culture notes & that…

The QME performance on Saturday night last was a beautiful exploration of improvised and experimental electro-acoustic music. I’ll write a longer post on the event once I get the pics.

A project initiated by artist Mark Garry went online on MySpace today, it’s worth checking out if you get a chance. Sending Letters to the Sea is a music project that brings together musicians Ireland and France that work across genres. It includes contributions from Karl Him, Nina Hynes, Sean Carpio and Fabien Leseure.

On Friday (06 Nov) in Cork UCC Concert Series presents an improv session with Han-Earl Park and Paul Dunmall. It’s a lunchtime event so if you’re around Cork at lunch drop over to O’Riada Hall in UCC.

Jonathan Grimes uploaded a video of Roger Doyle’s 60th birthday concert to his blog – check it out

CMC are hosting open nights for student composers (Tues 04 Nov) and student music teachers (Mon 09 Nov) – details here

Donal Dineen’s Small Hours presents Fresh Air Festival – a  celebration of his picks of new music. It’s airing on Today during Dineen’s 12 midnight to 2am slot and will include artists such as 3epkano, chequerboard, dark room notes, Katie Kim, R.S.A.G and a load of others. I’m going to try catch the first show tonight although am pretty wrecked after the weekend so we’ll see if I make it through the whole show.

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ArtCamp is a new initiative along the same lines as BarCamp for artists and arts workers. There is no info up yet but keep an eye on the site for updates.

Take your Seat initiative runs from 09 – 14 November, promoting arts and performance. The initiative aims to demonstrate that attending events is not just about box office takings but is about supporting the performers -the people who dedicate themselves to standing/sitting in front of the audience on an ongoing basis. As someone who always found it painful to stand up in front of anyone and perform, I wholeheartedly support the initiative – get out there and put bums on seats!

The National Campaign for the Arts is growing in numbers. If you haven’t already become a member please join up and show your support – many of us are connected with the arts, either directly and indirectly. Any cuts to public support for the arts will have a detrimental effect on the lives of many people I know. Use your vote and your voice. They also have a petition on the website, which includes the retention of Culture Ireland, The Film Board and artists exemption.

 

quick post

I’ve missed a load of gigs I wanted to flag because I’m up the walls in prep for the QME gig in DEAF09 this weekend. The QME are performing on the last day of the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival and we’re in the middle of rehearsals at the moment. They’re going really well and after listening to them rehearse Alvin Lucier’s Shadow Lines yesterday I’m really excited about Saturday evening. The performance lasts from 5pm -10pm; drop in at any stage during the evening, there is no obligation to stay for the full 5 hours. The tickets for that gig are on sale at www.tickets.ie from a very reasonable €15/10!

I was very sorry to hear today that this year’s DEAF is going to be the last festival. Organisers Eamonn Doyle and Karen Walsh are gearing up for a big blow-out party on Saturday night to give the festival the send-off it deserves. After eight years running DEAF both Karen and Eamonn have other projects they want to start. It’s a shame that a festival as great as DEAF will come to an end as the organisers move on, but this is the case in a small country such as Ireland where great events are dependent on a few key individuals.

Also – something sweet and non-music related: Temple Bar Chocolate Festival is this weekend!! Yum!

I’m not sure if he’s still doing it but Damien Mulley was putting together a list of interested bloggers to go on the mail out lists of PR company mailouts.

When I originally made the note to blog about the new Tom Waits album you could listen to it for free online. I did. It’s great. Sorry…….

Global Irish Economic Forum Report from the Dept of Education

My DEAF picks

I finally had a chance to have a look through the DEAF programme and these are my picks over the ten days (watch for the plugging!). After I completed the list I realised there is no way I’ll actually get to all these gigs, especially as some of them overlap but if I could bi-locate this is what I would check out

Ongoing:

ATOM: Meditations on the disappearance of the independent record shop, Projector Collective @ Filmbase

Donal Dineen: Mix media installation @ Filmbase

RELAY: Online sound project, Presented by The Model @ Filmbase

Thurs 22 Oct

Messages Sonores: Peter Maybury @ Road Records, 11am – 6pm

Beautiful Unit: Presented by The Model, New Spaces for Music, Location to be announced online, 7pm*

Fri 23 Oct (AKA Spatial Music Collective day!)

