Come Back Horslips Blog

Pictures of Horslips Today

2009-07-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fire Destroys legendary Horslips venue

2008-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

An overnight blaze has destroyed the building which once housed the Astoria Ballroom in Bundoran, County Donegal.

...

The building had been closed since 2006 when part of it was used as a bar.

Horslips Siting on LiveJournal

2008-12-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

Spotted whilst experimenting with the new Google personal search tools:

Rodney Orpheus on Horslips

Beautiful Video featuring Ace and Duece

2008-11-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Rescue Me (RNLI Tribute)

2008-11-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

Embedding was restored after I conversed with the director of this beautiful video!

Many other videos at the lukessummer channel worth the visit.

Barry Devlin's Bass and Friends

2008-11-26T05:57:00.001-08:00

Also spotted on Flickr

Eamon Carr in Halifax, Nova Scotia circa 1976

2008-11-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Flickr:

Eamon Carr reads from Origami Crow in Limerick

2008-11-23T06:53:00.001-08:00

Eamon Carr reads from Origami Crow on Balcony TV

2008-11-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

Eamon Carr reads from Origami Crow this Wednesday

2008-11-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

Part of my recent adventures includes attending the book launch for Eamon Carr's Origami Crow. Here's an upcoming reading:

White House Poetry Revival Wed 19th Nov 2008

Eamon Carr has been a significant figure in the Irish artistic and cultural scene for many years. In the late 1960s he co-founded Tara Telephone, the music and poetry group of the Dublin beat scene.Tara Telephone published everyone from Marc Bolan to Allan Ginsberg, Brian Patten, Seamus Heaney, Pearse Hutchinson, Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, Brendan Kennelly, Adrian Mitchell, Pete Brown in their magazines and broadsheets. The group also ran recitals. Among those who read with Tara Telephone, in addition to Eamon and Peter Fallon were Phil Lynott and Roger McGough. With Jim Fitzpatrick, the group also produced specially designed posters with artwork and poems combined. One of these posters with Eamon's poem 'A Tale of Love' was exhibited in the Tate Gallery, Liverpool, Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era Exhibition in 2005 which also toured in Germany and Austria.

For more on this poetry series, visit the Limerick.com site.

FanTasia Launch on Official Horslips

2008-01-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Promoting the Next Gig: The Indulgers and Johnny Fean at the Barge Rooms, Lifford, Ennis

2007-11-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

TOMORROW NIGHT Colorado's own Celtic Roots-Rock band THE INDULGERS & THE ONE AND ONLY JOHNNY FEAN

Here at the The Barge Rooms

FLASHBACK to ST PATRICK'S DAY 2007:
DOWNTOWN DENVER

Damien McCarron of the Indulgers presents framed photo of Johnny Fean to Fado Irish Pub, where it now hangs on the Irish Rock Wall of Fame. (See full photo here.)

This outstanding portrait of Johnny Fean was provided by Sean Hennessy, whose work spans several decades of music and daily life in Northern Ireland.

And I picked out the frame.

A downtown Novato art shop obliged.

In 2008, I plan to catch an Indulgers gig (when they are home again, back in the USA, as Chuck Berry would say) and hope to see this portrait weathered-in now in its Rocky Mountain High sawdust saloon setting.

But if you are somewhere near Lifford, Ennis, County Clare, then please go to tomorrow night's gig. It will be legendary.

Barry Devlin at "Poor Auld Fellas" launch

2007-10-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

From "The Weather" blog of Brian Reynolds

You see Connor, myself and Arthur had been in a band togethr in the 1980's, Adored by Millions. Arthur was the drummer, Connor the lead singer and myself playing guitar.Arthur of coarse went on to fame and fortune in the world of comedy writing, with Fr Ted the big one that really took the world by storm/
I hadn't seen him since around 1988, so it was great to meet up again at the book launch on Tuesday night.

Barry Devlin, he of Horslips fame and later creating U2 videos offically launched the book, with Declan Lynch, the author then reading some excerpts from it.
The books takes a comic and satirical look at the old folk, men living in modern Ireland, especially in regard to their choice, or lack of ,TV viewing on RTE our national broadcaster.

Funny it is, as with anything Lynch or Matthews put their attentions to can only be. Afterwards we chatted with Barry Devlin recounting old tales and yarns form the great days of the Horslips gigs around the country. Nice, down to earth guy he is too.

More at the link.

A Review of Roll Back & Song of the Day

2007-10-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

TWO great Horslips blogs in the last few days!

Horslips Roll Back

Horslips were a bunch of seriously talented musicians and that comes out in these recordings. What also becomes evident very quickly is the strength of the songs. Allowed to breathe a little they sound so well crafted and it is most intriguing to see the breadth of their twelve albums given the same template as opposed to the very Celtic sound of early albums and universal commercialism of the later years. It leads the songs into timelessness.

More at the link

October 8 Song of the Day - The Man Who Built America

Sometimes it takes someone we consider an outsider to see us for who we really are. It's definitely true in the case of this song, where five guys from Ireland perfectly sum up the spirit of the United States as a country with this 1979 classic.

More at the link.

Horslips siting: A Review of Roll Back & Song of the Day

2007-10-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

(OT: I really should just start a separate Halloween blog and go to town with it. I've been looking forward to the season ever since Halloween and Vine.)

TWO great Horslips blogs in the last few days!

Horslips Roll Back

Horslips were a bunch of seriously talented musicians and that comes out in these recordings. What also becomes evident very quickly is the strength of the songs. Allowed to breathe a little they sound so well crafted and it is most intriguing to see the breadth of their twelve albums given the same template as opposed to the very Celtic sound of early albums and universal commercialism of the later years. It leads the songs into timelessness.

More at the link

October 8 Song of the Day - The Man Who Built America

Sometimes it takes someone we consider an outsider to see us for who we really are. It's definitely true in the case of this song, where five guys from Ireland perfectly sum up the spirit of the United States as a country with this 1979 classic.

More at the link.

Promoting the Next Gig: Strule Arts Centre

2007-09-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Horslypse set to raise the roof at Strule Arts Centre

OMAGH band The Horslypse will pay tribute to 70's Celtic rock super group Horslips, at Strule Arts Centre on Saturday, September 8. This young band are set to raise the roof of the Arts Centre with their extensive repertoire of 40 songs which spans the entire Horslips catalogue.

Back in 2004 organ player Michael Rafferty formed the idea of bringing together a group of musicians for one performance in tribute to the band. As the idea began to gather realistic potential, Ryan O'Sullivan was approached and soon recruited as the group's guitar player. As word spread about the possibility of a tribute band forming, it became apparent that a number of other musicians, who cited Horslips as a main influence, were interested.

Albums Fritz Fryer produced

2007-09-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Scanning my own discography, I see that the albums are:

Dancehall Sweethearts
Unfortunate Cup of Tea

Dancehall was one of my early favorites and Unfortunate Cup of Tea has its merits.

"There was a love, I knew before..."

2007-09-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Four Pennies guitarist Fritz dies

A KEY member of Blackburn's chart-topping 60s band The Four Pennies has died of pancreatic cancer aged 63.

Fritz Fryer, born David Roderick Carney Fryer on December 6 1944 in Revidge, died suddenly in hospital after an operation near his home in Lisbon, Portugal.

...

They toured the Lancashire area in the early 1960s before signing for Phillips records and playing with the Beatles in The Cavern Club.

The group's name came after a meeting above the Blackburn music shop owned by Mary Reidy, the shop being situated on Penny Street where it is still located today as "Reidy's Home of Music".

The name was chosen as a more commercial alternative to the "Lionel Morten Four".

They found their greatest success with ballads like "Juliet," which Fritz co-wrote with Mike Wilsh, and knocked the Searchers from the top of the charts in the spring of 1964.

The group fell apart in the autumn of 1966 after achieving another five top 20 hits and working with producer John Franz, who also worked with Dusty Springfield and the Walker Brothers.

After The Four Pennies, Fritz established the group Fritz, Mike & Mo, with Maureen Edwards and Mike Deigham before becoming a record producer for the groups Clannad, Horslips, Motörhead, and Stackridge.

Complete article at link.

Albums Fritz Fryer produced for Horslips

2007-09-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Scanning my own discography, I see that the albums are:

Dancehall Sweethearts
Unfortunate Cup of Tea

Fritz Fryer "There was Love I Knew Before."

2007-09-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Four Pennies guitarist Fritz dies

A KEY member of Blackburn's chart-topping 60s band The Four Pennies has died of pancreatic cancer aged 63.

Fritz Fryer, born David Roderick Carney Fryer on December 6 1944 in Revidge, died suddenly in hospital after an operation near his home in Lisbon, Portugal.

...

They toured the Lancashire area in the early 1960s before signing for Phillips records and playing with the Beatles in The Cavern Club.

The group's name came after a meeting above the Blackburn music shop owned by Mary Reidy, the shop being situated on Penny Street where it is still located today as "Reidy's Home of Music".

The name was chosen as a more commercial alternative to the "Lionel Morten Four".

They found their greatest success with ballads like "Juliet," which Fritz co-wrote with Mike Wilsh, and knocked the Searchers from the top of the charts in the spring of 1964.

The group fell apart in the autumn of 1966 after achieving another five top 20 hits and working with producer John Franz, who also worked with Dusty Springfield and the Walker Brothers.

After The Four Pennies, Fritz established the group Fritz, Mike & Mo, with Maureen Edwards and Mike Deigham before becoming a record producer for the groups Clannad, Horslips, Motörhead, and Stackridge.

Complete article at link.

"Now aw've smoked mi backy"

2007-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Search-terms people are using to find what turns out to be the most popular page on my site:

who wrote song when the boat comes in 43.19%
lyrics when the boat comes in 42.01%
dance ti thy daddy 9.92%
when the boat comes in words 4.06%
lyrics dance to your daddy my bonnie laddie 0.81%
lyrics for thou shall have a fishy 0.01%
song dance for your daddy my bonny laddie 0.01%
t 0.00%
cucanandy-nandy lyrics 0.00%
you shall have a fishy on a little dishy when the boat comes in 0.00%

"Cucanandy-nandy lyrics?" Du-u-ude. What exactly is IN that pipe?

