Tipp Classical 2019 - Therapy? Interview

Ahead of their main-stage performance at the inaugural Tipp Classical Festival, which rebooted last year to huge success as Féile Classical in Semple Stadium, Thurles, Co. Tipperary (music fans of the same vintage as myself may recall the origins as The Day Trip to Tipp in the 1990's, where the Buckfast flowed like wine), REMY had the privilege of chatting to Michael McKeegan, founding member of Belfast alternative-rock icons Therapy?

In Irish Times journalist Tony Clayton-Lea's must-have book, 101 Irish Records You Must Hear Before You Die (2011, Liberties Press), referring to Therapy?'s 1994 sophomore album Troublegum, Clayton-Lea wrote; "From the cover to the music, an unsettling, provocative, desolate yet highly individual atmosphere abounds - it's metal, it's punk, innately melodic and lyrically incisive" He went on to note that Therapy? resisted pressure from their label to re-enact Nirvana, or become the European Metallica, and the band "stuck to their guns and clung to their hero worship of Hüsker Dü and Steve Albini".

REMY: Things happened quite quickly for Therapy? from the beginning, following the release of your debut single 'Meat Abstract' in 1990, you had support slots with now cult acts such as Inspiral Carpets, Ride, Teenage Fanclub and Fugazi to name a few. Can you recall your ambitions at that time, i.e., was the subsequent success of shifting over 2 million album copies across the course of your career beyond your early expectations?

MICHAEL: Absolutely! We had no real game plan at the start other than we would hopefully do some gigs and the biggest ambition was to have a 7" single on the racks in our local record store (Caroline Records off Cornmarket). There was no real music scene or infrastructure at that time, the Good Vibes/Belfast punk scene had gone quiet and everyone in NI wanted to sound either like U2 or Guns N' Roses. For a band like us that had an 'outsider' musical approach we just did things ourselves, booking gigs and self-releasing.

REMY: Fans of Therapy? Will probably have a particularly misty-eyed nostalgia (I do!) for the 5 albums you released in the 1990’s, Nurse (1992), Troublegum (1994), and Infernal Love (1995) being a few examples. As a band were you able to fully enjoy that early success, or was it fraught with stress and over-bearing expectation?

Michael: In retrospect a lot of the stress came from ourselves in that we wanted things to be better...each album had to sound and look better and that was a period of great creative growth for us. If I listen to Baby Teeth and then Infernal Love, its a mad old leap in ability over those 5 short years. Of course we had a brilliant time, getting to travel the world and play our music to appreciate audiences was incredible and we met so many great folk along the way. I think when Troublegum became such a bit hit (unexpected by the record label it has to be said!) then we sort of fell under the scrutiny of the ‘big wigs’ at the label. And along with that came a lot of outside opinions on how to band should sound and look, that was hard to deflect when we were burnt out from all the touring.

REMY: In a peculiar way the chronology of Therapy? mirrors the beginning of a time of great hope in Northern Ireland in the lead up to the Good Friday Agreement, to the current day (your last album Cleave is just shy of 6 months old) plunged into the greatest uncertainty the Six Counties has faced in decades with Brexit. You've previously stated that the political landscape was never really to the forefront of your lyrics and song-writing, but do you think that on some level, the decades of upheaval for youth in Northern Ireland has led to such a level of despondency and disillusionment that it inevitably permeates the music of local artists, including yourselves?

Michael: Yes, looking back there are a lot of elements of the bands outlook and approach that could only come from an upbringing in NI. Obviously there's a lot of dark humour and a cynicism in there as well as a resilience and a "never give up" attitude, which has served us well over the years. I can't really speak for other bands and their experience but knowing quite a few of them personally I can see a similar mindset there.

REMY: Speaking of upheaval, drummer and vocalist Fyfe left the band in 1996, shortly after the experimental Infernal Love which you made with DJ David Holmes. Was it an easy decision to continue on with the band from that point, and what are your reflections on an album that some quarters viewed as a curve-ball?

Michael: As harsh as it might sound, it wasn't that big a surprise when Fyfe left, we all knew he hadn't been happy for a while and both myself and Andy felt we had a lot more to do / say with the band. Infernal Love at the time was a very divisive album when it was released but to this day we get tons of people saying they didn't ‘get it’ at the time but now a bit further down the line they absolutely love it. I think there were quite a few elements on there that took people by surprise (cellos/slower songs/ambient interludes) but i’m really glad we did it and by not making Troublegum Part 2 (which would have been dead easy and probably the right ‘career move’ to do) we gave ourselves a longevity and a wider creative palette to which we enjoy to this day. In all honesty I think most people were more put off by the image we adopted for the album, it was meant to be a bit of fun but a lot of people wanted us top to toe in black, not smiling, as opposed to red frilly shirts and stick on moustaches! You live and learn.

REMY: Your lyrics have always been both arresting and thought-provoking, and laced with dark humour. The first time I heard Nurse, opener 'Nausea' caught me disarmed with the unforgettable line; "Here I am motherfucker!". The opening verse of 'Gone' on the same album is also a major blow to the head; "I know about the scars on your arms, I know your baby wasn’t born, I know that your mum hates your dad, I know that it fucked up your head". Then on 'Trigger Inside' from Troublegum there's the timeless line that every young person must wince at because it’s true; "Here comes a girl with perfect teeth, I bet she won’t be smiling at me, I know how Jeffrey Dahmer feels, (lonely, lonely)". Are your lyrics reflective of imagined characters and scenarios, or do they stem from personal experience to a degree?

