Some people have too much time on theur hands!

Watch this clip of Rammstein, taken from the Vin Diesel film “XXX”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHWicNDkbpw 

Now check out the same clip…. in Lego!! Made lovingly, I’m sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxUZUnRwH7s

 

Last weekend, the incredible Iggy Pop (it’s said even Bowie wants to be Iggy… although it was Iggy who claimed that but I believe him!) appeared with the reformed Stooges on the Jonathon Ross show on UK TV. Now this would normally be a good enough reason to check it out on YouTube but this performance is particularly wonderful, and not just for what is a fantastic musical display. The bould Iggy frightens the bejaysis out of a guy in the front row who deosn’t know where to look when Mr. Pop gets up close and personal. You can hear the sound of squirm even over the squawling guitars! Turns out he’s a merchant banker called Jack. Amazing performance by I. Pop. Go check it out! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vikb0rGosyI

REM are coming to Dublin! 

R.E.M. have 5 upcoming shows at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin in which they’ll be showcasing their new album as well as recording and, erm “practising” in front of a live audience. These are among the hottest gig tickets anywhere in the world right now! The Olympia only has a capacity of 1300 and that includes a balcony so to find such a huge band inuch an intimate setting is a rarity.

However dacmusic have gotten their grubby mits on several prized Willy Wonka gold tickets and will be rockin with Stipe et al when they play. There is now Blog/Info site, remdublin.com all about the gigs, the venue and more. You might also wanna check out the REM site http://www.murmurs.com/

The support acts have also been announced:

June 30th: David Kitt
July
1st: Simple Kid
3rd: Cathy Davey
4th: Viarosa
5th: MundyGig review to follow!

Although my attention span is so short these days that’s probably only a few days or so.
But, seriously, good music – they record 2 sessions every week, 4 songs each, all analog recording – no overdubs and then just give em away as MP3s.

Grizzly Bear is linked below, and are playing Whealans in Dublin on the 18th of May. Plus the Cold War Kids (see below) session is good and the Bonnie Prince Billy session is really good.

Another nice touch is that they invite an illustrator to create an original cover for each of sessions – which is nice.

Derek:

I really liked them… they’re very disjointed and unconventional.  The drummer hardy ever uses his one cymbal and creates a lot of the percussion by banging maracas on the drums… they all had vintage instruments, which, especially the guitar, gave a very warm, vibrato, echo, instead of a defined angular sound, more common at the moment… the singer definitely has his own style,  at times akin to a “O Brother Where Art Thou’” extra imitating Iggy Pop.. there’s a lot of space in their songs, which would probably put a lot of people off, who are used to a more layered commercial sound and the unhinged arrangements take a few listens to get under your skin, which is why I was so surprised to see them sell out their tour and even more surprised to see how many people in the crowd were singing along with each song. Stand out track of the night was, predictably, Hang me Up To Dry, (though their cover of Tom Waits “Dirt in the Ground”, from Bone Machine was a surprising treat). They wouldn’t be a band I’d expect to be a commercial success, but they’re doing really well so far… just goes to show the power of peoples choice on the internet, over being spoon fed over produced corporate manipulated radio friendly fluff. 

Chris:

I have to say I went into this cold – I’d listened to their album once but couldn’t remember a thing so I had no idea what to expect. If I had known… I wouldn’t have gone!

Being very much a tunes man, I really couldn’t remember a single tune, riff, nothing in fact, from any song once the gig finished. I can vaguely remember a couple of tracks being enjoyable enough but maybe the crowd carried me along.

They just seemed to be putting their heart and soul (and fair play to ‘em for giving it the proverbial 110%) into making  what for me was indistinct and undistinguished noise.

I’ve been to acoustic gigs like Scott Matthews that had better sound (and that’s with the Village’s dodgy sound system!) and I felt absolutely no charisma whatsoever from the band, as well as the fact that they looked awful. The singer is the kind of guy you’d expect to see plastering your house, with his 2 euro t-shirt, square head and rubbish 6 euro hair cut (get me… I pay 16 euro for mine, big spender!).

