NEWS

Digital Age

Mon, 9 Nov 2015 12:14:17 +0000

Oh how the sale of music has changed over the last 100 years.
I was watching a documentary about Steve Jobs ( not the film - I look forward to that too) the other night and the documentary crystalised for me the revolution that had happened in the sale and marketing of music over the last 20 years.

Researching the history of the song “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (covered in a previous blog) so that I could present it at various WW1 commemorative gatherings in Ireland during 2014, I discovered that Daily Mail correspondent George Curnock witnessed the Irish regiment the Connacht Rangers singing this song as they marched through Boulogne on Aug 13th 2014. He reported it in the newpaper on August 18th. The record companies were alert to any business opportunity. Business was business; and John McCormack was encouraged to record “It’s a Long Way...” as soon as possible. The urgency was understandable - everyone thought the war would be over by December, so it needed to be ‘out there’ as soon as possible. By November 2014 it was on the vinyl 33rpm shelves.

This was an era of new technology, much like today. The motor car was in its early years. Photography was invented, if not yet accessible to the man on the street. Owning a ‘record-player’ was not commonplace. Radio was in its infancy. They must have been exciting times - almost as exciting as today!

But although the epochs I describe are separated by 100 years, they have much in common - performers had to get out there and perform - like today; it’s the only way that they were going to sell their music. In the early 20th century, there was no other means to distribute music, than to perform at concerts and sell 78’s to the moneyed classes. Today, because nearly everyone shares copies and pilfers recorded music, or listens to it streamed on Spotify or similar servers, the only way a musician is going to sell ‘product’ is at the gig, at the concert, at the performance.

The upside to this, from an audience point of view, is that so many international artists are now touring the world and show up in Ireland in cycles. I’m thinking of Leonard Cohen, The Eagles, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Rod Steward, etc. all of whom have been on Irish stages repeatedly over the last 10 years.

Another consequence of this is that from a performers point of view, the most successful Irish bands must spend most of their time abroad touring. Follow Lunasa, Solas, Altan, Dervish, Danú, the Chieftans for instance. To generate enough income to earn a living, they are obliged to play concerts at all the main settlements of the Irish diasposa. As the recent documentary on RTE 1 about Paddy Moloney of the Chieftans, it didn’t make for the easiest of family lives...and that hasn’t changed...

The Pillar and ‘The Met’ have gone

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:54:02 +0100

The news reader last Saturday morning reported that the famous Clery’s Department Store on O’Connell Street was closed...doors locked..
It was unthinkable, as when anything that is assumed to be constant in our lives, changes.
But, as some philosopher said, “the only thing we can be sure of in life, is change”.
I can’t remember the last time I was in Clery’s. That said, I know many people who will be saddened by the news of this iconic building and business being closed. Let’s hope that some good comes of its new incarnation.

I was reminded of the song “Dublin in the Rare Old Times”, written by Pete St. John, an ode to change particularly changes in the landscape of Dublin as time rolls on inevitably. One verse mentions :

The Pillar and the Met have gone;
the Royal long since pulled down
As the great unyeilding concrete
Makes a city of our town

For those too young to know, “The Pillar” refers to Nelson’s Pillar, blown up and demolished in 1966. Here’s a link to the story. http://www.thejournal.ie/nelsons-pillar-blown-up-1966-1349361-Mar2014/

“The Met” refers to the Metropole Hotel - and here’s the link for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Metropole,_Dublin

“The Royal”, refers to the Theatre Royal, built in 1935 and which closed its doors in 1962 not able to withstand the competition from the new entertainment gadget - television, and the cinema. The Department of Health of the Irish Government now occupies the space, in the form of Hawkin’s House, itself rumoured to be on its last legs...!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal,_Dublin

Trad on the Prom - 11th season

Tue, 2 Jun 2015 13:51:33 +0100

What can I say - I love meeting the appreciative audiences who love this Irish music, song and dance show in the Galway Bay hotel for the summer months. Tripadvisor has the show listed as the top Galway must see/do attraction so we must be doing something right.
And I get to sing a couple of songs...and the audience gets to sing along!
Come on - you know you want to!

www.tradontheprom.com

Portalen Musikhus

Tue, 2 Jun 2015 13:40:28 +0100

We had a wonderful night at the Portalen Musikhus recently, hosted by the enthusiastic people of same venue. This great venue has a fab stage, setting, sound and lighting crew. Put that together with an appreciative audience and hey presto, a night to remember.
Special thanks to Poul-Erik for letting us use his guitars saving us the risk of carrying our equipment in the cargo hold, which often doesn’t have the happiest of outcomes....

