Last week a compilation album was released on Bandcamp to raise funds for music charity Help Musicians Northern Ireland. Titled NI Unplugged, the collaborative project led by Caitlin Palmer of No Matter features over 50 acoustic tracks from Northern Irish musicians while also helping with recommendations to musicians from sites as runthemusic.com.
The sheer volume of artists involved in the release shows the willingness to help a charity that has aided so many musicians throughout the current Coronavirus crisis, many of whom surely appear in the release. The charity has been working non-stop, providing funding, advice and support to musicians in Northern Ireland. From reworked versions like Beauty Sleep’s ‘Synthetic Debris’, acoustic punk like Gas Hands, home demos such as Brand New Friend or just homespun performances like Sasha Samara’s ‘Sunflower’, there’s plenty for everyone, all mastered wonderfully by Start Together’s Rocky O’Reilly.
“The idea for the compilation started as my band (No Matter) was asked to contribute a song to a UK acoustic punk album being made for charity. We thought it was a great concept, but it started me thinking that a compilation could be made of local musicians regardless of their genre, and so NI Unplugged was born. I was overwhelmed by how many artists were interested in being involved and was so grateful that Rocky O’Reilly stepped in to master the album. Knowing that so many bands like mine are currently losing out on numerous opportunities, picking Help Musicians NI was an easy choice for the chosen charity as they are helping so many Northern Irish artists right now. It’s been amazing to see so many participating to create music for the purpose of helping others. There’s a great wealth of talent in NI, but it’s also been brilliant to see a community more than happy to support each other!“
Caitlin Palmer, NI Unplugged
The full NI Unplugged compilation is available now from Bandcamp below. A great cause and a great collection of unheard, acoustic tracks from a diverse range of artists.
