If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed.
Click here to find out what an RSS feed is. Thanks for visiting, Phil!
That was no mob! A pitiful performance! You should be ashamed of yourselves - those who didn’t make the effort. Its a team effort people!
In this photo are a few of the mobsters.
Here is all the space available for potential mobsters
Those who were there were awesome! A small group, who gathered afterwards, included Duke Special who was just passing through after getting a Costa Coffee (seen below just leaving), discussed future plans in a very mob-like manner.
Next time will be better.
There had been rumours that this year would be better than the previous two, and with the addition of intros, music and a few words from George Bush it was. Once again, but very deservedly, Twenty Major won the award for best blog, coinciding with the recent release of his book the two prizes go hand in hand. Maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance next year.
Highlights of the night include Robin Blandford’s mum collecting his prize on his behalf, Kieran Murphy of Ice Cream Ireland’s dress sense, Nialler9 winning once again, Grannymar and Grandad sharing the same stage.
The award for best photoblog this year went to Claire of Gingerpixel and with her blog being filled with so many brilliant photographs, especially her great portraits of people she has stopped in the street she definitely deserved this prize.
He tried, he failed, he left. But he won a prize finally. Jett Loe was honoured with a special prize this year for being “shafted” in previous years, and truly shafted once more being 3899 miles away in Nashville, Tennessee. However I retrieved his prize and have brought it back to Belfast - not before taking it on a journey around Dublin first.
Jett, I’d be happy to bring it to you…
For me the award ceremony was better than previous years, especially with the super-enjoyable photo meet beforehand, and meeting more people than before. Unfortunately I regret meeting less people than I would have liked, and for leaving too early due to Andy telling me that he had gone to another bar, but in the end turning out to have changed the plan and ending up going back to the hostel, while everyone else was still drinking back at the Alexander.
Before leaving I did get plenty of photographs of random people hanging around - many of whom I don’t know. If you know their names, add tags on flickr
However, as usual the whole weekend was one big motivator to organise my blog better, to figure out a real agenda and better acquaint myself with more bloggers.
I also hope to get down to Dublin, and maybe other cities in the South of Ireland before the next Bloggies.
Finally, congrats again to all the great bloggers who won, to everyone who was there and made the weekend so good, and of course to Damien and everyone who helped put together another great awards ceremony.
For more photos of Jett’s ‘Shafted’ award click here
For more photos of the Irish Blog Awards 2008 click here
The day I had been looking forward to for 2 years arrived on Friday; my photographs framed and exhibited in a public place. Friday was the launch; the first day of the exhibition, and the ‘Out to Lunch’ festival which is running until 27th January. I was down early to clean a few of the frames, and generally get things organised.
Rachel, who had helped me hang them, turned up first shortly before 6, followed by Ronan and Ciara of Kitty and the Can Openers, who, after technical difficulties and three different sound guys trying to work out the problems, played a few songs towards the end of the night in front of an intimate crowd.
There was a wine, some mingling, the parents - oh the parents’ with their (well mother’s) “hasn’t he gotten so tall” comments to people that I don’t really know that well, but there wasn’t too much embarrassment thankfully, ok except maybe on my own part after the family left and the wine kept flowing.
My friends were there and that’s the most important thing, besides just a few who couldn’t make it for reasons such as not being in the country or suffering severe jetlag/being in a zombified state…
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to go to McHughes afterwards, when the only sensible thing to do at this point could only have been to go home. After getting knocked back at the bar for having no ID, then having to get a friend to buy me my one drink of the night, we walked home, in the ice which remained from the snow on Thursday night.
The snow on Thursday was great. I happened to be in The Apartment at the time with Rachel when it started to snow and ended up thinking as I was looking out, that it’s quite a romantic scene with the City Hall and the amber tint of street lights and people talking photographs with flashes. Of course it only lasted for 5 minutes, and had stopped by the time we left and got to Auntie Annies, where we met Ben and Mike.
When we left, after 1am, there was 5 inches of snow (my bro said he measured it outside my parents house - not too far away), and Ben got naked on University Avenue, which was like a scene from Narnia - with added nakedness.
Disappointingly, I didn’t manage to take any photographs of the snow over the weekend, now all that’s left is ice scattered along the footpath.
