Onwards, to the Horror Show.

Put 'Em Under Pressure.

2011-12-26T17:32:00.003Z

I love this video.

I love the maniacal look on Packie Bonner's face as he takes that kick out and I love how Charlton just doesn't like Dunphy. I love how Dave O'Leary takes all Arsenal's penalties and how he's never taken a penalty in life. I love that riff.

I also love this video.

I love the cluelessness on the face of Frank Stapleton and Joe Kinnear ridiculously predicting an Irish win. I love how the players are so Irish (well, some of their Grannys are so Irish) that they didn't take off their caps until the match was just about to kick off, for fear of being burned in the New York sun. I love how crap the caps were too. I love the rendition of Amhran na bhFiann and the roar of the crowd.

I love the audacity of Ray Houghton's goal, sound-tracked by George Hamilton's passionate commentary and the look on Terry Phelan's face that says celebrating that goal with Houghton will be the most important thing he'll ever do in life. I love how when I watched the match live our celebrations of that goal woke a sleeping baby. I love Paul McGrath's epic one armed performance and his humbleness in the interview after.

2002 was decent too.

Stellar Sounds 48 (Christmas Special)

2011-12-24T18:04:00.000Z

The Aled Jones inspired collection featuring Adebisi Shank, Oceansize and Foxy Shazam.

Adebisi Shank - Walking in the Air

Oceansize - Walking in the Air

Foxy Shazam - Walking in the Air

A Trip to Chelmsford was also Quite Pleasant

2011-12-15T00:15:00.002Z

This blog has been lying in quasi-dormant state these past few weeks as I'm occupied with the complexities of international relocationing. After blasting my way through the red tape necessities (I own an Oyster Card now) and experiencing the sights and sounds of Barking, Plaistow and West Ham (West Ham seemed to be lacking in the things to look at and listen to department) my current goal is to find a place to call my own (on a semi permanent basis, the duration of which to be determined after a course of intense negotiation with a man possibly called Ray or Shanker or something) for which to lay my head and store my belongings. As someone who is technically homeless, the safety of my possessions is now a top priority.


The only thing to do in West Ham is leave.

At this rate however, the search for a flat will extend well in to the new year and by that time I'll be on to my second bindle. For now I reside in the mobility scooter capital of the world, Southend-on-Sea, home of that Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly guy. Whoever he is.


I think the short sleeve/glove combo is rather dashing.

More regular blog updates including new music posts will resume as soon as I'm an anonymous dot in London. Send music suggestions here. Remember: NO REVIEWS. Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, you probably shouldn't send anything.

Stellar Sounds 47

2011-11-24T20:48:00.001Z

Featuring the brand new video from Caligula's Children.

Caligula's Children - Sexy Sister

Sexy Sister is released December 25th. That's Christmas Day for all you Christians out there and a Sunday for everyone else.

Stellar Sounds 46

2011-11-22T23:19:00.001Z

Featuring music from Lion's Paw, The End of the Ocean and Years of Rice and Salt.

Lion's Paw - Demo
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://lionspaw.bandcamp.com/album/demo"&amp;amp;gt;Demo by Lion's Paw&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

The End of the Ocean - Pacific.Atlantic
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theendoftheocean.bandcamp.com/album/pacific-atlantic"&amp;amp;gt;Pacific·Atlantic by The End Of The Ocean&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Years of Rice and Salt - Nothing of Cities
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://futurerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-of-cities"&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;quot;Nothing of cities&amp;amp;amp;quot; by Years of Rice &amp;amp;amp;amp; Salt&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

The End of the Ocean and Years of Rice and Salt appear on the Futurerecordings label.

In Trap We Trust. Almost.

2011-11-13T17:47:00.001Z

As I write this, the Irish national football team are in the midst of their most successful run of form in years. Unlike however, days gone by when Ireland's top performances were highlighted by the heroics of one player (McGrath vs Italy at the '94 World Cup for example) or a moment of match winning skill (Bonner's save from Timofte or Keane's goal vs Germany), it is the stubborn determination of Giovanni Trapattoni which epitomises Irish football today.

Trapattoni arrived on the scene at a time when Ireland seemed to stop producing truly world class players. There is no Giles, Brady or Roy Keane in the ranks for the Italian to pick and if Given, Robbie Keane, Duff or Dunne were absent it would be a very average side. Trap realised this fact not long into his tenure, much to the chagrin of the Irish football fan who cried out that the manager was unfairly overlooking some of our more creative/exciting players (Reid, McCarthy, Coleman) in favour of the workmanlike performances of Whelan and Andrews. Trap's Ireland side would not be based on the skill of a couple of players but rather a team effort of discipline and football not entirely easy on the eye.

After the debacle in the play off against France, he stuck to his guns. There would be no change in philosophy and two years later, half way through a two legged tie with a place at the European Championships at stake, Ireland are as close to major tournament football as it gets. Bar complete self destruction against the Estonians, the Irish will be represented at the Euros for the first time in 24 years. Of course, luck has been our side in this campaign, especially in the last three matches (a miraculous no score draw in Moscow and the red cards for Armenia and Estonia have eased our passage) but without Trapattoni at the helm it is unlikely Ireland would be this close. It may not be the exciting football we wish for but it seems to work for us and perhaps the ends justify the means.

None of this.

Nothing justifies having Paul McShane in the squad though, sort it out Trap.

Stellar Sounds 45

2011-11-07T14:37:00.001Z

Featuring music from Phonema, What the Cat Dragged In and Diefenbaker

Phonema - October Artifacts
<a href="http://phonema.bandcamp.com/album/october-artifacts">October Artifacts by Phonema</a>

What the Cat Dragged In - The Abstract Nouns in My Concrete Metaphor
<a href="http://whatthecatdraggedin.bandcamp.com/album/the-abstract-nouns-in-my-concrete-metaphor">The Abstract Nouns In My Concrete Metaphor by What The Cat Dragged In</a>

Diefenbaker - Got the Enzyme/Radon
<a href="http://diefenbaker.bandcamp.com/album/got-the-enzyme-radon">Got the Enzyme/Radon by Diefenbaker</a>

My Sacrifice

2011-11-02T14:41:00.000Z

In just over a month from now I depart the shores of my birth for a new life in London. (Hey, employ me). Having pondered the move from various angles, weighed up the pros and cons and committed to the adventure I realise now that apart from obvious things I'll miss (family, friends and such) there are other major changes I'll have to endure. I've yet to see a 3in1 on offer anywhere in England for example.

Pawn Stars

The biggest change I expect however will be the drastic change in television. For the last seven years I've had my own Sky subscription meaning I could watch what I wanted, when I wanted, almost never having to compromise (the occasional forced episode of Eastenders aside). Post move I'll barely be able to afford a telly, never mind the channels so it's obvious the winds of change are blowing in my face. Fortunately I've realised that in the previous years I don't particularly care for a lot of what's presented on television. Two and a Half Men, the glut of reality/celebrity/"talent" crapfests and Glee dominate the airwaves and it's quite possible I'll never hear of any of these in the future, my only current exposure being advertisements for the above. It'll be the biggest relief to the culture part of my brain since I stopped reading The Sun.

Man v. Food

However, despite plans in place to catch TV offerings I really do want to see such as Manchester United matches (Sunday afternoons in local drinking establishments sipping on a Coke while avoiding rowdy West Ham supporters will be a real treat I expect) and peering through the windows of wealthier neighbours to check Lotto results it still means I'm going to miss out on the bulk of what made my daily viewing.

Holmes on....oh, it says it there.

Gone are the days where, while I browsed the Internet a repeat of Top Gear or Frasier played in the background. Flicking between Scuzz and Kerrang in repeated disappointment and settling on Sky Sports News will be a thing of the past. No longer will I able to spend five puzzled minutes watching one of the religious channels or an afternoon with programmes I never look out for, but always watch when I land on them. Man v. Food, Pawn Stars and Holmes on Homes, I may miss you the most.

I'll leave it to Creed to play this one out.....

Stellar Sounds 44

2011-10-29T21:37:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Charlie Don't Surf, If We Are Machines and Skooma.

Charlie Don't Surf - Kvalitetsstoey
<a href="http://charliexdontxsurf.bandcamp.com/album/kvalitetsstoey">Kvalitetsstoey by Charlie Don't Surf</a>

If We Are Machines - If We Are Machines
<a href="http://ifwearemachines.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled">(Self Titled) by If We Are Machines</a>

Skooma - Skooma
<a href="http://skooma.bandcamp.com/album/skooma">Skooma by Skooma</a>

Stellar Sounds 43

2011-10-04T16:52:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Giranice, Shelflife and Equals.

Giranice - Giranice
<a href="http://giranice.bandcamp.com/album/giranice">giranice by giranice</a>

Shelflife - Shelflife
<a href="http://shelflife1.bandcamp.com/album/shelflife">Shelflife by Shelflife</a>

Equals - Equals EP
<a href="http://equals.bandcamp.com/album/equals-ep">Equals EP by Equals</a>

Points of Interest

2011-09-28T18:09:00.000+01:00

I had originally intended to tweet this, but alas I couldn't squeeze down the characters so here it is in milliblog form. For times when I have shorter points to make check out my Twitter.

I haven't had an interest in the pop charts in years but only in the last few months have I found myself not knowing who the current flavours of the month are, most likely down to reading less of The Sun. It is a refreshing feeling but as a result of this whenever I do hear a new name I am clueless as to who or what it is. For example, it was recently explained to me that Nicki Minaj is a woman.

Previous information I had no desire to know which hogged space within my brain is slowly drifting out to be replaced by tidbits of trivia that I do find interesting. Did you know that to eliminate the culture of queue jumping in Beijing before the 2008 Olympics, Chinese officials introduced "Voluntary Wait in Line Day" on the 11th of every month?* The "Voluntary" part wasn't emphasised I imagine.

*Info supplied by Gary Finnegan in his book "Beijing for Beginners"

Stellar Sounds 42

2011-09-26T18:48:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from BlindPlace, Ten Past Seven and Rachael Boyd.

