Eclectic Sound Bytes

Teetotallers Live @ Tipperary Excel Theatre January 20th 2012.

2012-02-10T00:30:00.000Z

Teetotallers is a dream combination, comprising 3 of Ireland's highest ranking traditional musicians,Martin Hayes (fiddle), Kevin Crawford (flute) and John Doyle (vocals and guitar). It is a temporary collaboration that could perhaps grow into something bigger if each of these 3 musicians could ever get the time to converge in the long term. I was lucky enough to catch them live last month when they played in Tipperary's Excel Theatre as part of a short Irish tour. It was the first gig I would attend this year and I have to admit, I don't think I could have chosen a better start to the year. I have seen Martin Hayes play live on several occasions (mostly accompanied by Dennis Cahill) , each time a transcending mystical experience, however with Crawford and Doyle the musical horizons are expanded even further.

Dubliner John Doyle's CV includes being the founding member of Irish-American group Solas along with having recently served as band leader for Joan Baez on tour. Not alone being a fine guitarist, his interpretation of a song can sometimes be spellbinding.

Kevin Crawford renowned mostly for his work with Lunasa has just released a new album called 'Carrying The Tune' which I bought a copy of at the gig and will be reviewing later on in this blog. Crawford's playing on the night was extraordinary and combined with the string arrangments of the violin and guitar it made for probably the finest traditional Irish set I have ever encountered.

This is Tetotallers first TV apperance shown on TG4 last month.

Exclusive Stream Of New Album From Neil Young And Crazy Horse

2012-01-28T15:24:00.000Z

Breaking News you can now stream the new album from Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the official website...

New Music From Dirty Three.

2012-01-21T15:24:00.002Z

Melbourne's finest, Mick Turner (guitar), Warren Ellis (violin) and Jim White( drums) collectively know as Dirty Three will release their much anticipated new album on February 27th next.
'Towards The Low Sun' will be the title of this follow up to the last studio LP release called 'Cinder' from 2005. The wonderful Bella Union label has kindly made available this first taster from the new record as a free download called 'Rising Below'.
It is a delight for fans alike to see this trio creating new music again, considering how many other projects they all are involved in. Mick Turner is a renowned artist who incidentally has created all their album artwork since they began as a band. Jim White has worked with such artistes as Cat Power, Nina Nastasia and Nick Cave.
Warren Ellis is a full time member of The Bad Seeds and also Grinderman.
Living apart for much of their time in France, U.S.A and Australia respectively, something magic occurs when these 3 musicians link together to record and play live.
Their live shows are a spellbinding thrilling experience that will stay in your memory for a long time if you are ever lucky enough to catch them..Details of a return to Ireland this year will be announced as soon as news comes my way...

The Gloaming In Concert: Global Fest 2012.

2012-01-15T15:11:00.002Z

The Gloaming are more than just a group of traditional Irish musicians, in fact this gathering could more accurately be accused of being a super group. Two of its members Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill have been working as a duo for many years recording together since 1997. Their first album entitled The Lonesome Touch is a fine document of what can happen when several musical influences merge together. From Irish traditional reels to European roots, to Classical and Jazz, Hayes and Cahill have managed to form a sound all of their own from such diverse sources.
Vocalist Iarla O Lionaird has for many years been at the forefront as one of Ireland's greatest exponents of traditional singing, ( Sean Nos).
His work, both solo and with such artistes as The Afro Celt Sound System, Tony McMahon and Noel Hill have encompassed a proud back catalogue. Much of his work can be found on Peter Gabriel's label Real World Records.
Remaining members of The Gloaming include renowned Dublin born fiddle and viola player Caoimhin O Raghallaigh , he has worked before with Martin Hayes on recordings and has released some self-produced material including an EP entitled. 'One Eye Man Is King'.
Thomas Bartlett grew up in Vermont And is a classically trained musician, he is better know for his work as Doveman but has either played live or recorded with the likes of The National, Laurie Anderson, Yoko Ono, David Byrne and Anthony And The Johnsons to name but a few.
On January 8th last as part of Global Fest 2012, The Gloaming played at the New York City's Webster Hall you can listen to this concert here and even download it for free by following this NPR link below...

http://www.npr.org/event/music/144697837/the-gloaming-globalfest-2012

The Twilight Sad- No One Can Ever Know.

2012-01-04T01:01:00.001Z

Happy New Year to all and let me say 2012 promises to be a flourishing 12 months of exciting new releases. Forthcoming albums from as diverse artistes as avant-garde Australian instrumentalists Dirty Three, a return of British space rockers Spiritualised and even yet another long player from the godfather of smooth Mr. Leonard Cohen will no doubt provide ample, eclectic listening.
A new year and a fresh start then and on to another album that must be mentioned 'No One Can Ever Know' by Scottish threesome The Twilight Sad.
This record will be officially released on Fat Cat Records on February 6th and the first single proper from it is entitled 'Sick'...

The Twilight Sad - Sick

Assisted by legendary producer Andrew Weatherall, this 3rd LP since their first release in 2007 could arguably be their finest yet. James Graham's thick tongued Scottish accent fits perfectly over the almost industrial sound created by Andy MacFarlane (guitar) and Mark Devine (drums).
Recorded over a month period in London, the band under instruction from Weatherall experimented with vintage analogue synths thus finding the core sounds they wanted.
Inspired also by the innovative production perhaps that Factory Records brought to the world over 30 years ago, this album florishes with such influences. If you enjoy the sound of Joy Division, Editors, Depeche Mode, or Interpol, this slow burner will not do any disfavour to your already well chosen record collection.

Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band Tour 2012.

2011-12-01T00:57:00.002Z

Much to many people's delight The 'Boss' himself Bruce Springsteen will again embark on an extensive European tour with The E Street Band between May and July of next year. Already 29 dates have been confirmed with a possibility of more being added. The latest update reveals that so far all 5 Scandinavian dates have quickly sold out. Today the tickets go on sale for the July 17th Dublin show at the RDS, a second date will no doubt be imminent. In fact such is the interest for Bruce Springsteen in Ireland that 2 shows wont justify the demand. There is nothing like experiencing Springsteen play live. I've seen him perform 4 times and each concert had me completely entranced for every minute he spent onstage.
He is the ultimate Rock performer and at 62 years old, he has no intention to resign his position as 'Boss' and often puts young imitators to shame. Earlier this year the death of E Street saxophone player Clarence Clemons was one of the biggest shocks any fan could handle. His contribution to Springsteen's sound was the backbone of this extaordinary New Jersey union. His absence on next years tour will be no doubt an unmistakable void to the band , however no doubt each show will highlight his memory with intensity. He is sorely missed by so many who grew up with the music and a career that spanned almost four full decades.

" I can't promise you life everlasting...but I can promise you life...right now!" is often one of Springsteen's proclaims onstage and he means ever word.

Roll on next summer, it certainly is one for the diary.........

Electric Picnic 2011 Review. September 4th (the final day of the festival)

2011-11-14T23:51:00.000Z

On Friday November 25th next, the early bird tickets for The 2012 Electric Picnic Festival go on sale at the cheaper rate. Never failing to be nothing short of amazing, this festival is leading into it's ninth year. Its more than just a music festival, it encorporates all forms of Art and is in my opinion Ireland's finest show. Here is my review of the Sunday of this year's Picnic.....

Helicopter shot of The Electric Picnic 2011

Sunday September 4th 2011
Sunday morning and the final day of The Electric Picnic, again the sky was darkening and the rain was looming but another great array of music was forecast. Surviving the freezing cold night in a new sleeping bag that was somehow meant for a much smaller person than I and managing to get a few hours of sleep, the body was possibly revived and primed again.
Our first stop of the day was Kingstown located in the woods and designed to give a Jamaican chill out theme.
I am well sure that Jamaica would feel a lot warmer and drier than we did as we sat in a tented cafe, looking out at the pouring rain. However the nice tea and the reggae music blasting from the amps nearby made up for any disappointments. The rain would eventually ease and make it all that bit easier to be outdoors later.

Kingstown

The Dublin Gospel Choir were on the main stage at 1pm, regulars by now to the festival they somehow bring a soothing spiritual feel to their Sunday performances. Perhaps for some this could even be the closest thing to attending Sunday Mass. It is possible that they may have sang the rain away during their one hour set because they do have such a positive energy. I do hope that they play every Sunday at the festival, it really is a perfect choice. Again, The Electric Picnic is so varied in its musical choices, it is hard not to commend everyone involved in putting the whole thing together with such an eclectic variety.

The Dublin Gospel Choir

The Electric Arena was our next stop to check out Irish band This Club, an energetic four piece that mix indie with dance not too unlike such bands as The Rapture or Friendly Fires.

I had never heard of This Club before and as someone who loves to hear new music, this band didn't leave me underwhelmed in the slightest, quite the contrary in fact .

Its hard not to guess that they could be inspired by some 80's UK electro pop groups, like Pet Shop Boys or even Erasure. With a debut album on the way, This Club will be a band worthy of your time. I think we could hear a lot more from them in the forthcoming year..

This Club

Waterford indie favourites O Emperor were next up at 2pm at The Crawdaddy Stage.
This band have been turning heads across Ireland since the release of their first album called 'Hither Thither' last year, not to mention scoring a support slot with Mumford And Sons on their UK and Ireland tour.
This was my first time seeing O Emperor play live and my first impression was a lasting one, their songs flow solid amid driving guitars and fresh vocals. Radiohead's earlier work springs to mind as a suitable comparison to some of their songs like 'Don Quixote'while 'Po' could sit comfortably alongside anything Midlake have recorded so far. 'Hither Thither' is a fine album worthy of its Choice Music nomination and is a steady collection by a 5 piece very serious about what they do. Its possible that their 10 year reign together so far was a major advantage to producing such a fine debut album.
Their stage performance is as satisfying as their album, in fact their 30 minute set left me wanting to see them play somewhere soon again...

O Emperor

The big surprise of the day was Oh Land who played The Electric Arena at 2.30pm. Little did I think that the Scandinavians would be the musical standouts at this years festival. Lykke Li the previous night went beyond any expectations while Oh Land provided a bit of magical surprise. Nanna Oland Fabricius is a 26 year old beauty from Copenhagen who performs under the title of Oh Land. Her vocal ability is sometimes on a par with Florence Welch as she sings her own brand of funky pop songs accompanied by percussion and keys. This is a video for the song 'Wolf And I' from her 2nd and latest album so far which is eponymously titled.....

Oh Land was the unexpected highlight, the one that offers that exceptional stage magic, a certain Je ne sais quoi so to speak. The live performance was a must see for the originality alone, with the band members wearing masks for the first few songs.

