Irish Bands on YouTube - Kitty & The Can Openers

One of my favourite unsigned bands at the moment is the ridiculously named Kitty & The Can Openers. The band are from Belfast and make beautiful melodic folk pop songs. I found this 25 minute documentary style TV programme called Kick Out The Jams which includes interviews and live performances.

Check out the band in Whelans 23rd Feb where they are supporting the equally brilliant I Am Not Lefthanded!

Coachella 2009 - MBV is one of the headliners!

Is this perhaps one of the best festival line-ups ever? Our own My Bloody Valentine on the Sunday just before The Cure! Wow!


My Bloody Valentine - We Have All The Time In The World

Something For The Weekend

As a lover of Irish Music I still think Hot Press do a great job with their magazine every two weeks. However, I was a tad annoyed at the current failure to feature any news of Mark Dignam's homecoming gigs as guests to The Swell Season next Thursday and as headliner in Whelans on the 8th Feb with very special guests.

Now I know I'm at risk of flooding the blog with Marky news so I do apologise but I wanna focus on who those special guests might be! Remember we are talking about Very Special Guests! Here are my guesses and their odds! [Disclaimer: I have no knowledge at the moment of writing who the special guest(s) are!]

Favourite at 3/1 is old busking pal Paddy Casey

Can't Wait 2 C U Again



Glen Hansard at 7/2 but this is a tad too obvious!

LIAM Ó MAONLAÍ with Glen Hansard, Mark Geary, Brendan O'Shea - Forever Young (Bob Dylan Cover)



The last time I seen Mark in Whelans Declan O'Rourke was the support!

Declan O' Rourke at 8/1 - Big Bad Beautiful World



Long Shot from Birr: Mundy at 12/1

To You I Bestow

Muzu.tv: YouTube 4 Music

Muzu.tv is another fine example of the Irish adding to the Global musical landscape. Muzu.tv is a music video site similar to YouTube with a massive difference. The bands get paid for having their video viewed. This difference will see Muzu.tv becoming a massive part of the future for the record labels and bands. You should be able to view these clips no matter where in the world you are!

http://www.muzu.tv/

The Coronas - Decision Time


THE CORONAS - The Coronas - Decision Time on MUZU.

Ham Sandwich - Keepsake


ham sandwich - Keepsake on MUZU.

Eyebrowy - Glen Waiting For Bono


EYEBROWY - Waiting For Bono (Clip) on MUZU.

Ruby Sessions return 3rd Feb

.... and return they do with a strong line up of talent! In Doyles Pub upstairs, The Villagers, Saville, Niall Colfer, and Share..... (Sonny & Share?) play an acoustic set to try to put the Session into an Irish Recession! (I love that line!)

The Villagers: Ship Of Promises




http://www.myspace.com/rubysessions

Meteor Awards 17th March RDS

The Meteor Award nominations were officially announced today amid a bit of confusion and controversy. For those new to the Meteor Awards, we are talking about our Grammy or Brit Awards. It tends to reward success over taste, style over substance and ridiculous over the sublime.

*** mean go here to vote!



Best National DJ***

Alison Curtis – Today FM
Dave Fanning – 2 FM
Tony Fenton – Today FM
Ray Foley - Today FM
Dan Hegarty – 2 FM
Rick O’Shea – 2 FM

Best Regional DJ***

Keith Cunningham - Red FM
Dermot Dave & Siobhan – Dublin’s 98 FM
Leigh Doyle – Beat 102.103
Mark Noble - FM104
Jon Richards – Galway Bay FM
The Zoo Crew – Spin South West

Best Irish Band***

The Blizzards
Fight Like Apes
Republic of Loose
The Script
Snow Patrol


Best Irish Male***

Damien Dempsey
Duke Special
Mick Flannery
David Holmes
Jape (Richard Egan)

Best Irish Female***

Tara Blaise
Lisa Hannigan
Gemma Hayes
Imelda May
Camille O’Sullivan



Best Irish Pop Act***

Boyzone
The Blizzards
The Coronas
The Script
Westlife


Best Irish Album ***

Fight Like Apes – Mystery Golden Medallion
Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew
Messiah J & The Expert – From the Word Go
The Script – The Script
Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns

Best Irish Folk Traditional

Damien Dempsey
Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill
Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Eleanor McEvoy
John Spillane

Sharon Shannon to receive The Lifetime Achievement Award…

World renowned accordionist Sharon Shannon is set to receive the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at this years Meteor Ireland Music Awards, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Irish Music Industry over the past 23 years, the youngest ever recipient of this highly acclaimed award. The awards which take place on St Patrick’s Day 17th March at the RDS will feature Sharon Shannon performing her number one hit Galway Girl.

Some past live performances:

Snow Patrol - Run from 2003 Awards



The Cake Sale - Some Surprise from 2007 Awards

Ruby Tuesday - I Am Not Lefthanded

I love bands with a female singer like The Plague Monkeys, Alphastates or The Chalets. Joining this list is the band 'I Am Not Lefthanded'. I cannot recommend them enough. The band are Kathryn - Vocals/Guitar, Daniel - Vocals/Bass and Benji - Drums and have relocated to the Uk to make big ripples in a larger pond. I love how they have Roddy Doyle as an influence on their MySpace. The introduction on their website is so good I'll have to paste it here:
"We don't play pop music, we don't write music for art's sake, we don't represent any movements, we're not hip, we're not cutting edge, we don't dress to be cool. We do manage ourselves, we write our own songs, we do our own recordings, we shoot our own videos, we design our own covers, we made our own website. We're not generally negative people - oh yes, and we're not lefthanded."

