Porterhouse Live

Meeting House Square is Temple Bar’s musical Mecca with different events happening most week this summer. Last night it played host to Porterhouse Live with music, food and beer all on tap. I found shelter from a sultry Dublin Thursday night under the canvas roof of an already full marquee – the crowd settling in for a promising FREE gig by two of Ireland’s biggest soul acts.

Sharing the bill are Mirenda Rosenberg and Mob Fandango with Soul Train DJ Chris Maher providing smooth tunes in between sets. With a Porterhouse Red Ale in hand and a tasty frankfurter straight from the BBQ I took my place at a picnic bench front of stage. This is what Porterhouse Live is all about – friends, music and good times!

First up was the fabulous Mirenda Rosenberg – a soul sensation from Washington DC who not only owns the stage but the dance floor and the audience’s personal space! Oozing charisma Mirenda worked the crowd with her amazing vocal skills and daring dance moves. Showcasing original material from her album “Placeholder” alongside soul classics she launched into a soaring set. Backed up by her fantastic blues band Mirenda sang with seductive ease introducing us to the self penned “Puppet” and “Good Woman”.

Her talent is clear to see and hear as she immerses herself into the lyrics, evoking their meaning through her performance. Mirenda’s a rich experience for all the senses indeed! Bringing her unique brand of soul, funk and blues to the masses since forming her band in 2007, Letterkenny based Mirenda tours regularly throughout Ireland and the UK. Influenced at an early age by the likes of Billie Holliday and Bessie Smith she’s crafted her own memorable stage persona. Mirenda certainly made an impact on Meeting House Square as she poured from the stage into the audience. Dancing on tables she wowed us with her strutting powerhouse vocals off stage. Serenading lucky fans she jived and dueted with a delighted crowd, taking audience participation to a whole new level. A show stopping rendition of “Hallelujah” finished the show on a high. Having opened for the legendary Chuck Berry, Mirenda is surely on the way to becoming a soul star!

Next up, following a mellow interlude with Soul Train DJ Chris Maher spinning the discs, were Dublin’s finest funk collective Mob Fandango. The band sprawled onto the stage and the second leg of Porterhouse Live was good to go as darkness fell over a packed Meeting House Square. Amongst the eclectic crowd I spotted a juggler, a man with a teddy bear companion and a pair of Punks – party time! Fairy lights twinkling and banter flowing the marquee swelled with revellers, some spilling out front of stage ready to groove to the sounds of The Mob. With a line up including trumpet, sax, flute and four vocalists the group of nine NUI Maynooth Music School graduates are a force to be reckoned with!

Having won the Rising Stars Award 2009 Mob Fandango headlined this year’s Dublin City Soul Festival with a stellar performance at the Soul Picnic in Merrion Square Park. Kicking off with Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” the band revved up for a covers filled set injected with some of their own original material. Crowd pleasers such as Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and Jamiroquai’s “Cosmic Girl” allowed the band to flex their full soul, funk, reggae and hip hop skills. The atmosphere heated up, rain jackets came off and dancing shoes went on as The Mob stirred up the audience with their own take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. It was a fitting tribute to the spirit of pop music’s biggest icon. Ripping through their high octane set the band really got into the groove with singers Danny Groenland and Keith Fennell bouncing off each other vocally. An impromptu jamming session provided a break for the pair as the musicians pooled their resources for our listening pleasure.

This is a band that freestyles with such ease that medleys are dreamt up seemingly on the spot. The audience cooled down nicely for a finale of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”. As Mob Fandango sealed the deal, Meeting House Square slowly melted away. After a night of top entertainment I made my way through the city, all danced out and ready for bed. Nights like this make great memories of a truly magical summer in Dublin!

by Lorna Keating

The Barley Mob by Kate Turner

But what really sets Point Village Market apart from the crowd is the fantastic music that takes centre stage every Saturday and Sunday. Bring your dancing shoes as this week’s music is in aid of the Musical Youth Foundation. The charity provides guitars and music lessons for under privileged children throughout the city. The line up for this weekend features on Saturday 31st July – Jezzebelle, Milk and Liz Seaver, and on Sunday 1st August – Mirena Rosenberg, The Bionic Rats and Sunday Soul with DJ Chris Maher. Last Saturday I checked out the MYF line up of The Juice, The Barley Mob and Super Soul with DJ Chris Maher.

