The Autumn: Winter series continues this Friday, Saturday

THE SUPERBLY titled Autumn:Winter Collection series of shows continues with a double-header of gigs in the atmospheric St. John’s Church this weekend, with some of Limerick’s top bands taking to the stage on Friday night and Sharon Shannon bringing her accordion to the altar on Saturday night.

The series - which will see Bell X1 and Villagers appear in the church in the coming months - marks a special date this Friday when promoters Eightball.ie celebrate the ninth birthday of the Limerick Event Guide with a very special show in the intimate 14th century church.
The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, We Should Be Dead and Walter Mitty and The Realists will provide a very special show to celebrate the milestone, while an after-party will take place in the Loft at the Locke Bar, featuring top local DJs Leon and A2DF, Greenwood and Broken Funk.

Chart-topping trad musician Sharon Shannon takes to the stage the night afterward, providing fans the opportunity to see the Clare-born artist - one of the finest of her generation - perform her popular songs in the jaw-dropping venue. Shannon’s debut solo album, which featured U2’s Adam Clayton, became the biggest-selling Irish folk album ever, and was released after she quit university in Cork in the late 80s to concentrate on music, later joining The Waterboys.
“School for me was like prison, so to be able to just do what I loved and get paid for it and be free during the day, to just learn more music and be myself and be happy, was amazing,” Sharon has said.
Saints & Scoundrels, her most recent album, features songs from a superstar cast that includes Imelda May, Jerry Fish, The Waterboys, Carol Keogh and Shane MacGowan.
Backed by her four-piece band, Shannon will perform an evening of the finest traditional music from her extensive and number one selling back catalogue, which should prove to be a big hit with local music fans.

The Limerick Event Guide 9th birthday takes place on Friday, October 29, Sharon Shannon on Saturday, October 30.
Doors for both shows open at 8pm. Tickets are available from Euro Empire on 061-317211.

Rubberbandits, Sharon Shannon for St. John's Church series

THOSE nice folks over at Eightball.ie have given us a heads up on the next acts to form part of the Autumn:Winter Collection series of shows to be staged in the delightful St. John’s Church, which already includes sold out gigs with Bell X1 and Villagers over the next two months.

The local promoters have announced a further three series dates, including a rare opportunity to see the superb Sharon Shannon in the intimate 14th century church, plus a unique and innovative “Intimate Evening With The Rubberbandits”.

Eightball.ie will also celebrate the ninth birthday of the popular Limerick Event Guide magazine with a show featuring the cream of the crop of local musical talent at the end of October.

The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, We Should Be Dead, Walter Mitty and The Realists, Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra and more will come together to celebrate the LEG’s ninth birthday, followed by a party in The Loft @ The Locke Bar afterward, with top local DJs taking to the stage, including Leon and A2DF, Greenwood and Broken Funk.

Chart-topping trad musician Sharon Shannon will take to the stage in St. John’s Church the night afterward, providing fans the opportunity to see the Clare-born artist - one of the finest of her generation - perform her popular songs in the jaw-dropping venue.

Backed by her four-piece band, Shannon will perform an evening of the finest traditional music from her extensive and number one selling back catalogue, which should prove to be a big hit with local music fans.

However, the gig that has us most excited is the news that dastardly duo, The Rubberbandits, will step onto the St. John’s Church alter for a night of insanity and hilarity - big news after selling out a gig in Dolan’s Warehouse recently, and ahead of scheduled national television appearances, including a regular slot on RTE’s top rated comedy show.

The plastic-bag wearing comedians/rappers are planning a live interview as well as performing some of their most popular songs, and this is a must for any self-respecting Rubberbandits fan.

The Limerick Event Guide 9th birthday takes place on October 29, Sharon Shannon on October 30 and the Rubberbandits on November 20.

Tickets are available from Euro Empire on 061-317211.

More fun for your Friday night - Nick Carswell/Qool DJ Marv

After many years of gigs, travel, procrastination, gigs, more gigs, time spent assembling members, more gigs, recording, mixing, more gigs - the luxurious sounds of the Elective Orchestra are to get a first release this Friday night in the shape of debut single 'When I'm Not Around' - the first offering from the ever-so-slightly-warped/musical mind of Mr Nick Carswell (pictured above) and friends.

The group are to release the acoustic offering in the delightful surroundings of the Georgian House, Pery Square, this Friday @ 6pm. All are welcome, just drop a mail to sillygooserecords@gmail.com to let Nick or Hannah know you are coming.

Why? Apart from the free wine, the drawing room of this fabulous building will be the perfect place to saviour the fruits of several months recording, first in Tralee with Ross O’Donovan (Hooray For Humans, Waiting Room) and latterly in a Youghal-hideaway.