The single was released on their website as a free download and can be found here:

Long Goodbyes

Check out the links for more info:

www.iamnotlefthanded.com
http://www.myspace.com/iamnotlefthandedeither

I am not lefthanded - Endline (choose nothing)



forthcoming dates

20/02/09 - The Pavilion, Belfast
21/02/09 - The Sky Venue, Portlaoise
23/02/09 - Whelans (Upstairs), Dublin with support from blog favs Kitty & The Can Openers!

Indiecater Records Freebies

In the light of the doom'n'gloom recession, Kevin over at Indiecater Records is trying to put the Session back into Recession by offer freebie tasters of all them great albums on Indiecater Records. Find amazing tunes by Nina Hynes, Burning Codes, The Brilliant Trees, Michael Knight and Sunbear amongst many others. The Sunbear album is an amazing inspirational album that you have got to listen to.

Sunbear - Flutterbye

http://www.indiecater.com/freebies/

Next for the Indiecater gang is a Spring Compilation EP released on Feb 1st and potentially although not confirmed, is a re-issue of an In Motion album which is getting me excited!

Monday Under The Covers - To Ramona We Go!

When Sinéad Lohan arrived onto the Irish Folk scene around 1995 she brought with her a sense of respectability to the Female Folk genre. She was the artist it was kinda cool to like because of her wonderful voice, cool dreadlocks and image. She released two decent albums but has been anonymous since around 2001. Sinéad has had her songs covered by Nickle Creek and Joan Baez in the past and it is Joan Baez who is the subject of the Bob Dylan song No Ramona. Check out the class performance of the video below.

Sinéad Lohan - To Ramona

http://www.sineadlohan.com/

Gigs For Children in Gaza Update

Super line-ups for both nights and only €25 for a great cause!

Friday 6th Feb

Lisa Hannigan
Neil Hannon [The Divine Comedy]
Eleanor McEvoy
Paul Brady
One Day International

Saturday 7th Feb

Neil Hannon [The Divine Comedy]
Liam O'Maonlai
Mary Black
Kila
Frances Black
Eleanor McEvoy

More info: http://www.tuesdayschild.ie/

Paul Brady & Mary Black - I Will Be There




Kíla - Glanfaidh Mé (Live at Vicar Street, 2002)

Sunday's Seven Degrees of a Break-up!

Just like most things Glen Hansard does, the relationship split from Marketa Irglova has arrived into the public domain in a very low key way. He recently answered a question from an Australian journalist stating .....

..... "We had made the film. We had gone through so much with the Oscar. Of course, we fell into each other's arms. It was a very necessary part of our friendship but I think we both concluded that that wasn't what we really wanted to do. So we're not together now. We are just really good friends." ......

..... so there it is, job done, relationship over. What does happen when the heart just stops? We listen to a tape of break-up music of course!

The Brilliant Trees - Like You A Lot, Love You A Little MySpace

Katell Keineg - Destiny Darling MySpace

The Hedge Schools - Lonliest of the Hearts MySpace

Mark Dignam - Paint My Love MySpace

Perry Blake - Do We Only Fall In Love In Lovesongs? MySpace

The Harvest Ministers - When You Have A Faint Heart MySpace

Simple Kid - Breakups Breakdowns MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/theswellseason

Glen Hansard - Disappointed



Glen Hansard - Leave

Irish Bands on YouTube - Gemma Hayes

I been listening to Gemma's 2005 album The Roads Don't Love You alot this week in the car and it's a timely reminder about how brilliant this girl is. I remember seeing Gemma many times live around 1999/2000 as she was the support act of choice for people like Nick Kelly, Juniper and I'm sure at one stage she supported one of the many Mark Dignam shows I seen in Whelans. Here are some video clips well worth a look:

In Over My Head



Another For The Darkness



Let a Good Thing Go



Ran For Miles (Live at Abbey Road)

Something For The Weekend 2 - Brian Canavan

We decided during the week that on Saturday we are going to check out Brian Canavan with support from Aoife Moriarty Upstairs in Whelans. I knew about Brian from his Carol Vorderman tune and video which is becoming a mini hit on YouTube. I'm getting a great vibe from his tunes on MySpace. On some songs he reminds me of Pony Club while on others he sings alot like Brian from A Lazarus Soul. And with Aoife in support I think it will be a cracking gig. It's only €7 in!

Counting Me Down

Website
MySpace

Something For The Weekend - Ro Tierney Free Album

Ro Tierney is giving away his 2007 debut album Tics & Politics in return for your email address. Sign up to his mailing list and a few hours later get the link to the album which on first listen is a real find. I love it. Best to let his website describe Ro.....

"Ro Tierney is a 27 year old singer/songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. He began teaching himself guitar and piano at the age of 16 and began writing songs almost immediately. He went on to form and front the band, “Echo Indiana,” with a few schoolmates....... Although the prospect of fronting a commercially successful band was extremely tempting, Ro’s gut feeling told him this was not the route he should take as it would limit his creative freedom. He decided to go at it alone and began opening for acts such as Damien Rice, Bell X1, Mundy, Jack L and many others. The boundaries of a 4-piece rock band no longer caged his inspiration as he went on to write a new breed of song. He drew influences from people like Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan and discovered a new and infinite horizon of where he could go with music as a solo act."

Ro to me sounds like the wonderful John Butler Trio on some tracks and reminds me of Paul Noonan on others. If you don't want to download 100 mbs of an album based on my recommendations why not try a couple of tunes?

