Tea and Cake with The Jimmys
Well, okay, we just had tea. No cake.
My first introduction to The Jimmy Cake was kind of accidental. I went to a gig in Vicar Street – I think it was back in 2003, perhaps 2004 – which had the line-up of The Redneck Manifesto, Nina Hynes and some band called The Jimmy Cake. I don’t think I was familiar with The Jimmys at that time, but had heard their name and some favourable mumblings about there being loads of them and having no singer. They blew me away that night, and, in my opinion, stole the show from Nina Hynes. They also brought out Lisa Hannigan to sing a song with them – it’s the only time I’ve heard her sing live, and she was really, really incredible. I was happy to hear that she’d parted ways with Damien ‘good jehovah I’m frighteningly dull’ Rice, and am still waiting in anticipation for her debut album to come out.
Anyway, this concert prompted me to buy the wonderful Dublin Gone. Everybody Dead released in 2002, tracks of which I have played on the indie hour over the last three years. And so, I was delighted when four of the nine members came down on the show last week to talk about their new album and share a few tracks with us.
Vinnie, Paul, Mick and Dip came down last Thursday, with a CDR of the as yet untitled album, to be released early 2008. They told us about taking a break and having a kit-kat, about the line-up changes, their websites being hijacked by porn and eh, cake, about the delay in releasing this album, and they answered the inevitable Jimmy Cake question of how the hell they organise to even show up at a gig with nine people in tow.
The gentlemen were so kind as to let me hang on to the copy of the album, which I have been listening to on repeat since Thursday (taking breaks to eat, sleep and watch TV of course). When you really, really like a band, you always feel a bit nervous listening to new stuff, you so badly want it to be good. I don’t think there’s any need to worry that people will be disappointed with The Jimmy Cake’s new album – it’s a mellower affair than Dublin Gone, but it loses none of the energy and melodic loveliness created by the past incarnation of this Dublin band.
We played through three tracks from the new album: Jetta’s Palace, Red Tony and My Brass Buttons. The last track, as well as Hugs for Buddy, both from the new album, are up on their myspace, but the standout track for me on the album – purely for the sheer beauty of it – Day The Arms That Came Out of the Wall is not up yet, so you may have to tune in to the show next Thursday to have a listen ahead of the expected release of the album in February 2008.
We also spoke to Declan Forde from Some Days Never End festival, which started last Thursday night, and continues until this Thursday with concerts taking place in IMMA. Congratulations to our Frames ticket competition winner. We finished the show with Jose Gonzalez‘ stunning track Down The Line, as he was playing with Duke Special last Friday as part of the festival. I haven’t heard any reports about that concert yet – any good?
Also on this show, we heard Little Messy from Grand Pocket Orchestra, who supported Les Savvy Fav in Crawdaddy on Saturday night, and nialler9 recommended XXXchange’s remix of Thom Yorke’s Eraser, which featured on the October nialler9 podcast. This latest podcast is one of my favourites so far, with nialler9 dishing up some great tracks as always, so do download it and keep your iPod happy.
So here you have it – download away and turn your telly off. It’s bad for your skin.
MP3
The Jimmy Cake Thursday 25th of October 2007
DJ Medhi – my new favourite person
Myself and Nialler went down to the POD complex last night, after finally peeling myself away from the tube. It was a night put on by a well known rum brand, with Shock! DJs, Space Camp DJs, Claude von Stroke, Buraka Som Sistema and DJs A-Trak and Mehdi tag teaming, throughout the POD, Crawdaddy and Lobby Bar areas of the venue which has been like my second home this summer, mainly due to the fact that a lot of the other Dublin venues were closed, but also because the POD folk have been putting on some great gigs.
First impressions of the night were not good – caught a bit of the Space Camp DJs and the beginning of Claude vonStroke, but wasn’t in the mood for being bombarded by a giant screen set up behind the DJs by the rum company with a slide show of loads of trendy happy people drinking their product and looking like they’re having a great time.
Fuck OFF! The last thing that shit makes me want to do is buy the product. What it makes me want to do is grab a bottle of the rum, smash it in half over the bar, and run screeching towards the screen displaying the relentless ad and rib the fucker to pieces with the broken bottle. Argggh!
Phew. Zen.
I stuck to beer for the night. Buraka Som Sistema started putting things in the right direction, with their brand of funky tunes and MC warming us up. It was bloody freezing. Things picked up even more when we were joined by our Ed Banger loving buddies Miss Marcos and Speakertreatz, who were very much looking forward to DJ Mehdi’s set with A-Trak. DJ Mehdi is signed to Ed Banger, the French label home to that sometimes likeable little upstart Uffie and the more obviously talented DJ Feadz. A-Trak is from Montreal, is about 23, is a true scratch pervert and is Kanye West’s tour DJ.
