Niall Toner song on Nashville Wednesday night

Onwards & Upwards - Niall TonerWe received word from Niall Toner in County Carlow in Ireland that one of his songs is set to be featured on the ABC television program, Nashville, on Wednesday, November 7.

Music is merely a subtext on the show, which is more of a nighttime soap opera than anything else. The running plot centers around the personal and career struggles of an established country artist played by Connie Britton, and a young upstart played by Hayden Panettiere.

Tonight’s episode (#105) will include Niall’s Lonely Souls And Broken Hearts at some point in the program. While the McCoury boys were pictured in the background in a previous show, this will be the first time that a bluegrass artist has found their way on to the soundtrack.

Toner shared a few words about the song…

“I wrote the song at an Irish Music Rights Organization Songwriting event held in Clifden in the West of Ireland in 2000, and recorded it on my Mood Swing album with the Niall Toner Band on Avalon Records.

Those songwriter events that were sponsored and run by IMRO provided wonderful opportunities for Writers to get to know each other, and to write songs in co-operation that might never have been written otherwise. On this particular occasion, there were an uneven number of writers in the house, and my name was the last out of the hat, and so I was left with no writing partner for that day.

However, that’s exactly the feeling (of being ‘left out’) that led to my writing this little country song, and look at where it has led to, albeit after twelve years! So, never say ‘never.’

This is a good example of how a composition that’s been around for this long can find it’s way on to a major TV Show, and should act as an example, and an encouragement to other writers who may be suffering from that ‘is anything ever going to happen with my songs‘ feeling. Mind you, it has always been a favorite at our live gigs.”

He said that he thinks the show can be seen in Ireland, but just in case, a friend in the US is set to record the episode for him. But Niall is in the dark as to how the song will be used.

“I still don’t know whether they have re-cut my song, or if it’s me singing the original cut, but either way, it’s a great thing!

I am also very pleased to say that my Onwards and Upwards CD on Pinecastle seems to be getting considerable airplay on US and Canadian Radio.”

If you want to see the show, tune in at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on your local ABC affiliate, or look for the full episode online later this week.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.