Harp players don't come much better than this. Mick Kinsella navigates a path with the harmonica through rough and smooth, a veritable songline through the geography of is own choosing.
Harmonica virtuoso DON BAKER has been busy recently adding another string to his bow, in the form of an acting career which has so far seen him work with Jim Sheridan and Richard Attenborough. And in between takes he s even managed to put the
finishing touches to his latest album, Just Don Baker. Interview: PETER MURPHY. Pics: cathal dawson
The Go! Team re-release their fantastic Thunder Lightning Strike, the pot-boiler album of the year, later this month. Worth it for the impudent harmonica alone, it is as good as you’ve been told, so make like the Nice treaty and give in to it, because you know they’re just going to keep putting it out there it ‘til we do.
After fixing up tracks like ‘Baby’s Got Sauce’ and ‘Milk And Cereal’, G. Love has emerged from the kitchen with his latest tasty dish, ‘Hot Cookin’’. His breezy lyrics are backed by bluesy guitar and peppered with a bit of harmonica. Put this track on and sit on the front porch with a mint julep.
With a sound located in the early ’70s, this laid-back, slice of bluesy rock from the Dun Laoghaire outfit (formerly trading as Porn Trauma) falls somewhere between Derek & The Dominos Layla and the Stones’ ‘Exile On Main Street’. Replete with vintage sounding guitars, liberal use of harmonica and soulful backing vocals, it certainly offers a refreshing alternative to the raft of copycat, post-punk pretenders doing the rounds.
This double-album from Ireland’s premier bluesman features eleven new tracks, a sprinkling of previous faves, and a CD of mostly harmonica-led instrumentals.
The first track on Dublin-based singer-songwriter Eamonn O'Connor's EP, Born To A Holy Land, is a melancholic lament to Ireland's troubled past and woes of the present day. Cello accompanies acoustic guitar to give it a deep mournful sound, with some genuine spine-tingling moments. 'Love In Vain' is a little more cheerful and up-tempo throughout and has a definite folk/country feel. O'Connor's voice is soft and wistful, lending a distinctive atmosphere to his music. 'Yellow Man Street' is accompanied by harmonica, again giving it that folk feel and subject matter sticks with the parochial and traditional. We hardly need another singer-songwriter but we can certainly make an exception for Eamonn O'Connor.
Recorded in 2004 at concerts all over the USA, this live CD is the ninth release from Scottish band Old Blind Dogs, featuring fiddler Jonny Hardie, singer/guitarist/harmonica player Jim Malcolm, Rory Campbell on pipes and low whistle, percussionist Fraser Stone and newest member Aaron Jones (whose excellent duo debut with Claire Mann, Secret Orders, was previously reviewed here) on bouzouki, guitar and bass.
1997’s magpie-like gathering of string, mandolin, harmonica and piano flourishes creates an often dazzling pallete, used to brilliant effect on ‘Grace’, ‘Tennessee Song’ and ‘Droppin’ Times’.
For every macho posture, there are two images of Rock strumming an acoustic or blowing on a harmonica. Flip through the album credits and there are also indicators that there is more to Cocky than meets the eye.
Having built up a solid reputation on the gigging circuit, blues outfit Ali and The DTs have just released their debut album. Harp player Christian Volkmann discusses the details of their unique sound with Colm O’Hare.
Having started out busking on the rainy streets of Dublin, 747s have lately struck up a friendship with Arctic Monkeys and nearly triggered an international terrorist scare.
There’s no argument. The Rolling Stones new record Voodoo Lounge finds the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world of yore back in fighting trim, stomping out that distinctive blend of musical mayhem we know and love in positively swaggering style – good enough, some would say, to see off any contenders to their coveted throne. At the centre of this triumphant return to form is one Michael Philip Jagger, who sounds lean, mean, hungry and ready for the fray. Here he raps with Don Was – producer of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Was Not Was, Bonnie Raitt and of course The Rolling Stones – about the primeval power of music and how to keep on doing it even at the grand old age of twenty (Sorry! I’ll read that again) . . .
Black Francis' chaotic St. Stephen's Green appearance is quickly becoming the stuff of legend. See what he had to say to Hot Press' Roisin Dwyer and Elaine Hughes beforehand.
Adrienne Murphy speaks to ASLAN, in the midst of recording their live album. Under discussion: the dangers of chasing fame, and the importance of self-belief.