BlindPlace - Fest

Free BlindPlace downloads available from last.fm

Ten Past Seven - Black Box Recordings
<a href="http://tenpastseven.bandcamp.com/album/black-box-recordings">Black Box Recordings by TEN PAST SEVEN</a>

Rachael Boyd - Back in Your Box
<a href="http://elevenelevenlabel.bandcamp.com/album/back-in-your-box-ep">Back in your box ep by Rachael Boyd</a>

Lenin Owned Nine Rolls Royces

2011-09-21T18:05:00.000+01:00

A hacker who was ordered to repay the £6 million he stole from RBS has raised funds by selling his Lada.

You could sell every Lada ever made and not raise that much.

Read the full article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14989264

I am not a motorist but when I read the above article it seemed like the ideal moment for me to write about the worst automobile I've ever been a passenger in. A car even worse than Downey's, which itself was a decrepit little box that was notable for having Burzum blaring through the one working speaker on the tape deck while balancing precariously on two wheels.

The car in question was a Lada that belonged to my now deceased neighbour, a rather large fellow who struggled to position himself behind the wheel. No doubt his extra bulk added to the car's ailments, it was already on it's way to collecting it's pension by the time he acquired it and previous owners hadn't exactly kept it in showroom condition but the sound of an engine stubbornly refusing to start was of no concern to him, he was going to twiddle the key until it jumped into life.

A nicer Lada than the one in this story.

Myself and my father were his passengers that morning, our destination was the bog with the intention of stacking turf in order for it to be dried and then burned come winter. It is not a pleasant way to spend a day. It was made even more unpleasant by the mode of transportation we would be taking once the jewel of the Soviet Union's auto industry kicked into gear. To my despair it eventually did and off we trundled down the road. It hadn't taken long for my ten year old senses to pick up on the faults with the Lada, you don't need to be a mechanic to know that a car shouldn't smell like a mix of years old orange drink mixed with damp and driver frustration. When I started noticing the rust holes in places carpet should be and a lack of basic features such as door handles and seat belts I started to relish reaching our destination.

It was only a short drive, no more than half an hour I recalled from previous trips but then the Communist Titan topped out at 25mph, rattling and creaking as if the wheels would drop off at any second. When we reached the motorway my slight worry became a real fear as we crawled along at the mercy of articulated lorries who I doubt even knew we existed, roaring past and blowing us across lanes. Only with the appearance of a road side potato stall (this story is very Irish, isn't it?) did we reach safety as the added weight of a bag of spuds in the boot meant the little engine that could with a lot of patience and encouragement no longer couldn't. Help was summoned and the car abandoned, we had fuel to secure. It reappeared on next door's driveway days later, the removal of the 4 kilos from the boot acting having given it the kiss of life.

It outlived it's owner if I recall correctly and then disappeared, never to be seen around these parts again.

Stellar Sounds 41

2011-09-07T18:54:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Pan, Telepathy and Mike Cole (The Starfish).

Pan - Post Rock is Not Dead
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://peterpan.bandcamp.com/album/post-rock-is-not-dead-2"&amp;amp;gt;Post Rock is Not Dead by Pan&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Telepathy - Fracture
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://telepathyband.bandcamp.com/album/fracture"&amp;amp;gt;Fracture by Telepathy&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Mike Cole (The Starfish) - Take Me Away
Take Me Away by TheStarFish

The Football Ruiners.

2011-09-06T20:28:00.002+01:00

Why do TV channels insist on starting their football coverage 45 minutes before kick off? 15 minutes is more than sufficient to present team news, why do we need cringeworthy VT presentations too? These stupid video packages of highlights we've all seen before with flashy graphics and voice overs that wouldn't seem out of place on a 14 year old's YouTube video submission are as pointless as they are annoying. As Waylon Smithers once asked:

The people are already here, we don't... need to
keep hustling them like this, do we?

Then along comes the sponsors ad break bumper, always poorly made, repetitive and failing spectacularly to be as funny/patriotic as the creators think they are.

Not even going to acknowledge you Lawrenson

Sky Sports, ESPN, ITV and BBC all in competition with each other as to who can present the worst coverage, each with their own set of atrocious pundits. On Match of the Day it's the Hansen/Shearer combo, a couch where you'd find as much insightfulness as you would in a packet of Corn Flakes. Hansen offers up the same analysis he's been trotting out for the past 15 years and Shearer backs him up, repeating exactly what the scarred Scot has just said.

Over to ESPN and it's BBC cast off Ray Stubbs supported by the thick-as-shit Robbie Savage and the slightly mental Kevin Keegan while at ITV it's the smug for no reason Adrian Chiles posing the questions no one wants answers to to Gareth Southgate, who actually does have a job that he's ignoring to be on your televisions. Then as the match draws near ITV pulls it's ace out of it's sleeve. I imagine the conversation that decided how they would show the respective team line ups went like this:

Idiot #1: "We'll get the players to a photo shoot and take their pictures with a Polaroid camera, and then we'll have them sign it!"
Idiot #2: Yes! Brilliant, we'll play some crap music in the background too!"

Sky Sports gain and lose points for their commentators, the respectable Martin Tyler is joined by the dullest man alive, Alan Smith. Back in the studio, the loss of Richard Keys still hangs over them as whoever isn't working that day over at Sky Sports News is roped in to presenting duties, assisted by Jamie "One Suit" Redknapp.

Only RTE emerge with their reputation intact, sure they offer up the same ridiculous videos but they can't be matched on pundits as Giles, Brady and Dunphy all do a stellar job of telling it how it is while PR guru O'Herlihy gets them riled up. I would tell the other networks to take note of how RTE do it but when they inevitabley tried to copy it they'd ruin that too.

Best in the Business.

There are No Champions of the Music World

2011-09-06T03:16:00.001+01:00

There are many things in this world of ours that I don't like, those of you who follow me on Twitter will be well aware of my constant irritation with television adverts while it is no secret how much the YouTube homepage and Twitter's trending topics annoy me. For this blog post however I am going to share with you one of things that I loathe the most in this world: Battle of the Bands competitions.

I doubt you will meet many people who don't like music as even folk who aren't actively interested in it will eventually hear something they can hum along to. Murph from Arrow in the Sky once mentioned to me his theory that even the man with no interest in music will still turn on the radio when driving home from the job he hates just because it's something to break the depressing silence. Now usually it'll be something from the current Top 20 that features on the radio, low on quality but guaranteed to be featured on the next "Now" compilation and in this case it serves him well, stopping the emotionally unstable man from driving off a cliff. This is the appeal of Pop music, it is music for people not particularly interested in music, it is for pre-teens, people who can't form their own opinions and those who can't bear the deafening silence. It fills a purpose.

His radio was broken.

This leaves everyone else with an interest in music, naturally all to varying degrees of course. Not every music lover is going to tattoo their favourite band on their back or try and kill themselves because they think Judas Priest told them to. Music appeals on many different levels and it is down to each individual person how they interpret and act on it. Some people enjoy the lyrical craft of a Bob Dylan for example, others may feed off the energy coming from Mayhem, while folk with mental deficiencies will enjoy the squeaky voices and unce unce unce of dance music. Music is possibly the most subjective topic today, it resonates with different people for different reasons and just because one person is a fan of Pink Floyd, it doesn't mean the next person will be. You may seek out the most technically gifted musicians while I may be impressed by the blingy showiness of Hip Hop (I'm not). You have your favourites, I have mine. Who is to say who is right?

Seal is a somewhat popular singer/songwriter.

This is where my gripe with Battle of the Bands comes in. If the winners are decided upon by a panel of judges then it is the decision of (usually) three people, each with their own individual tastes in music, the winning band hasn't won because they are the best in the competition (there is no best in music) they have won because they appealed to the tastes of the judges, it is a subjective choice based on their own preferences.

Now, if the decision is an audience choice then it is almost guaranteed to be won by the band who brought the most fans (friends) with them, the winning band isn't the best, they are the most popular in the room. Popularity it seems has become a synonym for "best" and while the winning band celebrates it's amazing prize (usually a few hours studio time) the rest are left wondering why they even entered in the first place.

Stellar Sounds 40

2011-08-31T19:28:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from They Say We're Sinking, Marvin and The Stalactites

They Say We're Sinking - Echoes of the Great War
<a href="http://tsws.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-the-great-war-ep">Echoes of the Great War EP by They Say We're Sinking</a>
Marvin - Hangover the Top
<a href="http://marvin.bandcamp.com/album/hangover-the-top">Hangover The Top by Marvin</a>

The Stalactites - Dark Matters
<a href="http://thestalactites.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matters">Dark Matters by The Stalactites</a>

These Films will Clean up at the Noscars

2011-08-28T19:38:00.000+01:00

The loss we all suffered when the Nigerian Movie channel started charging a subscription fee on Sky has finally become bearable. You can watch top Nollywood films on Youtube for free! Feel free to enjoy them from an artistic, cultural or more likely, a insincere, cynical, mocking point of view.

If big budgets, special effects, stellar acting performances, competent film making skills and an understandable script are things you look for in a film watching experience then you are reading the wrong blog post. Nollywood films offer a streamlined film making style, where expenditure is kept to a minimum and the man looking after the lighting is also holding what appears to be a boom mic but which is actually a Talkboy with some sponge crudely wrapped around it.

Every film has a sequel (and often a whole trilogy is extracted from the merest crumb of a story) so for those watching the question isn't "Who Done It?" it's "Why are they still doing it?". Two classic Nollywood films linked for your viewing pleasure.

Money Never Sleeps

Money Never Sleeps 2

Stellar Sounds 39

2011-08-26T21:02:00.000+01:00

Featuring the brand new release from Overhead, The Albatross.

Overhead, The Albatross - Mr. Dog
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://overheadthealbatross.bandcamp.com/album/mr-dog"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mr. Dog by Overhead, The Albatross&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Overhead, The Albatross appear on the Eleven Eleven label.

Stellar Sounds 38 (blog post #100)

2011-08-24T21:59:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from Damascus, King Melodies and We Arrive Alive.

Damascus - Salutations, Distant Satellite
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://damascusnj.bandcamp.com/album/salutations-distant-satellite"&amp;amp;gt;Salutations, Distant Satellite! by Damascus&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

King Melodies - You Will Win EP
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rambergetrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/you-will-win-ep"&amp;amp;gt;You Will Win EP by King Melodies&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

King Melodies appear on Ramberget Records

We Arrive Alive - Walls
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://wearrivealive.bandcamp.com/album/walls"&amp;amp;gt;Walls by We Arrive Alive&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

A Brief History of SuperKidd Promotions: Part 2

2011-08-22T15:52:00.000+01:00

Read part 1 here.

