Tapes n’ Tapes?

24 years old, about 30 lessons and 3 tests later I’ve finally been granted the legality to drive. So I went of and got meself a wee motor. Not surprisingly (actually screw that  – who used cassettes in 2001?) the car has a tape deck instead of a CD player. Knowing this I brought the ONE tape I own for the road trip back from the dealers – a tape that Kowalski gave out at their gig a few months back – good stuff.

But seeing I havent bought a CD in easily a year (except for the odd local release), the tape deck has worked out rather well. After buying a really crap FM transmitter, I decided to go with the old fashion tape connector. In turn, the only problem I have is switching albums while driving. So for my first epic journey from Belfast to Donegal (epic in my world but already getting used to 3+ hours driving), I prepped the ol’ipod and spotify on my iphone.

I’ve never been one for shuffle, but for these long lone trips the ‘unknown’ every 3/4 minutes keeps me entertained. Suggest me tracks!

Here’s the playlist I made for my return trip to Belfast: Drive

Now, if only my left speaker would stop bloody distorting! Good times.

Sunset Rubdown – Spring & Airbrake – 11/09/09ug

For anybody who has followed the rise of Candian indie rock over the last decade, Spencer Krug is somewhat of a king. The co-leader of Wolf Parade, and sometime member of Frog Eyes, has mainly focused on Sunset Rubdown for the last few years. After a trip to see their performance at Crawdaddy in Dublin last year, I was left feeling reluctantly disappointed. Putting it down to an off day, I made it my mission to catch their first ever Belfast show, in hope more justice would be done to the albums.

Sunset Rubdown

Sunset Rubdown start the set with a rather subdued, and possibly a bit half hearted, “The Empty Threats of Little Lord”. The Spring & Airbrake is far from full and the crowd begin to move to the front quickly. Similar to their show in Dublin last year, they seem to be tired – or not bothered – strolling through their set like they’re going through the motions. They play some brilliant tunes like “Black Swan”, “Dragon’s Lair”, the “Mending of the Gown” but a lot of the excitement and detail from the album is lost.

Paddling in a pool of reverb, instruments are floating around aimlessly and missing the right spot to be heard. Every note is right, but it’s missing its “edge”. I begin to conclude that Sunset Rubdown are a fantastic studio band, but unable to really convert that into a live experience.

However, most of the intimate crowd love it and shuffle in approval. The songs are twisting, epic, prog universes of their own. And with doubled up drums, strange synths, piano, cutting guitar lines and Spencer’s unmistakable vocal – Sunset Rubdown are hard to confuse with any other band.

The set begins to pick up towards the end, and Spencer himself seems to be enjoying it more using his piano stool as some sort of stunt prop. But no amount of banter about dreams of Drew Barrymore fights and her minion children bounty hunters can really pull this out of the ‘disappointing’ category.

The encore was the highlight of the night and I can’t help feel they’re just getting into their stride. “The Taming of the Hands that Came Back To Life” gave us plenty of opportunity to sing our hearts out and for them to show us they can still do dynamics. “Us One in Between” followed lulling us back down for the end of the night and our journeys home.

It was by no means terrible, but once again I’m left feeling disenchanted. This band should be amazing live, but they never quite get there. Bring on more albums! But I’ll probably pass the next time they’re in town.

Why? and Themselves Tune!

The new Why? album will be here soooooon! And I for one, can’t wait! Last years ‘Alopecia’ album has meant Why? are the most listened to artist on my last.fm chart. And if that wasn’t enough, Themselves also have a new album on the way. There are few artists I count down the days to a new release (or at least the days to a leak – which I believe there’s a Why? one out there), but for these two, I’m close to starting an Anticon Advent Calender.

So anyway, Why? and Themselves have recorded a tune together for an, as yet, unreleased compilation.It’s called Canada:

I caught Why? in Andrews Lane Theatre last year and it was great. My only disappointment was the fact I arrived too late missing Crayonsmith AND getting a shitty standing place. So when Why? was returning to Andrews Lane a few months later, I was well chuffed to win tickets from MP3 Hugger. Only to find out it was the same night as a going away party for a friend in Donegal (who was leaving to live in Spain – but only to return two months later – Thanks Jay!). So, I’m bloody ecstatic at the chance of seeing Why? again, hopefully on tour with the new album. It’s the kinda stuff I wouldn’t expect to be pulled of well live, but oh so wrong. Somehow they got everything in live, perfectly. Just went on a wee trawl for live videos and it’s just reminded me how well they pull it off.

