With songwriters of Eleanor’s calibre, especially when the artist has written so much great music, I am always apprehensive of hearing their next offering… will it be as good as the last?  And so far Eleanor McEvoy’s music has never disappointed – and this forthcoming album is no exception, rather the opposite. This is Eleanor at her best, with a freshness that makes the bold statement that the past is exactly that, the past –  Eleanor McEvoy has found a new level in her songwriting. Eleanor continues to write in an uncompromising fashion about topics such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance… but  never compromises the “feel good” undertones and humorous outlook. The album moves through a series of sounds that will have listeners singing along.

Recorded at Westland Studios, the team of Eleanor McEvoy, Mick O’Gorman, Peter Beckett (co-producers of LOVE MUST BE TOUGH) and Ciaran Byrne (engineer), has expanded with the addition of Gavin Fox (ex Idlewild), Ross Turner (Cathy Davey, Jape) and the Mixing skills of Ruadhri Cushnan (Mumford and Son) - this is the sort of album that will inspire other musicians, as it works on so many levels. This is a stunning album.

The album will be released in the UK and Ireland on Sept. 20, 2010  It is available for pre-order on Amazon UK.

Ok… so I had delved into the world of online gaming and it didn’t draw me – the gambling element didn’t have that lure that I needed for it to become a regular thing -  but nonetheless there was something there just beneath the surface that I couldn’t quite put my finger on!

A few weeks passed and I hadn’t been anywhere nears an online Casino nor had I any intention to play but then the strangest coincidence occurred! Facebook! I am someone who uses Facebook (FB) quite allot and enjoy the whole interaction element of social media. I have always been aware of the games on Facebook such as Farmville, etc, etc – but I didn’t know there was a FB Poker game. One morning I noticed a friend’s request to join them on Facebook Poker and after a bit of convincing on “Chat” I decided to give it a go!

In the first few moments I realised what it was that I really enjoyed. In almost every regard the FB Poker was alike the other online Casionos I had visited but only on FB did I fully realise that it was that same social interaction that I enjoyed about the other Casinos. This has left me thinking differently About Online Casino… Maybe, just maybe it’s not about gambling alone so much as it is about the chance to socially interact online while enjoying the challenge and the chance in chasing the odds! It it a similar desire to be social on facebook that motovates gamers in online casinos?

Michelle Phelan & Pete McGrane, make up the duo and being honest this is group that doesn’t need me to write any clever reviews – their music speaks for itself.

Carosel’s uplifting pop-folk sound music is a compact blend of infectious, upbeat pop folk. STAR is the brand new EP that boasts a refreshing and vibrant sound and also some reworked songs taken from their debut ( Kaleidoscope ), which is telling of their capability to write music for the mainstream. They are currently residing in Paris, France and are focusing on writing and recording their follow up second album.

I am one of those who enjoys facebook and sees the potential of social networking – I believe it has the potential to be a really positive influence in the world if it used well. Like all things though Facebook has a very dark and sinister side which I have recently fallen pray to myself.

Like most, when I first started using facebook I was very naive to the dangers and didn’t really know much about using FB. In recent weeks my eyes have been opened by what I can only call “fakebook friends”.  Somone, started sending me hateful messages, distasteful photographs in what what can only be described as a “Hate campaign”. This person was blocked but it turned out they had other fake profiles which they used to cause me distress. The strangest part was, that once one person began being abusive a few others rallied around and formed a mallicious circle. I spent a number of days dealing with growing sociopathic behaviour. These were people who I had never done any wrong to except for maybe having my own facebook profile which seemed to be the only excuse needed to try and cause me harm.

Inspite of all this I can honestly say I AM LUCKY with the many wonderful people I have gotten to know thanks to facebook… I have had the good fortune to meet numerous good and intersting people I would not have encountered otherwise.

