Pepper

This is amazing - get it while you can, it won't be there for long. If anyone has "Revolved", I'm missing a few of the tracks, give me a shout.

The Best Band You've Never Heard Of

The One band we saw three times while we were in Tennessee were the incomparable Dempseys. I've really never seen anything like them, a three piece band of jaw-dropping musical skill. You'll probably have already seen them without knowing as they featured heavily in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line. Their repertoire focused on early rock n' roll and country (why not?) and their guitar player, Bradley Dean Birkedahl, might be the greatest I've ever seen close up. His medley of the styles of all his favourite guitar players has to be heard to be believed. Joe n' Ron on the bass and drums aren't too shabby either. If these guys ever tour Europe, people won't know what hit them.

Music City, USA

Still haven't got around to weaving the tale of the Nashville visit so here goes.

We got into town on the Friday afternoon, after a drive down the music highway, about 200 odd miles from Memphis. A nice touch was that when I stopped for a jacks break it was at the official George Jones/Roy Acuff rest stop. Does this state take it's musical heritage seriously or what.
When we hit Broadway looking for our hotel, little did we know that the CMA Fan Fair was in full swing, meaning the streets were teeming with country music fans of all shapes and sizes. The Coff almost crashed the car trying to get to the cowboy stores so we could get tooled up, we bought a fine collection of hats, boots and belt buckles so we could fit in, although we really only succeeded in standing out of course. High tailed it to the hotel, put on the gear and headed back out - the first thing that happened is as the four of us were waiting on the corner for a taxi, a baseball wearing fool in a truck roared out "Faggots!" in our direction. This upset us somewhat until we realised that we looked like extras from "Midnight Cowboy" standing on the corner, trying to drum up some business (see Photo).

Up and down the fine bars on Broadway, one thing to be aware of in Tennessee is that no matter what dive you go into, every band will be absolutely fantastic and prove the axiom that there aren't a lot of guitar players in Dublin, just a lot of people who own guitars. My favourite boozer was quickly decided upon as Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge, I'd been hearing about this place for years in various books and documentaries but nothing prepares you for what a kip it first appears to be and how quickly you fall in love with the place. It's on two levels with a stage just inside the door and another one at the back upstairs, they advertised live music from 10 in the morning and I felt it my duty to put this to test on the Sunday morning which lead to a truly great day of boozing. The staff are great and ferociously easy on the eye and the clientele were second to none in their quest for a good laugh and a story. A GREAT spot. Let the pictures speak a thousand words...


I must point out that there are other things to do in Nashville apart from drinking, check out the old Ryman Theatre where they used to hold the Grand Old Opry before they built the facility out of town. We got the backstage tour with a sweet old dear who was near to retirement, three times she asked me where I was from and told the same stories over and over again but it was nice, they'll let you record a cd of your own beautiful voice as well but too many of Tootsie's cocktails meant this was simply out of the question for me.

Don't miss the Country Music Hall of Fame and RCA Studio B tour. They must have spent millions on the hall of fame, a fantastic building with exhibits on everyone who's ever mattered in country music - Jimmie Rodger's or Hank Williams' guitar? check. Merle Haggard's government pardon? check. The Original sign from Nudie's Taylors in LA? check. Elvis' matching gold Cadillac and piano? of course. Look at the photo of the "Waylon" wall - class.
Studio B is where anyone who was anyone recorded, it was Elvis' favourite studio in Nashville and they let me play the piano - heaven.

Make a trip to Ernest Tubb's Record Store of course, and don't miss the Grand Ole Opry. Warning: while it was great to go to the Opry, it does celebrate the worst in country music as well as the best, i.e. on the night we went we got to see Porter Wagoner which was pretty fantastic but also had to sit through some god awful "new" country by overweight no-counts who couldn't even be bothered to get dressed up for the occasion.

All in all, I'd go back tomorrow.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Here's something special for you, not long now 'til The Stones hit Slane for what should be a downright groovy day out. In preparation for that here's their 1974 released tour film, shot on their 1972 tour of America, i.e. when they were just about at the height of their powers. No, I couldn't get my hands on the infamous "Cocksucker Blues"(I've never even seen it so if anyone can help me out...) but here's the replacement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones". Ignore the fact that the camera man appears to be in love with Jagger and that the sound isn't amazing, it's the Stones!, with Mick Taylor!