Opportunity arose for a second gig not long after the first and it was to become a staple of SuperKidd Promotions - the almost never tedious All Ages gig. Over the next few years we would promote over a dozen of these little head wreckers to varying degrees of success but it is the first all ager that will always be the best in every way (except musically). Several young fellows took to the stage that day with neither them nor us knowing they would become regular features at our shows over the next four years while others took to the stage who we would never hear from again but who we still laugh at to this day. (For those of you wondering, we laugh at Diabolicult, you've never experienced true joy until you've see an old man confused by seeing three teenage metal heads applying their corpse paint around a small mirror.)

It was Decipher who stole the show however (run close by the performance of Diabolicult's keyboardist who upon being told he wouldn't be able to play due to technical difficulties took it upon himself to mosh his little heart out. In hindsight it may have have been an easier blow to take for the lad had he not already put his make up on) and it wasn't long before we were releasing their debut EP on our own label - Sounds IndiGO Records.

I'd be repeating myself if I went on to recall memories from every gig as most worked out the same way but we thoroughly enjoyed our time, even the times people were threatening to sue us or asking us to fight them outside The Stables. Our posters may not always have been entirely accurate and we had to spend to a distressingly large amount of time shooing away old men from the All Ages Gigs but we're proud to have been associated with all the acts who played one of our gigs. Well, most of them.

First All Ages Gig

Decipher

From left to right: Finn (the young one), Keith (the one we knew), Paulie (the one we didn't know), Andy (the foreign one) and Gerard (the one we always forgot but who later became the handsome one).

Folk we'd like to thank (in no particular order)
Mocky at No Ego Promo and Frank at The Stables, Grace Miller & Mark Bennett for taking smashing photos, Brian Prior and Tivo for filling in on Sound Engineering duty on the odd occasion when Frank had something better to do, Ronan and Kevin Coughlan for crushing the sternums of young people at that first all ages gig, Amy Quirke for doing the door in a much more organised way than we ever did, Brogan Gallagher for posters, Keith McLoughlin, Mike Cole, Jen Something, Conor Heary, Kiera Glennon for fashion advice, Mia Daly at the Advertiser and Olga Aughey at the Examiner, all the bands/acts who came down to play for us (except the ones who were arseholes) and Paulie Martin, Finn O'Donohoe and Gerard Kiernan for taking the reins at SuperKidd Promotions now that we've been bumped upstairs.

Alumni 2007-2011

A

A Kamikaze Disaster
Adrian Connolly
Almost There
Anderson Mesa
Angry Bear Men
Arthur Johnson
Autofly
Awake Young Soldiers

B
Bebop & Rocksteady
Blank
Blue Syndrome
BriBry
Bruno Perry

C
Cascarino
Cavanagh
Chaka
Colour System Failure
Comatosed Olivia

Conor McCauley

Crimson
Critic Eyes
Cutting Off Kids

D
Damien Anderson
Daragh Cummins
Darragh J. Glennon
Deborah Jane
Decipher
Diabolicult
Dillon DeBois
Dillon and The Deadbeats

E
Educators (Barret/Martin)
Enemies
Ever This Day

F
Fingersmith
Fraction Kids
Free Fall Angel

G
Geeks in Glasses

H
Hanshake
Hiatus

I
Icon on Fire
Inside Story

J
Jen Something
Jody Has A Hitlist
Joe Kelly & Band

K
Keith McLoughlin
King's Rivern

L
Lazy Idle Schemers

M
Makewait
Mark Conway
Mike Cole
Mr Lightweight
Mrs Colombo
Murph

N
Neodrach
Neon Tetras

O
Ocean Over Head
Open Door Policy
Oracle
Overhead, The Albatross

P
P45
Paper Tank
Pariah
Paulie Martin
Pedro for President

R
Realisation
Red Cub
Richard Nagle
Ricotta
Rory Hughes

S
Sarah & Joey
Scuba Dice
Sean Byrne
Simon Semperski
Stay Okay
Storyboard

T
The Chaos Emerald
The Demise
The Dropout Syndrome
The Frescoes
The Last Partizan
Trevor the Sailor
Tunde Esho
Twenty Twelve
Two Man Gang
Two Way Mirror

V
Venture Now

W
Wasted Case
Weirdz

Comedy
Mark Hynes
Conor Kenny

Are Doomed to Repeat It.

2011-08-22T15:45:00.000+01:00

August 22nd......

Thieving bastards.

A Brief History of SuperKidd Promotions: Part 1

2011-08-21T21:52:00.000+01:00

In March or possibly April 2007 I was sitting in Whelans in Dublin with noted musician and close friend Darragh J. Glennon when he pitched the idea of the two of us organising a gig in our hometown, Mullingar. Thinking of great plans was a regular feature in our conversations and usually such ideas were quickly forgotten and never pursued. These amazing ideas later took on the moniker of "Dragon's Den ideas" for obvious reasons, but the programme hadn't started yet so there was no such phrase available to us at the time. I bet the guy who coined that phrase is a millionaire now. This felt like a prime example of one of those times. In fact, Darragh's previous suggestion was that we should have a pint of Guinness each as Whelans was apparently famous for the black stuff. We did and it only cemented my thought that Darragh was having an off night on the ideas front. Never the less that night the name SuperKidd Promotions was chosen for our fledgling venture, in truth I never really cared for it but again I didn't think we'd ever use it so it stuck.

However, the idea lingered on. Perhaps the abundance of talented musicians in town at the time (Mullingar could claim a much more favourable ratio of talented folk versus people who tuck their tracksuit into their socks at the time) spurred us on as it became a regular feature in our chats. A date for the gig was even booked, August 4th, a date which seemed far enough away that it didn't seem a big deal but close enough that we could mention to everyone that we were now gig promoters. You can read the Westmeath Examiners article (and by that I mean the piece I wrote and sent in to them) about the gig here. The bit about Autofly releasing their EP wasn't entirely true, bit of a miscommunication on my behalf, but being jolly nice chaps they threw together a single at the last minute to give away so I didn't look a complete liar.

1st Gig Poster

About three weeks before the big night we realised we better get our arses in gear and sort out a line up which looking back proved surprisingly easy considering we'd never done it before, we even ended up turning down one band as we had no space left on the bill. They didn't take too kindly to it, so much so that they unfriended us on MySpace which hit us hard because we only had about seven friends at the time. We were chuffed when Autofly, The Chaos Emerald, Makewait and Critic Eyes all agreed to play, no doubt their heads turned by our offers of free sandwiches. The venue (The Stables) was hired (complete with sound engineer Frank, a man who would go on to suffer through some of the shoddiest sound checks ever attempted), relatives were cajoled in to attending (and supplying promised sandwiches) and I bought myself a fancy new blazer and two neckties (a black one and a pink one) so I'd look professional whilst showcasing my mad MC'ing skills. I later told those in attendance they were the worst crowd ever, which ended my onstage career before it began. Luckily the bands more than covered for my failings and I like to think a good night was had by all. It was one of those rare occasions when one of our ideas had moved past idea stage and gone on to the doing stage. It was also one of the even rarer times when the doing stage didn't end disastrously.

Part 2 coming soon.

Stellar Sounds 37

2011-08-19T02:36:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from Neon Tetras and a band from South Africa with a similar name.

Neon Tetras - CCC-Please

Neon Tetra - In My Doodskis

Those who Forget History......

2011-08-17T16:48:00.001+01:00

This coming Monday will be the 22nd of August, a notable date in both the art and crime industries. On that date in 1911 the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci was stolen from the Louvre in Paris. In 2004 on the same date, thieves absconded from the Munch Museum in Oslo with The Scream (one of the versions, there are four) and another piece by Munch, the Madonna.


The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

The Scream by Edvard Munch.

Armed with this knowledge I have taken measures to ensure the security of my own valuables before the infamous date rolls around.

Stellar Sounds 36

2011-08-11T21:02:00.011+01:00

Featuring music from Mustache vs. Beard (Mikey and Zack from If These Trees Could Talk), Morning Lights and Mutiny on the Bounty

Morning Lights - EP
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://morninglights.bandcamp.com/album/ep"&amp;amp;gt;EP by Morning Lights&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Mustache vs. Beard
Listen on facebook.

Mutiny on the Bounty - Cruz Canerlaria

Two free downloads available from the Mutiny on the Bounty last.fm

Own Golaccio

2011-08-10T15:45:00.003+01:00

For the longest time when I was growing up we only had basic cabletelevision in our house, so come a weekend the only football available to mewas the coverage of Serie A on Channel 4. Instantly I took a dislike toJuventus, the Milan teams and Roma, if I was going to follow Italian footballthere would be only one team for me, Roma's biggest rivals - Lazio. Lazio tome, had the underdog spirit about them, a talented little club who had a goodteam but who were overshadowed by their bigger league counterparts. Laziohowever, had one player who would walk into any team, a badass who confidentlytook penalties with virtually no run up, his name - Giuseppe "Beppe" Signori.

Beppe, during his non criminal days.

Despite having not followed Italian football for years it was dishearteningto hear that another match fixing scandal had been uncovered last season.(Italy was rocked by a scandal a few seasons ago which saw Juve stripped oftheir 2005 and 2006 league titles and relegated to Serie B while Milan,Fiorentina, Reggina and Lazio all received a variety of punishments includingfines and point deductions) This time the scandal is focused on betting in thelower divisions with news emerging that 16 men including Signori and currentAtalanta (newly promoted to Serie A) captain Cristiano Doni have been handed 5and 3 year bans from all football related activity respectively. Atalanta,Benevento, Ascoli and Piacenza have all received various points deductions andBenevento goalkeeper Marco Paoloni has also received a five year ban afterdrugging his own team mates while playing for Cremonese against Paganese in aLega Pro Third Division match. Cremonese went on to win.

Italian football has always had it's shadowy side, never quite seeming all above board but there are match fixing investigations in operation in South Korea, Finland and Turkey at the moment and with FIFA itself coming under intense scrutiny for it's own shady dealings it's yet another blow to the image of world football.