Settling in at one of the picnic tables front of stage with a couple of mates, Belgian waffle and fresh coffee in hand, I got ready for the funky sounds of The Juice, an acoustic three piece band from South Dublin. The lads played a medley of tunes including numbers from their upcoming album mixed with some popular cover versions. Lead singer Andrew Dixon wowed the audience with his impressive vocals, backed up by guitarist Niall Murphy and drummer Stuart Hennessy.

The Juice @ PVM 2010

Post gig, I caught up with band back stage and found out what The Juice is all about. “Our influences are so varied” explains Andrew “Everything from Motown to Daft Punk.” An eclectic mix indeed! With two albums under their belts, “Chasing The Comfort” and “Truth Lies and Music”, the guys are recording their third album as well as preparing for the release of their upcoming single “I’m Not Gone”. Regulars on the Irish gig scene, The Juice are fully booked up for the rest of the summer.

“We do all sorts” says Stuart “We’re supporting Aslan and we have plenty of local gigs lined up.” “We’re also in the competition to play at Arthur’s Day” adds Neil “So hopefully you’ll see us at Guinness Hop Store!” The band enjoyed performing at the recent Dublin City Soul Festival, where they played a blinder at the Soul Picnic. “From busking to festivals – we love it all” beams Andrew. You can catch them every Friday in The Purty Kitchen in Temple Bar – the home from home of The Juice! Next up was a mellow soul, funk and disco set with DJ Chris Maher. Just the ticket for a relaxing afternoon as Chris delved into his infamous record bag for our entertainment. The stage came alive once more with live music thanks to The Barley Mob. Fronted by talented singer Adam Daly the band launched into a rip roaring set, beginning with their own “Mr Government Man”. Splicing their gig with the classic “I Don’t Wanna Wait In Vain” by their legendary namesake, the lads tore through some excellent original material. The Barley Mob finished up with a great rendition of “We Go The Distance”, a sure fire hit that got the audience on it’s feet with everyone clapping and dancing.

by Lorna Keating 24 July 2010

Rocking up to Slattery’s in Rathmines for a chat with The Barley Mob, winners of this year’s Rising Stars Award, I kept my eye out for lead singer Adam Daly. Holding court at the bar, the band’s charismatic front man wasn’t easy to miss and once I’d introduced myself we settled in for a good old chinwag. Having checked out the band at the recent Dublin City Soul Festival I was pleasantly surprised to find Adam as magnetic in person as on stage. We started off by talking about his enthusiasm for music and how far The Barley Mob have come in just ten weeks from their formation. “I’m on two hours sleep a night at the moment” admits Adam “But I love it – playing live and promoting the band is my mission now.” An experienced musician, Adam’s played guitar on tour with Jack L, joining him for Glastonbury 2007, amongst others, but he explains why having his own band is so special. “We really enjoy events like the Soul Festival” he says “As well as small gigs like this – we want to reach out to as many people as possible.” The Barley Mob are here tonight for a fundraising gig to support a friend with her humanitarian aid in Uganda. Adam says he’s happiest when on stage – whether big or small.

