welcome in

The assembled cast in The Welcome Inn last night were quite a bunch. I had the Galafari to my left. He was still partying from the night before and the wear and tear was beginning to show. Seated to his left was Barry Delta who had also been partying the previous night but obviously values life's simpler pleasures such as sleeping. Galafari and Barry had of course been celebrating the Reach 2nd Birthday Bash in The Twisted Pepper. Happy second birthday to them. To their left again was the Don of Irish Junglism, the man himself, Naphta. I forgot to tell him last night that I'd only been listening to his 'Long Time Burning' album during the week. Although released last December I only listened to it a couple of times since. During the week I decided that I'd dig it out for another listen and it truly is the finest junglism to have come out of this town. To Naphta's left was another lover and maker of beats, hailing from the UK, weighing in at 13 stone it was the one, the only, Equinox. Moving left again the Mullet took his place between Equinox on one side and Dublin's legendary techno pusher Eamonn Doyle of D1 Records (check him out below with the lovely Welcome Inn behind him). The cameo appearances were put in by myself and the Don Rosco. There was one reason and one reason only for this musical meeting of minds. We were all off to see Rollers Sparkers in the Joy Gallery on Rutland Place.

Rutland Place itself holds a few memories from my distant past. There was a party gaff at the end of it that saw many rave casualties pass both in and out its doors. Fond memories indeed from a time when most of the week would be spent recuperating from the weekends exertions. They were simpler times back then.

Myself and Rosco were eager to move the assembled crew around to the gallery but they're a fairly lethargic lot. We did make it in time to see the last tune by Children Under Hoof. I'm glad we made it because although they were a bit frayed around the edges I enjoyed the buzz about them. I guess that they are in their early twenties at most as they had an affectation about them that was somewhat innocent. The tune was a krautrock/psychedelic prog effort but most bands forget that this type of thing is actually really hard to pull off. To maintain the driving rhythm required for this type of music the heartbeat of the band needs to be spot on. At times during their last tune they could have done with a pacemaker. The bass player and drummer didn't seem to be playing in the same time. The guitarist, who looked a little bit like Catweazel, went a bit wonky at the end and in Mark E Smith fashion went over and started belting away at the cymbals. This was the last thing the drummer needed given the difficulties he was already experiencing. The keyboard player kept looking at the drummer and bassist trying to give thenm the nod to end the song but they were ignoring him. In the midst of all this sat the only female member of the band and it looked like she was playing a Nintendo DS. It seems she has other musical abilities as there was a range of instruments adorning the table in front of her, however any such abilities were kept under cover as she completed the next level of Donkey Kong. Song finished, there was a ramshackle attempt at a Von Trapp family bow. To be fair this was their finale tune so they may have just decided to go apeshit. Next up, Rollers Sparkers.

Knowing the members of Rollers Sparkers, my critical faculties are somewhat skewed. I think that they're great and have done since the first time I saw them a few years ago. That said, they were pretty ramshackle the first time I heard them so the kids from Children Under Hoof can take hope. After what seemed like a long time of fixing gear and fiddling with knobs, they were off. Not that most people noticed. The crowd kept chatting away until a few minutes into the first tune. I'm not sure how the band describe their music but suffice to say its slightly leftfield. They make great use of the array of effects on both their voices and instruments. Their tunes build from a basic rhythm into swathes of driving bass, vocal harmonies and electronic effects and pull the listener along with them. It's not the type of stuff you dance to. Those hearing it are usually more inclined to nod their heads a little. In fact much more time is spent focussing on the contributions from the trio and trying to distinguish exactly who is making what sound. I could only hang around for the first three tunes but it was great. Apparently it was their last live show for a while as they go back to write and rehearse material for a new album. I for one will be looking forward to it.

It was great to see a space like the Joy Gallery being used for stuff like this. It was my first time there but I reckon they could be on to something in using it as a venue. They've held a few such gigs there since it opened earlier this year. I can imagine this kind of thing is de riguer in places like Berlin but it was refreshing to see it happen here in Dublin. There were sixty or seventy people packed into a tight space and buzzing off a couple of bands. Having no licence to sell alcohol the attendees were invited to bring their own booze along if they felt like it. The basic ingredients for a successful recipe are there for them. I wish them every success if their venture continues in this vein.

On other fronts I picked up an album on Grand Royal called New York State of Mind. It features a whole load of Beastie Boy tunes that have been reworked by Green Lantern. These tunes have seen the light of day before on earlier 12inch release and on various Green Lantern mixtapes but I think this album is the first time its been put together on vinyl. One reason for thinking that is that I've been googling it and I can find it mentioned in fuck all places. I think it only got a release at the end of October but its been slow to appear in shops. I was over the the Beastie Boys site trying to get some info when I came across this page. Right in the top middle of the photo is a Saba McDisc just like mine. Nice one.

I also picked up the vinyl release of 'Peeek - an earful of Irish Underground' which has been given a limited free issue on vinyl by the nice Analogue people. I got the CD a few weeks ago but to be honest I never play CD's in the house, or the car, or anywhere else for that matter. I'm not much of a CD guy I guess. As such i was most pleased to get the tunes on vinyl including the contributions by Ugly Megan and Katie Kim. It's only as I write that I realise that there's a tune by Children Under Hoof on it too. I'll have to listen to that later.