News You Can't Use

2011-08-09T16:44:00.005+01:00

I've been watching Sky News for a couple of hours now and so far they've had Nigel Farage (leader of UKIP), some charity worker who may actually have a turnip for a brain and another fellow who was billed as a "Blackberry Expert" on as guests. I also hear Hulk Hogan has been on the BBC voicing his opinion when anyone who's ever read Hulk's biography or even listened to anything he's ever said will know he's completely deluded regarding basically every subject. Is this the power of the British Media? Was no one else available to comment? Who will be booked next? Sid Waddell? Fireman Sam? No doubt they'd offer better insight than the fascist and the idiot who've already been trotted out in front of the camera. As I type this Kay Burley is interviewing (well, more stirring the shit with) locals in Ealing who all have ridiculous names and meaningless comments.

Only reporter Mark Stone has prevented Sky News from becoming completely farcical after his excellent reporting from Clapham Junction last night where he confronted scumbags and inspired twitter users to get imodium trending.

Already we're hearing that these riots are the result of disaffected youths who have had their government sponsored projects rescinded due to cutbacks. Anyone who uses this as an excuse (turnip brain woman, I'm looking at you here) should pull their head out of their arse and realise this is crap. Money doesn't buy class just as a lack of money doesn't turn people into hoodie wearing, window smashing yobs. There are shitty people in every walk of life and some after school colour-by-number classes isn't going to change that.

Update

I do hope someone smashes a bottle of rosé over these cunt's heads. Apologies in advance to people I know will be offended by the word "cunts", but these two may be the stupidest people I've ever heard.

Stellar Sounds 35

2011-08-06T21:22:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Grand and Noble, Jenny Mayhem and Bridges of Königsberg

Grand and Noble - Grand and Noble
<a href="http://grandandnoble.bandcamp.com/album/grand-noble">Grand & Noble by Grand & Noble</a>

Jenny Mayhem - Keep the Fire
<a href="http://jennymayhem.bandcamp.com/album/keep-the-fire">Keep the Fire by Jenny Mayhem</a>

Bridges of Königsberg - We Have Many Faces
<a href="http://music.bridgesofkonigsberg.com/album/we-have-many-faces">We Have Many Faces by Bridges of Königsberg</a>

15 Minutes of Football 9

2011-08-05T23:57:00.000+01:00

Alex Zahavi
Alex Zahavi will play his football in Portugal this season with Vitoria, on loan from Israeli side Maccabi Haifa whom he joined in 2010 after a globe trotting youth career that saw him leave his first side Hapoel Haifa at the age of seven because league rules prevented him playing until he was nine. His family upped sticks to Portugal where he joined Benfica and it was with Lisbon club that he caught the eye of an Arsenal scout whilst playing a youth tournament back in Israel. He was invited for a trial with the Gunners and stayed with the North London side for two years before moving on again, this time to Barcelona, signing a three year contract with the option of a seven year extension. At the end of those three years, Zahavai, eager for first team football moved back to Portugal, this time with Sporting in Lisbon.

In 2010 he returned to Israel on trial with Maccabi and signed a contract a week later. He then joined Hapoel Acre on loan til the end of last season playing ten matches before moving back to Portugal. Zahavi was born in Los Angeles, California to an Israeli father and a Portuguese mother and has represented Israel, Portugal and the USA at underage level. He is also the great nephew of so called "super agent" Pini Zahavi, which may explain his restlessness when it comes to staying in one place.

Stellar Sounds 34: KVX Special

2011-08-04T20:57:00.003+01:00

This Saturday (August 6th) KVX are calling it a day with a farewell gig in the Pavillion Theatre, Cork before they all venture to pastures new. Here's a smashing poster for it:

Poster by Eoghan Walsh

You'll notice Overhead, The Albatross are playing too which is even more reason to go.

You can read an interview with them in the Cork News penned by the author of this tremendous blog.

And finally, here's a brand new recording for your listening pleasure.

KVX - Lions and Pins
Lions and Pins (rough mix) by KVX

And an old track from their Dinner EP

KVX - ...Lights Out. New Lantern...

15 Minutes of Football 8

2011-07-30T01:37:00.000+01:00

Mohamed Kallon

Kallon representing the Sierra Leone national team

You may remember Kallon from his time in Italy with Inter Milan (and several other clubs he appeared for on loan from Inter) or from his spell in France with Monaco. He's also stopped off to play for teams in Switzerland (FC Lugano), Lebanon (Tadamon Sour), Saudi Arabia (Ittihad FC), the UAE (Al-Shabab Dubai), Greece (AEK Athens) and China (Shaanzi Chanba FC). Counting in his time in his native Sierra Leone with Old Edwardians and Kallon (a club he owns) it makes Mohamed quite a globe trotter and thus a favourite of this blog. Currently he is playing in the top flight of the Indian league with Viva Kerala and attending to his new charity, the MKCF which aims to cater for the needs of Sierra Leone's street children.

Stellar Sounds 33

2011-07-28T23:03:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Sioum, The Farewell Monument and ten-speed.

Sioum - I Am Mortal, But Was Fiend
<a href="http://sioum.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-mortal-but-was-fiend">I Am Mortal, But Was Fiend by Sioum</a>
The Farewell Monument - Harm's Way
<a href="http://thefarewellmonument.bandcamp.com/album/harms-way-ep">Harm's Way EP by The Farewell Monument</a>

ten-speed - ten-speed
<a href="http://tenspeed.bandcamp.com/album/ten-speed">ten-speed ; by ten-speed</a>

15 Minutes of Football 7

2011-07-27T17:55:00.000+01:00

Some thoughts on the draw for the 2014 World Cup, being held on July 27th.

The OFC isn't guaranteed a representative at the World Cup, the winners of their qualification tournament must compete in an inter-confederation playoff against either the AFC's fifth place team, CONCACAF's fourth place team or CONEMBOL's fifth place team depending on how it is drawn. Despite being the weakest confederation with nations such as Papua New Guinea and Samoa vying for a place, it seems harsh that most likely winners (New Zealand) will face an extra match to determine their plans for the summer of 2014 especially considering how well they performed in South Africa last year.

The pot drawings are based on the current FIFA world rankings which places Norway 12th and Montenegro 17th placing them in pots one and two respectively. Norway hasn't qualified for a major tournament since Euro 2000 and relative newcomers Montenegro haven't qualified for any tournament since being part of a joint Serbia Montenegro team at the 2006 World Cup so how these teams are ranked so high is beyond me.

If you are looking for dark horses in European qualifying I suggest Belgium who have a crop of very talented players at their disposal. Thomas Vermaelen, Marouane Fellaini and Vincent Kompany all ply their trade in the Premier League and Steven Defour and Edin Hazard are both attracting attention from bigger clubs due to their performances with Standard Liége and Lille.

15 Minutes of Football 6 - Global Domination

2011-07-26T22:58:00.003+01:00

When we think of the top footballing teams in the world, the ones with long histories of success not only in domestic competition but internationally our minds are drawn to the likes of Manchester United in England, Barcelona in Spain or AC Milan in Italy. Football however, is a global game and in every corner of the world you will find teams who have replicated the success of their more famous counterparts but with much less fanfare. Here are three examples of clubs who have dominated in their own backyard.

Trinidad and Tobago – Defence Force F.C
Made up from players who ply their trade in protective forces by day, Defence Force F.C are Trinidad and Tobago’s most successful ever team having won their national league twenty one times and are T&T’s only ever winner of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup (the precursor to the CONCACAF Champions’ League). In 1985 they picked up a treble of League, Cup and CONCACAF Cup titles. They can also claim to have a better name than their Jack Warner owned league rivals – Joe Public FC.

Uzbekistan – F.C Pakhtakor Tashkent
Pakhtakor have been the dominant team in Uzbek football since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, winning their national league eight times and the the national cup seven times. They compete regularly in the Asian Champions League, their best finish being semi final appearances in 2003 and 2004. Pakhtakor even managed to hold their own against the big Russian and Ukrainian teams during the Soviet days despite having 17 players killed in a mid-air crash in 1979 and bizarrely being deducted a point for drawing too many games in 1982.

Zimbabwe – Dynamos F.C
Based in the capital Harare, Dynamos had already become a very successful team in Rhodesia, where they started as a club for black players in the white dominated nation. They had collected six league titles by the time the country was renamed Zimbabwe and have gone on to win twelve more. Nicknamed “The Glamour Boys” they claim to have seven million fans, which means over half the population of Zimbabwe cheers them on if true.

Good Folk Series #4: Alfred J. Sirleaf

2011-07-25T16:36:00.007+01:00

If you find yourself in Monrovia, Liberia and happen to take a stroll down Tubman Boulevard you will encounter a small shack owned and operated by Alfred Sirleaf. This shack is home to the The Daily Talk, a blackboard newspaper started by Sirleaf in 2000 so folk without access to newspapers or the Internet can keep up with the comings and goings of the world. Alfred J. as he is known to friends (possibly), culls news from a variety of sources including newspapers and his network of volunteer news suppliers before editing and posting the reports on several blackboards outside the shack. Liberia suffers greatly from a lack of electricity and internet cafes are an expensive option so the access to the news that Alfred provides is invaluable to the natives of Monrovia.

This is the second incarnation of the shack, the first having been torn down by Government soldiers after Alfred was critical of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. He was briefly jailed but had the shack running again a week before the 2005 presidential elections (Taylor is currently on trial in The Hauge for his role in the civil war in Sierra Leone and for being a right shit in general.)

Read more about Alfred at the New York Times.

Stellar Sounds 32

2011-07-24T22:52:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from self-evident, El Morgan and Ghost Bunny.

self evident - endings
<a href="http://selfevident.bandcamp.com/album/endings">endings by self-evident</a>

El Morgan - Fight or Flight
<a href="http://elmorgan.bandcamp.com/album/fight-or-flight">Fight or Flight by El Morgan</a>

Ghost Bunny - Ghost Bunny
<a href="http://ghostbunny.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-bunny">Ghost Bunny by Ghost Bunny</a>

Capitalist Pigs!

2011-07-21T21:24:00.002+01:00

Never before has there been such an unnecessary product. When sci-fi writers put pen to paper or finger tip to keyboard, imagining future utopias this is the type of shit they include to demonstrate opulence in a society which has lost touch with reality. It is a prime of example of a product being made for no other reason than to cash in on people's suggestibility and stupidity. The trend of greed in the world can be summed up by this product. You do not need this and if you think you do then you are either insane or an utter fool.

