Gimme a break, I've stuff to do!

Well, its been a while since i've written. But you're used to that now. My poor brain has been awash with pixels and colours and code. The result of a never ending work pattern that sees me chained to the computer both mentally and physically. When all is finished I'm not quite sure if I'll know myself. This FBI work has me beaten down to a shadow of my former self, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the deadline on this puppy can't come soon enough and even then I will worry is the product of my work even good enough. Will I be proud of it. I've been looking at it so hard I can't even see it anymore.

Further more, the depressing chill of autumn has crept up behind us leaving not a whisper of sunsine to warm my cockles. When did this happen and why does the idea of winter fill me with such forbodding. I really don't think I'm of this land and its lack of sunny disposition... i'm feeling terrbly used by a summer that came and went leaving little in the way of sun. If I was a plant I would die. Photosynthesis hasn't worked... I haven't had my fill of light. I'm seriously thinking that a I'll buck with tradition and spend Christmas in a place where heat and warmth come from the sky and not the fireplace.

On a positive note... I took my brain away from the madness for a couple of hours this evening and treated myself to some of the best acting I've ever seen. Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land" was on in the Gate and what a treat it was. Michael Gambon is a revelation, he owns the stage with a simple hand movement or gesture and then when he speaks it fills the room, right to every corner. He's effortlessly good. Not to knock the other actors tho. David Walliams (of Little Britain fame) played his role with scarily sinister tones, which altho made for uncomfortable viewing, it was also brilliant and a far cry from "I'm a laaaaady". The other two actors were great too, polishing off some brilliantly written monolgues with wit and wisdom. I highly recommend it.

It was nice to do something like that. The Dublin Fringle Festival been bringing so much great stuff to Dublin, especially in the Speigeltent and I've not had a moment to enjoy any of it. Damn work. Next year I'm gonna see so much culture it's gonna come out my pours!

So although I sound a bit downbeat... it's just the work and the weather that make me so and really inside I'm good. I've so much live music to look forward to in the next couple of months I could burst. Kings, Bon Iver, Micah Hanson (nod to Nomar for that tip), Fugiya Miagi and I'm sure more.

On that note I'll leave you with this little laughter from Flight of the Conchords... just got the DVD of the first series in the post and I tell ya I think I cried a tear of laughter at one point...

Later mutha ucker's

i think i just opened the cookie jar...

Its amazing how one seed can sew a path of discovery towards new great music. the internet is a musical sweet shop. and sometimes you eat a new sugary gum drop flavour and it brings you down a tanget of great finds. I had a particularly good one today... spawned from a recomendation of new music from my good friend nomar. all of a sudden within 20 mins i had discovered so much good music i wanted to burst.

http://www.myspace.com/rhondaharriscph - they had me at the first 5 seconds.... the littletown is a great starter

http://www.blackcabsessions.com/sessions.php- - simple, great idea with a lineup to die for

http://www.myspace.com/noahandthewhale and http://www.myspace.com/lauramarling - I found them a while back but their black cab session together (see link above) made me go back. It was worth it.


I'll write properly about this wkend but this burst of music reminded me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Zoxf3G6u8 - I met and had a great converstation with the lads who play with this lady the night before her early afternoon session at EP. They told me their name and I promised to come see them play the next day. I never made it. Oh the regret.


I wish i had the same passion for my job that I had for finding new music... my world would be a better place.

No title - i'm too busy to think of one

Life for the next month or so is gonna be insane. Unfortunately it is work that dictates this. I guess I should have spent more time on being creative and building this website that now sees me tied to my desk till mid septemeber and no doubt beyond rather than tralling the internet for music and other distractions. However, as I sit here at my desk while the clock skips past 8.30pm, the only thing that is keeping me sane is music. I can't mess around looking for it so I'm putting my ears into the hands of Zane Lowe on Radio 1. Some people find him terribley annoying and I agree that his physcophantic attitude towards musicians can be cringeworthy. But to be honest he has an unbounded enthusiasm for music and his tastes are eclectic makes for a good mix of listening.