After a long hiatus in the studio, London-based psychedelists saint etienne are back with an acclaimed new album, Good Humour. adrienne murphy finds out what they've been doing in their spare time.
With their debut album about to hit the streets on a hip French label and some prestige support slots in the offing, 202s are one of Ireland’s hottest properties.
From the check shirts to the bolo ties to the facial hair, Dublin blues quintet HOT SPROCKETS are a band committed to their genre. Granite-voiced lead singer Wayne Soper lets Celina Murphy in on the secret of getting fans to scale your speakers and writing skanky lyrics about hoochies.
The Winner In Me - Don Baker's Story, by Jackie Hayden, is the painfully honest account of the private life of one of Ireland's best-known musicians, and describes his efforts, as an adult, to come to terms with an unhappy childhood and a past littered with violence, crime and alcoholism. In this exclusive extract, Don describes how he believes his troubled childhood relationship with his mother left him with an enduring fear of betrayal in his relationships with women.
Nope, it’s not a Jim Morrison tribute; it’s an initiative which sees musicians such as The Blizzards, Neosupervital, Julie Feeney, Roesy and Brian Palm design a special set of doors.
Aslan's Billy McGuinness grew up on Dublin's northside. Now, he's living in the sticks loving every minute of it – especially when friends call around for karaoke.
The creators of the new Eyebrowy DVD expound on the inspiration behind their hilarious cartoons, their decision to leave their Irish characters behind, and how the real-life counterparts of their ‘toon army view their small-screen siblings.
MARY STOKES reminisces on her first decade as Ireland s premier blues artist, and looks forward to expanding her horizons in the future. Interview: john walshe.
So what’s it really like to take your band from Dublin to New York in search of that elusive breakthrough? Little Ghetto Boys present their diary of a Paddy’s week mini-tour of the Big Apple with special guest appearances by La Rocca, Mark Geary and others...
Still making great music after all these years, Van Morrison is an Irish genius worthy of comparison with the most enduring ’60s legends such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young
Musical trends come and go but the blues continues to thrive. In Ireland, the scene is now stronger than ever. With her reputation growing internationally, Mary Stokes talks about her role as a performer - and her friendships with numerous blues legends. Oh, and Van Morrison's birth sign!
In the last issue of Hot Press, NIALL STANAGE wrote about his experiences as a busker-for-a-day. This time around he meets the real thing those who try to make their living on the streets of Dublin. PICS: CATHAL DAWSON
"The Joshua Tree" clarifies how U2's vocation has become the revival and renewal of rock and the recovery of its most romantic values. It also highlights the group's new commitment to the song. Review by Bill Graham
During a career spanning almost forty years as a professional musician, Van Morrison has created an extraordinary body of work. A masterful musician, songwriter, producer, arranger and musical director, he possesses one of the most uniquely recognisable and powerful voices in music. His influence on contemporary music has been profound but far from resting on his laurels, his latest work Back On Top ranks among his finest albums to date. For Van Morrison, the search goes on. It was particularly appropriate, therefore, that he was chosen to become the first inductee into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame, at a special ceremony there last week. Report: Niall Stanage.
An icy welcome is swiftly thawed by laughter and vodka as the legendary Townes Van Zandt briefly retreats from the endless tyranny of road and stage to discuss his life and times in a darkened Dublin hotel room with Patrick Brennan.
Beginning 1989 as complete unknowns and ending it with a major international recording deal, two well-received singles and acres of press coverage, the scale of An Emotional Fish s progress has been the envy of their contemporaries. But how did the band go from being minnows to the catch of the year? Paddy Kehoe dons his waders to find out.
And why is young America going overboard about over-weight, over-30 jazzers? john walshe forgoes the pleasures of Dublin versus Kildare to pop across the Atlantic and investigate one of the most unlikely success stories of recent years.
It’s been 25 years since the legendary Dr. Strangely Strange last toured. Now they’re back on the road, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Tim Booth kept this diary.
Most of us agree that the Eurovision Song Contest is a load of arse, but at least we can switch to another channel. The Irish Times' KEVIN COURTNEY, however, attended this year’s contest in Copenhagen - and got sucked into the black hole of rock 'n' roll
The dark, romantic Raining Down Arrows is the latest milestone in the creative
liberation of Mundy, a man whose thoughts on love, friendship and connecting with the audience are at the core of his music.
