Irish stars lay down tracks for WholeWorldBand app

With Kevin Godley and Andy Wood's innovative WholeWorldBand app set to hit iTunes in March and a sneak peak being offered at the Music Show, yesterday several of Ireland's finest artists descended on Temple Bar to provide some content for it.

Designed by renowned video director and former 10cc man Kevin Goldley, WholeWorld Band lets you create music with other musicians and music fans around the world in both sound and pictures. Godley claims that the unique audio-visual app could be "the savior of the music industry."

A number of major musicians (including The Edge, Ron Wood and Cathy Davey) have all ready signed up to create performances for WholeWorldBand and Wednesday provided the opportunity for a few to do just that. With Lance Hogan on sound, producer and key player Suzanne Doyle present, and Kevin Godley himself overseeing and shooting it all, Gemma Hayes was first into Sun to lay down her track 'Keep Running'.

"It's bridging the gap between the musician and the listener," says Gemma, after her work is done. "Somebody can now be a part of the song."

How does she feel about consumers adding instruments and video clips to her piece? "I'm very precious when I'm writing and in the studio but once the song is out there, people can love it, hate it, play it backwards, I don't care! I'd be curious to hear what people do."

How did she first hear about the project? "Suzanne Doyle called me up and said, 'have you heard of Kevin Godley?'" the singer explains. "I knew the name and that he is this massive video director. She said, 'do you want to meet us for a cup of tea, we have something to run by you' but she didn't really tell me anything. They told me their idea, which I thought was amazing. I've never put my name to something that I didn't think was good."

Doyle herself has worked closely with Godley for some time on the project, which she argues has the same spirit of collaboration as Godley's One World One Voice world music album and documentary.

"You should see the people that crop up in it," says Doyle. "Every time you'd be thinking 'this is amazing, this is amazing', someone else would appear, like Iggy Pop, or Lou Reed. Or an amazing tribe… it's just really incredible."

By now, Liam O Maonlai of the Hothouse Flowers has entered the Temple Bar building. He describes the influence Godley had on his outlook. "I was in Australia on tour when I first saw One World One Voice. It's one of the greatest works of art of our time. Afterwards, I went downstairs where there was a disco on and I just danced all night! It didn't matter what the music was, it was like the project was just locked into my head. It seriously influenced me completely in my thinking."

Hayes emerges from the studio and is instantly taken with the Irish harp Liam has brought in for his session. "Can I pluck that?" she asks O Maonlai, who is more than obliging.

The spirit of musical collaboration appears to be alive and well and, thanks to Godley, is coming to an iPhone near you.

Kevin Godley and Andy Wood will demonstrate the new music sharing, revenue generating app for the first time at the 2012 Music Show.

The Music Show 2012, presented by Hot Press in association with RTE 2fm, runs from February 25-26 in The RDS, Dublin.

Tickets are available (€12 one day, €16 for the weekend) on Ticketmaster

For more info see The Music Show's website www.themusicshow.ie