Spatial Music Collective: Workshops @ NCH, 2-5pm

Spatial Music Collective: Alvin Lucier’s I am sitting in a room @ NCH, 6.30pm

Spatial Music Collective: 8.5 @ NCH, 8pm

Baby Beef: Presented by The Model, New Spaces for Music, Location to be announced online, 7pm*

Dam Funk (actually I’ll be going just for DJ Kormac): @ Twisted Pepper, 11pm

Sat 24 Oct

Somadrome: Presented by The Model, New Spaces for Music, Location to be announced online, 7pm*

Sun 25 Oct

Roger Doyle: Crash Ensemble @ Project Arts Centre, 7.30pm

Sunday Roast: @ Globe Bar, 8pm

Mon 26 Oct

Yurodny: Presented by Diatribe Recordings @ Button Factory, 7pm

Thurs 29 Oct

Relay Launch: Polly Fibre performance & talk from curator John Lambert @ Filmbase, 6pm

My Heart is in the East: An evening of Sephardic and Persian music @ Smock Alley, 8pm (I caught a similar programme in the Samuel Beckett a few months ago and it was a beautiful performance – check out my post on it here)

Sat 31 Oct

night leaves breathing: Quiet Music Ensemble @ Filmbase, 5-10.30pmpm (plug!!!!)

A Gallimaufry: Mountains @ Douglas Hyde, 2-10pm

*New Spaces for Music details correct at time of posting but are subject to change so keep an eye on DEAF twitter!

The hiatus comes to an end

Upcoming events

(Plug Alert!) On 31 October in Filmbase the Quiet Music Ensemble (QME) present night leaves breathing; their first performance since the launch of the ensemble in July 2008. Prepare yourself for a 5-hour extravaganza of experimental music, sonic environments, uncommon Dreamhouse and drone music as the QME brings DEAF09 to a close. The QME website is under development at the moment so there are a few bugs but there is gig info here and tickets here. The QME will be joined by musician, curator and writer David Toop for an improvisation and the event will conclude with a performance of his work for the QME night leaves breathing.  MySpace & facebook

Kaleidoscope is a new music series curated by musicians Kate Ellis and Clíodhna Ryan. I missed the first night at the beginning of October but will definitely be heading along to the next one on 03 Nov in the Odessa Club. For those of you interested in eclectic performance across all areas of classical music this is definitely one for you.

Ergodos present Smyth/Marshall/Sanders this Wed coming (14 Oct) in the NCH. Info on the gig here and tickets from the NCH website.

Stet Lab in Cork kick off their 2009/2010 series this evening in The Roundy, Castle St. With performance titles such as Folk from Hell and Tuba and Laptop Shenanigans you can be sure this is going to be a very interesting evening of experimental music!

Reviews in brief

Jaki Irvine’s new work Seven Folds in Time is showing now in Temple Bar Gallery & Studios and will continue until 31 October. The piece explores the relationship between music and image and plays on the space that exists around practice and anticipation of performance. I find it resonates specifically with the performer in me, however the positioning of the monitors and the extreme close-up shots of the performers allow viewers with no performance history to enter that space and experience the concentrated state of trance when preparing for some future performance.

I made the trip to Louth on 01 October to experience the unique sounds of the Hilliard Ensemble at their best. Performing their Arhkangelos programme, the ensemble brought the audience on a tour of sacred music across Europe, traversing West to East. I could easily write a long review of the performance but time limits only allow me to link to the review by Philip Hammond. If I miraculously find time in the next few weeks I’ll detail my experience.

Culture notes

The deadline for Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme is less than a month away at this stage. Get your applications in to me before 02 November. More information on the award here, email me on capitalscheme@musicnetwork.ie or call 01 671 9429.

The Journal of Music is unlocking articles for a day at a time – today’s article is an interview with pianist Paul G. Smyth by Benedict Schlepper-Connolly.

There is a forum for experimental music meet-up’s online and the site has a Dublin-based group. At the moment it seems like a space for new arrivals in Ireland to make friends, regardless of their musical leanings, but has the potential to become a good networking site for new music. Keep an eye on it…

Culture Notes

CMC’s plans for Culture Night unveiled – technophiles take note!

