Greetings earthlings.
I’m delighted to present the music video for my new single “Badder”. It’s my latest collaboration with ace animator/director and fellow Ballinasloe man Ian Benjamin Kenny, who I’ve worked with before a couple of times, including on the IMTV award-nominated video for the Herm track “Heads“.
The video sees me going about my business in space and, in my opinion, is a tour de force of CGI and green screen work. I’m a little bit concerned that, because of the prevalence of AI creations nowadays, Ian’s amazing skills won’t get the credit they deserve, so I’ll add the disclaimer: NO AI WAS USED IN THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO 😉
TOUR DATES
22/11 Valencia, Spain
29/11 Madrid, Spain
13/12 Dublin, Ireland
28/12 Galway Ireland
My new single, “Chango”, is out now. LISTEN HERE.
I originally came across the word “chango” in a song by the French/Spanish artist Manu Chao (“Papito”) and learned that it was a kind of slang term for “monkey” in Mexico. I have since found out that it’s also used in other parts of Latin America, with varying meanings (a bird, a fish, an exclamation,…).For some reason, playing this guitar riff, the word kept coming to mind for the hook. I’ve been steeped in Latin American / Hispanic culture for the last number of years so I guess it was inevitable that this kind of bleed would start happening.
From there, it was one of those songs that fell together effortlessly, that almost writes itself. I quickly began road-testing it at gigs, thinking “I’ll sit down and really hone it later”. However, it occurred to me that no more tinkering was needed, and I decided that I would record it as soon as possible.
At a session in Satelite Studios in Oviedo, Spain, a couple of months later (March 2025), I discovered that they had a gorgeous Gretsch electric guitar (see photo) with a sound that was perfect for “Chango”. I played through a couple of takes, without a click track and without much polishing afterwards. I wanted to ensure it maintained a raw, loose kind of vibe, a la artists like Jack White and Tom Waits. We added some sprinklings of bass guitar, banjo, Hammond organ and tambourine et voila.
I hope you like it!
As part of the promotion campaign, I have a concert in Dublin in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre on July 19. I’m looking forward to that as they have an acoustic piano and I have some special surprise guests lined up 🙂
Get your tickets here.
June is “Chango” month here at Hermquarters. I’ll be releasing a new single in a couple of weeks (“Chango” 😉) and doing these gigs around Spain to help promote it. Then it’s back to Ireland for the summer ☺️ Nos vemos??
01.06 Sagunto – La Taverna de la Serp
06.06 Valencia – The Artist
19.06 Alicante – El Refugio Arte y Utopias
27.06 Ourense – El Gaucho
28.06 Verín (OU) – A Morriña
29.06 Vilar de Santos (OU) – A Arca da Noe, en colaboración con Bico da Bruxa.
To be released in time for Valentine’s Day, “No Two Days Are the Same at Sea” is a song about love and its vagaries. Its wordy title belies its short length (1m 45s) and minimal instrumentation. Originally planned as a 5-minute epic featuring strings, key change et al, this released version, recorded in Satelite Studios, Oviedo, Spain, features just one vocal, Wurlitzer and bass guitar.
“Sometimes you can end up throwing the kitchen sink at something just because you can… I like this stripped down version so decided to release it as is. I hope you like it too. And happy Valentine’s Day!”
TOUR DATES:
22.02 Letras y Vinos, Valencia (ES)
27.03 The Ol’ 55, Galway (IE)
04.04 Coherencia, Ponferrada (ES)
05.04 El Trechuro, León (ES)
10.05 La Templanza, Peñíscola (ES)
24.05 El Refugio, Alicante (ES)
07.06 Legarzia, Abárzuza, Navarra (ES)
Kevin Herm Connolly 