As with all very special things the reputation usually proceeds it but it is it only when you arrive at the venue do you begin to understand why. Situated in the basement of the Writer’s Musuem, the restaurant is tastefully concealed from the casual and uninterested passer-by, which is just as well as there is a couple of weeks’ waiting time for a table. The minute you walk through the door you are greeted in a friendly and welcoming manner by Martin (one of the co-proprieters) and instantly put at your ease. I can be a bit shy when I am out but Martin makes you feel very at home which left myself and my party of three relaxed to enjoy our visit – which in itself is wonderful. You are brought to your table and given a few minutes to ponder the menu of the astoundingly gifted Chef Ross Lewis (co-proprietor). I was further put at my ease by the fact that our host was constantly nearby to advise on food choice and explain some of the meanings of food names on the menu…

And then in what can only be described as the “Moment of WOW”, the starters arrived. Similarly, the starter only served as a prelude to an even more amazing main course. The food was elegant while unpretentious and managed to retain the feeling of real food while offering the sublime creative taste experience of a master Chef – and the dessert… was to die for… (I’m not a big fan of sweet things but the Banana Cheesecake was sensational!).

STARTER: Tamworth pork white pudding boudin, potato pancake, Madeira jus, apple and watercress salad with mustard creme fraiche dressing.

	LUNCH: Spiced daube of beef, acidulated onion with caper and sage, sarawack peppercream, cauliflower and potato gratin
	Side-plate (with above) Cauliflower and potato gratin
	LUNCH: Hake, roast violet artichokes, Dublin bay brown shrimp, spinach, citrus sauce

DESSERT: Banana and white chocolate cheescake, Baileys and caramel sauce

Related Post of Interest: Damien Mulley “Chapter Not a review“

For Gaida, morning in Damascus meant melodies: waking to the sound of her father’s radio while he shaved, the predawn intertwining calls to prayer bursting from mosques across the world’s longest-inhabited city. Strains of Umm Kulthum and Fairouz rose from radios and stores as horses clopped and cars purred by. The age-old harmonized with the modern.

These sounds shaped the gorgeous and thoughtful Syrian singer’s impeccable musical intuition and velvety yet crystalline voice, now channeled into the stunning live performances and bluesy originals of Levantine Indulgence, a set of songs as rich and subtle as the Fertile Crescent oasis of ancient Levant. With her voice as a common denominator, Gaida has found the soulful sweet spot where complex Levantine rhythms synch up with breezy hints of bossa nova, pounding belly dance beats, and that certain swing found only in jazz.

Gaida’s songs, refined over a decades-long journey, unite the elegance of Arabic poetry and the refined ornamentation of Middle Eastern vocals with the sophisticated urbanite sensibilities of her adopted home. They translate the elevated tarab (ecstasy) into the indulgence of a personal passion that drove the girl from Damascus to defy her beloved father and find her voice, meanwhile moving from intimate clubs to prestigious national venues like the Kennedy Center and major feature films, including Jonathan Demme’s 2008 drama “Rachel Getting Married.”

“For me, indulgence means giving yourself a treat,” explains Gaida, who is now based in New York. “When we perform as a band, we give ourselves the freedom to create something beautiful. We indulge ourselves. If I want to improvise, I improvise. I forget myself.”

Gaida comes by this indulgence honestly, having gotten a primer in Middle Eastern song and improvisation from toddlerhood. “My mother would sit with me in the living room and teach me the song word by word,” says Gaida. “Then I would sing it back to her. That’s really where my musical training came from.” Soon, Gaida was writing down favorite song on slips of paper, tucking them into her schoolbooks for safekeeping. Looking in a mirror to aid her first improvisations, Gaida began crafting her own highly personal versions of Syrian folk classics like “Almaya.”

Damascus itself conspired with Gaida’s warm and musical family, with their large record collection and love of musical get-togethers, to create a sonic foundation for the singer’s future art. Gaida fondly recalls the complicated chance harmonies that appeared as the city’s muezzins performed the calls to prayer.

“The call to prayer has been stuck in my soul since I was a little kid. Four o’ clock in the morning, when Damascus was so quiet, all the mosques were calling for prayer, and you hear the collection of them in the most unbelievable harmonies. Mostly I would hear the mosque next to our house, where they used to improvise from one maqam (melodic scale) to another. And improvise beautifully,” Gaida reminisces. “I think this is where I get a lot of the melodies in my head and why improvisation comes easily to me. You can throw me in any band and I invoke the sounds around me and mix them within me.”

