tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:27:14 +0000apr 12thaprilbandsbeat poetrybren o'ruaidhcormac o'caoimhdigitaldimitry datuselectronicafairnessfear stalks the landfolkgary bausmarch 8thmedicine sessionsobserver articleoddrockorganisingoriginal musicpreviewrab urquhartsaxophonescottish poetstressthe medicine sessionstorcantradGood Medicine Upstairs At The Red Househttp://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5743947383976269805Wed, 15 Oct 2014 17:51:00 +00002014-10-15T18:52:40.793+01:00It's been a while. I know. Things have changed. I (Vick) have things to do, things that are, dare I say it, slightly more important than organising The Medicine Sessions.. I know, I'm a sell out, trying to forge a career at my age! Pfffttt.. fucking insane. The Sessions are still ticking along though, in the hands of Alan O'Callaghan, who also has his own massive responsibilities, but at least http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-newyoung-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-1002492726906443226Sat, 19 Apr 2014 08:13:00 +00002014-04-19T09:13:02.480+01:00HOW TO ENTERTAIN IN A BRILLIANT WAY. Lesson 1 By Stuart Wilde & The Bird Men 1: Turn up before the organisers and set up your own lights for maximum atmosphere. 2: Include at least one (preferably more) obscure piece of kit in you set up, ie: a Trombone, Weissenborn guitar, or a children's megaphone. 3: Have a Reggae bass player with a double storey set of bass bins 4: Have a drummer http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2014/04/devil-in-red-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-8914034381114898586Sun, 23 Feb 2014 16:27:00 +00002014-02-23T20:08:17.381+00:00So it went like this, some awesome gifts, a minor chord and a major lift and from my lips they drew an halleluja… halleluja… halleluja.. halleluja.. halleluuuuuu,ooohhh,ooohhh,ooohhhh… oooooooooooooooyaaaaaahhhhhhhh.. Miss Buckley, with a fellow troubadour in tow, arrived an elegant vision of black and red, a vagueish gypsy look to her soul. She set about a hot port (the drink of the night http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2014/02/annette-buckley-and-band-lowlek.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-738468766807755075Fri, 24 Jan 2014 18:01:00 +00002014-01-24T18:01:59.787+00:00I will write this while I'm still in the balmy afterglow that results from a 6am bedtime after a night full of  quality music, laughter and goose-bump inducing moments of live performance. On cold nights, ones that are quiet, tending to lonesomeness and self pity, nights like last night sustain the spark that keeps you focused on good things and the best attributes of human-kind.. and make http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2014/01/medicine-oh-so-special.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5015539327353294915Sun, 12 Jan 2014 17:31:00 +00002014-01-12T17:31:36.285+00:00 You see, Rufus Coates was due to play for us too, but accidentally caught a stomach bug thing and ended up in hospital! But it turned out alright in the end, because Rufus got better and will be giving us a surprise visit another time and Callum, the bass player with Alan & The Accident, happened to have a set of his own tunes.. and a few covers.. so everything ended well in the http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2014/01/alan-accident-and-accident.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-4354264364956719588Sun, 29 Dec 2013 11:41:00 +00002013-12-29T11:46:26.006+00:00December. Busy old month! What with all the Christmas parties, shopping, organising, visiting school plays, etc. Now it's almost over already and another year will be upon us… Jaysus haych christ! Back in those early depths of December, The Medicine Sessions erupted into another fantastical night, despite all the odds. One of our acts had to cancel, leaving one band to hold the reins for the http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/12/ciara-o-driscoll-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-7136145779332956482Sat, 23 Nov 2013 16:10:00 +00002013-11-23T16:10:35.508+00:00 It struck me, as I drove down from the mountain on that Thursday evening, how many leaves were still clinging on, the late autumn reds and yellows and browns threw majesty everywhere, like an intricate bohemian blanket draped casually over the slumbering warm body of the world's biggest stoner. It was nice knowing The Medicine Sessions was returning to form after a few months of hiccups. http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-wilde-fellow-sponges.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-8335000158503854213Sun, 11 Aug 2013 10:20:00 +00002013-08-11T11:34:33.894+01:00 Older brothers. They're a dilemma. Mine have filled my memory with tormented childhood moments, such as, pretending to have ripped their arm open by creating a gory, pustulating sore out of tomato sauce, marmite, mustard and soaked bread; or leaving a very young me stranded in the middle of a rapidly revolving round-about, (the old skool, wrought iron, waist height ones) and walking away, http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-hard-ground-twin-lights-on-autumn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-4472489803444885920Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:03:00 +00002013-07-15T19:03:10.310+01:00Last Friday I stood in Lismore Castle garden (where I have my new job) and sweated profusely. I leaned against my hoe, the world swooning in and out of focus, the grass was too green, the sky was too blue, the sun burned itself into my retinas and bubbled my blood. This is what self inflicted torture looks like, but it was ohhh so sweet and if you call the results of sleep deprivation due to http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/07/not-just-hot-but-scorching.