Michael: I’m not 100% the man to ask as Andy writes all the lyrics and rightly so as I think he’s written some incredible stuff over the years. From what I gather a lot of the initial ideas/concepts come from personal experiences and then they are framed using different characters (sometimes highly exaggerated/ hyper-real) to make the text come to life and become a bit more open to interpretation.

REMY: When you started out playing gigs, and I recall this myself from my teens, albums, EP's and singles were prohibitively expensive to record, and the avenues for recouping money were very limited unless a breakthrough happened with a label, maybe selling CD's at shows etc., with attendance at gigs mostly down to word of mouth. Today acts can record music at home in their bedroom to a pretty high standard with the right equipment, and advertise live shows and releases on social media for free, the downside of which is trying to stand out in an environment that is saturated. Do you think that overall bands have it easier getting noticed nowadays, or do the same difficulties ultimately apply regardless for independent musicians trying to break through?

Michael: Again, i’m only going from our experience and I think there now are quite a few different ways of getting your music heard right across the world. 

Of course what that means is there is tons of stuff to sift through to find that 'gold' so it can be a bit overwhelming for the listeners and confusing for the artist as to which route to take. Thankfully the playing field has levelled quite a bit so bands can make pro-sounding records cheaply and promote them in a way they feel comfortable with without having to rely on tradition label formats or distribution networks. I don't subscribe to the old mindset of there being 'taste makers' or 'gatekeepers', that's nonsense...you either like it yourself or you don’t. These days i’m much more likely to check out a band if someone recommends them to me personally as opposed to getting caught up in hype. The good thing now is I can get a listen straight away on my phone! 

Féile Festival in the early 1990's

REMY: Often with the passage of time bands such as yourselves who inspired people through grim and cutting observations mellow. When I listen to your latest album Cleave, thankfully that is something that doesn’t seem to have come to pass. Examples would be 'Kakistocracy', and the lines; "Is this the end of empathy? Turn away from the poor, pulling up the drawbridge, and bolting the door" – these lines instantly resonate with me in terms of the platform every single individual, regardless of their prejudices now have, empathy is becoming rarefied. 

We are numb to tragedy and misfortune, both of which seem to be becoming a form of warped entertainment, guilt easily addressed through sharing virtuous thoughts online instead of taking action. 'Dumbdown' also seems to allude to the 'State of the Nation', the glacial political inertia in Northern Ireland over the last 2 years. Is it fair to say that the focus on the individual’s malaise has expanded to a broader malaise in Therapy?’s song-writing with the passage of time?

Michael: Yes, I think we've broadened that out a bit. I mean it'd take a special kind of arrogance not to feel angry and disappointed with a lot of things that are going on in the world right now. We've always wanted our music to be inclusive and for everybody and being from NI and seeing the nonsense that's gone on here over the years I find it mind-boggling that in 2019 people want to become less-inclusive and build walls, either literally or figuratively.

REMY: Tipp Classical will take place in September, a throwback to the heady days of both Féile and The Trip to Tipp. Therapy? performed in 1992 and 1993 sharing the stage with the likes of David Byrne, Iggy Pop, and budding acts Manic Street Preachers & Spiritualized! What are your stand-out memories of those festivals, and who are you most looking forward to sharing the stage with in 2019?

Michael: Those shows were fantastic experiences, great line-ups and lots of madness on and offstage. The crowd made it of course, I think every band that played the shows were taken aback by the atmosphere, people going for it, drinking and rocking out despite the weather. We knew quite a few of the bands at the shows so backstage was a lot of fun, we’d known the Manics for a while and one surreal highlight was when Iggy Pop bounded up to our dressing room to say hello. He was shirtless and had that classic manic air about him...we exchanged small talk and the whole time inside my head i’m going "Fuck me its Iggy Pop, be cool, be cool, be cool, BE COOL!". 

This year I'm looking forward to seeing The Frank & Walters, Sultans of Ping and Mundy. I also see there's a set of Thin Lizzy songs which I'm excited about as I'm a huge Lizzy fan, Live And Dangerous is as iconic an album as you’ll get.

REMY: Finally, who do you think are the most promising Northern Irish bands at the moment in your opinion?

Michael: Noisy rock types Duellists get my vote and on a more electronic tip the Arvo Party stuff is fantastic. Also Robyn G Shiels' new stuff is well worth checking out.

Therapy? will be playing the main stage at Tipp Classical which takes place over the weekend of 20th / 21st of September, tickets are available to purchase via Eventbrite at the following link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tipp-classical-tickets-53808542800

For further information and line-up updates head over to the Tipp Classical website here https://tippclassical.com/

SelfMade - Mind YourSelf: Maria Kelly Interview

On Saturday May 25th, SelfMade will run a two-part event, Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music, sponsored by IMRO, looking at mental health in the Irish music scene and in particular the challenges affecting developing musicians in their professional and personal lives. There has been a huge step-up in the level of conversation on mental health in recent years and we’re proud to use our next event to encourage conversation, break the stigma, and facilitate a route to a healthier music industry. 

In advance of the event REMY chats to Mayo alternative folk artist Maria Kelly about her musical journey; early successes, re-locating to Berlin, and the importance of learning to listen to both your head and body when they're trying to get you to hit the pause button and slow down.

REMY: Can you indulge us a little as to when it dawned on you that music was a source of wonder whose path you wanted to wander above all others?

