POST CATEGORY : BarryGruff Presents

Best of 2013 w/ Robbie Dunne of The Cedar Sound

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It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling lists, lists and more lists. Last year I asked bands and artists who’d played ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows to put their own list making skills to the test in picking their ‘favourite album of 2013′, ‘favourite song/remix of 2013′ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’. After another successful year of shows, why break with tradition?

Right, that is enough from me, over to Robbie Dunne from The Cedar Sound for his picks from 2013.

Favourite album of 2013: Jason Isbell – ‘Southeastern’

I was awaiting Dawes’ album Stories Don’t End with abated breath and when it was released, I wasn’t disappointed but then Jason Isbell came along with Southeastern and put into an album every emotion you can possibly feel while telling stories that I wanted to listen to. For me, Southeastern was the best of 2013 and will by this time next year, I can see myself still listening to it like I have been since it was released!

Favorite song of 2013: Dawes – ‘Most People’

It is off the Dawes album and it’s called ‘Most People’. I was sold once I heard the chorus that goes “she says most people don’t talk enough about how lucky they are, most people don’t talk enough about the love in their hearts” which is what runs through my head every day! Plus, it sounds like something off a Tom Petty record so that also helps

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Favorite Irish song of 2013: Christy Moore – ‘Where I Come From’

The guilt of not knowing enough Irish music and needing to listen to more. Christy Moore’s ‘Where I Come From’ because he mentions Johnny Doyle and the fact that I am a bog man surrounded by bog men is fitting also!

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Best of 2013 w/ Daragh from The Statics

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It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling lists, lists and more lists. Last year I asked bands and artists who’d played ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows to put their own list making skills to the test in picking their ‘favourite album of 2013′, ‘favourite song/remix of 2013′ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’. After another successful year of shows, why break with tradition?

Right, that is enough from me, over to Daragh from The Statics and his picks from 2013.

Favourite album of 2013: Queens of the Stone Age – ‘…Like Clockwork’

Q.O.T.S.A. are a long-time favourite of mine. For me they didn’t put a foot wrong with this album. The dirty riffs, melancholy piano and great melodies combine in a more experimental way than before. It’s entirely different from my personal favourite ‘Songs for the Deaf’; it’s quieter and more composed, with perhaps the exception of ‘My God is the Sun’. I’ve seen people physically sit up and pay attention to ‘I Sat By The Ocean’ too. It’s a feather in their bow that I don’t think a lot of people thought them capable of, until now. It’s far and away my pick of the year.

Favourite Song of 2013: Arctic Monkeys – ‘R U Mine?’

So, its not really a 2013 song but its on a 2013 album, apologies to the pedants, but its Arctic Monkeys – R U Mine? Which despite the spelling is actually a really good tune. Its the biggest nod to their early sound on their latest album and so it doesn’t tread to much new ground, but its exactly what I want when I put an Arctic Monkeys song on. No time is wasted getting into it and while it was out on Record Store Day in 2012, I’m still not tired of hearing it. Its was a belter in the Electric Picnic set. People went crazy to this one.

For an official 2013 tune I’d have to say Pulp’s ‘After You (James Murphy Remix)’. Just scraping in at the beginning of 2013 (available for download in December 2012, but officially released on January 28th) this is probably my favourite of the year. It has that classic ‘Common People’ Pulp sound made just that little bit better with a little help from Mr LCD Soundsystem.

Favourite Irish Song: Little Green Cars – ‘Harper Lee’

If it has to be one, and it does, then its Little Green Cars’ ‘Harper Lee’. Great harmonies, great driving drums, great band. Just one of the myriad of excellent songs I could’ve chosen from a tonne of great Irish bands making great music this year.

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Best of 2013 w/ DJ Robbie Coffey

It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling lists, lists and more lists. Last year I asked bands and artists who’d played ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows to put their own list making skills to the test in picking their ‘favourite album of 2013′, ‘favourite song/remix of 2013′ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’. After another successful year of shows, why break with tradition?

Right, that is enough from me, over to DJ Robbie Coffey and his picks from 2013.

Favourite song of 2013: Busta Rhymes feat. Q-Tip – ‘Thank You’

This song probably had an advantage over the others on my shortlist as it only dropped in early November, so it’s fresh in my mind and I haven’t completely worn it out yet! That said, I don’t see myself tiring of this anytime soon. Q-Tip and Busta are legends in my mind and they’re on top form here. Kanye West and Lil Wayne bring fuck all to the party and the video is shit but don’t let that put you off, this track is monumental!  Taken from the Q-Tip/Busta mixtape ‘The Abstract and the Dragon’ which should be available any day now..

