last gigs of 2007

Tuesday 18th
9.30 - Charlie's - Tonight is Charlie's Christmas Party, with music from regulars Hank and Ray - if you felt your hangover wasn't up to your colleagues' this morning I recommend hotfooting it down there tonight and you're bound to have the most impressive tomorrow. I might have to get down for a copule to get in training for our office party tomorrow...


Wednesday 19th

8.30 The Crane Lane - The Roaring Forties are in residence bringing a whole lot of seasonal jive, hard to beat for conjuring up good cheer.


Thursday 20th

12.30pm-1.30 The Glucksman Gallery - Free gig this one - The Quiet Club will be bringing christmas presence to gallery visitors. The Quiet Club core members Danny Mcarthy and Mick O'Shea will be joined by regular collaborators Harry Moore,and John Godfrey and Christian Carley to explore the quiet side of christmas using stones, home made instruments, electronics, amplified textures, oscilloscopes, thermins (what the hell is a thermin?), and field recordings. Less than a year in existence, the lads have been turning up at festivals across Ireland and abroad, their first recording will be available there.

8pm Cork School of Music - One of Ireland's best choirs, Cork-based Madrigal '75 present a Christmas concert to rival the gorgeous one we heard from the NCC on Sunday, accented by some fine musicians and poetry readings the core music will be a selection early carols.


8.30 The Crane Lane - The Roaring Forties

9.45 The Corner House - Ray Barron and Two-Time Polka will be raisin' the roof at a free gig in the corner house with plenty of Cajun spirit.



Friday 21st

6-8pm The Clarion Hotel atrium - The Cork Chamber Choir will be singing our little hearts out for you, come and join us for a drink and a few carols after work?

10pm The Liquid Lounge - On a whole nother tip you'll find the coolest haircuts and best looking girls at Electric Underground's Xmas bash with one of the most taked-about bands in the country the year, Super Extra Bonus Party.


Saturday 22nd

8pm Everyman Palace - John Spillane

8pm Cyprus Avenue - The Redneck Manifesto come to Cork to share that special sound of theirs

10pm Liquid Lounge -Club Ping Pong celebrate Christmas with Rest


Sunday 23rd

8.30 Cyprus Avenue Corksongs Christmas Party with local musos with Random Friend Selecter (what's got our mate Ruth in), Honest Spud Leonard, Eoin Jordan & Kevin Murphy

10.45 The Slate I don't as a rule include DJs here, but seeing as how there'll be alot of people looking to party as late as possible on the 23rd I said I'd let you know that Ian Richards will be playing a nice mix of soul and world music...


Monday 24th

9.30 Charlie's Hank n' Ray will be back good on em to see you through til Midnight Mass...


Tuesday 25th

All day Your Gaff - Slurred carols, raised voices, clinking glasses and slamming doors.


Wednesday 26th

9pm The Whisky (formerly the Phoenix) - Led Zeppelin tribute band Black Dog (there are several of these around the planet but I can't find anything about this one except that it consists of Terence O' Connor, Paul Hannon, Hugh Dillon, Mike Geaney and Gary Pearson.


Saturday 29th

10pm Charlie's I still haven't heard 'em live yet but I know a couple of the members of bluegrassfolksters The Critters and they've got to be a helluvalot of fun live, they are also bound to bring some serious party spirit with them - if I'm still alive after this hen party you can count me in...



Monday 31st

9pm Cyprus Avenue - 2007 not quite everything you'd hoped? Need a little lift in spirits after a trying Christmas? Ain't nobody never didn't come out of a Fred gig down in the dumps this one'l surely be a cracker


Thurs 3rd Jan

8pm Meade's Wine Bar (55 Oliver Plunket St I think) - Exclusive Info! John O'Brien, Hugh McCarthy and Clare-Ann Lynch have been tackling the fiery romance of Astor Piazzolla's tangos and are giving their first performance in this lovely rough-round-the-edges bar under the name of Trio Nuevo. This should be a right little cracker - come in for a great big glass of the delicious house Malbec which I think is also Argentinian if memory serves me right (ha! unlikely coming out of that joint...) and let your mind wander to the lusty dirt of downtown Buenos Aires.