Photograph by Chris Maher (c)

Non-stop activity seems to suit Adam’s effervescent personality as he talks me through the bands recent jaunts. “We’re just back from the No Place Like Dome Festival in Sligo” he says “It was amazing – so many creative people! It was fancy dress so I wore my cowboy hat…” Tall and lean, Adam has great stage presence so I imagine the hat sets off his rock persona perfectly, but he laughs modestly when I mention this! He talks me through their upcoming gigs which include the IndieGo World Music Festival in Waterford, in which The Barley Mob are competing in the Hoping to Open play off – the winners will open the festival. “Here’s an interesting one” he adds “We’re playing on top of an old school bus outside Captain America’s in Blanchardstown on Saturday!” It’s evident that Adam’s great ability to connect with people is the driving force behind the band, being as active online as he is at buzzing around town. His singing and guitar is backed up by guitarist Andrew Moore, a school friend who’s been on the music scene for many years, with Johnny McCormack on bass and Neil Butler on drums. The Barley Mob are a formidable line up.

Its Adam’s love of song writing that spurred him on to form The Barley Mob, as he tells me about the origins of their reggae infused sound. “Well, I’ve basically been writing since I was a kid” he explains “And I think there’s something about reggae that people can relate to – the lyrics talk to you.” Adam tells me how he lost his brother, who was just 20, when he was 11 and the impact this had on him. “He said to me “You’ll never be lost when you’ve got music” and that’s always stayed with me.” Indeed many of his songs come from the heart and delivered in his unique gravely voice, the words resonate around Slattery’s. Adam and Andrew play an acoustic set in the absence of their band mates and their energy is palpable as they launch with “I Wonder” a beautiful ballad about change of perspective, which ramps up to high tempo half way through. Next up are “Mr Government Man” and “Medicine Man” both songs that showcase Adam’s song writing talent brilliantly, as he taps into the zeitgeist of modern Ireland. If a voice for his generation were needed Adam Daly certainly fits the bill with his sharp observations and soulful delivery.

Photograph by Kate Turner (c)

The pair are joined onstage by fellow musicians Jonathan and Conor and an impromptu jam is born with a rousing rendition of “You’ll Never Be Lost If You’ve Got Music” which totally engages the crowd. Last up is “We Go The Distance” a song about the spirit of the Irish people. Hearing this I can see why Adam channels his words through a reggae beat as the sentiment of many of his songs is similar to that of the genres biggest stars, hence the bands name! Wrapping up on a high note the boys announce their upcoming gigs onstage and of course one last push for the fundraising they’re supporting. Delighted with their reception tonight, Adam says “I want to do this all over the country. And then the world!” He adds that it’s baby steps at the moment but with his ambition and talent it seems it won’t be long before The Barley Mob are a regular fixture on the music scene. Studio recording time at Phonic Studio’s is part of their prize as winners of the Dublin City Soul Festival Rising Stars Award, so laying down some tracks is next on the agenda. As Adam sings in one of his harmonies “Only time will tell who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell” I’m certain that The Barley Mob will gain a religious following before they know it…

By Lorna Keating

Check out this mobile phone youtube footage of the lads on stage at the Soul Picnic 2010…

The Barley Mob at the Zodiac Sessions…

A group of us were lucky enough to grab a perfect table. Nicely nestled between the Porter Houses’ yummy brews and the very front of the stage, but we gave it all up for very special guests John Shelley and the Creatures and hit the dance floor. As soon as the band played their track “Long may you Reign” heads were turning, mumbling “I know this song”… ah the power of advertising! Their music has been played in every single home, shop, car and cinema across the country when it featured in the Northern Irish tourist advert. These Belfast boys have taken the Irish music scene by storm and the crowd loved them. Their rich accents and mandolins shed fresh feel good vibes across the length and breadth of Meeting House Square.

Other highlights from the night were Liz Seaver, Milk, Von Shakes, The Juice and Murder Plan who put in fantastic performances. History of Harry played an amazing feel good set of songs. They had a bluesy garage sound all of their own that got feet tapping left right and center. Lead vocalist, Richard Farrell, has a unique husky voice that’s not too sweet and not too raw. These guys were a really great soulful act that got people moving.