Performing on stage that night were
Sean Whelan - guitar, mandolin, vocal
Brendan Hayes - guitar, piano, vocals
Niamh Dunne - fiddle, vocals
Kim Sjøgren ( guesting) - violin, vocals

Armistice Day, 2014

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:49:43 +0000

As part of the Trad on the Prom show in Galway 2014, we prepared this tribute arrangement of It's a Long Way to Tipperary, to commemorate in particular the estimated 350,000 young men from Ireland who fought in WWI.

It was not an easy decision for them. To join with the British, the old enemy, or to support Germany on the basis that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Then the was the John Redmond promise of a fair deal with the British if we joined them....

A Daily Mail correspondent reported "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" being sung by the Connacht Rangers marching to Flanders through Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France on August 13th 1914. John McCormack recorded it in Nov 1914. Everyone thought the war would be finished by Christmas.......

The recording is live, so you'll hear a "warts-n-all" version.
Everyone knows the chorus - as you can tell with the audience singing along, but I had never known the verse until I researched it with a view to learning it for this tribute.

Nice to be able to do our little bit to pay tribute to those who laid down their lives for the ideals of freedom and democracy.

Musicians on stage were
Yvonne Fahy on the drums
Máirín Fahy - fiddle
Padraig Rynne – concertina
Ger Fahy - whistle
Chris Kelly - guitar
and myself, on Brass Band and Vocals!

Sliding Doors....

Sun, 3 Aug 2014 11:28:50 +0100

About time I wrote something here.
I was just listening to the Alan O’Leary Show on the LiveIreland internet radio channel. Great mix of old and new trad music.

And just listening to Moya Brennan and her daughter Aisling on RTE1 radio this morning. They were talking about Moya’s homeplace, in Gaoth Dobhair. Oh my, that brought back memories.

When I was a 23yr old newly qualified pharmacist, a common way for newbies to pick up a depth and breadth of practice ( & life) experience, was to travel the country doing ‘locums’ for pharmacists who were going on holiday. One such call came to me from a man called Michael Gallagher, of Gweedore. Little was I to know the effect this call was to have on me and potentially on my future.

Donegal was distant, new, remote, beautiful and they spoke Irish in a mystical way. I’d been in the Gaeltacht for 5 previous seasons, 4 in Carraroe, Galway and one in Gortahurk, Donegal. And still, I couldn’t understand a word of what was being said to me by patients in Gallaghers Pharmacy unless they reverted to the language of the stranger!

I was enthralled by Bunbeg, and Gleann na Nimhe (the Poisoned Glen) Sliabh Sneacht, Errigal, Glenveagh National Park, the golden beaches, Tory Island, the Sliabh League cliffs.... the people, the music.....complately besotted!

But my Dad persuaded me to put down roots in Portumna, and so thats what happened.

Hmmmm.... if I’d stayed in Bunbeg. I might have persuaded Altan to use a piano player...!!!!

Trad Smörgåsbord

Wed, 5 Feb 2014 12:24:41 +0000

I suppose I’m mixing my metaphors a little....the term smörgåsbord would have originated in Sweden....but we were in Denmark, next door, for an overnighter, playing a concert in the beautifully convivial Portalen Musikhus, south of Copenhagen.

Máirin Fahy Band line-up:
Máirín Fahy - fiddle & vocals
Padraig Rynne - concertina
Yvonne Fahy - percussion, whistles, accordion
Chris Kelly - guitar and
myself on vocals and the fabulous stage Steinway grand and Kurzweil.

Treated like kings, we were. The sound and stage crew were fab and the Danish cuisine left nothing to be desired. Thanks especially to Henning Nielson for all his attention.