On Saturday I awoke with quite a hangover. But, onwards. The Black Box was the venue, once again for Astral Weeks Revisited as part of the second day of the Out to Lunch festival. I was looking forward to seeing Foy Vance as I have yet to see him play live though when I got there I heard that he and Bap Kennedy pulled due to “management reasons”. Having an idea about the background of the problem, I don’t know if I can understand it, it is just unfortunate.
Personally, I don’t like the album myself, having listened to it a few times in the last week, though the covers played in the Black Box at 2pm, and again in the Oh Yeah Building at 8pm we’re all astonishing. Running order was:
Astral Weeks – Brian Houston
Beside You – Cara Robinson
Sweet Thing – The Four Of Us
Cyprus Avenue – Matt McGinn
- interval -
The Way Young Lovers Do – The Winding Stair
Madame George – Ursula Burns
Ballerina – Duke Special
Slim Slow Slider – Tom Mc Shane
Each version was excellent, though extra praise has to go to Matt McGinn, who got the call that Foy had pulled out at 12:30pm that afternoon - 2hrs prior to the event, and played Crypus Avenue like he’d been playing it for years. Also to Ursula Burns who was brought in at the last minute too.
After a very sold out Black Box gig, in which the audience got very into the music, roaring with delight after each song rather than simply clapping. The gig was such a success that everyone was looking forward to the evening show in the Oh Yeah Building around the corner, I was just looking forward to getting some food: McHughes’ chicken goujons and a pint. Beautiful.
The Oh Yeah was equally as good as the one before. I’ve never had an opportunity to experience different reactions from two different crowds at the same event, it was interesting. At certain things that Stuart Bailie said in his introduction the crowd at the Black Box laughed where this crowd did not, and vice versa. It was also being recorded in the Oh Yeah Building for broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster in the near future - I just hope that none of the clicking of my shutter got recorded.
I think this is a great idea, having local artists cover a well known “great” album, whether I personally think so or not isn’t really relevant. First there was ‘Oh Yeah Computer‘, another Oh Yeah Project endeavour in July ‘07, which I didn’t manage to get to, but heard went down extremely well, with artists such as The Jane Bradfords, Amy McGarrigle and Driving By Night doing great covers, from those which I have heard.
Stuart revealed that there are plans for another in the series, this time Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska to be held sometime in Feb as part of the Belfast Nashville Festival - check www.ohyeahbelfast.com for more.
More photographs can be found on my Flickr stream.
I had a great weekend, surrounded by great people.
Thank you
:D
While at the launch of the first solo exhibition of the excellent local artist Alice McCullough at the Safehouse Gallery on Monday 26th November I was asked whether I consider myself an ‘artist’. This got me thinking…
According to the Dictionary.com:
pho·tog·ra·phy - n.
1. The art or process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces.
2. The art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs.
3. A body of photographs.
To me, photography is, by default, an art, though many photographers do not consider themselves ‘artists’. I guess it’s a frame of mind. Many people don’t like the idea of wanting to be part of that crowd of ‘artists’, often seen as being “extremely pretentious”, spending their days and nights with praising each other and their work, as well as rude, arrogant, demanding etc etc. Do I want to be associated with that?
Well, my first hand impression of artists, at least those in Belfast, is that of my own friends, all of whom are great people, whose talents range from musicianship, poetry, painting, acting, writing, singing, comed and of course photography. Each one is truly dedicated to their medium, to the art that they create. Each one is honest, true, loving, and make me happy to be involved in what they are doing. According to Wikipedia:
“Art refers to a diverse range of human activities and artifacts, and may be used to cover all or any of the arts, including music, literature and other forms. It is most often used to refer specifically to the visual arts, including mediums such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking. However it can also be applied to forms of art that stimulate the other senses, such as music, an auditory art.”
Shelley Esaak at About.com states that:
“Art is form and content” means: All art consists of these two things. Form means (1) the elements of art, (2) the principles of design and (3) the actual, physical materials that the artist has used. Form, in this context, is concrete and fairly easily described - no matter which piece of art is under scrutiny.
Though there is a general consensus that there is no single definition to sum up art. From the University of British Columbia:
- the product of conscious intention,
- a self rewarding activity,
- a tendency to unite dissimilar things,
- a concern with change and variety,
- the aesthetic exploitation of familiarity vs. surprise,
- the aesthetic exploitation of tension vs. release,
- the imposition of order on disorder,
- the creation of illusions,
- an indulgence in sensuousness,
- the exhibition of skill,
- a desire to convey meanings,
- an indulgence in fantasy,
- the aggrandizement of self or others,
- illustration,
- the heightening of existence,
- revelation,
- personal adornment or embellishment,
- therapy,
- the giving of meaning to life,
- the generation of unselfconscious experience,
- the provision of paradigms of order and/or disorder,
- training in the perception of reality,
- and so on.