The Resistance were back again this year to entertain us with songs from their debut album. They opened the set with their title track ‘Bag of Bones’ which… no one could resist (bad I know, sorry!). These boys are true professionals and had their set down to a fine polished art.

Special guests, The Burning Effigies rounded the night off nicely and completely blew everyone away. So much so, the dancing masses under the stage (myself included) wouldn’t let them leave and they very nicely obliged our sequence of “ONE MORE TUNE” requests. No one wanted to leave by the end of it but the lovely security guards managed to usher us out safe and sound with everyone leaving with very smiley, happy faces

Get yourself down to Meeting House Square in Temple Bar for more festivities tonight. The much loved Candidates are all set to headline the last night… can’t wait!

By Aine Gilligan

Let’s face it, a trip to Temple Bar generally means a trip to the ATM where you proceed to extract the dregs of an already exhausted barrel of mula. Last night, the fourth annual Dublin City Soul Festival swooped into the cultural epicenter of Dublin and pumped some life and soul back into its cobble-street veins. The event’s organizers flashed their soulful wands (well… clipboards, timetables, P.A systems, i-phones and the like) over Meeting House Square and whalah!… Fantastic FREE live music, good weather, good food and drink equals VERY HAPPY PEOPLE!

The majority of the acts were there to battle it out as entrants in the event’s Rising Stars competition. The top three artists receive a much sought after spot at the Soul Picnic on Sunday before an over all winner is chosen. Last year’s winners, Mob Fandango, were back with a bang to play the opening night. The mob are comprised of eleven musicians and, I’m sure, proved a logistical nightmare to set up. Once they got going, however, they stole the show with front-man Jazzy Nice (a.k.a, John Paul Malone) running around the stage like a mad thing.

Fiona Melady and her band opened up this year’s festival. I’m ashamed to say I just missed them. They later sat near me and were stopped by random people complimenting Fiona’s amazing voice.

Next up was Andrew Mann and his guitar. Hands down to Andrew as he was the only act that night with no band to back him up. He put on a good show but unfortunately the sound was quite low. Jupe took to the stage next. These guys are a four piece Dublin band whose up-beat tracks and energetic stage presence got the crowd’s attention. They opened with their song ‘Eleanor’ which, with its catchy lyrics and melody, had true summery vibes enveloping the square.

Lee Meehan decided to do a brief disappearing act after Jupe but, once he appeared on stage, was worth the wait Meehan and his band flavored a bluesy soul sound with raw rock influences. You could tell from Lee’s understated stage presence that this is something that comes completely naturally to him. They started off with an instrumental cover which allowed Lee to fully exhibit his electric ability. It was the reggae number towards the end, however, that got my attention. It was undoubtedly one of my favorite tracks that night with nice synthesizer sounding keys and distortion on guitar.

The band Fiach are in hot demand after releasing their debut album in March. They played a mixture of acoustic, rock and soul sounds and put on a great performance. By the time they finished their set with “Every Single Day” the venue had filled up nicely. In true soul style the band played great individual solos to wrap it all up.

It was about 8.30pm when Jezzebelle went on stage and brought everyone to their feet. Complete with her red scarf, front woman Katie Carpenter has an enthralling stage presence that did nothing short of encapsulating the entire venue. Unfortunately for them, people were too busy watching them, to buy their 2euro cd’s. By the time it came to playing their last track ‘Down and Out’, the band and audience alike were really getting into it and didn’t want the set to end.

But the show must go on and the Ratzingers were able to do just that. They’re an absolutely fantastic jazz, swing and soul ensemble. They’re not part of the Rising Star’s competition and were able to play a series of popular cover songs to get people up and dancing.

Fresh from his scholastic endeavors Mark Conway was lucky in that he had a very cheery audience to impress. Mark plays acoustic guitar and was backed by a bassist and drummer with brush sticks. He got really into his performance and it went down very well. Particularly liked his vocal extension to his last track

Creamy Goodness helped wrap up the night nicely along with the Mob. Not quite as big as Mob Fandango, the band are nearly there with a group of eight talented musicians. Absolutely loved the Chic ‘Good Times’ cover at the end. Thought Nichola’s voice was great, would love to hear more of it.

