Kris Finnerty
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Kris Finnerty

Band Folk Acoustic

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The best kept secret in music

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"Talented musician is ready to seize the day"

Talented musician is ready to seize the day


Thursday November 01 2007

'I'm always nervous before I do a gig, I don't think it would be a good night if I wasn't.' Humble bard Kris Finnerty is approaching 27 years of age and has been singing in public since his school days, but still gets the jitters before taking the stage. 'I'm better at handling it now, but I always just want to do a good gig.'
'I'm always nervous before I do a gig, I don't think it would be a good night if I wasn't.' Humble bard Kris Finnerty is approaching 27 years of age and has been singing in public since his school days, but still gets the jitters before taking the stage.

'I'm better at handling it now, but I always just want to do a good gig.'

'Carpe Diem' is tattooed along the modest singer's left arm, seize the day. He has certainly seized on the opportunity to take his chances with the rollercoaster that is the tough music business.

As his debut album is launched, Finnerty wishes that he could perform and give his music away for free and laments the fact that to do so would be impossible.

'Chisty is Dead' is a nod to the days when Kris went by that moniker locally, and the fourteen songs on the album comprise a collection of his best work written over the course of the last ten years.

His music has been described as on the one hand, classic folk, playing as he does alone with his acoustic guitar and harmonica, and on the other simultaneously modern and edgy.

As a fledgling song-writer, Kris first tried out his particular brand of acoustic folk several years ago when the Harbour Bar first launched the Thursday night open mic night.

'It was a great platform,' he said. 'There was a good atmosphere in the place and people were there to listen to music. It gives people a chance to try it out. I was doing covers and slowly started doing my own songs as time went on.'

He was performing mainly at parties until a friend who worked in a local bar set him up with a gig and he began playing regularly in local bars and clubs.

While he has drawn on his own experience to some extent when writing lyrics, he says that the songs are not necessarily autobiographical as such.

Having grown up in Fassaroe, Kris has fond memories of his childhood in Bray. 'I never really got in to trouble, I wasn't a bad kid,' he said. 'I'd say I was mischievous if anything. I always loved the beach, diving from the harbour wall or fishing off the pier. I couldn't ever live inland.'

The songwriter explained that even during his extensive travels he rarely stayed anywhere that was too far from the sea.

'Over around two and a half years I was in Australia, America, France, Asia and other places,' he said. 'I was in a bar in Thailand when I ran in to three lads I went to school with,' he said, illustrating the commonly held belief that you can't go anywhere in the world without bumping in to someone you know. 'Then I met a guy I grew up with walking down the street in Taiwan.'

His big adventure was travelling all over the Australian coast in a modified van. This and other trips broadened Kris' mind, he said, and gave him the confidence he needed to pursue a career in music in earnest on his return.

The Bray native attended school in St. Patrick's, followed by St. Cronan's and St. Thomas'. He became a member of the school choir at St. Thomas', where teacher Mr. Nolan gave him support and encouragement when he recognised that his student was a talented singer.

Kris then took up playing the guitar in his mid teens and began working out versions of his favourite songs.

From then on he had little interest in anything other than music and practiced incessantly, until he was to become an accomplished musician.

After secondary school he got a place at the renowned Rock School at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, best known for having turned out successful songwriters Damien Dempsey and Mundy.

At Ballyfermot he received formal training for the first time in guitar, piano and bass, as well as singing, songwriting, engineering and management.

His taste in music always extended to a variety of genres. His parents Patricia and James as well as older brothers Shane, Eoin and Mark all listened to different things and Kris inherited from them a penchant for anything from Billy Joel to The Prodigy.

Amongst his influences, Kris cites Bob Dylan and the Counting Crows, but said that he has listened to 'anything and everything' along the way.

This year, Kris was approached by Seven Towers creative agency and signed up with them. Managing Director Sarah Lundberg had heard his music and felt he was worth representing.

Since then he has been gigging non-stop as well as recording, and putting the finishing touches to, his first album.

Chisty is Dead was launched last week in Pravda and The Martello.

- Bray People


"Way with Words"

"One song and you’re interested, the second you’re hooked. Kris Finnerty has a musical way with words."

- Peter Grogan, Dublin City Annalivia FM
- Peter Grogan


"Big Boys"

“With launching this album, Kris Finnerty is throwing his hat into the ring with the ‘big boys’ . . . He will be called on to deliver and I don’t think he’ll be found wanting”.
Eamon Carr

- Eamon Carr/IndyMedia.ie


"Album"

“. . . features some lovely mellow acoustic based folky sounds, the album comes very beautifully packaged in a large format card sleeve with booklet and two foldout posters featuring sleevenotes and lyrics”.
Road Records
- Road Records\IndyMedia.ie


"Castle Palooza Line Up"

http://www.goldenplec.com/festivals/castlepalooza/castlepalooza-2008/ - Goldenplec


"Album Profits to Charity"

Share of album profits to go to charity


Thursday November 08 2007

Local musician Kris Finnerty is to donate a portion of the profits from the sale of his debut album, Chisty is Dead, to the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland. Kris is represented by the Seven Towers Agency which will be donating 77c from the sale of every product, including gig tickets, to the charity.
Local musician Kris Finnerty is to donate a portion of the profits from the sale of his debut album, Chisty is Dead, to the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.

Kris is represented by the Seven Towers Agency which will be donating 77c from the sale of every product, including gig tickets, to the charity.

They have chosen to do this as both Kris and another of their clients, poet Noel Ó Briain ,have family members with the disease.


Cystic Fibrosis is Ireland's most common life-threatening inherited disease. It affects the glands, primarily damaging the lungs and digestive system.

- Bray People


Discography

See YouTube for Videos (search for Kris Finnerty or Chisty Finno)
Album Jam is up on Itunes, Open Your Eyes, Chisty is Dead on You Tunes, My Smyth on Balcony TV, singles on Eastcoast - Train to dublin,

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Influences include Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Band of Horses, Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon, and hundreds more...

My main attraction is the passion and compassion I bring to my music, be it classic acoustic through to my hip hop mix of the 80's and 90's, my performance has been described as reaching out to every member of the audience and bringing them into my world of music.