Begin the Beginish

Difficult second album syndrome? You must be joking. Beginish ran headlong into the gale force winds that can so often accompany the return trip to the studio and found themselves plain sailing. Mind you, they have christened the album Stormy Weather, so maybe there’s a hint in there of passions running high when it came to choosing tunes, songs and arrangements? Gavin Ralston, Beginish’s guitarist, thinks not.

“We originally started recording last summer”, he recalls, “but as the studio wasn’t big enough, we all went in separately to record. Then, when we listened to it all together, it was impossible to have everyone in sync. Rates and rhythms were different, so we decided to leave it for a while. Then in December we recorded the album in 3 days. We had all the tunes, our antennae were up and we just got on with it.

Ralston continues. “In the past, what happened was that when Brendan sang a song, the rest of the lads headed for the bar. We decided to take it up a gear so we put a lot of work into the songs and the arrangements. Brendan would be more used to singing unaccompanied so the rest of us had to lightly tip around, to find out how to play with the song without overtaking it.”

Beginish played a long overdue gig in The Shelter in Vicar St. last week. It was a welcome chance for players and punters alike to renew old acquaintance.

“We’re delighted to have a venue like The Shelter to play in when we’re in Dublin”, Gavin offers. “It’s such a great place for real lovers of the music. It’s very intimate, and musicians are treated really well there. Conor Byrne’s done a great job setting those Thursday night sessions up. Now, at least you know that no matter what week you go there, you’re guaranteed to hear good music.”

The essence of Beginish is their wilful eclecticism. Though Dublin-based, as Ralston wryly observes, they play everything from “Donegal reels to Kerry polkas”. Geography has never been a barrier to either creativity or commerce. Beginish are as mobile as a double-jointed hip.

Beginish release the Stormy Weather album on Inish records in April