Milk Market Gig No.3

Just announced the third act to play the excellent big top is the Villagers!
Villagers come back to limerick after a wonderful show last December in St.Johns church. On the 23rd of September will be the local gig of the year, Tickets go on sale today for 23 euro.

Dolans Summer Party #1 Aug 6th

A whole host of acts will be in Dolans on the 6th of August to celebrate all things summer curated by Out on a Limb Records. The acts on the OOAL label & guests will play a 12 hour festival type party in the docklands venue. All for just 5 squid, You gotta love this town! Worth checking it out!
Info:
www.outonalimbrecords.com
www.dolanspub.com

Mahlon Sweet Field this Weekend

Limerick outfit Mahlon Sweet Field, Comprised of a stellar cast of local musician including some from the legendary "Woodstar" troupe. Support on the night comes from Pa O'Brien from "Last Days of Death Country" & Mister Justin and finishing off this excellent line up is the brilliant DJ Tom Fitz!
Check out MSF here and download their magnificent 6 track free download. http://mahlonsweetfield.bandcamp.com/
Wont be around Saturday but hopefully this gig will be a start of more to follow.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich Live at Dolans Limerick 18/07/2011 Review

A typical mid-July summers evening was upon us i.e. miserable, cold and wet and upstairs in dolans was nicely kitted out with candle lit tables and chairs strewn about the place. The support act tonight was Ben Oit. A Belgian born long time limerick resident played a nice set of home grown acoustic songs backed by a bassist. If you have to draw some comparison I would say Jack Johnson/Ryan Sheridan caught up in a buzz of soulful blues and jazz. Check him out for yourself here http://www.youtube.com/benoitvibes

Next up was the triple barrelled Benjamin Francis Leftwich, I picked up a copy of his new debut album Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm a few days ago, thanks to some Internet blog buzz about the chap. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this record, playing in at just over a half an hour of blissfully played guitar and excellent stories to accompany this. I love the imagery of the Sea and Stars throughout the album.

Tonight in Dolans was Benjamin's fourth night of a six gig Irish tour. The crowd were excellent tonight with the only noise in the place coming from pints being poured, Benjamin looked like he really enjoyed the place and commenting that it was the best place on the tour so far. We were treated to a lovely set filled with early EP released songs and a host from the excellent debut album. He also played three new tracks showing signs of great things to come from the York born singer. He opted at times to sing sans mic due to the brilliant silence from the crowd, adding a lovely intimate gig feeling, Benjamin said he would be back around these parts in November, Hopefully he will play Limerick again, Cheers for a great night!

Check him out here : http://www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

Set List

1904

Pictures
Break the Day Open
Maps
Bottle Baby
Snowship
Butterfly Culture
Stole You Away
Shine
Is That You On That Plane
Box of Stones
Atlas Hands

Benjamin Francis Leftwich in Dolans Next Monday

Really enjoying this guys new release entitled Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, Benjamin plays dolans on the 18th of July as part of his 6 date Irish tour. This guy is worth checking out!!! The new album streams below.

Albums Worth Listening to in July 2011

From L-R
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Beirut - The Rip Tide
Cashier No.9 - To The Death of Fun
Lamb - 5
The Japanese Popstars - Controlling Your Allegiance
Paddy Mulcahy - Trouble Instigator (Check him out here http://www.myspace.com/paddymulcahy)

As always suggestion very welcome!

Moscow Metro Live at Foleys Bar, Limerick 30/06/2011 REVIEW

The excellent singer songwriter night in Foley's had a great crowd in tonight. The weekly Thursday gig is a great platform for budding singers and bands to showcase their talent on front of a live audience. The organisers do a great service and run it well, each week sees a different headline act and tonight it was the turn of the young limerick act Moscow Metro.

The lads have been keeping a low profile in terms of gigging and now with a track called "Spirit of the City" seeing the light of day the band are beginning to make inroads.

