The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a 12-line poem written by W. B. Yeats about a small island in Lough Gill, Sligo. The Isle of Innisfree is… Read more “On ‘claiming’ a song”
Month: February 2019
Pop quiz
A student of mine asked to learn this song recently. I had never heard it before, but within the first twenty seconds I heard segments that reminded… Read more “Pop quiz”
Cheating (a little)…
Seth Godin is the guy who inspired me to start my daily blogging habit. He writes a daily blog – in fact has done so for almost… Read more “Cheating (a little)…”
Starting again from scratch…
Xira is an Australian singer-songwriter who had considerable success with her first two singles, just months after beginning to write music. She was Matthew Carey’s guest on… Read more “Starting again from scratch…”
Roald Dahl Audiobooks…
…are brilliant. And it’s not even the stories I’m talking about – there could be a whole other blog written on them. But the skill of the… Read more “Roald Dahl Audiobooks…”
Seamie in the studio..
David Attenborough would describe the studio as Seamie O’Dowd’s natural environment. Multi-instrumental, full of ideas, it’s always a joy to share a recording process with him. “I… Read more “Seamie in the studio..”
Why estimate at all?
A colleague of mine recently told me about a gig he played, before which he underestimated the number of people who were going to be there. When… Read more “Why estimate at all?”
Vicar St – Part 2.
I had an interesting day yesterday. I got a call late on Tuesday night asking if I would like to play a gig in Vicar St less… Read more “Vicar St – Part 2.”
When you feel silly…
At about 6.30pm on the day of the recent Theme Night #22 in Vicar St, our soundcheck and rehearsal finished. I had a look at my phone… Read more “When you feel silly…”
What if there is no deadline?
Most of us have no problem putting the work in when the deadline is clear. When the date of the gig is approaching, when the exam is… Read more “What if there is no deadline?”