Captain Moonlight
Do tune in to 103.2 Dublin City FM this Thursday from 9pm to 10pm, when we will be joined by the coruscating Captain Moonlight, who’ll be talking us through his albums Agroculture Part 1 and Agroculture Part 2.
Check the tunes out on The Captain’s myspace in the meantime for a little taster of what to expect tomorrow night.
Bashful Blogger
Shucks! Found out via Rick O’Shea’s blog that the indie hour has made it to the (very) long list for Best Irish Music Blog for the upcoming awards on 1st of March. Don’t expect to make it to the short list, as the other blogs nominated are just too bloggin’ good, but I’m chuffed to have made it to the longlist.
Looking forward to the gradual leaks of the other categories around the blogosphere, and I’ll be keeping my eye on Damien’s awards page for the official list announcements!
*update*
Cor, blimey! The indie hour has also made it to the longlists for Best Newcomer and Best Post for Indie Arabia, Saudi Hour!
Congratulations to every one, and best of luck to the judges in the coming weeks!
Mumblin’ Deaf Ro is an absolute legend
Mumblin’ Deaf Ro captured by Ian Oliver
Most of the time, I’m very happy with my one hour radio slot. It always flies by, but we usually manage to pack quite a lot into it. Last night was one of those nights that I wished I had more time. I could have kept talking to Mumblin’ Deaf Ro for another couple of hours. So I’m definitely getting him back on the show as soon as possible, so he can tell us more about the topics that he merely skimmed upon last night.
We spoke about his stunning album from last year The Herring And The Brine, and his debut album Senor My Friend from 2003. He told us about recording at home, about random car horns that made their way into the recordings, how he really means it when he says it’s more important to be a good person than a great artist, and about how he feels about lazy lyrics.
We played Ox in An Open Door and Brother Peter from The Herring And The Brine, and Ro played a live version of Trouble Under a Murder Moon, also from the 2007 album. We also listened to It Never Even Entered My Mind from his debut Senor My Friend. Keep an ear out for the faint sound of a distant car horn at the start of the track which happened to be perfectly in tune by a complete fluke.
I love The Herring And The Brine. I only started listening to it in late December, and it has grown and grown on me. I told Ro how much I liked the album, and how I think it’s the little imperfections, like hearing the knock of the guitar in the wrong place, and the non-pitch perfect vocals, combined with the lyrical complexity and captivating story-telling, that make it such a special piece of work. Then Ro told me to stop ranting like a slobbering fan lunatic about his album to him. Just kidding, he didn’t really. But he looked a bit embarrassed, humble mumbler that he is.
We also spoke to Mici from Maximum Joy, the fortnightly club in Kennedy’s of Westland Row, which combines live indie bands with DJ sets late into the night. Mici told us about the beginnings of the club, about wanting to make a space for people to dance and have fun, as well as about the first Maximum Joy of 2008, which is tonight. I’m heading down myself after I finish writing this post, to catch The Yeh Deadlies and The Dudley Corporation. It starts at 10pm and it’s €10 in.
I’m going to head to Traffic after that for the Kaboogie! 2nd Birfday Bash and label fundraiser, which starts at 10pm and is €13 in including a label sampler CD. Nice one. It promises to be an ace night. Just leave your gran at home, because the bass in the room may make her cry.
We started the show with Born Again from Kill City Defectors’ Mutiny Sounds album, who play Whelan’s on Sunday 27th January. We finished the show with The Dudley Corporation’s Step Out, taken from their up-coming LP.
Nialler9 recommended the amazing Ghosts from Laura Marling, my latest musical love affair. I’ve listened to the song about 18 times in the last 24 hours, I love it so. Check the girl out on myspace, and hopefully she’ll come back to Dublin to play for us when her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim is released on 4th of February.
Here it is so. I hope you enjoy the Mumblin’ Deaf Ro interview as much as I did. He’s an absolute legend. And go down to Road Records and get yourself a copy of The Herring And The Brine, asap!
MP3
Mumblin’ Deaf Ro Thursday 24th of January
State Magazine
nialler9 goes to work
Exciting times for anyone who likes reading about music as State Magazine will be on a shop shelf near you on March 6th.
But if that seems too far away to get your reading teeth into State, then head over to the website, which was launched today, and features A Hot Chip Interview, an exclusive announcement of the Irish acts heading to Austin, Texas for SXSW and an mp3 mix by Nouveaunoise. An excellent sign of things to come.
The mp3 of last night’s show with the truly wonderful Mumblin’ Deaf Ro will be up on the blog later this evening.
Mumblin Deaf Ro, y’hear?
Photo by Mark at WhiteNoiseVisuals
Do tune in to Dublin City 103.2 FM this Thursday from 9 to 10pm, when we shall be joined by Mumblin’ Deaf Ro, who will be talking and playing us through last year’s album The Herring & The Brine, and his debut album Senor, My Friend…
We’ll also be talking to a Maximum Joy gentleman, about their night in Dublin’s Kennedy’s of Westland Row on Friday 25th, with performances from The Dudley Corporation and The Yeh Deadlies.
It’s gonna be great.
That is all.
Adrian Crowley talks Fife
Adrian at home in 2007
Last night, we were given some refuge from the cold, wet, and windy evening that it was by having the pleasure of being joined by Adrian Crowley on the indie hour.
I say ‘we’ but in fact it was just me. The Lovely Mary Healy had a sore throat, and The Wonderful Ian Oliver was down with the flu. So, there are no pics of Adrian on the indie hour, I stumbled through the gig guide, and it was just myself and Adrian in the studio, with a couple of cups of tea and a chinwag to keep us company. We had a lovely time.