I also picked up a limited release seven inch that's from earlier this year. It's a tune called Id Engager and it's by Of Montreal. It's on Polyvinyl Records and its got a nice electro groove to it. It's not what I expected at all. I'm not really familiar with Of Montreal and it was a blind buy but I'm liking it.

Right so. I'm off to cry about Arsenal's unfulfilled potential so far this season. You can catch me playing live on www.powerfm.org on Monday night between 11pm and 1am GMT. Drop in and have a listen to me talk shite in between the good music. Later

it's jazz baby

Me – I’m going to the Tripod please.

Taxi Bloke – On Harcourt St?

Me – Yeah.

Taxi Bloke – What’s on there?

Me – Herbie Hancock.

Taxi Bloke – Who’s he?

Me – You might know him from that tune he did called ‘Rockit’ back in 1983.

Taxi Bloke – No

Me – He’s done lots of other stuff. Played with the likes of Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, Wayne Shroter, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, did the theme tune to the Cosby Kids cartoon show, stuff like that

Taxi Bloke – Ah jaysus, all those musicians are up their own hole.

Me – Well he’s famous, but I doubt that he’s that bad.

Taxi Bloke – I’ve a friend who’s a musician and he’s up his own arse. He’s not in touch with reality. Are you going to Girls Aloud? You could go to that gig with earplugs in and you’d still enjoy it.

And so began the night. The Herbie Hancock Sextet was playing in Tripod last night and the Don Rosco weaved some magic and sorted me out with entry to the gig. We hooked up with The Mullet beforehand and managed to bypass the lengthy queue that had formed. Straight in. No chaser. Apparently it was supposed to kick-off at 8 sharp but it was 8.15 before Herbie and his ensemble arrived on stage. Last night he was joined by Lionel Loueke on guitar, Terence Blanchard on trumpet, James Genus on bass guitar, Gregoire Maret on harmonica and Kendrick Scott on drums.

Rather than being up his own arse Herbie was an entirely affable character (I can’t wait to tell that taxi driver). He complained a little about the cold, introduced the band, completed some general audience interaction, compared his well worn shoes with Blanchards silver sneakers and kicked off with the tune ‘Actual Proof’ which I think is from the second Headhunters album, Thrust. It lasted about twenty minutes or twice as long as the recorded version. When it was over there was some more audience interaction and it turns out that he’s not only affable but he’s a fairly funny, self-deprecating individual too. I’m really warming to Herbie now. He cracks into the tune ‘Speak like a child’ and after about fifteen minutes it segues into a version of ‘The Visitor’. Another fifteen minutes later and that tune ends. At this stage I’m beginning to wonder exactly how many tunes he’s going to fit into the gig.

Herbie then gave a special introduction to Lionel Loueke. I was reading about Lionel’s background today and his tale really is something special. From his poor beginnings in Benin, West Africa he’s now playing guitar all over the world with some jazz legends. Last night we were treated to a composition of his called ‘Seven Teens’ that featured on his recent release Karibu. It’s apparently written with seventeen beats to the bar, which I imagine is damn hard to play. This was followed by a solo improvisation with just his voice and guitar. The rest of the band left him to it and took a quick piss break. There was some crowd interaction when he got everyone clapping and chanting and he did a bit of mad shit with his voice that sounded like Huey, Louis & Dewey doing some human beatboxing. It was great value. The rest of the gig just melted together. They did a version of ‘Cantaloup Island’; a tune that many will know inspired the US3 cover version, Cantaloop. I don’t remember all that much after that. It was all done and dusted by 10.30 and we were sent home with the jazz fusion still ringing in our ears.

Never a man to miss a trick, The Mullet led us down to Anseo on Camden Street where we caught some of the set from UK dubstepper Plastician. The place was heaving downstairs so we popped our heads upstairs for a couple of quick swifties. A much more convivial atmosphere up there and the smell of body odour wasn’t as bad. Some times you have to know when to call a night a night and that time was upon me. The Carling Cup highlights beckoned me home and there I headed. Maximum respect to the Don Rosco for driving me home just in time to see the Arsenal kids stick a few in the onion bag against Wigan. All was right with the world.

distant cousins

I was down in the general Cavan/Leitrim area for the last couple of days but on the way there we stopped off in a place just outside Oldcastle that I'd been told about a few times. Unlike Newgrange, where they've managed to make the whole thing into a tourist experience, Lough Crew is the real deal. You'll get nads of people gathering there for the Spring and Autumn equinoxes when the sunlight enters the chamber and gradually lights up a succession of carvings on large stones inside the passage. We just reckoned we'd check out the cairn and its surroundings but when we got there two other passers by had manged to get the key for it. They invited us to check it out with them. Being a gracious type of family we accepted their invitation. In all, six adults and five children climbed inside and marvelled at this amazing piece of Irish heritage. This place was constructed in about 3500 BC and there are numerous other remains dotted about the general area. It truly is an amazing place. Apparently it was built by a load of neolithic farmers as a means of measuring time. It sure is the fanciest clock that I've ever been inside. See for yourself, I took a few snaps. Mind you I can't be arsed rotating some of the images.











There's a great view from up there but I should warn any ladies that they mightn't care for it if they've just had their hair done. It gets pretty windy up there.