Enjoy the season!

x Nicki

Dec 13th - 16th

Hi gang,

Wow what a week of music has just gone by. Things are of course getting a bit festive here and there this week but there's plenty to satisfy any appetite - here's my pick...

Thursday 13th

9pm Bodega White Room - The second STeTLab is on tonight - a curated session of experimental improvisation journeying to other dimensions and featuring guest musicians the Murray Campbell All Stars - Murray Campbell is a fiddler/violinist from California. STeTLab is curated by UCC improv tutor Han-Earl Park. Directly following this totally un-sillyseasonal performance will be the Cork Music Collective Christmas Party. Entry is free and the fun should be kicking off at about 10.30. There'll be instruments there and plenty of opportunity for you to give an interpretation of Jingle Bells if you feel inclined, otherwise just come and enjoy the atmosphere, meet the gang and hang out.

9pm The Roundy - The Roundy are hosting Jinx Lennon, reputed to be fantastic live performer and highly original songwriter. There's lots of music and vid on his web-site if, like me, you've heard the name but you don't actually know what he sounds like. He sure does have alot to say... If you're going be sure and drop into the Bodega afterwards for a late drink at the Cork Music Collective party!


Friday 14th

8pm Opera House- Platinum-selling whippersnapper Declan O'Rourke's bringing his drop-dead gorgeous voice to d'Opera House - he has a fairly winning mix of talent and accessibility (er, for which read - my mother likes him) and will I assume be playing a lot of stuff from his new album, I assume with quite a big band (since the publicity is mostly about the album).


8pm Cork School of Music - Half the tickets are already sold for the Irish Chamber Orchestra's concert featuring top Irish pianist John O'Connor and it will no doubt sell out so it would be best to book ahead or get there early. My mole in the orchestra says that working with legendary conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy has been inspiring, full of crazy images and great interpretation so I think this will be a real treat - all the ICO concerts this year have been jaw-dropping so if this is the one the cast and crew are excited about well, it should be pretty memorable.. They're playing Mozart's 15th Symphony (in G), Beethoven's second piano concerto, something by Liszt called Angélus! Priere aux guardian anges (ahh...) and a Bartok divertimento. You can book ahead by phone on 1890 923 543

8.30 Ionad Culthurtha, Ballyvourney - If you happen to be heading west you can catch legenday piper Liam O'Flynn.



Saturday 15th -


9pm - The Whisky Any electric Blues fans and whiskey fans among you should go check out the newly re-re-resurrected Phoenix on Union Quay which re-opened last night (I forgot to go, damn they were going to have loads of whiskeys and whiskies to taste...) under the oddlyScotsspelt Whisky. Anyway..... they'll have The Deans playing who have a myspace here .

10pm - Liquid Lounge Loudtwistedpopmeisters Club Ping Pong hosts Jessie Evans & Toby Dammit (drummer with credits that include working with Iggy Pop) there's a youtube of them here , and some fairly wired-up Glaswegians called Gay Against You.



Sunday 16th -

1pm - Cork School of Music - I HIGHLY recommend following brunch on Sunday with a gorgeous festive programme brought by the National Chamber Choir with an ensemble of strings and trumpets. They're our best choir but we very rarely see them down south (they spend a helluvalot more time in Belfast actually, snipe snipe) so take this opportunity to enjoy some excerpts from Handel's Messiah, some traditional carols and Christmas works by composers such as Monteverdi, Byrd, Vittoria and Vaughan Williams.

8pm - Everyman Palace - (Sigh) Mick Flannery's on in the Everyman with the full band.

8.30pm - Crane Lane The Roaring Forties start a series of Christmas gigs in the Crane Lane, these should be alot fun and they're free. On this occasion Gary Baus will be djing swing music after, further adding value to your initial outlay of nil.