The Voice

Rongo


http://www.rotierney.com/

Phantom First Friday is back February

More info .... http://www.myspace.com/phantomfirstfriday

Phantom kick off Phantom First Friday for 2009 with a strong line up. Everyone is tipping Heathers for success and Superjimenez are a decent band. However Alphastates will be the key act for this blogger to see. Catherine Dowling is such a fantastic singer and performer. Check out the video to their single 'Kiss Me'

Charity Gigs Galore

Today I can tell you about not one outstanding charity gig, not two charity gigs but three gigs.

Vicar St. is the venue on February 6 and 7 for two gigs that will benefit injured Palestinian children in Gaza, of which the United Nations say there are tens of thousands.

Performing over the two nights are Lisa Hannigan, Neil Hannon, Mary Black, Liam O Maonlai, Eleanor McEvoy, Frances Black, Kíla and more still to be confirmed.

http://www.tuesdayschild.ie/site/index.asp

Lisa Hannigan - Free Until They Cut Me Down



Then in April.......

The Blizzards, Director and Dirty Epics will take over Dublin’s Olympia on April 26 for the 2009 FM104 Help a Dublin Child gig in aid of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital.

Tickets for the show go on sale from Ticketmaster on Friday January 30 at 9am, priced €33.60 standing and €36.60 seated. All acts are performing free of charge, so that all proceeds can go to the appeal.

Dirty Epics - Way Too Pretty

Post 100 - Thank You

I got a nice surprise when I found out 2 U I Bestow was nominated for Best Music blog in the Irish Blog Awards. This news is fantasic and surprising. I feel the blog is only at toddler stage so getting a nod and a pat on the back has been amazing. In return for this I give to you a song I'd have in my top 10 Irish songs of all time list.

The Golder Horde - Friends In Time

Oh.... check out all the great Irish Blogs here!

Ruby Tuesday - The Minutes

The Minutes could quite possibly be given the title of the hardest working band in the world at the moment. Along with playing big shows in the capital, they are regularly rockin' the subburbs as well as last summer playing gigs in the homes of fans. The three band members make the kind of indie pop rock that would remind you of the heyday of British indie rock in the early 90's. Think of bands like Teenage Fanclub or Swervedriver and you get a ball park idea. Sure the best thing to do is download the following and make up your own mind!

Download Black Keys live -

Download Ukraine -

Download Harmonic -

Download Cant Explain -

http://www.myspace.com/theminutesireland

The Minutes - Harmonic



22 Jan 2009 20:00 Live @ Odessa Dublin
23 Jan 2009 20:00 The Stables Mullingar, Westmeath
30 Jan 2009 20:00 Captain Americas Dublin
28 Feb 2009 20:00 Late Club upstairs @ Whelans Dublin
11 Mar 2009 22:30 ROK Boutique Toronto, Ontario
12 Mar 2009 2:00 CMW 2009 (The Hideout) Toronto, Ontario
13 Mar 2009 20:00 CMW 2009 Toronto, Ontario
14 Mar 2009 20:00 CMW 2009 Toronto, Ontario

Fairplay Collective

Tuesday 20th January 2009 may well have History describe it as the day the world was redeemed and reborn. As we move on from Globalisation into a new world I hope that a cultural revolution takes place in America. A revolution where music replaces fear as an unifying force. Where cultural communities chat about the Arts rather than materialistic wealth. Where real talent and commitment stand out rather than image and looks. Where the FairplayCollective achieves the recognition they deserve!

From the Collective site: "Fairplay Collective is an organization/company/movement formed in the spring of 2006 in New York City's Lower East Side. Its founding members, Irish immigrants and US natives, initially came together to promote themselves as a new vanguard of singer/songwriters around Greenwich Village.

This revival of great songsmithery is spearheaded by Mark Dignam, Jenna Nicholls, Michael Brunnock, and Brendan O' Shea. These four; excellent performers in themselves, have come together and have invited friends forming one collective, to share, ideas, resources and costs freeing up members to concentrate on the creative processes of writing and performing."


Brendan O'Shea from Co. Kerry has been a resident of NYC for twelve years and has released two very fine albums. In The Light was his debut release in 2003 with the follow up Be Here Still released in 2006. Although firmly in the singer-songwriter genre, Brendan has in the past played Bass in Celtic Rock bands, composed music scores for independent movies and toured with The Trinity Irish Dance Company.

Dismantled


Check out http://www.brendanoshea.com/ for more tracks.
http://www.myspace.com/brendanoshea

Jenna Nicholls "pulls from many influences. Phrasing from the jazz artists of the 30's and 40's, unorthodox guitar chords and melody, early American folk and bluegrass rhythms are all combined into what has now become apart of Jenna's unique style. In 2003 Jenna was selected as a featured artist for the annual Amnesty International Conference.

Jenna now lives and works in New York's East Village, she has released her debut album entitled "Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes". It is available on itunes or CDBaby. She is getting wonderful reviews for her work and is a refreshing voice to the village scene." ... copied from www.fairplaycollective.com

This blogger is such a big fan of Mark Dignam, it verges on groupie or stalking activities! Find the other posts on Mark over there ---->


Michael Brunnock from Kells Co. Meath is fast making a name for himself with excellent album reviews, regular gigs in NYC and support slots for The Frames and The Swell Season. Michael released his debut So I Do in 2007 and has recently penned a song about Barack Obama called Change. Michael has made it available for download from his website and the FairplayCollective site. Alternative find it below!