Justin Carroll’s group Togetherness perform in The Back Loft on Sat 19 Sept. I’m not in Dublin that weekend but it should be a great gig with Sean Carpio on drums, Dave Redmond on bass and Hughes Mayot on sax.

size2shoes are going from strength to strength and about just launched a “mini-website”, The Vault, featuring tracks, interviews, free downloads and loads more. I really like these guys after seeing them support Julie Feeney in Crawdaddy for her album launch. They’re gas lads, check it out – you might even learn a bit of beatboxing from Moley…

I joined artists network called Art Review but am still trying to figure out how it’s going to benefit me… More on this as soon as I figure it out…

Unique performer Dave Flynn is featured on two new releases – his own CD of contemporary traditional Irish guitar available for purchase here, and his guitar music also features in a publication called Contemporary Anthology of Solo Guitar for Five Fingers of the Right Hand. I haven’t had a chance yet to listen to the CD yet but if Flynn’s live performances are anything to go by it should be an excellent listen.

On Thur 27 Sept The Clonmel Junction Festival presents Dulsori in Chadwicks. “Their energetic, elemental performances are raw and passionate affairs as the world’s most enthralling drumming troupes. Dulsori never fail to thrill and excite.” – sounds like great craic and it’s very reasonably priced at €15 for adults and €5 for children. Call Premier Music on 052 6129811 for tickets!

Culture Notes

Just in the door from Waterworn as a part of Absolute Fringe and it was really, simply the most elegant work I have laid my eyes on. A shadow play based on a tale of sea adventure, the play revolved around one character and his day at sea, hunting whales. I haven’t seen shadow puppets since I was a child and my Dad used to make them to entertain us before we went to sleep and this was a treat and a half. On entering the darkened tent space, we passed a hunched over figure playing an out of tune piano that managed to sound charming without grating on the ears. The lights came up behind the sheet and there was an instant engagement with the silhouetted figure. There is something lonely and poignant about shadow plays that lent itself perfectly to the tale of loneliness and tragedy at sea; enhanced by the Michael Nyman-style repetitive rhythms of the piano. I went with my friend Niamh and after the play she remarked that the haphazard tuning and creaks of the old piano made perfect sense in the handmade tone of the production. If you get a chance, please see it – it made us want to run home and create our own shadow play theatre, and we might just do that yet!

I also got a chance today to drop into the Douglas Hyde at lunch for a short talk by the curatorial assistant Barry White about the current exhibition of Paki Smith works. I hadn’t actually seen the show at that point and was delighted to be introduced to some of the works within the context of Paki’s work. The show is brilliant – there’s an awful lot of work displayed, supplemented by a load of his workbooks and journals, but its well worth taking the time to see everything. I found the imagery, ideas and imagination in the work really inspiring and have a small idea for a wee craft project after spending time in the space.

I have a ticket in my pocket for the Synth Eastwood gig at the Spiegeltent tomorrow so very much looking forward to that and in particular to the spatial mc two-hour pre-show gig! Spatial mc emailed out a list  “eye-catching facts about the show”:
• Sadly this is the last year The Spiegeltent is in Dublin
• This is the best priced show in The Spiegeltent (€15!)
• Free Absolut reception!
• 5 minor Irish celebrities may be in attendance
• 6 different music styles on offer
• Multi speaker dancing is the equivalent of 2 triathlons
• Free Absolut reception!

Culture Night is only a few weeks away at this stage and because it’s taking to the road and going national this year there are a few serious decisions to be made. For the past few years it was just a matter of trying to decide which of the many, many events to attend in Dublin, however this year we’re faced with the option of heading home or to other parts of the country to sample the cultural events on offer there. I’ve decided to head for west and will be spending the night in Sligo taking in all they have to offer. More anon…

One last quick note – google give grants to arts and not-for-profit organisations looking to use their Ad Words facility. Get in touch people!

Music for the Golden Vale round-up

So I’m back online after an amazing weekend in Tipperary (apart from the small matter of Tipperary losing the all-Ireland).

I’m still processing the weekend in my own way – by the time the performance started I was so invested in it’s outcome that I found it difficult to stand back from the performance an evaluate it critically. I had hoped to have someone do that evaluation for me but due to tighter and tighter budget I had to leave that out at the last minute. It really was wonderful though. There was a smaller audience than I had hoped but those who made it were absolutely attentive and seemed as invested as I was. The new commission by Ian Wilson, performed by the NCC and Iarla Ó Lionáird , under the baton of James Wood was beautiful and at the end of the evening, was very emotional for me personally.

A huge thank you to all involved. I need to take this space to say thanks in particular to my brother Donnachadh who spent the day ferrying me around, taking care of everything I need and to Niamh Ryan who ran my box office and was there the whole way through the development of the project as an objective point of view. Without the two of them I would have been absolutely lost in the production on the day.

The evening ended with a great Tipperary-style knees up in my Holycross local, with music played into the wee hours (and some Kerry slides danced in the lounge)!

Upcoming gigs

There must be something I’m missing on the Tipperary gig, considering I’ve found the time two nights in a row to write blog posts – choir? [check], conductor? [check], soloist? [check], venue? [check], audience? [aha... fingers crossed!]

I missed the ICC gig last night but had a chance to get to know conductor James Wood so I’ll make the next gig.

Music Network are conducting an audience survey at the moment and would greatly appreciate your participation – get on it people!

Louth Contemporary Music Society have two amazing gigs on the way. Temenos is a two night event, the first performance on 24 September featuring works by Ukranian composer Valentyn Silvestrov, including two world premieres and the second performance on 01 October featuring the remarkable Hilliard Ensemble performing a programme of sacred music under the title Arkhangelos. A new choir, entitled Louth Voices, will perform works in the Silvestrov programme and I’m looking forward to hear their work under conductor Tõnu Kaljuste.

I can’t remember if I have already mentioned this but the deadline for the next Music Network Recording Scheme award is Monday 05 October. This award is open to all areas/genres of music so if you are hoping to record anytime soon, or know someone who may be interested the application forms are available here

Ergodos have a performance coming up on 23 September in the beautiful surrounds of St Audoen’s. Maya Homburger and Barry Guy step up to the pulpit in St Audoen’s and tickets are on sale now. An unusual programme, it combines Bach’s household name with some new works by Irish composers.

The elusive Music 21 (elusive because the website is missing the all important About Us page that would provide info as to who is behind the productions) have a series of performances on the way in coordination with the NCH. The series starts next Tues 01 September with the Calliano Quartet and Hugh Tinney performing works by Britten, Ades, Gubaidulina and Schnittke.

Culture Notes

So I found a little while to write a quick blog post while chatting with my brother (while he torments some sort of ghost army in Wolfenstein so the chat is really me talking and him shouting “OH MY GOD, where did that guy come from??!!”)

The second in the Irish Composers Collective’s National Concert Hall series is tomorrow night and the performance takes place upstairs in the Kevin Barry Room at 8.30pm. The performance features eight works by Irish composers with performances by Dan Bodwell on the Double Bass and Michael Quinn on the harpsichord. I usually make it along to the ICC events but I may be caught for time tomorrow as I’m picking up conductor James Wood from the airport.

I just noticed The Winding Stair Bookshop is featuring cheap as chips gig – €5 for Peter Delaney and the gig is titled Eleventy Four (I think) tonight at 7.30pm.

Interesting piece on Persepolis from Fearghus at Bodies and Buildings relevant to sampling and mash-ups…

Wexford forging a reputation outside of the opera comfort zone

New deadline for Arts Council bursaries

Dublin Central Arts Workers continue to post interesting pieces

I made it along to the DEAF09 fundraiser on Friday night last in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. There were some pretty great performances on the evening and it was the perfect location for the fundraiser with a marquee covering the whole of the square. The chilly wind was staved off by pints and paella although I didn’t stay too late as I was trying to get through some more work for the Tipperary gig.

Speaking of which – if anyone is around Tipperary in the next two weeks keep an eye out for the vivid colours of the Music for the Golden Vale posters! This one is in the supermarket in Thurles formerly known as the L&N on Friar St – I can’t remember it’s new name!

Bringing it home!

The publicity is kicking in for the Music for the Golden Vale performance in Cashel Cathedral on Friday 04 September. Today the Tipperary Star featured information in the Cashel section of the newspaper and on Wednesday of next week I’ll be recording an interview with Fran Curry of Tipperary’s main radio station Tipp fm for his programme Classic Café. My posters and programmes arrived from the printers today so expect to see Tipperary plastered with Music for the Golden Vale posters after this weekend! Onwards and upwards people! 

In other news, the DEAF fundraiser in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square is shaping up to be a nice shindig (forgive all the colloquialisms this evening, I’ve had a lot of coffee…) If you can make it along please do and support one of Ireland’s brilliant, constantly developing, festivals in what is proving a tough year for festivals all over this country. I have a vested interest in the fundraiser as my Cork based ensemble – Quiet Music Ensemble (website under development)-  have a planned performance for the last night of the festival, October 31st. More details on that anon.