It being the occasion of my favourite* daughters fifth birthday I was a bit late arriving at The Sugar Club last Thursday evening. There was cake to be cut, presents to be opened and songs to be sung. My lateness was further compounded by a short detour to hook up with The Mullet for a matter of great import. He was busy checking out Nurse with Wound in Andrews Lane Theatre and was enjoying the experience. Our exchange was brief, we are after all, both very busy men. Onwards to Sweettalk. I knew I'd already missed John Gilsenan's opening talk but I was hoping to make it for at least some of Maser. As it turned out I made it about 10 minutes or so into his talk. This meant running the gauntlet of shame past the stage and up the stairs to the bar.

I never knew that I knew Maser until I saw him on the stage. Like myself, he's a regular shopper in All City Records here in Dublin. Unlike me, he goes there to buy lots of spray paint. Maybe he buys records too? I dunno. I've exchanged words on a few occasions and he seems like an amiable enough chap. After his talk (and also a lot of mumbling in places) he's risen hugely in my estimation. I've seen bits and pieces of his stuff around town but I'd never realised the huge extent or volume of work he'd produced over the last decade. He treated the assembled crowd to a whirlwind tour of his work and accompanied it with a slightly self-deprecating commentary. His unadulterated enthusiasm for his work is only slightly dampened by an endearing humility. He is the epitomy of a buzzer. It's obvious that he's consumed by an artistic passion and it's also obvious that he can't believe his current luck in being widely admired and lately, well paid for it. The talk was a wonderful insight into someone who is coming to terms with his talent. His current status as a bit of a media darling will most likely wear off over time. That's not a bad thing though. Unfortunately most people who are identified as the next big thing tend to become yesterdays news. I don't think its like that with Maser. It's hard to begrudge him any of his success thus far. There was a raw honesty in a lot of what he spoke about. His talk treated a range of ideas and personal experiences but a common theme kept rising to the surface. It's like Maser's artistic journey is also a spiritual one for him. He's found something and he wants to tell the world about it. He is a missionary for street art. Maser Loves You. And it would appear that we all love Maser. Nice one.

Steinski began by recounting tales of his early life and college years. How he became the prime dope dealer on the small university campus he was attending. There were slides of his interesting haircut, Afrika Bambataa and peculiar American turntables. It was all very nice but I was finding it hard to get excited about most of it. It was almost like a Woody Allen monologue at times. I don't mean that in a bad way. I have massive respect for Steinski but I'm not sure he's cut out for the after dinner circuit. He tended to ramble on a bit. In fairness he wasn't shy about giving credit to others where it was due and he seemed like a very genuine individual. Maybe he described it best hmself when he said he was an underachiever who got lucky. Steinski's greatest artistic contribution was from a particular time and place. People will always recognise and respect him for that but it also means they will be kinder in tolerating any current artistic notions. It was always going to be hard to follow Maser. The home crowd had already been wowed. Steinski's talk was a different bag. It's not to hard to see why. Here were two very different artists at very different points in their careers. This manifested itself in their interaction with their art, their lives and the audience. Maser was definitely here and now, Steinski was more like a kindly uncle with a pocketful of Werthers Originals. Both endearing but both very different experiences. Sweettalk returns to Dublin in 2009. They're in Cork in November.

I was delighted to open the magazine in todays Irish Times and see a feature on my favourite Irish artist. I've about half a dozen of his prints and paintings adorning the walls of my home and I never tire of looking at them. He works from his base in Co Wexford and although I'd recently been told he was moving to France, there's no mention of it in the article. The article was on Paddy Lennon, a good mate and former employer of mine. On his return from Spain several years ago I worked in his temporary shop/studio in Dublin. I sold bits of Spanish crockery out front and he painted at the rear of the shop. He always told me he'd give me a painting but it was only about ten years after that I ended up getting some from him. I paid him for them but I reckon I still got a very sweet deal. He also threw in a nice country welcome and quick tour of his stables for good measure. I last saw him about a year ago when he was exhibiting here in Dublin. You should check out his landscapes if you get the chance. Here's the article.

The quest continues and with it comes the third instalment in the Indiecater series. The suitably titled Indiecater 3 is now available for purchase. Once again it features the best indie talent drawn from around the globe. Malmo, New York and Dublin representing alongside a host of others. You'll get it for less than the price of a pint, unless of course you live down the country or drink in a GAA clubhouse, in which case it will be a little more than the price of a pint of Guinness. I rest my case.

Finally, the latest online issue of Fact magazine has a nice little feature on their top 20 jungle tunes. There are some blinders in the pick. Have a look here.



* For the record, I have only one daughter.

blog! a rhythm?

I was reading the newspapers that built up over the weekend and I stumbled across a feature on Gerry Anderson. Not to be confused with the talented tv producer and writer, Gerry Anderson, the one I'm talking about is the not quite as talented bloke who always turns up on BBC Northern Ireland or BBC Radio 4. He's apparently courting controversy these days by claiming that Gary Glitter is a decent old skin.