Change


www.michaelbrunnock.com
www.fairplaycollective.com

Mark Dignam - Stormy Summer

Monday Under The Covers - Funky Cold Frank

The Frank and Walters played a blinder in Whelans in their pre-Christmas gig. The place was packed with the crowd enjoying every joke and tune of the Franks! The gig was the same night as Kings of Leon in the O2. I'll always remember the joke "Sex on Fire" that sounds painful! The band performed all their hits and played some tunes I haven't discovered before like 'New York' which to me was the main highlight of the show. The gig ended with their cover of Funky Cold Medina which was great fun watched from Whelan's balcony! Stolen from Wikipedia .....

"Funky Cold Medina" is a hip hop song written by Young MC and performed by Tone Lōc. It was the second single from Tone Lōc's debut album Lōc-ed After Dark (1989). The single was released on March 18, 1989, and rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following month. It peaked on the UK Singles Chart at #13 in May of that year.

Remember to support the band and if you are in France this February make sure you catch the band live!

Funky Cold Medina

http://www.myspace.com/thefrankandwalters

http://www.thefrankandwalters.ie/

Barretstown Fundraiser 27th Feb Academy

Barretstown House presents: Inspirations fundraiser


Barretstown House was founded by the late actor Paul Newman as part of his Hole in the Wall Camps. Barretstown run a programme of adventure and activities for children with Cancer and other life-threatening illnesses from Ireland and rest of Europe.

There is horse riding and archery, painting and creative writing, singing, acting, film making and a lot more. After taking part in the programme children go home with more confidence, self-esteem and most importantly the reassurance that happiness is not just for healthy children. Every year over 1,000 children between 7 and 17 come to Barretstown. Inspirations fundraiser in aid of Barretstown House The Academy, Friday 27th February 2009.

Featuring performances by Sinead O'Connor, Shane McGowan, Republic of Loose, Fun Lovin Criminals, The Blizzards, The Walls, Engine Alley and many more. Artists will perform songs by David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and others.

Tickets €28 including booking fee from Ticketmaster.

Engine Alley - Song for Someone [....live from James Whale Show]

Road Records Update!

There has been so much written about the demise of Road Records. The comments consists of fond memories, condolances, sadness, shock and support. Ideas have been floated about a benefit gig with Adrian Crowley and Delorentos publicly offering their support for the gig. The bands below have come out stating that any money from the sale of their stock will go directly to Dave & Julie. Get the latest news on thumped.com

Band list copied from Sweet Oblivion Blog


Moutpiece
Decal
Cascade Sounds
The Dudley Corporation
The Spook Of The Thirteenth Lock
Land Lovers
My Brother Woody

My Brother Woody - Getting Old Goes With Getting Fat



Large Mound
The Bastard Rain
The Hollows
Stoat
The Holy Ghost Fathers
The Redneck Manifesto & bands on Out On A Limb Records

The Redneck Manifesto - Monkey Language



Subplots
Brian Cullen's Love Bullets
Slow Loris
Northstation
LPX
Risc Records releases
Groom
Mumblin Deaf Ro
The Story of Hair

The Story of Hair - Nanny Watch



Adebisi Shank - "Self Titled EP" / "This is the album of a band called Adebisi Shank"
Bats - "Cruel Sea Scientist"
Marvins Revolt - "Killec"
Terrordactyl - Self Titled EP
Vimanas - Self Titled EP
The Vinny Club - "Rocky IV Rekyrd"
The Jimmy Cake
Analogue Magazine's 'Peek! An earful of Irish Underground' 12" - now €10 with all proceeds to Road Records.

The Jimmy Cake - Hungrey Ghosts




From Saturday's Irish Times

Sunday's Seven Degrees of the Choice Nominations

The ten chosen albums for Choice album of the year 2008 are:

Fight Like Apes “Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion”
Mick Flannery “White Lies”
Halfset “Another Way of Being There”
Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew”
David Holmes “The Holy Pictures”
Jape “Ritual”
Messiah J & The Expert “From The Word Go”
Oppenheimer “Take The Whole Mid-Range And Boost It”
R.S.A.G. “Organic Sampler”
The Script “The Script”


Some of the nominated albums I have really enjoyed this year. Others I have no idea about but thanks to their nomination I will seek out soon. It was noted that a small country like ours with it's 4 million inhabitants has created approximately 150 excellent albums in 2008. Everyone wants their favourites to be recognise by Ireland's most prestigious award. The fact that so much has been written about the nominations and the judging process simply highlights the importance of the award. Hence the entertaining, emotion filled debates:


On The Record

Cluas

Off Her Rocker


Winner 2008? I'd love the award to really springboard an artist to success. I think the most likely artists to become megastars are Lisa Hannigan, Mick Flannery and to a lesser extent Oppenheimer so any of these three are fine. The best album is Jape's of course!

The Choice Music Prize live event will take place at Dublin's Vicar Street on March 4. Tickets for the event go on sale on January 19 from all Ticketmaster outlets, priced 27 euro including booking fee. The full list of bands playing at the live event will be announced in the coming weeks, however Mick Flannery's MySpace suggests he will be in attendance!

Irish Bands on YouTube - Angel Pier

I came across the video for Angel Pier's Sprites and it reminded me of summer days looking at clouds as a teenager. Angel Pier released two excellent EP's last year which raises hopes for an outstanding debut album from the band in 2009. I'm looking forward to my first gig of the new year when I pop along to Whelans in a few weeks!

http://www.myspace.com/angelpier

Angel Pier - Sprites

Something For The Weekend - Reflections on an odd Week!