Dammit - it's lunchtime, I'll post earlier in the week next week and that'll probably be the last you hear from me til into the new year. By the way the Cork Chamber Choir who I sing with will be singing in the atrium of the Clarion between 6 and 8 NEXT Fridat 21st, come along and have a drink if you're looking for somewhere to kickstart the Christmas spirit!

Nicki

Weds 5th - Sunday 9th December

Hi gang,

Hope you caught a good gig or two last week - I didn't make as many as usual myself what with one thing and another. The sound of Ralph Kirschbaum's gorgeous dark cello made a striking addition on Thursday though to the Vanbrugh Quartet for Schubert's fairly heartstopping C major Quintet and I liked the new works, especially Seoirse Bodley's, but jeez did the audience drive me mad. Crossing and uncrossing legs, sighing, fiddling with programmes, unwrapping sweets... it sounds like the back row of transition year accountancy not a concert audience and made me start to look forward to the West Cork Chamber Music Festival again... God I'm a sap, ok rant over - there's too much too look forward to...

Wednesday 5th

9pm Cyprus Avenue - The bassplayer from the Redneck Manifesto, Richie Egan's Jape is in town. Not as hard-rocking as the Rednecks, it's about the songs man and more in a pop vein but worth checking out if you like that kinda thing.



Thursday 6th

1.10pm, Crawford Gallery - Today is the chance to hear the winner of the hotly contested Axa International Piano Competition (2006), Romain Descharmes with a mystery programme, he was last heard playing Mozart, Brahms and Chopin you can be fairly sure that it will be easily enjoyed music and very beautifully played. Certainly a bargain at €10. http://www.romaindescharmes.com/1/Biography.htm


8.30, Bodega White Room - Slowburn, a CMC Film & Music Triple Bill - I'm excited to have an old friend from Thomastown in Cork for the first time - Stephen Buck is a singer-songwriter who is primarily a playwright and writes great quirky lyrics that I'm hoping you'll all enjoy. We also have David O'Riordain, a singer-songwriter in the Cork Music Collective (your hosts for the night) who I'm really looking forward to hearing and I think he will probably fit in nicely beside Stephen. And at the heart of the night we're showing Scooter's great 30 minute film Torture is US which fought off stiff competition in the Cork Film Festival to win the Made in Cork award. One of the first events in the festival to sell out, many people haven't got to see this seriously funny film yet - so here's another chance! All this for €8? Where would you be going....






Saturday 8th -

8pm - Cork School of Music Unless you have some kind of holiday booked or a seriously hot date I recommend getting your ass down to be blown away by the crazy breakneck balkan brass bonanza that will be the Boban Markovich Orkestar from Serbia. In fact scratch that, bring your hot date and you can be sure their blood will be right up by the end of the night... A global sensation, the New York Times described a performance as "Dance music that was almost brutal in its gleeful efficiency", bringing touches of klezmer, funk, tango and jazz to that infectious Balkan sound and these guys are such good players they have given masterclasses at the Juilliard School of Music. I've never had an opportunity to hear anything like this and am really excited - please come and enjoy it so promoters will start bringing more!

10pm - Liquid Lounge Club Ping Pong are treating their guests' ears to Fist Fite. Nihl describes them as a "raucous keyboard/drums/screaming trio" from Portland Oregon, USA. "It's - get drunk and howl at the moon - type music". Hip Cork band Hooray for Humans will be playing support...




Sunday 9th -


8pm - Crane Lane 2006 winners of the BBC Folk Awards Flook were recommended to me by Mags O'Sullivan so they MUST be really good - sorry I didn't get this into the mailout. Here's their website


8pm - Triskel The hard-working Carducci Quartet are back in town after the success of their September festival, playing in the intimate theatre at Triskel. Multi-award-winners, this half-Irish, half-British quartet has a lovely programme of Haydn, Britten and Beethoven lined up....



Ok that's all from me for now...

Nicki