The picture of Gerry served to remind me of a time about 15 years ago when the trad/folk band I was in entered the Opportunity Knocks talent contest held in Ballyshannon. I considered us a supergroup of sorts. We had a singer who went on to voice the character of Shadow in Bear in the Big Blue House. We had an accordion player from Cavan who was the only person I ever heard make that particular instrument sound good (Welcome to Hell! Here's your accordion!). We had a wonderful guitarist from Rossnowlagh and another talented bloke from Clondalkin and then there was yours truly on percussion. If my memory serves me correctly we won and collected a grand in prize money. Our win came courtesy of three independent judges: the aforementioned Gerry Anderson, the then Late Late Show in-house pianist Frank McNamara and someone else I can't remember. Needless to say we went on the batter with all the judges and other contestants afterwards and ended up in a boozer called Eoin Roe O'Neills I believe. The gargle flowed all night (probably at our expense) and Frank kept banging out tunes on the piano until the small hours of the morning. As the sun started to rise I realised that we had to get to Sligo to make a train back to Dublin. I distinctly remember the scornful look on my mates's mother as she collected us to bring us to the airport. Three drunk smelly blokes sitting in a car at about 7.30 in the morning pretending to be sober. I had some kind of lucid moment around Ben Bulben as that's the only part of the journey I remember. I think I kept calling it Ben's Bulb. That kind of stuff counts as funny when you've been drinking all night. What wasn't funny was the trip home on the train when we were collectively blanked by a clearly hungover Frank McNamara. That's stars for you. They're your best buddy one night and then your yesterdays news.

What the fuck all of that has to do with the rest of this post is beyond me. I'm banging on about that kind of nonsense when ther's things happening on the music and blogging scene all around me. In Dublin news a couple of new places have opened in the city. The first is actually new. It's some boozer called Le Cirk on Dame Street and it has some notions about being a jazz lounge. It appeared from behind hoardings some weeks ago and is trying to find its feet. I sent my wife and her mates to it the other night but they were having none of it and left after one drink. Maybe jazz isn't their thing. Apparently the music bookings are being taken care of by ex-Jazz FM boss, Ollie Dowling. The former pirate radio mogul will hope that this return to jazz promotion is more successful than his efforts with the Bleu Note on Capel St. The other new, but actually not new, venue is The Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey Street. This was previously Traffic and for some reason I managed to never go there when it open. As such I've no idea if Twisted Pepper is any different. The Wobble Crew were promoting a night downstairs and it featured my old junglist muckers Don Rosco and Naphta. I only hung around for a while to check out Don Rosco and T-Woc weave some dubstep madness and missed Naphta as a result. The lure of my slippers and a hot cup of Ovaltine was too much for me. I legged it.

The DEAF weekender draws ever closer and I'll remind you again that the only place to be this Thursday evening is in The Sugar Club for the Sweettalk with Steinski, Maser and Alan Gilsenan. I'll be there. Carrying a copy of the FT under my left oxter and with a pink carnation in the lapel of my sports jacket. Another event worth checking is the White Noise gig being promoted by Mici Durnin and his cohort Darren of Maximum Joy promotions. I only met Mici at the tail-end of the summer. We had some oldschool football kickabouts with a motley crew of participants from the likes of The Jimmy Cake, Dave from Road Records and Claude from PIAS distribution. It harked back to those football games on the local green that would go on until it got pitch black. If someone had arrived with an empty glass milk-bottle full of water it would have completed the picture. Anyhow White Noise play The Sugar Club at 8pm on the 26th October. A DJ Set from Broadcast will follow.

I have it on good account that Twenty Majors forum is the place to be this weather. I went over just after it opened and it asked me to register. I hate to admit it but I'm a lazy auld shite when it comes to registering on websites, so I didn't. In any event, I have it on good account that it's working out nicely.

I'd read about the Casino in Marino way back in school. It featured in our art history studies back in secondary school. Yesterday we went en famille over Donnycarney way and visited the Casino. You can imagine my disappointment when I found there was no blackjack table there. Instead you're treated to an architectural wonder of symmetry, creativity and trickery. It's the bleeding business. We went on the tour with a German mother and daughter and some bloke who looked like he'd been forced there by his mother. We all had to put on slippers before they allowed us walk on the nice parquet floors. Freaky buzz but a top buzz.

Finally, it pains me to say it but the fabulous Blogariddims series has come to an end. Fifty blogariddims later, Droid, Slug and the rest of the weareie cru have called a halt to proceedings. These guys have achieved huge admiration for crafting podcasts for general consumption to anyone with an interweb connection. I for one believe they have covered themselves in glory. Well done chaps. You can check out the hugely convoluted but higly entertaining series of posts by all 10 contributors to the final blogariddims over on weare.ie. And here is the very first post by Droid

the black watch

Myself and the missus took ourselves off to the RDS last night. It wasn't for Kanye West or the Ideal Homes exhibition or anything like that. It was to check out one of the feted plays in this years Dublin Theatre Festival. The show in question is called Black Watch. I saw the festival director on the TV last week saying it was the best piece of theatre produced anywhere in the world in the last few years. As soon as I heard that I lowered my expectations. I hate it when fuckers tell you something is going to be brilliant only for it to turn out to be shite. I need not have been so cynical or disbelieving. The show was great. It's produced by the National Theatre of Scotland and directed by some bloke called John Tiffany. Its apparently based on interviews with former soldiers who served in Iraq and it examines what it means to be part of the legendary Black Watch Regiment, what it means to be part of the war on terror, and what it means to make the long journey home. It was a gripping hour and forty five minutes or so and for a large part of it there was definite sensory assault. I'll not bother reviewing it because that's not my thing but you can read the review in todays Irish Times. I'd recommend that you check it out if it comes around again. I've more freaky theatre lined up for tomorrow evening when I go and see Metamorphosis . Written by Kafka, with music by Nick Cave and half of it staged on the ceiling, you just know its going to be mental.