By Aine Gilligan

Needless to say, he comes from a musical background and started playing guitar at a young age after his father showed him his first few chords. His family play traditional Irish music and so did Mark… for a while at least. He says “I was learning music in school and didn’t want to take part in all those things you learn in school like tin whistle”. Although he had aspirations to learn the electric guitar, he stuck to the acoustic and honed his skills before starting to play, firstly, in a cover band and later as a session musician. This experience was paramount to helping him become the artist that he is today. He says, “I was playing with players who were older and more experienced than me. I really had to up my game. They really helped me and gave me a lot of advice… taught me what it takes and about different genres of music.”

If one thing is clear from our short conversation, it’s that Mark wants to give the acoustic guitar a new lease of life and the attention it deserves. He not only wants to knock the dust off it, but give it a scrupulous Mr. sheening. “I want to bring it back to the fore front. Usually people think of the acoustic guitar as the rhythm and the backing. People want to write big riffs on electric guitar. I’d like to bring that idea to the acoustic guitar. Using different techniques like finger picking and stuff. Structuring all of the songs from the acoustic guitar and adding other instruments to it as a secondary thing.”

“That’s the thinking behind it, that a song can stand up and be performed whether it’s with a full band or with just guitar and voice”

Mark’s music has this philosophy written all over it. His guitar playing has got more going on in it than a pre-festival head shop. He speaks a new language with his guitar by fully utilizing every trick and technique in the book. Guitar licks are given an adjective flair using hammer ons, pull offs and the like while slapping gives a nice rhythmical full stop to his phrases.

The Tullamore musician likes to “dabble” in other instruments also but this, again, only builds on his guitar technique. He takes the rhythm from the drums and bass riffs from the bass guitar and throws it all into his acoustic mix. He say’s “if I see an instrument I try to play it. I’ve played in a few other bands and I’ve always pissed off every drummer at one stage or another by just sitting down and banging at the drums. I love playing drums. I’m probably not good enough yet but I love playing drums. I’ve been recording session basses as well so bass is something I’d do as well. Bass and guitar are my two main instruments but I learned the drums to improve those two instruments in terms of rhythm and stuff. In my acoustic guitar playing there’s a lot of bass riffs. I’m always mixing bass playing and guitar playing into one. That’s the thinking behind it, that a song can stand up and be performed whether it’s with a full band or with just guitar and voice. It’ll always work no matter what kind of format.”

Mark writes very personal lyrics and has had to work hard in order to get past his initial stage fright. “What inspires me is life events. I suppose I write autobiographical stuff. I write from my own experiences. A lot about relationships with friends and family, people I know and people who are in my life like… At the start I found that really tough, that would be what made me nervous at the start, writing my own songs where as before when I was playing with cover bands it was the fear of messing up songs, making mistakes. When it came to writing my own songs I found a new kind of nervousness. I realized that I was putting myself out there and my own inner thoughts. That really choking thing at the start I had to really work to get past that. I used to really freak out about that. I used to get really nervous a lot but I think that passed with time and experience. I like when I get nervous sometimes because it’s not often that I do now… I like putting the songs out there and seeing how people react. If they can understand it and draw a parallel with it.”

It’s clear that this singer songwriter loves to perform live now and his main objective is to please his audience. “When I’m performing I’m always thinking about how I’m connecting with the crowd… It’s nice to be able to share it with people and have people appreciate it and comment on it as well because it’s an added bonus. It’s about performing for people and making sure they have a good time and make sure they take away something from it for themselves… Some personal interpretation of what they’ve heard.”

