One of my proudest achievements on the blog this year, or any year for that matter, is the release of GruffWuff; a 19 track compilation of new, previously unreleased and exclusive recordings from some of my very favourite acts over the past 5 years of blogging.
It was a truly fantastic way to mark 5 years of BarryGruff and I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved and the overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response. As 2015 draws to a close, I have enlisted help from people who made the compilation what it was, to chat about their favourite moments and sounds from year, and up next, Stephen Connelly.
As was the case with any amount of gigs and whatnot, Stevie was my right hand man on GruffWuff and it wouldn’t have happened without him (or if it did, it wouldn’t have been half as good). His artwork was the final piece of the jigsaw, and it’s fuckin’ great (even if everyone on Broadsheet didn’t agree – the internet is a cruel mistress). A pleasure to work with as always, I’d like to thank him for all his work and enthusiasm toward GruffWuff, cheers buddy. When he’s not being hassled into doing stuff with me, among other things, he plays in Knoxville Morning, makes excellent video’s for bands and tries his best at 5-a-side. Now, time to take a look at his 2015 sound selections….
What was your personal high point of this year, musical and/or otherwise?
Three events stand out:
1. Really enjoyed working so close on the Gruffwuff compilation. Great to see so many bands getting behind the blog and also the great feedback we received.
2. It’s only really hitting me now that I got make the video for A Lazarus Soul’s latest single, ‘Mercury Hit a High’. I fucking love that band and to be able to contribute to one of my favourite albums was an incredible feeling.
3. Gig of the year has to go to Lynched in The Crane Bar in Galway. I was an emotional wreck by the end of the show, spent the week wrecking friends heads about how good it was going to be and they didn’t disappoint. Hadn’t got a buzz off Irish folk music since L.A.P.D. played the Electric Picnic a few years back.