I made peace with a little part of myself the other day when I finally got my hands on a 12 inch copy of the Foul Play remix of 'Renegade Snares' by Omni Trio. I've been wanting a copy of this old drum and bass tune for years. It's in my top three favourite jungle tunes ever and now it stands on the shelf gathering dust alongside a couple of hundred other jungle classics. Big up to Gerry in Beatfinder Records for not selling it to anyone else (despite his best efforts).

A seven inch of note that's found a new home in Chez Vinyl is the second release in the Powerful Beacon series. It sees hip-hop producer Samon Kawamura remix a classic hip-hop tune by OC called Times Up. The Powerful Beacon project aims to reintroduce hip hop classics to the modern listener by having them remixed by contemporary producers. It's nowhere near as good as the original but its still pretty great. It was released on Takeshi Records some time earlier this year.

my news. today is monday.

I'm trying to keep in the blogging groove with this post. Its easy to lose your way and every now and again you just have to knuckle down and write something. As any regular reader will attest, this blog is very much more about quantity than quality. If there was an ISO audit for this blogging stuff I'm not sure I'd reach the pass mark. Somehow that makes me a little proud inside.

Given my dearth of ideas I'll kick off by poaching news from other sources. Nialler9 brings attention to a new musical effort by my man of the moment Richie Egan aka Jape. It's a cover of the Toto tune 'Africa'. The original tune evokes particular memories for me, mostly centred around MT USA and Jack Palance in Ripleys Believe it or Not. It also brings to mind another classic by the same band, Rosanna. This tune probably holds more significance for my older brother who had a brief dalliance with a yound English girl of that name over the course of a summer in Bettystown. Apologies for the digression, lets get back on song here. I'm not sure what to make of this version, its probably a bit too similar to the original. There's a peculiar karaoke feel to it at times. It also doesn't help that the original singer of the chorus, Bobby Kimball, can sing about two octaves higher than Richie. I mention Bobby Kimball there because the verses of the song are sung by David Paitch. There's one for all you Toto fact fans out there. Anyway, its well worth a listen so go and make your own minds up. Then go and feel the velvet original here. Mind you, the words of the tune have to be the most ridiculous I've heard in ages. They obviously wrote the words first and the tune after because there's loads of instances where they're trying to squeeze the sentence in. Schoolboy songwriting error on Toto's part.

For those of you who might depend on this blog for any upcoming musical news I'd advise that you get a good grip of yourself. But in case you haven't heard, the Kraftwerk gig scheduled for Luggala in Wicklow this weekend, has now been moved to the grounds of IMMA in Kilmainham. There are other gigs scheduled by POD for the same place in October that include Seasick Steve and Human League. I just happened to bump into Eamon Doyle (DEAF, D1, Dead Elvis) today and D1 are involved with the gig this weekend. He was also getting very excited about the forthcoming DEAF 08 festival which takes place on the October Bank Holiday weekend. There's some great gigs on the schedule. Check it here. Anyhow this is a very longwinded way of telling you about the Kraftwerk story he told me today. It relates to a time when a mutual friend, Donnacha Costello was over in Berlin in the early nineties. He somehow met Kraftwerk, whether at a gig they were playing or out somewhere else altogether. When they found out he was Irish they spent the whole night wanting to talk about Sean Kelly. Not Stephen Roche or Paul Kimmage. Sean Kelly. Fair play to those Kraftwerk boys, they know the real deal when it comes to cyclists. As it turns out they're just crazzzzy about the cycling. See for yourself.


Jaysus, now I can't stop banging on about stuff once I've started, so I'll keep the rest of this short and tell you about two cultural highlights that I had last weekend. The first involves the confusingly named St Michans Church here in Dublin. Confusing because its the name of two churches within spitting distance of one another. Myself and my current wife got married in the not so well known St Michans on Halston St but my journey at the weekend brought me to the better known St Michans on Church St. The reason for the visit was to see the by now infamous mummified remains that are in the vaults of the church (Have a look here at the Blather article on it). Being a concerned and conscientious parent I thought that the remains of dead bodies would be suitable fare for my eight, six and four year old children. And so it turned out. They loved it. You even get to go in and rub a mummy's finger if that's your thing. The whole occasion reminded me of that Spider Baby episode of Father Ted.

Another cultural highlight was the annual 'Sculpture in Context' exhibition in the Botanic Gardens. Take a load of sculpture. Take a big garden. Put the former in the latter. Hey presto a great way to look at art. This exhibition has been held in the Botanic Gardens for the last seven years and at various locations prior to that. It's always great. Check it out if you get a chance.

towers of dublin

The running theme for this week has been football. Last Saturday saw this years Ronty Cup being held in Dalymount Park. After last years famous victory in Bristol there was obviously going to be a backlash from this years visitors. The game was a war of attrition with no real highlights in normal time. The game went to penalties where Bristol ran out the winners. There was much celebration afterwards in the stadium bar where both the winners, losers and assembled crowd were entertained by Cian Loughnane and Cousin Elias. You can check out Cousin Elias in the Body & Soul area of the forthcoming Electric Picnic.