Maria: I don’t think I had a defining moment of ‘this is what I want to do’. It was always something I had been involved in since I was about ten, and it was what I had always been drawn to throughout my school years. I did consider studying languages in my final year, but it felt quite natural to just keep pursing music for as long as I could, as it excited me more than anything else.

REMY: You've always been very upfront that one of the deepest wells of inspiration for your songs has come from anxiety; over-thought interactions with other people, finding yourself in a place of darkness or strain over over-expectation. Has dealing with these topics in your songwriting brought much relief and enlightenment over the past 4 years?

Maria: I think it definitely has. Enlightenment for sure, as I think songwriting has been a way for me to learn about my own mental health, it allows me to take a closer look at what I am actually thinking and feeling. But it has also been very relieving, as sharing very personal experiences in a tangible way has created an external connection for me, to other people who are experiencing similar things.

REMY: Things moved quite suddenly after the release of your debut EP The Things I Should, multiple festival slots, being included in The Irish Times '50 Best Tracks of 2016', and a support slot with KT Tunstall in London. In retrospect, did it all feel a bit out of control and overwhelming at this point?

Maria: On reflection, yes it feels a little overwhelming to think about. I was actually quite out of touch with myself through a lot of that, just kind of floating along. That gave way to bouts of depression and anxiety for sure. I don’t feel like it felt out of control though – I was very lucky to have a great group of people around me (my lovely fam at Veta Records) from the beginning of the project, and they really helped to guide me through any difficult or overwhelming patches. I think having a strong team around you is pretty vital in the music industry as it gives you people to lean on. You don’t have to do everything yourself! 

Maria Kelly - 'June' (Live at Other Voices 2018)

REMY: In June of last year you moved to Berlin, and were also back and forth to Ireland for festivals such as Other Voices, whilst also recording your second EP, notes to self. How did that change in environment affect you most musically, i.e. in terms of conjuring up the songs for the EP?

Maria: I didn’t expect to write a whole lot when I first moved, I made a decision to just put a pin in music and live a bit, try other things. I had just studied music for four years, and I felt a bit tired of certain aspects of it to be honest. But I spent a lot of time alone when I first got to Berlin and had a lot to mull over, and songs sort of fell out of me – it’s a thing I always come back to I realise, to connect to myself again, even when I try to escape it! And having that time and space to concentrate on this new flow of songs, I think it added to them sounding a bit more honed and polished than what I’d released before. I had time to think about it in a more conceptual way, and to test out new ideas. 

REMY: Speaking of Berlin, there’s a very strong Irish music community in the city who help each other out, what has the feedback been like from the indigenous music-goers in Berlin to Irish talent?

Maria: Yes, there is, it’s been great – a home away from home of sorts. In general, I’ve only had a positive experience with music-goers. People are very willing to actively listen here, and will make a point of coming up to you after the show to thank you for your music. They also are very supportive in buying merch/staying in touch – it’s a nice place to grow an authentic community I feel. We’ve seen that a lot through shows that I run with Veta Sessions – a branch off of our label, where we host house concerts every month. It’s been a fantastic way to get familiar with the scene here, and to discover new music in our own living rooms. 

REMY: In February this year you shared that you were going to have to cancel your Irish tour dates, you mentioned creative burnout as a factor in this tough decision, and that you were looking to delve back into the 'song-writing cave' as you put it. Did this feel like a very low point for you, or was it a bit liberating to finally be able to say to yourself that your health, physical and mental well-being were going to take number one priority for the first time with no preconditions attached? It must have been incredibly difficult in the weeks preceding that decision?

Maria: It felt like a low point at first. I hadn't cancelled anything before, and it felt AWFUL to feel like I couldn’t do something that I had planned to do. Since the beginning of the project, I had just hopped from thing to thing, full steam ahead. And when I initially booked the tour, I had the same mind set – 'ok so what’s the next thing'. But the closer it got to the date, the more I realised how detrimental the shows would be to me. Not just the shows themselves, but the months of promo, ticket pushes, rehearsals, costs, keeping the buzz up, there was so much to do and I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do it successfully. 

I hated posting that update, but in the end I thought about the fact that I wouldn’t want to go see a musician play who didn’t want to be there, or felt like they couldn’t give their best performance. That would be so disheartening to watch! The response online was nothing but lovely, supportive and completely understanding. Kind of like a "well duh…why would you do a tour if you are not in the right mind set to do it?" 

It was a relief, as I instantly knew I had made the right decision, and had been putting a lot of pressure on myself to do otherwise. It made me think about our tendency to overlook emotional / mental signs of exhaustion. Or not even exhaustion, just overlooking the fact that you're not feeling the way that you know you should. I completely overlooked my own needs in favour of just not 'giving up' or 'trying hard enough'. It made me reevaluate my own mind set when it came to how I approach my mental health. 

Photo: Remy Connolly

REMY: How does the ideal 2019 end for Maria Kelly? What do you hope to achieve most in life and music between now and December?

Maria: I'd like to have a big bulk of unreleased material behind me by the end of this year. I’ve been spending more time writing and honing in on what I’d like a body of work to sound like. But honestly, I have more personal goals this year than musical ones – I’m trying to learn how to look after myself at the minute, all the boring stuff like healthy eating and exercise! And I want to look after my head in a more productive way – I think good work will naturally follow that. 