Making use of the grand piano, Nick, plus the Cussen sisters (Deirdre and Kate - surely Ireland's finest string duo), Bart, Fergal, Simon etc, will wow you with their impressive acoustic-rock stylings, replete with soaring strings, electro-loop effects, and harmonies galore.

Here's the blurb:

"The song is a four minute slice of acoustic rock characterised by a killer guitar hook, offset by the band’s signature string section, plucking and bowing with gusto. It builds to a catchy chorus that will linger in your head for days. Infectious stuff indeed!"

Here's something I said once, in one of my more lyrical moments (doesn't happen often):

"Emotive and intelligent lyrics combined with beautiful and creative musicianship"

When I’m Not Around is available as a digital download from www.downloadmusic.ie by txting “music 2708” to 57501 – cost €1.

Have a listen here.

To continue the theme of the evening, the Release Party continues downstairs in the Club @ Aubars on Friday night, with a very special guest in the shape of New York City’s Qool DJ Marv, founder and driver of the long-running Buttamilk crew - who takes to the decks to spin some tunes that will likely be summery and warm, a bit like this unseasonably good weather we are having.

Expect R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Latin, House, Jazz, Funk, Rock & Roll, Soul, and Disco stylings, all rolled into one delightful evening, which forms part of a three date national tour Eightball are doing with Mr Marv.

Download a free MP3 sample of Mr Marv's grooves here and get a taste of what we are on about.

Doors for this show open at 11.30pm, and Qool DJ Marv can be seen for a recession-busting ten euro.

Jurassic 5's Akil the MC to perform in the Belltable, Limerick

Look at him there, none other than Akil the MC from the now-defunct, former Kings of hip-hop Jurassic 5. Hot off the presses comes the news that Akil is to come to Limerick to perform a very (very) special live show in the Belltable (@ 36 Cecil Street).


Akil will perform (wait for it) a healthy mix of his own material and a "host of J5 classic", which has left one Limerick Leader colleague (the pithily witty Chalkboard) salivating.


From the blurb (boiled down by yours truly):


A founding member of J5, Akil was at the forefront of the seminal hip-hoppers, taking vocal, production and lyrical charge of many of the group's most famous works in cluding
'Concrete School Yard’, ‘Quality Control’ and ‘Thin Line’.


Akil hails from the boroughs of South Central LA and through his Rebels of Rhythm group, quickly rose through the ranks of the LA hip-hop scene - his "crew" later amalgamating with the Unity Committee to become Jurassic 5.

Jurassic 5 were picked up by Interscope in 1999, and their first order of business was to re-release the under ground classic J5 Ep, which was followed by ‘Quality Control’, ‘Power In Numbers’, and ‘Feed Back’.


While J5 called it a day in 2007 (to the Chalkboard's considerable chagrin) Akil is still touring, playing and spreading his message and comes to Limerick as a special guest of Eightball for a special Release Party live show at the Belltable on Friday, March 27. Tickets are 17 bobs and available from the box office - 061-319866 and, as an added bonus, show your Akil ticket at the door of The Release Party from 11.30pm at the Club @ Au Bars for free entry and a late night.

The Release Party gets its release

This thing got born out of anger and frustration..

You can say that again, I was there..

We want a release. We're tired of bad news, tired of the knot in our stomach.

Right on..

We want something to look forward to.

Yes, we do..

Big records, on big speakers, in a nice room, with friends and family and a smile on our lips.

Sounds great..

'Cause we just want to say something, and we just want to play something.

Cool..

Music is the answer they say. People are the answer, we add.

Yes!

Soul in the speakers means soul in the speaker.

I like the sound of that, very catchy..

So let's speak. Let's think. Let's dance and drink, laugh and kiss, once a week.

Every week.

You may have seen this rather crytic speech make its around town on little fliers, seeking to let people know about a new party, happening once a week. It began as a bile-filled rant about the state of the nation (I was there), but became something much better. As the idea grew, it became a night for people to relax, have fun, hang out, listen to some good music and, well that's essentially it.

So last week saw the launch of the Release Party, and 300 people turned up to the newly refurb'd club downstairs in Aubars to celebrate and listen to Stevie Wonder records. And dance.

This turned out so successful it is planned to run weekly in the same location, with similar nights taking place in Cork, Galway and Dublin very soon. Plus potential interest in Edmonton, Shanghai, New York and Sydney (I'll go set these up shall I?)

Respected Djs such as Aim (Fri, March 6) and New York's Qool DJ Marv (pic above - Fri, April 3) are due in town for shows in the near future. This has all been made possible by Eightball and full info is available here and here.

The release party is about having a party, and a release. The release party is yours, made by you, for you and yours. Simple.