On the release of a double CD retrospective of his forty years as a performer-songwriter, Johnny McEvoy talks to Jackie Hayden about his early days as Ireland’s answer to Bob Dylan, meeting the great man himself, supporting and introducing The Rolling Stones, defending The Wolfe Tones, not apologising for the troubles in the North, U2 and the key albums that have inspired him.
Twelve years since he retired his blood-stained Die Hard vest, Bruce Willis is back for another bite at the franchise. He talks about his see-saw acting career and why he and ex-wife Demi Moore will always be friends.
In a Hot Press exclusive brian kennedy is interviewed by his friend Pat McCABE. On the agenda: Belfast, religion, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles and the current state of popular music. Pics: Cathal Dawson
Technology is setting the pace in the musical instrument and equipment market of the ’90s, with one great leap forward following another, and the musican reaping the benefits in terms of a vastly increased range of product choices. But it’s a difficult market for retailers nonetheless, with the level of investment and exposure rising all the time. Report: Colm O’Hare
30th Birthday Retrospective: He was the original art-rocker and the quintessential ladies’ man. Bryan Ferry looks back at three decades spent at the frontline of pop.
He believes that country music can make people "turn their hearts away from sin." He also believes that Jerry Lee, Elvis and The Beatles failed to answer the call of Jesus and that many rock groups - U2 consPICUOUSLY not included - are now doing the devil's work. JOE JACKSON hears the gospel according to Ricky Skaggs.
Hot Press persuaded NIALL STANAGE to become a busker for a day on the streets of Dublin. Here's his account of what happened. Cameo appearances: ALBERT REYNOLDS, TOM DUNNE, LORRAINE KEANE, LIAM MACKEY, 9-month-old EOIN BLAKELY, the GARDA SIOCHANA and a bunch of self-confessed "REBELS". Pics of the bunch: PETER MATTHEWS.
She’s no saint. She swears and smokes and doesn’t think she’ll go to heaven. But the one-time Dublin street kid has used the nightmare of her own past life to help make unlikely dreams come true for abandoned children across the world. Peter Murphy hears her extraordinary story.
His career was almost over before it began. But hard work - and a surprise hit - have turned Edmund 'Mundy' Enright into one of Ireland's most widely adored stars. Here he reflects on some of the high points of what has been an amazing journey, during the course of which he has rubbed shoulders with some of the greats.
This resolutely downbeat record is earnest, straightforward acoustica, with heartfelt vocals and a small palette of instruments – often stripped down to just guitar and voice.
He’s jammed with Bob Dylan, partied with Keith Moon, sued The Byrds, traded spiky tops with Rod Stewart, had close encounters with Presleys Reg and Elvis and played "name that key" with John Lee Hooker, but arguably the best moment in his life was when he was named small breeder of the year. RON WOOD, the man who would be the queen mum of rock 'n' roll, tells a mean tale.
Words: STUART CLARK. Pictures ROGER WOOLMAN
On the eve of his unprecedented 23-night run at Vicar St., PAUL BRADY reflects on a dazzling career and describes the long and sometimes difficult process which has led to a new and resounding declaration of independence.
Interview: JACKIE HAYDEN
After more than 15 years in the business, Aslan are still able to command massive, devoted audiences in music venue and record shop alike. John Walshe joins the Lions' club on the road
pat mcCABE is on a roll. Neil Jordan s film adaptation of his acclaimed novel The Butcher Boy has been rapturously received. His latest meisterwerk Breakfast On Pluto about a border county transvestite is about to be published. He s going on the road with Jack L. And what s more he was recently named Monaghan Man of the Year! Interview: liam fay.
Pics: Mick Quinn
A new album, a new producer, a new sound and a new lease of life so where better to launch mary black s Shine than in New Orleans? Report and
interview: siobhAN LONG
A new album, a new producer, a new sound and a new lease of life so where better to launch mary black s Shine than in New Orleans? Report and
interview: siobhAN LONG
From Dickie Valentine to The Darkness: Andy Darlington dusts the five decades of Christmas records and chats to Slade's Noddy Holder about his haunting ghost of Chris- singles Past.
How The White Stripes turned the bare essentials into an essential noise, insisted that three is indeed a magic number and wound up becoming one of the most phenomenally successful rock acts in the world
While the entity that is U2 continues to be the dominant focus in the creative lives of its four members, away from the band, Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry have all indulged in extra-curricular activities, bringing them – and their music - into contact with such legends as Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Keith Richards, and Roy Orbison, By Dermot Stokes
Long before boomtime Ireland there was boomtown Ireland, a country where the national symbol was not a tiger but a rat. to coincide with the release of the best of the boomtown rats, Bob Geldof looks back to the tepid Irish scene of the mid-’70s from which the rats emerged, biting, snarling and laughing, to take on the establishment, Britain and, almost, the world.
