A successful week for Irish music all-round! Firstly congratulations to Jape on winning the Choice Music Prize – many have already said it went to the nicest man in Ireland and of those on the final shortlist, he was certainly amongst the most deserving. Halfset made a really good album and R.S.A.G. certainly set tympanics trembling with Organic Sampler but in the end the award went to one whose music played truly massive role in 2008. Despite fear and suspicion on the night due  to the presence of David Holmes and The Script, Richie Egan is now wealthier to the tune of ten thousand fruits and a smooth celebratory trophy declaring Ritual the most critically-acclaimed Irish album of 2008. Thank you Jape.
There’s an interview with Choice founder Jim Carroll over on Analog. It’s a decent read…have Phantom really been binning bands’ CDs? In this age of carbon neutrality I thought unwanted promos found a home in charity shops. It’s all a wicked lie!

Salulations are also in order for Falter Ego who won the DIT Battle of the Bands in Think Tank on Wednesday (by the by, how fantastic is the new Cylon ceiling in the Eustace Street club?! Totally makes up for the naff Diet-Cokesque mural and porn-star toilets…!) Falter Ego beat off competition from Bojangled, Flying Columns and The Harm to win the first heat. Myself and two judges from Drop-D were level-pegging at 3/4 time and prepared for a fight amongst Indies when the three metallers rocked on and settled the score with four great, catchy songs. Look forward to hearing from you lads but if I can make one teeeny suggestion – introducing online visitors to your music with “The Official…Myspace Page” is a bit naff. Just sayin….

Before I launch into the plethora of upcoming releases and shows, take a moment to consider Parhelia‘s words on the effects of illegal downloading on small bands.
The Dublin post-rockers released Shifting Sands in early February and yet to date there have been over 500 downloads from one filesharing site alone – more than the album’s total legitimate sales. That ain’t cool. Support your local music industry people – it’s the only way to survive without selling out.

Amongst others, this Saturday 7 March sees two entirely different gigs: Angel Pier, A Lazarus Soul and Lines Drawing Circles take over Andrews’ Lane Theatre – LDC also play Hideaway House in Deansgrange the following night, Sunday – you can read Angel Darragh’s Soundtrack over on Drop-D.

The other gigging biggie is The Urges in Whelans, also tomorrow – biggie because it’s their last Irish date before they descend on the not-so-sleepy town of Austin, Texas for SXSW….did you know the city has a bat population of 1.5 million? Sounds like a kind of haven!

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While March hares have yet to come bounding through this neck of the docks, here’s some upcoming madness to pay heed to : Adebisi Shank and Jogging join the bill for the return of Baltimore’s highly-feted four-piece  Ponytail on 11 March. This undoubtably hangs down the back of The Vinny Club‘s storming display of support in September. I didn’t go to that but after checking out the latest Ponytail album Ice Cream Spiritual I wish I had.

Foggy Notions have kindly offered two double passes to lucky parties. I’m sure you’ll be beating down the door for these so give the following challenge a bash and send your answers to rockeroffher[at]gmail[dot]com:

Shank’s Pony, Jogger’s Nipple, Blogger’s ….??

Entries close on 9 March. I’m not that finicky about time so 23:59:59 if you’re determined to wrest one.

www.myspace.com/jreamteam

www.myspace.com/adebisishank

www.myspace.com/joggingband

www.foggynotions.ie

Fancy some Americana-driven blues rock to hound yaw dawgs to? This here’s The River Valley Band accompanied by them low-down, no-good, keister-kicking Hot Sprockets and Whelans’ own enigma of Sunday night slide-guitar, NC Lawlor:

Oh yeeehah!

www.myspace.com/therivervalleyband

Who do I love? I I love The Funeral Suits.

What do I love? I love new EPs with extended versions of Machines!

Who do I LOVE? I love Franz Ferdinand.

What do I love? I love The Funeral Suits supporting Franz on their Irish tour!

More pics of The Funeral Suits from their Oh Dear EP launch….

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Awwwh, the stories, the joys, the highs, the lows. The nostalgia, the fresh waves of energy. Though I don’t see or hear them often, The Revellions are close to my heart.

Congrats on their succesful transition to London’s Dirty Water Records and this weekend they bring the Dirty Water to Dublin…this launch at Radio City looks set to be a low-down of all things raw and real. The Revellions. The Urges. The Hot Sprockets. Dandelion…and YOU.

www.myspace.com/therevellions

www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk

Pretty neat footage from the Team Fresh support to dan le sac and Scroobius Pip in the Stiff Kitten last Friday. I want to be in this band. There must be something I can do. Maybe Rory and I could ukelele-battle or something…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/7rV3h6OZsdo" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

LOADS more TF vids on YouTube.

www.myspace.com/teamfreshforever

What would you get if you mixed a Face with a Train and ABAM?

The decent types involved in organising this have offered up 2 pairs of guestlist for Saturday’s gig in the Thomas House so if you fancy a double date of face-eating then get your name in the draw.
Email your wittiest answer to rockeroffher[at]gmail[dot]com by 6pm on Friday evening. Best two to crack my guts scoop the pot.

www.myspace.com/illeatyourfaceireland

www.myspace.com/realistictrain

www.myspace.com/abamband

First early recordings of CODES supporting Keane at the O2 have begun to pop up:

CODES – You Are Here

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WZiLJA4s468" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Read the debate about CODES and support bands!

www.myspace.com/codesofficial

Been up to proverbial bits-and-pieces this week as the Hounds of Work snap at my heels and resultingly forgot to post this, what looks like a really, really good Ballroom gig tonight in the Lower Deck.

Now y’all know there’s no talk of the competition er, international bands here I’ll quickly stress that the Uzi and Ari album Headworms is an electronica dreamwave set to instruments. A bit like Radiohead without the boredom. Plus they’re named after two mentaller kids in one of my favourite ever films, The Royal Tenenbaums.

Equally exciting are the support acts: three different (complementary!!) Irish bands will build up to the main show with their own offerings: the Yeh Deadlies, Land Lovers and Fiasco,Fiesta.

Once allied with the legends who were Coldspoon Conspiracy, I only recently discovered Fiasco, Fiesta’s songs on MySpace and they’rrre awesome.  Tried and Tired is definitely worth a listen, broodish vocals over clean ambient electro while This Isn’t About You retains the steady voice over much livelier instruments and muted old-school rave beat. I think FF are gonna make an interesting addition to the music circle this year and look forward to checking them live.

Fun so! See you tonight if you’re right.

www.myspace.com/ballroomofromance

CODES Pic : Ruth Medjber

Already boasting the impressive claim of opening for Maps, CODES were delighted at the weekend to hear they would support Tom “I carried drugs in my cheek pouches” Chaplin’s paino-ballad group Keane at the O2 in Dublin and Belfast’s Odyssey arena later this week. Great news for a determined band to know their efforts have been noticed but I was reluctant to share my friends’ joy at the news. I completely fail to see what links the bands’ music. Much as I love CODES – you can check out a recent interview or live photos here – with better perception, a better band could have been chosen to warm the crowd for the Sussex headliners. Isn’t that what bookings are all about?
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