 Overall it felt like a bunch of guys belting out songs to their mates – the mates being the Ambassador crowd who all felt they were in on some great undiscovered secret and could tell all their mates they were at the gig – on cheap equipment that they wrote after listening to music from artists they can’t even dream of emulating and trying to be quirky and unique, just like them guys, sorry but you will never be Tom Waits). They weren’t, they just sounded like they were trying too hard,

All their messing about with arrangements was packaging that didn’t hide for me the emptiness of ideas inside that package. Apart from that, it was a good evening! (<— sarcasm).

Highlight of the night? Derek bagging a face value ticket outside the venue after I didn’t text a friend that our spare tickets had been sold and he went and got a babysitter and was coming in on the Dart for the gig. Argh!! Derek, what a man, a saviour! Other highlights? The delicious Chinese satay chicken on

, fab grub. Oh and the band only played two encores and I didn’t have to queue for a jacket so I was out of there quickly  A bouncer tried to stop people going out the door to the cloakroom unless they had a ticket and everyone else had to squeeze into another exit. So the whole crowd just pushed past him and went out that way anyway! Power to the people. 

Still, ya pays your money and ya take your chance and I’d still happily go to a gig by a band I didn’t know if one of you recommended them ‘cos it’s hard to tell what someone might like and 15 quid was well worth it to check them out. Same with Delorentos, they gave a very enjoyable gig last Thu even though I knew none of their stuff; review to follow.

http://www.coldwarkids.com/

 

Guys,

One of the most likely new Dublin bands to go on to huge things, Delorentos, are playing Temple Bar Music Centre, next Thursday 26^th April. Currently unsigned, their self released debut album “In Love with Detail” is due to be released at the end of the month and is already receiving rave reviews (see below) With ticket costing under €15 (incl all charges), this is a gig you’ll be mad to miss (anyone who saw Snow Patrol the last time they played Temple Bar Music Centre, will know what it’s like to see a band, just on the edge of becoming something a lot bigger)  

As an extra incentive… this is the only time I’ll be out in town, over the coming week, so should anyone fancy having a birthday drink with me, you’ve gotta come to the gig :-)  

“Cracking Irish debut albums such as ‘In Love With Detail’ are rarer on the ground than you might think……one of the best Irish debut albums of 2007″

Jim Carroll, Irish Times‘”In Love with Detail’ is the sound of a band realising their potential. Its the first truly great album of 2007 and the finest debut from a homegrown act in years.” Hot Press (9 out of 10 review) “Fuzzy guitar lines, duel vocals, infectious melodies… spiky, tight, indie punk.” NME

Tickets available here…  http://www.ticketmaster.ie/artist/955278 

Links:

www.myspace.com/delorentos 

www.delorentos.net

Chris:

I touched Chris Isaak!!! OK, OK, so I am supposed to be reviewing the gig which was a-bleedin-mazing (the Irish Times said “this was one of the gigs of the year”) but I just thought I’d get in the fact that I patted Chris Isaak’s back, on his diamante encrusted baby blue Tennessee style suit. But more about that later!

The anticipation among the crowd (which included all of the dacmusic crew of Derek, Anita and myself, Chris) was palpable as the great man’s arrival on stage was imminent. When the whole band had to walk along the front of the small and very crowded stage to actually get on stage, we knew this was gonna be an intimate one. And so it proved as Chris (he’s Chris to me now, seeing as we are on back-slapping terms…) appeared like an apparition. His presence just filled the whole place and that blue suit just said “Show time!”.

The band launched into brilliantly played song after classic song. They were tight, total pros and going from hard rocking to blues to acoustic via numerous musical genres and back again. At one stage the whole band, drummer included, lined the front of the stage to play, with Chris then beautifully playing some acoustic songs on his own later.

The humour was non-stop and I spent half the gig smiling and laughing and the other half in awe of a superb show as Chris engaged the audience throughout. After just 3 or 4 songs, there was an audible gasp as he actually jumped off the stage with his beautiful white Gibson guitar and actually ran down the middle of the crowd! That’s when I patted him on the back as he went past, my wife later telling me that she felt his leg…. hmm, I’ll say no more about that! The crowd parted like the Red Sea as a beam of light lit the empty floor space leading from stage to artist, then through the crowd again and up on stage for more.