Like this, way stripped back – and love the video (day to night, eh?):

Some mega glock action on ‘Sky for Shoeing Horses Under’…

Alopecia was definitely a move to a more accessible sound after the likes of, the also brilliant but somewhat more ‘difficult’, Elephant Eyelash and Sanddollars. But Yoni seems to think the new album will be even more straight forward saying “This record, Eskimo Snow, is really the least hip-hop out of anything I’ve ever been involved with. I mean, they feel like song-songs with– I don’t want to say a typical verse-chorus structure, but they’re song-songs.”

The Blackest Purse is a track of the new album due out in September – and yup, it does seem a bit more ’straight’ but with good ol’Yonis strange a wonderful lyrics and phrasing. I do kinda hope it’s not all this ’striaght’ though I have to say.

Devotchka – Belfast – 09/08/09

I arrived in the Spring & Airbrake about 20 minutes into Devotchka’s set. Whoopssie – ‘No Dancing’s’ fault next door. The place looked pretty full too as I dandered in. Lucky for me and my friend, there was a gaping hole to the right of the stage so we quickly took up residence.

The soundtrack on the way was Basso Profundo (if memory serves me right – track above), with me ‘uuuuooohhing’ my way through the crowd. Devotchka are an incredibly sing-a-longable band with language meaning nothing for a fair chunk of the set. The crowd is on fire. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a diverse, happy and warm audience. Young and old, punks and scenesters, long time fans and the surprised all intereacted by whistling, shouting and clapping (in time!).

It’s obvious each member of this band is incredibly talented. From listening to Devotchka’s records, I’ve always thought there would be at least 5/6 of them live. Nope. Four. Just four stupidly talented individuals creating amazing music. I was standing right beside a tuba which Jeanie Schroder exchanged now and again for a double bass. The drummer, Shaw King, was the epitome of a creative rhythm section. And not content at that, he whips out (sorry) a trumpet for ‘Along the Way’.

Tom Hagerman looks the part as a slight man in an over sized suit and violin. Again, one instrument – pah! He picks up ‘Tommy’, the sparkly accordion, and I watch has his fingers perform a sort of crazy line dance on speed up and down the keys during ‘Such a Lovely Thing’.

Then there’s the front multi-instrumentalist Nick Urata. Guitars, bouzouki, theramin, master whistler and vocals. This man just kept bringing the goods. My favorite moments where when he managed to play the theramin by using the guitar he was playing – a multi-tasking man! And there’s something very special about the timbre of his voice, even when dosed with reverb.

Devotchka’s music is hard to pin down. Kinda gypsy punky folk or polka-rock, circus music, spanish in parts… the list goes on. But one thing is for sure, they tread the border of ‘world’, ‘rock’, ‘gypsy’, ‘folk’, ‘cabaret’… whatever… oh so very well. And it’s obvious from the crowd tonight.

Belfast crowds aren’t often noted for their warmth and enthusiasm. Silver Jews, over a year ago, was the last gig that I remember being proud and chuffed to be part of the audience. Where you kind of think, maybe, just maybe, the band will actually remember the Belfast date among the hundreds of gigs they are playing that year.

Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is – Devotchka = 9/10

Here’s what songs (I think) I remember hearing. No particular order either. Feel free to add/correct if you where there:

• Basso Profundo
  
• Along the Way
• The Clockwise Witness
• Head Honco
• Blessing In Disguise
• The Enemy Guns
• How It Ends
• The Last Beat of My Heart (Siouxsie & the Banshees )
• We’re Leaving
• Venus In Furs (Velvet Underground)

Encore:

• Undone
• Such A Lovely Thing

Video of the last song of the set from Jaydee655 on Youtube:

Spotify links:

A Mad & Faithfull Telling
How It Ends
For fans of Nightmare Before Chirstmas

PS. Please feel free to correct any mistakes re-songs played. Just trying to write from memory.

New Project – First Gig

I have a deadline. And that deadline is October the 20th. The deadline? To organise a live band to play the first gig for my new project.
I think it can be done, and it’s great to have a deadline and something to aim towards.