Tipperary singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes kicked off her gig at 3pm to a rather large crowd of followers.
Promoting her 4th album 'Let It Break' released in May of this year Gemma has had a busy Irish tour schedule which thankfully included The Electric Picnic. Warm vocals, and fresh melodies were the order of the day and a very pleasing set was performed. I saw her briefly doing a show a few years ago and promised myself that I would go to see her again. I usually keep my promises, I was also happy with the photos, as getting close to the stage was a struggle. Gemma is currently doing a few more live dates this November before she heads off on an international tour.

Gemma Hayes

U.K band Everything Everything were the next port of call at The Electric Arena. The first time I heard of this group was when they performed at T In The Park earlier this year. Currently based in Manchester, these boys have one album to date called 'Man Alive' and its on the Geffen Label. Their own brand of electro funk and indie is again not too far removed from the sound of bands like fellow U.K head turners Friendly Fires . I don't think I have made my mind up about Everything Everything yet, my brief visit upon their live set wasn't enough to grab me just yet but I will earmark them for the future. I was less impressed with their Picnic performance than previous T.V appearances I had seen them on. However every band doesn't always get it right live and I'm sure they have done better gigs.

Critically acclaimed English folk siblings Rachel and Becky Unthank were the next act we saw at the main stage that evening. By now the Irish, 4 seasons in one day weather delivered a beautiful sunny couple of hours. Lazy bodies stretched out on the grass and listened to the laid back sweet harmonies of The Unthanks for their 60 minute set. Accompanied by an orchestra, they delivered a much softer sound than anything we had heard all weekend. The great Robert Wyatt once said of this duo “They are like the morning dew that hasn’t steamed off yet, they are fresh and new and I really don’t think they know how good they are”.

The Unthanks

Total contrast in sound then later into the evening at The Cosby Stage with Belfast hard rockers And So I Watch You From Afar. This was my second time this year seeing these guys, ( I also saw them at the Indiependence Festival in July). This band makes more noise than a fireworks display at New Years and make no apologies. 'If the apocalypse is televised, these guys will provide the soundtrack' is how they were once described on BBC radio. All of their music is instrumental, blending metal with hard rock and they deliver a live performance that is drenched in adrenalin. This year they released their second album called 'Gangs' and this is 'Beautiful Universe Master Champion' from that album.

The Cosby tent was a jam packed pit of energy for the 60 minute roller coaster set that ASIWYFA unleashed. My few minutes late arrival actually was to my detriment as I was forced to stay at the side entrance because the crowd was so big inside. I did have a great view of the stage though and felt all the energy of this explosive band. This was without doubt one of the real highlights of the festival, their sheer energy, rawness and determination was nothing short of overwhelming.

Beirut were playing at the main stage around the same time as ASIWYFA, so I got to watch a few minutes of their set afterwards. These Santa Fe natives brand of indie-folk mixed with electronica and brass instruments, no less added plenty to their pleasent stage presence. They also secured a very positive reaction from the huge crowd that had by now seeminly abandoned the campsites to enjoy the final few hours of music that was on offer. Here is Beirut performing 3 songs last September for NPR's Tiny Desk series..

Beirut would be the final band I would see at this years festival, of course there were hours of more music to see from the likes of Underworld, Mogwai, Big Audio Dynamite, Zola Jesus, but my weary body could not take any more, it was alas time to hit the road home and dream again of the next Electric Picnic. It is my favourite festival and I hope to get to be there for as long as it exists each year. Somehow the amazing music and atmosphere seems to outweigh any negative aspects every time, so here's to the next one because I'm not going to ever dislike this wonderful event.

Billy Bragg Live @ Dolans Warehouse October 24th, 2011

2011-11-07T21:10:00.003Z

Billy Bragg live at Dolans

Essex born political activist, singer-songwriter and all round one man entertainer Billy Bragg took in Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick as part of his nationwide Irish tour on October 24th last. A packed house on a cold Monday night was no mean feat for any musician armed with just a guitar and set list often dominated by protest songs. However Bragg's following hasn't just developed in a short period, its 28 years odd since his first solo album called 'Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy' was released. His long and varied career has brought us 14 studio albums, among the highlights include the 1986 release 'Talking To The Taxman About Poetry' containing one of my favourite songs of his called 'Levi Stubbs Tears'.

Billy Bragg became a familiar troubadour throughout the 80's with appearances on British shows as diverse as 'Top Of The Pops' and 'The Tube' and 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'

Probably his most familiar song 'New England' which was also covered by the late Kirsty McColl and thankfully he played in his Limerick show always reminds me of my early childhood and my memories of listening to BBC Radio.

It was joyous to finally see this man perform live and incidentally, this was his first ever visit to Limerick which made it that bit more special. His charming wit and talent for storytelling between songs certainly added all the more magic to the gig and left me feeling very glad to have been there. My admiration for this mans music and ideas have grown steadily especially since his 1998 collaboration with Wilco on the 'Mermaid Avenue' album that was born out of an idea by Nora Guthrie.

Many finished lyrics by Woddy Guthrie were given to Bragg by Woody's daughter Nora to be recorded as songs, none of these lyrics had music written for them previously. Bob Dylan would later mention in his 'Chronicles' autobiography that the project was originally meant for him years previously.

'Mermaid Avenue' and later 'Mermaid Avenue' Volume 2 (released in 2000) are defining records in Billy Bragg's and indeed Wilco's careers.

His latest album is called ' Fight Songs' and comprises 11 tracks that were made available as free downloads on his website over the past decade. After the gig Billy gladly signed copies of the CD and chatted to fans, further proving that he is a true gentleman and reaches out to people in more ways than one. No wonder he has such a huge following.