We have had a mad week! Road records closing, Choice Awards nominations, plane landing on the Hudson, Anglo Irish Bank nonsense, ongoing Gaza tragedy as well as sickness. The one silver lining is the return of Mark Dignam to play Whelans on the 8th Feb and as special guest to The Swell Season in Vicar Street. I have mentioned the recession too much on the blog but I do believe that live music from the heart can lift spirits.

The Swell Season - Fogtown



Mark Dignam - Manhattan Skyline



Mic Christopeher - Hayday

Blog Co-Operation: Top 10 Upcoming Irish Acts

This post represents blog co-operation at it's best. Ronan over at Swear I'm Not Paul and myself have been working on creating a list of 10 Irish acts who we believe will make considerable progress towards world domination in the coming 12 months. Ronan picked five acts and I picked five acts ready to dominate your music world in 2009.


Aortal

Aortal are a three piece power alternative rock band with an amazing vocalist. Their MySpace with 20,000 plus friends describes the band as " ..... a Dublin three piece fronted by James O' Toole on guitar and vocals with Conor Friel on bass and Jay McNamara on Drums. This exciting new act combines striking vocals and visuals with the raw energy of a pumping heart." Due to their search for a drummer I have a feeling Aortal's debut won't be released in 2009 but what I do think will happen is that the band will create a big buzz in Ireland. The beginning of this buzz will be in February where they will be competing in the JD Set rock band competitions after been chosen from hundreds of bands! An initial Aortal comparison has to be JJ72 with a slighly harder edge. James is a great singer and it's that voice that will carry Aortal all the way to success.


MySpace

Aortal - 'In Light'






Armoured Bear

Armoured Bear come from down south, and like all southern bands, come packed with attitude. It doesn't only apply to US bands that southern thing, you know? Armoured Bear were a hit at last year's CorkXSW Festival, and after the release of their stunning Honeycomb Moons, they should be much bigger nationwide. The appeared on RTE's The View last week, and this is only the start of their rise in popularity. Expect big things from this upcoming Irish indie quartet. Oh and you should check out their wonderful website. It's almost as clever as the music.

MySpace
Official Site

Armoured Bear - 'Imagination'





Laura Izibor

Laura Izibor from working class Dublin was first discovered at the age of 15 when she won a national song contest. This was five years ago. Now at the age of 20 and on the cusp of releasing her debut album "Let The Truth Be Told", Laura is fully prepared for superstardom. Laura is a pop diva with an Irish attitude! I feel her Irishness will seperate her from similar artists such as Joss Stone and Duffy. She has full financial backing from Atlantic records and her music is already familiar to us due to the clever placement of Laura's songs in movies and on advertisements. Her songs can be heard in PS I Love You, The Nanny Diaries, Greys Anatomy and Seven Pounds. Laura has also supported the likes of James Blunt, Estelle and the legendary Aretha Franklin in New York City. Did I mention she actually can write a decent pop tune?

MySpace

Laura Izibor - 'Mmm'






Lines Drawing Circles

Lines Drawing Circles are probably not a band you've heard of. Yet. Their debut single will be released in February, with a special release party in CrawDaddy on 7th February 2009. We've been lucky enough to hear that single, and have to say it sounds very, very promnising. It's one of those infectious pop songs, but never becomes syrupy. You know the kind of stuff Nada Surf do best? A bit like that. They released a self-titled EP last year, which had glimpses of greatness. The new single, 'Thebes' is even better.

MySpace

No videos available yet.



Susan Enan

Susan Enan spent many years living in Northern Ireland but is now a resident of NYC who has a debut album ready for release during 2009. There are many similarities between Susan and Laura Izibor in that you may well be familar with Susan's sound due to the placement of Bring on the Wonder (ft Sarah McLauchlin) in the tv programme Bones and is the closing song of that soundtrack. I became aware of Susan's talent when her song Moonlight appeared on the Ruby Sessions Compilation in 2003. Moonlight is such an amazing song which has to be discovered this year. When the debut appears, she will already have a massive pool of fans due to the Bones soundtrack and will hopefully become massive in the year 2009.


MySpace

Susan Enan - 'Bring On The Wonder'





Television Room

Television Room is a band formed out of the ashes of The Marshall Stars who in 2004 were signed by Vertigo records. The Marshall Stars were a three piece power pop band ready for national success. Hotpress regularly featured the band's singles and gigs with a next big thing tag attached to the band! However a new direction was sought by the Marshals Stars Michael John and James O'Brian and Television Room was born in 2007. Television Room are a five piece indie pop band ready for national and then global domination. Their first single Tinabelle can be found on the Faction 2 compilation album and the band have finished recording and mixing their debut which will be released this year also on Faction Records. I predict big things for Television Room this year.

MySpace

Television Room - 'Coffee Houses'






Tenaka

Tenaka is one guy: Ronan Carroll. He's this year's RSAG. Yes, he's that damn good. His name reminds me of a wrestler, or T-Hawk from Streetfighter, but who cares about names? It's the music that matters. He recently released his debut EP, EPonymously Titled to much acclaim, and has even been featured on BBC Radio across the water. Some of his tracks are instrumental, but add in the word "multi" and it makes them all the more interesting. A supremly talented musician, if his live act stands up to his studio stuff, 2009 could well be his year.

MySpace

No videos yet.