Favourite album of 2013: Mount Kimbie – ‘Cold Spring Fault Less Youth’

I’ve been listening to a lot of Mount Kimbie this year. I finally got around to their 2010 debut Crooks & Lovers, which is fantastic. I found Cold Spring Fault Less Youth to be a bit more accessible than their debut. This is probably partially down to the addition of vocals to the setup. For the most part these are handled in house however two tracks feature King Krule (‘You Took Your Time’ & ‘Meter Pale Tonne’). Both of these collaborations work really well, in a haunting kind of way! Anyway, if you have 40 minutes to spare I’d recommend that you let this album into your ear followed by Q-Tip (& Busta).

Favourite Remix of 2013: Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie (Four Tet Remix)

I’m surprised how much I like this!

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Best of 2013 w/ Keith from The Dead Heavys

It’s that time of year when every music website, publication and blog (including this one) are busy compiling lists, lists and more lists. Last year I asked bands and artists who’d played ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows to put their own list making skills to the test in picking their ‘favourite album of 2013′, ‘favourite song of 2013′ & ‘favourite Irish song of the year’. After another successful year of shows, why break with tradition?

Right, that is enough from me, over to Keith from of The Dead Heavys and his picks from the year that was 2013.

Favourite album of 2013: Of Montreal – ‘Lousy With Sylvianbriar’

This album’s only been out since October but has already clocked up more listens than any other new release this year. Its quite a simple record (especially for Of Montreal) with a small band cutting it live to tape  but the songwriting is just fantastic. Great melodies paired with some seriously dark lyrics (a- la ‘Forever Changes’), makes for a great listen.

Favourite song of 2013: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Faded In The Morning’

Great tune from a great record. It somehow manages to be lo-fi, funky, psychedelic & rocking at the same time. Also has a great hook running through it.

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Favourite Remix of 2013: Jagwar Ma – ‘Come Save Me’ (Andrew Weatherall Remix)

Love the original track which has got a Phil Spector meets acid house vibe on it. The Weatherall mix drops the spector type beat and turns up the acid!

Favourite Irish song of 2013: O Emperor – ‘Contact’

Amazing band who really let loose on their new album. Great attitude & vibe to this track with so many different riffs going on throughout but never a not wasted.

BarryGruff & Co Present: Discord #1 :: Saturday, Nov 30th :: Flanagan’s, Newbridge

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BarryGruff & Co Present: ‘Discord’ #1 w/ DJ sets from BarryGruff & Cormac Brady :: Saturday, Nov 30th :: 9pm :: Flanagan’s Newbridge  :: Free In.

You might already be aware from all my incessant tweeting and the like, Myself and Cormac Brady are joining forces to run a DJ night called ‘Discord’.

The first one is taking place this Saturday (Nov 30th) from 9pm in Flanagan’s, Newbridge; with myself & Cormac spinning the tunes for the opening night. Anyone who’s witnessed one of señor Brady’s sets before knows how bloody excellent he is. Expect to hear loads of great hip hop, electro, indie, alternative, ska, dancehall & more. We’re both really excited to get this one off the ground and hopefully this is the first of many nights in Flanagan’s. Hopefully we’ll see you there.

Free Entry. RSVP here.

‘BarryGruff V Knoxville Morning’: w/ We Went Down + Ciaran Lenehan + Appo + Phil McDermott :: Thurs, Sept 26th :: Flanagan’s, Newbridge

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This Thursday two of Newbridge’s biggest musical mouth pieces will go head-to-head in Flanagan’s, for this one-off ‘BarryGruff V Knoxville Morning‘. 

It should be a great night of live music as we bring you a show with four excellent acts, with sets from We Went Down (KM), Ciaran Lenehan (BG), Appo (BG) & Phil McDermott (KM). There’s been some cracking nights in Flanagan’s and elsewhere over the past two years or so, and Thursday night’s ructions shouldn’t be any different.

It’s FREE in as always & we’ll be kicking things off at 8:30. Much more info and sounds after the jump. RSVP here.

We Went Down (KM):

Heartfelt Folk’ n Roll three-piece from Tallaght, Dublin. In there own words: “Two chancers bumped into a lad in an off licence, Questions were asked, We drank cans, We jammed tunes, We Went Down.” There music speaks louder than any promo/pr nonsense. Check it below.

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Ciaran Lenehan (BG):

The second of two Tallaght acts, Ciaran Lenehan, has become a firm favourite in Newbridge and makes a welcome return to the town, ahead of the release of his long-awaited debut album, These Stories, in November. To keep it relatively short; Lenehan is a songwriter to be reckoned with. Simple, assured and engaging and most importantly he has the talent to make wonderful stories into fantastic songs.

