Bushmills Irish Whiskey® sets up Legacy Fund for Emerging Artists, Curated by Third Bar's Gary Lightbody and Davy Matchett

Bushmills Irish Whiskey® sets up Legacy Fund for Emerging Artists, Curated by Third Bar's Gary Lightbody and Davy Matchett

BUSHMILLS VILLAGE, Northern Ireland, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --



David C Clements and VerseChorusVerse announced as first recipients of
GBP20,000 fund created by Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Snow Patrol frontman's artist


development business, Third Bar



Bushmills Irish Whiskey and artist development company Third Bar - made up of Snow
Patrol lead singer, Gary Lightbody and Davy Matchett - today announced that they have
joined forces to create and curate the Bushmills Live Legacy Fund.



(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130613/621577-a )




(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130613/621577-b )




Bushmills Live, the handcrafted whiskey and music festival, is a platform for
established and emerging indie talent. This year the festival organisers wanted to take
their commitment to supporting up-and-coming talent one step further and set up this Fund
of GBP10,000. Recognising the significance this held for Northern Irish talent, Third
Bar's directors Gary and Davy pledged to curate and match this fund, creating a trust of
GBP20,000 in total. They have selected two exciting emerging Northern Irish artists as
recipients: David C Clements and VerseChorusVerse.



David C. Clements, 27, performed at Bushmills Live 2012, and since then has shared a
stage with Ed Sheeran and co-written songs with Gary Lightbody. VerseChorusVerse, aka Tony
Wright, 32, founder of 'And So I Watch You From Afar', has recently finished recording his
highly anticipated debut album with fellow Bushmills Live performer and Ivor Novello
winner*, Iain Archer, which is due for release later this year.



The team at Third Bar will be working with both to offer advice and guidance on the
right places to invest their Fund**. Additionally, Bushmills will be lending a performance
platform to the two artists at this year's Bushmills Live. Both artists will be taking to
the stage on 20th June alongside headliners Of Monsters and Men, Jake Bugg, Sons and
Lovers, Willy Mason, Bear's Den, Iain Archer and Foy Vance.



Gary Lightbody's passion for the Northern Irish music scene saw him donate Snow
Patrol's fee for headlining Bushmills Live last year to the Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast. This
donation led to the creation of Bush Gardens - Belfast's largest rooftop performance
space.



He commented: "It's no secret that I am a passionate supporter of the Northern Irish
music scene. Davy and I have been friends since school and we set up Third Bar together to
help advise up-and-coming artists in the music industry which is why I think it is
brilliant that the Bushmills brand is prepared to get involved at this grass roots level
and put their money where their mouth is."



He added: "I am a big fan of both David and VerseChorusVerse, having watched them both
live - they have incredible stage presence and fantastic material, they just need a
platform to make it big."



Bushmills Master Distiller, Colum Egan, commented: "Bushmills Live provides us with a
great music platform for established and emerging indie artists. Last year it was where
Gary Lightbody watched David C Clements perform and where the idea for the Bushmills Live
Legacy Fund was born. We decided that we wanted to provide further support to emerging
artists, beyond lending them a stage at the festival. I'm really excited about seeing the
recipients of the Fund perform among the casks and pot stills at the Old Bushmills
Distillery in June and then following their progress on their path to global stardom."



NOTES TO EDITORS



Twitter: @BushmillsGlobal [http://www.twitter.com/BushmillsGlobal ]



Hashtag: #BushmillsLive



*Jake Bugg and Iain Archer received a nomination for this year's Ivor Novello Awards
for 'best song musically and lyrically' for 'Two Fingers,' a song they co-wrote.



**VerseChorusVerse is accessing the fund to assist paying for studio time, production
and mixing costs relating to the recording of his debut album, due for release this year.
David C Clements will be using the fund to assist the recording of his own debut solo
album, due for release next year.



Tickets to Bushmills Live are no longer available - for more info:
facebook.com/bushmills1608.



BUSHMILLS LIVE LEGACY FUND ARTIST INFORMATION



About David C Clements:



David C Clements has been playing music throughout the UK and Europe more than a
decade. Although his current guise has only been implemented from the beginning of last
year, he previously fronted up Belfast act, Six Star Hotel. With a series of European
tours, and a few critically acclaimed albums, he knew it was time for a change. He first
dabbled in producing records local acts, such as the Lowly Knights and Napoleon, but we
knew he would not stay off the road for long.



David C Clements, as a musical project, was born on 1st January 2012. Throughout the
opening few months of 2012 David has released three two track EPs online, this has caused
a stir throughout the industry, gaining him viral support from Two Door Cinema Club, a
live session on BBC Radio One, a show at Union Chapel London, a Channel 4 advert and a
plethora of local radio support.



"David has the voice of a melancholy angel. He has a rare ear for melody and lyrics
that hit right at the heart of the human condition." - Paul McClean, BBC Radio Ulster.



http://davidcclements.bandcamp.com



ABOUT VERSECHORUSVERSE



VerseChorusVerse is the musical alias of Tony Wright, the founding member, & composer
of some of their most popular songs, of And So I Watch You From Afar.



When he left the band in late 2011, he darted quickly in the opposite direction, keen
not to repeat himself stylistically. Since then he has been racking up the miles playing
across the UK, Ireland, Spain along with artist approved supports of Daniel Johnston,
William Elliot Whitmore, Michael Kiwanuka, Jonah Matranga & James Yorkston.



He recently finished recording his highly anticipated debut album with Iain Archer and
is due to release it this year with PledgeMusic as he seeks to fund the accompanying
campaign for the album.



http://versechorusverse.bandcamp.com



ABOUT BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY



With a heritage rooted in authenticity and quality, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is
produced, aged and bottled at Ireland's oldest working distillery in the village of
Bushmills in County Antrim on the far north coast of Ireland. The Old Bushmills Distillery
uses 100% malt barley to make triple distilled malt whiskey, which is what creates the
rich, mellow and distinct flavour that is the house style. The Bushmills portfolio
includes: Bushmills Irish Whiskey; Black Bush, Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt,
Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 1608 and
now Bushmills Irish Honey.



ABOUT DIAGEO
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of
beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include
Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JepsilonB, Buchanan's, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies,
Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and
Guinness.



Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around
the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London
Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and
performance, visit http://www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource that promotes
responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and
initiatives, visit http://www.DRINKiQ.com.



Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.






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Bushmills Irish Whiskey

CONTACT: PR Contact: Claire.Lorimer@smartscommunicate.com/+44(0)2890395512


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