Anyway the reason for this blog which has already gone on too long, is that he just played Dan Black's Hipnotize (a cover of Notorious Big) . Sometimes a cover of a song, when played so completley differently like this one, make you see the song in a whole new light and listen to the lyrics more clearly. They're simple rap lyrics but they have a different feel and they even sound a bit funny when sung by this guy. For some reason though, I've had it on loop for the last 20 minutes... i just can't get enough of it, and its catchy sample. Love it.

Have a listen.

Back to work..... *sigh*

musical mojo and new beginnings....

So, new day new blog. I was gonna start by apologising for my latest entry and its negative connotations but then I just thought, feck it. It was a burst of honesty that felt like it needed a place to be aired and at the lack of a diary (haven't had one since my travels) it seemed like a good place to vent. It even felt a bit cathartic. Opening up like that on a public domain felt weird afterward though. Like i'd laid myself bare a bit, like a naked work dream. but then again in my very first blog i said "honesty remains the eternal truth"... nuff said.

It was a funny one though, because I was so distracted and pissed off that even music was making me frustrated. I can't remember a time when that has ever happened. There is a piece of music for every state of mind, a soundtrack to emotions that always has a place. That day though I couldn't find it and jumped from artist to artist and track to track in search of some musical prozac. Nothing worked. Eventually I sat in slience with my ear phones still on...silent and a little in despair....... untill after a while I remembered this woman and this song... it kinda represented my mood but at the same time it slowly but surely lifted me out of it. The note she hits and the end and the build up too it remains the single most amazing piece of music i've ever heard.

Right, distractions aside, there are some new things happening in my life in the next month or two. A new home awaits me and I'm dead excited about making just that, a home. I'll be living on my own but I'm kinda secretly looking forward to it. Hell, I might even walk around the apt naked if i want, its the little freedoms that give life its boost and I'm all over them.

Now I actually had lots more to write, but its getting way too late and I'm too excited to sleep so i need some reading time to send me off.... this is what I'm reading btw the way and its a hoot.
David Saderis - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Music wise, I've had this on loop - it gets better with every listen

And last, i kinda like the sounds of The Flobots too - hit Handlebars first

Night now.

mini rant

I know i haven't written in a while but life has taken over my life lately and blogging seems like an added luxury which time will not allow. however, i'm spent and i need to vent. it seems that the last year has seen a shift in the earths atmosphere. When the f*ck did we all grow up so fast? When did those flies who have dropped or are about to drop become so smug and feel able to give "advice" about my life. I'm sick of hearing it, give me a break and let me make the wrong decision if i want. Life will teach me its own lessons in the long run.

This place in which we live is too small, i need a life raft 'cause I'm drowning in the familiarity and over opinionated waters of it all. I once gave a good friend advice that blogging in the negative seems a shame when they had so much more positives to be sharing about their life. I'm wholeheartedly ignoring that advice today but frustration has got the better of me. Allow me this minor liberty just for now.

Even music makes me frustrated... things are bad.

quick musical blurb...

Hey,

I'm supposed to be working so this is a quick musical entry... Just discovered these guys called The Dodos from San Francisco and i love them so I had to tell you about them now, hit "Fools" first, its great.... plus they're playing th E.P.... i'm beginning to look forward to it more and more... bring.it.on...

Chao

High seas, mind altering art and the causes of a sore bum!

I'm utterly exhausted today. Not the best way to start a long overdue entry in this blog but, say what you feel n all that and... yep, I'm exhausted. It's a tiredness born out of a hectic weekend of outdoor activity rather than excessive boozing which is a good thing really but nonetheless has left me pooped!

It was a big wkend for me this year as for the first time since it began back in the days of its Witnness moniker, I opted not to venture down to Punchestown to battle with the mud and portaloo hell to see what was really a cracking line up of music. I was a little sad, but Oxegen has become a very different place from where it began and its a sign I'm getting older as I avoid the drunken youngsters full of beans and unbounded enthusiasm. I vowed after last years debacle of mud and underage boozing that I would avoid it from now on. It wasn't easy though with a lineup to die for.