REMY: You’ll be joining a really great panel for Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music on the 25th of May organised by SelfMade, joined by fellow-musicians Paddy Hanna, members of Wyvern Lingo and LeGalaxie among others! Despite great strides being made to make the public more aware, and remove the stigma of the past attached to people who suffer from mental health issues, what would you identify as the biggest obstacle that we still have to overcome here in Ireland?

Maria: Long-term, more available and more affordable resources. Getting to a place where it doesn’t cost a bomb to go to your GP, then to a psychiatrist of psychologist, a therapist, a councillor – whatever you need. That it isn’t this massive, impossible, privileged mountain to climb, whether your problem is big or small. 

And short term, talking. I know it’s almost cliché at the stage, but continuing an uncomfortable conversation is effective. Asking your friends how their head is, no matter how much you think they have their shit together. Just opening up a conversation, not aiming to solve it, but aiming to lend an ear is a very powerful thing to do. 

For more information and to book tickets to SelfMade's upcoming event, Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music, head over to the event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/385791448665594/

SelfMade - Mind YourSelf: Paddy Hanna Interview

Photo: Stephen White (The Last Mixed Tape)

On Saturday May 25th, SelfMade will run a two-part event, Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music, sponsored by IMRO, looking at mental health in the Irish music scene and in particular the challenges affecting developing musicians in their professional and personal lives. There has been a huge step-up in the level of conversation on mental health in recent years and we’re proud to use our next event to encourage conversation, break the stigma, and facilitate a route to a healthier music industry. 

In advance of the event REMY chats to Dublin troubadour Paddy Hanna about his musical journey, his sophomore album Frankly, I Mutate, and the existing gaps in supports for those suffering with mental health.

REMY: Can you recall the moment you decided you wanted to wade into the world of making music? Was it as a result of a live show you were attending for example or a less spontaneous happenstance?

Paddy: I wanted to perform from a very early age but was a cripplingly shy child. I used to hide in a moulding playhouse at the back of our garden with a crappy tape recorder and sing in to it, just to see how I sounded, but I could only do that in secret. I didn’t perform publicly till I was 15, at a school talent show. 

REMY: Your early days on the Irish music 'scene' saw you as one of the collaborators in the Popical Island collective circa 2010, was that a period you have care-free memories of?

Paddy: For the most part. It was a great time for drinking cans, playing sweaty venues that hold about 20 people and churning albums out in a weekend. 



REMY: With the release of Frankly, I Mutate last year you were quite open about a core theme of the album, and if I may quote at length because I feel it’s important; "I allude to mental illness in my work. It’s considered by many to be a neurosis that spurs on creative work, however it is nothing but a crutch on my own creativity. My time in a depressive haze is spent in complete emptiness, weeks will go by, my beard will have grown out, my pen dried up. So when indeed I allude to mental illness it would usually be during a happy period where I can function. One of the most important days in my life came when I finally opened up about depression and was not met with jeers but rather acceptance and understanding."

To jump back to your debut 4 years earlier, Leafy Stiletto, it seems in lyric and song-titles even, that you were already on a path to exploring expressing those feelings, take for example tracks like 'Mind’s Wearing Make-Up' and the escapism of 'Heaven of Heavens', would that be an okay assumption to make?

Paddy: It surely would be. I make a point of not dwelling on the meaning of my tracks, I like to leave them open to interpretation, that said it's usually easy to spot the central themes. 

REMY: There was a four-year period in between Leafy Stiletto and Frankly, I Mutate (you were still active in this time with the likes of Autre Monde). What would you say was the most notable difference in how you approached your song-writing for each LP?

Paddy: I listen to loads of music and make a composite in the ole head of how the album should sound, then I fit the songs around that sonic theme. When discussing Frankly with Daniel we knew immediately what kind of album we were going to make, our chemistry was such that I’ve basically kidnapped him for the next record we're making.



REMY: Frankly, I Mutate was across the board one of the most well-received Irish albums of 2018, if you could pick one track of the 12 which would you say pleases you the most in terms of how it turned out on the album?

Paddy: 'Bad Boys', we nailed that one.

REMY: On the 25th May you’ll be a member of the panel discussing mental health titled Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music run by the great folks and music lovers SelfMade. Mental health has thankfully had a strong spotlight shone on it in recent years, that said, where do you feel the biggest gaps regarding awareness and resources remain?

Paddy: It's very difficult for someone to campaign for elections on a mental health platform, it’s not a short term solution and therefore many folks are inclined to vote for the more quick fix policies, but we need to lay the seeds now, I for one would be happy to know that kids 15 years from now won't feel broken or lost as I did, and that their mental health was treated with the same regularity as treating the common cold. That's where we need to be. 

For more information and to book tickets to SelfMade's upcoming event, Mind YourSelf: Mental Health and Music, head over to the event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/385791448665594/

Premiere: Ghostking Is Dead - Tokyo

Ghostking Is Dead - 'Tokyo'

Info: Ghostking is Dead is the project of Cork-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Matt Corrigan, which has been celebrated for it's vivid soundscapes and intriguing sonic themes. 

Ahead of the release of his latest EP, This Is Doubt on the 17th of October, REMY is most delighted to premiere the lead single 'Tokyo' which is out on Cork indie label Hausu Records today, and also catch up with Ghostking Is Dead for an insightful chat.

There's a very soothing delicacy on 'Tokyo', with Ghostking Is Dead in contemplative mood courtesy of his spoken-word intro. As is his wont, it's not long before he throws soulful pop vocals into the mix alongside some seriously chill electronic sounds. The single also confirms what we have learned from previous singles such as the excellent 'Lucky Warrior' and 'Fool', Ghostking Is Dead doesn't do limitations, and is very comfortable at strafing across a multitude of styles and sounds with uncanny ease.