As a photographer I do not consider myself a ’snapper’ or one who simply takes photographs, then trundles home again. I photograph that which I have great interest in, that which I love. I take care over each photograph, the end result and what happens to that photograph.
Art is a state of mind.
I am a photographer.
In the words of Marilyn Manson “I’m not an artist, I’m a fucking work of art” - (s)AINT
Alice’s Exhibition runs until 12th December 2007
This morning I woke up with the most painful throat ever. That and a killer headache. I need throat lozenges desperately. I’ve done all that I can, which isn’t a lot. I had some soup. I turned the heating on. I dressed warmly. I just wanted to go back to bed. And so I did. From 2pm to 6pm. It felt good, in that I-still-feel-like-complete-crap sort of way.
I have a feeling someone might have the words “I told you so” on the tip of their tongue if they knew how I was feeling right now. Maybe I should have worn a coat on that miserable wet day yesterday.
It started off well, 10am, non-hungover 10am. After some breakfast, a bus and a walk back to my own house, I headed out in the rain to the Safehouse Gallery for a book reading by Camel Hartley from her first book of poems, songs and artwork.
The Safehouse is a great space, with its large room and perfect location, away from the Lisburn ‘art gallery’ Road.
The Safehouse Gallery is based in at 25 Lower Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2FF (the red door beside Belfast Exposed, before the John Hewitt). The gallery is open from 10am to 4pm Mon to Fri, Sat 12pm to 3pm, Camel’s Exhibition runs until the 25th Nov.
After the quick pint at the John Hewitt, the excitement was starting to build, for I was to see My Chemical Romance in a few hours. Quite different from the art gallery scene, but that’s what I’m all about. Variety.
So in the rain we walked (now joined by a good friend at this point, I don’t often refer to myself as ‘we’), then bussed, to the Kings Hall. To join the line of eager teenagers, all ready to self-harm as soon as the music begins. I had an old cardigan, that I was prepared to cover my face with should the blood come hurtling in my direction like a mass physical recreation of the embodiment of teenage angst.
I was very pleased to see the huge flag hanging from the stage with the words ‘Mindless Self Indulgence‘ a band which I have been listening to for a few years, especially such classics as ‘Stupid Mother Fucker’, ‘Faggot’ and ‘Straight to Video’. I was amazed at the energy of lead vocalist, Little Jimmy Urine, and his constant youthfulness throughout the entire set. Jumping and kicking his super-skinny legs all around him, wearing pink shoes, belt, and other pink bits, much like the picture to the left, spiked hair, a jacket with the words ‘as seen on tv’ and super-flamboyance, he didn’t stand still for more than 3 seconds at a time.
Rude and crude, he tried to piss off the crowd in his typical manor, by laughing at the kids at the front and saying how they can’t go to the toilet if they need to, the ones at the balcony to the side of the stage “are you fucking VIP?”, as well as throwing the occasional plastic glass back at the crowd.
Of course the funniest had to be when he made the mistake that so many others make when their tour makes a stop in Northern Ireland, and it’s lucky that most of the teenage goth/emo kids don’t generally care too much for sectarianism, if they haven’t already decided that religion is not for todays generation of self-harming emo-slash-goth-slash-alternative kids who hang out outside the city hall with their black clothing.
“YAY IRELAND [crowd scream] - This is still Ireland, right? [screaming] - You aren’t part of England anymore are you?” [confused screaming, but screaming all the same]
Someone should really tell bands to be a little careful what they say. It just makes them seem stupid. As the 14 year olds screamed along to whatever Jimmy said, I laughed very hard at the ignorance and hilarity of the situation.
Disappointingly, their set ended, with yet more crushed fans being pulled from the pit of sweat and tears caused by the impatience of those around them. When MCR came to the stage the screams and excitement of the band who’s music has supposedly helped these children through such hard times, each one in black, naturally, to match the sea of black from the crowd.