Things Go Better With Cork (5) - And yet...

2007-08-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Doors Close on the Lobby Bar

...The Conway family have always had their hand in the performing arts. Pat’s brother Denis is a well-regarded actor, while his mother is the staple of many a community choir in Cork. Pat himself is that rare species - someone who doesn’t have a note in his head – and fully accepts it!

The enthusiasm has always been there though. “I was always interested in different or original music growing up, but there wasn’t that much choice in Ireland in the 60’s. I would go to see The Horslips or Rory Gallagher or The Bothy Band, whereas other people would go to see show bands.

I think The Horslip’s shows stuck with me. You could see them playing in dancehalls where there might have been Big Tom one night and then The Horslips the next, which was a bit weird”.

When it came to acquiring the Lobby premises, Pat applied his individualism and uncompromising attitude to the bar’s music policy, insisting also on treating musicians with respect and equity.

“We set out day one to make it different to walking into a session in a bar. We made it quite clear that it was a listening venue, and so if people were talking during a gig we would have asked them to leave and we stuck to that policy from day one. I think it paid off because at the end of the day people who were coming into the shows were coming in to listen....”

Even I have been to the Lobby. More at the link. And why does this post keep vanishing!

Promoting the Next Gig: Horslypse at the Forum, Waterford

2007-08-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ireland’s only tribute to Horslips play Forum gig

HORSLYPSE, Ireland’s only tribute band to 70s Celtic-Rock supergroup Horslips play The Forum, Waterford on Saturday, August 25. Now two years together, Horslypse was originally formed by a group of skilled musicians to perform a oneoff show for charity.
But, due to huge interest in their performance, the band subsequently came together again and have performed concerts right across Ireland.

More at the link. Not to be missed!

Horslypse Tribute Band website.

"You shall have a Phishy when the boat gets in..."

2007-07-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday around noon my time, I 'logged on' to a MySpace account but not via a real MySpace page. About ten minutes later, a friend at Hairless Heart Herald sent me a note alerting me that I'd been 'phished' and that someone was posting Gift Card spam bulletins and comments in my name. John Murphy of Shite'n'Onions was next to call in and then Gerry from Bushplant (a contributing artist to the CBH site.)

A swift change of password and a basic bulletin of apology. There were several friends who wrote in saying 'thanks' for that and adding that they rather guessed it wasn't the real me promising to 'hook them up' or signing off with 'c ya.' Also in my favor is that I only posted on this account when I had Horslips news.

Forty minutes later, the fuss was mainly over. Things move fast on the Internet.

But to make further amends, I decided to send around a little vintage advertising that's available again on You Tube. Horslips promoting Mirinda, circa early seventies or so. Looking very much like the music festival it was, this free event was filmed at the grounds of Ardmore Studios in Bray (just south of Dublin). Also present, but not pitching Mirinda, was a support act by the name of Chris De Burgh.

For more about Phishing, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

Dearg Doom covered by new metal band

2007-07-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

News from the delightfully named "Doomed to be Stoned in a Sludge Swamp:"

Slough Feg covers Dearg Doom

Two wonderful covers such as “Dearg Doom” (Horslips) and “Street Jammer” (MANILLAROAD) make this album something that can't be missed. It’s really the time to say it again… BUY OR DIE!

(Yes, their love is cold, like black marble by the sea over at the Official Slough Feg site.)

Colorado Festival focuses on History of Irish Rock

2007-07-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

CO Irish Fest starts on 13th

...Canadian band Enter the Haggis, made their Colorado debut at the fest last year. They can deliver a sweet harmony and turn around and blast the leaves off the trees with their dueling guitars drums and bagpipes. Other fan favorites returning to CIF include the irrepressible Beth Paterson and Irish "Jig Punk" band The Prodigals.

New to this years Cultural Village is Milwaukee Irish Festival Ward Archive's exhibit entitled The History of Irish Rock. The exhibit will examine, through displays and artifacts, the history of Irish Rock beginning with the 1950's "Irish ShowBand" phenomena through The Irish "beat bands", Irish progressive rock bands such as Thin Lizzy and Skid Row, and continue with Artists stories including Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Barry McGuire, Horslips, The Bachelors, Elvis Costello, Chris de Burgh, The Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof, U2, Sinead O'Connor, Clannad, The Cranberries, The Corrs, and much more.

More at link.

coloradoirishfestival.com

"Sound + Vision: Celebrating Music in Film" at the Ballina Film Festival

2007-06-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Sound + Vision

From the Mayo Advertiser

The festival kicks off in style on Sunday July 1 with The Tango Lesson, and continues through to Wednesday evening with Topsy-Turvy, Mike Leigh’s comical look at the writing of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. Sunday screenings also include Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, and Horslips: Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts, Maurice Linnane’s endearing documentary about one of the most important Irish groups in the history of music. The Horslips film will be made all the more special for fans of the band as original bassist Barry Devlin will introduce the screening.

More at link!

Ballina Arts Centre - Official Site

Barry Devlin at the Mid-Ulster Film Festival

2007-05-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Sun sets on 'Sundance' film fest at An Creagán

...A lot of directors and filmmakers at the festival, among whom were Dave Anderson and Heather Brunt, the director and producer of the short film 'Jacks.' They were thrilled their film was screened at the Mid-Ulster and loved the location, especially the 'homely' relaxed atmosphere and the on-site cottages. So much so that they say, "we've been inspired at this year's festival to make another movie. We hope to have it ready in time for next year."

The organisers hope that for next year they will have a budget to invite all the production teams who have submitted a film to their festival. They feel that this is not only important to the international development of the festival, but also is a wonderful way to promote the Omagh area as a tourist destination.

Other highlights included the world premiere of the digitally remastered Transformers - The Movie, Boletos Por Favor, Missing Jib, The Undertaker, Ahaarrr! and Victor and the machine. All in all the whole weekend was such a vibrant and brilliant event – here's looking forward to the fifth Mid-Ulster Film Festival.

Leaving the last word to Barry Devlin: "One more time... the Mid Ulster Film festival lived up to its billing as 'The Sundance of West Tyrone' bringing a fine roster of films (including a European premier of 'Proud') to a unique setting and a uniquely friendly and characterful festival. Proactive, educational, informative, entertaining, community based... The World's Most Dangerous Acronym ticks all the boxes.

"One more time, I was able to gain more from the people in my film-writing class than they got from me. One more time... Neil Jordan swears he's coming next year."

More at link. Festival website is here: www.midulsterfilmfestival.

Heavenly Worldliness: spotlite on Horslips

2007-03-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Once again, the great library of Horslips videos on You Tube spark another Blogger to a posting or two. Here at Recent Horslips, Gary Brady of Childs Hill London has a chance to watch the opening number from the phenomenal set in Dingle, December 2005, that was Horslips on RTE's Other Voices.

Gary also revisits The Book of Invasions with his impressions of then and now and a link to Amazon.

Here's hoping that naming calls, btw, because my own CD cover of Book of Invasions has no CD in it, which means that the CD has been 'spending the night' over at a friend's house (i.e. its doubled-up in another cover) and I don't want to tell you how many CDs I'm going to have to check!

Podunkian Music Club spotlite on Horslips!

2007-03-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Horslips - King of the Fairies

Perhaps they were just a decade or so ahead of their time, since the Horslips first blazed the trail in North America in the mid seventies, the likes of the Boomtown Rats, Pogues, Hothouse Flowers,The Cranberries and of course the all dominating U2 caught the fancy of the world, let alone North America.

I won't quote the whole blog because the idea is that you'll go over there for a visit! And that's an AllGoodeThings video there as the lead to the article.

The Rock Doctor: Horslips - play 'Dearg Doom" Live.

2007-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Reeling from the news that Marvel Comix has axed Captain America, I am very happy to discover this:

The Rock Doctor: Horslips - play 'Dearg Doom" Live.

That's me in the audience for all of three or four seconds. Yeah, it's a year on now, and I'm finally pretty stoked about it.

Eamon Carr and Richie Buckley on YouTube

2007-02-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

Remembering the STARDUST - "Molly Malone"

Johnny Fean & Steve Travers Headline Ballyshannon Folk Festival

2007-02-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

From the Fean and Travers Newsletter

Great news just is is that Johnny & Steve have been asked to Headline this years Ballyshannon Folk Festival, more news on that as the year progresses. They have also been rehearsing with ACE Drummer & Percussionist "Blendi Krasniqi" who is going to perform with them on all of their gigs this year, including the Galway and Ennis gigs above. Full bio on Blendi to follow.

Also: Fean and Travers at Mall Theatre in Tuam, Co Galway - March 2nd

Johnny Fean and Steve Travers in Tuam

2007-02-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

Irish rock legends to play The Mall Theatre
From the Galway Independent

Johnny Fean and Steven Travers, legendary players on the Irish rock scene, will play The Mall Theatre in Tuam on Friday 2 March.

Johnny Fean is best known for being one of the world's top guitarists when he played with Horslips, who at the height of their fame inspired such luminaries as Rory Gallagher to take up the guitar.

Along with Steven Travers, a former member of the Miami Showband and one of Ireland's best bass players, the pair have come together to create a musical experience that mixes furious paced rock, grass roots blues and some Celtic rock classics.

More at the link.

Amazon Review of The Book of Invasions

2007-02-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

Horslips: Their Best Album

Unlike the other Horslips albums I have reviewed on Amazon, this album gains force from its accrued impact, rather than its individual tracks. Like "Táin," "Book" is meant to work as a unified single piece of music, as the subtitle defines it. Songs are chapters in a book, verses of a poem.

Instrumental and sung passages alternate in the three movements of the album from Geantrai--cheerier songs-- to Goltrai-- laments--to Suantrai-- songs of sleep or dreams. These unify as in storytelling various "branches" of the tale and classify them in ancient Irish categories of narrative craft and intent. It's a "Celtic symphony," therefore, in the ebbs and crests of the musical representation and the lyrical explanation of the energetic clashes and couplings the Book of Invasions (Leabhar Gabhala) relates-- the tribes who landed in pre-Christian Ireland successively to fight over its land and its wealth.

