Latest news with #BrownEyedGirl
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Van Morrison has a luxury problem: Too many songs to record
Few musicians are so productive in their old age. Every year, Van Morrison - now 79 years old - has been bringing out a new album, and now he has a problem which other recording artists would envy: Too much material. The restless Belfast belter of soulful stream-of-consciousness has recorded so much music that he has a backlog of songs still waiting to be released. "There are new arrangements and projects that have just been sitting there gathering dust," Morrison says in an interview published on his website. "Distribution can only deal with so much at a time. It'd be difficult to get out two records a year. One is manageable." His first original album in three years With his latest album, "Remembering Now," Van Morrison is tackling some of the backlog with songs he recorded years ago. One is the moody opening number "Down To Joy" which movie buffs should recognize as the Oscar-nominated track from the 2021 film "Belfast" by Kenneth Branagh. "That was supposed to come out a long time ago — it's just priorities and timing," Morrison says. The bluesy song is about Belfast, the musician's place of birth and home town in the north of Ireland. "This is who I am. This is where we are. Back in Belfast. This is how I started," he sings. "It's like you never left where you started from." "Remembering Now" is his first album in three years to feature his own songs – for him, an extremely long hiatus. The veteran musician with the unmistakeable iconic voice presents a timeless mixture of pop, folk, soul, blues, jazz and country - trademark Van Morrison. Trying to move past that anti-lockdown business The new songs emerged parallel to the last albums, recorded during the Covid lockdowns. It was a period when Morrison stirred up controversy in his anger over some of the lockdown measures and restrictions imposed on public concerts. "I was getting quite a lot of negative feedback during this period," Morrison said without going into details. The "Brown Eyed Girl" singer faced backlash from some fans for questioning the government response to the pandemic, even singing in "No More Lockdown" that governments were "enslaving" the people. At a time when the UK and Ireland were grappling with one of Europe's worst Covid-19 outbreaks and hundreds were dying every week, Morrison slammed lockdowns and concert limits justified by what he saw as "pseudo-science." Morrison now appears to be trying to move past that period. "I just wanted to do something. And the musicians – we all wanted to do something that was going to be fun," he says. Especially good listening are the melancholic "Haven't Lost My Sense Of Wonder" and the grooving soul number "Back To Writing Love Songs." The lyrics of "Every Time I See A River" is from songwriting legend Don Black ("Diamonds Are Forever", "No Matter What"). And on the topic of whether more music is coming after this, Morrison says: "There's always more music."
The Independent
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Van Morrison becomes first musician ‘artist in residence' at Queen's University
Sir Van Morrison has become the first musician 'artist in residence' at Queen's University in his native Belfast. The partnership will see the Brown Eyed Girl singer provide two students with fully funded scholarships to assist in their ambitions to become professional musicians. The collaboration, set to last for a year, will also see Morrison performing a series of special live performances across Belfast. This partnership is also a wonderful opportunity to inspire students, celebrate Belfast's rich musical heritage, and give back by supporting the next generation of musicians Sir Van Morrison It comes as Queen's marks its 180th anniversary and the east Belfast-born musician prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday. Sir Van described it a 'wonderful opportunity'. 'I am delighted to deepen my relationship with Queen's University Belfast and look forward to performing at a number of exclusive events throughout the year,' he said. 'This partnership is also a wonderful opportunity to inspire students, celebrate Belfast's rich musical heritage, and give back by supporting the next generation of musicians.' Queen's University Belfast president and vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, said: 'Dr Van Morrison is one of the most distinguished musicians of our time, and we are delighted to have him as our 'artist in residence'. 'This initiative will provide invaluable opportunities for our students and the wider community while enriching our cultural offerings. 'As a university, we are committed to providing access to quality education to all students and partnerships such as this are vital to making this happen.' Sir Van was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in 2001 in recognition of services to the arts, and received the freedom of Belfast from Belfast City Council in 2013. As part of the residency, he will play three concerts at Queen's Whitla Hall later this month, with discounted tickets for students, followed by a series of performances and collaborations throughout the year. Further details will be announced in due course.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Van Morrison becomes first musician ‘artist in residence' at Queen's University
Sir Van Morrison has become the first musician 'artist in residence' at Queen's University in his native Belfast. The partnership will see the Brown Eyed Girl singer provide two students with fully funded scholarships to assist in their ambitions to become professional musicians. The collaboration, set to last for a year, will also see Morrison performing a series of special live performances across Belfast. It comes as Queen's marks its 180th anniversary and the east Belfast-born musician prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday. Sir Van described it a 'wonderful opportunity'. 'I am delighted to deepen my relationship with Queen's University Belfast and look forward to performing at a number of exclusive events throughout the year,' he said. 'This partnership is also a wonderful opportunity to inspire students, celebrate Belfast's rich musical heritage, and give back by supporting the next generation of musicians.' Queen's University Belfast president and vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, said: 'Dr Van Morrison is one of the most distinguished musicians of our time, and we are delighted to have him as our 'artist in residence'. 'This initiative will provide invaluable opportunities for our students and the wider community while enriching our cultural offerings. 'As a university, we are committed to providing access to quality education to all students and partnerships such as this are vital to making this happen.' Sir Van was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in 2001 in recognition of services to the arts, and received the freedom of Belfast from Belfast City Council in 2013. As part of the residency, he will play three concerts at Queen's Whitla Hall later this month, with discounted tickets for students, followed by a series of performances and collaborations throughout the year. Further details will be announced in due course.