While on tour in Ireland he dropped into the Newstalk studios in Dublin to give an interview with Tom Dunne, click on the link below to hear it...

http://www.newstalk.ie/2011/programmes/all-programmes/tom-dunne/billy-bragg-drops-in/

This is 'It Says Here' one of Bragg's earlist songs which Im glad to say is still included in his latest setlists.

Mulatu Astatke Live @ The Sugar Club Dublin 16/10/2011

2011-10-17T23:51:00.002+01:00

Last night The Sugar Club in Dublin provided a rare treat for many jazz fans with the appearance of the legendary Ethiopian arranger and musician Mulatu Astatke.
The first time I heard of this man was during the late 1990's while listening to an interview that Elvis Costello gave to John Kelly on The Mystery Train radio show. Costello had a keen interest in the Ethiopiques compilation albums that were being released around that time on the french Buda Musique record label.
Ethiopiques Volume 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentle 1969-1974 is dedicated solely to the music of Mulatu Astatke and is arguably one of finest releases of the series.
This is 'Yegella Tezeta' one of the standout tracks from that album...

A packed house in Dublin last night signalled the vast appreciation of Astatke's visit and of course the 68 year old was clearly flattered.
Vibraphone seems to be the preferred instrument of his onstage, but he also played keyboards and organ along with other percussion. His band of 8 musicians were modestly outstanding playing saxophone, trumpet, percussion, 2 cellos and guitar.
A front row perch on the floor at The Sugar Club wasn't what I had expected at last night's gig but the slight physical discomfort was cancelled out by the sheer mesmerising sounds produced by this fine group.
Towards the final 20 minutes or so of the show, some could not take the sitting down anymore and found their feet taking on a life of their own and dancing to the rythms that took control. This was positivly one of the most memorable concerts I have been fortunate enough to have seen.
This is 'Yekermo Sew' another one of the pieces he played last night....

New Mixes From Tiny Telephone Exchange

2011-10-14T22:13:00.000+01:00

As promised previously the latest mixes from Tiny Telephone Exchange have been finished and are ready for listening on the Soundcloud website. All tracks 'Not The World', 'City Song', 'Indifference As The Opposite Of Love' and ' Birthday Song' have been revitalised with a fresh new meatier sound. Also a new song 'Quicksilver Star' has been added and here it is....
Quicksilver Star (The Elephant and the Astronaut) by Tiny Telephone Exchange

All the 5 finished tracks can be found here

Electric Picnic 2011 Review. September 2nd,and 3rd (the first 2 days of the festival)

2011-09-15T00:47:00.000+01:00

The withdrawl symptoms are still lingering even after several days since this years Electric Picnic wrapped up. It was again another showcase of fine music and arts that never fails to please each time. I wouldn't say that this particular festival had the best line up, however there were definate gems included, in the form of Lykke Li, P.j Harvey, I Am Kloot and Oh Land to drop a few names.

Friday 2nd of September.

As miserable as the weather turned on Friday night, it failed to quell the spirits of over 30,000 revellers who partied like it could be the last party in a long, long while.

My introduction to the festival after arriving late Friday evening and managing to put together 2 dodgy cheap tents was to catch the L.A. band Warpaint live at The Crawdaddy stage for 15 minutes or so. Better late than never, they put on a mighty set that certainly threw me into the festival spirit.

Further into that evening P.J Harvey was on the main stage doing her thing which later in the weekend reminded me of how many incredibly talented women were performing at this years Electric Picnic. The Uthanks,Warpaint, Gemma Hayes and Lykke Li to mention a few.

Harvey wore a very strange head dress which didn't look too unlike a giant feathered crow in the distance.

She has progressed in a few years into one of Britain's most important female rock artistes. Her second Mercury Music prize awarded to her just a few days ago for her latest album 'Let England Shake' is testament to her formidable career. This was also her second Electric Picnic appearance, 2006 being the other year that she performed there. The main stage belonged to P.J Harvey as no other capacity would have taken the multiples that swarmed to see her play on Friday night and she didn't disappoint. Obviously Interpol had their work cut out to equal or better her performance.

Interestingly New York post punkers Interpol were a band that didn't ever over excite me with anything after their 2004 'Antics' record so I was in two minds about watching their set. Particularly as D.J Shadow was clashing time wise with Interpol, I took the option of checking out half of each artistes sets. As it so often happens at festivals its sometimes the least obvious bands that surprises you. Interpol could not be faulted in any sense of the word and surprised the hell out of me for their energy and sheer live ability. I found myself wanting to stick around and watch their entire time onstage but probably wouldn't have forgiven myself later for not checking out D.J Shadow's show.

Interpol's worthy instalments of their back catalogue along with new material warranted me to have a rethink about this band and look at them in a whole new light. I came away a with a brand new respect for this band and took a mental note to dig out the 'Antics' album when I got home.

On to the Electric Arena then to catch a bit of D. J Shadow's set who was on a return visit to this festival, (I also saw him when he last played there in 2006).
I would be hard pushed to list my 10 all time favourite albums but D.J Shadow's 1996 debut 'Endtroducing' would have to be in there somewhere. Constructed entirely of samples and loops it is an extraordinary piece of work that I never fail to get tired of. Its just one of those perfect albums that carries like a soundtrack to a very strange film. It brims with a collage of sounds sampled from recordings as diverse as Meredith Monk to Nirvana. Its cover artwork is even masterful with a wide screen shot of the inside of a record store with punters sourcing through the stock.
D.J Shadow is about to release his new album this month called 'The Less You Know The Better', so much of his Electric Picnic performance was heavy with new music. However this didn't encourage any despondency from the audience. In fact he even commented at how overwhelmed he was with the Irish response to his shows, even compared to back home in the U.S.
I would have been totally fulfilled if the 'Entroducing' album was to be performed in its entirety that night, but alas that was not to be. I honestly believe he will never make a record as good as that again. The live show these days is definitely a worth while venture whether you have a slight curiosity to his music or you are a die hard fan. Its very much as heavy on the visuals as much as the music is a bombastic adventure into a world of Trip Hop and mixes. Overall D.J Shadow was a very worthy headliner to the festival that will stand as one of the most memorable. That was my Friday evening adventure that went so well before the dark ominous clouds rolled in and reminded us of how you should never trust the Irish weather no matter what...