But it does lead to another problem. I really need to sort a name – in time for posters too. But bejesus, I’m struggling. Bringing back memories of sitting on the basement couch while ‘practicing’ for my first proper band. We ended up calling ourselves Darko (yup, after Donny Darko). People expected something dark, mysteries, and most likely offal. We were pretty much three chord pop punk/alt rock nonsense – and probably offal.  Still, good times.

A few weeks ago, due to the powers of facebook, a few old Darko pics arose from the ashes. We’re so young! My guitar’s so ‘new’ and not a sticker in sight. And, wow… What a curtain I’m wearing.

Darko circa 2002

Touch Me, I’m Sick.

I woke up this morning at 6am feeling decidedly rough, but i mustered on and tried pull myself together to get into work. The bike ride into the office was THE most horrendous cycle ever. It’s only about 2 miles but it turns out I was as weak as an 80 year old women cycling against a hurricane – coughing and spluttering as I went.

Arriving into work I became aware that I should just have ‘contagious’ written on my forehead. But with a live radio show to go on air, it wasn’t an option not to turn up. Though the discussion quickly spread to swine flu and the paranoia set in. I think if I had swine flu I’d know about it, right?? But either way, I have been instructed to inform the bossio if it turns out to be something more serious. Its a cold! Just a bad, horrible cold.

Swine Flu Kiddies Party

But it also got me thinking about the whole Swine Flu thing. People are actually holding Swine Flu parties to get it over and done with before it becomes more serious. Might be a godsend to have it now. So I thought, forget quarantines! Anybody with Swine Flu should broadcast the fact and invite people for a wee knees up in their company. Or in the words of Mudhoneys Mark Arm, “Touch Me, I’m Sick”.

****Of course – My advice is completely invalid and stupid.****

Rockin’ and a Rolls Royce

Today I got to have a very short spin in a 1926 Rolls Royce in the name of work. And I couldn’t help but be impressed by it. The leather seats, the little wipers, the indicator flip switch installed, the doors, the horn, its engine purr and quirky horn – it was beautiful…. And I generally have no love or care for cars.

1926 Rolls Royce

Anyway, I was looking for music that might suit the piece on radio and I was searching for a tune to hint of the pre-war era the vintage car came from. I found the very literal song, ‘Rolls Royce Papa’ by Virginia Liston but the recording was very poor.

[can't hear it? Go Here]

So off I went to think and two songs came to mind from the 1920s pretty instantly.
First of all, the very obvious but brilliant ‘The Charleston’ from 1923.

[Can't hear it? Go Here]

And then, through my ol’obsession for Smashing Pumpkins randomly enough, ‘My Blue Heaven’ came to mind (which was a hit in 1928 for crooner Gene Austin).

Smashing Pumpkins included a cover of ‘My Blue Heaven’ in their Aeroplane Flies High boxset, and this was the first time I heard the song.

[can't hear it? Go Here]

This then lead me to find Fats Dominos version which was popular n the ’50s.

[Can't hear it? Go Here]

And it was through that song that I began to listen to more and more Fats Domino. At that stage I hadn’t listened to much ’50s rnb or rock n’roll, so this was a bit of an entry point. And weirdly enough it was during my obsessive Smashing Pumpkins period as a teenager, that i discovered Fats Domino’s Blueberry Hill, Aint That Shame, Blue Monday, The Fat Man etc…

So from a 1920s vintage car, to a ’90s rock band cover, to a ’50s rock n’ roll legend….I’ve, um, got to Rock and Roll via Rolls Royce.

Now playing – Fats Domino – Blue Monday

Have a listen to Fats Domino on Spotify – here’s his ‘Best Of.

On another tangent, this has now got me in the mood for Bugsy Malone. Love the fact that the horn at 1′30 is pretty much the sound of the Roll Royce.

PS. We didn’t use any music in the end….

Blur & dEUS – Point Depot, Dublin ‘99

I don’t know many people who didn’t witness Blur play Glastonbury either in person or more likely on BBC last night (1.9million viewers according to the Guardian -and 7 million tuned into Glastonbury coverage throughout). I was watching online before the whole bandwidth was clogged up and I had to turn on my shoe box telly. And even on this Blur where bloody brilliant. Just showed what a great band they are. Sitting on the floor in front of my telly like a kid on a Saturday morning, I was totally excited in the moment and it got me thinking to my first gig.