Wicked Game, one of the biggest songs any artist could have in a repertoire, was about 6^th or 7^th on the set list and it was a really wise decision not to have the crowd waiting ‘til the end for it. No great build up to it, no shouts from a crowd impatient for The Big Tune at a gig’s end, just an incredibly wonderful and immaculately played song with Chris holding that long note at the end to whoops of appreciation from a by now ecstatic crowd.

Everyone was high on the brilliant atmosphere generated by the band and well aware we weren’t just witnessing something great; we were part of something great and they wanted us to be part of it. So much so that 3 girls were invited onto stage to dance to one track, with one girl being chatted to by Chris (asking for her name she didn’t miss a beat in saying “My name is Sue… how do you do??”, the only occasion in the whole night where Chris seemed stumped for words!). He then asked her to dance for him as they flirted but when she broke out into Irish dancing he stopped her and said “Hey I know this is our first time in Ireland but I’ve seen that in Riverdance in Vegas!”. Bang on cue, the band struck up a riff Gypsy Lee Rose could perform to and Sue obliged with some suitable if subtle hip swaying. The band looked impressed…!

But the show must go on, and on it did for 2 solid hours, banter between Chris and the band members adding to the whole party and a Cuban drummer joining them on stage claiming to be part Irish (no-one in the crowd bought it!), suit changes a-plenty as blue was replaced by his mirror suit. Then we were treated to a few tracks better known for being sung by Elvis (Blue Moon, Don’t Be Cruel) and Roy Orbison (Only the Lonely) to whom Chris played great tribute saying he was a great artist as well as a wonderful man and who gave them their first break, which sounded totally genuine and heartfelt.

At one stage, with no instruments at all and showing that his incredible voice could span so many genres, Chris broke out into “Take All of Me” showing he could Brat Pack with the best of ‘em. Between that and his crooning, falsetto and fantastic vocal range and the emotional weight in his voice, it was a musical virtuoso performance at every level by both band (the Silvertones, together for over 20 years) and the main man himself.

A spellbinding rendition of Blue Spanish Sky, a wicked Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing, a spirit-soaring Blue Hotel, San Francisco Days/Nights became Dublin Days/Nights for one night only, and an unrecorded song which Chris advised “would be a great one to record for all of you bootleggers out there!” and a host of other wonderful songs had the crowd pleading for more. After one wonderful encore, it was over. Not just one of the best gigs of the year, but one of the best I’ll ever go to. Musically and vocally astonishing, brilliant atmosphere created by a band which really cared that everyone had an unforgettable time, and then Chris donning yet another suit and making himself available to sign autographs and meet people at the back of the small venue. A lot of big stars could learn a lot from this true entertainment maestro.

Chris, from every soul who joined with you on the night, thank you!

Chris.

Review from Derek:Chris Isaak, last night, in The Village, will most likely be the gig of the year… not only is he an incredible singer, effortlessly gliding from a rich baritone to trademark falsetto, his band (who’ve been with him from the start) are 1^st class… he creates a mix of old style rock’n'roll, with a little bit of Country and surf music, combined with some heart wrenching ballads all wrapped up in a Vegas suit and a Californian dust bowl soundscape… he’s also an untouchable entertainer and proved that entertaining is an art form, honed over the years, to produce an incredible evening for the whole audience… not one person left there without a huge smile and a need to say the word “Wow” over and over, all the way home…

More details here but sounds great http://subpop.com/artists/handsome_furs

*I made that up

A radio station in Santa Monica called KCRW have a show called Morning Sounds Eclectic. I first heard of this show when I downloaded a bootleg recording of the brilliant M Ward’s performance on the show. Huge names in music like Radiohead, Coldplay, Beck, Nick Cave etc. have played the show but they also give up and coming artists a chance to play and some of the cover versions can be brilliant.

Turns out that they have released albums of these shows, compilations with one track per artist, which you can find to buy if you type Sounds Eclectic into amazon. The KCRW web site also streams rather brilliant music, much of which you won’t have heard before, as well as the live shows. Give it a whirl at the link below.

http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/sc