They go together like a horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other - or words to that effect. In fact, however, even rock 'n' roll has yet to invent an erotic language that does justice to the breadth and complexity of human desire. In pushing out the boundaries, madonna has taken on the role of sexual pioneer, and done it with courage and no little success. Niall Stokes weighs up the evidence . . .
For his fifth solo album, Old Blind Dogs lead singer Jim Malcolm has wisely chosen to go the live route, finally giving those of us who haven’t had the privilege to see him in concert the chance to appreciate what a powerful performer he is.
Manic genius. Dervish have been anointed with such a spectrum of talent that they've never wanted for vision when it comes to broadening their repertoire.
Manic genius. Dervish have been anointed with such a spectrum of talent that they've never wanted for vision when it comes to broadening their repertoire.
Bruce Springsteen is one of those performing artists who you should see at least once before you die, fan or not. At best, I consider myself to be merely a casual Springsteen follower, yet I felt like I was in safe hands from the moment he stepped onstage at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. and stood amidst the sumptuous drapery and candelabrum.
Badly Drawn Boy
‘Spitting In The Wind’ [XL / Twisted Nerve]
It’s not Damon Gough’s style to censor himself, but when he reworks the quirky Hour Of Bewilderbeast ballad into a jaunty ‘lil gem he redeems the whole exercise.
THE HEIR TO Dr. John’s voodoo blues throne, John Hammond, pays an April 21st visit to HQ.
He comes armed with a new album, Wicked Grin, that was written and produced by his old mucker, Tom Waits.
Tom Walsh has been a fixture on the Dublin traditional music scene for the past three decades, playing alongside bouzouki player and luthier guitarist Joe Foley in the bands An Beal Bocht and Rattlin’ Strings.
Breathe is the debut offering from The Wilde Oscars' singer/songwriter Lesley Keye. It marks a distinctive departure from the accessible pop of The Oscars and attempts to cast Keye as a bona fide artist in his own right.
There's this idea abroad that Van Morrison has been working the same groove too often over the past few years. The purpose of this paragraph is simply to state that this is a misapprehension.
Far from loud excessive rockisms, Willard Grant Conspiracy flirt around the edges of folk-rock and lo-fi country. This, their fourth album, captures a warm glow that will doubtless delight many who are already partial to Nick Cave and Tindersticks.
As before, there are songs aplenty in both Irish and English, delivered in Garvey’s magnificent rich baritone and accompanied by him on deftly finger-picked guitar
ALTHOUGH FEATURING a wide-ranging supporting cast that includes pedal steel player about town BJ Cole, Ann Dudley and Rush's Geddy Lee, Euphoria is essentially guitarist Ken Ramm's project.
One of the true icons of country music, Willie Nelson has seen more of life than most of the rest of us combined – including well publicised bouts with alcohol and drugs and a particularly intimate knowledge of the workings of the IRS.
Art of gold: the opening gig of Neil Young's three-night stand at Vicar St makes Bono, The Edge, Ronnie Wood and of course your correspondent Stuart Clark swoon. Photo: Mick Quinn
Art of gold: the opening gig of Neil Young's acoustic three-night stand in Vicar St makes Bono, Edge, Ron Wood and of course your correspondent Stuart Clark swoon. Pics: Mick Quinn
Scouser outfit Clinic return with another eleven offerings of skewered pop cooked according to the recipes revealed in their first album Internal Wrangler
Half-Italian, half-English, Swiss educated and apparently discovered by Natalie Imbruglia’s manager, this hotly tipped troubadour ticks all the boxes in the singer-songwriter department.
FRONTED BY Eric Brace, Last Train Home play a mix of folk-rock and roots country, at times recalling early Fairport Convention as much as hard-core country.
"Featuring a mix of classics and originals recorded to capture the band’s live strengths the performances are faultless and Mary’s voice is better than ever."
Once unfairly derided as a second-rate Oasis, it looked for a while as if the McNamara brothers and co might be swept away in the great Britpop clear-out which saw off even more successful outfits like The Verve.
Like his compadres Dylan, Cohen, Nelson and Prine, Kris Kristofferson’s voice is showing the results of too much living, but it still can convey more passion and commitment than a chartful of boy bands.