More at the link.

Horslips Sighting on MySpace Blog

2007-01-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

i really should be asleep

and shortly i am going to go and put the light out and dream odd dreams. listening to horslips and their "short stories and tall tales" cd - fantastic stuff.
my head is buzzing with thoughts and schemes, plans and ideas. none of them worth the energy involved in the firing synapses.

Just an ordinary guy with a random mentioning of an obscure album. What's weird is that I've been listening to this 'step-child' album too for the last few days or so and I'm enjoying it for its own sake immensely. Another comment under Horslips over at Irishrockers.com goes a little like this:

Luca Banche niclot-Nurin-ITALY wrote on 9/26/2006:
HORSLIPS' Late 70ies stuff was, for me, absolutely brilliant: anticipating in some way, the Irish Hard-Punk Rock Feeling of SLF, UNDERTONES etc.

It's not the usual way of looking at their music, but listening to SSTT demonstrates that there might be something to the argument. The album would also fit well in the current/retro spins of my local modern rock radio station.

"Horslips Live" in new book

2007-01-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Show I'll Never Forget

Sean Manning edited The Show, which Da Capo will publish as a paperback original on January 15. The book's full list of musical subjects-- in order of appearance in the book (which is in chronological order by date of occurrence)-- is long enough that it might convince you to give up reading as well, but it is printed below:

R.E.M., Miles Davis, Jimmy Reed, Steve Abbot, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Titans of the Tenor!, the late James Brown, Jimmy Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Woodstock, Nina Simone, Bill Evans, Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night, Television, the Sunshine Festival, Queen, Mink DeVille, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, X/Levi & the Rockats, the Funk Festival, Black Flag, the Horslips, Public Image Ltd., the Kinks, Rush, the Pogues, the Beastie Boys, Redd Kross, Bon Jovi, Van Morrison (written about twice by married couple Robert Burke Warren and Holly George-Warren), Clarence Carter, Nirvana, the Lounge Lizards, Katell Keineg, Einstürzende Neubauten, Beck, Joe Maneri, the Mekons, Prince, Glen Branca/Rudolph Grey/Wharton Tiers, Antony and the Johnsons featuring Lou Reed, David Bowie, Kevin Spacey, the White Stripes, and Metric (written as a team piece by Daniel Handler and Andrew Sean Greer).

The Show I'll Never Forget, publisher's site

The Way We Were - Come Back Horslips in 2005

2007-01-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my unofficial fansite as a live site. I had forgotten it myself until scrolling down to the bottom of my homepage the other day to check visitor stats. But yes: New Years Day 2007 marks two years of Comebackhorslips.com. (Or geocities.com/comebackhorslips as it was then) And sure enough, the original version of my nighttime and weekend obsession is still up and running.

Submitted for your scornful amusement and derision:

geocities.com/comebackhorslips/home

(Links now direct to the owned domain, so we don't exceed our bandwidth within ten minutes as used to happen back in those days!)

Horslips Siting on Blogger

2006-12-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

"Horslips Exhibition" on donegalfriends.blogspot.com

Horslips sighting on Blogger

2006-12-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

"Horslips Exhibition" on donegalfriends.blogspot.com

Eamon Carr interview on RTE's Drivetime with Dave

2006-12-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Drivetime with Dave - December 12

Band Managers

Tonight we take a look at the triumphs and traumas of being a band manager, the side of the music story not usually heard. Are they just waiting to exploit the next young talent or genuinely interested in the music? Thomas Black, Eamon Carr and Frank Murray join us to discuss being a band manager.

Fantastic view of the rock band mythos - from Ian Faith's point of view!

New Johnny Fean video on You Tube

2006-12-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

Posted December 6 by AllGoodeThings

Rakish Paddy/Silver Spear

Horslips Siting on Blogger

2006-12-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

itsapossibility: they brought the summer with them

New Horslypse Video

2006-11-30T06:31:00.000-08:00

Horslypse performing Speed the Plough

Just posted on You Tube. From the summer concert with original members of Horslips.

Great photos of the night here.

Promoting the Next Project: Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Masterclasses

2006-11-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

from Regional Film and Video:

Young filmmakers from across Northern Ireland will be sharing their talent with captive audiences at Cinemagic Young Filmmaker, in association with First Light which runs from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 November 2006.
Open to everyone, the weekend showcase of free screenings will take place at Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT), Belfast, and are divided into three separate age groups:
On Friday 24 November short listed films made by young people under the age of 15 will be shown between 5.30pm and 7.15pm. This will be followed by a question and answer session with First Light and Film Street.

Saturday 25th November is dedicated to 15 to 17 year olds. Short listed competition entrants and script writing enthusiasts will have the opportunity to participate in a ‘writing for film’ masterclass hosted by Barry Devlin (Not Afraid, Not Afraid, Ballykissangel, All Things Bright and Beautiful) from 10.00am to 4.00pm, before attending the QFT for the series of short film screenings at 5.00pm to 7.15pm.

More at the link and perhaps more at their site.

www.cinemagic.org.uk

And YES. It seems I'm back in the Blogging mode. I do owe TWO stories now. The Pogues concert of October and then my Night in Austin Texas at Kinky Friedman's political beer party. Long weekend ahead!

Happy Surfin' Santa rides again

2006-11-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

'Could it be that this was in fact the defining moment for U2, the event or series of events that put the iron in their soul? And if so, how has a lifetime gone by with scarcely a mention of it?'

Here's an amazing story from the histories of the Dublin punk scene and the band that redefined pub-decor in the new millenia. As always, the unison.ie papers require registration, but it is a free service.

It was the summer of '79, when the Heat was felt by McGuinness
Sunday Independent, Declan Lynch

The other way of looking at this, was the old-time rock 'n' roll way: a fanzine is a fanzine is a fanzine. It is not the New York Times, it has a licence to screw up. Don't fight it.

And this was the prevailing view at the time, as the dispute escalated to the extent that a benefit gig was organised to finance the defence of Heat. It was held in the National Ballroom in July 1979, and as I recall, a great time was had by all.

A band was formed specially for the occasion, called The Defenders. It featured ex-Horslips Charles O'Connor and Eamonn Carr (Eamonn's brother Jude was one of the main men at Heat). Gary Eglinton played bass, Donal Broughan (now an RTE radio announcer) was on vocals along with iconic roadie the late Paul Verner, and Frankie Morgan of Sacre Bleu played keyboards. A selection of Dublin's finest rock 'n' roll characters completed the line-up, which delivered a storming set of classics such as Who do You Love? and It's Not Unusual, joined onstage by guests such as the great Steve Rapid, ex-Radiators and another of the founding fathers of Heat.

The Sinners and The Fabulous Fabrics weighed in, Rocky De Valera and the Gravediggers were also on the bill. The legendary Terri Hooley, majordomo of the Good Vibrations record label in Belfast, came down to lend his considerable moral and fraternal support.

In fact, it was such a vastly enjoyable night all round, it has settled in the memories of many as a coda to the whole punk and new wave era in Dublin, a sort of a goodbye-to-all-that gig which transcended all the unpleasantness which brought it about.

More at the link.

Horslips Siting on Blogger

2006-10-31T12:46:00.000-08:00

Babs Babbles

Cocktail Shack: New Show Today

2006-10-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Carr's Cocktail Shack - Online Today

2006-09-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

T'was online last week, but I wasn't sure until right at showtime.

There was a siting of Eamon Carr on the ChoiceFM webcam last week! I've been hoping to see him enjoying a Quickie myself, but not had much luck yet.

Barry McCabe's Beyond the Tears - with Johnny Fean

2006-09-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

From Barry McCabe's newsletter:

OK, 48 hours to go - and then the pre-order period for "Beyond The
Tears" will be over!! So you STILL have 48 hours to avail of our special
2-for-1 offer!!

To remind you, here's what the deal contains.

* you get an extra CD for FREE with EVERY CD you buy.
you buy 1 CD you get 2 in the post. You buy 2 CDs you get 4 CDs in the
post. It will show as 1 item in the CD Baby basket but it's really 2 -
and you only have to pay postage on 1.

* The FREE CD is EXACTLY the same as the 'main' CD. It's not a slimmed down version, it isn't marked promo or anything like that, it has the full colour 12 page booklet, etc. It's EXACTLY the same.

* ALL CD's are AUTOGRAPHED - that includes the FREE CD.

* you WILL get the 2-for-1 deal if you order via CD Baby. Some people
seemed to think you'd only get that deal if you ordered via my site.
Not so.

* we will guarantee this offer for another 48 hours. After that we'll
have to see if we continue with it or not. Part of me certainly wants to but
we'll just have to review the complete situation and take everyone's
opinion on board.

OK, you can pre-order here

cdbaby.com/cd/bmcband4

or here

barrymccabe.com/music

Here's what U2's production manager had to say about the CD. Now if
THAT doesn't convince you then I don't know what will!! :)

Peace
Barry

"Now listening to the album for the third time. No doubt, this is your
most mature work to date. "Trouble" blew my mind. If I close my eyes I think this is what Horslips could have sounded like if they had kept going, but they didn't and you did, and have produced a cracker of a song.

"The Sunset Waltz" is a masterpiece. "Catch me if you can", "Rollin", "In the dead of Night", all excellent. If the Stones at this stage of their career produced songs of this quality, they would be hailed as geniuses.

There is a wonderful mood to the album, and you hear that in all the playing. Guitars, Hammond, harp, accordion throughout the album are beautifully blended and sit perfectly within the songs. It will sit right along side Mick Taylor's - Leather Jackets in my collection

Guess what McCabe, you've found what you're looking for. Good lad. It's been a road worth travelling."

Mein damen und herren, madames et monsieurs, Cats and Kitties!

2006-09-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 10:

The Shack is Back!