I bet Lenin would roll in his little glass box grave if he knew of this product and vom all over himself if he was informed it costs £14.99 (€17)

P.S
I'm not a Communist. It may seem like I am from the above text but I can assure you I enjoy Coca-Cola and McDonald's far too much to even consider an association with Communism.

15 Minutes of Football 5

2011-07-20T21:29:00.002+01:00

More obscure football from around the world.

Indian Ocean Games

Held as part of the multi-sport Indian Ocean Island Games, the IOG is open to the African Islands in the Indian Ocean. First held in 1979, Reunion have been the most successful side, winning the tournament three times, just ahead of Madagascar and Mauritius on two each. 2007 was the most participated event so far, with seven countries (Comoros, Mauritius, Maldives*, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and Seychelles) competing. Seychelles will host the 2011 tournament.

*Maldives though not an African island is invited to attend.

The Other Final

On the morning of the 2002 World Cup Final a match was held in Thimpu, Bhutan between the then two lowest ranked nations on the FIFA World Rankings list; Bhutan and Montserrat. After 90 minutes Bhutan emerged victorious, condemning the Caribbean nation to the bottom of the world rankings. Dutch director Johan Kramer filmed the match for his documentary "The Other Final".

Stellar Sounds 31

2011-07-19T20:52:00.001+01:00

Video Special

Featuring videos from BriBry and Cascarino.

BriBry - The Ross Song

You can buy "The Ross Song" on iTunes. G'wan, it's for charity.

Cascarino - I Don't Want You to Go

Cascarino is featured in Stellar Sounds 23, check it out for a free download of this song.

Stellar Sounds 30

2011-07-05T20:44:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from Isaac Tayrien, Streetlight Cadence and Kitzu.

Isaac Tayrien - EP
<a href="http://isaactayrien.bandcamp.com/album/isaac-tayrien-e-p">Isaac Tayrien (E.P.) by Isaac Tayrien</a>

Streetlight Cadence - Don't Look Back
<a href="http://streetlightcadence.bandcamp.com/album/dont-look-back">Don't Look Back by Streetlight Cadence</a>

Kitzu - Sand
<a href="http://kitzu.bandcamp.com/album/sand">Sand by Kitzu</a>

15 Minutes of Football 4

2011-07-04T19:16:00.004+01:00

Obscure Football Tournaments from around the World.

Coupe de l'Outre-Mer
The Coupe de l'Outre-Mer is a relatively new competition, held every two years between the overseas territories and departments of France. Martinique are the reigning champions defeating previous winners Réunion on penalties in the final last year. Réunion had defeated Martinique to win the title in 2008. The competition features an unusual points system, awarding four points for a win, two for a win on penalties and one for a loss on penalties. What's noteworthy about the tournament is that it features nations who are governed by different confederations. It's like a mini French World Cup.

Eligible Participants
French Guiana (CONCACAF), Guadeloupe (CONCACAF), Martinique (CONCACAF), Mayotte (no affiliation), New Caledonia (OFC), Réunion (CAF - associate member), Saint Barthélemy (no affiliation), Saint-Martin (CONCACAF), Saint Pierre and Miquelon (no affiliation), Tahiti - representing French Polynesia (OFC) and Wallis and Futuna (no affiliation).

Wallis and Futuna, Saint-Martin and Saint Barthélemy have yet to enter the tournament.

East Asian Football Championships

Established in 2003 the East Asian Football Championships took over from the Dynasty Cup, a tournament held between the four strongest teams in the region (China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea). After the formation of the East Asian Football Federation in 2002 the new tournament was introduced and it was expanded to include a preliminary qualifying section. Japan, South Korea and China all qualify for the final stages directly where they are joined by a fourth team from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Macau, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hong Kong and Mongolia who qualify through the preliminary stages.

China and South Korea have won two championships each thus far with Japan finishing runners up three times.

A Women's Tournament was also introduced in 2005 with Japan being the dominant nation, winning two of the three competitions.

Stellar Sounds 29

2011-07-03T21:44:00.002+01:00

Featuring music from The Great Ocean Divide, City of Glass and Paulie Martin

Paulie Martin - Dead Man's Hand (live)
Dead Man's Hand by Paulie Martin

The Great Ocean Divide - The Great Ocean Divide
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thegreatoceandivide.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-ocean-divide"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Great Ocean Divide by The Great Ocean Divide&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

City of Glass - The Diving Bell EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://cityofglass.bandcamp.com/album/the-diving-bell-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Diving Bell EP by City of Glass&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

15 Minutes of Football 3

2011-07-01T22:41:00.004+01:00

Tony Yeboah

Yeboah started his career in his native Ghana before moving to Germany with 1.FC Saarbrücken and later Eintracht Frankfurt before moving to the Premiership with Leeds United. A series of wonder goals endeared him to the Elland Road fans but injuries and a change of management curtailed his time in England and he returned to the Bundesliga with Hamburg before finishing his playing career in Qatar with Al-Ittihad*.

Yeboah is now chairman of Ghanaian Premier League side Berekum Chelsea whilst running his own sports agency and chain of hotels.

*Al-Ittihad is now known as Al-Gharafa.

George Weah

Weah started his career in Liberia followed by short spells in the Ivory Coast and Cameroon before moving European football with first Monaco and then PSG in France. He collected Cup and League titles in France before moving to Milan where he went on to win European, African and World player of the year in 1995 and the FIFA fair play award in 1996 despite receiving a six match ban that season for breaking the nose of Porto defender Jorge Costa in the tunnel after a Champion's League fixture.

After five years in Italy he moved to England with first Chelsea and then Manchester City but he only stayed a year before returning to France with Marseille before finishing his career with UAE club Al Jazira.

Weah has focused on humanitarian work in Liberia, including launching a CD in aid of children's programmes in Africa and setting up a football club in Monrovia. He announced his intention to enter politics after the second Liberian Civil War and finished second in the Presidential elections. After his lack of college education was cited by opponents during the campaign he obtained degrees from both Philadelphia University and the DeVry University in Miami and this year he will be running mate of Presidential candidate Winston Tubman.

Edmundo

Ed & Pedrinho

Edmundo (also known as The Animal) was a striker who made appearances for several top Brazilian teams including Vasco De Gama, Palmeiras and Flamengo before moving to Italy with Fiorentina. Known as much for fighting with his own teammates and kicking cameramen as he is for scoring goals, Ed has had several run ins with the law. He was charged with animal cruelty in 1999 after hiring a circus for his son's birthday which resulted in a chimpanzee named Pedrinho becoming drunk on whiskey and beer.

Ed post crash.

Last month he was sent to prison for four and a half years after his legal team exhausted procedures aimed at keeping him out following his conviction for vehicular manslaughter in 1995. Edmundo was the driver (and only survivor) of a crash which killed his three passengers after leaving a nightclub in the early hours.

Stellar Sounds 28

2011-06-28T15:41:00.002+01:00

An instrumental and post rock compilation featuring Walking Aida, Karhide, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, Monsters Build Mean Robots, Flies are Spies from Hell, Alright the Captain, What the Blood Revealed, Goonies Never Say Die, Double Handsome Dragons, Friend?, UpC DownC, Listing Ships, The Rock of Travolta, Bleaklow, Khuda, Orders of the British Empire, MinionTV, You Slut, Vessels, Leyaks, Maybeshewill and Kasper Rosa.

Various - A Cheery Wave from Stranded Youngsters (Volume One)
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mbmr.bandcamp.com/album/a-cheery-wave-from-stranded-youngsters-an-instrumental-post-rock-compilation-issue-one"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters: An Instrumental/Post-rock Compilation (Issue One) by Monsters Build Mean Robots&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Various - A Cherry Wave from Stranded Youngsters (Volume Two)
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://youslut.bandcamp.com/album/a-cheery-wave-from-stranded-youngsters-an-instrumental-post-rock-compilation-volume-two"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters: An Instrumental/Post-rock Compilation (Volume Two) by You Slut!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Detective Work

2011-06-27T01:06:00.004+01:00

        Goalkeeper turns himself in for match fixing involvement
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- A former national team goalkeeper has turned himself in to the nation's top football league for his involvement in match fixing, the league office confirmed Sunday.

   The goalkeeper, currently with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, admitted that he was engaged in match fixing schemes last season, when he was playing for a different club, Chunnam Dragons, said Ahn Gi-heon, secretary general of K-League.

   "The goalkeeper first informed his Jeonbuk head coach Choi Kang-hee last Friday night," Ahn said. "After speaking with Lee Chul-geun, general manager of Jeonbuk, we decided to hand the case over to prosecutors."

   The goalkeeper, whose name was withheld, briefly served as a backup for the national team in 2008. He is the first known case to report himself to K-League for match fixing ties. The league declined to confirm whether there are other such players.

   Players have until the end of this month to turn themselves in for lenient penalties from the league. K-League has said it would also ask prosecutors to reduce punishment for such players.

   Prosecutors in Changwon, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have indicted 10 active K-Leaguers for allegedly throwing matches in April, while one other player was indicted by the military prosecution. Ten of those 11 have received a lifetime ban from the K-League.

   Players were accused of accepting money from gambling brokers in exchange for deliberately making mistakes and helping their teams lose.

   Five other players have been arrested in Changwon in the snowballing match fixing scandal, the first of its kind to rattle K-League in its 28-year history.

   The league said one of those five is a former teammate of the goalkeeper's on the Dragons last year. A league official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the arrest likely forced the netminder to come clean.

   "We had suspected the goalkeeper of a possible role in match fixing from last season, but he had denied his charges until now," the official said.

Taken from the Yonhap News Agency

It wasn't hard to deduce that Yeom Dong-Gyun is the player in question. I await the super injunction.

Stellar Sounds 27

2011-06-23T16:09:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from Thousands, three offerings from Smiley With a Knife and Glorie.