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-3069371815523241037Sat, 22 Jun 2013 08:10:00 +00002013-06-22T09:10:27.583+01:00Hot! It was a week that contained actual and real heat. People were walking round in shades of reds, pinks and browns. A happy swagger had crept into the muscles of Medicinners, carried by an overdose of vitamin D molecules and warm backs. The mood was goood for Thursday June 13th. All the bands turned up in good time for sound checks, audience arrived in plenty of time before kick off (one of http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-bit-of-soul-and-weather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5146441486865785344Sun, 12 May 2013 09:41:00 +00002013-05-12T10:41:26.626+01:00 Yin and Yang. My brother got a tattoo of the symbol on his arm when he was younger, back in the eighties. I thought it was the coolest thing EVER. Of course now, the double tadpole has become much over-used, adorning teenager's dope boxes, crustie's handbags, and posters in trippy Ibiza neons full of predictable hippy iconography... anyway, my brother was very much into Judo at the time, http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/05/vita-art-crimes-band.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-7317571908458110400Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:02:00 +00002013-04-15T12:06:30.128+01:00 I recently had a discussion with someone about the lengths you should go to as an organiser to facilitate performers. I had just told them I was going to to pick up a poet from the nearest bus stop 30 minutes away and that a friend of mine had offered to put them up for the night and drop them back the next morning. “Are you mad!?” was the response, “nobody would do that for you!”. Maybe http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/04/yearning-fornoff-syndrome.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-2449617018222264996Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:23:00 +00002013-03-21T07:23:09.054+00:00A dark and misty twelve months ago, I first read 'Just Kids', an autobiographical account of life in The Chelsea Hotel heyday, written by Patti Smith. The book made me want to go back in time to a place where characters existed, music pumped out of every venue, be it a hotel room or a lush cafe. Where artists mingled with their fans and became willing audience members in a circle of support and http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-aine-duffy-grunts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-1775063209077469614Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +00002013-02-17T17:19:58.848+00:00"Physician heal thyself". There was a bit of that going on last Thursday. The Medicine Sessions fell on Valentines night, not the easiest night to find bands for, but it turned out fine in the end. We cobbled together the ever reliable Joe Power and made the decision to finally play at our own event, properly this time, plugged in, with a rehearsed set and a new Bass player. Personally, I'm not http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-power-and-batteson-ind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5343585356153057901Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:56:00 +00002013-01-16T13:56:58.000+00:00 Sometimes things break. Sometimes they don't work. Sometimes it's an issue when that happens. But not at The Medicine Sessions. Sound checks can be interesting at the best of times, but when vital pieces of kit go wrong, a good medium sized drama happens which has the ability to create minor heroes, almost breakneck speed car journeys and the beaming grateful face of a delighted musician. http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/01/drive-dimitry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-7446113875769189311Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:39:00 +00002013-01-06T12:39:53.655+00:00This year, I'll be including extracts from the article I keep in the local rag, I hope to be doing some more reviews this year of Medicine Sessions performers and related things, so will put them up here. This review was for NORTHSIDE DRIVE, written just before Christmas. You can catch this fellow this coming Thursday 10th Jan.. NICE. I was going to leave this review until the new year, but to http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2013/01/observer-extract.