JAMES O'TOOLE ON VOCALS GUITARS & KEYS........
CONOR FRIEL ON BASS & BACK VOX.......
JAY MCNAMARA ON DRUMS......
CHECK OUT 'IN LIGHT' MUSIC VID HERE-
CHECK OUT 'IN LIGHT' on BALCONY TV here-
CHECK OUT 'BURN' MUSIC VIDEO by Sean Kavanagh HERE-
Influences
JAMES' draws influences from his life and the lives of the people around him who are working their fingers to the bone...his musical influences began at a very early age growing up in fatima mansions flats when his dad would annoy the neighbours by blasting zeppelin, bowie and queen with the windows open full volume on the stereo... his own searching brought him through the world of classical (taught himself to write notation and score strings...like on 'sorrow')...spent teen years listening to guns n roses, depeche mode, the cure, lotsa bowie! "anything bitter sweet and beautiful and angry at the same time....anything REAL!....i dont care what 'style' it is as long as it has a real 'content'!!" at the moments he's got depeche mode and jeff buckley on his stereo a lot..
CONOR's influences started with springsteen and johnny cash which he heard as a child...over the years listening to all types of music these are some of his favourites- billy talent, my chemical romance, aiden, alkaline trio, the academy is, angles and airwaves, +44, blink 182, good charlotte, guns n roses, papa roach, the used, yellow card...
and JAY's influences-"..the first band that inspired me to make music was The Smashing Pumpkins, especially their drummer Jimmy.. I've been influenced by all the musicians I've played with over the years and have grown to love many different styles of music. there's no way I could name all the artists I like but here's a few of my favourutes - Pink Floyd, The Chemical Brothers, Boards Of Canada, Neil Young, Simian Mobile Disco, Bjork, DJ Shadow, Air... whatever its all good!"
THE BAND manages to blend all these diverse influences into something of their own....
JACKIE HAYDEN HOTPRESS------
"definitely one act for the majors to pay serious attention to."
ROAD RECORDS------
"...moments hinting at something like jeff buckley fronting early smashing pumpkins, there are lots of big explosive guitar heavy emotional alt rock sounds blended in with the odd string led ballad..."
YES FRANCESCA (USA)--------
"A voice like a wild soaring angel with a devil on his back..."
MUSIC REVEIW.COM--------
"you can hear where james is comin from pure heart and soul"
EDDIE JOYCE IMRO-------
"Young, Gifted and Irish
I've been listening to dubliner James O'Toole for the past week.
Now I want as many people as possible to get an opportunity to check out this music.
This guy is going to be BIG."
Aortal are a new Dublin three piece fronted by James O’ Toole on guitar and vocals with Conor Friel on bass. This exciting new act combines striking vocals and visuals with the raw energy of a pumping heart.
Everything about James suggests that in the eyes of today’s society he is a spectacular failure! Born and raised in the Dublin Council flats, Fatima Mansions, but gifted with an extraordinary voice and an amazing vocal range James is very much a product of his environment. Taking his rare gift he has absorbed these influences and reflects them in a vocal ability that is sometimes soft and vulnerable, sometimes blistering and venomous.
As a deserter from the industrial army James has continued to fulfil the destiny that fate has thrust upon him by happily being a failure. A failure that has survived for seven years on nothing other than whatever he can earn on the streets with his voice and guitar. A failure that has made it to India and back. Playing and singing while lying on his back on a bus rooftop bouncing its ways through the Himalayas. A failure that has made it to South Africa twice, the anti globalisation marches in Evian in 2003 (dodging tear gas lots of fun!) to London, Germany and Sweden all on the talent of his voice alone.
Playing covers in the street, not for notoriety or for the pursuit of pleasure, but because he has to eat, James has spent this time crafting and developing his own unique and original material. In failing to conform to the expectations of society and dissenting with a grin, James has won the time to develop himself as a musician. A precious time that few others ever get. There have been good times and friends made, crowds and busking on sunny days. But weeks of rain, no money and no hope coupled with the violence that is an everyday reality of playing on the streets has left James with his nose broken twice and his teeth kicked in.
It was while recording a solo album with Martin Murphy (ex Emotional Fish)that James met Conor Friel. There was an immediate connection between all members and as an accomplished musician and sound engineer in his own right Conor began to work with James refining his sound and playing, engineering and producing this early material. A couple of drummers later the lads were joined by Jay McNamara. From this collaboration was born Aortal so called after the aortal artery in the heart. Aortal is a beating revolutionary core pumping life from the left! Conor brings a punk pop sensibility to the sound and his on stage banter and interaction with the crowd provide the perfect foil to the intensity of James’ vocal performance and Jay's solid beats. It is this professional musicianship and ease of communication with each other and the crowd from the stage which combine to make Aortal one of the most exciting emerging live acts in Ireland today. They will leave you howling for more....
James, Conor and Jay are busy working on the new single version of 'Failure', music videos for both 'burn' and 'failure' and tracks for the upcoming Aortal album due out sometime in SPRING 09!!
WOW and fuckin WOW!! That has MTV, when it actually played videos, all over it! Great concept for a vid and the song rocks! Some Manics overtones in there?? Nice one!
Just returned from YouTube after watching and listening to "Burn". Well done and good luck!!!! Peter/Tol-Puddle Martyrs. Time Will Come...........Tol-Puddle Martyrs 1967.
