Alive, Alive, Who?

When advice and information is being dispensed to young musicians, why does it tend to focus so much more on demos than on live performance? This is a valid point, and some of us were still mulling it over when the caravan moved on next day to Galway.
Part of the problem with new (and not so new) artists playing live is a shyness that often translates into two emergency measures: play faster and play louder. This can work for the first three songs, at most, but then it s downhill all the way as the band inevitably fail to keep up the frantic momentum. Knowing how to pace a gig only comes with experience and confidence, but it s worth reflecting on the dynamics of the set from the word go.
Other live concerns would be of a more audience-friendly nature. How many times have you listened to a support act without being told what their name is or what any of the songs are called or even what they are about? As for telling you about where they might be playing next, you re more likely to win the lottery twice in one week with the same numbers.
Another significant difficulty with live performances is that an audience hearing you for the first time may find it hard to keep up concentration for too long, so some attempt to draw them into the songs by telling them what this or that song is all about may help.
The point, after all, is to make sure they come again.
Meanwhile, back at the turntable we meet Dai Evison, a Welsh guy just back from Down Under with a song about Dublin which is called Dragons On Fire .
It s a sprightly toe-tapping slab of Celtic-rock with a punchy contemporary production that draws comparisons with Black 47 and comes equipped with a decent melody. But do Irish people want to hear any more songs mentioning leprechauns, shamrock wine and Dublin city, where the grass was green and the girls so pretty ?
On the second track One Welsh Heart Evision heavies it up on a chugging track marred only by occasional lapses into Americanese.
From County Cavan spring forth the enticing sounds of Navac.08 (pronounced nav-ak eight). Their demo opens with Trade-In Candy which is a delicious stew of pop, rock and dance with loads of guitars and relentless loops, samples and synths forming a constantly shifting backdrop for Lorraine O Reilly s evocative vocals. I m not convinced that it s a great song as such, and O Reilly s vocals often come too close to Siniad to win the originality stakes, but it leaves you wanting more nonetheless.
My Own features some jagged strings (of the real variety) amid the loops and samples plus a more traditional rock format (drums, bass and stuff). Although it oozes atmosphere and a heavy hint of danger it s no killer. But we need more bands like Navac.08 brave enough to eschew the cliched guitars and drums format and venture into the open arms of the new music technology.
Witches is a concept album project from Mil KA (a person, not a band, methinks). The tracks completed
so far sound extremely well recorded and feature some particularly impressive vocals over a pioneering
backing that merges new age with dance.
Overall, the tracks link cohesively together as a sequence. Unto The Sea Witch has some beguiling female voices and sounds like a Clannad for the new century with Kate Bush on vocals and that s no bad thing.
The Witches Rune sounds less contemporary, but has a slightly Latino rhythmic feel with castanets and a more seventies disco tempo. Witch In The Wind is like Mike Oldfield making a seventies Latin disco record and the spoken voice needs some treatment as the words get lost sometimes. Voice Of Arabia is Clannad again, with the Middle Eastern voice likely to give it bigtime appeal to the world music market. It builds quite dramatically towards the end.
It this project fulfils its full potential it could be a real winner, though some thought needs to go into the final presentation and marketing.

Lesson of the fortnight:
It s no good playing live if you re shy. At least tell the folks who you are so they can tell somebody else.