REMY: Listening to your discography on Bandcamp from back in 2016 up to the last single you released before 'Tokyo', 'Lucky Warrior', there’s a pretty smooth path from guitar-based DIY (debut EP Journal of Public Affairs) to the polished production of your most recent material which has an electro-pop rn'b and soul groove. Did your early musical ventures begin in guitar-based bands or have you always operated solo? 

GKID: My first true foray into taking music 'seriously' saw me recording grimy alt-rock in a bedroom, using Audacity and a 20 Euro USB microphone, aged 15. A friend of mine, who was a drummer, was convinced we'd cracked the code; "who needs to go to studios, we can do it all right here!". Needless to say, the subtleties of the audio processing process were lost on us. I stayed there for around 2 years, playing in various iterations of the same rock band until I decided to take it solo. An audio interface and 6 months of SoundCloud demos later, I was 'Ghostking is Dead'. As for the stylistic progression, the symbiosis of my style and my production is undeniable. What I make has always been chiefly informed by what I am capable of making. The transformation into electronics, soul, rn'b, etc. has been a combination of my own increased appreciation of the style, and years of practice paying off in the ability to make that style of music.

REMY: Speaking of your back catalogue, there’s a huge amount of variety of sounds across multiple singles and what will soon be your 5th EP. Temporarily leaving aside your latest EP, which release have you always felt closest to in terms of fondness and satisfaction with the results?

GKID: Time has a funny effect on ones perception of ones work. I can't listen to Sweet Boy anymore; the mistakes and missteps are only now becoming obvious and, oh boy, that is a sting. Leaf, however, is in a beautiful middle ground of my memory. True, it may be old, riddled with mistakes and things I’d do differently now. That said, it’s been long enough now that I can see it in context, for what it really is and was: my first tentative steps into something scary and far more ambitious then I had previously ventured for. The sounds and styles there went on to define a lot of the music I make now, and for that I don’t think I would change a thing.

REMY: Vocals are obviously a big part of Ghostking Is Dead's sound, I think of the grandiose 'Fool' for example. Did you have any formal training in vocals and also, which singers might have had an influence on your style?

GKID: No formal vocal training, although I think I could stand to learn a thing or a million from something like that. I recently had to step back and look at my vocals, to try and understand and develop them and myself in the wake of the next level I want to take my work to. David Bowie, Zach Condon (Beirut), Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) and Héloïse Letissier (Christine and The Queens) would all number among my favourite vocalists. What aspects of their actual styles, and the styles of others, that I have adopted I do not know. What I do know, however, is that the distinct and individual nature of their performances is awe-inspiring. I approach vocals to try and find the performance that is truest to what I believe Ghostking is Dead to be.

REMY: I’m interested in your live set up on stage, is it minimalist out of practicality, and do you use / hope to use visuals? Also, while we’re touching on the live music side of things, which venue would you consider Cork’s best kept secret right now?

GKID: It’s always jarring to transition from a long-term solo environment to a band environment, but for my live ambitions I have had to do just that. I am blessed with an ensemble of hardworking and skilled musicians who make what I conjure in my head a reality that can be communicated. I want to begin to utilize every member in a more meaningful way now: JJ is more than a bass player and giving him the opportunity to do some vocals live, to speak to the crowd, has coloured a blank space I didn’t know existed. Chris (the drummer) is a fantastic all-round musician, vocalist, keys player, it goes on and on. Neil has always been two steps ahead of any direction I could give. Samples and vocal modulation are aspects that come and go but are soon becoming a more permanent part of the setup. The balance between my vision and practicality is difficult, but I grow closer every show. As for live visuals, it currently sits at the centre of my mind, a vital piece of the puzzle that I have somehow dodged this far. I’ve been inspired by bands like Messyng, who’s visual element is mesmerising. I intend on making it everything it is possible for it to be.

As for best kept secrets, well, I don’t think there are very many. I will however say that I think The Roundy is under-utilised. The venue that is home to Plugd Records has housed some great shows of late, and although I’ve never played it myself, it’s a pretty hip spot.

REMY: You’re part of a brand new independent music collective in Cork called Hausu, tell us a bit about it and why you felt it was something you wanted to be a part of?

GKID: Hausu is family. It was from the beginning and always will be. It’s a humbling experience to be surrounded by such incredible artists, to be so close and work together. We held a listening party, for my own new project and also other completed projects, yet to be released by other Hausu personnel. It was a phenomenal experience, where we got to get a herd of people who we admire, respect and love into a house and share what we have made. To feel so connected to other people’s work, to share in that emotion, to help one another develop, and to speed our own development through co-operation. That’s what Hausu is. It’s a star on the horizon for me, a promise of a bright future.

REMY: You have put a lot of emphasis on spoken-word on new EP This Is Doubt, to a backdrop of hip-hop beats, who would be your favourite Irish hip-hop acts at present?

GKID: We’re so lucky to be living through this golden age of Irish music. Irish hip-hop seems to have come in a storm, suddenly the beating heart of a whole new movement. I distinctly remember catching Kojaque live around the formation of Hausu, when he was touring Deli Daydreams. That show rocked me to my core, showing me this whole new world of possibilities, the reality of live music in Ireland beyond what I knew: guitars and drumkits.