(Image is shaken not stirred over at the Three Button Deluxe Lounge)

Cue the conga drums:

Let us put man and woman together
And see which one is smarter
Some say man, but I say no
The woman got the man like a puppet show

It ain't me, it's the people that say
The men are leadin' the women astray
But I say that the women today
Are smarter than man in every way
Well that's right, the women are smarter
That's right, the women are smarter

Little boy sat down and cried
An old man passin' asking him why, he said
I can't do what the big boys do
Old man sat down and he cried too

Ain't me, it's the people that say
The men are leadin' the women astray
But I say, that the women today
Are smarter than man in every way

Classic Shack with Lola the Vamp

You'll be seeing much 'more' of Lola and her friends this season! So set your dial for 92.1 Choice FM in Dublin and get ready for Season Two of the show that 'bares' all!

Reviewing Tonite's Gig: Horslypse

2006-08-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

From the Official Horslips Guestbook

Firstly, Barry came on to rapturous applause to sing GOTN backed by Horslypse. He also came back a little while later to do Furniture another track expertly handled by the lads in Horslypse. Jim & Johnny duly made their appearance and the hall which was already fairly hoppin' went wild. From here on in it was a case of 'rollback' the years as among others Trouble, KOTF and a house raising Dearg Doom to finish were performed to an audience gone wild. Everyone was on their feet. I swear I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck. It was almost like being transported back in time. Of course it had to come to an end and following Dearg Doom the 'bands' made their way off the stage only to be forced to return as the 'Horslips' chant reached a crescendo. So back they came to finish the night as one might expect with - Shakin' All Over. It felt right. A wonderful performance by Horslypse enhanced by the presence of Johnny, Jim & Barry and all for a good cause too...

Posted by Laobhan. There's more at the link. There's sure to be pictures and soundfiles and more to follow.

Promoting Tonite's Gig: Horslypse

2006-08-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Horslips find imitation flatters

The nine County Tyrone students, who reproduce the distinctive music of the 1970s Celtic rockers under the title 'Horslypse', have been invited to play with their heroes.

Horslips members, including veteran musician Barry Devlin, were so impressed after meeting the group at an exhibition in Drogheda that they offered to share a stage with them.

The lads leapt at the opportunity and the gig was scheduled for Omagh on Friday.

Another bit:

Speaking on BBC's Good Morning Ulster, Michael said: "It was an inheritance of several records from the garage.

"My father had all sorts of records. Horslips were one of many bands."

He said he and his friends were drawn to Horslips music because of its "link with Irish mythology".

"Although the albums were conventional studio albums, there was a story that ran through most of them and I just thought it was very interesting," he said.

"They were all albums you could listen to from cover to cover and not lose concentration at any point, very fascinating."

Michael, a pupil at Omagh Christian Brothers Grammar School, said they decided to "try a one-off gig of Horslips music".

"It just worked. That was a year and a half ago and we are still here and now we are to play with the Horslips," he said

"There are not many tribute bands that get to play with people they copy.

"As far as tribute bands go, we have gone as far as anyone would like to go."

A bit more from Barry Devlin:

Barry Devlin said he was "looking forward to jumping up on the stage and making a show of myself" at the Omagh performance.

Barry said he had been deeply impressed with Horslypse's version of Horslip's music played "by kids who were born long after we stopped".

"It's a bit scary for the original to find itself a pale imitation of a tribute band. We were kind of sitting in the audience going, 'so that's how it's done'." he joked.

"Discovering that, as they then were, a bunch of 16-year-olds, had actually blown the dust off the vinyl and done things we never done, for instance the album, the Book of Celtic Symphony, well, we have never actually played it in its entirety from start to finish.

The whole article and pictures at the link. Gig is less than two hours away. Myself, I'll be listening to the same band 'live' circa August 20th at the Errigle Inn, Belfast. And then I'll be looking forward to pictures on Ryan's site and all the news.

Promoting the Next Gig: St Joseph's Hall, Omagh

2006-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Just a day or so away!

From the Email Suggestion Bag: New Horslips Links

2006-08-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd found everything on the web about Horslips, but this afternoon brought me a suggested new link:

Horslips Highlighted on Irish-Showbands.com

The site obviously expanding its range to "Irish Pop, Rock, Country, [and] Folk..."

There's an amazing picture of the Zen Alligators that I've never seen before!

And, inexplicably, over at The Best of British Rock, I found another Horslips discography. I like the use of the sidebar to hold singles and the main frame to hold albums.

It turns out, though, that the curator of this site is a kindred soul in his own discovery of music:

If I can remember, it was probably in the summer of '65 when two brothers, ages 6 and 7 took party to countless visits by their cousin - age 9 - and convened to the basement of a home in Pasadena Maryland. A brand new 45 - courtesy of our cousin - was placed on our portable record player. With tennis rackets in hands, not to mention a set up that consisted of shiny trash cans, we became The Beatles.

After our session of endless lipsynching to The Beatles' Please Mr. Postman, I Should Have Known Better and A Hard Day's Night, I myself would be hooked forever, specially after the night my grandmother sat with me as we watched a televised concert of the Fab Four playing The Shea Stadium - sadly, my grandmom would pass on that winter - but the seed was planted, the radio played endlessly. I Fought The Law by The Bobby Fuller Four and Devil With A Blue Dress by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels and scores of other great American classics were listened to, albums and singles were bought and I loved them all. But the sound of guitars being played through Leslie cabinets, the melodicisms, the blues, the progressions, the rockers from the U.K. is what snatched me up.

Ten years on, I'd been introduced to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple - courtesy of two more cousins. I had joined my first band two years prior (I can still see my step-father grimacing as he splurged to purchase my first drum kit). I saw my first of many concerts with my cousins in '75. Suzi Quatro's thunderous bass still echoes in my memories, as does Alice Cooper, Kiss and even Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band - Amercian bands will always be in my heart.

Twenty years on, children came - three son's God blessim'. I'd been in and out of the U.S. Army, been in countless bands and went to many concerts - I would purchase my third drum kit at my own expense. Musical success has pretty much eluded me, but the love and taste of the musical electricity is still there - it's in my soul, and there is where it shall stay.

And, hey! He likes Horslips!

Promoting the Next Gig: St. Joseph's Hall, Omagh

2006-08-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

And Visit Horslypse Tribute Band on MySpace.

From the Email Suggestion Bag: Derry, March 2004

2006-08-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

Eamon Carr on Regina Spektor

2006-07-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

I've long hoped that the Evening Herald would go online in some format so I could keep up with Eamon Carr's music reviews. But, perhaps a good sign here, this article turned up in the Unison.ie world.

Musicbox with Eamon Carr

BORN in Moscow, raised in the Bronx, Regina Spektor’s domain is the landscape of dreams, shifting realities and the oddly normal.

Earlier adventures in sound such as Mary Ann Meets The Grave Diggers And Other Short Stories, a “greatest hits” package culled from her three hand-to-mouth indie albums, signalled the presence of a prodigious talent brimming with ideas, desire and fairytale ambition.

The question that album begged was, would The Strokes-endorsed queen of the New York anti-folk scene survive to develop her talent or would she spontaneously combust. More likely, it seemed, she might become one of the oddball characters that people her songs and disappear into the labyrinth that is Hell’s Kitchen.

But, despite her dizzying beauty and kookie image, 26-year-old Spektor is...

More at the link. Requires registration. And today is another blasted Spare the Air day!

"Horslips - One of my absolute favorite bands from the late 70's!!!!!"

2006-06-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

A great 'find' of a six-year old discussion in the alt.music.byrds group. Although the topic is rock reference books, a casual mention of 'Nighttown Boy' spurs a number of posts on Horslips with information on several North American gigs.

Off topic: Rock music and recordings reference books. Your Opinions

I saw them in '78 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and again a few days later at William Paterson College in Wayne, N.J., and interviewed Carr backstage at that gig. A year or two later I interviewed him again at Mercury Records for the "Short Stories" album and saw the band at The Show Place in Dover,
N.J. Johnny Fean sang a great version of "Shakin' All Over" at that gig. -- Jim Bohen

Whole discussion thread at link.

Waterford News & Star on Johnny Fean and Steve Travers

2006-04-27T02:11:00.000-07:00

An article from last June, but it was just sent to me via email.

Check out Horslips legend Johnny Fean at the Forum

Johnny Fean’s Celtic Rock history is a matter of record. To this very day he is still regarded as the definitive celtic rock guitarist. Raised in the Co. Limerick/Clare area of Ireland, his love affair with the guitar began at the tender age of 10.

---

For his appearance at Stage 2 acclaimed guitarist Johnny Fean will be joined by renowned Irish bass guitarist, Steve Travers well known for his work with The Miami and master of the Steinberger 5- string headless bass.

On the night, fans can look forward to a mix of Rock, Blues and Trad and of course some thunderous Horslips classics, including we are told, an electrifying 10 minute version of the anthemic ‘Dearg Doom’.

I'm feeling a little less grouchy about Chicago now.

Fean and Travers Official Site

Vintage Web: Horslips mentioned in alt.gothic.fashion

2006-04-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

I really do love the old-fashioned alt discussion groups! The web's equivalent of the party line phone at the general store, they were almost strangled by spam a few years ago. Google got in there and cleaned house and now I find little treats in the archives like this thread on Riverdance and Celtic music.

Be advised that the opinions of just about everyone posting -- with the possible exception of Atalanta Pendragonne and Sparrowe -- are not my own. It's also cool that Atalanta was using a quote from Sword of Light as her sig back in '97.

"Audiences don't know somebody sits down and writes a picture;

2006-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

they think the actors make it up as they go along."
Joe Gillis

May dates for Mid Ulster Film Festival

The third Mid Ulster Film Festival at An Creagan Centre, situated halfway between Omagh and Cookstown, Co Tyrone, will take place over the weekend of 5, 6 and 7 May.

---

A programme of workshops includes Post Production with Lawrence Fee, Scriptwriting with Barry Devlin, and Channel 4 IDEASFACTORY Northern Ireland will present a two-day workshop on the craft of documentary film making.

More at the link.

Horslips on RTÉ Two tonight

2006-03-22T04:40:00.000-08:00

Horslips on RTÉ Two tonight

...The final programme is a special Viewers' Choice show of exclusive performances from the most popular artists featured on the current series, as voted on by the viewers.

Among those appearing on the show are Bell X1, Horslips and The Walls...

Details on the show at the link.