Mark’s ambitions for the near future are firstly to “get myself out of this four year contract that I’ve got myself into!” After that, the world’s his oyster. He plans to record all of the songs he’s written so far, now that he’ll have more time on his hands. He says “I’m going to start off with a single release and a music video for that, put it out for mid summer” and then “plenty of gigging across the country”. He also hopes to release an album at a later date.

This multi-talented musician was among the top three finalists at last year’s Soul Picnic where he played live in Merrion Square in front of thousands of people. He’ll be performing live TONIGHT, Thursday 27th, in Meeting House Square as part of the Rising Star’s Competition. He proves to be an emerging talent not to be missed.

By Aine Gilligan

Liz plays her own brand of folk-pop on acoustic guitar and piano. It’s her broad vocal range that brings colour and life to her songs however. She launched her first album ‘Till the Day Fades in’ in 2005. The Skerries born musician describes the evolution of this album as an “accident”. She says “I was working when I was about 15 for a music centre in Balbriggan in Co. Dublin and I was giving lessons and looking after rehearsal rooms and being on the desk and stuff like that. One of the guys there said would you ever think of recording some of your songs. And I said ah sure maybe like, I hadn’t really thought about it, I was gigging and that as well and he said here I’ll get a guy in and we’ll meet you and record some stuff and see how it goes so I kind of decided to record three songs and then it ended up five songs and then it ended up ten songs, so it happened. Each step I took I said why don’t I take it a bit further so it worked out that way.”

It certainly did work out. Liz is currently in the process of recording her second album. As she says herself, “I’m trying to make one on purpose now. I’m writing at the moment and I’ve got a good bunch of songs and I have some of them recorded already, but it’s all self financed, it’s not like you can spend a heap of money go into the studio for a couple weeks so it’s quite a slow process, so that’s the way it is.”

She draws inspiration for her music from her own life experiences. “A lot of the songs at the start were just me being a teenager, how I was feeling. It was like my diary really more than anything else. Most of the stuff I sing is coming from me. I don’t really feel a need to write about other people or something, I don’t know. It’s always again about, people in my life or how I’m feeling or things that are happening around me.”

Liz graduated from NCAD last year with a degree in fine arts. She describes this creative background as being a fantastic help. “I ended up doing sound art in sculpture so I ended up recording in studios. My piece for my end of degree show last year was purely sound based or vocal based, not music or songs as such but it was sounds so I think that helped me create my own song writing.”

Her music has been very well received in Paris. Liz was asked to play in a trendy venue in central Paris called Sentier des Halles last October and has been over and back ever since. She will be playing her next gig in the venue on June 7th and plans to do a showcase over there also.

She describes Paris audiences as being very different to the Irish. “Because I’ve been playing in Ireland for so long it was a bit daunting to go over and play to an audience that might not understand everything I’m saying but I thought they were really receptive. They love music over there and the fact that I’m Irish I think made them love me even more. It’s kind of strange, it’s a different vibe, it’s weird though when I was playing they’d clap along and they’re quite upbeat as an audience.”

There has been a huge burst of female singer songwriters in the last few years, particularly in England. Liz says this has been a bit daunting but she still finds there’s a lack of Irish female musicians. “I think a lot of the gigs I played in Ireland, it’s always been with a group of guys and then I’m the girl so I’ve always had to try and fight my corner a little bit. I started playing when I was really young so they saw me coming in and think that I was fresh faced and judge me before I played.”

Liz’s style of playing certainly won’t be judged by the likes of Simon Cowell anytime soon. “I think that x-factor is for a certain kind of a person and I’m guilty. I watch it every time; I’m always addicted to it. Whether it’s my fear of being rejected I don’t know. I don’t think it’s the way I’d like to go.”

Instead, Liz is really looking forward to playing at this year’s Soul Festival, where she will be playing in Meeting House Square this Friday! “I’m delighted because I enjoyed it last year, it was a great vibe, the whole barbecue and beer and it went well. I think it’s a great festival I really enjoyed it. I played in the Stephens Green centre as well, that was an experience.” Liz’s talents are complimented best live so get down early and don’t miss out before the Parisians have her all to themselves!