I’m not too sure about the whole Ed Banger scene spawns – I can’t really relate to the image stuff and the cool kid persona shite as much as others seem to. I kind of thought the two DJs last night would be up their own holes really. DJing is a strange thing – often seeing famous DJs you don’t get the same buzz as from a live band. Obviously, that buzz is often missing from live bands’ performances too.
Anyway – pretty quickly into DJ Mehdi and A-Trak’s tag team set, it was obvious this was not just two lads getting paid a couple of grand to show up, play a few records, scratch a bit and fuck off home. This was a performance, and the enjoyment of the two DJs was infectious. The lads played for about an hour and a half, going through Justice, Daft Punk, Prince, New Order, a Feist remix (yahoo!) and loads more, and finishing up with flipping Junior Senior (flashback!).
I think DJ Mehdi gives a good indication where he’s coming from in this quote:
“I like to be the DJ, I love it so much. I love to try new things. You would never get into this business to be bored, or you would hope not.”
He was abosutely brilliant – dancing and smiling, loving every song that he played, his enthusiasm rubbing off on the too-cool-for-school (but not really) A-Trak, creating a buzz for the no doubt hungover crowd, relishing in the long weekend joy of not having to get up on Monday morning.
Here’s a video of DJ Mehdi featuring Chromeo with I Am Somebody. Check out his moves! What a cutie (insert winking emoticon here). Keep an eye on his myspace page to see when he’s coming back to Dublin. He’ll help you remember that DJs can be cool and fun. And he’ll make you dance.
How TV improved my intellectuali
They’re so…thin. Pass me the crisps, will you?
I spent much of this bank holiday weekend under a duvet on my bf’s couch with a few boxes of pringles and a remote control. I don’t have a telly in my own flat – I have a tv and dvd player but I’m not hooked up to channels or cable, the reason for which I was reminded of this weekend. If I had access to the plethora of mind-numbingly brain dissolving reality tv programmes, I’d never make it to work.
I saw Louis, Shaz, Kylie’s sister and Simon C on X Factor and approved of their encouragement of their charges and booed when they were mean about the other contestants; while watching The Pussycat Dolls reality programme, where they’re looking for the newest member of the pro-feminist pop group, I identified with the underdog and hissed at the bitchy one while the ladies did their best to be ‘individual’; I felt a bit fat and lazy while watching the Dirty Dancing programme, where ten lads and ten ladies are paired up to re-create scenes from the iconic 1987 flick and do their best Johnny and Baby impressions.
I started watching the telly on Saturday morning, only stopping to sleep (on the couch) until Sunday evening. I also saw Come Dine With Me, E! Weekend News, Young, Sexy and Rich, Hot New Celebrity Couples, America’s Next Top Model…Do you think it would be fair to say that 80% of programmes on TV are reality programmes? I know I’m very late to this whole TV buzz thing, but wow. It’s quite spectacular, isn’t it?
What’s funny is how you’re set up by the makers of the programmes and how you inevitably fall in the viewer/consumer role – rooting for the underdog, getting wound up by some impish Irish cretin talking about showbiz, moaning at the lack of integrity or any sense of dignity of the semi-clad ladies shaking their bums and saying ‘I’ve just always known, since I was a little girl, that my destiny is to be famous.’ Famous for what?
But by moaning and getting upset, while sprawled on the couch in your old PJs and mismatched socks, cradling a box of chocs and surrounded by the debris of two astronomically wasted days, you’re participating in the whole charade. It really is total bullshit. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Among all the above mentioned programmes, I did however get through a Top 100 Greatest Album List Show (OK Computer was no1) and watched quite a few Top 50 Forgotten Gems of the 1980s type programmes – it was on one of said programmes that I saw the below video. It was definitely a highlight of the viewing weekend. I kind of remember the song I’d Rather Jack, but somehow my mind has blanked out the dancing and outfits of The Reynold’s Girls.
Priceless.
The Jimmy Cake interview from last Thursday will be up in a few hours, where you can hear three of the tracks from the stunning new as yet untitled new album, to be released early 2008.
The Jimmy Cake tonight
Tonight! The Jimmy Cake! There’s loads of them!
Tune in tonight from 9pm to 103.2 Dublin City FM, when we will be joined for a chinwag by the instrumental enthusiasts The Jimmy Cake for a run through of their new album and how they’re ready to win back the hearts of Irish gig goers after a little break.