The first three songs each had pretty bright, hot flames and loud bangs perfectly timed to scare the children, or burst their ear drums. By the third song, lead singer, and generally very angry man, Gerard Way decided it was time to get the crowd to liven up a little, through a little patronising and generally making the kids, who’s confidence is generally lifted through the listening of this music, feel like crap. In a very angry tone, like being shouted at by your own father, he said “I am very disappointed, I can’t hear you” Pacing around the stage, he was either putting on this great act which 14-16 year-olds warm to these days, or was pissed off and tired after a long tour, looking forward to going back to New Jersey.
The vocals were bad, for much of the set I couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying/screaming. I was torn between him giving up and feeling too lazy to sing, he was singing too low, or too high to be heard, or the sound was just bad. At one point the guitarist played three chords, then the sound was reduced dramatically, for those that followed. So maybe it was meant to go like that, though it didn’t sound like that, then when a tech ran on stage to check all the connections between the pedals, it definitely wasn’t supposed to happen. Later, a tech had to fiddle with the guitar whilst it was being played.
Through all this though, it looked good and the teenagers, including the one beside me whose arms nearly collided with my face, seemed to enjoy it.
But today, I could quit smoking, for my throat feels like… well its just sore. Each time I swallow or think about swallowing it pains me. No going out for a while me thinks. With a coat too…
So where did I leave off. Ah yes, day two in Boston, Massachusetts. Its hot, the sky is blue, decent people, a personal feel, easy to get around, lots of culture and a heck of a lot of history.
On this particular morning, I stopped at a little coffee shop for some coffee and a mousse - the most awesome moose ever! Then we headed to Harvard Square once more. On the ground I found a brilliant piece of art work that really touched me. Unfortunately I didn’t see the artist about.
From here we headed to Au Bon Pain, unknown to me at the time, but this was the site of one of the scenes of Good Will Hunting - but more on that a little later. As we sat eating out sandwiches, or sipping on sumptuous (yes I just used that word) soup, we were entertained by a busker who enjoyed singing off spontaneous songs about articles from free newspapers picked fresh from the various newspaper vending machines behind him. Some songs were terrible - though he knew it, more often they were so stupid that they were funny.
Just outside the seating area for Au Bon Pain are permanent chess tables and sitting either playing, or reading a newspaper, is the ‘Chessmaster.’ Murray Turnbull in a in the top 1% of chess players, as he says in his own words. A master indeed, he has been sitting here making his living since 1982 playing chess and offering lessons between seven days a week between May and October. Hear him tell his tale on YouTube.
After lunch I was excited to look around Harvard University. Walking through the yard we saw a large crowd sitting on the steps to the Memorial Church. It one of the student-led tours. We joined on. The next stop on the tour was the The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library. This is the main library of the university and was founded with the $3.5m given by Harry Elkins Widener’s mother to commemorate the life of the Harvard graduate and book collector who died in the Titanic disaster.
The next and final, and probably most interesting, stop on the tour was the Statue of John Harvard, or the Statue of Three Lies, as it is commonly known.
The inscription on the side of the statue reads “John Harvard, Founder, 1638.”
When the statue was created, by Daniel Chester French there were no known images of John Harvard, so a student named Sherman Hoar was chosen randomly by French and dressed in the style of the seventeenth century so he could model for the statue.
The university was founded in 1636, and not by John Harvard was only contributed to it; donated half of his estate and of his library of around 400 volumes.
For some odd (or maybe its more odd that so many people do exactly what their tour guide tells them) reason visitors and tourists rub the shoe of the statue for good luck. Although it seems that, almost as a rite of passage, it is tradition to urinate on the foot before graduating, leading to speculation as to the yellowy discolouration. Often in a drunken state in the early hours of the morning. It seems, if blog comments and message forums are to be believed, that there are students out there who actually have done this, or claim to. Besides finding it totally nasty, I can’t help but be impressed that they can reach.
The statue is more subject to various hacks (The word ‘hack’ at MIT usually refers to a clever, benign, and “ethical” prank or practical joke), including the recent Halo transformation to celebrate the release of the latest game.
It was only after asking our excellent tour guide about my favourite film Good Will Hunting, did I find out that no parts of the movie were filmed on campus. In fact, much of it was filmed in Toronto, Canada! According to our tour guide, no films are allowed to be filmed on campus, after the last production decided that the actual Harvard students didn’t look enough like real Harvard students, and so they were replaced with extras. Naturally, the university was not happy and filming has been banned.
