Album review - Windings 'It's Never Night'

Windings

‘It’s Never Night’

(Out On A Limb Records)

CHOOSING TO open this album with the soft, atmospheric and warmly folk-tinged track ‘Lil Hands’ is something of a masterstroke by windings frontman Steve Ryan - proving immediately that this band is the antithesis of his former band, the hard-rocking Giveamanakick.

That said, the cheery, “woo” opening of second song Brain Fluid is the polar opposite of that hushed offering, and a demonstration of this band’s range, now that a “definitive” windings line-up has been found featuring, in particular, Ryan’s long time collaborator and friend Liam Marley, who brought a high level of multi-instrumental and song-writing skills to the table in 2008, with Aaron Mulhall’s drumming abilities and Patrick O’Brien (of Last Days of Death Country fame) added later.

This settled unit, which initially offered Ryan a font with which to express his musical alter ego, has now, with a settled line-up and collaborative process in place, given him the position in which to flex his musical muscles in a way that GAMAK could not.

Brain Fluid was the lead single from the album and impressed many on its release earlier this year for ringing with a sunny pop sensibility evocative of Teenage Fanclub or REM but we (proudly) knew of Ryan’s potential since the first windings release in 2005 - and through his antics with his former band, now sadly disbanded but not forgotten.

The Limerick man’s effortless electric guitar skills and fingerprints are all over this album, particularly on the aforementioned lead single, the upbeat yet retro Poor In The Mouth and the rockier You Did.

But it is the folk driven songs we love most here, the epic, stomach churning Apologia, finishing as it does with a post-rock wig out; the beautifully wistful Song of the Doomed; and the gorgeously warm Old Like J, a stone-wall album highlight that you won’t be able to get out of your head for days, and won’t want to for that matter.

The changing, twisting seven-something minutes of These Horses Also Ran is firm proof if you needed it that this album was worth the wait, chugging toward a soaring finish with rat-tat drumming and jangling guitars, bursting into a furious, eye-opening climax. A long time coming, but worth the wait - and then some.

RATING 4/5

Five Limerick bands go head to head for Bob Dylan support slot

AND THEN there were five.. After over a month inviting applications from the great and the good of the Limerick music scene, a whopping entry has been whittled down to five contenders, all vying for a prized spot on the same stage as Bob Dylan in Thomond Park.
This, as they say, is no time for nerves.
For most up and coming bands, regardless of genre or variety, the iconic Dylan is something of an awesome figure - an elusive character who overcame a perceived lack of vocal ability to become one of, if not the, best known and most distinctive performers in world music.
Five Limerick acts have been shortlisted to go head to head against one another for a spot on Dylan’s Thomond Park bill, which also features heavyweights David Gray, Seasick Steve and Alabama 3.
The acts are Windings, Last Days of Death Country, Brendan Markham, Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra and Animal Beats - all seeking to scoop the chance to open for Dylan on July 4, in front of a potential audience of 20,000 people.
Dolan’s Warehouse, in association with the Limerick Chronicle and Limerick’s Live 95FM, will host the event tonight, and with five bands playing for a mere five euro, you can’t get better value anywhere else this summer.
A panel of select media representatives - including On The Beat - will watch the bands perform this Friday and pick a winner from the bunch.
Concert promoter Peter Aiken, who was requested by Dylan personally to select a local act to open his only Irish show this year, told City Life recently that a support slot for an unknown band had, in the past, yielded huge results.
“One year we had an unheard of band to support Pink – the Coronas, and she took them on a world tour, she loved them. Dylan will be listening, so who knows? It will be good, and we are looking forward to it,” revealed the concert boss.
Mick Dolan said the volume and quality of entries received for the competition proved that Limerick’s music scene was “fantastic”.
“The standard is fantastic and the five that were picked will do us proud, whoever wins,” said Mick.

The bands selected represent the cream of the crop on the local music scene, and are wholly representative of the diversity ever-present in local music circles.

Windings is the solo project of Steve Ryan of Giveamanakick, which is, despite being around for several years, only really a band in its infancy, given that Ryan only put the band together last year after Giveamanakick went their separate ways. The group played their first Limerick gig earlier this year in support of the release of excellent new single Brain Fluid, with an album slated for release later this year.