The band played two 50 minute sets to a capacity seated audience. We sang, played and chatted. Such a pleasure to play to such a great audience in such easy ambience. Thanks to all.

Knowledge

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 17:19:37 +0000

What is it about time....the longer you live to less you know.. well, I mean, relatively. Of course you know more, you experience more, but the more you meet, chat, read, listen, view, experience the arts their multifarious forms, the more you know you have yet to know.

While this applies in a general sense regarding the things I’d like to accomplish - learn another language, travel more, know much more history, read more.... - it also applies in the bread and butter sense. Music and technology. No sooner have I got to grips with the latest music recording software update than another company has issued a new range of plug-ins for it, and then you’ve to get more memory for the computer...and a new video card and....and...and... its just hard to keep up... And then, I’ve been looking back over the past few months and finding that my technology study and upskilling have been taking away from my creative songwriting time.... Well, as they say, identifying to problem is the first step to fixing it.

Happy new year everyone, after all that.
Working away, as I said above, on some recordings, finishing stuff and helping out some fellow musicians in sessions.

Heading over to Copenhagen to play a concert with the wonderful Máirín Fahy band at the end of the month and looking forward to it. Joining us as guest musician will be Padraic Rynne, a virtuoso concertina player. And we hope to meet up with our old friend, organiser of the Copenhagen Irish Festival, Martin O’Hare, while there. Send your Danish pals along.

The summer of our lives...

Sat, 14 Dec 2013 17:59:29 +0000

Yes, it is official. After a very long winter that had the earth too cold for grass to grow until early May, Ireland - and much of Europe, I believe - had a fabulous spell of good weather to make up for the delay. Our July was the driest since records began and August was also wonderful. Certainly the best weather I’ve experienced in my life in Ireland.

I was happily able to dovetail my renovations and my playing with my friends in Galway for Trad on the Prom, and the show have a very successful 9th year on the boards. Congrats Chris and crew.

However, the career, songwriting, recording etc. all paid the price of such wonderful weather. Given that I could now rely on a weather forecast that promised more than 3 dry days one after the other, in early July I took on refurbishment at my house, taking off the roof to do some 5 year overdue repairs. I won’t make it sound arduous...I loved doing the physical work and enjoying the beautiful warm weather at a beautiful location beside Lough Derg.

So, while fixing the infrastructure of my life, the music took a back seat. Nearly everything put on hold.

Nonetheless , several projects back on track at the moment, and steaming ahead with some new arrangements and productions, for myself and other artists. I’ve been lucky enough to do a deal with 2 of my songs to a producer in the USA and I’m waiting to see how that goes.

Too much too do, too little time....same story as always!!

Time, time....where does it go...

Mon, 8 Jul 2013 14:13:37 +0100

This is the 9th season of Trad on the Prom, currently running 3 nights a week in the Galway Bay Hotel on the Salthill Prom..... hence Trad on the Prom.... (!)...

I’ve been involved with the musicians in this show for eons... Chris Kelly, his wife Máirín Fahy, brother Ger Fahy, sister Yvonne....we go back to when I first saw them playing in Portumna in the mid ’70’s and begged them to let me join their fledgeling Celtic rock band, Moytura. Well, we’ve had many’s an adventure since then....

So since early May 2013 we’ve been working on new musical items and arrangements for the show which involves lots of travelling and lots of experimentation. Then the dancers have to come up with their new new offerings for the season. Then we get together, do house rehearsals, stage rehearsals, fine-tunings, interspersed with the odd robust artistic debate and then road-test the show. The next interesting part is that the performance seems to become organic in itself...every night there’s some personal adaptation, an add-on, a burst of innovation, a new chord inversion, a special dance move, a whistle solo extraordinaire. Sometimes they remain part of the show, sometimes they’re a once-off.

It suffices to say that time has disappeared into this project and the preparation of the Robinhill went on the backburner in the meantime. Now back working hell-for-leather on it, so I hope to have it for sale before...the season ends...!!!

Special thanks to James Blennerhassett for his time, patience and expertise in helping me get this to the finish line.