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-8144722846264772827Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:20:00 +00002012-12-21T13:54:01.850+00:00Whilst recalling Thursday, Dec 13th Sessions, I'm inclined to smoke in a devil-may-care fashion, cigarette held, just so, my wrist and spare fingers askew, memories filtering through the lazy haze of smoke. Yes, it was THAT good. One of the things I love about performers who play the Sessions, is their willingness to try out new material on us, VITA (Niall Cuddy) returned again armed with ahttp://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/12/heres-christmas-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5440331125052205469Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:03:00 +00002012-11-12T10:03:39.000+00:00 Thursday 8th November. 7pm. I was stuck in a school mass. Listening to a priest, get down with the kids (not in the literal sense thank the lord) by quoting lines from "CRRRCREEEANA" and "DE SCCCRIPPED" declaring how; "DEEES ARE DE POHHHETS OF DIS GINHERAAAYSHUN" The generation in question being kids of 12 and 13. Apart from the fact it was cringe-worthy to say the least to hear a skinny http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-cunning-wild.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-3114085859093603192Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:13:00 +00002012-10-15T09:13:00.023+01:00 Well, it's moving into the dark. Early black nights, star strewn frost mongering nights that are inclined to throw rain (more of it) at you or slap your face with 60 mile an hour gusts. Lismore takes on an odour of swollen river and foot trampled leaves, which slowly wilt in the gutters for six seconds before they're hoovered up by the council sucky machine.  There was something abroad in http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/10/killing-time-lynching-sort-of-seizure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-7754048760031952617Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:45:00 +00002012-09-16T14:45:24.775+01:00 So there we all were, gathered again after a long month, the time in between including a blue moon,  'amazeballs', 'mummyporn' and 'floordrobe', being made into recognised, look-upable-in-the-dictionary words and Ireland won enough Gold medals in the Para-Olympics to almost pay Angela back. We also had the chasing of moments of sunshine and bitching about the lack of it, the same old http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/09/tull-costello-and-syndrome-of-goldfish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-3807420414498906666Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:23:00 +00002012-08-13T21:35:03.607+01:00It all began with a blindingly sunny day, the first to show its face for weeks, the sort of sunny day that turns anaemic skin tones flushing pink and makes ladies perspire. Then Katie Taylor did her thing later in the day, pucking the head off of her fellow competitor to gain a coveted wadge of gold. As I stepped from the car onto the street outside The Red House on Thursday evening, a gentle http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-golden-black-green-day-in-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-748740478893846123Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:40:00 +00002012-07-16T19:40:49.964+01:00 The dawning of The Medicine Sessions idea came after reading Patti Smith's 'Just Kids'. The book was inspiring to me, not because of  Patti Smith (I knew hardly anything about her until that point), but because of the spirit in which it was written and the sort of time in the world it captured. I was delighted by the free thinking of the characters who appeared in the book and wondered http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/07/experimentation-blues-and-micheal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-8415023960871117031Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:37:00 +00002012-06-19T21:47:59.896+01:00Perhaps it was the deluge of weather that had been pummelling the roofs of Lismore for two days straight. Perhaps it was the spirit of Ireland travelling over mainland Europe from the joined voices of unrepentantly lost Irish fans. Perhaps any number of things that imploded into an atmosphere of a quiet rebellion. Despite the weather and 'the match', The Medicine Room began to fill, some new http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/06/loops-dirt-wise-words-ovations.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-9090234957294271160Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:01:00 +00002012-06-08T11:02:44.661+01:00VITA MUSIC, aka Niall Cuddy, will alert your weary brain and make you wonder where you have been  on the planet until now. STUART WILDE, join his universe and rejoice in his magical dirt. PEADAR O'DONOGHUE, will read good Medicine from his new book 'Jewel' NIAMH BAGNELL, poems about life, love, stuff and phones http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/06/vita-music-aka-niall-cuddy-will-alert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385689294664996833.post-5556594468160171597Tue, 29 May 2012 10:48:00 +00002012-05-29T16:22:02.100+01:00 Niall Cuddy, aka VITA music, is a Cork based musician and artist. His most recent musical creation ‘Oh The Beautiful Bovine’ is a mad collection of genres, thrown into the Hobgoblin’s hat and pulled out in turns by the various members of the Finn Family Moomin troll as soundtracks to their pen and ink world. Vita’s voice can switch from Tom Waits rough to something like Brit Pop in an http://medicinesessions.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0