The Softboy crew are all like that. I consider them have some of the most authentic interpretations of a global style in an Irish context. Hearing how Luka Palm and Kojaque approach stuff is refreshing. Some great acts are coming out of Dublin, Jafaris also being of particular note. ‘Found My Feet’ brings me somewhere else, instant mood switcher. Dublin aside, the southeast has some great names: guys like 7th Obi, Pat Lagoon, Awkward Z, producers like Alex Gough and LHK. Artists I can’t wait to work with more closely.

REMY: Finally, what is the most important thing to you as an artist with regard to the end result of the music you make? What does satisfaction look like?

GKID: Satisfaction is connection. I often forget people are going to listen to what I make: how could I make music truly for myself knowing I’m releasing it for everyone else. Of course, approaching things like that can blind you to the truth of what you’re doing. It all hits home again if someone pulls me aside, if I get an email, if someone tells me their friend came across my song, if I play a show. Seeing that what I’ve made has connected. I’m not speaking of etiquette, your friends will listen to your songs, sure, and people will always go to gigs. The satisfaction lies in knowing I’ve gotten some genuine response, real emotion, real enjoyment. It makes any amount of struggle worthwhile, and it’s why I’ll never stop.

Ghostking Is Dead's This Is Doubt EP will be released via Hausu Records on 17th of October, across all major streaming platforms.

https://hausurecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GHOSTKINGISDEAD/

https://twitter.com/Ghostkingisdead

Interview & Video: Trick Mist - Two Doors Down

Photo Credit: Claire Byrne

Trick Mist - Two Doors Down

Info: Songwriter, electronic musician and multi instrumentalist Trick Mist (Gavin Murray) returns after his 2017 CD single 'Fraction' with accompanying remix by Phare. 'Two Doors Down', his brand new single, is taken from his forthcoming debut album 'Both Ends'. 

For the video director Claire Byrne (Video Blue, Sleep Thieves) creates a striking series of beautiful visual portraits of Murray's nearest and dearest centred around the theme of emigration.

In Murray's words; "'Two Doors Down' is a song about the concept of home viewed from a generational perspective. My Nan literally met her husband two doors down. That seems archaic but I did the same thing. I met my soul mate similarly close to where I grew up. It blows my mind that my life in any way resembles a life that is 95 years. Most aspects of my life are completely dissimilar to hers." 

Photo: Ste Murray

Murray's baritone vocal has always enchanted and whisked us away to a variety of landscapes in our imaginations and fantasy realms. With 'Two Doors Down' however it feels uncharacteristically real and in the present. A traditional expression of a very Irish method of story-telling, no instrumentation on this occasion, but strangely for me I could imagine the music that could be wrapped around that emotional timbre. Those feelings are captured in a very natural and relatable manner by film-maker Claire Byrne, who has visually bottled up Murray's story with great ease.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Trick Mist and discussing the birth of his new song and the accompanying video, and all that has happened over the past 12 months since his last single release.

REMY: Last time we chatted last year you had just released your single ‘Fraction’ which was subsequently remixed very nicely by Dublin-based producer Phare. It was your first publicly shared composition since returning to Ireland after a number of years out of the country, looking back at that time and the track itself, how do you feel about it in retrospect with regards to where you were in your own headspace?

Trick Mist: That time was a time of excitement for me. I was so eager to return to Ireland and put something out and play some shows. After being away for so long it was a lovely burst of energy. The remix and the collaborative spirit at its heart probably stemmed from this excitement of being back. Since then I have simmered down and retreated somewhat and have been eyes down for the most part completing my album. the track itself encapsulated a headspace that existed months previous to its release. so when I look back I just think about the time being back hitting the ground running and how rewarding it was to put something out. 

REMY: Obviously it's dependent on personal circumstances and might not work for everyone, but would you recommend a period outside of Ireland for musicians to develop their craft? And what aspects of that time away from home strike you as most influential.

Trick Mist: I'd recommend it from the point of view of depth of experience but I don't feel in a position to tell people what to do to develop their craft. we are all on our own paths. Travelling is unreal craic I can tell you that much! and it's a ridiculously rich experience and if your experience finds its way into your music then your music will benefit. Personally it has been an integral part to my craft and has enriched and informed what I do. Being away and setting up in new places comes with its downsides too though. Starting at square one in a new places and having to build up new contacts for example. I also struggled with artistic guilt when I was away travelling on a couple of occasions. I've yet to really master that. 

I found India the most influential place out of all the places I visited. I think maybe that is because it is so unlike the West. It's the most full and complicated place. That assault on the senses cliché is true. It's hard to pin down what sort of things specifically had an influence on me. The warmth of the people, the headspace, the colours, peoples unselfconsciousness, the music, the noise, the beauty, the list goes on. I think when you're away like that you relate your new experiences back to your own past experiences so there is this constant compare and contrast thing going on. That can blow you wide open and cause you to question things but I also found it can reaffirm things about yourself too. You move on certain things you stand your ground on others. It's not all rose tinted glasses though there are plenty of things that are terrible and they too are equally inspiring. 

'Two Doors Down' single artwork by Calvin Freeman

REMY: You're almost a year in Cork now, how has the adaptation been musically? Do you feel like the city has begun to weave itself into your song-writing, in obvious or subconscious ways yet? I know from previous releases you always put an emphasis on the inspiration derived from observing people in everyday situations.

