Gigs of the month or A Tale of Two Gigs...
While we're waiting to get our own exclusive live gigging channel live on air, here's a live gem from one of our Cornerstones...with more unique events and concerts to be added over time.
Anyone remember the legendary 90'S Dublin rockband 'LIR' ? Often found secretely gigging around Ireland in recent years under the name 'The Spontanious Frogs' ? Well after a thirteen year absence from releasing any albums the band has finaly released another masterpiece of an album with Frames drummer Johnny Boyle back in the rythym seat, Quearney back on guitars and keys, McGuiness stretching those vocals again with Byrne on guitars and Malone on Bass...Only this time it's all live and recorded at Whelans and Vicar Street during 2006 and released at a very recent and equaly legendary 2008 gig. Five stars and ten Hallelujahs for the new album available via '1969 Records' with more from the band here....
Our featured Frames gig was filmed in Sidneys Metro Theatre when the band were actualy taking 'a day off ' from their busy touring schedule alongside Bob Dylan in August 2007. Watch the reactions of the crowd (many of whom had probably never seen or heard the Frames before...) as they are slowly disarmed, placed at ease and totaly won over by the band by the end of the night.Well, what more can we say... but, if you're in an indie band then 'that's the way to do it!' In case you couldn't find the link to this concert on their MySpace profile this one is provided by Australias MoshCam (accessed by the Frames poster on the right).
If you are desperate to see recent recordings of Glen and Mar on their Oscar winning Swell Season tours for 2008
A DVD is now also available here of a candlelit Swell Season performance at the Good Shepherd Center Chappel in Seattle :
You can also download and view live a host of dates from The Swell Season Tour on Playedlastnight.com:
If you're incredibly lucky then you may find some 09 venues available for upcoming Frames/Swell Season gigs via our secure ticketmaster search widget (though as yet the only official dates announced for this year have been in the far east and Australia!)
You can also use the link to search out any other band you fancy.
For those of you returning for the link to the other amazing Frames concert link on Hollands Fabchannel , we are sorry to have to announce that Fabchannel has had to close it's doors after ten years of live music online.
BUT.... YOU CAN PREVIEW SOME OF GLEN AND MAR'S NEW SONGS FOR THE NEW UPCOMING SWELL SEASON ALBUM 'STRICT JOY' AT THEIR RECENT NPR 'DESKTOP GIG' HERE.....
Plus..here the entire album prior to it's release here too...
Staying with the high kings of Dublins busking and musical community, including an exclusive new album release and it's domino effect on our editors brain here's the low down as quoted from the editorial big ape himself...
"If anyones clued in to the goings on of The Frames, Glen Hansard and the Swell Season then they'll probably be aware that fiddler Colm MacConIomaire has just released his own solo album called the Hares Corner which is about... well, read the story from Colm at the link and you'll see...pretty inspirational stuff.
The music however , makes Nigel Kennedy look like an old fart ( a title Nigel is personaly quite proud of using himself) and after just a few of Colm's notes on the track 'Time Will Tell' this ruddy great Hare darted up my leg, through my oriface , caused absolute mayhem in my brain and made me instantly regurgitate the following before climbing out of my nose, thwaking me round the head with his ruddy great feet ,and dissappearing in a sweet smelling haze of quiet reflection...
Time Will Tell (of You)
Time will tell if we will get to cross the fords
Time will tell if we will be remembered
Time will tell if we have been loved
And Time will dance with joy if we loved right to the end
Time will stand up and sing
of all the hopes and dreams
That danced and turned and twisted
Among wide open winding streams
Time will stand up
Cry out
open and lay bare
Every hope and secret
you never thought he knew was there
Though time will listen to our troubles
and time may weary with our trials
Time will listen and remember
To all thats said and done
And time will love you with it's every second
And love you till you're gone
Time will take you on in gentle streams
And out in leaps and bounds
Ever constant in it's changing
of it's constant sights and sounds
Time will take you close and hold you
and go dancing with your soul
From the second you are born
till the day that you grow old
And time will have hidden in the world
all moments of the past
But still He'll dance with joy
If we loved to the last.
copyright Mairtin O'Riain 5th August 08 (with special liscence priveledges for Colm MacConIomaire as it was his pet bloody Hare in the first place!)"