Thousands - Thousands
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thsnds.bandcamp.com/album/thousands"&amp;amp;gt;Thousands by Thousands&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Smiley With a Knife - The Real Party is on the Balcony/Aluminium Cannon
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://smileywithaknife.bandcamp.com/album/the-real-party-is-on-the-balcony-aluminum-cannon"&amp;amp;gt;The Real Party Is On The Balcony / Aluminum Cannon by Smiley With A Knife&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Smiley With a Knife - Long Now
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://smileywithaknife.bandcamp.com/album/long-now"&amp;amp;gt;Long Now by Smiley With A Knife&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Smiley With a Knife - How a Reign Comes to an End
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://smileywithaknife.bandcamp.com/album/how-a-reign-comes-to-an-end"&amp;amp;gt;How a Reign Comes to an End by Smiley With A Knife&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Glorie - Glorie
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://glorierock.com/album/glorie"&amp;amp;gt;Glorie by Glorie&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Tacky

2011-06-22T20:53:00.001+01:00

I went to Seville. Here is a photo I took while there. Baby Jesus on a blanket. There was also a small shop which had similar memorabilia including Baby Jesus on a crucifix. It cost €89. I tried to take a photo but the man who owned the shop didn't take kindly to and chased me off.

You should go too.

Stellar Sounds 26

2011-06-11T22:32:00.000+01:00

Free Sampler from the Mylene Sheath record label featuring some of this blog's favourite acts including Beware of Safety and Eksi Ekso.

<a href="http://themylenesheath.bandcamp.com/album/spring-2011-label-sampler">Spring 2011 Label Sampler by The Mylene Sheath</a>

The Kerrang Thesaurus Awards

2011-06-10T19:18:00.001+01:00

An excerpt from this years Kerrang Awards:

The Devotion Award: Skindred
Kerrang Legend: Ozzy Osbourne
Kerrang Hall of Fame Award: Korn
Kerrang Inspiration Award: Def Leppard
Kerrang Icon Award: Alice Cooper

Anyone else notice that these awards are all basically the same thing?

"You've been around for a number of years and we feel guilty about giving the real awards to My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds to Mars so we'll give you this one we made up just now. What? No it's completely different from the one Def Leppard are getting!"

Stellar Sounds 25

2011-06-10T17:27:00.002+01:00

Featuring music from To Alaska, The Mountaineering Club Orchestra, Wecollectskies and The Radio Reds.

To Alaska - I Don't Want to Tempt Fate, but we're Definitely Not Going to Die Tonight
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://toalaska.bandcamp.com/album/i-dont-want-to-tempt-fate-but-were-definitely-not-going-to-die-tonight-a-collection-2007-2008"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I Don't Want To Tempt Fate, But We're Definitely Not Going To Die Tonight: A Collection 2007-2008 by To Alaska&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Mountaineering Club Orchestra - A Start on Such a Night is Full of Promise
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://themountaineeringcluborchestra.bandcamp.com/album/a-start-on-such-a-night-is-full-of-promise"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A Start On Such A Night Is Full Of Promise by The Mountaineering Club&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Wecollectskies - Of Clouds
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://lostchildren.bandcamp.com/album/of-clouds"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Of Clouds by Lost Children Net Label&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Radio Reds - The Radio Reds
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theradioreds.bandcamp.com/album/the-radio-reds"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Radio Reds by The Radio Reds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sepp Blatter's Council of Wisdom

2011-06-07T16:45:00.000+01:00

Sepp Blatter is an evil genius.

Not content with scheming his way into being re-elected for another term as FIFA President he is now mocking football fans with the announcement of his intentions to form a "Council of Wisdom", a body charged with helping restore FIFA's reputation.

"These gentlemen are more or less advisers, they are not the experts but advisers and what they should be also is the kind of council of wisdom which my executive committee would not like because they think they are the council of wisdom, but I have also contacted the Spanish singer"

- Sepp Blatter

Setting aside the question of why people who aren't experts are even being asked to advise, the most glaring thing here is "Spanish Singer". Sepp has called in the big guns to sort this one out.

Placido Domingo

Famous as one part of the Three Tenors, he may possibly be a football fan I don't know, I don't know the man personally but if he is being offered a place in the FIFA Justice League then I want in too for I am equally deserving. Also lined up to join the Council are Henry Kissinger and Johan Cruyff. Quite a team you'll agree. We can only hope these fellows see sense and decline the ridiculous offer.

But for the moment Sepp Blatter is sitting in his Swiss Fortress of Doom and he is laughing his arse off because of what he is able to get away with.

15 Minutes of Football 2

2011-06-06T18:37:00.004+01:00

Lutz Pfannenstiel

Dear Hollywood.

Make a film based on the life and career of
Lutz Pfannenstiel please.

Thank you,
Fans of football, action adventure films and geography around the world.

Lutz Pfannenstiel has played football on every continent except Antarctica. 2011 marks the 20th year of his storied career which has seen him play for clubs across the world, from his native Germany to Canada and from Brazil to New Zealand.

So what? You ask. He's just another journeyman footballer.

Well no, not really.

While in Singapore playing for Geyland United Lutz was imprisoned for three months, accused of match fixing for some shady mafia type characters (he was found innocent). During his time in England he stopped breathing three times after being involved in a collision while playing for Bradford Park Avenue against Harrogate Town. Currently he is residing in Namibia, acting as player-coach and sporting director for Ramblers F.C and coaching the goalkeepers of the Namibian national team. Lutz also finds the time to fight Global Warming, which included trying to organise a charity match in Antarctica (which assumedly only fell apart after they forgot to bring an orange football). Lutz also worked as a pundit for German Television during the 2010 World Cup, so there you go, Herr Pfannenstiel is a TV star too.

Lutz's biography Unhaltbar — Meine Abenteuer als Welttorhüter was released in 2009 and if anyone feels like translating it to English I'd be very grateful.

You can keep up with Lutz by visiting his website, facebook page or stop by www.globalunitedfc.com to check up on his climate change project.

Stellar Sounds 24

2011-06-02T15:31:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from I Am David Sparkle, Artem Bank, Skyfalling and Sleepmakeswaves.

I Am David Sparkle - Jangan

Check out the I Am David Sparkle discography on Bandcamp.
I Am David appear KittyWu Records.

Artem Bank - Iris
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://artembank.bandcamp.com/track/iris"&amp;amp;gt;Iris by Artem Bank&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Artem Bank has a huge collection of music available for any price you wish to pay (even free). Click here.

Skyfalling - Straight Ahead
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://skyfalling.bandcamp.com/track/straight-ahead"&amp;amp;gt;Straight Ahead by Skyfalling&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Sleepmakeswaves - (Hello) Cloud Mountain
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sleepmakeswaves.bandcamp.com/track/hello-cloud-mountain"&amp;amp;gt;(hello) cloud mountain by sleepmakeswaves&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

15 Minutes of Football

2011-06-01T14:44:00.002+01:00

A blog post for some of the football stars you may have forgotten. First up is Roy Essandoh, Phil Mulryne and Christopher Wreh.

Roy Essandoh. You remember him right? He is famous for having answered Wycombe Wanderers' then manager Lawrie Sanchez's plea for a striker during an injury crisis. In fact Wycombe were so desperate for a striker that they posted on ad on Ceefax which caught the attention of Essandoh's agent. Roy made himself a cup legend by coming on as a late substitute against then Premier League Leicester City and scoring an injury time header to put Second Division Wycombe Wanderers into the semi finals of the 2001 FA Cup. Ten years later Essandoh is still playing, after recently signing for Conference South side Braintree.

Philip Mulryne made five appearances for Manchester United having come through the youth ranks but it wasn't until he joined Norwich that he secured more regular football. A broken leg halted his progress but he helped Norwich into the Premier League in 2004 before later joining Cardiff, Leyton Orient and then non league Kings Lynn before returning home to Northern Ireland (who he had represented at every level from Under 15's to full international) and briefly training with Cliftonville.
Mulryne has since retired and is training to become a priest.

Christopher Wreh joined Arsenal from Monaco after some persuasive words from his cousin (former World Footballer of the Year, George Weah) in the ear of manager Arsene Wenger. His best season was undoubtedly 1997/98 where he scored some crucial goals to help Arsenal pick up the league title but he soon fell out of favour behind the likes of Henry and Bergkamp. He was sent out on loan several times before joining Saudi side Al Hilal for another unsuccessful stint. He returned to the UK and bounced around lower league teams but fitness problems and weight problems meant he rarely played. He finished his career at Indonesian side Perseman Manokwari with similar results as his previous clubs and he now spends his time performing with his band The Soul Rebels.

Gig Bastards

2011-05-21T23:27:00.000+01:00

How to spot them:

1. They arrive at gigs (always after the support act) and start many loud conversations as they make their way to the front.

2. They make their way to the front to make sure the act on stage is sure to notice them, for this is the second most important thing to a gig bastard.

3. Topics of conversation between gig bastards include "I only heard of this band today, but my friend said I just had to see them" and "I have to get them sign the vinyl I just got. It was on sale for ten quid but I got it for five, needed that other fiver for a pint!" Booze is the most important thing to a gig bastard.

4. A sub division of gig bastards are the teenagers who frequent all ages gigs, especially the ones who are metal fans (they have a Metallica tshirt, of course they're metal fans.....). It is the prime duty of the teenager to mosh in the most awkward and violent way possible with absolutely no thought for how stupid they look.

5. The gig bastards night is never truly complete unless he has smashed into, poured something on or talked complete shit to some legitimite fan because ruining someone elses night betters theirs.

Stellar Sounds 23

2011-05-16T20:50:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from Cascarino, The Fierce and the Dead and Stray Borders.

Cascarino - I Don't Want You to Go
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://cascarinomusic.bandcamp.com/track/i-dont-want-you-to-go"&amp;amp;gt;I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO by Cascarino&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Stray Borders - Deletive Expleted (from the Lost Children Label)

Download for free here

The Fierce and the Dead - If it carries on like this we are moving to Morecambe
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thefierceandthedead.bandcamp.com/album/if-it-carries-on-like-this-we-are-moving-to-morecambe"&amp;amp;gt;If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe by The Fierce And The Dead&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Stellar Sounds 22

2011-05-12T21:07:00.000+01:00

Featuring music from The River North, Arms That Fit Like Legs and Cougar.

The River North - The River North EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://therivernorth.bandcamp.com/album/the-river-north-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The River North EP by The River North&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Arms That Fit Like Legs - Arms That Fit Like Legs EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://armsthatfitlikelegs.bandcamp.com/album/arms-that-fit-like-legs-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;arms that fit like legs ep by arms that fit like legs&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Cougar - Thundersnow

Stellar Sounds 21

2011-05-08T20:34:00.001+01:00

Featuring music from Tad Piecka, Friend?, Wes Swing, Come on Live Long and A Futurist Theatre.