Keyboardist Herbie Hancock achieved legendary status through his adventures with Miles Davis and a myriad other jazz outfits, although his profile as an innovator has been lower since his jazz fusion activities in the '70s.
A number of twinkling, low-key ballads help to save this record from being completely atrocious, but Rudd must lose his tendency towards eclecticism if he is to reach his full potential.
If sweat beads and airbrushed, anaesthetised rock is your thing, then Skin will set your hair on end. If on the other hand, you hanker for a sound that’s a touch more thoughtful, save your sheckels for Bruce or Ani.
This album closes with a rendition of ‘La Bamba’ (replete with an organ sound made entirely from cheese) that’s marked by the stinging clarity of Gallagher’s guitar tone and the throwaway rasp of his vocal.
While extremely impressive and effective in bringing extra dynamics to the singer songwriter format, the novelty wears off after a while and occasionally takes away from the songs, which certainly struck a chord with the entranced audience
Johnston is a folk troubadour of the hard travellin’, dusty roads variety, offering wry observations on the ups, downs and sideways of life as we think we know it.
Apart from the musicianship there was the remarkable warmth, first between audience and performers, and then among the performers themselves towards Donal Lunny.
The 69-year-old Kris Kristofferson walked onto the stage of a packed Point Depot with nobody and nothing but his gee-tar. Although advertised, there was no support on the night, but the songwriter's songwriter didn't need any.
Events take a downturn as, instead of the playful Beck/Weezer quirkiness we are expecting, the set seems formulaic, packed with three-chord, straight-up-and-down tracks, delivered as though the band are on autopilot.
When reviewing Noelie McDonnell’s demo in these pages last year, I described the Galway singer-songwriter as a hybrid of John Prine, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. The arrival of his debut album only confirms that he is all that and, indeed, far more than the sum of his influences.
Those who loved the Pumpkins circa the sublime Siamese Dream should rejoice: although Zwan exhibit a far more poppy, straight-ahead musical approach, Corgan and his one remaining Pumpkins bandmate Jimmy Chamberlin seem to have rediscovered the freshness and liveliness that characterised that album.
This is Ozzy's first studio outing in six years, and his first time to record an album sober. It benefits from Zakk Wylde's demented riffs and solos, and the lyrics feature more relevant political comment than you’d expect.
With the singer-songwriters-versus-guitar-bands debate currently making waves, Derryman Paul Casey’s debut album comes as a timely release, effortlessly straddling the divide and likely to keep both camps happy.
From their inception, Electronic were always going to be dogged by high expectations. Let's face it, what act could possibly translate into music the point where three Manchester angles (The Smiths/Joy Division/New Order) trisected?
There’s lots of great talent around. I’ve been saying so for what seems like centuries, but even my normally positive outlook received a pleasant jolt by the quality of much on offer here.
'And it's in the hush that we hear the sound between darkness and first bird'.
Jane Siberry has always been someone who's cocked her ear to the silence every bit as much as to the sound.
This is a beautiful album to listen to; the kind of thing that if it was made by Alison Krauss would win Grammys, and even though it’s made by two Northern Irish boys it still should!
Roses Kings Castles, the moniker under which Adam performs and records his own unique catalogue of blissfully astute acoustic pop songs, will play Whelans Dublin on October 8.
For a few thrilling moments it looks as though they might pull it off and justify all those column inches....Come its middle section, however, and B.R.M.C. begins to flounder widely, cast adrift in a sea of overused effects pedals and second hand riffs.
Carlow's Alanalda capivated the audience with their twist on folk rock, The Citizen from Clonmel were nigh on perfect and Chaplin rounded off the night with fresh delights.
Recorded during three days of self -enforced seclusion in autumn 1999 and sounding exactly as you might expect an album recorded in a basement probably bereft of natural light to sound, Ladies’ Love Oracle is melancholy, intimate and deliciously sad.
Altan's evolution as an ace ensemble has made for fascinating observation. Wooed by the big industry players, they've (inevitably) been subtly moulded by Virgin over the past three albums.
The album divides neatly into two categories – raucous trancey rock songs and strident soulful tunes. With the latter, Pierce evinces to wonderful effect his refined sense of pace and song structure.