On Wednesday evening there was more football. This time it was a weekly kickaround organised by the proprietor of one of Dublins premier independent music stores, Dave afrom Road Records. He assembled quite a motley crew of renegades, blackguards and wastrels all willing to have a football buzz. Amongst the assembly were John and Vinnie from The Jimmy Cake who have a new album in all good record stores as you read this. It's called Spectre & Crown and its getting great reviews. I'm quite remiss in that I've yet to listen to it but I'll sort that out in the coming days.

Amongst this weeks purchases are: The latest seven inch cut from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings called '100 days, 100 nights'. Its another rhythm and blues belter from the Daptone label and it also features on the Dap Kings recent album. Elsewhere I picked up the seven inch of Kraftwerks 'Tour de France' which also features the instrumental on the b-side. Myself and the kids have been body-popping all morning listening to it. On the vinyl album front I purchased some second-hand stuff that I'd had previously but let go. First up is the 'Strange Free World' album by Kitchens of Distinction. It's by far their best album and it featutes the likes of 'Railwayed' and 'Quick as Rainbows'. It evokes memories of their McGonagles gig here in Dublin years ago. Great stuff. The other album that I got was the limited edition version of 'U.F.Orb.' by The Orb. It's just brilliant. It was worth the price for the intro to 'Towers of Dub' by Victor Lewis Smith, one of Britains greatest comedic talents. My favourite story about Lewis Smith concerns the time he rang the UK's Monopolis and Mergers Commission and asked why there was only one such organisation. Other tracks on the album include 'Blue Room' and the title track 'U.F.Orb'.

Speaking of The Orb, some of you may remember a tune on the 1997 Orblivion album called 'S.A.L.T'. Its fairly memorable as it samples a David Thewliss monologue from the Mike Leigh's 1993 movie 'Naked'. For any Mike Leigh fans or anyone who hasn't seen this brilliant but slightly disturbing movie it gets a DVD release this coming Monday. It also gets the Matt Vinyl seal of approval. Check this interview with Thewliss and Leigh in The Guardian.

Finally, There's a revival-introductory meeting of DOCOMOMO on Tuesday 19th August 2008 at 6.30pm in RIAI rooms, 8 Merrion Square. For the uninitiated DOCOMOMO stands for documentation.conservation.modern.movement and it's the only body concerned with the preservation of 20th Century buildings. A number of architecturally signifiicant buildings are facing an unsure future, amongst them are Liberty Hall and the Bank of Ireland HQ. Anyone interested can attend and its hoped to resurrect the Irish chapter of DOCOMOMO...

The meeting will be an hour-long, and Shane O'Toole will present an overview history of DOCOMOMO and its relationship within/to Ireland thus far. The discussion will also involve original members such as Tallon, Rothery, Graby and others who now hope to pass the reins to the next generation. The meeting is an introductory one and the hopes are that DOCOMOMO will meet again in late October 2008. If this is your bag then get down to Merrion Square on Tuesday next.

parish notes volume 2

I should mention my trip to last weekends Farmleigh Affair which was held as usual in Farmeigh in the Phoenix Park. I ventured over for the two days and had a thoroughly ripping time. There were a few showers on the first day and the only act that I can remember was Carmen Souza from Cape Verde. She was doing her best to get the crowd into a singalong but had very limited success. I tried to help her out but it was just me and Carmen against the rest of the crowd. Bad buzzers. Sunday saw much better weather, a bigger crowd an increase in the alcohol intake. Everything came up roses. I missed the first two acts, so the first entertainment of the day came from Lo Cor de la Plana, a bunch of dudes from Marseille. They belted out a few tunes a capella, accompanied by what looked like fun-size bodhráns. It was great craic for about 15 minutes and then I got bored. Next up was Iarla O Lionaird who I've seen with the Afro Celt Sound System many years ago. This set was completely different and I had a bit of a snooze during it perhaps due to the imbibement of much wine. Finishing the whole affair was Grupo Fantasma. They managed to get quite a crowd of people into their groove. Good buzz.

Elsewhere, the Analogue magazine launch takes place this Friday the 8th of August in the bar in Crawdaddy. There will apparently be special guest DJ's and a live set from Storkboy Choons.

The annual Ronty Cup 2008 takes place in Dalymount Park on Saturday 9th August. Kick-Off is at 3pm. This event celebrates the life of an old friend who passed away a few years back and it sees his mates from Bristol play his mates from Dublin. With any luck we'll retain the trophy on home soil. When I say we, in truth my efforts will most likely be limited to about five minutes on the pitch. Still for an old boy like me I reckon thats pretty good. Come down for a gander if you're in the Phibsboro area.

Then on Sunday August 10th 2008 at 4pm in the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield there's The Best Of The West. This event in The Lighthouse intends to showcase a number of award-winning Short Films from the Galway Film Fleadh. Amongst these shorts is one by me aul mucker and longtime whisker grower, Luke Mc Manus. It's called 'Danger High Voltage' and it managed to claim first prize in the Best First Irish Short Film category. The whole thing sounds like a great buzz and will also give the uninitiated amongst you a chance to check out the new Lighthouse. I've been down and I think its great.