The McLaurin Building, where Will (Matt Damon) works as a janitor is at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Also used in the movie is the Bow and Arrow Pub off Massachusetts Avenue, now gone, and Woody’s L Street Tavern, 658 E 8th St, which is still thriving and bringing further customers thanks to a sign stating its part in the film.
On our return to the great underground (harvard subway) we yet another busker. This time it was a cello. Only it was different. Not your typical classical pieces. This guy was playing Black Sabbath, and it sounded good.
This time we made our re-entry in Copley Square, in Back Bay, one of Bostons most upscale and desirable neighbourhoods. Here, we inadvertently found many more ‘attractions’ that I had originally noted. First, was the quite spectacular John Hancock Tower, or Hancock Place as it is officially named. Completed in 1976 it is the tallest building in Boston, the tallest building in New England, the 45th tallest building in the United States, and the 135th tallest building in the world.
Next was the The Boston Public Library; the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to borrow books and other materials and take them home to read and use. The library was officially established in Boston by a city ordinance in 1852. The building, however, was designed in 1888 and opened to the public in 1895.
Facing the Library is Trinity Church, making up part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
From here we walked to The Public Garden, another location from Good Will Hunting. Although we didn’t see swans, as are spotted in the movie, we saw squirrels. Amazing, tame, squirrels. In fact, it was something I noticed all around Boston, that squirrels can be seen everywhere, even crossing the road. And so, here are the photographs. Wild, Wild SEX!
The horny critters were lovin’ it!
And so that will be all for today. I hope you have enjoyed this odd mix of history, geography, arts, culture and biology. There will of course be more at the weekend.
Sorry if you’re just here for the wild sex, as promised yesterday. Just one more day to wait.
I am in no way sick of my photos of the US and trying to relive in my mind the experiences and get them down on paper (virtual paper). Though it has meant that I have slightly neglected other photographs and projects I have been working on since my return. This entry will be as a brief overview of what i’ve been up to the last 3 or so weeks since my return.
The first few days were spent at my parent’s house as I tried to overcome the jet lag and get at least one decent nights sleep. Then I lost my sought-after BT9 postcode as I to my wonderful new house with my wonderful house-mates, who had been residing here for 3 weeks before my arrival and made things look pretty
It wasn’t long before I was back in a bar among live music. I discovered that while I was away BruisedFruit had been at it again. They have started a new weekly live music night called Free The Noise in the Rotterdam Bar - and its free (see what they did there!).
The following day I moved house. Its great!
It wasn’t until six days later that I went to another gig. Instead, taking a little time to be with nature…
The next gig, however, was to be something quite exciting. Three highly recommended bands in one night. How I cope I will never know. General Fiasco, Cutaways and Skruff.
Then just two days later I was blown away again by one of the best bands in Northern Ireland right now; Swanee River. Though even before that was Soundstone, with their very sexy, very topless lead singer, and good music.
Then September was over, though not before a family party with free drink - of course. On the first day of the new month I was back at the Rotterdam, this time for something a little different. Kitty and the Can Openers played a split set, between them was a comedy act called Creem Nuts - Dave, Johnny and Ray, or The Trio as we used to call them - and Geoff Gatt, then more Kitty and the Can Openers.
Two days later I was back at the Rotterdam, after getting some snaps of Gabriel who has started an African Music School in the Oh Yeah centre in Gordon Street.
The lineup for this week’s Free the Noise was excellent. Three acoustic singers. Three very different voices. Dee McKendry, Donal Scullion and dAVID dRYDEN.
Thursday 4th October was the unofficial launch night of Oxjam, a month of 15 gigs, 40+ bands and much money to be raised for Oxfam Ireland.
I personally hope to get to as many of the gigs as possible as there are just so many great bands playing. I also want to see the film Black Gold, although I was told recently that although it does a good job of putting across what goes on in the coffee trade and the “unbalanced struggling between poor coffee farmers in Ethiopia and greedy multinational coffee companies to do “fair trade,” it’s a crap film. Though I guess thats not really what its about - rather, about the message it gives to viewers. It is being shown in Common Grounds Café on 12th October.
On the unofficial launch, there were three acoustic acts, Dee McKendry, Amy McGarrigle and Mary’s Great Idea - complete with new member, Curly Chris on bass.
Finally Friday, time to chill out. After work I took the camera around the city centre while there was still light and that awesome sky.