Horslips on TG4's 'Ardán'

2006-03-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Horslips to perform live on TG4 tribute show

The 'Ardán Horslips Special' will celebrate Horslips' contribution to Irish music with band members Barry Devlin, Jim Lockhart, Eamon Carr, Johnny Fean and Charles O'Connor live in studio.

The programme will feature live performances from Liam Ó Maonlaoi, world renowned piper Eoin Duignan, 70s Celtic rockers Mushroom plus a pre-recorded tribute from Irish fusion group Kíla.

The highlight of the show will be the tracks that Horslips themselves perform live on the night.

More at the link.

MUSHROOM!!!! I've like so-o-o-o wanted to hear this band of myth and legend! And Eoin Duignan! Awesome.

This is going to be totally cool.

Barry Devlin spotted in the New York Times

2006-03-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

FILM REVIEW; A Dublin Dreamer Confronts Reality

No writer was ever more urbane and sophisticated than Oscar Wilde, so it comes as a shock that Albert Finney has discovered Wilde's warm and fuzzy side. In "A Man of No Importance," Mr. Finney plays Alfie Byrne, a bus conductor in Dublin in the early 1960's. He wears Wilde's trademark green carnation while riding an emerald-green double-decker bus. He reads Wilde's plays and poetry aloud to his rapt passengers every morning, and he directs local productions of Wilde's plays at the parish hall. Mr. Carney, the rough-hewn butcher (Michael Gambon), usually plays the lead.

Alfie is almost as enamored of Wilde as he is of Robbie (Rufus Sewell), the handsome young driver of his bus, though he will admit this passion only to his own bedroom mirror. A repressed homosexual masquerading as one more Dublin bachelor, Alfie doesn't see why his little drama group shouldn't put on Wilde's "Salome," complete with the dance of the seven veils. He is one of the last true innocents.

This is an older article, but was sent to me. More at the link, and it did not appear to need subscription (as sometimes is the case).

Horslips in alt.music.jethro.tull

2006-03-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Rebecca569 writes

What about Horslips?

I always forget about the alt.music world of discussion! Looking around just now it seems much less riddled with commercial postings than in days of yore.

Also intrigued by the promising thread Did any women like Tull?

They did if they were dating my husband!

Johnny Fean & Steve Travers on MySpace

2006-03-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

An excellent site for the latest news on Fean and Travers as well as a link to their official site at www.feanandtravers.com.

So bookmark Johnny and Steve's MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/feantravers

Two new songs added yesterday. "King of the Fairies" and "Dingle Regatta;" both recorded live at Dolans, Limerick.

Found another Horslips Fan! And a great Folk Music Blog too

2006-02-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

Came across this one last night:

FusiveBlog.co.uk

There's a reliance here on the Wikipedia entry, which I've been told could use some vetting, but I was mostly impressed with how the history is up to date. The "RTE Television Program" described in the last paragraph is Other Voices and it aired just last night.

Dick Cheney could not be reached for comment.

Horslips on RTE's Other Voices TONITE

2006-02-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Sharing vocal duties, Barry Devlin (bass), Seán Fean (lead guitar) Eamon Carr (drums), Charles O'Connor (violin, mandolin) and Jim Lockhart (flute, tin whistle, keyboards) performed their first electric set in OVER 25 YEARS last December. Tonight, on the current season of the critically acclaimed Other Voices, this fantastic moment in Irish rock history will be shown on RTE 2.

After that, the rest of the world -- and that includes me -- will be able to watch online at the Other Voices Archive Site.

And don't forget tomorrow's live web chat with Barry Devlin and Jim Lockhart. Submit your questions online now.

And Horslips Week is Off and Running with John Kelly's Mystery Train on RTE

2006-02-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

John Kelly's Mystery Train has a feature called "The First Time:"

The First Time is just that - A Famous (or soon to be famous!) Person tells us about a piece of music that has stayed with them since that first time they heard it... Maybe they fell in or out of love, turned on to music, or just became besotted with a voice.

The Mystery Train carriage staff also hit the Other Voices festival in Dingle and we have a truck-load of First Times which we'll lash out on the next few months. "The First Time" on the Mystery Train Monday nights.

Now the astute web-surfer would note that it is a rather handsome picture of Horslips themselves that graces this feature!

The Mystery Train with John Kelly
8.30 - 10pm (Ireland Time, so 12:30 Pacific Time and 3:30 Eastern Time)
Monday - Thursday

Shows also archived on site above.

Tara Telephone Update & Horslips Week Begins

2006-02-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

Back in October, I described my interest inTara Telephone, a music and poetry performance group important to the history of Horslips.

Work on the Tara Telephone site has continued, with a page devoted specifically to this up and running on a MySpace Tara Telephone tribute page. Amazingly, it was the discovery of the literary community of MySpace that encouraged me to explore that channel as a way to research and connect with other people who are interested in contemporary poetry. The Charles Bukowski tribute page here demonstrates what MySpace can also do for literature.

And it works. I've 'met' BP Fallon and have been absolutely intoxicated by his wild site.

I truly hope to use this MySpace page and the supporting site to draw attention to the significance of Tara Telephone, which had an influence on both the contemporary rock scene and the modern poetry scene of Ireland. My own interest in this is the realization that it then becomes part of the international beat movement, which had epicenters in San Francisco, New York, London, and Liverpool -- to name the few.

This following week will be a big week for Horslips news, with performance in Dingle airing on Wed. 15th Feb., on Other Voices RTE Two at 11.30pm. Fans of Horslips will be able to take part in a web chat with Jim & Barry on Thursday 16th Feb. at 2pm. All times are Dublin timezone times. Closer to the chat, I'll try to have up the timezone conversion.

Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts:The George Seaview Ballroom

2006-02-08T06:27:00.000-08:00

Crystal stopped by for a comment below, and that was the kick I needed to go and visit her site. And I'm glad I did!

Top of the blog post is her tribute to The George Seaview Ballroom, which, from the sounds of it, was a great place:

Originally named The George Hotel, it had later been known as the Seaview Hotel, and referred to by all as 'the Seaview' when Dolores San Miguel started managing it as a venue for alternative bands.
Dolores moved on to create a venue at The Exford Hotel in Russell Street Melbourne, and that's when the St.Kilda location became The Crystal Ballroom - named by Legendary Laurie Richards.

The ballroom was on the first floor and had an impressive chandelier which amazingly survived the pogo-ing punk stuff which occurred below it. All around the room there were beautiful stained glass windows of St.George and the dragon. The floor was 'sprung' for dancing.

More, including pictures, at the link.

John Kelly: The other voice behind Other Voices

2006-02-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

Just before introducing Horslips that night, John Kelly made a joke for the benefit of the longtime Horslips fans in the audience. Bouncing up and down on his knees a few times, he said "No...this isn't the Astoria." A reference to the legendary ballroom of Horslips lore where the fans would have the floor moving in rock rhythm by night's end.

Hotpress has an interview with John Kelly as well:

Kelly's Heroes

As a long time fan, an obvious highlight for Kelly was the first full-on Horslips performance in some 25 years.

“Well, the Horslips reformation has been a slow process,” he says. “We’ve all done our bit to encourage that in various ways, but the difference with this one was that there was electricity involved. It suited them ‘cos it wasn’t like doing the Stadium. I think they had the time of their lives. They arrived and there was a session on and Charlie got the fiddle out. The next day during the soundcheck I walked up the gravel road to the church and all I could hear coming out of the wall was ‘Dearg Doom’. I realise this mightn’t mean anything to a lot of people, but I was hearing that for the first time in 25 years. I just sat outside and kinda fell apart, I mean I really did. And then I snuck in and hid and watched them privately rehearsing tunes.

“It was amazing, the highlight of my professional life for sure. I felt 13 again. And it was incredible on the night. Unlike the other gigs, it was packed with Horslips fans: people travelled from Derry. When they broke into ‘Dearg Doom’ and ‘Trouble’ there was a lot of love in the room.”

More at the link.

Philip King: The man behind Other Voices

2006-02-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Seeing Horslips perform live last December in a small church in Dingle was one of the musical highlights of my life. Here's a story on the series itself and how it has become one of the leading showcases for music in Ireland:

The King of Dingle

The programme is now generally regarded as a major success for Philip King, who is himself a noted musician, songwriter, radio presenter, music pundit and all round decent bloke – as well, of course, as a television producer/director of the highest calibre. One of the unlikely treats of the concept is that it’s all centred around a tiny church in Dingle, a long trek from the bohemian environs of Temple Bar or the technical surroundings of RTRs Montrose, places both musicians and crew might be more used to inhabiting.

“If you want to know the facts you can always consult the historians, but if you want to know how the people responded emotionally to what was happening to them you have to consult the poets and songwriters.” He says “In a real sense Other Voices is archiving the soundtrack of this generation, and that’s a very exciting thing to be involved in.”

So why record it in Dingle?

“I live here,” King replies, “This place had long struck me as a perfect setting, with a real toehold on the heart of the tradition.”

“Every creed, colour, kin and shade of musical persuasion can cross-fraternise and the end-point might be Afro-Celt Sound System fans hunting for Sean O’Riada recordings.”

The church setting is, he explains, a vocalist’s dream. “The voice is unlike any other instrument, it’s very personal, located closest to the heart – whether it’s Tibetan throat singers or Robert Plant or Tim Buckley, the sounds are related. As such, I’d obviously hope that diversity is a defining feature of the event – somebody listening to a different form, suddenly going ‘what is that? We recognise that’.”

More at the link. Requires registration.

Other Voices Fourth Season Begins

2006-01-27T03:11:00.000-08:00

James Blunt and The Walls live from Dingle

THE fourth series of RTÉ’s Other Voices series will make a welcome return to the screens this week. The music series filmed last December at St James’s Church in Dingle begins this Wednesday on RTE 2.

It has become one of the most celebrated events in the musical calendar and this year was no exception with 32 Irish and international acts, descending on the Kerry town to take part.

Bell X1, Rufus Wainwright, Hal and Horslips were among the acts that took to the stage in the 70-seater venue.

The popularity of the series is due to the variety of musicians from different backgrounds playing a diversity of styles and sounds in the intimate setting of the 200-year-old church.