Tad Piecka - Stars are Stars and Yours are Yours
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://tadpiecka.bandcamp.com/album/stars-are-stars-and-yours-are-yours"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Stars Are Stars and Yours Are Yours by Tad Piecka&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Tad also plays bass for Beware of Safety who you should definitely check out too.

Friend? - Friend? EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://friendquestionmark.bandcamp.com/album/friend-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Friend? EP by Friend?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Friend? appear courtesy of the Eleven Eleven label

Wes Swing - Through a Fogged Glass
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://wesswing.bandcamp.com/album/through-a-fogged-glass-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Through a Fogged Glass by Wes Swing&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Come on Live Long - Come on Live Long EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://comeonlivelong.bandcamp.com/album/comeonlivelong-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;ComeOnLiveLong EP by Come On Live Long&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

A Futurist Theatre - Devil Have Mercy
Devil Have Mercy by A Futurist Theatre

More Available from soundcloud.com/afuturisttheatre

Dogs: They make me feel stupid.

2011-05-06T16:28:00.000+01:00

This is my second dog related blog, you can read the first one here.

I was followed by a dog today, all the way in to town. After suffering abuse from misinformed drivers (who I assume believed I was responsible for the hound) about Fido blocking traffic I decided to take action. "Dry Cleaning" a spy would call it. I took off down a lane and then up a back road when my canine stalker was busy sniffing someone else. It made me late for my lunch appointment by taking the alternative route but it was necessary. My self satisfaction at having outwitted the dog evaporated as I reached my destination......

He was waiting for me.

The Power of Books

2011-05-05T23:38:00.001+01:00

Hiyah! take this witty and cutting remark Peter Kay!

Oh.

And Prince William was Leonardo DiCaprio

2011-05-04T01:30:00.001+01:00

The following is a genuine conversation I was forced to endure last week (April 28th) when a group of teenagers crowded around the little piece of floor I had taken to after all the seats on the train were filled. Buy some more carraiges please CIE. And then make teenagers walk.

I was going to write what I heard verbatim but I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I've cleaned up the spelling and punctuation. I've also removed the equine like giggles of the teens, one in particular who I'm sure must have some donkey heritage.

Teen 1: Who is it that's getting married tomorrow?
Teen 2: One of the Royals it is, Harry...
Teen 3: No it's not, it's The Queen who's getting married tomorrow....
Teen 4: The Queen is like 90, she's not getting married, her daughter is getting married....
Teen 2: Oh yeah that's right, it is the Queen's daughter, Kate something.....
Teen 4: Yeah, Kate.... Kate Winslet is getting married, Kate Winslet.
Teens 1,2,3 and 4: Yeah...... yeah.

Seperated at Birth #3

2011-04-27T19:20:00.000+01:00

Werner "The Ferret"

Mesut Özil

On the third day he was Resurrected and to Linkin Park he did listen.

2011-04-21T19:21:00.001+01:00

Scientists have announced that the musical genre which provided the soundtrack to my teen years celebrated it's tenth birthday recently, so head over to the Onwards, to the Horror Show facebook page to join in the Easter Weekend Nu Metal Celebrations!

*Crazy Town will not be appearing.

Stellar Sounds 20

2011-04-19T23:05:00.002+01:00

Featuring The Poison Control Centre, Ace Reporter and Wiltz

The Poison Control Centre - Torpedoes on Tuesday

Free Download available from:
http://www.afternoonrecords.com/torpedoes.html

Ace Reporter - Sleepyhead EP
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://acereporter.bandcamp.com/album/sleepyhead-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sleepyhead EP by Ace Reporter&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Wiltz - Demo
&amp;lt;a href="http://wiltz.bandcamp.com/album/wiltz"&amp;gt;Wiltz by Wiltz&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Stellar Sounds 19

2011-04-13T02:34:00.001+01:00

Featuring Enemies, EleventyFour and The Phoenix Prestige.

Enemies - Coco et Moi/Robert Reid

Enemies appear on the Richter Collective label.

EleventyFour - The Joy Imperative
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://eleventyfour.bandcamp.com/album/the-joy-imperative"&amp;amp;gt;The Joy Imperative by EleventyFour&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

The Phoenix Prestige - The Ivory Skull
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thephoenixprestige.bandcamp.com/album/the-ivory-skull"&amp;amp;gt;The Ivory Skull by The Phoenix Prestige&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Stellar Sounds 18

2011-04-06T23:28:00.004+01:00

<a href="http://theaftermath.bandcamp.com/album/friendlier-up-here">Friendlier Up Here by The Aftermath</a>

Seperated at Birth #2

2011-03-26T15:58:00.000Z

Comic Strip Icon Dilbert

England Manager Fabio Capello

Stellar Sounds 17

2011-03-22T21:02:00.001Z

Deep Elm Records: Postrockology

Featuring The Appleseed Cast, Goonies Never Say Die, Moving Mountains and more!

http://www.deepelm.com/

For even more free tunes of many genres:

Blog Post #50

2011-03-15T01:21:00.000Z

Thanks for reading!

Good Folk Series #3. Raoul Wallenberg

2011-03-14T21:01:00.005Z

He may look like Colin Mochrie* but he did some vital work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Wallenberg

*Colin Mochrie is great too by the way.

Thunder Stealer

2011-03-07T20:06:00.001Z

Anyone watch The Oscars?

This man is Kirk Douglas, right now he should be the newest darling of the internet. There should be a million memes baring his image.

But there isn't.

Because of this man.

I bet Kirk Douglas hates Charlie Sheen.

Stellar Sounds 16

2011-02-28T19:20:00.001Z

Featuring Overhead, the Albatross, Folder and Circle of Sharks

Overhead, the Albatross - Lads with Sticks

Folder - Hello EP

Circle of Sharks - Upside Down

Circle of Sharks - False Heartbeats

Circle of Sharks also appeared in Stellar Sounds 1, be sure to stop by and check out Drones if you haven't already.

I hate you Chuck Lorre

2011-02-27T16:28:00.001Z

This man is Chuck Lorre.

He is the man responsible for Dharma & Greg, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and much more. Yes, one man responsible for so much shit being shoveled on to our television screens. Hard to believe isn't it? He can take his place alongside Simon Cowell and the chick who wrote Twilight as people who are contributing to the downfall of intelligent entertainment.

Why Chuck Lorre, why? You should have retired after you wrote the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. That would have been the honourable thing to do. Hang your head in shame Chuck Lorre.

Stellar Sounds 15

2011-02-20T20:21:00.003Z

Darragh J. Glennon has been crafting and performing his alternative music since the age of fifteen, sharing the stage with the likes of Fionn Regan, Declan O' Rourke and Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs).

Since beginning his travels, performing with Mullingar band 'Triega', Darragh went on to release the singles 'For My Love', 'Smile' and 'I'm on the Way'. His debut album 'Detour' was released in 2009.

The new album is nearing completion and is due for release in 2011.

Free Downloads from Darragh J. Glennon courtesy of Sounds IndiGO! Records

Loitering outside the SuperKidd Promotions office

Darragh J. Glennon on Facebook

Avail of these downloads won't you? Or else Darragh gets it.

Darragh J. Glennon on ReverbNation

Cape Expectations: The Count Tornado Story

2011-02-12T01:52:00.002Z

It is near impossible to describe Count Tornado unless you've met him in person. He wears a cape and pitches himself as the finest Avant Garde musician ever to grace a stage. Rumours persist that back in the day himself and his band packed out venues in Dublin and beyond. In truth, most of these rumours were probably started by the Count, for the man has some of finest self promotion skills ever seen in addition to his vast musical talents. The videos below will give you an insight into what the Count is all about but I implore you to seek out the man live, even if he's not attempting to play keyboard with his face he's still worth the time for a chat.*Update* After much recent exposure to the Count, I retract my suggestion that you seek him out.

Count Tornado appearing on G Request Show with his new project Dust Revolution.

The Count on Count Tornado

Count Tornado - I Stole Your Helicopter

Count Tornado - Z Walking

Sage Advice

2011-02-09T17:20:00.001Z

Darron Gibson has been informed by Ireland manager Giovanni Trappatoni that he must leave Manchester United to further his career.

You can read the article in The Guardian.

He's right you know Darron. Off you go now. You'll fit nicely into the Peterborough United midfield.

The Worst Ad Ever?

2011-02-09T16:58:00.000Z

Aside from the dodgy quality of just about everything in the ad, here are some key points;

Builder Kid: You are holding the hammer backwards.
Fighter Pilot Kid: You don't have the coordination skills to salute properly, how will you fly a plane?
Angel Kid: Angels are mythological beings, serving as messengers of God for many religions.(If you believe in that sort of thing) Being an Angel therefore isn't a job.
Knight Kid: Your profession died out hundreds of years ago, no one will pay for your services.
Astronaut Kid: You seem to be dressed in tinfoil. That sort of messing won't impress NASA you know, you're not even wearing a helmet!
Vet Kid: Penguins can't be vets. Their flippers would be useless in practically every situation.

Stellar Sounds 14

2011-02-01T19:34:00.005Z

I once toured with Arrow in the Sky. You can read about it here.

Arrow in the Sky - Ghost Town

Follow Arrow in the Sky on Facebook and Twitter.

Eh! Eh! Alright! Alright! Calm down! Calm down!

2011-01-31T19:02:00.005Z

Andy Carroll is on the verge of transfer to Liverpool for a reported £35 million pounds, proving yet again that when it comes to transfer market shrewdness the folk at Anfield are on another level.

For all the football fans here are some other players that could have been purchased with that £35 million:

They could have also bought Marcus Bent with the change just to help him tick another club off his list.

For those of you who aren't football fans here's an alternative suggestion for the £35 million:

That's right, penny sweets. 350 million of them. The benefit being that you can have your sweeties any time you wished and not have to pop round to Kevin Nolan's house every time you wanted some.

Writer's Block

2011-01-30T01:19:00.003Z

I haven't posted any sort of writing here lately, it's all been music, videos and pictures and I started writing this post fully intending to rectify this but.......

Under Siege just started.

Update: One hour in

This is the most annoying character in cinematic history. July 1989 must have been a very slow month.