To hear the music it was made/inpired for go to
Breaking off temporarily at a slight tangent, though still very much connected to gigs and The Swell Season....one particular gig proved not only to be a 'gig of the month' but a 'gig of the century' for one hard working busker once unexpectedly invited to take centre stage at a recent Swell Season stadium sellout.
Stephen Bacon had spent the last few years busking his way from the icy wastelands of Alaska to the (not that much warmer when the wind kicks in) streets of New York and Boston. On September 19th '08 Stephen spent the day busking outside the Boston Agganis Arena while, just like many buskers, he dreamed of one day playing inside, in the warm, to a packed house ...a little like Glen Hansard once dreamed when busking outside Dublin Castle in the eighties. After six hours of wearing his fingers to the bone and singing himself hoarse he opened his eyes to find his audience consisted of the beaming faces of Glen and Marketa who were just on their way inside to prepare for their gig that night.
After a brief chat (...if thats actualy possible with Glen) they parted company having truly made Stephens day. But when Stephen went to watch The Swell Season concert later that night he found himself fulfilling every buskers dream when Glen suddenly called him up to the stage and asked to perform to a full house...
As a busker , Stephen Bacon is a multi talented award winner in his own right with three well crafted albums already tucked in behind him (two of which are exceptional)..but that night at the Boston Agganis a very real dream came true in a most astounding way and the audio from the night will surely send shivers up any musicians or songwriters spine and the overwhelming crowd response may well even evoke the odd tear too....
Stephens music is suitable for all ages (there is adult content though it's written in a way that does fly well above the heads of the innocent and unknowing) But!.... Glens enthusiasm for Stephens performance does involve language that some may find quite offensive...twice! So it's a green triangle for Stephen but a red for Glen and we're telling his mother too. The full story, links to buy previous albums and the astounding audio that dreams are made of are all available at the following MySpace and .com links...
Yet another Ballymun local who's music has begun to take flight thanks in part to Glen, Mar and the Frames is Gary O'Brien. Last year Gary recorded his own version of Falling Slowly in Gaeilge (Irish) ...and it certainly sounds just as beautiful in the phonetic perfection of Eiru's toungue. Scince then it seems that Gary has been floating high on the musical thermals and going from stregnth to stregnth. We also give him five stars for his latest track featuring Jennifer Healy entitled 'Sad Games'. We've included his Irish YouTube rendition of Falling Slowly and a link to his new MySpace here....
Now many bands have their own tribute bands following in their wake to idolise their every note and muse but few have a tribute band quite so unique and original
as Glen and Marketa's Swell Season. The vocals, riffs, hooks and passion of the Swell Season have been mixed up into the Hip Hop beats of artists 'Dramatik', 'Blaze Infamous' and 'Ms J lyric' to form what must be the most unique tribute act in the world. Not only have they reworked and remixed an incredible sound into and around Glen and Mars masterpiece but they've also added their own astounding and at times intensly beautifull array of deep, moving and thoughtfull lyrics and poetry. Any preconcieved ideas of modern rap and hip hop becoming just a 'bling thing' and 'gangsta music' for selling designer clothes, footwear, hoodies, ego's and attitude to kids and teens is instantly shattered by the depth and passion of these real artists who are a whole cut and class above anything EMI have touted as HipHop in the last decade. For a tribute band with real credibility in their own right go here for The Swell Season Hip Hop......
Now remember people,
Just because an artist has had a few months or years shining in the media spotlight and won an Oscar, Emmy or other award or two, it does not mean that they're set up for life.They still have families to care and provide for so if you value anything any of these artists have done don't just listen to it - buy it!
Copyright 2007/ 08/09 Mairtin O'Riain and Martin Ryan - TheRyanO'Riain22