Trick Mist: It has had an effect definitely. The city and my time here are sprinkled all over my album. My own personal experience here is what has influenced my music the most more so than observing other people like has been the case in previous work. Over the last year I have been doing less observing than I'd like to be doing to be fair. I've just been really busy working away on my album. For this reason the song writing I have done here has been more personal and more of a product of an internal monologue than on previous releases.  

REMY: Your new single, 'Two Doors Down' is a significant change for you in some ways, a solitary a capella, no instrumentation, and feels very much planted in the traditional Irish medium of story-telling. Quite a bridge to cross from experimental electronic music! What inspired the song and how you decided to deliver it?


Trick Mist: What inspired the song initially was observing my 95 year old nan chatting to her peers reminiscing about their pasts. They were recounting tales of travelling to the nearest town on a pony and trap! I found this mind boggling and I wondered what tales me and my mates would be recounting together if we were all sitting round reminiscing at that age. This got me thinking about what my generation and my Nan's generation share and differ on. Both myself and my Nan didn't have to travel great distances to find our soul mates. However, most aspects of our lives are dissimilar. I along with lots of people my age emigrated and have moved around a lot trying to find home. 

Our generation has a lot of choice and that is a great privilege but choice can be stifling particularly for indecisive folk like myself! 'Where will we live?' has been a constant question for me and, judging by the touching personal reactions I've received to the single, I'm not the only one. In terms of how the delivery came about, when I was away I was consciously trying to write and work on music. So this is how this song started. With the melody for the first line in my head then I'd work on the melody for the second line etc. It became this thing I'd take everywhere with me and work on and add to the whole time in my head. I used to sing it in all the echoey bathrooms and hotel rooms. I got used to how it sounded and over time I realised that it was done and it had to be a cappella. 

REMY: The video for the single has already been very well received online, clocking up almost 2,000 views in just a few days. Tell us a bit about how the visual concept was arrived at between yourself and film-maker Claire Byrne who has previously worked with fellow electronic acts Sleep Thieves and VIDEO BLUE.

Trick Mist: Claire is a dream to work with! She saw what the song was about and gave it a visual wings with great clarity, grace and effortlessness. I had some basic ideas about the video. I wanted to be in it singing and I wanted to include someone of an older generation. I really didn't want it to come across condescending, grim or fake. Claire had the amazing idea of using real people in their natural environments to naturally and comfortably do the talking so to speak. She went for a series of beautiful video portraits with my nearest and dearest to paint the picture. There was my nan, my other half Hil, my pal Aoife who was plotting a move to London and my pal Jim / Video Blue who moved to London years ago. It’s a really striking, heartwarming and thought provoking video and a welcome turn in a more personal and exposed direction for me.  

REMY: Finally, you’ve very much busied yourself on the live stage since moving back to the old sod! Aside from your appearance on the Body & Soul stage at Electric Picnic next month, what other plans does Trick Mist have in the near future? 

Trick Mist: My album will be coming out in November! It will be available on 12'' vinyl as well as digital. I'm proud of it as a body of work and I'm really excited to put it out. I'll be putting out another single from it in the meantime and I've got some great shows to look forward to in Electric Picnic, Carrickmacross Arts Festival and supporting Katie Kim in the Spirit Store.


'Two Doors Down' is available to buy and stream at the below links;

Bandcamp: https://trickmist.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5F68Xg6RYnGwdqR3P6x8w6?si=dLOj3s2oR7WZIae_VtKBzw

Interview / EP: TOUCAN - TOUCAN

Info: TOUCAN is the irresistible funk-pop brainchild of singer-songwriter Conor Clancy and Martin Atkinson. Clancy is a songwriter from Waterford, Ireland, who takes his influences from rock, disco, and soul. Atkinson is a renowned musical director, arranger, and keys player. He has arranged and produced for SÍOMHA, Nile St. James, Weenz, and Dirt, and has played with acts such as The Olllam (with Joe Dart).

Released just yesterday, Waterford's TOUCAN share their debut self-titled EP, a collection of tracks that overflows with sweet, summery, funk and soul vibes. The hugely successful debut single 'We Fell For Miles' kicks off proceedings, a number which we previously summarised as; "...soulful rn'b vox and an appropriately exotic brass arrangement the track is brimming with good time feels and old school funk, think a Michael Kiwanuka and Stevie Wonder duet with Alabama Shakes providing the backing band and you'll start to get the picture." 

The no frills brazen positivity and unadulterated joy continues on second track 'Wonderful Way', a bare all celebration of a goddess-like muse; "you make adventures out of drying paint", Clancy's voice channels gaiety and acts like a gratuitous standard-bearer for us to join in and experience the soul-drenched glee the brass-arrangements surround us with. 'To Be With You' is a classic soul-train moment on the EP, the brevity of the music does not abate but the singers delivery brings the overt happiness experienced to date down a small notch in preparation for perhaps my favourite track of the four. 

'Gold' shows another side, a contrast that could lead part of the way to where TOUCAN may journey next. I enjoyed the solemnity here, the duo traverse more into alt-pop territory, there's a striking tenderness and feeling to the chorus and as the track gathers momentum it reaches grandiose and powerful heights that leave a notable mark. TOUCAN have certainly etched out a corner for themselves in a very busy local music scene, and this EP will undoubtedly give added impetus to the traction gained from the debut single, expect to see them everywhere over the next 12 months and beyond.

TOUCAN - We Fell for Miles

REMY had the absolute pleasure of having the chats with Conor Clancy about the new EP release, and all things TOUCAN....