Presented again this year by John Kelly, the show will run for nine weeks until the end of March. Kelly, who presents The View on RTE 1, said there were so many great moments.

“José Gonz·lez singing Kylie was one. But there were far too many to mention. Musicians mixed, friendships were made and who knows what collaborations lie ahead,” he said.

More at link.

Other Voices Official Site

Stay tuned for news on the online chat with Barry Devlin and Jim Lockhart!

Promoting the next gig: Johnny Fean & Steve Travers

2006-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Johnny Fean & Steven Travers, legendary players on the Irish rock scene, play The Cobblestone on Saturday, the 18th of February.

Johnny Fean is best know for his work with Horslips and Steve Travers was once the bass player with the Miami Showband. Together they create a musical experience that mixes furious paced rock, grass roots blues and some Celtic rock classics.

Johnny Fean began playing guitar, tenor banjo, mandolin and harmonica as a teenager and performed with groups like Sweet Sweet and Jeremiah Henry. When Declan Sinnott left Horslips, Fean was drafted in on a guitar and spent a very successful decade with the band.

Over twelve albums and a multitude of singles, Horslips lay down the template for Celtic Rock mixing traditional and rock music and referencing tales from Celtic mythology. Horslips played their last concert in Belfast in 1980 encoring with a rousing version of The Rolling Stone's "The Last Time".

After Horslips, Fean spent his time playing with The Zen Alligators, Host, Treat and The Psychopats. Horslips re-grouped last year to open an exhibition of Horslips memorabilia in the Orchard Gallery in Derry and recorded a new album, Roll Back.

Horslips Fans on MySpace

2006-01-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. A simple registration to leave a blogwarming message to the Radiators From Myspace has quickly metasized into a whole new dimension of interactivity online when I should be working at my day job.

Turns out there's more Horslips fans in California! One of them has a LOT of friends.

Sharkie

Sharkie's Album Pics

Tara Telephone concert ticket with Leo O'Kelly

2006-01-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Finally, a bit of ephemera in the form of a concert ticket:

According to those who know, we have

Skid Row - featuring Gary Moore
Blues House - featuring Ed Deane
Orphanage - featuring Philip Lynott
Leo O'Kelly - doing a solo gig, but see below for his bio in Tir na nOg
Jazz Therapy - featuring bass-player Brian Masterson who became an in-demand studio engineer with lots of major artists

And we have Tara Telephone, which makes this last-ever post of mine on a dial-up modem all the more appropriate. Cable guy came and went and wireless cable hardware and software is installed. What's needed now is a trip to the computer store to pick up a wireless card. Would have done this before, but the decision to go wireless was a bit spontaneous yesterday.

Sorry...back to Tara Telephone (it's the phone thing, see? And you wouldn't believe how much time it takes for files to load and..whoops! At it again.)

A very important part of my "Horslipping" in 2005 (I don't know what else you call it, but essentially: all the activities around this unshakeable infatuation with a rock band that I never saw perform live until last month...) was the discovery that Tara Telephone has made a significant contribution to Dublin's modern literary scene. And, via its later guise as Gallery Press, I had already 'discovered' that long before buying my first used Horslips CD.

More groovy stuff came to light on this last visit when I checked out the two Tara Telephone publications in the books & periodicals collection at the National Library. Read them both in the hour before closing, trying to memorize as much detail as possible. Seems like there's going to be a King Crimson album purchase in my future! And, with luck, an essay to contribute to the Hairless Heart Herald.

In the midst of all that was 2005, I had begun a section of the site dedicated to Tara Telephone. It's been highlighted now and then, and still has much more to be done (see above, re: dial-up modem and the frustration of it all!)

Expect big things from it now, but here's a link to it as it currently stands:

Tara Telephone (Main Photo)
Tara Telephone Introduction

"Horslips Roll Back the Years"

2005-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Horslips roll back the years

DINGLE was the place to be for music fans in December as legendary group the Horslips arrived in town to play their first fully live electric set in 25 years.

The performance, part of the Other Voices music series saw fans reliving some of their favourite Horslips tunes, classics like Dearg Doom, Furniture, Trouble with A Capital T, and The Man Who Built America.

The band first came to prominence as much for their image as their thumping, electrifying Celtic rock with their thigh length boots, electric fiddles, smoke machines and purple satin flares.

In an eight-year period from 1972 to 1980, they produced a staggering 12 albums and performed over 2000 times across the world.

They disbanded in 1980 but got back together in 2004 when they recorded a stripped down acoustic album of their favourite tracks Rollback.

In October of this year, the band released a DVD entitled Return Of The Dancehall Sweethearts, a film by Maurice Linnane.

The film is more than a music DVD – it's a social history of Ireland in the 70's told through the filter of Horslips and their music. The Horslips were one of 32 Irish and International bands to descend on Dingle for the duration of the Other Voices series.

[More at link...]

The recording of the fourth installment of Other Voices, the internationally acclaimed RTE 2 music series, commenced on December 9 in the intimate surrounds of Dingle’s St James Church.The series, hosted by broadcaster and writer John Kelly, and was filmed in front of a small live audience.

For those unlucky enough not to be part of that audience they can catch the series on RTE 2 from late January onwards.

Yes! It was fantastic. I'm still trying to capture exactly what it was about being in that extraordinarily 'right' space to hear Horslips live. In my memory, there's just this sense of light and balance to the moment.

The other song they performed that night was Rescue Me. It was the heart of the set for me.

"Horslips Roll Back the Years" - Kerry newspaper article

2005-12-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

Horslips roll back the years

DINGLE was the place to be for music fans in December as legendary group the Horslips arrived in town to play their first fully live electric set in 25 years.

The performance, part of the Other Voices music series saw fans reliving some of their favourite Horslips tunes, classics like Dearg Doom, Furniture, Trouble with A Capital T, and The Man Who Built America.

The band first came to prominence as much for their image as their thumping, electrifying Celtic rock with their thigh length boots, electric fiddles, smoke machines and purple satin flares.

In an eight-year period from 1972 to 1980, they produced a staggering 12 albums and performed over 2000 times across the world.

They disbanded in 1980 but got back together in 2004 when they recorded a stripped down acoustic album of their favourite tracks Rollback.

In October of this year, the band released a DVD entitled Return Of The Dancehall Sweethearts, a film by Maurice Linnane.

The film is more than a music DVD – it's a social history of Ireland in the 70's told through the filter of Horslips and their music. The Horslips were one of 32 Irish and International bands to descend on Dingle for the duration of the Other Voices series.

[More at link...]

The recording of the fourth installment of Other Voices, the internationally acclaimed RTE 2 music series, commenced on December 9 in the intimate surrounds of Dingle’s St James Church.The series, hosted by broadcaster and writer John Kelly, and was filmed in front of a small live audience.

For those unlucky enough not to be part of that audience they can catch the series on RTE 2 from late January onwards.

"I found myself dancing in the bar to a Horslips instrumental"

2005-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Caught this Horslips reference in the Blogger search:

Lovely Leitrim

During the pool the place filled with the local totty out for the night. Nice young ladies they were too but if one was to refer to any of them as "young ladies" the reply was "God you sound like such an aul fella". Aul Fella is it? "Bar keep, 3 vodkas and red bull's at once!". By the end of the night the three of us were in tatters drinking that shit, Dunny was roaring at the one man band from the bar "Horslips!", "Horslips!". (You were Dunny) and because yer man didn't know the words he just played the first few notes over and over. It was good enough for me though.

A few posts here, but the author is a more regular contributor to a group effort entitled Bolloxology.

The Hairless Heart Horslips Fan

2005-12-26T07:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas brought a pleasant surprise when Jem, of the prog-rock scholarly review site Hairless Heart Herald wrote to me:

Hi Lee,

Merry Christmas to you.

Thanks for signing our guest book. [Me: Goodness! I had forgotten this!] Due to PC problems, we have not been receiving all our emails but hopefully that is now sorted.

Coincidentally, KingBathmat mentioned Horslips not long after I got to know him, which was around the time I was helping Horslips gain more new fans by my constant playing of The Tain at the time.

I do wish they would do a few gigs once more but fear that today's UK populous is largely lacking in musical taste...

If memory serves, I found this site through a google search on "Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts" and was immediately captivated by their excellent graphic:

But prompted by Jem's email (and I'm writing back in joy and haste to tell him of Dingle and its upcoming broadcast in February...as well as a suggestion that he review Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts), I spent some time on the site. And my Christmas visitor has a fascinating history of his own!

Born on 23rd December 1957 in London, I was just about old enough to see the changes in the music scene from the fifties crooners whose material was well known largely due to the musical films of the era (Half a Sixpence, Summer Holiday etc) but also including Billy J Kramer, Frank Ifield et al, to the upcoming change in style and tempo that was The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks. Incidentally, the first piece of vinyl I bought was Daydream by the Lovin’ Spoonful – two shillings and nine pence if I recall.

My early musical influence, however, was not the pop of the day but classical music thanks to my father’s keen interest in the genre and extensive record collection. Bach, Beethoven and Mozart were instant hits with me as was Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite and, on the lighter front, Paganini, Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss. Of course there are too many to list but you get the picture. I was never that enamoured with opera as I considered the melody more enjoyable than vocals, or should I say choral works. The only exception to this was the works of Gilbert and Sullivan because of the catchy tunes combined with humorous lyrics and to this end I have even been to see the D’Oyly Carte in action.

Further on down, there's more:

bought few singles and those I did buy were lucky to get into the top 100. The first two albums I bought were by The Move (I’m still a Roy Wood fan) and Mungo Gerry but it wasn’t until 1972 that I first dipped into the world of prog. I’d heard and seen Jethro Tull on the radio and TV in the late 60’s but as soon as I heard a friend’s copy of Aqualung I just knew I had to get it. Soon, all my pocket money was being spent on prog albums that were being released faster than my wallet could contend with. I bought Tubular Bells as soon as it was released before it reached the charts. ELP, Caravan, Genesis, King Crimson, Horslips, Gryphon, Tull, Fairport Convention and Gong soon found a home in my growing collection. Everything stopped for Alan Freeman’s Saturday Rock Show on BBC Radio 1 (2pm to 5pm) when I soaked up the enthusiastic banter and glowed in the fact that 50 per cent of the music played I actually had in my collection and at least 45 per cent I wanted to get. There was no need to buy YES as I had all the tracks etched into my skull from friends non-stop playing of various albums.