Castletroy band Animal Beats represent the best of the young, up and coming bands in Limerick, formed in late 2007 and displaying a moody brand of rock and roll, reminiscent of The National. The band were overall winners of Limerick's Got Talent 2009, beating over 50 acts to secure first place.

Raheen native Nick Carswell has been hovering on the fringes of the national scene for the last couple of years, with Today FM’s Paul McLoone a dedicated fan of his melodic tunes, stuffed as they are with sweeping orchestration, thanks to Newcastle West sisters Deirdre and Kate Cussen on strings, while local music stalwarts Colin Bartley and Bart Kiely are also full time members, as is vocalist Sian Murray. This is one of the most eclectic ensembles on the local scene, in our opinion.

Post-rock four piece Last Days of Death Country are a band that have been championed on these pages for some time, sporting as they do one of our favourite monikers, plus an impressive set of songs that pack an aggressive rock and roll punch. Debut EP Mode and Effect, recorded with Fergal Lawler of The Cranberries, is one to check out.

Finally, last but certainly not least, is stalwart Brendan Markham, who has been around for many years, particularly as a founder member of the now defunct Limerick band The Driven, but who has only really found his niche with the release of his debut solo album False Witness, which he released earlier this year, and gathering a settled band around him.

The top five bands will battle it out for the Dylan support slot in Dolan’s Warehouse tonight.

Riverfest weekender - May Bank Holiday weekend bonanza

LIMERICK is set for a bonanza May Bank Holiday Weekend with over 50 different events taking place around the city.
With Riverfest and the Great Limerick Run set to bring thousands of fun-seekers into the city this weekend, music and arts venues are outdoing themselves to stage events to cater for the thousands expected into the city.
Graffiti enthusiasts are expected to flock to the “Just Writing My Name 2” international graffiti jam taking place in “The Spot” on the Dock Road, which is to play host to a stellar line-up of international graffiti talent, including Cope 2 from New York - a legend on the international scene.
Various different music events are to take place around Riverfest and the Great Limerick Run, with the BBQ taking place on George’s Quay on the Saturday afternoon, and music being provided at various points along the route of the run, which is expected to feature over 5,000 competitors.
In a great weekend for live music, Limerick is to play host to the like of 80s legend Nik Kershaw on Friday night, and high profile DJs Dave Pearce and Norman Jay (pictured above) in separate events over the three days.
Limerick man Steve Ryan releases his new single as windings this Friday in Dolan’s, while very highly rated songstress Jennifer Evans takes to the stage in Baker Place this Saturday. Johnny Duhan brings his new show ‘The Voyage’ to the Belltable, while former member of the Ramones, Tommy Ramone, brings his indie-acoustic duo Uncle Monk to Dolan’s.
For theatre fans, the new Loft venue in the Locke hosts the last couple of nights of the excellent Language UnBecoming A Lady, featuring Myles Breen and finishing on Friday, while the Choke Comedy Improv Troupe return to the Belltable on Saturday night.
With live music also taking place in the People’s and Arthur’s Quay Parks this Saturday, Limerick will be alive with sound this weekend, prompting Laura Ryan of Limerick Co-ordination Office to proclaim that there is literally “something for everyone to do this weekend”.
“Limerick is the place to be this weekend and has firmly established itself as the May Bank Holiday festival location,” explained Laura, whose office is co-ordinating Riverfest.
“The weekend has now become synonymous with Limerick and fun and there is lots of stuff happening with close to 50 events taking place,” she added.