The Funeral Suits

A band can become successful due to one or two specific influencial endorsements. In the case of The Funeral Suits, getting an endorsement from BBC's Steve Lamacq has given the band band clear motivation to succeed. The Funeral Suits are an indie band with great tunes and dynamic musicians. In the summer of 2008 they released their first EP Oh Dear. It looks like 2009 will have The Funeral Suits touring up and down the country, getting as much exposure as possible and recording their debut album. The Funeral Suits certainly belong to the indie genre of Fight Like Apes and Los Compesinos and this will be their year!

MySpace

The Funeral Suits - 'Black Lemonade'






The Kanyu Tree

If there is justice in the world, this summer should be the summer of the Kanyu Tree. Their songs are a pop masterclass. The band is a trio of Galweigan brothers (the Cluskeys). Last year they supported The Hold Steady (where I found out about them), The Feeling, Ocean Colour Scene, The Bluetones and the Stunning. 2009 can only get better. If you've heard them, you'll know why. If not, get to their MySpace page now and download 'Crocodile'. A sing-along sensation. Check them out at a free gig in Whelan's on 21st of January, 2009.

MySpace

The Kanyu Tree - 'Crocodile'




The Kinetiks

One small problem with this band is the sheer amount of "k"s in their name. One too many if you ask me. However, in Gaz Harding, they are blessed with one of Ireland's finest frontmen. Charming and sincere, but with a no-care attitude, you can tell he really feels every word and every note he plays. They're set to release their new EP, called Aye Aye Aye on March 6th, and look set to increase their already-decent exposure by hopefully moving up the Oxegen stagelist. They're on RTÉ's The Café tonight (Friday, 16th January), so check them out.

MySpace

The Kinetiks - 'A Smile Crack'd Your Face'

Road Records to close in 3 weeks!

Sad sad news. On the day we find out HMV are to save the Irish Zavvi stores we find out our best little indie music store is to close it's doors!

Read Dave & Julie's explanation here:

http://www.thumped.com/news/music-news/sad-news-from-road-records.html

Some live performances in Road Records

Crayonsmith - We Sleep



Mark Geary with Ann Scott - See-Saw (Houpacka)



Mumblin Deaf Ro - Drowning Man



Heathers - Remember When

Feckin' Great News!

Let me set the scene..... last night we had one of the worst nights of our life because all the family caught the vomiting bug. That's right ... sick, shivers and shits! Truly truly awful. Anyway it meant a day off work. I have spent some time thinking about the Choice Music Award nominations and the resulting debate over at ....

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2009/01/14/heres-the-choice-music-prize-shortlist/

.... and the whole debate in the comment section was fun to a point! Then came the insults. And the petty immature comments from apparently mature music journalists. And it was hard to justify it all. In some ways this was worst than the three S's above. It was disappointing to see insults at other Irish music sites and insults towards The Script.

Then I got my first edition of my new Hot Press subscription. Had my usual quick browse through it and noticed the tiny gig section for the next fortnight in Dublin. I have never in my life seen so few gigs. Good luck trying to get to see a good band on Monday 16th, only Staind are listed! [It's Been Awhile is a crackin tune]

Then I got a text from a good friend in the UK saying she'd love to catch The Swell Season's charity gig in Vicar Street as mentioned below. I got the tickets so it's sorted.

Then the great news....if I had a red pen I'd underline great news!


http://www.myspace.com/markdignam

Bell X1 Tour and album news!

Bell X1 have their forth album out on March 3rd called Blus Lights on the Runway. [date check....isn't this just a day after the U2 lads release their newbie? Here's hoping we all make more noise about Bellx1 than U2.] Be warned before you go to ticketmaster.ie to get your Irish tickets......they will knock ya back a massive €35 each! I'm sure 35 yoyos are worth it!




Tickets on sale this Tues 20th January at 9am


How Your Heart Is Wired recorded live from their November Vicar Street shows!

The Swell Season Vicar Street Charity Gig Update 2!

Looks like this will be a special gig alright!

Ruby Tuesday - Asha

Asha is really really really good. I want to stop writing and let you go to her MySpace to find refreashing Irish pop music by an excellent singer. She has just uploaded new tracks to the page and I think she is a great talent. I'm hoping this Dubliner will be playing some gigs soon. Think along the lines of Wallis Bird and KT Tunstall but go make up your own mind and add this talent to your friends list on MySpace.

Tracks on MySpace:

Keep Fallin' (Excelent power pop tune)
Bring It On
Every Day
I Don't Care (highly recommended)
Stupid (great tune)
You

http://www.myspace.com/ashadoes

Pony Club single and Whelan's gigs!

Taken from Pony Club MySpace:

"PONY CLUB are pleased to announce their first live shows in support of their critically acclaimed album 'Post Romantic'. Catch them live upstairs in Whelans on Friday February 6th and 13th for a mere €10.


The next single 'Diplomat' will be released on February 6th on hum recordings.


Pony Club will be appearing on RTE2's top young people's entertainment show, The Café on Friday 23rd January.


The show is presented by Aidan Power and will be recorded on Thursday 22nd January at 7pm from RTE Studios in Dublin. If you would like to be in the audience for the show and see Pony Club perform, please email thecafe[at]rte.ie"



http://www.ponyclub.tv

Pony Club - Diplomat

Aortal Gig this Friday

If your not at TNA wrestling or The Academy for The Gutter Twins, you should pop along to Dorans for some of Irelands best new talent!

