impressive feat for a largely unheard of and completely independent outfit.
“We do everything ourselves,” explains Cormac, bass and backing vocals. “We did our own distribution for the single. How? Legwork! Ringing up every shop around the place and asking would they take some CDs, then driving down and delivering them! We had a bit of a tour going on around then too that we booked ourselves, while the single was still in the charts. It was a lot of work.”
“You get into music to get away from work,” chips in Gala, lead vocals and guitars, “and then you realise it’s way too much graft! If you’re trying to be a waster, this is not a good career choice.”
The legwork paid off. The song’s success brought them to the attention of the national media and the next two years were spent gigging relentlessly, with dates across the country including the IMRO Showcase Tour, Hard Working Class Heroes, Music Ireland Live and the 2FM 2moro 2our, as well as support slots with the likes of The Walls, Future Kings Of Spain and The Frank And Walters.
“Once we had the single out and we’d gotten a bit of airplay and publicity, we weren’t ready to release more material,” says Cormac. “We hadn’t expected the single to do anything, so it was a bit of a shock.”
After the madness had died down and touring had reached a more manageable pace, 79 Cortinaz went to ground to focus on the songwriting process: clearly one of the most enjoyable aspects of being in the band for its members.
©Hot Press 2011. Why be a member? | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy