Behind the scenes footage of Ireland's first feature length movie motion picture, Six Semesters, has surfaced. The film was written, produced and edited in DCU over a two year period.
Love It:
I've been given a free ticket to the Jeffrey Lewis gig in Crawdaddy this coming Wednesday, the 29th of April. Unfortunately, I've already made plans for that night. If you want it, e-mail me on thebubbleboyblog@gmail.com.
Earlier this week, the obscenely talented Natasha Khan and her band appeared on Later with Jools Holland, arguably the greatest music programme on television these days. I had suspicions that her music might not translate all that well to a live setting but these were completely unfounded apparently.
The Hundred in The Hands - Dressed in Dresden (free download)
The Gospel According To Neon Gold have an exclusive download of the utterly gorgeous 'Starry Eyed' by Goldsmith (the collaborative project of singer Ellie Goulding and up-and-coming producer Starsmith).
Despite the fact he’s Rarely Seen Above Ground, I managed to track down Jeremy Hickey ahead of his DCU gig.
Marina & The Diamonds confirmed that she's paying Eclectic Fishness in a response to my comment on her blog. I have reason to believe this is a bit of an exclusive.
The DCU Drama production of 'Rent', for which I was costume manager, has been granted a week-long run in The Olympia, Dublin, beginning 15th of June. If you're a musical fan and missed this production first around, you have no excuse to miss it next time around.
The beautiful Natasha Khan has covered the Kings of Leon track 'Use Somebody'. I prefer her version, to be honest.
Mundy’s duet with Sharon Shannon ‘Galway Girl’ was the most downloaded Irish track of 2007. Remarkably, the song went on to repeat that same achievement in 2008. Songs as big as that sometimes threaten to eclipse the careers of the artists responsible but Offaly man Mundy has returned to show there are even better songs in his arsenal than ‘That Song From The Bulmers Ad’.Hi Mundy. Congratulations, I hear you’ve a new addition to your family.
Yeah, my daughter was born a couple of weeks ago. She only came home from the hospital yesterday. The whole experience is very new to me.
Your track with Sharon Shannon, ‘Galway Girl’, has been pretty much inescapable the past eighteen months. Are you sick of the song?
No, I’m not sick of it. What was weird about ‘Galway Girl’ was that it was around for a while and nobody really heard it and then suddenly it was everywhere. I think some of the stuff I’ve done for the new album is better than ‘Galway Girl’ though. It’s a little bit fresher.
What can we expect from your new album ‘Strawberry Blood’?
The stuff is quite indie-pop in the vein of the stuff on ’24 Star Hotel’. There’s a great variety of stuff on there. I tried to cut it down from fourteen tracks but I couldn’t choose between them so I left them all in the end.
One of the album’s tracks, ‘The Corn & The Orange Sun’, has an interesting history. Can you tell me about that?
I had the opening lines of this song when I wrote my first album. I finished it a few years later but it didn’t really fit on the last studio album. It was just a matter of finding the right home for the song.
There are a few collaborations on the album, including one with Gemma Hayes. How did this come about?
I know Gemma anyway but Joe Chester, who produced the album, plays in her band, so we got her in last minute to sing on the track. It’s a pity we couldn’t get her on a couple more of the tracks but she’s based in America a lot of the time so that makes things awkward.
Your first album was released on a major label? Do you think you’d go back down that route?
I wouldn’t rule it out. I was dropped by that record company around the time of the millennium but the singer-songwriter thing kinda took off shortly after that so maybe it was a bad call for them. The music industry’s in a funny place now but I think the percentage you get back is probably better if you release it yourself.
Your song 'To You I Bestow' was on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo and Juliet'. How did that come about?
Baz Luhrman had recruited Nellee Hooper, from the band Soul II Soul, to look after the soundtrack and he selected my song. I never met Baz but apparently all decisions go through him so he must have approved of the track. They album sold 11 million copies so it was huge exposure. They actually released a 10th anniversary edition recently but they credited a broadway composer, James R, Mundy, instead of me. I'm still trying to figure out if some of my royalties have gone astray.Mundy’s ‘Strawberry Blood’ is out 17th of April. He plays Whelan’s from 23rd – 25th of April.
[Image: Myspace]
My current obsession is Parisian quartet Phoenix, whose album 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' is due in May.
Meet Erik Hassel, a 21-year-old Swede whose single 'Hurtful' is attracting quite a bit of attention and, by rights, will be a substantial radio hit. If Popjustice and Marina are to be believed, he's set to follow up this track with an album loaded with hit potential.
My favourite popstar Marina and the Diamonds has set up a blog. Check it out for some interesting musings on boobs, Lady Gaga and homosexual cartoon characters.
Orbital
Flaming Lips
Basement Jaxx
Madness
MGMT
Fleet Foxes
Klaxons
BellX1
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Chic - first ever Irish apperance
Seasick Steve
2 Many DJs
Explosions in the Sky
Lisa Hannigan
Alabama 3
Zero 7
The Sugarhill Gang
Erol Alkan
Roots Manuva
Billy Bragg
Bat for Lashes
Damien Dempsey
Lykke Li
Imelda May
Echo & The Bunnymen
ABC
Magazine
ESG
Moderat
Four Tet
Magnetic Man (Skream & Benga)
Simian Mobile Disco
Heartbreak
Halfset
Noze
Chris Cunnigham - A 55 minute performance, combining original and remixed music and film.
Okkervil River
Magnolia Electric Company
The Low Anthem
Villagers
Tunng
Jape
Efterklang
Micachu and the Shapes
The Whitest Boy Alive
The Walkmen
Michael Nyman - with a mini-orchestra,
Dublin Gospel Choir
Quantic Soul Orchestra
Jazzanova
Wavemachines
Against my better judgement, I took on directing a show in my final semester in DCU. 'Bash: Latterday Plays' is written by Neil LaBute and sees four seemingly harmless, 'ordinary' people invite you to lend an ear as they reveal murky secrets and patch together twisted tales.
When TV3 took over ailing television channel Channel 6 last year, many were outraged by the decision to drop the ‘Night Shift’ music show, fronted by Donegal woman Michelle Doherty. I caught up with the former model to see what she’s up to these days. Is it true you were once an air stewardess?
I was an Air Stewardess for nearly 11 years. I even kept it on while I was presenting ‘Nightshift’ on Channel 6. When I got a job presenting on Phantom FM, it was too much to juggle three jobs. So, I took the leap and thankfully have no regrets.
How did you wind up working on 'Night Shift'?
I happened to mention to my agent that I would like to try presenting, specifically music presenting. Two months later, she heard that Channel 6 were looking for a music presenter so I went along for a screen test and the rest, as they say, is history.
How do you think Channel 6 fared as a project before being taken over by TV3 and rebranded as 3e?
It was tough going starting off as a new channel but I thought It was a great station. It catered for the 18-35 year old market. It was very upsetting that it just didn't get the break it deserved.
How did you feel about the decision to cancel 'Night Shift'?
I was absolutely devastated. My producer Elton and I loved our jobs. We put our heart and soul into the show so, when it came to recording the last show, it felt like we had lost something really special. The backlash from the public to the decision to cut the show meant the world to us. It was only then we realised how important the show had been to our viewers and to the Irish bands it had provided an outlet for.
There's an old cliché about having 'a face for the radio'. Isn’t your beautiful visage somewhat wasted behind the mic at Phantom FM?
Oh God, don't embarrass me, I don't think about that at all. As long as people enjoy the show, that’s all that matters to me.
It was better than winning The Lotto. I only started with Phantom at the end of July. I was so terrified as I had never done radio presenting before. To be named ‘Best Radio DJ’ was amazing, and for once I felt proud of myself.
Which bands, Irish or otherwise, should we be keeping an eye on over the next few months?
I really like Villagers, Conor O Brien’s new baby. His new E.P called ‘Hollow Kind ‘is definitely worth checking out and you should go see him live if you get the chance.
There’s always something going on but, for now, I’m really enjoying my job in Phantom.
Published in the current issue of DCU's Campus Magazine
[Image: Kip Carroll]
Mouthy English rapper Lady Sovereign was apparently dropped from Def Jam Records last year because she called Timbaland a 'septic c*nt'. Lovely.
La Roux continue to deliver decidedly killer tracks. The wonderful 'In For The Kill' is currently storming the charts and has become their first bona fide hit. The follow-up single, 'Bulletproof' has now materialised and it's fairly brilliant.
