Brunnock's new album is release party recording

Kells-man Michael Brunnock's second live CD, 'Live in New York', will be released worldwide in September. The CD, which is a recording of the release party for his solo debut, 'So I Do', on 10th June 2007, at The Living Room in New York City, almost didn't happen. The show was recorded with no intent to release it to the public. It was only after the death of legendary R&B performer, Moe Holmes, on February 12, 2008, that the wheels began to turn. Holmes, who was the leader of The Voices of East Harlem and who toured with Ike and Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix and Santana in the 1960s, was still active in the New York music scene up until his death. When Brunnock saw him sing for the first time, he was spellbound. Holmes's performance moved him to tears. The two became friends and at the release party for 'So I Do', Holmes was invited onstage to sing on Brunnock's phenomenal ballad 'Sensation.' The resulting song from this collaboration was so special to Brunnock that, after Holmes's death, he began to work to get it released to as wide an audience as he could, thus resulting in 'Live in New York'. The disc features 12 songs, mostly selections from 'So I Do', with four previously-unreleased songs, including 'Sensation'. It also includes rare live performances of 'Born Again' and 'Niagara Falls', which are not generally played at acoustic shows as they benefit from the full band. "Moe grew up singing gospel," Michael says. "He brought that authentic passion into everything he sang. We both had a residency on Bleecker Street and Moe would join me after his set. He could take the lead or riff over my vocals. He had a sharp wit. It was an honour to have shared the stage with Moe. He was an amazing performer. I learned a lot from him and felt a deep respect and friendship." Brunnock, from Kells, relocated to New York City, where he has spent the past seven years making a name for himself in the live music scene. He is a founding member of the innovative FairplayCollective, a union of like-minded artists who support each other in all aspects of making and performing music. He has shared the bill with artists such as Once's The Swell Season and The Frames, Paddy Casey, Dead Can Dance, Declan O'Rourke, and Foy Vance. 'Live in New York' will be available from Amazon MP3 downloads. Physical CD is available from CD Freedom, and the MP3 download includes 'Fallen Leaves' for free. The CD will soon be available through the usual online music outlets (iTunes, Rhapsody, Emusic, Napster, and CD Baby). Michael will return to Meath in August for a show with Little Palace as part of the Le Cheile Festival.