By Aine Gilligan

James Guilmartin’s Facebook page sums it all up “nicey”. Under genre it reads “alternativey, rocky, jazzy, trippy, melty, arty, nicey”. James doesn’t take generic stamps too seriously and rightly so. He says, “I find it very hard to define what I do besides saying that I create all sorts of songs and pieces of music. Genres are hard to avoid and to be put into one doesn’t concern me because I know deep down that titles like rock, jazz, pop, folk etc, they’re just little subtitles for the big one…. ‘MUSIC’. It doesn’t bother me to be honest. I find it quite funny hearing people trying to define what I do. Ha ha. But that’s just me. Some other musicians find it easier to work in a genre; they feel safer. Like knowing what dogma they follow”.

Right, well this would be the point where I attempt to describe James’ sound but judging by the fact that he can’t even describe it himself and will laugh at me if I try… I think I should opt out of this one. Instead I’ve posted one seriously amazing link that comes highly recommended by yours truly. Have a listen and you can hear his music for yourself and see just what he’s capable of.

This video depicts his step-outside-the-box qualities spectacularly. To be able to play one vocal melody line and one completely different melody on guitar simultaneously shows quite the talent. He’s got the Guilmartin brand of enigmatic polyphony down to a fine art alright. His work is definitely unique and he enjoys pushing at the boundaries to see what else is possible. He says “With songs like ‘Wise up’ it is hard sometimes at the start but when you follow your imagination and catch up with it’s madness and ideas it’s so much fun to see what you’re capable of doing when you focus on it”. He adds that he tries to keep an open mind when it comes to creating something new and says “I always want to grow, grow, grow as a writer and try not to repeat myself for the sake of ease. Creating something fresh and original is hard but unbelievably rewarding mentally and spiritually.”

James remembers the exact moment when he conceived the idea for “Wise up”. “I just knew I wanted to write something to burn a fire under my ass and make me go ”holy fucking shit!!!” ye know? Make me really react! If I don’t react to a piece of music in a big way then I know its not going to last the day. So ye now I put a lot of pressure on myself to constantly keep surprising myself. An evolution of imagination and responding to it, like responding to your dreams.” Well, he must have lit one hell of a fire that day. The track has got some seriously, searing potential to make you stop in your tracks and think… wow!

He finds inspiration for his music in “the fear, pain, loneliness, loss, worry, heart break, love, questioning your environment, inability to express myself… those existential questions. After years of writing songs I do find that any occasion can give way to your art. I truly believe that if u constantly exercise your imagination you’ll always be creative. Transforming negativity into a positive song is truly a great achievement… and my therapist agrees too!”

James has been strumming away at his guitar since the tender age of 13 and has been a regular on the Dublin music scene for nearly as long. “There have been many ups and many downs for sure [along the way] but you’ve got to keep ploughing through if you believe in what you do, despite the odds. I do have a strong sense of self belief, plus I enjoy it big time too.” His favourite artists at the minute include “lots of local Dublin bands and friends of mine… brilliant stuff. Kate Bush, Tom Waits, Messugah, Mr. Bungle and Joanna Newsome.” However, he won’t be listening to any of these tracks on the go due to a “drunken incident” in Camden where his i-pod broke!

This will be James’ first time at the Soul Festival. He’s excited and says, “I love musical affairs of all sorts”. James likes to keep busy, to put it mildly!  Or to put it in his own words, “as busy as a bumble bee”! He only released his debut album less than four months ago and is already passionately talking about his next. He says, “It’s only the first of many, many more different types. The second one is nearly finished; the writing is anyway. I’m mad excited with the new more dynamic direction. Plans for the future are constant. More writing, more recording, and gig, gig, gig, gig, gig. I don’t see myself stopping for a long time. I don’t see any reason to. It’s too interesting and way too much fun”.