Blur @ Glasto 2009

In 1999 I would have been a whole 14 years of age. And it was around this time that the first signs of my unhealthy relationship with music began to show. My memory is a bit fuzzy in some places but ultimately the lead up to and the night of 22nd July ‘99 will always be ingrained in my mind.

My memory starts with buying ‘13′ in Wee Gerry’s music shop in Donegal Town on my way to grab the bus to Navan with my sister. I didn’t have a portable CD player at the time, so I’m guessing I nicked my brothers. I remember thinking, ‘I must know these songs’ before tomorrow. So I listened on repeat on the bus till we arrived at my aunts. I listened to ‘13′ the moment I was in the door and then fell asleep listening to…. ‘13′.

The next day was to be the first gig I had EVER been to. I remember lining up and worrying if they’d let me in. Anxiously I waited, and moved forward and waited and moved forward. And once through, I ran! Right to the front barrier. Don’t know if my sister was as impressed to be there so early but I thank her now. (She also came to Glasgow with me for Smashing pumpkins the next year and I will be forever grateful).

Opening up were dEUS, and although I had vaguely heard of them before, I had never listened to them. Little did I know what I was witnessing! I just found a wee review on Cluas which has made me discover that instead of Blur or dEUS being the first band I witnessed live, it was probably Shack… but I have no recollection of them at all.  dEUS on the other hand, I remember blowing my little mind – and that was without knowing any of the songs.

Then Blur came on and I just remember being in glee the whole time. Right against the barrier in front of Graham Coxon. One of the most ecstatic moments of my life at that point. I’d just discovered the absolute thrill of live music.

There’s a bootleg floating about somewhere and I think I need to find this. At the time I reckon alot of people probably thought Blurs hayday was coming to an end, but when you consider ‘Tender’, ‘Coffee & TV’ and ‘No Distance Left to Run’ where all of ‘13′, hindsight is a great thing.

Here’s the setlist from ‘99 and wee reviews here:

Tender
Bugman
Coffee & TV
1992
BLUR EMI
Chinese Bombs
Advert
Coping
Popscene
Trimm Trabb
Battle
No Distance Left To Run
——————
Beetlebum
Country Sad Ballad Man
To the End
This is a Low
—————–
Girls & Boys
There’s no other Way
Parklife
Song II

Seriously Worth watching Blurs set at Glastonbury 2009 and all the BBC coverage. It really is amazing what they cover from the weekend, and even though I haven’t got digi telly I could watch BBC 3 & 4 live online and other packaged material on the site. Absolutely brilliant covereage:

BBC Glastonbury

Also, if you’re like me and all my Blur CDs are back in your parents, then you may make similar use of Spotify which has the works:

Blur on Spotify

I Hear a Bad Sound Rising at White Denim…and other happenings.

Yesterday was a day of wandering fun. Up at 6am for work. Wrapped up and exhausted by 12:30pm. Headed towards town where I stupidly killed some time in TopShop, Urban Outfitters and H&M…Then off to walk the streets of Belfast aimlessly with my purchases scrunched in my bag. This was no ordinary wander through the streets of Belfast though. This was carnival day!

It was great, and even better to see the crowds that turned out and the many familiar faces being aliens and space queens for the event.  Once the carnival subsided I relaxed with a couple of pints with a friend before heading back towards the carnival antics which involved a ’supergroup’ of aliens. Members of the Jane Bradfords, John Shelley and the Creatures, Katie and the Carnival, Mojo Fury and John Darcy, Steve Toner, Cara Cowen and Shauna Tohill all put on a spacetastic show. Which helped us arrive at the conclusion that Steve Toner (centre below) should never dress any other way.

Carnival Supergroup (stole from David Boyd's Facebook)

After that I took a trip up the Antrim Road with a friend who was making a stereo purchase and back down for food in Boojam…Anyway, that’s when a few of us where convinced to go see White Denim. I’ve heard tales of legendary gigs and that their records don’t do them justice. Trusted sources meant I, of course, went along.