Saturday 3rd of September
Despite a pretty awful night to be sleeping out with only a thin layer of polyester over our heads in the form of a tent, the spirit wasn't dampened on Saturday morning. If fact the celebratory can of beer for all things festival after just a couple of hours sleep only heightened the enthusiasm for the day ahead.
Refuge from the elements was taken in the afternoon at The Crawdaddy stage to check out Manchester band I Am Kloot . The absence of the Southern Comfort bar at The Crawdaddy tent this year was a bit of a let down unfortunately, however the queues for beer outside were moving swiftly enough to quell any fears of foreboding sobriety.
I Am Kloot were a welcome introduction to the days entertainment belting out plenty songs from their earlier years along with the latest.
'Natural History' their first album from 2001 is my favourite from this band and in my opinion a much better album than 'Sky At Night,' which was last year one of the selections for the Mecury Music award. John Bramwell's cutting lyrics over drums and guitar is a feisty mix and after seeing them play several times over the years, I'm often wondering why didn't they ever become a huge band.
Still their live gigs are as pleasing as ever and it was a great addition to see them at the Picnic, I've always had a soft spot for this Manchester trio.

I Am Kloot

A short trip to the main stage afterwards was worthwhile to catch a bit of Donal Dineen's Parish. This is a whole new outing for the ever adventurous radio D.J.
Presuming Dineen had this sights set on a musical project such as this for a long time, he will unfortunately be departing from Today F.M. soon . The sound of Parish was all new to me but if you like the artistes Tricky or Massive Attack for instance, you could love this collaboration. Here is a clip of Parish, the track is called 'High -Five O.
Hi-Five 0 by parishrecords

Donal Dineen

The ever idiosyncratic Texas based troubador Micah P. Hinson was next on my list of must sees for the day. Performing for this gig Micah P with arm in sling, due to some unrevealed accident sometime previous was accompanied by a string quartet. 'Im going to play another song now, I hope you like it, if you don't you can suck it'...Hinson doesn't grovel to an audience, to get appreciation, that just comes naturally when you hear him sing. Still in his twenties, this guy has already 6 fine studio albums to his credit, his greatest yet has to be the 2008 released 'Micah P. Hinson and The Red Empire Orchestra'. This is a guy who can write songs that will floor you with their beauty. An old head on young shoulders so to speak, a Hank Williams for the 21st century perhaps, Hinson's genius overflows in places.

Micah P. Hinson

Irish singer songwriter Mundy provided some pleasing minutes later in the evening opting thankfully not to perform the over played radio hit 'Galway Girl'.
Although I only caught a few minutes of British artiste James Blake's set, I think he would have had more potential atmospherically if he wasn't timetabled to play at the main stage. The weirded out bass lines that run through his Anthony And The Johnsons type songs just didn't fit with the presence of daylight and big space. I would however love to see him play at a small venue in the future though. On the plus side I was very happy with this photo, that I captured.

James Blake

It must be mentioned Swedish songstress Lykke Li was the undoubted show stealer of the day in my opinion on Saturday. Her hour long set kicked off at 8.15pm, unfortunately clashing time wise with Midlake's appearance at The Crawdaddy Stage. Plans to catch a bit of both shows were aborted however due to Lykee Li just being so damned good. Its clear this lady has come a long way in just a very short time with her stage presence. The first time I heard of her was when Jooles Holland had her on his show singing a stripped down version of 'A little Bit' before the release of her first album. I was instantly impressed but never imagined to see such a progression in a short time. Her latest album 'Wounded Rhymes' is a definite grower and I would highly recommend it, however the songs are much better live.
This is why I go to music festivals, you sometimes don't know whats around the corner, the hyped up acts can often be a let down, the less obvious can be mind blowing. Lykee Li happened to be the latter and every bit as great as Bjork's appearance at the festival 3 years previous. I feel very lucky to have seen her as the current tour goes on to Australia next and who knows when she will play in Ireland again.

Lykke Li

Dublin punk psyche rockers Retarded Cop later provided an extremely energetic set later into the evening despite a small turnout. I had never heard of these guys previously but was impressed with their onstage gusto. This 5 piece even have a song called 'Charlie Sheen', their tongue in cheek antics and lyrics make them a very likable union, the kind of band that would liven up the most dour audience. Next time they play a gig in a town close to me, I will be going.

Retarded Cop

I have vowed that some day I will see Canadian group Arcade Fire in a place where I won't get almost crushed to death. This band seemed to have at least 90% of the festival crowd flocking to see them play at the main stage at 10pm. Arriving down a little late was a bad mistake, I heard more than I could see but still I couldn't complain. These guys deserve all the adoration they get, they are humble, hard working and brilliantly original. Here is a clip of an interview they did before they performed at the Picnic...

