2023 JOE CASSIDY CHRYSALIS AWARD WINNER:
CHALK

AWARD INFO

Presented by

softexplosives.co.uk and Metro, Chicago

at the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2023  
  

BACKGROUND

Picking up his first bass guitar at 13, Joe put his heart and soul into creating new music, as well as selflessly supporting his fellow musicians. He was compelled to create; he lived to compose, perform and share. 

In commemoration of the meld of Joe’s combination of unmistakable talent and vast generosity in nurturing other artists, the Joe Cassidy Chrysalis Award will be presented at the annual Northern Ireland Music Prize ceremony in the Ulster Hall, Belfast in November 2023. ”Chrysalis” in the title is deemed most appropriate, in view of Joe’s lifelong work as the 'Butterfly Child'. 

The purpose of this award is to provide financial support to a talented band or solo artist who shares Joe’s passion for making original music, his positivity, and his determination to survive and thrive in a very challenging music industry. In honour of Joe, we will also endeavour to give any additional practical support we can to the recipient, just as he would have done in his lifetime, 

The cash prize of £3000 has been raised through the proceeds of an event held on 28th August 2022, when the legendary Chicago music venue Metro hosted “Hear in Heaven”. The event was a joyous coming together of 42 musical artists, whose lives had been touched by Joe, performing in his honour. Joe's family would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of those involved in the Metro event, for the incredible generosity and love they have shown. We'd also like to thank our friends at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast for their wonderful support; we are looking forward to presenting the Joe Cassidy Chrysalis Award at the Northern Ireland Music Prize in November.

 

CRITERIA

We will support one talented solo artist or band*, currently living in Northern Ireland who:  

  • is passionate about making music  

  • is innovative and talented, producing quality original music in any genre  

  • is already proactive in trying to make things happen for themselves 

  • has established a tangible fanbase either locally or beyond 

  • can tell us how they would use this award to support their ambitions 

*For the purposes of this award, bands will be considered as living in Northern Ireland when at least 50% of its core members are living in Northern Ireland. 

We’re open-minded as to how the cash award might be spent, though it must be used towards costs that will support the artist/band to enhance, develop, record, tour or promote new music, helping them to progress to the next stage in their development. Whilst our approach is ‘admin light’, the recipient of the award should be prepared to provide information on how the prize money is spent.  

 

SELECTION

We are looking for:   

  • Passion - for creating original music. 

  • Artistry - projected artistic impact of the music based on existing body of work.  

  • Anticipated impact - the potential difference this award could make to the artist/band and the development of their music. 

 

Submissions will be reviewed and a shortlist compiled. Reviewing and final selection will be undertaken by members of Joe’s family, friends and contacts in the music business. The award will go to the innovative and talented solo artist or band who we believe will benefit the most from the award. This decision will be final and details of any discussions will be confidential. 

 

HOW TO MAKE A SUBMISSION

Please send the following to submissionsoftexplosives@gmail.com

1) CONTACT DETAILS

  • Name/phone/email of lead contact
  • Name/phone/email of parent/s or guardian/s if you or any other band members are under 18 years old. 
  • Any artist under the age of 18 will need to attach written permission from parent/s or guardian/s at the time of making a submission.

Please note: the following information will be shared with those involved in the review and selection process.

2) NAME OF ACT/BAND

3) IN NO MORE THAN 500 WORDS PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU FIT THE AWARD CRITERIA 

4) PLEASE ATTACH

  • Your bio
  • Examples of 2 tracks (e.g. MP3s or streamable links)
  • Links to any social media, band website, or videos 

IMPORTANT

  • Submissions are invited from June 21st 2023 and will close August 31st 2023. 
  • Cover acts/bands will not be considered.
  • We are unable to take individual enquiries or provide individual feedback on submissions.
  • We may need to contact you (or a parent/guardian if you are under 18) by the phone or email details you have provided if we have any questions or need further information.
  • In making a submission (if shortlisted) you are agreeing that we can include your act/band info (e.g. photos, links to your music, website, social media etc) on www.softexplosives.co.uk.
  • Artists/bands should check if they have been shortlisted on www.softexplosives.co.uk. We anticipate that the shortlist will be announced late October/early November 2023. 
  • If shortlisted, you/your band (or a representative) should be available to attend the Northern Ireland Music Prize ceremony in Belfast on Wednesday 15th November 2023.