We will also be talking to the organisers of SomeDaysNeverEnd festival, taking place for the most part in IMMA this week. In honour of the festival, we will be giving away a pair of tickets to The Frames Halloween night concert in IMMA on the show tonight, so do tune in at 9pm to find out how to get your Hansard-loving paws on them.
Remember you can listen on-line if you’re not in the greater Dublin area.
Until 9pm then…adieu.
Musical Youth
Myself and Nialler recorded the 8th Nialler9 podcast last night. One of the tracks on this month’s podcast is Let Me Down Easy from Derrick Harriot. When we were researching Harriot for background information, I saw that he produced something of Big Youth, who I momentarily confused with Musical Youth – an entirely different kettle of reggae-tinged fish. Nialler couldn’t remember Musical Youth (apparently my rubbish rendition of Pass The Dutchie wasn’t ringing any bells) and so it was off to the internet, where we unearthed this video gem of the pop ska kids. Look at the size of the little kid’s telecaster!!
Class!
Incidentally, the October podcast is up and ready to download.
Gavin Glass and The Warrior Queen
I first met Gavin Glass way back in the day when Paddy Casey had won his first Meteor Award, The Jimmy Cake had yet to take a hiatus only to make a triumphant return to the live circuit three years later, and The Maladies were playing every other night of the week in two venues at the same time.
Gavin comes from the school of musicians in Dublin that are heart breakingly serious about their craft – I mean heart breaking in a good way, of course. The professionalism, soul and dedication of Gavin’s ilk of musicians slightly overawes me at times. Gavin and I have a closer relationship than what I have with the other indie hour guests – in my other life as a musician, he recorded and produced (and encouraged) an album of my own music called The Chocolate Teapot, which I haven’t released yet (haven’t even got a myspace for it) and am not sure if I ever will due to a crisis of confidence. Silly lady.
Anyway, myself and Gavin worked on my album together over a period of nine months – when you go through an emotional process like recording an album, you get to know someone pretty well. Tears were shed, laughter was had and farts admonished – it was a beautiful experience. When Gavin was working on his own debut album, co-produced by the talented and all around lovely man Dave Slevin at Virtu Studios, he had a few of his ‘favourite singers’ come down to the studio one Sunday to sing as a countrified gospel choir. Matt Lunson, Brian Roche, The Doctor, Shelly, Cary, Dannielle Smith, Jenny Lindfors and myself headed down and had a truly spiritual experience being part of this album. And so it was with great pleasure that I had Gavin on the show last Thursday.
It’s always lovely to have an old friend to talk to on the radio – it feels even more like a catch up chat. Gavin Glass & The Holy Shakers was released to a more than agreeable press. The reviews kept returning to the same point that – as Gavin happily admits himself – it’s not re-inventing the wheel, but it’s more like adding some flashy things that go up and down the spokes. Well, no, that’s a bad analogy, and that’s not what Gavin says at all. There’s nothing flashy about the way Gavin is re-working country music; it’s rootsy, honest and gravelly-voiced.
On this show, we saw the two sides of Gavin:
Serious face
Silly face…
Hee hee!
Gavin told us about making the album, how he found his Holy Shakers, and just who The Butcher is. We listened to Sweet Ophelia, Ragdoll (featuring Cathy Davey) and Gavin played the single Older Than My Years live in studio for us. Be sure to head down to The Village on Friday the 2nd of November for Gavin Glass & The Holy Shaker’s Revue. It’ll help you find your way back to Jesus. Or back to Whelans at least.
On this show, we also heard Deliberate Deeds from Marvin’s Revolt, who hail from Denmark, are signed to Irish DIY Popular Records, and who played in The Boom Boom Room last Wednesday night with support from Adebisi Shank. They were pretty fucking cool and Deliberate Deeds is as catchy as chlamydia. Nialler9 recommended Alligator (choir version) from Grizzly Bear’s Friend EP. We also heard Skyline from Super Extra Bonus Party, who supported The Aliens in Crawdaddy on Saturday night. I wasn’t too impressed with The Aliens, I have to say. The singer had a fan in front of him and his curly fro-esque hair was blowing back like a Michael Flatley and David Hasselhoff collaboration video. Apart from that, the tunes were kind of boring. The crowd seemed rather bored too. Boo.
We also spoke to Declan Carey from Kaboogie! at the end of the show about the night down in Traffic on Friday night with The Bug and Warrior Queen. The night was an all round success, as you can read on nialler’s blog. We finished off the show with Dem A Bomb We from Ladybug – a collaboration between The Bug and Warrior Queen.
