An Interview With Stanley Bronstein
Try to make your music for you, not as a mass marketing tool to get more attention. The longer the runway the longer you stay up.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aine Duffy.
Born in Bandon Co. Cork, Ireland Áine Duffy’s journey in music leading her to perform across the globe in cities like New York, LA, London, Toronto, and many more.
Known for her electrifying performances and infectious personality embodying her unique style and unwavering spirit, mesmerizing vocals and exceptional guitar skills . ‘It’s like Davel Grohl gatecrashed a Irish protest rally.’
Lyrically, Duffy’s music is as sharp as it is catchy, biting commentary is delivered with a dose of sarcasm and a sense of fun, making the tracks both thought-provoking and engaging. She channels this into a music that is as infectious as it is impactful.Genre bending and boundary pushing with a sense of humour.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
I was always singing with my head at the open window of the car when my mother and I would go for spins in the evening listening to music. I saved my babysitting money then and got myself a guitar. It kinda takes over you as a person as this is the best way to express yourself and it becomes part of your story if it’s in the bones.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well at one festival a fella off his head as we say (clearly on something) jumped up and stood right in front of my mic, mesmerized. It was funny at first and everyone was getting a great laugh but it went on too long. He was right in my face and off putting. I learned to put my foot down sooner and make sure I’m comfortable.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Don’t give into pressure to be like someone else. Uniqueness is wonderful.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
My mother, she gave me a huge amount of motivation, it’s hard to keep up with her. If I wanted something she told me to get it myself…… it backfired on her when I asked for a pony at 6 years of age and she laughed and said get it yourself, as they were also telling me not to use bad language, so anytime an adult cursed in our house I took a few 5 or ten cents for my savings. By 12 had enough for a pony….. but no land or stable.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
Well during the pandemic, Ireland restrictions were high and there were no indoor gatherings. I bought an old donkey box and converted it to a stage/camper as I am handy with tools. I called it the Duffbox. I managed to get passes to perform outside as I had thought outside the box but had everything covered. I played outreach places under the shooting stars, underprivileged schools, Immigration centres and more.
Some of the children had not yet seen live music and they got to see a female rocking an electric guitar, normalizing female performers as sadly we are still systematically hidden here. The joy it brought to people was visible and the response was epic. My show is very lively and fun too, it brought all ages together singing and dancing under the stars, at castles, beaches and streets.
I am currently working on two things. The first being a show called “Don’t touch my knob”
It’s an all female headliner show in protest against the lack of female Irish performers booked at festivals and the crazy data released that only 2% of the airplay in Ireland was from Irish females — and sadly two of those were Sinead O’Connor and Dolores O’ Riordan of the Cranberries as they had passed away. UK corporations still own a lot of Irish media and I just wanted to prove we are here and better than ever. Having humour never hurts here in Ireland; some of the invisibility of female performers is systemic , and often subconscious bias or condescending chivalry. So I used humour as best I can to highlight it so it can be shown as pure bonkers, and my hope that music can just be selected on the basis of how good it is. Not by gender. It’s being held in Elizabeth Fort, the old women’s prison , where the English held women for stealing a tiny bit of cloth or bread. They then shipped them to Australia to work under horrible conditions or to be married off to a man who would come by and pick a woman from the line up. So this venue felt Iconic. It will be held on August 1st, 2025.
Also It’s a huge part of our culture and stories to be musical. The acts in Ireland are UNREAL and expressive and talented, I’m really proud. I have a radio show on overthewestradioonline with all Irish artists. It’s called “Blás” which is the Irish word for your taste or your accent. Which we have and are wonderful. Hearing them throughout the music makes them have more range and scope as they are not trying to be anyone but themselves.
The next thing is the Duffbox 2.0. . The housing crisis is also bad here like many parts of the world and the cost of living. I had personally built my own small passive house, as I love nature and building.
The Duffbox was a donkey box, a double axle trailer meaning you needed a special license to drive it. I went off and got a single axle trailer and converted it into a new Duffbox for all my music and live performance compadres. So they can tour cheaply, hook it onto the back of the car and have accommodation, a mini pop up and cook, clean etc. It’s a timber frame and fibre glassed over so light and lovely. Run by a solar generator. Keep our music alive. I plan to make many for all corners of Ireland.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause? Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
Yes I really didn’t want women or anyone going through what I went through and I also know Ireland is the place for music, tourism, togetherness, culture, craic(fun) and beauty.
The Duffbox came first from the depression that came in Ireland without live music during the pandemic and “ Don’t touch my knob” came with it.
I was playing an event away down on the south west coast of Ireland, a place with no light pollution and the stars falling from the sky in August onto the sea. I had taken my first Duffbox for its maiden voyage along the winding roads of west Cork. A wheel came off on the way but off we went around the roads. The suspense was high — people were coming from all around with their tents, picnic tables, comfortable clothes ready for a boogie under the stars. The next morning while having a coffee on the Duffbox stage with many others gathered and swimming, I was having a banter with a lady from Dublin, and we were wondering how politely I could tell people “to leave my equipment alone” without getting put into a Diva/whinny woman bracket . So we laughed and “don’t touch my knob” came about.
My friend Dinny printed it on a sign, I put it on my equipment and It was all over the media the next day. Taking on a life of its own, in a fun but serious way.
Last night I got a phone call from a poet who had been feeling down about people understanding her. She saw my event and how I keep going and it changed her mental state. I am unbelievably lucky to be told these stories and I hold them dear.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Yes the Irish government could raise the percentage of Irish based artists being played on the airwaves. Straight away it would make a huge difference
They could also build sustainable homes fast and cheaper. I showed them how and offered my plans; I built my house for 12500 euro.
If people have a home over their heads everything is different!
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Massively!!!! We have people now in 2025 finally realizing the Irish have our own language and the knock on effect of colonialism. Artists have freedom of expression and a real special way of connecting and telling stories. Look at how Rodrigues was so massive in South Africa and had no Idea. You can just go back through our history in song and hear right from wrong and stories of life. History is important and we should learn from mistakes. Thankfully music can record them in a vibrant, connected way.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
1 . You don’t have to do what everyone else is telling you to do.
2 . Write about things you know, feel and empathise with.
3 . It doesn’t matter what shape or size you are or what you look like.
4 . It doesn’t matter what age you are.
5 . Try to make your music for you, not as a mass marketing tool to get more attention. The longer the runway the longer you stay up.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I think “dont touch my knob” is already on its way !
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“Keep her lit”
I love loads of sayings and love words and word play, but this is the one I’ve used and keep using, to keep up the energy and positivity needed to do what I’m doing and encourage people. It’s not easy and this helps.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Well It would be great to see if Alicia keys was interested. Alicia Keys co-founded the organization She Is The Music (SITM), a global network dedicated to increasing the number of women in the music industry. SITM aims to create more opportunities for women in various roles, including songwriters, engineers, producers, artists, and industry professionals, maybe she might wanna coffee?
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
About the Interviewer: Stanley Bronstein is an attorney, CPA, and author of more than 20 books. However, he doesn’t consider any of those his greatest achievement. His most significant accomplishment was permanently losing 225 pounds and developing the personal growth system that made it possible — The Way of Excellence. As a catalyst for change, he has dedicated his life to helping others maximize their potential, transform their lives, and achieve optimal health. To learn more, you can download a free PDF copy of his latest book, The Way of Excellence Journal, at HYPERLINK “https://thewayofexcellence.com/”https://TheWayOfExcellence.com.
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Aine Duffy Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.