Get it while you can, it won't be there for ever.

Money, Money, Money

It seems that my favourite promoters have dropped the ball again.
Worst conditions in 100 years? come on!
No stewards to move "opportunistic" fans?
If I had paid €500 for a ticket. I'd be feeling just a tad put out.
There was a report on the evening news showing the traffic chaos and then interviewing people as they walked out early. One bloke complained about the diva constantly taking breaks during the show, comparing her to to Bruce Springsteen playing for three hours straight, after he'd paid €200 for the ticket, a fair point surely.
On the other hand, I found it hard to feel sympathy for the woman who complained that the "helis" (yes, she said "Helis") let her down and she had to take a car. Rock n' Roll.

More bollocks about the way concert goers get ripped off in Ireland as today's Irish Times has this about charges;

Event promoters will have to include booking fees and other charges in their advertised ticket prices under new regulations due later this year.

The measure, designed to ensure consumers know the overall price of an event and do not have to pay "hidden" charges, and which is expected to be introduced following a period of consultation, is to be announced today by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin.

The move comes amid growing consumer complaints over the price of event tickets. For example, tickets for this weekend's Barbra Streisand concert, which was beset by traffic chaos and bad weather, cost up to €550, even before additional charges were added.

Here's a review from someone who was there, sounds like a real fan who got jipped and check the link at the bottom for the threat of legal action, I shall expect a letter soon.

Boots, Bloody Boots!

Just had to share the new purchase, Rattlesnake skin boots - class, and yet, ridiculous.

Another view here.

Nikki Sixx out o' the Crue has just been on the phone looking for me to give them back.

Oxegen 2007 - The Somme Without The Bullets

Still in recovery, a fairly bad experience all round.

Before I launch into my rant, let me give notice that I've been to a lot of Festivals and I've been going to this one every year from back since it was known as Withness and have it enjoyed it, for the most part, every time. This year's event, however, was run like a Mormon trying to organise a stag party.

First off the music - I saw various bits of The Hold Steady, The Twang, Jet, The Fratellis, The Kings Of Leon, The Queens Of The Stone Age, Air, Arcade Fire, Black
Rebel Motorcycle Club and Razorlight amongst others and most if not all were worth a look but the sound, especially in the tents was horrendous. If this was the only problem then things wouldn't have been too bad but the blame for this shambles falls at the feet of the promoters. We all know that no one can bet on the Irish weather and, true to form, it let us down badly. The rain was almost biblical which meant that the ground underfoot turned to mud which came up to just below the knees in most places but why couldn't more plastic have been laid on the main walk ways, it was there in one or two places but why not in more? It would have necessitated spending some money, that's why. The Coff and I arrived at the camp site at about 7.30 on the Friday only to find it pretty much full already so we had to walk about 30 mins through the sludge to squeeze into a small space light years from the actual event. The crowd was huge, far more than the "80,000" capacity that the organisers have claimed. This is the same amount they claim every year and I can tell you that there has been more and more tickets sold each year, taking the good out of the thing - more greed.

A lot of stories in the papers about violence at the event, I saw evidence of this in the camp site where the security was virtually non existant. You put a load of young lads in a field for a few days with access to booze and drugs ( a lot of them), you're going to have trouble so you need to spring for security.

You also need to at least try with the facilities - one set of showers in the other campsite isn't going to cut it and as for the campsite toilets being locked on the Sunday morning (I, excuse me, shit you not), what's that about?

The event itself was marred again by overcrowding, idiots out their face looking for trouble and no effort made with the mud. Willie pointed out to me, as we grabbed a staggeringly priced plate of food, that there wasn't even any refuse bins so everything had to go on the ground.

