Mark McAvoy posted on June 09, 2011 10:10
A talented innovator who forged a very successful international musical career, the acclaimed Cork-born musician and producer known simply as Skully has been exceptionally busy of late.
With two of his songs included on the soundtrack for the new Hollywood film Soul Surfer (2011) and the release of his new solo album earlier this month, Skully (left) is now preparing to reprise his role as part of the successful Cork-based musical duo Métisse and work on their as yet untitled third album.
Discussing his new solo album entitled Scent Of A Moment (2011), Skully admits that the inspiration for his second record was triggered by unusual stimuli. “Each song on Scent Of A Moment is about a moment in my life. There are songs on it about lost love, the economic climate in Ireland today, friends, relationships and history. Every song comes down to one moment that I remember because of a particular smell that I associate with that moment.”
Based in the County Cork seaside town of Crosshaven, Skully also drew creative inspiration from restoration work that he did on a voluntary basis at the historical site of Fort Camden in Crosshaven, which had fallen derelict after years of neglect by the authorities. Together with a fellow volunteer called Vincent Farr, Skully embarked on many days of hard-work for no pay and is delighted to have been involved in such a worthwhile project, that for him, yielded creative dividends.
Before being forced to withdraw from the project in the Autumn of last year, Skully enjoyed his working holiday from recording commitments, which are now taking centre stage once again. “Up until we finished back in September of 2010, Vincent and I devoted every free moment of our days to renovating Fort Camden. Vincent and I founded ‘The Rescue Camden Group,’ with the sole goal of restoring the fort on a not-for-profit basis, for the entire local community. Under Vincent’s guidance and as part of a team of hard-working volunteers, I went into the fort and painted, scrubbed and panel-beat. On Scent Of A Moment, there is a piece of music that tries to bring you on a trip through Fort Camden.”
“From time to time, I will be putting up the meanings behind some of the songs on my website [www.skully.ie]. At the moment, there is a blog up about the track Mrs Noble. She was a woman who was murdered in West Cork in the early part of the 20th century and this track was inspired by her story and is a tribute to her.”
An interesting dimension to the physical release of Scent Of A Moment is the fact that each copy will have an accompanying aroma. “In keeping with the record’s name, we are spraying the albums with different aromas such as coffee and aftershave. Not only does it look nice, but it also smells nice.”
Now as he gears up to work on the new Métisse record, Skully reveals his future plans: “We are buying a new recording studio at the moment and we want to make the studio more portable. Once I have settled on the equipment that we need, Aïda [vocalist with Métisse] can come with me and record in West Cork and in Cobh and different places. So it will also affect the music that we are recording. We have finished recording four tracks together already and we are very pleased with the results. So hopefully by the end of this year, that album will be out.”
For more information on Skully and his upcoming releases, visit his website: www.skully.ie. Scent Of A Moment was released on June 1 and is now available on CD and as a download release.