Adrian talked us through Long Distance Swimmer, and about having a somewhat DIY approach to recording, different reactions to gigs in different cities around the world, and a fence collective in Fife.
Long Distance Swimmer has been nominated for this year’s Choice Music Prize – and rightly so. I’m a big fan of the album, having heard it for the first time back in December, and I intend listening to it straight through til the end of winter. And beyond.
On the show, we listened to Bless Our Tiny Hearts, Temporary Residence, Electric Eels, and Harmony Row from the album, recorded in 2007 in Adrian’s sister’s house. We started the show with the Cashier no9’s deliriously upbeat and lovesome track The Face Don’t Fit, which I found through the excellent first podcast from NoClarity, a sweet webmag from up Belfast way. Podcast #2 is up and ready to be enjoyed by your ears as well, so check it out.
Nialler9 recommended Mansard Roof from New York’s Vampire Weekend, and we finished the show with Radau from God Is An Astronaut’s Far From Refuge album, released last year. God Is An Astronaut are playing in The Button Factory in Dublin this Saturday 19th January.
So, here it is. I hope you can swim. Arf.
I’m too funny sometimes.
MP3
Adrian Crowley Thursday 17th of January
Adrian Crowley on swimming
Photo by Amelia Stein
Do tune in to 103.2 Dublin City FM at 9pm on Thursday 17th January, when we will be joined in studio by Adrian Crowley, who will be talking us through his Choice Music Prize nominated album, Long Distance Swimmer.
We will also be talking to the people behind the ToeJam Carboot Sale, which will be taking place this Saturday at The Bernard Shaw in Portobello from 1pm to 5pm. Loads of other people’s junk! And there’ll be music and falafels too. Yahoo, I can’t wait!
Remember to catch us on our live webstream if you’re an out of towner.
Ladies Tea Party
UnaRocks, Rapture Pony and OffHerRocker tend to the tea
Sabrina has called for a ladies only pre-Irish Blog Awards tea party in The Market Bar on Saturday 1st March. Read all about it on Sabrina’s blog.
It will be at 4.30pm on 1st of March, and all you have to do is RSVP in Sabrina’s comments. A lovely idea, and a big thanks to Sabrina for organising it!
Those Party Weirdo girls are bleedin Weirdos
Cara and Emily of Party Weirdo as taken by Ian Oliver– the saviours of Dublin City FM
Ooh, we did have a giggle on the show last night. I was delighted to be joined by Cara and Emily, 2/3s of Dublin’s premier alternative punk-tastic rockabilly-tinged band, Party Weirdo.
You may remember from my previous post that I was won over by Party Weirdo’s infectiously merrymaking live show, when I saw them a few months back in Seomra Spraoi. But I’ve also featured them on the show before, playing a few of their tracks last year, after the release of their single Chart Your Cycle in 2007.
And so, I was very happy indeed to have them on as the first guests of 2008. Bodes well for another year of the show methinks.
The two girls joined us for the show, while the third member, Therese, was at work. We did ring Therese halfway through the show for a bit of chat anyway, which completed the Party Weirdo jollification of the indie hour. We also played through four tracks in total, some released and some yet to be released, some tracks more on the Party side of the band, and some more on the Weirdo side of the band. Ian Oliver was also there taking some great pics of the two ladies, so have a look at them here.
We also spoke to Sinead Corcoran from Seomra Spraoi, who told us about the importance of a non-commercial social centre in Dublin, and how Seomra Spraoi aim to fill the void by re-opening their centre in a new home after the closure of their last venue. Check them out on their blog to find out how you can get involved or give them a hand in the search for a new space. Apologies for the crackle in part of the phone interview, I’m afraid I couldn’t do anything about it when I was editing the show afterwards. Sinead’s points still come across loud and clear, and I think she expressed the ethos of Seomra Spraoi very eloquently indeed.
We started the show with Cathy Davey’s Moving from the Choice Music Prize nominated album Tales of Silversleeve. Then we heard Mumblin Deaf Ro’s What to Learn and Where to Learn It his album The Herring & The Brine, which caused quite a few mumblings of disappointment when it did not make the Choice shortlist. I was also disappointed for Hybrasil, So Cow, John Hegarty and Gavin Glass & The Holy Shakers, although the list is a broad representation of what went on last year in Irish music.
Nialler9 was back with us again, recommending Nouveaunoise’s remix of Super Extra Bonus Party’s Propellor, which will be released on the 12″ (blue) vinyl Everything Flows, featuring remixes from Jape and CANADA’s Cadence Weapon. On the show I said Cadence Weapon was American. I’m so, so, so sorry Rollie P. Please forgive me. Anyway, that vinyl will be released in February, with a show in Whelan’s on the 9th of February, and a coinciding on-line release too. Check out the full tour details on the boys’ website.
We finished the show with an Estel track from their EP, or rather, mini album (it’s pretty long!) called The Bones of Something. The track we heard was Journey to the Centre of John’s Ma. Now, unfortunately, the track is 7 minutes and 43 seconds or so long, and we only got to squeeze in about a minute and a half before handing over the reins to The Moshpit at 10pm, but I included the full version on this mp3 podcast.
Estel are playing tonight in The Lower Deck at 2008’s first Ballroom of Romance, which is a benefit for Seomra Spraoi, with a cover charge of €10. Also playing are Hounds, Large Mound and Party Weirdo. I’m just going to have my tea now and head down to The Lower Deck in Portobello for 9pm or so.
Here you are anyway, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it!
MP3
Party Weirdo and Seomra Spraoi Thursday 10th January
The Indie Hour 