REMY: Let’s get straight down to brass tacks here! Your debut single ‘We Fell For Miles’ which came out in March is an outrageously gratuitous slice of funk-laden Wunderbar. Both musically and vocally it was a bit of a cocktail of Average White Band, The Doobie Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire, just to make a loose starting point. When it comes to soulful, funk-pop, who are the masters in your opinion?

TOUCAN: Very glad you think so! There’s two tracks that I have as my go-to tunes when I need to remember what we’re aiming towards: 'Best of My Love' by The Emotions and 'Move on up' by Curtis Mayfield. I think The Emotions were such an incredible group, and that song in particular to me is just so strong. And there’s something about both of their intros. I think great songs often have great intros and in the Mayfield tune there’s something sort of explosive about the way it all comes in, which is also something I’ve always wanted to emulate. Those guys are two of my favourites but the list definitely includes guys like Breakbot, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and a tonne more.

The Emotions - 'Best of my Love'

REMY: Speaking of 'We Fell For Miles', you’ve almost clocked up 250k streams on Spotify alone, and had airplay in the U.K., U.S. as well as at home, that’s a pretty impressive haul for a debut single, what to attribute that level of traction to?

TOUCAN: I’m not actually sure! I think there’s a sort of genuinity to the music that people like to hear. It’s happy-go-lucky, it’s honest and it’s pleasant. I think as well with a lot of music being dominated by electronic sounds and synths that it can be a little refreshing to hear a big band playing feel good music. Spotify definitely helped a lot, it was great that they would pop it into different playlists and then it would just snowball. 

REMY: I wanted to step out into the broader state of affairs Irish music finds itself in at present, in particular as an artist. Purely based on the timing of this interview, I’m interested to get your take on the well-publicised announcement by David Kitt that he has been forced to leave Ireland / Dublin due to cost of living, and that it is not tenable more a musician to make a sustainable wage.

What are your feelings on this, and also, do you think a musicians Co-Op (like a union of sorts) would work. Where artists pay a minimal annual subscription and a set of criteria are laid out for venues and promoters as to what a minimum fair price for performance would be, as well as this Co-Op being able to lobby government effectively for grants and funding?

TOUCAN: Well, I’m absolutely of the view that the housing and rental market in Ireland has completely lost the run of itself, much like many other places in the world. Many of us in the band moved away to study but then had to move back home because it’s just so expensive. There’s a strange reality where most of the musicians I know that are able to afford rent, let alone afford something like a mortgage, are working 9-5 jobs and gigging at night. Through that, there’s a strange struggle in your life where you have to work a job to support your career, which is fine to begin with, but it becomes indefinite. For me personally, Dublin’s prices are completely out of the question.

Una Mulally wrote a brilliant article recently about how Ireland is being marketed as a great place for investment but the people and the culture that make the city what it is are being driven out of it. I understand that economies are more complicated than I probably realise, but I presume it’s logical to say that in reducing housing prices and capping the increasing rental prices, while the property market would suffer to a small extent, the broader and more multifaceted economy of the city and country would benefit hugely.

On the subject of the Co-op and the union, it’s difficult to say exactly how it would function, but I’d definitely think it would be a significant discussion to have before the situation gets any worse.

REMY: Back to all things TOUCAN, your self-titled debut is out now, is there an over-riding theme to the collection of tracks or are they intended to be stand-alone whilst flowing together? Undoubtedly there is a large dollop of good-time feels, but also I noticed on final track 'Gold', there is a bit of a more reflective and slightly sombre tone to contrast with that early aesthetic. 

TOUCAN: The overriding theme is definitely the summery, happy to be happy, energised feeling. I thought it was important to include 'Gold' so that our first release hinted towards the full scope of what we do, because there’s a lot of slow movers in the set too that are less pop and more soul. But the content of nearly all the songs is the same despite the tone having some diversity - it’s all about the celebration of another person. Kind of capturing that moment where you’re thinking about someone you really just admire and love to be around and makes you feel good about yourself. 

REMY: In some ways releasing this EP in August, half-way through festival season is an advantage. You have left yourselves plenty of time to let the music settle with people and as we know, applications for festivals start pretty much at the very beginning of each new year. Is it in your plans to funk-up the festival circuit in 2019? 

TOUCAN: Yeah there was a lot of detail in the tracks so it took a little longer than we initially expected to, but we knew it had to be a Summer release. I think it’ll be nice to have them come out for the last month of Summer as well as September because we always get such nice weather and it’s also in time for the college term to start which might be nice too. But yes, absolutely. The dream is to be playing these songs in the sunny late Summer evening on outdoor stages at every festival we can get our hands on.

 

REMY: Finally, before all that! Where can folks around Ireland catch TOUCAN over the coming weeks and months?

TOUCAN: We’ll be doing a tour in the Autumn to follow the EP, so we’ll likely be in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. After that, we’re looking to get maybe one gig in December as well. We’ll be holding back a small bit on our live shows so we can work on some material to release for next Spring and to hit the ground running for the next year so that we have a nice run with the Festival circuit both here and abroad.

TOUCAN's debut self-titled EP is available to buy and stream now on all good platforms.

Look / Like / Listen & Follow:

Website: https://www.toucantheband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TOUCANBand/

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/artist/toucan/1352627477

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/62qJvoIRvMlDGOrnLvylX0?si=ofG6HyjuQMivssTl2A5jlQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/toucanband