So, to keep my mind off it I took to the seas and went sailing for the first time in my life which was great crack, and not just easy sailing, it was a proper race. I hadn't a bog what I was doing but i really enjoyed pulling ropes, avoiding the boom as it swung back and forth and most of all hanging my legs over the side as the boat cruised through the water. Even the rain hitting us hard in the face at one point at a 90 degree angle was invigorating. I'll be back I think. The next day I took advantage of the good weather and climbed to the top of Glendalough with some friends. Memories flooded back to school trips, with bus journey's and packed lunches. A time when the innocence of youth protected us from the realms of the real world and life was a much simpler place to be. For a moment I longed for that time and the safety blanket we all felt wrapped in. Then I was brought back to the the Now as a 99 icecream as placed in my hand and life became a very good place to be!

In other news, a trip to IMMA last weekend proved very interesting as we stumbled across a solo show by a German-Brazilian artist called Janaina Tschäpe. It was a real thought provoker. The photo's initially look like stunning close ups of tropical flowers and plants and then you start to notice hands and feet and faces amongst the colours and textures. It turns out , this exhibition is structured around the genetics of this fabled beast called Chimera from ancient myth, to create a very specific atmosphere. The exhibition focuses on Tschäpe’s recent paintings that embody a sense of the extraordinary through bright and colourful botanical notations. The pictures create a wierd atmosphere of beauty and surrealism which all make for an uneasy feeling. They take you out of your comfort zone by confusing and delighting at the same time. Thoroughly recommded but prepared to feel a little unnerved afterwards.

In further news, I have discovered a new thing... the sciatic nerve. It turns out that it's this nasty bugger of a nerve that has been preventing me from running the last couple of weeks and is the reason why I've been walking like a 70 year old arthritic with a hip replacement. A trip to the physio confirmed this for me and after a some hard massage leaving me with a brusied bum I walked away wishing that I had opted for my car instead of my bike to get there! It's a funny thing though when your forced out of action due to an injury. All I want to do now is run, more than ever. I get jealous of other people running, i look longingly at other runners and wish I could be right there along side them. i-pod in ears! I tell you, never, ever take the things you do for granted because when you can't do them, it sucks. I'll never curse again when I'm getting up a 7am to hit a 10 mile run because, at the moment its all i want to do and I can't...

On the music side of life, I was proud to be the only person at a table quiz over the weekend to get the right answer to the question "Who played bass guitar in the beatles?"... of course it was Paul McCartney but no-one, not even my team members thought I was right... doubters!! I stuck to my guns and we grabbed that much needed extra point. As you can see, this has still effected me... I should probably get over it but surely the little victories should be held on to!

So what am i listening to? Well I'm sharing Nomar's love of the Fleet Foxes, their upbeat harmonies are a joy...

Richie Havens - he's a legend and his voice carries folky depth and a storytelling quality. This gem says it all (ignore the dodgy video). The more I discover of him the more I love him.

The Raconteurs - Their 2nd album was a dissapointment to me after loving the first but I rediscovered it recently and actually, I think I just didn't give it enough time... there are some brilliant tunes on it...this one included.

By for now...

Spreading myself a little thin...

OK, i've officially been terrible updating this blog in the last few days... this is due to work taking over my life, a few cheeky freelance projects taking over my evenings and finally, (and honestly) a touch of laziness.

I will be back soon to enthrall with tales of art, injury and musical fancies.

In the mean time enjoy this gem of comedy which never fails to have me on the floor....

Adieu

Healthy livin.... the way forward?

Sunday morning and the clarity of a new day hits me with a pleasant wave of warmth....It is the result of a refreshingly quiet and healthy weekend. I'm off to Imma in an hour to view an exhibition i've being dying to see but have repeatedly put off due to nasty hangover's plaguing my weekends. However this morning I awake feeling fresh and ready for some contemporary art viewing culture (reviews in next blog). It's a feeling I could get used to, the weekend feels like it has lasted forever(and still a full day left!) and yesterday's early morning run in the rain was rewarded with a burst of sunshine for a few hours to remind me that it was summer. I took advantage of my fresh early start and drove out to see my aging Grandmother (she's 92). She's an incredible woman, bright as a button and a wicked sense of humour. We sat in the sun and watched the Williams sisters battle out the Wimbeldon final as my nan remarked that despite their femenine(ish) look and length(shortness) of their skirts, they play like men. I love the way old people can be so pass-remarkable, often being quite rude and absolutely get away with it. It's like they've earned it having lived this long.