Here it is so:
MP3
Gavin Glass (without his Holy Shakers) Thursday 18th October 2007
Ladybugs
A ladybug
A lovely time was had last night with Gavin Glass sans The Holy Shakers – the show will be available for download by Monday morning.
Looking forward to tonight’s gig in Traffic which Declan Kaboogie told us about last night. DJ PCP and T-woc will be opening the night sometime after 10.30pm, handing over the reins to Warrior Queen and The Bug to take us through til 2.30am. I’ve re-read what I just wrote and it sounds like an Mary Ann Hobbs script. Anyway, Kaboogie will be opening the traffic doors to you at 10.30pm, it’s €13 before midnight and €15 after.
Might pop into The Ballroom of Romance on my way to Traffic this evening for the 70th Ballroom in The Lower Deck, always a good night, and you get a free cd of each of the bands. Sweet!
Heading to Crawdaddy tomorrow night to catch The Aliens and Super Extra Bonus Party.
Hurray for the weekend.
Gavin Glass tonight
Do tune in this evening when we’ll be joined by Gavin Glass, without his Holy Shakers, but will nonetheless be talking and playing us through his self-titled album, released last month to a rake of rave reviews.
Remember if you can’t get us on the dial at 103.2 Dublin City FM, you can listen in on the interwebmadooda.
Til 9pm this evening so…
Hooray for the Human Alan
Alan Hooray for Humans in the studio last week in cheesy DJ pose
Wahey Aoife McIndiehour and Alan Hooray!
Have a look at Ian Oliver’s flickr page for more pics.
Hooray for the humans
When I got home last Thursday night after interviewing Alan from Hooray for Humans, aidan and my flatmate Ben were watching Jack Brel’s last performance in The Olympia Theatre in Paris in 1966. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. Aidan spent quite a few years in Belgium and so we had the pleasure of him translating Jack’s stunning lyrics as well.
Here’s a vid of Jack himself – it doesn’t get much more emotional than this. Wonderful.
I really enjoyed last week’s programme when I was joined by Alan from Cork’s Hooray for Humans. Brave Alan was sent up to face the wrath of the indie hour on his tod as Aine from the band was unable to make the journey up from Cork.
If you listen to the podcast, you’ll realise rather quickly that I’m somewhat out of it. A long week at work left my head a bit fuzzy, and with The Lovely Mary Healy off at Rufus Wainwright, it was up to me to do the gig guide. This is never a success, what with my penchant for getting venue and dates wrong, but this time I forgot to take the gig list out of my bag and only realised until I was live on air. The joys of live radio meant that I then forgot to mention the track that I’d started the programme with, which was Bodysnatchers from Radiohead’s In Rainbows. What a pro.
Ian Oliver took a few snaps of myself and Alan, and once he headed off, it was just myself and Alan in the studio. I love having bands on the show, as you get a real buzz off of a crowd of people who know each other quite well. But it can also be really lovely with just one person; it’s a much more intimate and relaxed affair. And so myself and Alan shot the breeze about Hooray for Humans, ridiculous song titles, playing in hardcore bands and the particular brand of rage that comes with watching my super sweet sixteen. Very much looking forward to the launch gig of their album Safekeeping in Eamonn Doran’s on 3rd of November, with support from Terrordactyl and a few more.
On the show we also spoke to Robbie Things from Psychotic Reaction, which took place in Crawdaddy on Saturday night and featured Hooray for Humans and Ali and The DTs. We also spoke to Sinead from Seamra Spraoi about the All Ages gig in the community centre last Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties the interview with Sinead wasn’t recorded but I’m going to try to salvage it somehow – once I get it I’ll post it up here. The Spraoi For All will be a monthly event happening in Seamra Spraoi so bring your young uns down for a bit of deadly music!
Incidentally, myself and Alan headed down to the last ever Porco Dio in The Lower Deck after the show on Thursday night. I caught the last two songs of BATS and most of We Are Knives who came down from Belfast for the gig. I’m sure the good people behind Porco Dio will be back promoting gigs in some shape or form. Mick from Adebisi Shank was a bit emotional at the end of the night saying that the best thing about Porco Dio was that so many bands had started there, played their first gigs there, and I thought that was lovely.
On this show, we also heard Sylvan’s I Wanna Be Your Cat, Nialler9 recommended The Penalty from Beirut’s Flying Club Cup, as well as the Radiohead track I mentioned earlier.
The pics of Alan Hooray will be up here in the next day or two. In the meantime, here is the mp3 for your downloading pleasure.
MP3
Hooray for Humans Thursday the 11th of October 2007
The Indie Hour 