The Salty Dog Stage provided the perfect setting to chill out that night after a very satisfying day. Located in the woods, between campsites this low key outdoor venue has an old boat as a stage area and a little cafe serving light refreshments. The benches around the stage front were a heaven sent just to rest and drink several cups of tea. Dublin band The Cajun Kings provided some extremely pleasant rootsy sounds. This group have just recently reformed after 10 years of a break much to the joy of many. Their version of The Balfa Brothers, 'La Dance Des Mardi Gras' was just the perfect sound for the joyous night.
Prison Love also a Dublin based bluegrass 5 piece reminiscent of U.S Southern band Hayseed Dixie, put on a rousing set until the early hours of Sunday morning.
That need for sleep eventually dragged us back to the campsite where this time the rain was replaced with frost. The things we do for Rock n Roll and how hypothermia didn't get me that night, I will never know. It must have been the warm tea. My meanderings about Sunday, the third day of the Electric Picnic will follow later....

The Salty Dog

New album from Tom Waits

2011-08-25T12:28:00.000+01:00

Tom Waits’ new album ‘Bad As Me’ is out on October 25th!

War Paint

2011-08-23T00:22:00.001+01:00

One of the many bands I will be looking forward to seeing live at The Electric Picnic in a couple of weeks are L.A girl group War Paint. Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar, vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums, keyboards) released their first album called 'The Fool' last October on the Rough Trade label. A previous EP called Exquisite Corpse was self released by the band in 2008 and got to a number 1 slot on the Amoeba Records local artists chart. This song 'Billie Holiday' was featured on the EP, performed here live last year in the U.S.

Their haunting vocals flow beautifully over intricate guitar lines, creating a mesmerising sound bordering between psychedelia and post-rock.

The Cocteau Twins, and Siouxsie and the Banshees have been mentioned as notable influences to War Paint .Some of their songs would also sit comfortably with anything we have heard so far from the equally brilliant Bobby for instance.

This is one of the standout songs called 'Bees' from the new album performed here at the John Peel stage at Glastonbury earlier this summer.

Currently on tour in the U.K and Ireland, here are the venues and dates;

08/23/11 Edinburgh Queen’s Hall United Kingdom

08/24/11 Belfast Spring and Airbrake Ireland

08/25/11 Galway Roisin Dubh Ireland

08/26/11 Leeds Festival United Kingdom

08/28/11 Reading Festival United Kingdom

09/02/11 Co Laois Electric Picnic Ireland

Hamell On Trial Live @ Daytrotter

2011-08-15T23:07:00.000+01:00

Just last month Eclectic Sound Bytes favourite Hammell On Trial recorded a session at the wonderful Daytrotter studios at Rock Island, Illinois.

You can download or stream this recording for free and it is available here.

'I've been down before, and I've been loaded, now im being downloaded', only Ed Hamell can come up with lines like these.

Do yourself a favour today and listen to these 5 tracks, they will cheer you up no end...

Baskery

2011-08-10T00:31:00.006+01:00

In case you would be hazarding a guess as to which Southern U.S State these ladies might come from, think again because you would be on the wrong track. Baskery are a three piece all sister, Alt-Country band from Stockholm, Sweden. Greta, Stella and Sunniva Bondesson formed the group in 2006 as an offshoot of a previous union called The Slaptones which included their father Janåke Bondesson on drums. Baskery's first album 'Fall Among Thieves' was released on the German label Glitterhouse Records in 2008. Describing their own music as 'mud-country' or 'kilbilly' they have cut their own furrow as a uniquely thrilling live act. Regularly touring Europe, they also featured as one of the favoured groups at the SXSW festival in Austin Texas last March.

This is one of the songs from that album called 'Haunt You' performed here at Östersund in their native Sweden for a TV show last year.

No strangers to the live circut worldwide, Baskery have already played at the Kilkenny Rythym and Roots Festival in Ireland and have even played at the U.K's biggest festival Glastonbury.

Currently playing shows in Scandinavia, they are off to Canada for several dates in September to promote their new album called 'New Friends' released on 'Blue Rose Records'.

'New Friends' have received a very favourable review in this months UNCUT magazine. I will be posting more about that album at a later stage.

Meanwhile it has to be mentioned that probably the last thing to expect from a young Swedish band would perhaps be a combination of Banjo, Double Bass and Acoustic guitars. This is what makes Baskery stand out to say the least.

Here is a live clip from the Kilkenny Rythym and Roots Festival back in 2008..

Kill It Kid

2011-08-04T23:50:00.001+01:00

The good people at the One Little Indian label have just given me the heads up on a pretty fine new album from U.K band Kill It Kid. .'Feet Fall Heavy' is the second album from this bluesy rock outfit and will be released on September 19th next. Drawing heavily from influences as diverse as vintage American Delta blues, to modern garage rock, Kill It Kid have been marking their territory as a seriously creative force since their beginnings in Bath, England in 2008. This four piece includes Chris Turpin on Guitar and Vocals, Stephanie Ward - Piano, Vocals, Marc Jones on percussion and Dom Zozubik on Bass.

Turpin and Ward each have a vocal range capable of reaching gritty heights; accompanied with unforgiving guitar riffs and trashing percussions. Violin, slide-guitar and piano are also part of the sound of Kill It Kid. Chances are if you like The White Stripes, The Kills,or Mumford And Sons, you will love this band.

Here is the official video for the first single from 'Feet Fall Heavy' called 'Pray On Me' this fine three minute rocker complete with blues sampling is a good indicator of what to expect from the album throughout.