So with my pleasant peace of mind, I've been hit with some unusual weekend of rumblings from my past playing a little with my emotions. Firstly, I discovered today that a boy from my time in Australia has just got married. Its a wierd one, we only dated for a month until i moved on to newer lands but we parted on great terms and i some way I always feel like he's the "one who got away". I think everyone has one of those... someone who if timing had been different, then so would have been the story. Anyway, long story short, I got a funny pang of "oh...that's that then". I haven't spoken or really even thought about him in 3 years... but that little nugget of info still effected me. Funny.

Then about an hour after that, I was musing through my CD collection and stumbled across a mix tape(CD) that an ex had made me. (still the best present I've ever got). I stuck it on and was hit with a wave of memories. Really good ones... it made me start to think why it hadn't worked out. I think it was a case of knowing it was just never gonna work out, so i ended it...but its a hard one to realise something is wrong when you kinda want it so much to be right. Altho I guess when it is right, you know 'cause it feels amazing when all those pieces fall into place...like a jigsaw safety blanket.

Anyway, enough of love, this clarity of mind is making me way too honest.... I have been enjoying lots of music this weekend. Music to run to, music to lounge to, music to laugh to. Here's my pick of the bunch

Quiet Village - I've mentioned them before in my very first post, but Gilles Peterson had them in for a mix session this week and it's too good not to mention.... and if anything it'll turn you onto Peterson show which is fantastic late night listening.

Cool Kids - They bring together different eras and styles of hip hop into one refreshingly new package.... they're also brilliant.

Morphine - Old school and sadly no longer together but the melodies and this guys voice makes me wish the hell they were... this song sums them up for me...

SantoGold - Upbeat, talented articulate lady... sounds like the morph of M.I.A and Karen O...

Enjoy

I gotta write this earlier in the day....

It's a funny one, when you start writing a blog because it nearly becomes like a new responsibility in one's day to day life. I'm beginning to look at everything now, digest more details of things and examine them for blog worthiness. I want to make it interesting but I want to speak honestly too about the simple things in life like insecurity, emotion, happiness etc and all the elements which trigger those thoughts in one's day. In true FBI Girl style I've begun to jot things down in a pre-blog list gathering evidence for the daily splurge of words that becomes this blog.

So my list consisted of these random things in no particular order:
1. The new Irish Times Online Website:
I utterly love it in a total design geek way. I love its simplicity, its modern look, the small touches of usability like the little weather widget at the top of the page. I also love that all the content is now free for all but then secretly kinda wish it wasn't as I can no longer use my "borrowed" username and password which allowed me to access the old site for free in a mini rebellious way.

2. Metal: A bluffers guide:
Spotted in point 1. Exactly what is says and funny to boot.

3. City Lounge
Outdoor space artwork of epic proportions which makes you want to lie down and take a little break from the hustle and bustle of city life in a mass of red carpet. Original and vast and frankly just quite cool

I could go on with this list but I'm gonna stop because at the very end of the day when lists were done and blog was ready to be written, I flicked on the Tv for 2 mins. However, there I remained for the next 1hr 40min, engrossed. I kept meaning to go to bed but I was gripped by one of the most touching and original films which I have ever seen. All the other list items paled into insignificance and now this is what I write about. I think its the first Danish speaking movie I've ever watched (thank god for the subtitles) but to be honest it was one of the films that you nearly don't need to hear the words the because the acting is so outstanding. Simple camera angles alone created tension or emotion and the film was just a rich mixture of satisfaction and heartbreak. The movie is called After The Wedding. And altho I have only found this movie tonight I definitely won't forget it.

As a result I can now no longer keep my eyes open to finish this entry.... so i'll quickly mention:

No Age They say ..."don't let it hit you on the way out".... i agree, but in a very good way!

The new Sigur Ros Album ..... heavenly, feels like goodness with added goodness

I could probably go on and on but I will simply say good luck to Nomar and his quest, who knows, maybe you'll find the answer in foreign lands. Enjoy.

Night now.