Gaida had a chance to do just that, when her studies took her to Detroit to get a degree in biology. Her pursuit of a career in the sciences was encouraged by her engineer father who was opposed to his daughter becoming a professional performer. “I only know how to sing. It’s the only thing I do naturally. It’s like an itch. An itch that I can’t stop,” Gaida reflects. “When my dad did not encourage me, I felt like I had something wrong with me. Yet it increased my desire to do it. The more someone wants to stop you, the more you want to sing and make music!”

The itch led Gaida to her university’s music school and to a new world of American jazz, blues, and rock bands. Soon, she found herself performing a regular gig at a local Lebanese restaurant. “My eyes were always on the door worrying that my dad might come in. Even though he was in Syria!” she laughs.

Coincidentally, during her first restaurant concert, famous Lebanese poet Maroon Karam happened to be in town and caught the show. He was so taken by her voice, he gave her the bittersweet poem of separation that became “Ghayeb,” featured on the new CD. He also filed a story in the pages of a Lebanese magazine about his adventures in Detroit, praising Gaida as one of the best Middle Eastern voices he had ever heard. Gaida’s nightmare came true. “My family saw the article. Usually when families see something like that they are proud of you. But my mom called and said, ‘What are you doing? You are going to give your dad a heart attack!’” recalls Gaida. “I felt so guilty instead of proud. I stopped singing.”

Yet nothing could end Gaida’s passion for music. Melodies began appearing in her head when she least expected them. When her younger brother Ammar got married, she and her brother and musical collaborator, Adel, wanted to create a song together, but Gaida developed a frustrating case of writer’s block: “It was getting close to the wedding date and I still couldn’t come up with anything,” Gaida recounts. “Adel called me and said, ‘You are not going to do it; I’m going to do it.’ And I said, “No I will do it!” and hung up the phone and started singing a song. I called my brother back and started singing for him. He said, ‘Oh my god, that is it. That is it!’ The siblings recorded “Ammar” in Adel’s tiny bedroom studio in Queens. Breakthrough recordings of “Ammar” and “Ghayeb” from this mid-1990s period form the backbone of their respective final versions on the new album.

The next breakthrough came when she moved to New York and began hanging out in the city’s increasingly vibrant Arabic music scene—one that, like Gaida, is evolving a unique voice and sound. After a concert at Alwan for the Arts in Lower Manhattan, Gaida found herself jamming with oud player Najib Shaheen, which caught the ear of percussionist Johnny Farraj. Soon, Gaida became a fixture at Arabic jam sessions around the city, where she met Iraqi-American jazz trumpeter and santoor player Amir ElSaffar. Gaida would improvise melodies for ElSaffar, and he in turn would create a filigree of jazz-inspired arrangements for songs like “Kaifa Uhibuka.” The two bi-cultural musicians were coming from opposite ends—maqam and jazz—and meeting in the middle.

These new musical connections marked a rebirth for Gaida, who is also a trained speech therapist that works with Arab children and professional vocalists, a field that gave her scientific knowledge to back up her impeccable vocal technique. Her unstoppable passion for music led to a revelatory realization for her father: His daughter had become an amazing and respected artist, as well as a talented health professional. “Now I don’t feel guilty if I’m singing,” Gaida muses. “I did what my dad wanted me to do professionally”.

Courtesy of:  World Music News Wire

What if the computer based game has a real life counterpart with beyond legendary status as is the case with a Vegas Casino?

Does the gaming experience of online casino games have the same allure for players? One thing comes to mind. While I have never been an ardent gambler and have always been well aware of the limitations of my own luck, I have always loved a little flutter on the two-penny falls, whenever I visited the fairground – something about the physical aspects of the win and the sounds of the coins falling into the pick-up tray, was the only hook I needed to run the risk of losing a few coppers. No amount of computer graphics or special virtual audio can recreate that for me… Maybe not ever!

