FRIDAY MAY 8 2015 SCENE: 33 Verch-ual reality Canadian April Verch is a singer, fiddler and step dancer who’s touring Ireland to promote her latest album. She talks to Brian Campbell

n Beyonce and APRIL Verch must really have enjoyed her I think people have husband Jay-Z first Irish gig in Co Tyrone last year because now the singer, fiddler and step dancer has trouble categorising returned for a 12-date tour across Ireland. The Canadian and fellow band members the music. I’ve always Here’s the verdict... the spending power and brand name of Google Cody Walters (bass, clawhammer banjo) and behind it, there are often exclusive tracks and Hayes Griffin (guitar, mandolin) are touring to felt that you should n Blinkbox music (www.blinkboxmusic.com) offers available for subscribers. promote Verch’s 10th album The Newpart. Monthly price: £4.33 (£1 a week) They played Carrick-on-Shannon on play what you love and Tracks: 14 million n MixRadio (www.mixrad.io) Wednesday, Listowel yesterday and take Quality: 192kbps Monthly price: £3.99 in Wexford tonight. Their packed schedule I like too many things Verdict: Cheap and cheerful. Understandably, Tracks: 26 million brings them to Cork tomorrow, Baltimore the song choice is more limited than other Quality: 192kbps in Co Cork on Sunday, Clifden in Co Galway services and focused more towards Verdict: Brilliantly cheap, but with limitations on Tuesday, Dublin on Wednesday, Bray on chart hits than genre music – the mobile app was previously only available Thursday, Drogheda next Friday and then to April Verch and back catalogue, while the on Windows phones and has just launched for Belfast, Portstewart and Lisburn. streaming bit rate of 192kbps other devices. As a result, the app isn’t great, “We’ve been really looking forward to this won’t sound that good on even and the service works by creating personalised tour,” says Verch. “We’ve been to England and practised a lot in that room,” says Verch. mid-range audio equipment. radio stations for you to listen to, meaning it a few times but we’ve only done that one “I didn’t have a clue about the album title. takes time to learn your preferences. Low audio festival in Ireland, at the Ulster-American I wrote that song in the room and I just n Deezer (www.deezer.com) quality too. Folk Park in Omagh. That was a lot of fun and thought, ‘I should call this tune The Newpart’. Monthly price: £9.99 the line-up was great.” “Album titles have always been a challenge. Tracks: 35 million n Rdio (www.rdio.com) The Newpart features traditional tunes and I met my manager and we talked through all Quality: 320kbps Monthly price: £9.99 covers as well as Verch’s own songs as she the tracks and when we got to that one he Verdict: The biggest choice, and at £9.99 a Tracks: 30 million mixes folk and bluegrass with a dash of said, ‘It sounds like a pretty special place and month, competitive. Sonos users can also Quality: 320kbps country and a lot of step dancing. One track, it sort of ties everything together that you’re upgrade to Deezer Elite, their hi-res streaming Verdict: A great range of music, decent price Gilchrist, is actually all step dancing and talking about – family, tradition and music. service. FLOW and Radio functions make it and audio quality, plus discounts for family nothing else. I think that’s it.’ easy to find new music with suggested artists subscriptions. There’s lots to commend Rdio “The dancing’s a big part of the live show and “I said, ‘Maybe you’re right’. But when I told and tracks. This is one of the best services out for. a big part of who I am, because I was a dancer my folks about the title they looked at me there. first,” says Verch. “That song, Gilchrist, was like I was crazy,” she laughs. Verch and her n Spotify (www.spotify.com) the first time that I wrote something for band have won rave reviews for their live n Google Play Music (play.google.com) Monthly price: £9.99 feet and there’s a refrain and a melody that show, which mixes incredible musicianship Monthly price: £9.99 Tracks: 30 million hopefully people will hear upon repeated and energy with lots of banter, charm and Tracks: 30 million Quality: 320kbps listening. humour. Quality: 320 kbps Verdict: Still the best – perhaps because of “It’s funny, because a lot of our UK reviews “We play a lot of seated theatres where Verdict: Another excellent option with decent the name – Spotify’s been market leader since have really slammed that song. We’ve been people aren’t going to get up and dance, so bit rate and a competitive price. Also, as it has its launch in 2006. Playlists, suggestions and getting a kick out of that. I don’t worry too when you look out at those places you want to pages created by artists make it easy to find much about that kind of thing. It was just see people tapping their toes. I think people new music, integration makes it the most interesting how it wasn’t counted as music, have trouble categorising the music. I’ve Whether a group of widely available service too, while the price, per se. Maybe the next record will have two always felt that you should play what you love catalogue size and audio rate make it the best of those tracks,” she laughs. and I like too many things. It does make the multi-millionaires saying all-rounder. Verch is happy to have 10 albums under her marketing hard, but on the other hand I think belt now. “It feels good. I felt like, ‘This is the it’s what makes our live shows so appealing. they want to earn more n Tidal (www.tidal.com) 10th one and it’s going to be OK and it’s going “At the end of a gig we don’t want people to Monthly price: Premium £9.99/Tidal HiFi £19.99 to be what I want it to be’. There’s a comfort go ‘Gee, what kind of music DO they play?’ money will work remains Tracks: 25 million and a freedom that comes with reaching that but ‘Wow, that was really good’.” Quality: Premium 320kbps/1411kbps lossless milestone.” to be seen but they’re Verdict: The standard service is on a par with The title track and album title are named n April Verch plays the Black Box in Belfast Spotify. Tidal HiFi, however, offers lossless in honour of a cherished family room in her on Wednesday May 20, the Flowerfield Arts right that artists need to audio. Even with low-budget audio equipment, parents’ house in the Ottawa Valley that’s Centre in Portstewart on Thursday May the difference is marked and you’ll think you’re used for writing and rehearsing. 21 and the Island Arts Centre in Lisburn earn more money from listening to a CD again. With a high-quality “We recorded all of the songs for this album on Friday May 22. The Newpart is out now system, the sound is unprecedented (but it’s not in a studio in North Carolina, but I wrote a lot (AprilVerch.com). streaming cheap).