Warning: Needs to be read with icecream or smiley face at hand

True to form and blog title i have spent this evening procrastinating. Will i or won't i say something? Will I mention that big elephant in the room or not. Is it the weekends drink and fear making me worry about it should I just chill out. Things are good as is, are labels really needed? I think not. But no gang, (i say gang altho i think you are a grand total of 3) I took the plunge and said something. It went fairly well by all standards but now its thrown me into further turmoil because I'm wondering if I should have said anything at all. Will things now change? Why do woman have a natural inclination to over-analyse? Are men the same? OK, I'm now turning into Carrie Bradshaw so I will stop and get onto the important words of the day.

First and most importantly, Saturday night and Morrissey. I have found myself in recent years developing a minor facsination (bordering on mild obsession) with the man. I've done the whole thing backwards and got into his new stuff first and then weaved my way back to the Smiths, all the while developing a major crush on him. For someone who has been so enigmatic and guarded in terms of his life and sexuality he just seems to ooze sex appeal. So when he arrived on stage I nearly fell over with the rush of it all and then as he kicked off with "Irish Blood, English Heart" I thought I'd never be happier. It didn't last though... the show thereafter settled into a random selection of tunes alot of which the crowd weren't overly familiar with. He barely even skimmed the surface of Smiths songs too... i suppose when you have such a repetoir of music you can't please everyone but the general concensous among the crew i was with was that the jury is still out on the performance. still though it was a great night, if even to see the mad selection of outfits and moz haircuts on show.

In other news... I saw a fatal crash yesterday. Well not the actual crash but the crime scene. Yellow tape, Gardai, the bus still standing, motionless in the middle of the wide road with the mangled bike lying limp beside it looking so tiny compared to the doubledecker. It was a spooky scene and as we flicked on the radio to hear the news of what had happened we kind of lost words momentarily, imagining the scene and the poor soul who lost his life in that split second. Reminded me of this thought provoker. Belt up kids!

On a lighter note, lets get into some of the music that's been floating my boat this week...

James Yuill - Nomar mentioned him on Day 97 but I frankly think he deserves a second mention, brilliant stuff

Tricky - New album out early July, if early indications are a reflection of the rest of the album then we're in for a treat.

Black Tide - Outrageously talented and young guys channeling the early days GnR and Metallica in a very good way

Night now.

Not of this world...

well, I sometimes wonder that despite what my complexion and hair colour may indicate, I was not meant to be born of this fair land. My optimism of yesterday has sunk into the puddles which gather at a rapid rate outside . It's simple, it's summer, I need sun. And not in a way a bronzed bather needs it to soak up their baby oil... I need it for my brain, to function as nature intended me, with a smile on my face and skip in my step. Not the most joyous ways to start today's blog you say... true. But honesty remains the eternal truth so therefore what you see will be what you get with me...

So in the absense of el sol i turn i'll turn to music... im a little bit obsessed with all kinds of it and recent ramblings with nomar and his quest for enlightenment has moved this obsession into overdrive as I move down paths of random musical exploration stumbling across some gems and tripping over some donkeys but all in all really quite enjoying it! Adding to this is the fact that Glastonbury is nearly upon us and despite missing is again this year (i'll make it eventually), I will have to make do with Glastowatch on the BBC! It's never really the been the same without John Peel's input of sarcasm, indifference, wit and bouts of extreme enthusiasm for random german techno and but its still good fun to watch for the music, or even if just to have a good laugh at the the drunken musicians and often presenters who forget they are on live tv which in turn makes for hilarious and cringeworthy viewing.

In other news... morrissey in 2 days... can't wait and Radiohead are back in TheBasement, it's deffo gotta be worth a watch and finally, i love stories like this.

In the mean time... listen to these...
Cage The Elephant - Rock/Punk/Funk , great, great, great
Serge Gainsberg - the coolest minute and a half you'll ever hear*
The Bookhouse Boys - It'd be a good theme tune for a 70s cop show in which all the detectives are leggy red heads with killer style and the head of the task force is called ... why of course... FBI Girl

Adieu

So it looks like summer’s over before it began…

not to worry, these guys have it sorted. Lie back, forget what it looks like outside and it feels like summer all over again

enjoy