Regardless, the online Vegas Casino industry is responsible for an annual fortune in revenue each year… so it offers something else! Simply based on my own experiences and the excitement with a fairground wager, I can only imagine Las Vegas in person (yet alone a local casino) must be over-whelming and the temptation to over-indulge must be daunting beyond belief… So is it possible that people feel safer playing the game-of-odds online and from the comfort of their own home? Could it be, that for so many people like myself the possibility of ever being able to visit Las Vegas, is just something way beyond what is ordinarily attainable and internet technology allows people a glimpse into that world of bright lights from the convenience of their home computer?

• “Single of the week on Fearne Cotton” BBC Radio
• “Annie Mac Mini Mix” BBC Radio “Album of the week” – Zane Lowe
• “Record of the Week” XFM

Link To Buy: BUY ALBUM ARTIST LINK: www.audiobullys.com

I wonder sometimes though: have I begun the slow decent into that abysmal world of cosy slippers, from which I imagine there is no return, when comfort is one of the things I place a value on… even more so than the value I place on image? …Or more to the point: I now place a value on trying to achieve a balance between the two – functional yet aesthetic! I mean, in a world that can put people on the moon… it should be easy to look well and feel good with what I’m wearing. I’m one of those whose line of work sees me spending a lot of time in a suit and tie, doing the whole formal look, right down to the polished leather-sole shoes. It’s something I’m used to and don’t mind it so much, as in my down-time I get to relax and wear what I like.

However, time changes everything and a recent stumble saw me injuring my knee. All of a sudden what was common-place was now extremely uncomfortable and the only solution was to wear trainers (sneakers) – not an ideal match when it comes to suits. It would seem I had two choices, wear my leather shoes and bear the pain or look ridiculous and turn out in sports shoes. My search began in earnest for something that would go with a shirt and tie and also offer the same support as a good running shoe. To my amazement it wasn’t a long search. All the reputable manufactures of running shoes had a wide range of possible suitable candidates.

After a little consideration I settled on a nice pair of Nike air-sole running shoes, with black soles and black uppers. They were perfect for the job: black, which goes with anything, subtle in design so they didn’t look over the top, but instead looked well and they were comfortable, offering support and easing the pain of my knee injury… thanks to that same ingenuity that put people on the moon and sees the modern world offering a wide range of running shoes.

However, my first memory of yachting is somewhat different… and much less picturesque and yet remains one of my favourite memories. My introduction to sailing starts of in the dry-dock and took place in bad weather on a rainy and freezing cold spring morning and was anything but your stereo-typical setting. Strangely though, it’s a memory that has lingered with me and has often drifted from the small yacht of my story, to dreaming of one day maybe taking out a luxury yacht charter. I had always had an interest in the idea of sailing, ever since I was a child and had seen my first pirate ship on the big screen… there was something magical but it was something I never had the opportunity to try, until recently. In the usual way you can know someone for a while and not know all their interests, a friend of mine mentioned that they had a love of yachts and sailing and the conversation developed with one thing leading to another. Before I knew it I had an invitation to go sailing. My friend had explained that if I wanted to really see sailing I had to experience it from the start, so I should be prepared – he advised me of everything I would need: Wellies (gum boots), water-proofs, change of warm clothes and shoes, flash of coffee and food etc. etc. Surely this was not sailing!

Sunday morning arrived and it was a stormy morning. The yacht was on a trailer in dry dock and under covering. She’s been taken out of the water to keep her safe from Winter’s weather. Now came the first part of any boats journey: We had to put her in the water! It was an amazing experience as a large number of sailors who had also stowed their boats for the winter turned out for the event, it didn’t matter that it was freezing cold and raining hard, it was a regatta on dry-land and the atmosphere was electrifying. The plan was simple, everyone worked together, one boat at a time, until all the boats were in the sea. In groups we wheeled the trailers up to the sea-wall, hooked the boats to a crane and lowered them onto the waves. By early afternoon all the boats were bobbing on the tide ready for there first trip around the bay.

By evening I was exhausted and had been soaked through by rain and mud. It was AMAZING! I had put a boat in the water… but most of all I had earned the chance to sail it around the bay!