And here's his list of timeless classic albums:

JETHRO TULL
- A Passion Play
- Thick As A Brick
- Broadsword And The Beast
CARAVAN
- Land Of Grey And Pink
GENTLE GIANT
- In A Glass House
- Interview
CAMEL
- The Snowgoose
- A Live Record
- Moonmadness (and all the rest)
GENESIS
- Foxtrot
- Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
- Selling England By The Pound
STEVE HACKETT
- Voyage Of The Acolyte
GRYPHON
- Midnight Mushrumps
HORSLIPS
- The Tain
STEELY DAN
- Pretzel Logic
- Aja
RICK WAKEMAN
- Six Wives of Henry VIII
YES
- Close To The Edge
- Fragile
FOCUS
- Hamburger Concerto
- Moving Waves
ANTHONY PHILIPS
- The Geese And The Ghost
PINK FLOYD
- Animals
- Meddle
- Atom Heart Mother
MOVING HEARTS
- The Storm
KING CRIMSON
- In The Court Of The Crimson King
ENID
- In The Region Of The Summer Stars
- Tripping The Light Fantastic

You know, if you swapped out the Horslips selection for a Marillion selection you'd be looking at my husband's record collection circa 'when I met him.' I now feel quite remorseful that I encouraged the donation of much of this vinyl over the years so I could make room for my own selections of Pogues albums and psychobilly bands.

Clearly we just needed to buy more record shelving!

New Photos on Comebackhorslips.com

2005-12-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

I've put my transatlantic insomnia to good use this night/morning and have scanned and uploaded nine photos of my trip to Dublin and Dingle. My web skills have improved considerably over the year, because these seem optimized for quick loading without too much loss in detail.

The photo series starts here.

The new Phil Lynott statue on Harry Street. Photo taken shamelessly from www.comebackhorslips.com

Visitors new to my fansite obsession and regulars who never discovered the secret link to these may also enjoy an older series of photos from last year's visit to Belfast. (Click on the button to see photos.) I actually visited Dublin, Rush, Cork, Kerry and Belfast -- but Belfast is where I finally found batteries for my camera. These load a little slower and I was quite full of pomp and text in those days, but there they are for your enjoyment.

John Kelly on Horslips and Other Voices

2005-12-17T03:28:00.000-08:00

The truth is: I went to Ireland to attend a taping of a television program called Other Voices. Filmed in a small church in Dingle, this show is a music lover's delight:

The fourth series of RTÉ Two's 'Other Voices' once again brings together musicians from various backgrounds, traditions and disciplines to celebrate different sounds and styles of music and voices. 32 Irish and international acts will descend on this small but world-famous Kerry town to take part in the most celebrated rock music event of the year.

Folk legends, illustrious rockers and young pretenders will gather for the weeklong session, a diversity of musical expressions and energy, barely contained within the walls of a 200-year-old church.

I first learned about this show when an email suggestion pointed me toward Sonny Condell's archived set, which is wonderful.

Then when I learned that Horslips was going to be featured in the fourth season just days after my business trip finished, I wrote to the producer of the show, explained myself, and was immediately on the list for tickets.

John Kelly, of Mystery Train on RTE radio was the M.C. Here's how he describes the week as it unfolded in Dingle:

“…Stars are new friends – a great bunch from Canada snapping at the heels of Arcade Fire. Stephen Fretwell is definitely the real thing and everyone is still talking about him. His pals Elbow were magnificent – and a pleasure to have around the place for a few days. Martha Wainwright is another one you’d like to go drinking with every weekend. No fuss. No throwing shapes. Just great music. And of course she didn’t lick it off a stone.

But there’s no point in me pretending otherwise – the real highlight for me was Horslips. I walked in during their soundcheck and heard them play ‘Dearg Doom’ for the first time in…”

But why not read more of John Kelly over at the link?

Horslips mentioned briefly in rec.music.celtic group

2005-12-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

Discussion on 'Midnight Court':

I used to have a performance of the Midnight Court on LP. Don't remember the names of the actors or any other details, only that some members of Horslips (although I think it was before that group was actually formed) did the background music. I am pretty sure that it has never been released on CD.

Is this true, I wonder? It certainly is possible. I am intrigued.

As for Midnight Court, on this recent visit I noticed that Ciaran Carson has done a translation of the eighteenth-century poem:

Carson echoes Merriman's mix of high rhetoric and rude colloquial wit and replicates his probing analysis of sexuality and social mores. The acrobatics of his couplets quicken the poem's passionate argument, capturing its nudges and winks in earthy, contemporary idiom.

What he calls Merriman's 'abundant lexicon of vilification . . . numerous double entendres and gorgeousness of verbal music' comes alive in his brilliant recreation. This Midnight Court unfolds with a spring — and a surprise — in every step.

There's an article by Carson in the Guardian about it too:

Merriman, in later life, must also have been an excellent farmer: in 1797, 17 years after the composition of "Cúirt an Mheán Oíche", the Royal Dublin Society awarded him two prizes, of model spinning wheels, for his flax crop. He was also, at various periods, resident tutor with one or other of the local gentry.

What else do we know? There is an oral tradition that he was the illegitimate son of a local squire, according to some; of a priest, according to others. The theory is given some credence by the paean to bastardy that occupies a great deal of the Old Man's speech in part three of the poem; and there is a further suggestion that he may have been familiar with the English poet Richard Savage's composition, "The Bastard": "Born to himself, by no possession led, / In freedom fostered, and by fortune fed; / Nor guides, nor rules his sovereign choice control, / His body independent as his soul; / Loosed to the world's wide range, enjoined no aim, / Prescribed no duty, and assigned no name: / Nature's unbounded son, he stands alone, / His heart unbiased, and his mind his own."

Another tradition has it that Merriman composed his poem when he was laid up with a leg injury, while he was engaged to be married; and his lines on the sexual prowess of the disabled, in the last part of the poem, are taken as corroboration of this speculation.

It is published by The Gallery Press. My first Gallery Press title was another volume of Carson, and that set off my habit of purchasing at least two or three titles from their list when I'm around bookstores that sell them. Amazingly, this predates my knowledge of the music of Horslips.

It all ties together -- or will once I get back to the website, but only after the holiday baking responsibilities are completed.

Cathal Magee & Horslips

2005-12-10T02:34:00.000-08:00

Teenage Kicks: Cathal Magee

Forget Desert Island Disc... we ask local music heads to tell us about the one song that really blew their fuse way back when
09 December 2005

I grew up listening to music constantly. I was the youngest in my family and had to listen to my elder brothers and sisters practising their instruments religiously. If they weren't playing, they were listening. I preferred my brothers' collection of Thin Lizzy and Horslips records over my sisters' collection of Abba and the Bay City Rollers. On top of this, my mum used to sing all the old Irish ballads at the piano.

Like most teenagers, I wanted my own music and started borrowing cassettes out of Irvinestown library. It was here that I discovered Bowie's Hunky Dory album when I was 13. It completely blew me out of the water. It had everything, from lush piano and string arrangements to edgy rock guitar riffs and folky meanderings.

Tony Clayton-Lea on the Horslips DVD

2005-12-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts

It's all coming back now - seeing Horslips as a teenager and wondering how their parents allowed them to have such long hair and wear such uncommonly cool clothes as satin jackets and elephant loon trousers...

More at the link.

More News on "Other Voices"

2005-11-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

Blunt and Bell X1 for Other Voices

The line-up for the fourth series of 'Two Sounds: Other Voices' has been announced, with Bell X1, James Blunt and Rufus and Martha Wainwright among the artists taking part in the acclaimed music festival in Dingle next month.

The series is being recorded over eight nights in Dingle from 9 to 16 December and will debut on RTÉ Two in January.

32 Irish and international acts will take part in this year's festival at St James' Church in the Kerry town.

Among the other acts confirmed are: Elbow, José González, Horslips, Iarla Ó Lionáird, The Walls and The Waterboys, with new Irish talent represented by the likes of Humanzi, Delorentos and The Immediate.

With seating capacity at St James' Church limited to 70 each night, tickets, priced €25, can be obtained by emailing: othervoices@eircom.net. A limited number of tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday 29 November, from The Music House, Orchard Lane, Dingle and The Dingle Record Shop, Green Street, Dingle and by calling 087 9829728.

The confirmed line-up so far is:

Friday 9 December
Laura Cantrell (duo)
Vyvienne Long
The Walls

Saturday 10 December
Pinky (solo)
Humanzi
José Gonález
The Waterboys

Sunday 11 December
Miriam Ingram (solo)
Stephen Fretwell
I Am Kloot
Elbow

Monday 12 December
Stars
Horslips
Trashcan Sinatras

Tuesday 13 December
Julie Feeney (solo)
Martha Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
James Blunt

Wednesday 14 December
Iarla Ó Lionáird (solo)
Jape
Alabama 3

Thursday 15 December
Matt Lunson (solo)
The Immediate
Hal
Bell X1

Friday 16 December
Nizlopi (duo)
Delorentos
Dave Couse

For more information on the festival and series in the coming weeks, and to watch performances from the last series, visit www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices

At Michael Rafferty's request: A correction

2005-11-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Michael Rafferty from the Horslips tribute (the guy on the left) writes the following:

Just to tell you that the small toddler fellow in the background isn't Paddy Bogues! Paddy Bogues is nearly 16 years old! we're trying to keep this a secret from him...

Ah well! Corrections to the Photos at Horslips Tribute Site post have been made summarily.

Not my week for accuracy! I put Stan Freberg in an early grave and misheard one of the Duke De Mondo's albums as a break-up album, when, by his own words, it is a longing-for album. Now call me an old-fashioned romantic, but any 'longing for' album that begins with a song entitled I Do Believe You Are the Devil might foreshadow a somewhat fiery relationship that might be best to be reconsidered.