Monday Under The Covers - Daffodil Lament

In honour of one of Ireland's most successful band reforming for a three song set last Friday night in Trinity College I have for you a cover of Daffodil Lament by the young new Irish singer Lisa Cuthbert. Doloras and the brothers Hogan performed Linger, Zombie and Doloras' An Ordinary Day in front of 300 delighted sudents. It would be great to see The Cranberries reform for a gig in the O2.


http://www.myspace.com/lisacuthbert

Lisa is about to release her debut EP called Ready to Unfold with the following tracklist:

1. Ready To Unfold
2. Burden
3. Cherry Blossom (remixed)
4. Daffodil Lament (cover!)
5. Synthia

Catch Lisa live in The Purty Sessions this coming Sunday in Dun Laoghaire.

Sunday's Seven Degrees of Reading

I bought this book last week for next to nothing and read it (quickly) while my twins were at Judo. The Polysyllabic Spree is a collection of book reviews Nick Hornby wrote for The Believer magazine during the years 2003 and 2004. A few things struck me while reading it. Firstly were the wise words from Nick when he advises in the introduction to stop reading a book if it's not good! Great advice! I'm often struck by hearing people saying it was a good book but I struggled through it! Why struggle? I suppose it's like music blogs, if it ain't interesting you ....move on! The second thing is that The Believer has an ethos which states that no critisism should be directed towards a book or novelist. It's for this reason I could never ever be a journalist. The thought of listening to something I don't like and then writing negative things about it? Life is too short for negativities. Listen to what you like! I am determined to begin to work my way through my collection of novels and reawaken my love of books! When I'm finished with the DVD boxsets of The Shield, The Sopranos.....oh wait The Wire too......oh and after Jack Bauer saves the world again!

Crumb - Book of Misunderstanding MySpace

Kitty & the Can Openers - She Reads Magazines Official Website

Simple Kid - Self-Help Books MySpace

Heathers - Reading in the Dark MySpace

Whipping Boy - Bad Books MySpace

The Virgin Prunes - White History Book MySpace

The Divine Comedy - The Booklovers MySpace

http://www.believermag.com/
Buy The Book @ Amazon

Irish Bands on YouTube - Whelans

During the Christmas period I came across a very early version of the Whelans website from '99. Jasus 10 yrs back! Anyway what a fun nostalgic read!

http://homepage.eircom.net/~lhanlon/

February & March 1999 Whelan's Listings:

Thu, 18 Feb DEADMAN'S FLATS
Fri, 19 Feb TERRY SUTTON
Sat, 20 Feb THE PRAYER BOAT
Mon, 22 Feb GERRY O BEIRNE
Tue, 23 Feb FAOLAN (FEAT SEAN WHELAN , PAUL KELLY)
Wed, 24 Feb JULIET TURNER
Fri, 26 Feb THE MARY JANES
Sat, 27 Feb THE WALLS
Sun, 28 Feb PADDY CASEY
Mon, 1, Mar THE SOUND OF BELLS, SUNBEAR, TRUCK
Fri, 5, Mar BLINK
Sun, 7, Mar LIA LUACHRA
Tue, 9, Mar DARLENE
Wed, 10, Mar KATELL KEINEG
Thu, 11, Mar KATELL KEINEG
Fri, 12, Mar DONAL LUNNY
Sat, 13, Mar DONAL LUNNY
Thu, 18, Mar NINE WASSIES FROM BAINNE
Mon, 22, Mar SALTHOUSE
Sat, 27, Mar MUNDY
Tue, 30, Mar DAMIAN DEMPSEY

Damn if I wasn't a poor UCD arts student in '99, how much fun would I have had? Some of my favourite artists playing within a few weeks of each other!

The other great feature on the site is the brief history of the venue, which I felt had to be told on this blog.....



" A brief(ish) History

Although the Keystone beneath the lantern on the front of Whelans bears the year 1894this only signifys the granting of a licence to the then owners Galvin. In fact the pub's history doesn't start there. The earliest definite record of a public house on this site dates from 1772, when Christopher Brady operated a licensed premises on what was then still popularly known as Kevin's Port. In 1821 ownership passed to his son Bernard and in 1834 two licences were operating from the building, Bernards, and that of Jane Gorman whose Grocer, Wine and Spirit Dealer seem's to have furnished the local need for off-sales or "dram drinking" as it was known then. In 1995 Whelans is again equipped to cater for the local off sales needs with the opening in October `94 of a new Off Licence situated at 23 wexford street, just two doors away from the pub entrance. In 1875 the owner was Daniel Tallon who sold the pub to Galvin in 1894 for . This period marks the pinnacle of the streets prosperity and when the pub was sold again in 1897 it fetched the sum of which in todays terms would probably come to something approaching one million pounds.

The new owner of the pub was the Gilligan family who undertook an extensive renovation of the pub. The same family witnessed the decline in fortune of the neighbourhood and sold to Stephen Bourke in 1952 for , only twice the purchase price of sixty years earlier.

Stephen Bourke was a Dublin "character" in the most bizarre sense of the word, often wielding a hurley to drive malcreant customers off the premises and sending his wife out to take in deliveries, whatever the weather.



In 1989 Gary Whelan an expatriate Irish actor returned to his birthplace, Wexford Street from London and , in partnership with Ian Keith, bought the pub from Bourke and renovated it extensively. When renovating, the new owners striped "easy to manage" synthetic tiles, plasters and work tops that were added in the middle of the century in an act of modernisation, and uncovered the original wooden and stone surfaces.the walls of the pub were also covered with synthetic tiles and the bar with Formica. The Bourkes sign from this era ( which appears on the Famous Dublin Pubs poster) has been left intact under the newer Whelans sign. Unfortunately for the partnership, the cost of renovation led to large bank loans which in turn led to large interest repayments and the pair eventually sold to Liam Hanlon two years after the renovation.