We witnessed various singers take to the stage bringing their homegrown bedroom hits to the masses, Its a great evening if you have a Thursday night to spare and if you have some tunes of you own even better,

The headliners took to the stage to rapturous applause as it was clear the larger crowd were in for them, They played a small set which included a new member in the form of Jules on the piano. If you were to pick bands that sound like MM I would still say very "The National" vibes and at times touches of the "XX" when the keyboard was introduced, Lead singer Barry Mc Nulty has hints of a billy corganesque vocals. The sound quality on the night wasn't the greatest but its hard to harness a full band not used to the equipment in such short notice. The band give off a great energy and its fantastic to see a young local band on the up with excellent songs up their sleeve. Keep an eye out for Moscow Metro as I'm sure you will hear alot more from this band in the future.

Check out the Limerick Songwriter Night here http://limericksongwriters.blogspot.com/
Check out Moscow Metro Here http://breakingtunes.com/moscowmetro

Ryan Adams live at 02 Glasgow Academy, 25/06/11 REVIEW

There are a handful of acts that I would see time and time again, but there are none that I would head off on a Ryanair flight at stupid o’clock for - bar Ryan Adams. Two years after he announced that he would be retiring from music for a bit, he decided an acoustic European tour was on the cards. He had announced a handful of dates but unfortunately no Irish gigs, so I snapped up the only reasonably- priced weekend gig in Glasgow. Soon after of course, he announced two Irish dates but thankfully I would have been out of the country anyways, and so didn’t feel too bad. This would be my third time to see Ryan live; the last two gigs were with the Cardinals, so I was really looking forward to a stripped down acoustic gig. Check out the two reviews here and get the bootleg of the 2008 Dublin show here too, one of the best gigs ever.http://indielimerick.blogspot.com/2009/02/ryan-adams-irish-tour-history.html

I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely a city Glasgow is, as we arrived at ten in the morning of the gig we had plenty of time to explore. The city is rich with beautiful architecture and is a real shopper’s paradise (the girlfriend was undeniably impressed!) We decided to head to the gig early as it was unreserved seating. The O2 academy was situated a couple of minutes walk from the main streets. The queue was winding its way around the block and down the street with 40 minutes before the doors would open, and it was clear that the attendees were genuine devotees. A mish mash of flannel checked shirts snaked round the old building - I always get a kick out of the guys who are literally the head off of Ryan, a nice bunch as always.

We were in luck and secured two seats dead centre in the 6th row. The academy was a lovely building from the inside boasting balcony seats and a huge stage. Jessie Malin was the support for the night and played a nice set for an hour. The set was punctuated with funny/slightly disturbing stories of the road and childhood, and to be frank I felt he spent too much time in one-way, somewhat self-indulgent conversation with the crowd and I really couldn't warm to him at all. I have listened to his stuff a few times but never could connect with the music, though admire the songs themselves. The stilted set and forced banter reaffirmed that I'm not a fan, but the crowd enjoyed it and it set it up nicely for Ryans arrival.

I had a good idea of the show/treat we were about to get thanks to great reviews and the lovely people over at ryanadamsarchive.com but nothing prepared us for the amazing 26 song, 2 and half hour acoustic bliss we experienced. He just seemed to be having such a great time weaving in and out of his discography aided by an endearingly dishevelled book of songs on front of him. He seems to have fallen back in love with his solo stuff and we got 5 from "Heartbreaker" and 4 from "Gold" his first two solo records. An amazing set spanned the length of his releases including “16 days” from his previous band "Whiskeytown". Unusually, he didn't play any new tracks in such a massive set but I wasn't complaining. Throughout the current tour he has been showcasing some new tunes so hopefully we will see a new solo album soon. I picked up a 2 track 7 inch at the gig with an Alice in Chains cover of “Nutshell” and a lovely new track entitled “Empty Room” - it’s a sound of good things to come.