Of course it just wouldn’t be right if my safety was not threatened by spides even just once. As I was taking the shot of the Millfield campus of the Belfast Metropolitan College, below, I heard, before I saw, a can of pepsi (I hate pepsi!) which I had seen this youth drinking just seconds before it had been hurled across the rush-hour traffic to the traffic island I was standing on. Thankfully it missed me, and the camera.
That brings us to Saturday 6th October. The last ever Iconoclastic gig. There was a tear in my eye. However, Paul knows how to go out in style and did just that at the end iof the set; smashing a pretty green guitar.
Then there was dancing. Too much dancing. I even had to offer money to stop girls dancing around me!
Finally, yesterday. Woody Guthrie 40th Anniversary tribute day in The Empire. Beginning at 3pm, through to 9pm there was great folk/country music, including covers of Woody songs. Artists performing included Bap Kennedy, Juliet Turner, Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Brian Houston, Broken String Bluegrass Band, The Delawares, Chad Dughi (USA), and Maeve Dunphy. All proceeds of the day were collected for Huntington’s Disease Association (NI). A long, though thoroughly successful day. Big up to Errol Walsh for organising it all.
Its been a hectic few weeks, but I just can’t get enough of it. There is just one thing I would like to ask of you. I need to get my website (www.philokanephotography.com) up and running, and I’m not happy with how it looks at the minute. Unfortunately I cannot design websites and so I need the help of someone who can. I will be willing to offer a monetary reward for the best designed website, if necessary!
Thanks for reading :)
What a relaxing weekend. Much of my time was spent at the parents house, chillin’
When there is a purpose for taking photographs it always makes it so much easier. Especially when my purpose is to show to people who have [probably] never been to Ireland. I try to think like this most of the time but it can be hard. To start to look at things a lot differently, through the eyes of someone who has never seen it before.
When I got back from the USA 2 years ago I did see everything differently. Looking forward to the day my friends would come to visit, I ended up seeing so much that they would find interesting. Through understanding that so much of what we take for granted is so unique to us comes the ability to see things in a different light and capture them.
So this afternoon I set off with my brother to the city centre to take some more buy some socks and underwear, pick up lots of leaflets and event guides on Belfast and Northern Ireland and take lots of photographs.
I am totally loving my brother, Chris’ new-found interest in photography. Since my dad bought the Nikon D40 last month Chris has been enjoying using it and I have been enjoying helping him.
After much shopping and photographing, we went for a great lunch in the Northern Whig.
Finally I managed to get him to stand still for longer than 2 seconds:
With only 5 days until I leave, I’m getting quite excited. It may turn out to be quite a stressful week too. With quite a lot to do and having not had one cigarette all weekend, I wonder how much longer that will last…
Admittedly it does feel a little odd to be sober after waking up on a Saturday. Though it ain’t morning. its 13:30. Afternoon. I didn’t have one drop of alcohol yesterday and when I got home I watched 5 episodes of the amazing and truely addictive Heros.
Last night I was at the Island Arts Centre in Lisburn for a panel discussion entitled ‘What It Takes‘. The panel, fronted by Ross Graham, head honcho of NIMIC (Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission), included a few of the regulars on the music scene, who dished out their opinions of what it takes to make it in the industry. This is the third event I have been to where I have been informed about how the music industry works, and each time I learn so much more than the last.
The first was the screening of the film ‘What is Indie‘ on 2nd Aug, unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to the panel discussion beforehand, though I feel that anyone who wants to make it in any aspect of the music industry should see this film, not just bands/artists. For me as a photographer, I came out feeling very positive and motivated. It is also for promoters, managers, labels big and small, retailers and most other areas of the music business, with business being a big part of it. Not enough bands see their music as a business, like it is. Of course this is meant in the positive sense, whereby, money is hoped to be made through the music; music being the product. Its about “selling yourself”, very different from ’selling out’.
This is simply about presenting your ‘product’ well; generally being able to write the music, having good photographs, a good press release etc, and of course, using every medium in this technology-revolved world available to get the music out there. A great quote from the movie, which I feel applied to everything is, “the internet is not a fad, it isn’t going to go away”. People have to use it. Those that are afraid of the internet music learn to harness its potential. I know a few people who don’t like the internet though it is essential. Nothing can be done without it today. Pretty music no one will want to know you unless you have access, and a certain amount of knowledge, on the internet. Not only in the music industry, though many other areas too. Maybe slightly harsh, but unless your dream is to strap yourself to trees in the Amazon, volunteer in the third world or manage a pig farm you will need the internet.