Horslips to be on Other Voices, RTE Series

2005-11-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

It's old news on the Horslips Official Site, but it's now official in Hot Press.

Other Voices, the RTE series featuring acclaimed bands playing in an intimate venue in Dingle, Kerry, will kick off its fourth year with a series of recordings in December.

The gigs take place at St James’ Church in the next three weeks, and will be broadcast by RTE in the New Year.

With the likes of James Blunt, The Waterboys, Horslips, Alabama 3, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, BellX1 and Elbow playing alongside Delorentos, Nizlopi, Humanzi and others in front of just 70 people, the limited number of tickets for each show will no doubt be snapped up quick smart.

More at the link, including ticket availability details. Requires registration.

I've been chomping at the bit to cover some of the great things I've learned about this RTE program and this venue. That will begin now.

For instance, Dingle is one of the places that still has an active Wren Day celebration. Picked up that info at the Chieftain from Brian, the guy I've loaned my Horslips CDs to. But more web resources and such to follow.

Google News Alerts, my trusted source of information on all sorts of things, has started sending me news alerts about my own blog! Which means that anyone who has set their alert to give them news about "Horslips" or "Barry Devlin" "Johnny Fean" and so on...is getting hit with my postings. But thankfully, not when I am talking about the Vatican or vampires.

Emm Gryner on The View, RTEOther Emm News

2005-11-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

I've heard good things about Emm's Crawdaddy gig, and the Horslips Tribute Band has pointed me toward a full download of Emm's take on Dearg Doom

But here's Emm on The View, RTE

Canadian singer-songwriter Emm Gryner, who has worked and toured with David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield and Rufus Wainwright, is on tour in Ireland all this week. Her latest album, 'Songs of Love and Death', reflects her interest in her Irish roots and features her own takes on classics of the Irish canon - songs by the likes of Ash, The Undertones, The Virgin Prunes and Gilbert O'Sullivan.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2093313.smil

(Launch the clip from the View's site or paste the above into your media player.)

Promoting the Next Gig: Emm Gryner

2005-11-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

25/11 Half Moon Theatre, Cork
26/11 Dolan's Upstairs, Limerick
27/11 Connolly's, Leap

(Apple pie is baking in the oven...so this is blog time!)

Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts DVD Review

2005-11-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

From the Irish Times, November 18

Just posted over at the media scrapbook at Come Back Horslips.

DVD is available online at Irish Music Shop.

Promoting the Next Gig: Johnny Fean and Steve Travers

2005-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

Johnny Fean and Stephen Travers at the Cobblestone TONITE

Date: 18 November 2005
Time: 9.00pm
Website: Johnny Fean and Steve Travers
Price: €15.00 - 13.00

Venue Details
Cobblestone
North King St
Smithfield
Dublin 7
Phone: +353 1 872 1799
Email: paul@musiclee.ie
Website: www.musiclee.ie

Carr's Cocktail Shack Playlist Corrections

2005-11-15T02:45:00.000-08:00

Just a few little corrections, highlighted, to last Sunday's excellent show:

Brazil, Desi Arnez
Peanut Vendor, Anita O’Day
Little Red Rooster, Sam Cooke and Billy Preston
Fever, Little Willie John

Cocktail Du Jour “Absent Friend”
Absinthe, Gin, Cointreau, and Lemon Juice. Shaken with ice. Recipe details to be posted later.

La Vie en Rose, Sam Butera and the Witnesses
Help Yourself, Tom Jones
Mucha Muchacha, Esquivel (see Lola’s comment below)
House of Bamboo, Earl Grant
Quiet Village, Martin Denny

Besame Mucho, The Ray-O-Vacs with Lester Harris
Move Over Darling, Doris Day
My Pussen, Lord Kitchener
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Perez Prado
Our Day Will Come, Ruby and the Romantics
Make it Easy on Yourself, Jackie Trent
Comin’ Home Baby, Mel Torme
Gonna Get Along Without Ya, Trini Lopez
Hum Drum Blues, Oscar Brown
As Time Goes By, Sam

Sunday's show should appear in the Carr's Cocktail Shack Web Archives.

Carr's Cocktail Shack: the Last Round

2005-11-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Brazil, Desi Arnez
Peanut Vendor, Anita O’Day
Little Red Rooster, Sam Cooke and Billy Preston
Fever, Little Willie John

Cocktail Du Jour “Absent Friend”
Absinthe, Gin, Cointreau, and Lemon Juice. Shaken with ice. Recipe details to be posted later.

La Vie en Rose, Sam Butera and the Witnesses
Help Yourself, Tom Jones
Mucha Muchacha, Esquivel (see Lola’s comment below)
House of Bamboo, Earl Grant
Quiet Village, Martin Denny

At this point, the snow flurries over the Sierras started playing havoc with the telegraph wires, and the following set was intermittent and sometimes absent for whole minutes:

Beseme Mucho, unable to determine artist
Move Over Darling, Doris Day
My Pussen, Lord Kitchener
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Perez Prado
Our Day Will Come, Ruby and the Romantics
Make it Easy on Yourself, Dionne Warwick
I’m Comin’ Home, Walker Brothers
Gonna Get Along Without Ya, Trini Lopez
Hum Drum Blues, Oscar Brown
As Time Goes By, Sam

And the chatter I heard before the show indicates that the website is up for a good long time, so be sure to check out those Cocktail Shack shows you’ve missed in Carr’s Cocktail Shack archives.

"Oh hello Perforated Eardrum!

You: Muchacho. Me: Muchacha!"

Another lovely image of Lola the Vamp at conceptimages.org

Bottoms up!

Rate Your Horslips Albums

2005-11-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

A chance mention of Horslips in the rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1970s has led to a discovery of a great little site.

But first, I do think the thread above is worth a read. I'm still idling on some of the memories of the American rock music industry in the late 70s that my initial viewing of The Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts has jump-started.

And while the engine on that particular rant is warming up and getting ready to burn rubber, I do find it interesting that this discussion is speaking a truth that we all try to forget: namely, rock-n-roll music nearly went under in the late 70s. It wasn't even rock-n-roll anymore...it was Rock Music on AOR Radio with corporate sponsor concert tours and boardroom decisions on the Next Big Thing. It was a bloated and curled around a toilet and old before its time. I'm not saying that it is much better now. But if you were young back then (and I mean a teenager) you might remember how much work you had to do on your own to get a hold of that Jonathan Richman album or the Ramones or find a station that might play something real risk-taking like The Sex Pistols.

Or, say, Horslips.

Because the thread is slightly wrong, as is the premise of my argument above. 1976 was a great year for rock music. And, as Danny and the Juniors promise, rock and roll will never die.

But 1976 was a lousy year for new rock music or rock music outside the industry expectations of what would sell. The genres of the form were slowly closing in on the audience, like the scene in Star Wars where the walls of the trash compactor are moving in on Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie. (Star Wars metaphors are required in 70s rants.) 1977 was a bad year for it too. '78? Nope. '79...forget it. The main channels of production, promotion, and distribution for rock and roll were what needed to die. And that's where...

But wait! I wasn't going to do that rant yet, was I? Anyway. Read the thread if you like, but the real link in this post is below:

Rate Your Music.com's Horslips page

Speaking of new channels of promotion! Here's a site that is something of a 'Peoples' Record Rating service. I found it through the thread above, because they list The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony in their top 100 albums of 1976. "Hang on," I said, "That can't be an industry chart! It clearly isn't based on money, and it doesn't look like elite rock critic choices either...so it must be by people who just love the music."

Looking around I see my friend Aidan Curran has already been at the Horslips ratings. I've signed up just now and have already weighed in on Happy to Meet Sorry to Part and plan to work my way through the rest.

"Her and a thousand other girls" he said.

2005-11-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Not yet on the Comebackhorslips.com With The Band Pages but should be:

Yes. Just what is it with Barry Devlin and the ladies?

"Tonight you're with me..."

2005-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

All the way from the Tower Records on Wicklow Street, via the good folk of An Post (Really mean that too, you crazy kids! Though I understand sometimes you gotta talk things over...) and then into the sometimes wacky but always dependable "nor rain-nor sleet-nor snow" boys and girls of Ben Franklin's first US employer...and finally the tender care of our current company mail clerk who is doing a great job while Joe Pachinko takes a two week vacation to write the novel that is going to "Wake Everybody Up to the Truth Man!"and finally me thinking "hey I should check the mail because there ain't gonna be none today..."

At the end of this long journey which began with the quick-thinking resourcefulness of Brendan "Nevada Gulch" McLoughlin one week ago this very day:

THE RETURN OF THE
DANCEHALL SWEETHEARTS
DVD IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the iTunes player: Was "Rain Dogs", Tom Waits...now we got "The Power and the Glory" from The Best of Horslips double CD set.

"One more for my baby. One more for the Road"

2005-11-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

I've received word that this Sunday is Carr's Cocktail Shack's final round! Yes, the clock on the wall says three o:clock. Last call. For alcohol.

From the very first show, the Shack has been a treat. The way it came quickly to the point with the Celtic Orgasm. ("See!" my girlfriends would say. "Full speed ahead and no dawdling. 'Why take all night about it?' is their motto.") The Jungle Room gems of Graceland in the Elvis Extravanganza. The rollcall of great mambo kings Perez Prado and Machito and more. Neil Sedaka singing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' The smokey sirens of song like Peggy Lee and Keely Smith. Last week's fantastic redis/covering of great Beatles tunes. And not to mention: Lola the Vamp's silk panties. From the beginning: the Shack served a mix of music and chat that kicked.

And it is going to go out with a bang they say...and a few surprises! So DON'T MISS IT. Listen to it live on your radio dial at 92.1 Choice FM, Dublin or on your browser at www.choicefmdublin.com. And revisit your favorite Shack on the ChoiceFM web archives.

And then...the Cocktail Shack neon sign will fade into dawn's faint light and we'll all have to go our separate ways...

"Oh! I could use a ride home!
How sweet of you to ask."

"Just let me grab my coat. It might be cold outside!"

Write to Lola. She'd love to hear from you. And check out this whole new gallery of photos of lovely Lola here at Conceptimages.org.