As you may know, it can sometimes be hard to tell what Ryan will show up on the night, and on this particular night we had a phone go off, People shouting out stuff, people shuffling to the bathroom and people recording the show on camera. All these things in previous gigs would have set him off and would have disrupted the flow but it didn't faze him one bit as he threw back fun banter and seemed in such great form. He gave out about recording the show on phones/cameras and said we should just enjoy the moment; I respected this and didn't take out the camera once. Some may perceive this as somewhat diva-esque behaviour but I think everybody genuinely respected it, was just something he is not cool with, which is fair enough. You could speculate as to the reasons behind this aversion to recording in gigs, and it could be for many reasons, but I suspect that in this stripped back setting, with the singer completely exposed with only a guitar/piano for company – it may be that blinking red lights/flashes may be distracting, and may unearth a sense of insecurity in the performer, which is very understandable.

At times he seemed a little nervous and lacked confidence in his own ability, being especially self-deprecating about his ability on the piano, but he had no need to be. Some hilarious banter ensued throughout the night including telling a guy to take his girlfriend home as he caught her falling asleep – “She has enough alt country for the night, take her home while you still can” :)

After playing for ages it looked like there would be no encore and that he had just played straight through. After "Come Pick Me Up" the house lights went up as did the crowd to a standing ovation, and Ryan seemed delighted heading off. I put the coat on and started to head out, and just as we were all remarking on what a great night it was, the lights went down and back he came, announcing
“I know it’s passed curfew, but to hell with it”. He played 6 more. He ruffled through his songbook like a mad scientist and handpicked some gems, including some audience requests. He was hesitant to play "Dear Chicago" when it was shouted out but thankfully obliged. He was not happy with the outcome himself but it was one hell of a rendition. Someone right at the end shouted for "Goodnight Rose" and misheard it for "Goodnight Bob" and he then lashed into an off the cuff tune about a guy who owned a failed Laundromat and a crap car. Seeing as there was nothing that could really follow that, the evening drew to a close. A very funny end to an amazing night and off he went content to another standing ovation. One of the best gigs I was ever at, if not the best. Thanks for an amazing weekend and well worth the trip from Limerick. Cheers!

Oh My Sweet Carolina
Why Do They Leave?
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Carolina Rain
Blue Hotel
If I Am a Stranger
New York, New York
Firecracker
My Winding Wheel
Let It Ride
Desire
Sweet Illusions
Everybody Knows
To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)
Two
The Rescue Blues
16 Days
Kiss Improv - Take That Girl Home
This House is Not for Sale
SYLVIA PLATH
Come Pick Me Up


Encore:
English Girls Approximately
September
Halloween
Dear Chicago
Jacksonville Skyline
Goodnight Bob Improv

Moscow Metro to Play Gig Next Week

New to the scene Moscow Metro will headline the excellent Singer Songwriter night in Foley's bar on Sarsfield St. The local act are up and coming and I'm sure you will start to hear alot more from these guys in the future. With an EP in the pipeline, its worth checking MM out live to really have the full effect of their sound. Their sound akin to the National with a dash of Interpol and some Limerick charm. Check out a track below and be sure to check them out next Thursday the 30th in Foley's.
Spirit Of The City by Moscow Metro

Albums Worth Listening to in June 2011

L-R
Siobhan O'Brien - Siobhan O'Brien (Buy The Album Here)
Alessi's Ark - Time Travel
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters – The Devil In Music (Check them out here)
Nick Carswell & The Elective Orchestra - The Word (Buy Here)

Seriously late with this due to being on holidays for the last two weeks, Apologies for the lack of blog activity. As always suggestions very very welcome.

Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters Live at Dolans, Limerick 28/05/2011 Review

Setlist:
Little Black Marble
Hatch Sixteen
Strip The City
That Old Chestnut
Throwing Shapes
Milkanoid
Thread The Needle
Running On Fumes
Firefly
Fight The Grey
Homeward Bound & Gagged
Encore:
Wasteland Overture
Spring Break
Keychain
Darker Shade of Blue