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Painted Lady

from The Still Beyond by Kate O'Callaghan

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    The Still Beyond is the debut album from Irish singer/songwriter Kate O'Callaghan.

    Packed in a beautifully printed digipak made of recycled, untreated, pulp board,
    This is a carbon neutral product.

    Included is a 12-page booklet with lyrics and artwork by Kate O'Callaghan.

    Album Reviews:

    "Subliminal, understated and simply glorious" - Fatea Magazine (UK)

    "Powerful..deeply atmospheric..genuinely lovely" - R2 (Rock n Reel) (UK)

    "Intelligent, meaningful and extraordinary listening experience" - Fanrealm (USA)

    “A talented singer/songwriter with a great voice..”   Shire Folk Magazine (UK)

    "A lovely debut album.." - John Creedon, RTE Radio 1 (IRL)

    "Warm, inviting, charming and delicate. A stunning debut album" - 2 U I Bestow (IRL)

    "An accomplished songwriter" - GoldenPlec (IRL)

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Still Beyond via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
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  • Full Digital Discography

    5
    releases

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Small Behaviours, The Girl With The Beret, Young Hearts Run Free, The Still Beyond, and To You. , and , .

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about

Written by Kate O'Callaghan

"This song was inspired by the migratory flight of the Painted Lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui.
As a child I was fascinated by these "Burning Orange" creatures, with their distinctive black and white spotted wing tips like watchful eyes. They were such a common sight in the summer months I assumed they were indigenous to our shores! I later learned of their migratory behavior and their spectacular flight each year from the desert fringes of North Africa, through mainland Europe and across the Irish sea. Such an epic journey for one so small and fragile it's difficult to fathom.

When recording the song we attempted to create a descriptive soundscape through the use of various instruments - delicate chimes, undulating vocals, searing violin harmonics and rolling conga rhythms. We even borrowed a mammoth orchestral bass drum (which barely fit into the tiny recording studio) in an effort to reflect the immensity of the journey undertaken by the insect and in some way capture the "essence of her might". The frequency of the drum was so low it felt like a scene from Jurassic Park and in the end up had to be adjusted so that the average domestic speaker could cope with it - ironically, we had created our very own 'Butterfly Effect'".

lyrics

She flies in the face of danger
No one knows exactly where she goes
Guided by the wind her journey takes her
To a land where the sweet nectar grows

Oh Oh Oh

Burning orange bright all eyes are on her
Slender is the essence of her might
Her fragile beauty is her only armour
To steer her through the perils of her flight

Oh Oh Oh


When the north wind whispers to her softly
Primal is the knowledge of her plan
For there she finds the promise of her fortune
And wings of gold the continents shall span

Oh Oh Oh

credits

from The Still Beyond, released October 1, 2013
Kate O'Callaghan (Vocals, Guitar and Chimes)
Ted Ponsonby (Guitar)
Seamus Devenny (Violin and Percussion)
Eddie Lee (Upright Double Bass)
Hue Jhorgen (Hammond Organ)
Finbarr Doherty (Guitar)

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Kate O'Callaghan image

Kate O'Callaghan County Donegal, Ireland

Kate O'Callaghan is a singer/songwriter based in Donegal, Ireland. Combining evocative melodies with intelligent considered lyrics, she covers a gamut of styles and emotions from Alt. Folk to Jazzy/Blues, the sublime to the cathartic. Evocative, haunting, poignant and refreshingly uplifting, with a unique aspect that explores the less obvious paths tonally as much as the expected. ... more

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