It's been called 'lo-fi swamp'. I tend to think of it as loping prairie music, but hey, you'll find your own words to capture the essence of Willard Grant Conspiracy. Mojave is their fourth album, a shambolic, dazed and confused affair that's guaranteed to hog your stereo if it's quirky, original meanderings you're looking for.
The seventh album in just over a decade from one of this country’s most gifted blues practitioners, Miss You finds Don Baker in an introspective mode as he turns fifty. Apart from a handful of tracks, including the up-tempo opener, ‘Chains’ and the straight rock and roll of ‘Mama’, the bulk of the material here is laidback, late night blues fare.
The final outfit to hit the stage are Horizon, and there's no doubting the classic, American rock influence running through them.
The judges thought they did enough to give them the nod in what was a tight contest indeed.
The former frontman with much-loved Californian outfit, Grant Lee Buffalo, returns with his second solo album, Mobilize. So get moving and watch our extremely in-depth interview with Grant Lee Phillips and hear him play one of his brand new songs...
In the pantheon of fine female folk singers, a handful stand out.
Sandy Denny, June Tabor and Pentangle's Jacqui McShee have been flagbearers for more than a few generations. And their circle can now be widened to include Niamh Parsons, a singer who has quietly carved a reputation for herself throughout the singing clubs of Dublin and well beyond.
Seems like downtown Buncrana and upstate New York aren't so far apart after all. At least not on Kevin Doherty's map. He manages to tiptoe between both with a dexterity that'd have been the envy of Astaire.
Sepia-tinted olde-style cover art, hmm. Photos of cactuses and tin-roofed shacks, eek. Band name: The Creekdippers, egad. Any fears one might reasonably have, on encountering this compilation of the ‘Dippers’ three-album career to date, of wonkily played pretendy-drunk alt.country and/or snoozily worthy Grammy-bagging ‘new folk’ are, however, happily misplaced.
On paper this recipe should only work when disasters are the special of the day; take some down-your-throat production values, stir in guitars big enough to fill the most ravenous appetite, nourishing Led Zep drums, some unapologetic spice for the soul, hippy-dippy lyrics, bird song, Johnny Foreigners singing in strange tongues, lavish helpings of sitars and tablas, a telephone ringing, a bagpipe to taste, and, er, the kitchen sink.
Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers' third album continues their exploration of the musical demons that dwell in the shadows and side-shows, and come to life in murder ballads and mountain hollers. They have shape-shifted these musics into something new, powerful and, at times, monstrous.
Supported By Hot Press and Beat FM to highlight emerging local talent, the second in the First Cuts series saw Odi and former Salt House man Niall Colfer supporting local heroes Chaplin.
Having been lucky enough to have witnessed Mr. Zimmerman’s legendary gig in Vicar St. a few years back, it seemed almost inevitable that a trip to this East Wall arena would prove anti-climactic. And so it proved to be.
Ultimately though, Tyrrell's voice, like his music, defies all easy classification bar the only one that matters - like the Glaswegian and the Dubliner, this man's got soul
With Candyfloss Girl, Cork singer-songwriter John Leo Carter and friends have done a rare thing. They’ve created a touching, soothing, seamlessly flowing album that can be played again and again, providing a fresh experience every time.
Despite the litany of miseries that besets McCormack’s characters, the heart of We Drank Our Tears beats with the indomitability of the human spirit and the ever-pervading sense of hope.
Live In Your Living Room featuring Eyeslave, Travega, Karrier, Colm Heaney And The Bad DJs, Corsairs + Dali. Six relatively-unknown Irish groups playing half-hour sets, and tonight, the lower-ranked artists are the ones who shine.
Television has given the US a PR platform on a plate, and boy have they used it well. American literature classes have played their part in the Americanisation of the planet too. Everyone from Henry Miller to John Grisham has helped the cause of the Great American Way.
An all star line up featuring Mundy, the Violent Femmes, the Flaming Lips and the inimitable Bob Dylan successfully rocked the Source Festival in Kilkenny.
Is making music a way of life? Or is life a way of making music?
Yes, friends, we're talking Fun Lovin' Criminals here - the Noo Yawk trio who first came to notice with their real-life narrative about a drug-induced bank robbery and subsequent flight from the NYPD.
Loud’s been around the block a couple a times. He’s supped of the pleasure and pain of the music circuit/treadmill; he’s washed his dirty linen in public with perverted glee; in essence he’s managed, like Woody Allen, to transform his personal neuroses into a lucrative earner that’s as likely to bring a grimace as a smile.