2010 IMRO Showcase This Saturday In Limerick

NATIONAL MUSIC showcase tours can be a hit and miss affair.
Often accompanied by heavy branding and advertising, the bands can often be of a poor quality and lacking in spirit and guile. Thankfully, that is not the case with the IMRO Showcase tour, which is run by the Irish Music Rights Organisation - in association with 2FM and State magazine - and seems to have a genuine interest in unearthing the latest new music talent on these shores.
The 2010 IMRO Showcase has been touring the country since March 25, featuring the likes of The Ambience Affair, C!ties, The Minutes and Talulah Does The Hula - names to watch out for all, take it from us.
This weekend the showcase rolls into Limerick for the local leg - the penultimate on the tour before the Best of IMRO Showcase Tour 2010 gig in the Academy, Dublin, where the cream of the crop will be selected to perform.
A record breaking 800 music submissions were received for this year’s tour, and a heavyweight local line-up has been selected for the Limerick leg; Windings (solo), The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, Nick Carswell and The Elective Orchestra and Supermodel Twins.
Now, none of these bands will be - or at least should not be - unknown to those that regularly attend gigs in Limerick, but gathered together on one stage, broadly represent some of the finest acts this city has to offer to the country.
Top of the bill is Windings - Steve Ryan of Giveamanakick’s new full-time project, which is gearing up for a single release this Friday of the rather excellent “Brain Fluid”, and Steve will play a solo Windings show this Saturday, with a full band show to come the following weekend.
The Brad Pitts are also gearing up to (finally!) release their debut album, which these ears have heard and can strongly recommend.
Completing the line-up is Nick Carswell and his Elective Orchestra, who have been somewhat absent from the local scene of late, but will be back with a bang and some new tunes this Saturday, while the Supermodel Twins are riding high since the recent release of their single Bruises, from their much-anticipated debut album.
It is rare to get four bands of this quality on one stage, so get out and support them.
The IMRO Showcase Tour takes place Upstairs in Dolan’s this Saturday, April 24. Doors at 8pm.

Concern Ireland Action Haiti this Saturday

SOME OF Limerick’s finest bands and artists are to come together for a Haiti fundraiser this Saturday, showing that the recent tragedy has not been forgotten in these parts.
Action Haiti, in aid of Concern Worldwide’s relief efforts in the stricken country, are being organised by Liam Marley and local man Eric Kelleher, members both of the Aspersion Music Collective (AMC), a non-profit collective that ran shows in Limerick for several years, playing host to acts like Fugazi, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more.
The duo have declared that “after seeing the devastation caused by the Haiti earthquake, like most people, we felt compelled to do something to help in any way we could”.
Having approached friends and several Limerick based musicians, the duo have come up with Action Haiti, to raise funds to help the aid and rescue effort continuing in the poverty-stricken country.
Appearing on the night will be well-known local artists Peter Delaney, Mark O’Connor, Windings - featuring Liam Marley himself - and Mahlon Sweet Field, which features Dolan’s sound technician Sean Harrold on lap-steel guitar - rounded off with a DJ set from Viva Music Studios’ own Dan Sykes.
The organisers noted the “host of great Limerick talent who are all graciously contributing their time and effort for free” and add that they think “there will be something for everyone’s musical taste” on the night.
The Action Haiti gig takes place this Saturday in Dolan’s Warehouse at 8pm. Admission is €6, with donations encouraged.

Out On A Limb host label night in Dolan's

LIMERICK based independent record label Out On A Limb are to host a ‘label night’ this Friday night, featuring two of the bands on the label’s roster, plus exciting new up and coming Ennis based band C!ties.
Rest and Crayonsmith will perform at the label show this Friday in Dolan’s, plus the Ennis based electro-trio.
OOAL have been quiet of late, in fact, 2009 was a year in which the label were completely inactive, the last Limerick gig a fifth birthday celebration in December 2008.
The label was originally established by Albert Twomey and Richard Bourke to release Giveamanakick’s 2003 offering ‘Is It Ok To Be Loud Jesus?’ - before going on to release nine albums by seven different bands over the next five years.
Thankfully, despite last year’s period of inactivity, OOAL have decided not to go the course of the now defunct Giveamanakick, and are aiming to get new releases out in 2010, as well as find some new bands for the stable.

“We are trying to get a bit of momentum going, because last year was incredibly dormant,” says Ciaran Ryan of OOAL, who joined not long after its inception.
“I think an important part of this year is that we are trying to add a couple of bands to the label roster, which is what we need - we had no releases last year because we had no-one new coming through and the lads were all working on albums and stuff."
"So we are on a recruiting drive, so to speak, at the moment,” he laughs.

