Afternoon Sing Song this Bank Holiday Mon

I am rarely happier than sitting with a bunch of good people and a guitar.

The guitar, the song and our attention get passed around the room.

Originals, poems, ballads, blues, Beatles, Bieber – whatever.

This is not a gig – it’s a gathering of people who want to listen, sing and connect over an afternoon-in-to-evening beer (or coffee).

This Bank Holiday Monday from (about) 3pm, my great friend Joan Coffey and I will be in the Auld Triangle (Finsbury Park), enjoying such a thing.

All singers, storytellers, listeners, kids, dogs and awkward visiting family members welcome.

Obviously, it’s FREE.

This one’s called ‘Dreamer’ and should be played LOUD.

Feel free to listen, download, share.

The Lost EP (2002)

‘River’ made it on to the b-side of my first ‘proper’ single (‘Amerikan Folk Song’), but otherwise, they’re all new to the world.

Have a listen below.

Here’s an overview and a few holiday snaps…

Friday.
Landed in Dublin.
Met the parents.
Left half the babby’s pram behind us in the airport car-park.
Panic.
Found and retrieved it through a series of bizarre steps.

Quiet Friday in my home town.

Saturday.
Introduced our son to about million members of my family.
Admired my mother’s ukulele collection.

My mother’s ukulele collection

Played Sat night fundraiser gig for Laois Hospice.

Toilet poster for Portlaoise gig

(I’m about 16 in that picture.)

This was organised by the great Vinny O’Brien, whose band hosted.

Here’s me old buddy Duke Special sound-checking.

Duke Special soundcheck

Bill Coleman (who kindly leant me a guitar and gear for the trip) was also playing. Enjoyed a pre-gig pint.

Me, Bill, Duke

This was a lovely night of music, family, old friends and community fundraising.

Of course this night developed in to late night songs.

(P.s. The event raised over €1,800.)

Sunday.
Eddie ate his feet.

Eddie eats feet

Off to Dublin.
Tuesday.
Chilled out.

Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre

Caught up with friends.

Kept my work rolling from the Central Hotel, where Linnea and I got married.

Library Bar @ Central Hotel

Took Eddie to my favourite café in Dublin, Simon’s Place.

Eddie @ Simon’s

Wednesday.
Played Brownbread Mixtape at the Stag’s Head.

The gig was being filmed, so maybe you’ll see something.

Whist!

First Dublin gig in 5 years.

Live in Dublin

Loved it.

Brownbread Mixtape

Wrapped the trip up in style.

Apparently it’s ‘good for you’?

Great to see ‘the family’, Kevin & Ise, Ruairi & Susan, Vinny & Jean, Bill Coleman, Duke Special, Darragh Doyle, the lovely staff at the Central Hotel, Stephen James Smith, Kalle Ryan, Adrian Taafe and loads more.

I knicked pictures from friends’ Twitters etc. Thank you, dudes!

Back for more soon.

This post is about the first: ‘Good Things’.

I was 21.

At the time I was teaching full time, drinking too much and just beginning to look for more than I felt the path ahead offered. Like most of us at that age, I felt equal parts self-conscious and invincible.

I spent most week-nights playing on the singer-songwriter circuit in Dublin with people like Declan O’Rourke, Bill Coleman, Damien Rice, Margaret Healy, Ray Heffernan, Alice Jago and Ann Scott. It was a great, vibrant scene. Listening crowds in small rooms where nothing but the song mattered. For lack of a less-cliched term, it’s where I began to understand the craft.

Through this scene I connected with Kevin and Ise, a lovely and loving couple of Dublin musos. In their flat and home studio on the North Circular Road, we talked, ate great veggie curries and made this first EP. Kevin and Ise remain two of my closest friends.

Kevin programmed and engineered and I played everything.

Good Things EP (2002)

‘Madness’ and ‘Grandstand’ were re-recorded for my first album. ‘Constant Motion’ was selected to be the opening track on the ‘Best of UK Unsigned 2003′, which took me to interesting showcase gigs in London and Manchester’s In The City. I remember drunkenly interrogating John Leckie on recording Radiohead. Small town boy let loose amongst heros.

I’m listening to the EP as I write this (checking the Bandcamp upload! #perfectionist) and it fills my heart with warm, crunchy memories of a lovely time.

Hope you enjoy it.

The first is at Kavanaghs in my hometown, Portlaoise on Feb 23rd, and is a fundraiser for Laois Hospice, organised by my good buddy Vinny O’Brien.

Also on the bill for this show are Vinny’s own band, Strength in Numbers, another two good friends of mine; Bill Coleman and Duke Special and local songwriter Adela Meally.

Book you tickets here.

The second Irish show is in Dublin on Feb 27th at the Brownbread Mixtape. Described on their site as ‘a free monthly themed night of music, spoken word, comedy and performance upstairs in The Stag’s Head pub in Dublin city.’, it’s a very cool thing.

Hope to see some of you there.

Gary