One feature of the bar is the Stone man, a life size statue of a lone Dublin drinker propped against the Stone Bar. The statue is made with fired wood chips, a sort of complex paper mache.

The music venue was originally a warehouse and was purchased at the same time as the recent renovation of the front bar. and has been similarly restored and decorated. You can still see the flywheel that was used to raise and lower goods above the upstairs window.The murals in the balcony bar are reproductions of Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel in Rome.



The ground floor of the music venue features murals reproduced from the Book Of Kells. The three main murals, which are hidden by the stage curtain at nighttime, depict three of the four evangelists - Mark as the lion, Luke as the calf and John as the eagle (the calf also appears in the front bar). These panels are taken from the front pages of the gospels and the animals are shown with their usual vague collection of physical characteristics. The Whelans logo itself is one of the many feline monsters which occur throughout the book. "

Of course this was before the recent extention which I believe was a massive mistake and robbed us of a cosy intimate venue to enjoy our musical talents before they go off and win an Oscar and become maga famous!

http://www.whelanslive.com/

Below are some of the most popular video clips from gigs at Whelan's on YouTube at the moment.

Gary Dunne - American Folk Song [pre renovation, old tables, great atmosphere days]



Wallis Bird - Blossoms in the Street



Duke Special - Maps [view from the balcony]



Mark Hogan - I Miss You

Something For The Weekend - The Sultans of Ping

We got to see the now traditional Christmas Sultans of Ping gig a few weeks back and it was great fun. Niall is such a mad frontman. Also it's nice to hear the Sultans in the ad for the Sky 1 TV prog "Am You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old" with their song Stupid Kid. Support was from The Pale who were brilliant. It was so great to hear Butterfly live.

In my persuit of Irish music online I came across a Sultans site [unsure if this site is affiliated directly with the band] which contains almost every Sultans song for download. The only thing you don't get is the amazing debut album which you're encouraged to go buy! I have included below some of the best tracks from the site!


Wake Up & Scratch Me
Terrorist Angel
Michiko
Frenzy
Scar On My Face
Bad Boyfriend
Armitage Shanks
Turnip Fish
Let's Go Shopping
Japanese Girls
Teenage Drug


The Sultans of Ping - Veronica




http://www.sultansofping.com/
http://ping.fishtank.org.uk/

Colin Devlin Irish Spring Tour

Honestly I aint on a commission from Colin here but I know first hand that Colin's debut is awesome and his gig in Whelans before Christmas was excellent! So go see him live ......




The Devlins - Waves

Eleanor McEvoy scores YouTube Hit

I read this week about Eleanor McEvoy's song Sophie with it's emotional lyrics about an anorexic teenager becoming a massive YouTube hit with 350K + views. It goes to show you that sometimes a song by an unsuccessful (commercially) artist can become inspirational to so many. [Wow I just read some of the comments on YouTube!]

Sophie cannot finish her dinner
Says she's eatin' enough
Sophie's tryin' to make herself thinner
Says she's eatin' too much
And her brother says, "You're joking,"
And her mother's heart is broken
Sophie has a hard time copin'
And, besides, Sophie's hopin'

CHORUS
She can be like all the other girls
Be just like all the other girls
Livin' in an ordinary world
Just to fit in, in the ordinary world
Just to fit in like an ordinary girl.

II
Sophie's losin' weight by the minute
How did things get this bad?
Sophie's family don't understand it
Gave her all that they had
And her sister won't stop cryin'
'Cause her father says she's dyin'
Sophie says she's really tryin'
Problem is, Sophie's lying.

REPEAT CHORUS

How did she get this way?
How did she get this way?
Through tryin' to hide it.
What does it take to say,
What does it take to say
She's dying, Sophie's dying to ...

[Warming about the video clip below!]



http://www.eleanormcevoy.com/
http://www.myspace.com/emcevoymusic

The Guggenheim Grotto Tour the US!

..... well ok they are touring the North-East coast. Here's hoping the best of success for the band!


6 Jan 2009 21:00 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7 Jan 2009 8:00 The Living Room New York, New York
8 Jan 2009 19:30 Lizard Lounge Cambridge, Massachusetts
10 Jan 2009 20:00 Coffee East Easton, Maryland
11 Jan 2009 20:00 Gravity Lounge Charlottesville, VA
13 Jan 2009 9:00 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
14 Jan 2009 8:00 The Living Room New York, New York
15 Jan 2009 19:30 Lizard Lounge Cambridge, Massachusetts
16 Jan 2009 19:30 House Concert - Upper West Side New York, New York
20 Jan 2009 9:00 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21 Jan 2009 8:00 The Living Room New York, New York
22 Jan 2009 19:30 Lizard Lounge Cambridge, Massachusetts
25 Jan 2009 20:00 Watercolor Cafe Larchmont, New York
27 Jan 2009 9:00 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
28 Jan 2009 8:00 The Living Room New York, New York
29 Jan 2009 19:30 Lizard Lounge Cambridge, Massachusetts
31 Jan 2009 19:30 Wilde Auditorium West Hartford, Connecticut
5 Feb 2009 20:00 The Ark Ann Arbor, Michigan
6 Feb 2009 20:00 Come2Go Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Guggenheim Grotto - Wonderful Wizard



Philosophia