James’ favorite venues include Vicar Street and the Voodoo, when it was open. He played the Knockanstockan festival last year and is back again this year. “Amazing festival. It’s like a smaller Electric Picnic. Playing there again this July. Plug, plug!”

Best album you ever bought? ‘Messanine’ by Massive Attack. I never get bored listening to that amazing album… timeless. (Too true)

Worst album you ever bought? Ha! It was a Panpies cover album… holy Jesus… it was unreal. I ended up getting mad frustrated and ended up testing its aerodynamic ability and fucked it out the window when driving…that felt good. I think that’s what they mean when they say ‘the devils music’ haha!

By Aine Gilligan

There are the odd music shows I would listen to on commercial music stations, because the DJ’s are credible, and play music to my taste and I know I’m either going to hear music I like, or something new that I would be interested in or to suit a mood. But I’m open to be convinced by other shows, I just need to be told.  I don’t stumble across them anymore.

I think that’s the thing when you don’t have the radio on in the background all the time, you have a different investment in it when you do listen, you’re a bit more committed.

So actually it was a first for me catching the Night Train on 98fm with Darragh O’Dea this Thursday. It’s on Monday to Thursday from 9.30pm to 1am. Even though I was venturing far out of my comfort zone, I was pleasantly surprised.

Firstly because you get a decent block of tunes without ad breaks each time, four or five songs in a row, and that’s the fear, all your going to hear is ads when you’re not used to it. I mean, I know you wouldn’t be hearing it at all if they weren’t there, but they struck a good balance, getting a good run of music at a time.

Darragh also seems to talk very little, he lets you know what’s coming up and lets you know what he’s played.

In the first hour I’d tuned in I heard Gloria Gaynor, Bruce Springsteen, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, 10CC, James Brown and one of my all time favourites Marvin Gaye. All familiar, sing-along stuff. And I was buzzing around on my own at home that evening, so I was definitely adding my voice to it. The tone and general tempo does wind down through the evening, which is kind of what you want on a school night.

To win a competition for tickets to a Ladies night at the Academy on the Friday night all you had to do was answer a question about the name of the song that Johnny Logan won the Eurovision with, in 1987 I think. Didn’t hear what the answer was but I think I can make a good guess. Even so, I didn’t enter.  But another thing: Ladies’ Night? Really? Do they still have them? Did they not go out with slow sets? Have slow sets come back? They did die didn’t they?

There seems to be a good few competitions but they are pretty sharpish with them. No messing, they don’t take up a lot of time. People are also encouraged to ring to ask for requests, but again dealt with very swiftly. So the emphasis is on the music, unlike some of the shows that put me off music radio. And that’s what it’s all about really.

By Naoise Kavanagh

The four lads who make up the band Morgan La Faye are no exception to this. The musicians are no stranger to the thousand or so MySpace fans they’ve accumulated over the years. But for those of you who don’t know them they are made up of Derek Marten on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Robbie McCabe on lead guitar and vocals, Dar O’Brien on bass and keyboards and Darren Malone on Drums. They’re your original four piece band with a slight twist produced by throwing blues and even classical music into the mix. Their influences range from anything like the Prodigy to Buena Vista Social Club (nice choice!).

The band took some time out from their songwriting to play the upstairs live venue in Whelans on Sunday 25th April. They played a quick thirty minute set as the warm up act and they certainly did just that. They had their loyal fans nodding their heads and shaking their hips in uniformity. The four Lucan lads opened the set with the song “Cen Fath”. Despite the very obvious Irish connection the sound brought me back to those good old Kings of Leon days when we all hadn’t a care in the world. If you miss that proper rock and roll sound we all became accustomed to back during the millennium when everything was hot, the contents of our pockets included, then check these boys out. Something tells me Morgan La Faye have a lot more to offer that can’t be realized in such a short thirty minute set.

By Aine Gilligan