'Feet Fall Heavy' is a scorching album that grabs you from the first listen and keeps you hooked until the last note plays out. It's the record that will define Kill It Kid as one of the steadiest new rock groups least likely to enter into mainstream territory any time soon. Stand out tracks are a plenty like 'Sweetness has A Hold On Me ' which is probably my favourite on the album. Here is a more stripped down version of that song played for the first time live in the U.K last year.

Kill It Kid will be embarking on a U.K and Ireland tour in September to promote the album, the dates are as

follows.

September,10th - Dublin, 11th - Belfast, 12th - Glasgow,13th - Liverpool, 14th - Leeds

16th - Brighton,17th -Portsmouth, 19th - Britol, 20th - London, 21st - Manchester,22nd - Cardiff.

Mountain Man Live @ The Newport Folk Festival 31/07/2011

2011-08-01T19:26:00.001+01:00

Yesterday saw the wonderfully harmonious threesome that is Mountain Man take to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival Rhode Island. Luckily for anyone interested in what it sounded like NPR have made the show available to listen to. You will find it here

The 50 minute set includes several tracks from their only studio album to date 'Made The Harbour' along with a couple of surprises, it was the final show of their current U.S tour.

It really is an excellent recording and quite evidently one of the highlights of this years legendary festival.

WU LYF

2011-07-16T00:19:00.004+01:00

WU LYF are certainly one of the most exciting new rock bands to emerge from the U.K in quite a while.

Hailing from Manchester,this 4 piece are kicking up a storm with their self produced debut album just released called 'Go Tell Fire To The Mountain'. Members, Evans Kati, Tom McClung, Ellery Roberts and Joe Manning formed the band in 2008 and soon caught the attention of music critics with the release of some recordings made available through their website.

World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation have managed to go against the grain of conventional studio recording by opting to make the album in a disused church in Ancotes, Manchester. They also released the album without the assistance of any established record label making the project even more unique.

Much attention is given to the fact that WU LYF have managed to maintain a kind of mystique, giving very little away to the press and refusing to do interviews, only adding of course to their growing cult following.

'Go tell Fire To The Mountain' is certainly one of the most impressive rock albums I have heard in a long time. With its instant earth shattering force it has as much angst and energy as Nirvana's 'Nevermind' or perhaps Rage Against The Machines debut. Essentially this is a band likely to define 2011 and go on to global status while bypassing any conventional path.

This is the opening track on the album called LYF..................

Frank Fairfield Live @ Amoeba Music Store Hollywood.

2011-07-12T00:35:00.001+01:00

Amoeba Music provide some of the most impressive independent music stores in the U.S with retail shops located in Berkeley, San Francisco and Hollywood, California.
Established since 1990 Amoeba are more than just a record store, their vast amount of stock caters for literally every type of musical tastes on CD, and vinyl formats. Their stock changes on a daily basis because they are a trading post for both new and used albums, covering everything from Jazz, World, Roots, Chart, Rock, the list is endless. Luckily for those of us living on the other side of the world, they provide a mailing service through their website which is second to none. Amoeba Music bagan at a time when huge chain stores were,cancelling out independent record shops and depriving music lovers of a more personal connection with their outlets.
Another addition to this great concept is that each store provides a live venue for performing musicians. Previous performances include such diverse acts as Africa's Basskou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, the ever prolific Bonnie Prince Billy, Elvis Costello and Jonsi to name but a few. There are literally dozens of shows to be seen on the website. My personal favourite is Frank Fairfield's set seen here at the Hollywood store in October 2009 playing alongside fellow string player Tom Marrion. This is just under a half hour of greatness..

Frank Fairfield/ Out On The Open West

2011-07-03T23:18:00.000+01:00

Frank Fairfield is back with a new album called 'Out On The Open West', again available on the Tompkins Square label. It seems undoubtedly Fairfield can do no wrong with anything he puts his unique magical talents to. 'Out On The Open West' is somewhat a more expansive outing in comparison to his 2009 eponymous debut. Guests on this record include Willie Watson from Old Crow Medicine Show and Jerron 'Blind Boy' Paxton among others to create a more fuller sound without losing touch with the ancient roots tone with which he is synonymous with. This time round, Fairfield has opted for supplying mostly his own self penned songs to this collection which further expands his credibility as a creative artiste. This is a video of Frank and companions featuring: Josh Petrojvic and Zac Sokolow on violin, with Charles DeCastro on cello filmed in his living room performing 'Poor Old Lance' from the album. This is really a thrilling piece of music...

Frank Fairfield - "Poor Old Lance" from MizzMeister on Vimeo.

Frank Fairfield was recently described as 'a one man folk revival' by NPR, a worthy title no doubt for a man who is breathing new life into American roots music. His live shows are being very favourably described by critics at home and most recently on his tour of the U.K and Germany. My list of live acts to see has Frank Fairfield heavily underlined and I can't wait to hear one day that he will be playing over here in Ireland.
The full track titles on the album are as follows.

1.Frazier Blues, 2.Kings County Breakdown, 3.Someday You'll Be Free, 4.Haste To The Wedding/The Darling True Love,5. Turkey In The Straw/Arkansas Traveler, 6. But That's Alright,7. Poor Old Lance,
8. Up The Road Somewhere Blues, 9. The Winding Spring, 10. Out On The Open West , 11. Ruthie 3:39,
12. Texas Farewell.
This is a live clip of 'Texas Farewell' filmed in Los Angeles earlier this year..