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Anderson’s Song | An Interview with Anderson

Ahead of tomorrow night’s ‘BarryGruff Unplugged’ show with Anderson in The Liffey Studio, Newbridge (details here), here’s an interview I did with Anderson, from the last issue of Lookleft Magazine.

When The Rags parted company last year, Dublin and indeed Ireland lost a great if somewhat underrated band. Between 2004 and 2010 they played scores of memorable gigs, released a string of brilliant singles and a superb album, ‘A National Light’. Slipping and sliding from one end of the indie spectrum to the other, The Rags music was lively and energetic, wrapped in poetic lyrics and delivered with a distinctive raspy vocal lilt.

All was not lost however. Having called time on The Rags, front man Daniel Anderson didn’t waste time in returning with his solo musical venture under the moniker of Anderson. While it witnessed a marked change in sound with a folksy sound of irresistible classic pop melodies preferred to raspy indie-punk, the intuitive and honest song writing remained a cornerstone of his work.

Yours truly caught up with Anderson for a quick Q&A to find out more about this exciting and intriguing new departure for one of Ireland’s very best songwriters.

LL: The new Anderson sound is quite different to what you did with The Rags and probably caught a few people by surprise – had you any lingering worries about how people would react?

Anderson: I never gave it any real consideration. My impulse when writing has always been to please myself and by that standard I’m always been hopeful that other people will enjoy it too, regardless of the way it is presented.

LL: You released your debut single & EP in the last few months, what has the reception been like?

A: The reaction has been everything and more than I expected. I think regardless of what anyone playing music says, you are writing to be heard and when people react in such an excited way to your stuff, it helps to reinforce your belief in what you do.

LL: What was the inspiration for this new sound? Was it something you had planned or did it just come naturally?

A: It wasn’t really planned but I was conscious of a need to make the lyrics and melody more prevalent than they had been in The Rags. Melody and lyrics have always turned me on and I think the solo thing has given me the opportunity to accentuated elements that were sometimes neglected in the band.

LL: What has this transition from band front man to solo artist been like?

A: It’s strange because in The Rags it always felt like we where a world within a world. In it I got to share a dream with people I grew up with and loved, and in a way that aspect was almost as rewarding as the music we made. It is a different feeling now it is a slightly more refined satisfaction but I think a part of me will always be stranded in the that youthful utopia I made with my friends.

LL: It seems switch has freed you up somewhat, the previous anger has been reined in somewhat with reflection, optimism and hopefulness preferred, is that a fair assumption of where you are right now?

A. Yes! I’ve brought optimism to this work that I didn’t always have with the band. I’ve worked hard to understand my craft and become a better writer, being the sole contributor I’m never pushed to do anything I’m not 100 percent about. The sense of well being that comes with this is priceless.

LL: You’re songs convey an insight to your life and the world, does your song writing tend to take inspiration from what you know and see around you?

A: I think so. I always feel compelled to express myself through the happenings in an around my life it helps me function day to day.

LL: You supported Villagers on their recent tour, how was that? And how did it come about?

A: Conor contacted me and said he loved the stuff and asked if I would like to do a couple of shows with them. It was a wonderful experience. I was exposed to an audience that wanted to listen and I got an invaluable insight into the life of an established band on the road.

LL: You’re planning to release an album this year? When/What can we expect?

A: I will aim for September but nothing is set in stone. I’ve been writing for a while and I am confident the record will sit comfortable alongside any great records in your collection.

BarryGruff Unplugged: Anderson + The P Affection + Knoxville Morning :: Thursday, July 25 :: The Liffey Studio, Newbridge

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It has been an incredible experience putting on all these BarryGruff shows over the past two years or so. On this occasion we have decided to do something a little different and do a set of six unplugged shows in the wonderful intimate surroundings of The Liffey Studio. It’s a great little venue in the heart of Newbridge and it’s a perfect setting for this kind of show.

The first of the series takes place on Thursday, July 25th and will see three superb performances from Anderson, The P Affection & Knoxville Morning. Tickets €5/€7 – doors at 8pm.

It’s €5 if you book in advance or €7 on the night. The cheap list is limited so if you would like to reserve a spot send an email to: barrygruff[at]gmail[dot]com – with your name, & ‘Cheap List’ in the subject title. More details & info below. [RSVP]

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BarryGruff Presents #16: Biggles Flys Again, Sive & Knoxville Morning :: Saturday, June 29th :: Flanagan’s Bar, Newbridge

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So, we took a little break, but we’re back again with ‘BarryGruff Presents’ #16 in Flanagan’s, Newbridge on Saturday, June 29th. We’ve got the superb Biggles Flys Again and the wonderful Sive performing, and the ever brilliant Knoxville Morning playing a special solo show (expect to hear some new tracks he’s been working on).