Taken from Erika Eleniak's Wikipedia page:
In 1992, Eleniak returned to film acting, playing Jordan Tate, a Playboy Playmate hired to do a striptease for the captain of the U.S. Navy battleship, USS Missouri, in Under Siege. In the film, she is described as "Jordan Tate, Miss July 1989"—which is the month that Eleniak was Playmate of the Month. She plays a character that is supposed to be purely decorative but is actually intelligent, brave, and resourceful.

What? What?

Silly bitch nearly ruined a perfectly good film.

Subject Matter.

2011-01-26T23:16:00.001Z

Say what you want about all the hype, but at the end of the day it's still a film about ballet isn't it?*

*The author of this blog bears no ill will toward ballet. Well, hardly any.

Stellar Sounds 13

2011-01-22T22:21:00.002Z

Featuring music from Enemies, Beware of Safety and Sidearm.

Beware of Safety - Light of Day

Sidearm - Victim Junkie

Free Downloads courtesy of the Lost Children Label
Don't Cry Help Until You're Dead
http://www.archive.org/details/LostChildren031
Home Recordings Vol. 1
http://www.archive.org/details/LostChildren048
Sing Cinema 16! Sing!
http://www.archive.org/details/LostChildren049

Enemies
Alpha Waves E.P

Bits of Parrots/Feed Me Seedless

We've Been Talking

Enemies appear on the Richter Collective label.

The Enforcer

2011-01-18T21:56:00.000Z

The Day Henry Rollins's World was Crushed.

2011-01-17T20:11:00.002Z

Happy Henry

Henry Rollins vs Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop vs Punk

Sad Henry.

The silence caused by lambs.

2011-01-12T19:57:00.000Z

I was in a calendar shop yesterday. I saw this.....

There are no words.

Stellar Sounds 12

2011-01-09T19:26:00.003Z

Featuring music from Lights at Sea, Disasteradio, and Pockets.

Lights at Sea - This is a House of Learned Doctors

Disasteradio - Charisma

Pockets - Pockets

Ron of the Rovers?

2011-01-04T22:21:00.001Z

Some of you may be aware of Blackburn Rover's recent audacious bid for Brazilian World Cup Winner and former Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho, a bid which has been laughed off by fans and journalists around the world. Surely there's no chance of the man showing off his skills at Ewood Park is there?

Actually it is only phase one of Rover's new owners (Venky's Limited) three point plan to turn the club's fortunes around.

1) Bring in some players with proven track records, who have appeal both on and off the pitch ie. Ronaldinho and David Beckham. Both players have the ability to perform on the pitch and can also help raise the profile of the club off the pitch.

2) Back in 1994/95 Blackburn Rovers were Premier League champions, it's obvious the new owners should try and recreate some of that magic .

3) Boosting the image of Rovers in India will have a beneficial effect on the business of owners Venkys, such an opportunity for cross promotion of both club and business will be taken full advantage of, including free chicken day at Ewood Park and personalities from the food production and entertainement worlds getting involved with the team.

Taking this plan into consideration, the team on the opening day of the 2011/12 season may look something like this:


A Safe pair of hands.

1. Sylvester Stallone (GK)

2. Ravi Shankar
3. Uncle Ben
4. Colonel Sanders
5. Christopher Samba
6. Colin Hendry
7. David Beckham
8. Sócrates
9. The Sugar Puffs Honey Monster
10. Ronaldinho

11. Morten Gamst Pedersen

The Big No. 9

Subs
12. Tim Flowers (GK)
13. The Blind Kid from Slumdog Millionaire
14. The Jolly Green Giant
15. El Hadji Diouf
16. Stuart Ripley
17. Michael Chopra
18. The Chick from Bend it Like Beckham

Separated at birth?

2010-12-29T04:27:00.002Z

Tottenham Hotspur's Croatian playmaker Luka Modric.

Director, Producer and Writer Wes Anderson.

The strange older brother who lives in the attic.

Stellar Sounds 11

2010-12-16T19:54:00.009Z

Featuring music from Helsingfors, the band from which Helsingfors evolved - From the Sky, As Tall As Lions and Rumour Cubes

From the Sky

The full EP can be downloaded for free from the Lost Children label here.

Helsingfors - Schematics

The full EP can be downloaded for free from the Lost Children label here.

As Tall As Lions - Ghost of York

Rumour Cubes - We Have Sound Houses Also

Stellar Sounds 10: Punk Special

2010-12-03T18:10:00.000Z

To celebrate the second edition of his definitive guide to the history of American punk rock in the early 1980's, author Steven Blush has made over 900 hardcore/punk songs available for free download. American Hardcore chronicles the pioneers of early hardcore punk such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Black Flag and was subsequently made into a documentary of the same name.

Check out the download list at:
http://www.americanhardcorebook.com/punk24/

And be sure to check out the documentary based on the book:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/americanhardcore/

Misfits - Ghouls Night Out

Cold War

2010-11-30T17:34:00.001Z

It's always a sad day when a successful double act have a falling out.

Act 1: Where upon a hat of fine design causes no end of trouble....

Act 2: Revenge, a dish best served cold (and sneakily)

Fin.

No longer My Space.

2010-11-29T21:55:00.001Z

I have been MySpace user for coming up on four years and in that time I have seen it fall way behind the likes of Facebook and Twitter in terms of popularity and general relevance to the world. Since the NewsCorp takeover it has persistently tried to reinvent itself as the new Facebook, even moving poor Tom down the hall to a smaller, quieter office. It's latest reincarnation however, is for me the end of my loyalty. The new updated home page and it's eternal loading time in addition to it being the adopted cousin of Fox News (I watched Fox News once, Laura Ingraham may be the worst person I've ever seen on television) has ruined my once internet home. It's stubborn refusal to allow linking to Blogger is the death knell as far as my association goes which I'm sure Rupert and Co. won't lose any sleep over but maybe some day they'll realise the error of their ways, go back to their roots and once again be a home for musicians, film makers and those of us who know what HTML is rather than a haven for spam merchants and poorly placed ads.

Good man Rupert, you know what's best.

Stellar Sounds 9

2010-11-26T17:28:00.003Z

Featuring music from Evarose, A Common Year and face to face.

Evarose - We Can Pretend Anyway

Free Evarose downloads available from http://www.evarose.co.uk/

A Common Year - Between Cities

Face to Face - The Devil You Know (God is a Man)

Possibly better known than the usual tunes featured here but it's a great song nonetheless and is featured on their album "Ignorance is Bliss" and also on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer album.

Pro League

2010-11-24T19:22:00.000Z

Some of you may have noticed the fancy new header atop this page, giving the blog an air of professionalism that was unlikely to ever come from the content. So with a new veneer of respectability about the blog, it only right that I send utmost gratitude to the creator of the header, pro photographer and jolly nice person Emma Jacks.

You can (and should) check out more of Ms. Jacks stellar work by visiting her websites.

http://www.emmajacks.com/
http://www.twitter.com/emmajacksphoto

Victory

2010-11-22T17:17:00.000Z

A brief update from my last post. Please let this be the end of it. Don't try and book someone else, we have peace for our time. I feel like Neville Chamberlain, circa 1938.

"X Factor teen heart throbs One Direction have had to pull out of their promise to turn on Mullingar's Christmas lights."

Taken from the Westmeath Examiner, stop by and check out the full article here.

Nightmare on Mullingar Street

2010-11-16T22:23:00.010Z

Would you look at that. Mullingar is trending on Twitter. Well in Ireland at least. What, I hear you ask has elevated our little town to such meteoric heights? For once it isn't because of mini riots or Joe Dolan having something else named in his honour. This is far more serious.

One Direction will be turning on the Christmas Lights.

If you are reading this a year from now, you'll have just thought - "What's a One Direction?" and although I am in no way a biographer, I think it will suffice to say they are currently taking part in The X-factor. (X-factor from what I can gather is the human equivalent of Crufts, where people whore themselves out to the mercy of a panel of judges who hold very high opinions of themselves for reasons they must only understand).

This isn't a post about the horrors of reality TV however. This post is a farewell of sorts to the only thing which lended any sort of credibility to Mullingar in years gone by, our local music scene. From the days of The Swarbriggs and the aforementioned Mr Dolan (and perhaps even earlier than that) to recent years of nights in The Stables full of music lovers supporting local musicians, Mullingar could rightly boast to having a music scene the envy of the rest of the country.

Alas, today things have changed in the 'Gar. Where once you couldn't move for new and exciting acts now all you seem to encounter is widespread apathy, so called "super pubs" that wouldn't know originality unless somewhere better had it first and journalists who no longer content copy and pasting for a living anymore, try and pass themselves off as legitimate representatives for what's left of the same local music that they previously pissed all over. Add this to bands more interested in their publicity shots and stabbing each other in the back than playing music for fun it now looks like the end for Mullingar music despite the valiant efforts of a few dedicated souls.

Mullingar as far as I recall has never had anyone turn on our Christmas lights in years gone by, they had no trouble being turned on by some lad from the ESB (fair play Mr ESB) without the need for the latest teen brainwashing, music killing, 15 minutes of fame novelty act taking advantage of a photo opportunity.

So to those of you more interested in drinking til you can no longer stand and talking above your friend's Kings of Leon tribute band who you are claiming to support all I ask is that you acknowledge the good thing we used to have going and maybe next year we could have someone good show up and flick the switch.

Stellar Sounds 8

2010-11-15T19:41:00.005Z

Featuring The Action Design, The Boxer Rebellion, The Honey Trees and The Phoenix Prestige

The Action Design - Ten Feet of Snow

The Boxer Rebellion - Unreleased EP

The Honey Trees - To Be With You

The Phoenix Prestige - The Bullet Catch

Jermain Defoe - has a way with words

2010-11-11T20:02:00.009Z

Professional footballer and future after dinner speaker extraordinaire.

You know hopefully at the end of the day (question repeated) to be honest.

Isn't that right Jermain?

I don't know.

Unbelievable.

Stellar Sounds 7

2010-10-29T18:58:00.006+01:00

Featuring Dmitry Evgrafov, Leaflog and The Juliets

Dmitry Evgrafov - Lying On Your Shoulder
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sonicreverie.bandcamp.com/album/lying-on-your-shoulder"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Lying On Your Shoulder by Sonic Reverie Records&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Juliets - The Juliets

Leaflog - Mayday