Still home to Windings - featuring Steve Ryan of Giveamanakick - Rest, Crayonsmith, Ten Past Seven and Hooray for Humans, OOAL have a lot to offer, and have a weighty reputation as a no-frills label with an eye for talent.
Windings will release a single in April, with an album to come later in the year, while Cork band Hooray for Humans will release a much anticipated album this year also.

A meeting between the label and the bands decided that it was worth salvaging and keeping it up and running, good news for Limerick and music fans in general.
Asked if he can see the label celebrating a tenth birthday, Ciaran is positive, but somewhat circumspect.
“Yeah, why not. It's not that far away. I can't see why not, but we have to change how we operate - there are not that many record labels going for ten years, especially small independent record labels, of which there are very few at all. No-one is buying records, and at the end of the day, that counts. I think the important thing is to try and be a bit more creative”.

He adds: “Limerick has always been great to the label and I think there has been a element of pride and people standing by the label, so it will be interesting to see if that goodwill is still there”.
Out On A Limb’s label show takes place this Friday, Upstairs in Dolan’s.

Limerick's 13th UnFringed Festival begins this Wednesday

THE 13th UnFringed Festival kicks off this Wednesday and sees a busy and innovative programme of fringe events taking place in the city over the following five days.
Fast establishing itself as one of the premier fringe theatre, comedy, music and dance events in the country, the newly streamlined five day programme boasts a number of Irish - and indeed world - premieres among its line-up.
The festival opens with an event that typifies the exciting nature of UnFringed, beginning with Cirque de Legume, a new piece of theatre about two performers who try to put on a Cirque du Soleil-type circus show using nothing but a chair and a box of old vegetables. The show was a winner at the Dublin Fringe Festival last year.



Site-specific theatre is very important to UnFringed, as seen in previous years with theatre performed in Leamy House and Stix pool hall on Nicholas Street - and this year is no exception, with Anu Productions’ Memory Deleted.
“Memory Deleted is a really interesting piece which has been specially commissioned for the festival, taking place in the Boutique Hotel in Denmark Street,” said Joanne Beirne, artistic director with the Belltable, who present UnFringed.
“You will get, when you go to the hotel, a room key, and you will see what unfolds. The hotel room holds the lives and experiences of people across a number of years - and that is what the play is about.”
One of the other noted plays to be performed is the exciting Elena Bolster’s Beast, plus Spinal Krapp by Darren Maher, well known to UnFringed audiences.
Another noted feature of UnFringed is the rehearsed readings which take place, allowing the audience to see a play in its early stages of development - an interesting and useful exercise for both audience and practitioners. Several will take place this year, including Ken Bourke’s Laetitia, fellow local playwright Helena Enright’s Aquero, and Amalgamotion’s Dos Palabras. Choke Comedy will perform a series of specially developed sketches under the amusing tagline of ‘Pure Sketchy’, while Daghdha Dance Company will present ‘Rolling’, developed in tandem with New York guest artist Chase Grandoff.
There will be plenty for children and all of the family, including the Irish Improv Orchestra accompanying Looney Tunes cartoons, and the Lords of Strut, who will perform their amusing acrobatics on Thomas Street on Friday at 1.30pm.
Finally, local musician Steve Ryan - formerly of Giveamanakick fame - will perform as Windings (pictured below) in Red Cross Hall, and has promised a few surprises and some new music from his forthcoming album, while Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra will perform at the UnFringed awards ceremony in Dolan's on Sunday night.
For full details on UnFringed 2010, see www.belltable.ie or Listings on page 46.

Super gig taking place tomorrow night, last of this year's Belltable Sessions.

Folk musician David Hope will get proceedings underway, followed by the harmonious O'Suilleabhain brothers in their Size2Shoes guise, who have an album ready for release. Steve Ryan of Giveamanakick fame performs as Windings after an excellent gig at the Body and Soul Arena of Electric Picnic, while Cork band Armoured Bear - responsible for one of the Irish albums of the year with Honeycomb Moons - headline the night.

All acts perform live, no mics, no speakers, just performance and music in the versatile Red Cross Hall. Check it out.

www.myspace.com/thebelltablesessions