This is a really exciting lineup and one that promises to be a great night, so come along and enjoy the music. It’s FREE in as usual & kicks off at 9 pm. [RSVP]

:: Biggles Flys Again

Biggles Flys Again is the moniker of Dubliner Conor Deasy, who’s got a real talent for crafting 3 minute pop gems. Biggles’ debut album Remember Saturday is brimming with enchanting and whimsical good old fashioned pop songs, filled with sinuous melodies and organic arrangement. This is pop in the old fashioned sense, played by a band, and with an assured sense of style. Remember Saturday is one of the finest albums of 2013 and there’s plenty of others smitten with it too. The Sunday Times made it ‘album of the week’, The Sunday Business Post coined it as “a wistful, enchantingly gentle brand of day-glo alt-pop” and The Irish Times quite rightly said “Deasy has a canny knack for creating tunes the right side of familiar”. Extremely excited to bring these guys down to Newbridge, should be quality.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] – [Stream Remember Me Saturday on Spotify]

:: Sive

It’s been far too long since we’ve had Sive play one of these shows, they’re performance is always impeccable. Sive is the brainchild of Naas musician Sadhbh O’Sullivan, who along with her band, draw from a wide variety of alternative rock, jazz and folk influences. Sive’s gorgeous sound comes from a combination of these influences being fused with excellent musicianship and charm; not to mention her voice, which is simply exquisite. Sive’s debut album We Are Moving is well worth checking out, if you haven’t already of course.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] – [Stream We Are Moving on Deezer & Spotify]

:: Knoxville Morning

It’s always a pleasure to have Knoxville Morning play one of these shows, they always go down an absolute storm. On this occasion we’ve got a special solo show from chief songwriter and frontman Ciaran Dwyer, who’s got some new jams and what’s to test them out. This will be the first new material since last years great self-titled debut which enlisted the help of  fellow BOAI members, Stefan Murphy, Gavin Elsted, Brian Gallagher, Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey and Laura Caffrey. The result? A record of sweet folk, country and Americana, and while it wears it’s US influences on it’s sleeve, Ciaran’s intuitive storytelling remained a cornerstone.

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter] [Stream Knoxville Morning on Deezer & Spotify]

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BarryGruff Presents #15: The Statics, Policy & Appo :: Sunday, May 5th :: Flanagan’s Bar, Newbridge

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‘BarryGruff Presents’ returns to Flanagan’s Bar for a 15th Newbridge show on Sunday, May 5th. 

Over the course of the past 18 months there’s been some really special nights in Flanagan’s and Sunday night’s show with The Statics, Policy & Appo promises to be a belter of a night. Coincidentally this will be the last BarryGruff show for a while due to other commitments but we shall be back, it is something that has been an absolute pleasure to be involved with.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to this one & it promises to be a great night so come along and enjoy the buzz, as I said it’s the last one for a while. It’s FREE in as usual & kicks off at 9 pm. [RSVP]

The Statics:

The last time The Statics were in town they went down a treat. Echoing the likes of The La’s, John Power & The Coral, the Dublin four piece specialise in upbeat and energetic indie-goodness with twangy rhythmic guitars, stomping drums, bright upbeat melodies and rich distinctive vocals and sing-a-long choruses. It’s all played with energy, refreshing honesty and assured sense of style, and live, The Statics are one of the best performers in Ireland at the moment. Sunday’s performance is not to be missed. 

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter]

Policy:

Policy are a four-piece band from Kilcoole, Co Wicklow who sound like they have been influenced by a whole host of mid ’80s British indie acts (particularly The Wedding Present plus others of that ilk). Their debut EP is probably best summed up as a bit indie, a bit alternative rock and a bit rough around the edges, but it is full of charming songs with catchy melodies, smart lyrics and played with energy. Quite excited about this first visit to Newbridge from Policy. 

[Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter]

Appo:

Newbridge has gained quite a reputation in recent years for the sheer volume and quality of music emanating from the humble town. One man in particular has somehow managed to avoid this gaze, Appo, who has remained one of Newbridge’s best kept secrets. A one man bluesy-folk explosion, the gravelly voiced troubadour is currently recording his debut album which could potentially blow his cover once and for all. A wonderful songwriter, whose powerful blues/folk is a work of genuine veracity and it’s an absolute pleasure to have him back on the bill again.