Evolution Entertainment have a big year planned for 2007 with our first annual Laois Entertainment Awards planned, a national tour for unsigned original acts, a Music and Arts Festival in Mountrath as well as the usual and some unusual ventures that we don’t want to jinx by talking about them just yet.

So have a look around, get to know some of the bands and performers that have taken the stage at Evolution Gigs, as well as everyone else on the Laois entertainment scene who are bringing the biggest, brightest and best to the County.

We do this for fun, so everything around here is pretty casual, but don’t let that fool you, we mean business!!

About Us:

The core of Evolution Entertainment is made up of two brothers, Dara and Oisin Byrne, however, we wouldn’t exist without the contribution of everyone else on the Laois music scene (who you can read about in the band section). So here’s a shameless self-promoting blurb about who we are!

Dara – The business end of Evolution, I do all the planning, booking, budgeting etc… you know, the exciting stuff. As well as running Evolution I’m also a Business student in TCD, the Arts and Entertainment Journalist for the Laois Voice Newspaper (handy when you’re promoting gigs) and Bass player for Laois band Rain Dogs.

Oisin – The media end of Evolution. Oisin is a Graphic Designer based in Waterford. Oisin takes care of designing all the posters, website and general advertising. Outside of Evolution Oisin works in AOL, has his own Graphic Design company called Jango Design and plays guitar and occasionally pops up in bands here and there.

The Scene:

The Laois scene is blessed with a fantastic array of musicians, playing absolutely every type of music going (ok not every type but give us a break, we’re a small county). This is a section that will be updated regularly with photo’s, profiles and interviews with all the bands.

16 May 2007
The Laois Music Awards 2007

The first Laois Music Awards were a fantastic success for all involved, and a big thanks to everyone that contributed and attended to make it so....

I put in a big write up in the Laois Voice on all the winners and the night in general, but here's a quick run down of the winners on the night

Best Trad/Folk - The Keepers
Contribution to Music Award - The Laois School of Music
Best DJ - Rory Hyland
Best Drummer - Ros O'Meara
Best Bassist - Barry Hayes
Best Guitarist - Eamonn Dunne
Best Frontman - Mel McCarthy
Best Singer - Andy Lambe
Best Musician - Ros O'Meara
Best Newcomers - Rain Dogs
Best Promoters - World Fleadh
Best Venue - Lethean
Best Original - Shane Booth (Starcode)
Best Band - The Big Spoon

10 May 2007
New band profile up folks, hopefully we'll be filling out the site with more pictures and music soon, kinda hectic with the awards so soon....give it time though, we've got some savage bands lined up

22 Apr 2007
The Boxcar Sessions - Blues and Jazz Club

Well we've finally got this baby up-and-running, still haven't figured out how to upload pic's to this site yet but check out the poster to our first night on www.myspace.com/evolutionents

We've got a great line-up for the first night, The Kai Big Band with JD Smith supporting!

Just check out the same myspace address to go to their pages and check them out

The first night will take place on Friday May 18 at 9.30pm and tickets are priced at €10, which will be available from the bar.

Keep your eye on the Laois Voice or contact me on 087 9835678/evolutionents@yahoo.ie for further details

22 Apr 2007
Laois Music Awards 2007 – Nominee List

Best Band
1, Voodoo
2, The Jury
3, Band X
4, SNES
5, The Big Spoon
6, Epic

Best Original
1, Terry Byrne (BurningBoy)
2, Shane Booth (Starcode)
3, Zing
4, James O’Conner
5, The Frantics
6, Rule of Honour

Best Trad/Folk
1, The Keepers
2, Wallop the Cat
3, Fair Isle Folk
4, Na Fianna
5, Footstick
6, Moonshine

Best Newcomers
1, The High Colloquials
2, .12 Gauge
3, Rain Dogs
4, War garden
5, Rule of Honour

Best Musician
1, Wayne Connaghten (former Supplicium, now solo composer)
2, Paul Clancy (Big Spoon, Rain Dogs and Lea Roadies keyboard player)
3, Ros O’Meara (SNES, Big Spoon and Frantics drummer, Band X bassist)
4, Barry Hayes (Bassist in jazz, trad, soul, funk, prog, alternative, rock and original bands)
5, Terry Byrne (acoustic guitarist and singer, bassist with Lea Roadies and performed all the instruments on debut album)

Best Guitarist
1, Eamonn Dunne (guitarist with Band X, The Spoons, occasionally The Feds and the Jury, formerly with the Big Spoon)
2, Adrian Robinson (Voodoo and Rain Dogs)
3, Derek Ballesty (SNES and Supplicium)
4, George Keyes (The Big Spoon)
5, John McCormac (Rule of Honour)

Best Drummer
1, Declan Dunne (Band X, Entropy)
2, Brendan Dalton (Fracture, Starcode)
3, Alan Ryan (Voodoo)
4, Ros O’Meara (Big Spoon, The Frantics, SNES)
5, John Tynan (The High Colloquials)
6, Alan Eakens (Zing)

Best Bassist
1, Freddie Hart (The Feds, Powertrippin’)
2, Barry Hayes (The Keepers, The Big Spoon, SNES, Starcode, The High Colloquials)
3, Frank McNally (Voodoo, formerly The Jury)
4, Noel John Tuohy (Entropy)
5, Ger O’Brien (Fracture)

Best Singer
1, Joe Salmon (The Keepers)
2, Haley Lewis (solo)
3, Andy Lambe (Band X)
4, Damien Bowe (Moonshine, formerly D-Side)
5, Shane Booth (Solo, Rain Dogs, Starcode and Fracture)

Best Frontman
1, Dick Finnegan (The Big Spoon, The Spoons)
2, Michelle Fingelton (Zing)
3, Mel McCarthy (SNES)
4, Dave Walsh (Entropy)
5, Jordan McEvoy (Rule of Honour)

Best Venue
1, Sky Venue
2, Dunamaise Arts Centre
3, Lethean
4, Sally Gardens
5, Bar Habana
6, Kavanagh’s

Best Promoters
1, McDaddy Promotions (Portarlington Battle of the Bands)
2, World Fleadh, Portlaoise (World Fleadh 2007 to Portlaoise)
3, D.O.D. Festival organisers (Day of Darkness Metal Festival, Ballylinan)

Best DJ
1, Rory Hyland
2, Mathew Flanagan
3, DJ Konspiracy (Bob)
4, Aiden Delaney

To vote please e-mail your choices to evolutionents@yahoo.ie, either copy and paste the list and stick a tick or go the long way about it and write it all out ;)

5 Apr 2007

The start of our jazz club will be starting soon in our Portlaoise HQ, Lethean

One date confirmed so far but we're gonna wait until we've a few boked before we launch the series,

Watch this space, it's gonna be class

5 Apr 2007

Third Pearl Jem date confirmed for September 28th in The Forum, Waterford!!

Venue list growing.....

22 Mar 2007

Two dates have been confirmed with Pearl Jam tribute act Pearl Jem for Portlaoise's Sky Venue and new venue on our venue list, Zoo Club in Kilkenny!!

As always more details to follow

22 Mar 2007
Today FM's Anne Marie Kelly has been announced as MC for the Laois Music Awards on May 11!!

More to follow

20 Mar 2007
Well we've confirmed dates and most of the acts for the Laois Music Awards which will now be taking place on the 11th of May, 2007. We hope to make this an annual event with the purpose being to acknowledge all the hard work and achievements of everyone on the scene as well as raising much need funds for the Elderly Care Unit in St. Brigids Hospital Shaen....

A full list of nominees will follow....

Dara

8 Jan 2007
this is todays news