Apple Rabbits

2011-07-02T20:40:00.001+01:00

This is a record you will want to have in your collection. Jay Fisher aka Apple Rabbits latest 12 track release is called King Of Anglia and is a wondrous affair indeed. You will find it on the independent Kilburn State label. Fisher is a native of London and has been recording through many different projects since 1994, creating music that doesn't sit easily into particular genres due to its blatant expansiveness.

Having once supported John Martyn on tour during the 1990's, English folk music is certainly an influence in Fisher's work but there is a much more complex mix of sounds running through his songs. Experimental electronica runs deep on tracks like 'Wrong Again' and 'One rolls Over' reminiscent of recent synthesising work by bands like Radiohead for instance. However the album overall never fully abandons its folk rock roots.

This is the opening track called 'Sing To Me', Americana UK magazine recently described this song as... 'like stumbling across a rare orchid in a meadow', quite an apt observation in my opinion.

'King Of Anglia' is as satisfying as it is complex, surreal as it is adventurous but overall it is altogether ambitious. For those of you who enjoy discovering new music that pushes the boundaries I cannot recommend this album enough.

Cloud Control

2011-06-23T01:15:00.000+01:00

Cloud Control are a 4 piece Australian indie band hailing from the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, who first got together in 2007. Alister Wright is the lead vocalist, Heidi Lenffer plays keyboards and sings backing vocals. Ulrich Lenffer plays drums and Jeremy Kelshaw plays bass guitar.
They have just released their first album called 'Bliss Release' and it is available on the Infectious Records label. Bliss Release is an appropriate title certainly for this album which sounds marvellously fresh and optimistic throughout. Its an record brimming with ambition and short on austerity,which gets you hooked the more you explore it.
They could be compared perhaps to bands like Modest Mouse or The Flaming Lips for their driving melodies. My first introduction to this band was hearing this song 'Ghost Story' played on the radio by the forever adventurous broadcaster Dave Couse and it really is one of the standout tracks. I went out and bought the album because of this song alone...' I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up'....indeed!

Thankfully Cloud Control are beginning to gain the notice they deserve outside of their native Australia while currently touring across Europe. They will also play 3 dates in the U.S next month including The Knitting Factory in New York. An extensive tour of Britain follows and one date so far has been been pencilled in for Dublin's Academy on October 7th next. This is another great song from the album called 'There's nothing in the water we cant fight.'

Bobby

2011-06-08T23:56:00.000+01:00

Bobby are a 7 member band who were formed out of a senior project at Bennington College in Vermont, they are about to release their excellent self titled album later this month on Partisan Records.
This is another project for members Molly Erin Sarle and Amelia Randall Meath who also make up two thirds of the alt-folk group Mountain Man. A departure perhaps for these ladies to enter into more experimental territory, it is also satisfying to see artistes spreading their talents into other ventures. Bobby's album is certainly one of the finest releases you will be likely to hear this year. Its run time is over an hour and with its building melodies and intricate sounds it grows and grows more addictive the more you listen.
My favourite track so far has to be 'Sore Spores' for the vocals especially that echo nothing but brilliance throughout.

Currently touring in the U. S. Bobby are likely to encounter a huge interest across Europe too as soon as more people get to hear the album. This is the kind of band I would love to see playing at a festival. Mountain Man were a late addition to last years Electric Picnic, my fingers are crossed that a similar situation will happen with Bobby...

Tiny Telephone Exchange

2011-06-04T23:17:00.001+01:00

'Not The World' is the latest and possibly the best track available yet by Tiny Telephone Exchange.
Released just this week for streaming on the Soundcloud website, it has received much favourable feedback especially for its immediate melody. It could also be the track that would attract the most radio airplay if released as a single. I am looking forward in fact to an EP from Tiny Telephone Exchange and will of course be posting any forthcoming news on just that whenever it is available.
Meanwhile check out Soundcloud here for 3 more previously posted songs...

Not the World (Master) by Tiny Telephone Exchange

Bob Dylan

2011-05-24T09:10:00.002+01:00

Robert Allen Zimmerman, better know as Bob Dylan celebrates his 70th birthday today. Love him or loathe him, Bob has made an enormous contribution to music and songwriting throughout a career that now spans 5 decades. When I was maybe 11 or 12 years old, I received a gift of a second hand cassette of Dylan's 'Desire' album. I must have played it over and over hundreds of times and since then I have been hooked on his music. I try to ignore all the cliche stuff that has been written or said of Dylan, titles like 'living legend' or 'cultural icon' don't wash too well with me. It is true however that Bob Dylan from the very beginning had something unique to share with the world, almost like he was born to do so. Essentially the audience came to him to hear what he had to express through his songs, that is the defining power he possessed. Whether he was aware of his gift early on or not is difficult to know, obviously that came later, but surely to be idolised to such an extent must have been frightening beyond measure. Liam Clancy once said of Dylan in the 60's ...'he was the voice that expressed what people wanted to say but didn't know how to articulate'..
If Dylan's career ended after the 60's his output up to then alone was sufficient enough to mark him as one of the greatest songwriters. Its difficult to pick a favourite song by Dylan, there are literally dozens and dozens of songs that I could even start with. However one of my favourite filmed moments is when he played an electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 to the horror of many including Pete Seeger, who actually threatened to get an axe to cut the amplifier cables. It was surely one of the bravest moves for a musician ever to make but Dylan had vision beyond just being a folk singer. His subsequent tour in 1966 saw him being called 'Judas' and getting booed angrily from the crowds. This was what made the man stand out, never one to be pigeonholed, always unpredictable and supremely gifted. Happy birthday Bob......