I have to mention the Sea Sessions that takes place in Bundoran during September. It looks like its going to be a good buzz. A mixture of music and surfing in a part of the world i know well. The line up includes Belle & Sebastian, Kittser, Asian Dub Foundation and a host of other heads. I haven't been up that way in about 7 years so I think its time that Donegal rolled out the red carpet for the imminent arrival of Matt Vinyl. O'Donnell Abú.

the squat pen rests, snug as a gun

I picked up a Gilles Peterson compilation in All City Records the other day. Digs America II is made up of a load of tracks from Peterson's Brownswood Basement and includes lots of tunes that he bought in the US. The pictures of him on the front and back cover were taken in Village Music, a California record store that closed in September 2007. As someone who loves to dig in the crates, I firstly envy Gilles his numerous opportunities to fly around the world record shopping and secondly feel a pang when I hear a record store such as Village Music closes it doors. I'm sure that there were many reasons for its closure but I can only suppose that amongst them was the modern way of sourcing music, the internet. Why spend a day rooting around a dusty record store when you can download it or order it online.? On a personal level I find it's a more satisfying experience when you discover a piece of vinyl in a record store, charity shop, jumble sale or wherever else. But I would say that.

Speaking of turning up some old gems, I picked up a second-hand copy of the 2002 album, Point, by Cornelius. It was released on Matador Records and it truly is the business. I've mentioned Cornelius here before but for those who forget, he hails from Japan and has a great knack for composing electronic gems. The album cover itself is fairly humdrum but when I went to put the record back into it I noticed that the inside of the sleeve has pictures on it. It looks like a Japanese streetscape but its a a bit hard to be sure. Check out Point of View Point and Drop on his myspace as both tunes feature on the album.

I picked up another Lee Fields tune on seven inch from 2007 called 'My World' which features another killer tune, Love Comes and Goes, on the flip. The stuff that he's putting out sounds like Gilles Peterson dug it out of a record store like Village Music. After doing a little research (i.e. googling) I found that Lee released his first seven inch in 1973 but for some reason dropped off the radar around 1984 and then resurfaced with a release on the DapTone label in 2000. I for one am glad he's back. If you think you'd like to sample some of Mr Fields magic then you should get his soon to be released album 'The Many Moods Of Lee Fields' on Truth & Soul Records.

Finally, I bought a seven inch from 2007 on the Morr Music label by a band called Seavault. A quick visit to their MySpace showed that Seavault are no other than Antony Ryan from ISAN and Simon Scott from Slowdive. Slowdive were a bunch of shoegazers who were on the Creation label from 1989 to the mid-nineties. This might explain why Seavault have chosen to cover a tune from 1988 by Ultra Vivid Scene called Mercy Seat. I was in a band at the same time and we would all have been listening to UVS and digging them. UVS are really a bloke called Kurt Ralske. After I bought the seven inch I got to thinking about what happened to Kurt Ralske? A quick google brought me up to speed on his whereabouts and his current occupation. It turns out that he was a bit interested in audio-visual installations and related programming matters. So much so that he developed a piece of video software called Auvi , that's used by lots of people who move in those kind of circles. He's created installations and exhibited his work in places like the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art and has a permanent display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. What a guy! Here's the original Mercy Seat interspersed with an interview with the man himself.

UPDATE: I was over on MP3hugger's site and knew that he'd have been digging Ultra Vivid Scene back in the day. I found this post about what happened to all the members of Slowdive. Check it.

going underground

I think I might have mentioned it before here but I've more info on it now and its closer to the mark, so I'll bring it up again. It's nice to have mates that do interesting things, that way you can save yourself all the creative heartache and hang on to their coat tails instead. One such bloke is the ubiquitous Dennis Mc Nulty. He's at it again and this time I was determined to get a piece of the action.

Underground takes place in the basement of Road Records. It begins on the 27th of this month and ends on the 6th of July. The exhibition and accompanying publication look at the changes in independent music culture in Dublin over the last 15 years, tracking the relationship between the local and the global, society and technology and charting the erasure of the boundary between the public and the private. Some of you will note that I've just robbed that last sentence from the blurb as I'd never write anything as complicated as that myself. Contributors to the collaborative project include such artistic heavyweights as droid + slug/weareie, David Lacey, Daragh McCarthy, Dennis McNulty, Naptha, Stephen Rennicks, Dave & Julie Road and of course , me! There's a host of others involved but by giving you a short list it appears that I've contributed much more than I actually have.

When I started to look back at the rock scene in Dublin just over ten years ago I came across a movie by the above-mentioned Daragh McCarthy called 'The Stars are Underground'. I find it brilliant that such a snapshot in time exists on the interweb. It post-dates my own involvement in the band scene here in Dublin. I was fortunate enough to be in a couple of second rate bands where I met lots of interesting people. As one of Jubilee puts it in the film, we were a bands band. Only bands liked us. The film is that much more fascinating because I know so many of the people in it. You can check out a youthful Lee Casey from Jubilee (later the Jubilee Allstars), Conzo and Dave from Female Hercules, Rocky and Dennis from Cruiser, Dylan and Kevin from Pet Lamb. The sad thing is that most of them never went on to achieve the fame or cash that they deserved, but the rock worlds loss has been Dublins record and clothing stores gain.

