Guinness X Angus Stone

The great man who is solely responsible for the tasty stout which we so fondly adore, Arthur Guiness, is being celebrated once again with some bigger-than-ever festivities!

To celebrate its Irish heritage, Guinness has collaborated with award-winning artist Angus Stone on a cover version of a classic Irish song, that will be released as the Australian Arthur’s Day Anthem on Friday September 28, 2012.

Now in its fourth year, this global music event marks the remarkable legacy of Arthur Guinness, who in 1759 signed a 9,000-year lease on the St James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin for an annual rent of £45. On Arthur’s Day 2012, Guinness lovers from 55 countries around the globe will join together in their local pubs to honour the life and legacy of Arthur Guinness, and raise a toast to the founder of the world-famous Irish stout.

Enter Angus Stone. Having received worldwide acclaim and a #1 iTunes debut for the solo album ‘Broken Brights’, 2012 marks a huge year for the talented singer songwriter. Between releasing his album and embarking on an international tour, Stone stepped back into the studio to help celebrate one of Irelands’ greatest exports.

Guinness called on the nation to uncover Australia’s most quintessentially Irish artists*, which revealed that rock band The Cranberries are still hitting the high notes, closely followed by musician Damien Rice who continues to put the Emerald Isle on the musical map.

Over a weekend in Byron Bay Stone and his new band set about recrafting Dreams by The Cranberries and The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice. Only one will be released as the Australian Arthur’s Day anthem at 17:59 on Friday September 28 in pubs around the country, in a toast to Arthur Guinness, and available for consumers to download on iTunes. All proceeds will go to Stone’s charity of choice – SurfAid International.

To determine which song will be crowned the Australian Arthur’s Day Anthem, samples of the songs will be released on Monday September 3, and the vote will be opened up to Guinness fans and an expert judging panel including, Mark Poston (Chairman & Senior Vice President Marketing, Australasia at EMI Music Australia), Tom Lang (Owner/Director IMC Agency) and Damian Trotter (Managing Director of Sony/ATV Music Publishing).

On the art of creating a cover version, Stone said: “I didn’t realise quite how inspirational shaping these two classic tracks would be to me personally. The experience, from stripping back the vocals to laying down the melodies, has taken me on a musical journey, one which will influence my future work. It’s been a great project to get involved with and I’m never one to say no to a pint of Guinness.”