Frankly I'm surprised no one was killed at it, when I saw young lads being dragged out of the mud after collapsing face down. Any good reports I heard on the radio or TV were from "personalities" who were more than likely knocking around back stage being well looked after. You might think that these are the rantings of an old man (I'm 35) who should know better than to be at these things, and to be fair, I'm sure a lot of people had a ball and my gang can't help but have a good laugh wherever we are, but I really love these events and it let me down. They're going to kill the goose that's laying the golden egg. Heading to both the Midlands Music Festival and the Electric Picnic, both run by POD. I know from experience that these will be well run, enjoyable events. You've got to spend a little to earn a little and not treat your customers like animals.

Acting the Kanat!

Here's a photo of our good friend Jim Roache, one of Ireland's finest young(ish) acting talents. If you live in Ireland you'll know him from Kilnascully and various hilarious tv ads. I'm only putting this up as it made me laugh but as an apology to the man let me advertise the fact that he's running a table quiz in the Landsdowne Hotel on Pembroke Road on Thursday, the 19th of July in aid of Crumlin Children's Hospital, €60 per table of four. That'll be a good laugh, although possibly not as good a laugh as this photo.

Post Script: I have been contacted by Jim's legal team with a warning to remove the offending photo of Jim so I've found a suitable replacement as you can see. I am assured that this move is in no way related to the sound trashing that I and the Chapelizod team handed out to all and sundry, especially Denis Clohessy, at last night's quiz. Huzzar!

The Who, Marlay Park, Dublin, 29th June '07

They called out for the tale of the Who so I shall weave it.
Weazel Hayes: "Let it be intricate for the weaving!"
I shall do my best.

After being rained on twice in Marlay park in the one week, I was loath to make the trip a third time but it was the Who, one of the five greatest bands of all time without any question, so an effort was made. Keogh's first for a few kick offs with Kenny White and Bill Dwyer, which turned into a few more when Murt arrived. After navigating through that difficult moment when someone suggests we sell the tickets to pay for more liquor, we made it to the Luas and out to Dundrum, picking up Jason Quinn on the way. More pints in the Eagle (are you keeping count?) When Coffeys Brian and Peter arrived, we got two taxis up to the park in plenty of time for the headliners.

One of the big problems with these outside gigs is the bar. As they're sponsored by one beer crowd, you don't get any choice. On this occasion, they were firing out Becks, at a fiver a pop I might add, which has the consistency of dishwater. At this point of course we were buying two at a time which left you with the age old dilemma of how to have a cigarette while holding two pints. Solution? Drink the first one at the speed of light. It was here that the downfall began. But wait, you might say, you didn't have to drink all the pints, surely? And I might reply that you, soft lad, should go and find another blog. The Who came on and kicked off in fine style with "I Can't Explain", one of the great singles. Other highlights included "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", the peerless "Baba O'Riley" (Me, at my age, roaring out "Teenage Wasteland", Who do I think I'm fooling?) and the great "Tommy" medley that almost finished it off. They really were fantastically good, I've seen them twice before and they're actually getting better. The closing "Tea and Theatre" is really touching and Pete n' Rog were ace throughout. Rog made the scream at the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again" and Pete was windmilling, and playing like a demon, all over the shop. What more could you want?

What's more, I ordered the dvd of the show so I'll actually be able to see it and remind myself of the bits I can't remember. Class.

At this point things got messy, with many fridge sized holes in my memory. Taxi into Cassidy's, more pints, more pints, some bad food, standing watching as two night link buses pulled away from me (no idea why), getting a text from one of the lads telling me he loved me (it was meant for his wife), waking up the next morning with blood on my hands (a nosebleed, thank Jaysus), seriously putting my foot in it on the phone to the missus the next day.

Weazel Hayes: "Weave It!"
"I will not."

Next Up, The Coff and I head off with our tent on the morrow for the Oxegen festival where we will be, without a shadow of a doubt, the oldest swingers in town. The Hold Steady, Gogol Bordello, Amy Winehouse, Jet, Brian Wilson, Razorlight, The Kings Of Leon - I hope to see them all but who knows what will transpire? Check back to find out, and I really must get around to the tale of Nashville...

Tin Soldier - The Small Faces

They just Do NOT make them like this anymore, one of my all time favourite singles.