I know plenty of bands who are great at this, their names are everywhere - stickers on traffic lights and lamp posts, all over Myspace and Fastfude - generally lots of promotion. I have the perfect example, though, of the other end of the scale through my own friends. The band which will remain unnamed, do not like the internet, do not like to ’sell themselves’, do not like the idea of posing for photographs and do the bare minimum in the way of promotion. They need to see this film - when I have a spare $19.99 I will buy it.
The second event I went to recently was the “Give It Away” panel discussion.
Viacom are taking youtube to court for a billion dollars, but the BBC are giving the content away for free. In May Irish Band The Crimea became the first band to give away an entire album for free digitally, has it worked? The issue of intellectual property over routes to market will dominate the creative industries over the next decade, we talk to some of the main players
On the panel was Davey McMannus of the band The Crimea and Davy Sims, Editor in New Media (BBC). The Crimea unfortunately don’t seem to have a bio section on their myspace or website for me to quote from, though what I gathered is that they hailed from Northern Ireland and were one of the first bands to give away their album for free, Tragedy Rocks, and continuing to do so with their recently released second album Secrets of the Witching Hour, which can be downloaded here. In saying that, the albums are also in shops (and on iTunes) where they are not free. Although they have got into one or two legal battles along the way with publishers Davey seems to be quite pleased with how things have worked out for them. Maybe I should have heard of them before the event, though I hadn’t. From this though, I think it is a good idea for indie bands starting out to give away as much music as possible, or very cheap.
Last night’s had a far smaller audience than the others though it was very informative. Main points being about presenting yourself and your material well, getting to know the people who influence the local scene (magazines, promoters, other bands, radio folk). On the panel was James Rollins a media promoter, Paul McClean, producer of BBC Radio Ulster’s Across the Line show, Andrew Ferris, singer and guitarist in Jetplane Landing as well as running an independent label Smalltown America Records, Jennie McCullough of Bruisedfruit Promotions and Johnny Tiernan, editor and publisher of AU Magazine.
The discussion which went on for an hour and a half was more of a back to basics on, as the name suggests, how to make it in the industry, about getting a product ready before dishing it out to everyone (keeping your powder dry), knowing how to present yourself to people, being persistent, and not annoying, how to approach people, importance of image, creativity and standing out, importance of decent photographs, and many other points which I forget.
There was a slight difference at this event in that James Rollins gave a commercial perspective on the music industry. He is the man who gets paid lots of money to approach radio, TV and other media to promote bands. He works with more commercial music than that of the Indie variety. Knowing how to approach certain people is something he has learnt, through his 20 or so years in the industry, 15 of which were spent in sales, distribution, marketing in EMI. Now, running his own independent promotions company, he is pretty much the middle man to getting music to the media.
I recommend to anyone who has any interest in the music industry (maybe besides just listening to music) to get to something like this next time.
Of course I also didn’t take any photographs at this, or the other panel discussions like I know I should have. Next time I will.
After the panel last night, there was a gig featuring Colenso Parade, Speakmango, Kowalski and Clone Quartet. I managed to get my first ever official Press Pass :)
Due to the panel running a little over, I missed Colenso Parade, due to minor networking I missed Speakmango. I did get to see Kowalski, who were excellent:
Then I had get the last train home and miss Clone Quartet.
Now the day is almost over and I’m starving!
Friday was, as is the norm, not without plenty of drink and photos to go with it. A truth revealing, thought provoking, musical night; of course I slept on the sofa again.
Before the afternoon arrived, I found myself at home, watching Heros; my latest obsession. Tonight I finished watching episode 12. Over the next few days I plan to get through the following 11 episodes, completing the first series, and all that has been aired so far.
The highlight of the day, however, was the Italian BMT I had in Subway.
My brother and father recently discovered a love for a fairly unusual hobby: archery. I have never seen either of them play before, so today (sunday) I went along to watch my father taking part in a competition, which he didn’t win in the end.
Whilst there, we found some very tasty wild berries, which we are going to sell for 10p each.
Chris also learnt how to find the ‘biting point’ of the clutch
We listened to my new favourite radio station on the way home; U105
This week I don’t have many plans. Tomorrow Kitty and the Can Openers are playing alongside Robert Holmes and Eoghan Colgan, Northern Ireland born, Glasgow based Dr-cum excellent musician. Lavery’s Bunker.
11 days, 22 hours to go ahhh!
Next »