Check out the film in three parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

anyone for Denis?

The more I think about it the more impressed I am. There really is no end to Dennis McNulty’s talents. Not content with being a general man about town, he consistently has a finger in a number of pies. The latest project that Dennis has on the go is the upcoming i-and-e festival thath will be held in Dublin this coming weekend. Whilst other saps are content to use the bar in The Globe or upstairs in Carnival for their shitty weekenders, Dennis et al use foresight, vision and some good planning to come up with venues that are off the beaten track. The gigs are to be held in the Unitarian Church on Stephens Green and the Peppercanister Church on Mount Street Crescent.

For those of you who may not know about I-and-e David Lacey & Dennis McNulty established it in 2003. In 2004 Paul Vogel joined them and then there were three. i-and-e organise irregular concerts of contemporary improvised music and have been involved in organising concerts in Cork, Belfast and Paris, but they generally take place somewhere in Dublin. This year they have an international array of musical oddballs to either freak you out or to get your mojo rising. Either way it would be well worth attending. So forget about that trip to the cinema this weekend, go to I-and-e instead.

I’ll keep going on the Dennis theme for the moment. Another pal, Denis Clohessy, has done the music and sound design for the Seamus Heaney version of ‘The Burial at Thebes’ playing in the Abbey Theatre from April 4th. Always a busy man, Denis has also done the music and sound design for the upcoming Conor McPherson play ‘The Seafarer’. By a strange coincidence, my wife went to college with Conor whilst I went to college with Dennis. It’s a sad old day when you’re living your life through the artistic accomplishments of your classmates but sure fuck it I’ve no shame. A further coincidence sees our mate Phelim Drew star in the production. No matter how hard he tries he’ll always be Uncle Finbarr from the HB ice cream ad to me. Given that he and his missus have just had a set of twins I don’t know how he manages to remember his lines. Since our most recent arrival I can hardly remember my fucking name. Anyway, seeing as this production has a whole host of friends and acquaintances working on it I have to fully endorse it. It premieres on the 26th April in the Abbey Theatre and then does a tour of the country stopping off in Galway between June 10th-14th, Cork between June 17th-21st and Letterkenny between June 24th – 28th.

roots and culture

I finally got around to meeting Dennis McNulty for lunch last Thursday. Dennis is pretty well known around Dublin as a result of his pioneering musical work as one half of Decal. This part of his life is now behind him but his former partner in crime, Alan O Boyle, continues to make music and perform under the Decal moniker. Dennis is a top bloke and he shares my love for cheesey 80's pop tunes and even some pretty dire AOR music. He's also continued in his pursuit of all things artistic and a large part of his life is now taken up with designing sound and visual installations, making documentaries and doing some soundtracks. What a dazzling array of talent for one so humble. Anyhow, here's just some of what Dennis is up to over the next while.

framework/ rupture


February 8th - March 8th 2008
Preview: Thursday, February 7th, 6 to 8 pm
Green On Red, 26-28 Lombard Street East Dublin 2.
(T) 01 671 3414
http://www.greenonredgallery.com

In Dennis McNulty's first solo show at Green On Red, entitled framework/rupture, this movement from street to gallery provides the starting point for an exploration of the relationship between constructed space and the experience of time. A number of interventions and works (sound, sculpture, animation and photographic images)overlap, creating a cinematic space haunted by the presence of Sam Stephenson's Central Bank building.

The show will also feature AFTERTHOUGHTS, a day of talks and discussion, which will include a screening of The Big Bank, an industrial film that records the building of the Central Bank on Dame Street, Dublin, from 1972 to 1979. Speakers include François Chastanet, Owen Drumm, Ros Kavanagh, Riklef Rambow and Ellen Rowley. It takes place on Saturday March 1st, 12.00 to 6.00. Admission is free but places must be booked in advance


'Seaview' - Berlin & Dublin

'Seaview' is a documentary film about asylum seekers living in a former Butlin’s holiday camp at Mosney, Ireland. It's showing at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Screening times and more info about the film are here - http://www.stillfilms.org/ The film will also be screened at Green On Red (address above) on Thursday 21st February at 6.30.




'Joy' @ Rotterdam

Dennis also made the soundtrack for a short film by London-based Irish artists Desperate Optimists called 'Joy'. The film has just won the UIP award at the Rotterdam Film Festival. There is some info about it here, but you'll need to be able to speak Dutch!

Launch of the House Projects book.
Project (Dublin),
Friday 8th February,
between 5 and 6.30pm

Homemade was an exhibition curated by David Beattie as part of the House Projects series of exhibitions. The group exhibition took place in his flat on Waterloo Rd. last September. A publication which has been produced about the House Projects series of exhibitions will be launched at Project next week.

http://www.houseprojects.net
http://dennismcnulty.com/apl.html


On a related artistic note, I was out for dinner the other night and on the way home I bumped into Jo Mangan & Tom Swift. They've got a new play for kids on in The Ark over the coming weeks that should be well worth checking out if you've got a few six year olds on your hands. 'Beware Of The Storybook Wolves' was written and illustrated by Lauren Child and has been adapted by Tom. It starts this Tuesday 5th February.