Danielle Brigham caught the hililghts from last night's Witnness bill. Feast your peepers on reviews of Badly Drawn Boy, The Thrills, Lemon Jelly and The Streets
Seven Irish newcomers – including Halves, Grand Pocket Orchestra, Heathers and The Minutes – gathered for a showcase gig at historic Toronto venue The Hideout.
Danielle Brigham caught the highlights from last night's Witnness bill. Feast your peepers on reviews of Badly Drawn Boy, The Thrills, Lemon Jelly and The Streets
Just as demo recordings are showcases of what songs and bands sound like when recorded, live showcases are essentially demos of what artists can deliver to the ticket-paying public
I said to an A&R man the other day that I could never do his job and I thought I meant it. Only later did it hit me that my job is, in some ways, harder than A&R.
I said to an A&R man the other day that I could never do his job and I thought I meant it. Only later did it hit me that my job is, in some ways, harder than A&R.
Those more familiar with Dylan’s modus operandi know that he has latterly treated the recorded versions of his songs as mere rough demos and starting points from which he walks a tightrope of adventurous reinvention from which he sometimes topples off.
A Bob Dylan harmonica, a Slash guitar, a Prince bass and a saxophone signed by former US President Bill Clinton are among the items on offer in a pre-Grammy Awards charity auction.
Hymns To The Silence, seeking higher planes, sometimes soars, occasionally strikes a flat note, but always repairs its errors with an offering pitch-perfect and ravishingly beautiful to the ear.
Superhate, a five piece band from Wicklow play raw, guitar-driven music. Here we have a three track demo which begins with ‘Hatpin’, an early Banshees-style horror-obsessional lyric linked to a driving backing.
Over a hundred acts took part in the annual Hard Working Class Heroes event in Dublin last weekend. While the standard wasn’t uniformly impressive, a number of new contenders emerged who might ultimately be capable of lifting the rock’n’roll crown...
It’s been a long, hot, muggy day, but Galway’s weather still won’t piss or get off the pot. A short, sharp shower would actually be extremely welcome, but the heavily pregnant clouds just tease with the prospect of rain. On the plus side, the evening skies over the Fisheries Field are appropriately shaded for the musical night ahead (sorry, but it’s an unbreakable rule of music journalism that every David Gray live review must contain at least one pun on his surname).
A communication from Peter Lundy comes in response to my recent musings about how Irish songwriters might choose to write from their own experience rather than recycling second-hand views
The global economic meltdown of the past fortnight is a ruinous consequence of Ronald Reagan's '80s crusade against regulation. The question now is: where will it end?
ACCORDING to All Eyes and Ears, they are a band that create atmosphere but don’t sond like Phil Coulter! The opening track ‘Wishing Your Life Away’ maps out the route that follows.
Darkness At The Edge Of Town was the album when Bruce Springsteen and his repertory of characters finally grew up. Which makes it a hard act to follow.
From rockers on the breadline to the political leader who has turned his mother into a deity, it’s all been grist to the mill of Caught In The Net in 2003. Stuart Clark presents the top ten.
From child actress to Rilo Kiley frontwoman to hanging out with Elvis Costello: every day is Groundhog Day, but when you're Jenny Lewis that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Five albums, fifty-eight songs, sixty-eight pages of liner notes, one large container, and a title that's as bone-dry academic as anything you'll find sitting atop a legal document - against that backdrop, perhaps the first and most useful thing to say about Bob in the box is: don't be intimidated!
Now that American rock ’n’ roll has succumbed to its self-destructive urges and with its British counterpart reduced to self-indulgent navel exercises, the stage is now set for the radical rejuvenation of Irish music both as an international commercial viability and as a cultural touchstone for the new generation at home. Bill Graham meets philip king, the captain of the flagship of the latest revival river of sound, and finds that in the wake of the Riverdance phenomenon, it’s full steam ahead for Irish trad. Pix: NUTAN.
"The Joshua Tree" clarifies how U2's vocation has become the revival and renewal of rock and the recovery of its most romantic values. It also highlights the group's new commitment to the song. Review by Bill Graham
30,000 people, loads of A-list stars, four stages on Fairyhouse Racecourse. Yes, we're talking about WITNNESS. KIM PORCELLI reviews the biggest festival of the summer.
To suggest that music is thriving in Sligo is akin to declaring that there s been a bit of an upturn in the economy lately. Music of all breeds, creeds and colour can be found in abundance around the county.