The gig was ok. I could see how White Denim could be emmence under the right circumstances, but the reality was all I could hear was a bg mush of sound and drums. Yes, White Denim are pretty loud and ‘rock’, but there where times where I watched the bass players hands and he was playing something that I was most definitly not hearing. But then, that might be because all I could hear was ‘wah’ guitar and drums. The drums, it has to be said, where amazing. The drummer never stopped. And the energy was definitly there, but it was a big bassy blah out front. I probably should have moved to see if it sounded better elsewhere. But overall it made me happy to be there, but I’m not going to be raving about.

Anyway, moral of these ramblings… have no plans and wander through life. Nice things happen. Except for the bad sound.

Real Life Orchestra – Ulster Hall – BBC Radio 3

Yesterday my classical music loving housemate got free tickets to go see the Ulster Orchestra courtesy of BBC Radio 3. When asked if I’d go, I thought, hell why not. I’d never been to see a proper full orchestra before (and did i mention it was free?).

So off I went feeling a little under dressed and a little fuzzy after one large glass of wine at Pizza Express. Walking in only moments before the beginning I was expecting to be seated at the edge of all edges. Luckily, we got two seats smack bang in the middle.

I was informed they would be doing works by three composers: Mozart, Beethoven and Dvořák. Some dude called Howard Shelley was conducting (I vaguely think I heard of him before) but apparently this is quiet a big deal.

Apparently this guy conducting is a big deal....

As we sit down the strings are all tuning up and I had to turn and say to my housemate, “is it wrong that when I hear this I’m expecting Stg. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band to start”. She smiled. Said nothing.

Anyway, the famous composer dude came on stage and off they went. I can only give my uneducated opinion of what happened for the next hour and forty minutes.

Mozart. Gotta say, the moment it all started there where tingles down my spine instantly.
There where moments of awe and then moments of wonder followed by moments of day dream and slight boredom. After a while I kinda zoned out but then I was brought hurtling back by the crescendos of violins and cellos and… well other stuff. The strings were definitely the main focus of the Mozart piece.

Then to Beethoven and his Concerto No. 1. This was long. Howard Shelley whizzes round the piano like a mad man, and then is all twinkle like. Good but the naivety was gone somewhat and I’m getting very tired and day dreamy. I start to check out the paint pealing from the newly refurbished Ulster Hall. That didn’t last long.

There’s an interval after a prolonged period of clapping and I get a 101 in classical music from my housemate. Not in a patronising way, but in a lovely, classical for dummies, condensed and essential info only way. Then I wondered how much money all those instruments must be worth before commenting on how quiet it all really was. We were sitting in one of the best seats for sound in the house (apparently) and it all seemed a bit, ‘from over there’! Maybe I’m just used to stupidly loud rock gigs, and of course, there’s no amplification. The sound was perfect (I could hear everything), but I wish I was wrapped round with the sound rather than feeling like the music was from over there.

The orchestra returns. More clapping. They begin the Dvořák piece. Now! This, this is great. It woke me up and gave me an adrenalin rush. Trumpets, trombones, french horns – brass, brass, brass! Love it. Perhaps the volume of the brass let everybody play louder because for this piece, I didn’t get that disconnected feeling. It was bombastic [this word has been noted as inappropraite by Roe - thanks Roe - um, booomtastic], anxious and vitriolic at times. Then beautiful and soothing in others. Actually mainly light and summer, but those moments it grew dark and dangerous, I loved! I couldn’t help but be drawn to the brass and bass! Double basses, cellos, tuba and trombones. They made my night. With an honorable mention to the timpani.

Afterwords we clapped some more and I could see the admiration the orchestra had for that dude Shelley. He walks of, he walks on, he walks off, he walks on… I clap for what seems like hours and it brings me flashbacks of my graduation. But as I leave the Ulster Hall into the sunny streets of Belfast, I can’t but feel inspired and amazed (and I’ve decided to forget the few moments of boredom – the uncultured swine I am).

Good times!

PS. The only thing I have of the Ulster Orchestra (and a record I can’t get enough off) is the Ulster Orchestra performing Philip Glass: Violin Concerto.
Of course I know I couldn’t fit my stereotype more with Philip Glass being my ‘classical’ of choice. Anyway, it’s still brilliant. Here it is on Spotify.