CorkIndependent.com Entertaiment Feed http://www.corkindependent.com Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:08:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.corkindependent.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.corkindependent.com CorkIndependent.com Entertaiment Feed http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3382&Itemid=89 In JRR Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, Gorgoroth is a dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor! On Saturday, November 22 the mountains of Mordor will be shifted towards the Crusicin Lan and the Cork venue plunged into a seething pit of gloom when the aptly named Gorgoroth unleash their tormented black-metal plague on the masses. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3383&Itemid=89 IT'S been said the devil makes work for idle hands. Going on the impression Luke Francis Vibert gives of his native Cornwall, one would be led to believe that even the Prince of Darkness has his work cut out for him in England's most southwesterly county. For while its exposed peninsula location, generally warm climate and rugged coastline topography may provide an ideal setting for surfers and tourists, the town has never been regarded as a haven for musical thrill seekers. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3384&Itemid=89 The thing about Jason Byrne is that he doesn't seem to be trying too hard. He's not so much pre-scripted as he is totally responsive. Yeah, he's got a script, but it's pretty minimal. It's the audience that really fuels a Jason Byrne show. His subject matter can appear to be anything but substantial, but maybe that's the point! Why would Byrne bother making up jokes, when the audience themselves are so very funny! Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3359&Itemid=89 IT'S been over two years since Jinx Lennon was last interviewed in these pages and in that time the Dundalk native has been keeping himself busy on a number of fronts. He's played the festival circuit including Electric Picnic and Oxegen, been the subject of an RTE television and radio documentary and even supported Christy Moore at the singers behest, while his life and musical partner Paula Flynn scored a big hit with her Nouvelle Vague-ish cover of David Bowie’s 'Let's Dance'. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3360&Itemid=89 KILA have long been at the forefront of the revisionism of traditional Irish music having successfully bridged the gapping distance that once existed between the traditional and contemporary music communities. Their early records, such as the sublime Tog e go Bog e and its successor Lemonade and Buns filtered influences from around the world in a veritable cultural melting pot, combining virtuoso musicianship, sophistication arrangements, complex and hypnotic rhythms, misty-eyed airs blessed with romanticism and the feckless devil-may-care attitude of Irish traditional music. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3361&Itemid=89 Primal Scream have always been something of a 'zeitgeist band'. From their early days as a bit-part Jesus and Mary Chain indie-pop side-project to the heady and heavy acid-house days where they helped pioneer a successful crossover between dance and rock, through their 'exile on Rolling Stones Street' and on to their eventual amalgamation of influences on the superbly dark Vanishing Point, the group, led by Bobby Gillespie, have always had one eye fixed on the past and the other firmly on the present. Screamadelica, the band's legendary 91 genre bending breakthrough is now considered to be among the most influential records of the decade. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3344&Itemid=89 The Stet Lab, according to its mission statement, 'is a celebration of the practice of improvisation in all its diversity, complexity and, perhaps, contradictions'. The Cork-based forum for improvisers, run under the auspices of the Cork Music Collective, invites novices, veterans, students, teachers, part- amateurs, professionals, locals and visitors to share in the experience, to hear music, to partake in the process and to impart whatever knowledge they may have, as all good artistic driven forums should. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:08:16 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3343&Itemid=89 The sheer magnitude and power contained within the seas and oceans of this world have long been a source of great inspiration for writers. For Kenneth Hickey, it was the long stretches at sea while serving in the navy that ultimately provided the catalyst for his eventual move into the world of literature. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:07:25 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3325&Itemid=89 Primal Scream have always been something of a 'zeitgeist band'. From their early days as a bit-part Jesus and Mary Chain indie-pop side-project to the heady and heavy acid-house days where they helped pioneer a successful crossover between dance and rock, through their 'exile on Rolling Stones Street' and on to their eventual amalgamation of influences on the superbly dark Vanishing Point, the group, led by Bobby Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3326&Itemid=89 A meeting of sound, mind and space for those who´s mind is sound enough to wander in the furthest recesses of resonance, the commencement of a new Sunday evening session at An Cruibin is most certainly welcomed. Curated by artist Claire Guerin, this new audio venture brings music back once again to the grounds once occupied by the famous Lobby. Now a thriving bar and bistro, An Cruibin, having already hosted a number of art exhibitions, opens its doors to the musical community with a mouth-watering home-brewed bill of found sounds, manipulated and twisted almost beyond recognition, experimental sound art and flights of improvised fancy. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3283&Itemid=89 The Cork Jazz Festival´s sterling reputation on the circuit ensures at least two things come the October Bank Holiday weekend – the first is that young, hungry musicians from across the globe will be present and correct, eager to add to their burgeoning reputation on what is one of the must-play events in jazz. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3285&Itemid=89 A Winner of Scotsman Fringe First Award 2008 and a critical smash during its festival run, Itsoseng arrives in Cork for it´s Irish premiere. Molusi´s powerful play tells the true story of his hometown, Itsoseng, whose inhabitants are still awaiting regeneration thirteen years after the advent of democracy. Exploring themes rarely seen on the South African stage, this production is a scathing indictment of government indifference, cynicism and incompetence in a forgotten South African township. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3286&Itemid=89 It´s been called one of Ireland´s greatest plays from one of Ireland´s greatest playwrights -but strip away the hyperbole and you´ll find Juno and the Paycock continuing to resonate with audiences today the length and breadth of the country. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3267&Itemid=89 Karen Underwood, vocalist, is affectionately known in her adopted home of Cork as 'The Chicago Diva'. Hailing from the Windy City, Karen always had a big voice, but her vocal talents were never encouraged due to a strict religious conservative home life and the pressures of academic achievement. That all changed when Karen escaped to Cork in 1997. One house party later, the obligatory sing-song broke out and Karen was hooked. She recalls the experience in epiphany like tones, the moment when the reserved Chicago Karen faded and the Diva Karen stepped up. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:11:21 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3266&Itemid=89 Three years in the making, Another Way of Being There, Halfset's sophomore record arrives on the back of some changes within the group. While their debut album, 2005's Dramanalog, was primarily the work of Stephen Shannon and Jeff Martin, it's successor is the result of growth, both in personal and the music itself. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:10:48 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3265&Itemid=89 Instrumental Dublin trio God is an Astronaut return to Cork to play Cyprus Avenue on Friday, October 17 for another bout of triumphant post-rock bravado. Now firmly established on these shores as one of the most eminent and popular instrumental rock acts (alongside fellow Dub's Redneck Manifesto), God Is An Astronaut have set about taking their 'full audio visual show' on the road – including many fruitful trips to Europe where the group are said to have found a devoted fan-base. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:09:37 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3242&Itemid=89 Ritual, the first full length record from Jape since his 2004 cult favourite, The Monkey's in the Zoo Have More Fun Then Me, finally arrived earlier this year after our protagonist had spent many months on the major label merry-go-round, the release of some well received EP's and singles, numerous festival appearances, overseas tours, tons of flying fruit and a subsequent youtube phenomenon, not to mention Jack White's seal of approval. Thankfully he didn't let the side down. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:59:30 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3241&Itemid=89 Fifty-three years young, and still going from strength to strength, the Corona Cork Film Festival now ranks among the most vital, well-organised celebratory endeavours this country can lay claim to. Through good times and bad, the festival, by the will of its most ardent supporters and countless volunteers, has persevered though lean times. What has predominately emerged from this collective effort is a sense of identity, an acute awareness of what the festival wants and needs to be. What it strives to say and what it means to ask, not only about film, but about the things that inspire film. Because, after all, celluloid is only transparent without input. Without fingerprints, without emotions, without tales, without life. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:58:55 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3240&Itemid=89 Ever since Joanna Newsom waltzed onto the scene with her harp and set about combining pop, avant-garde experimentation, folk and traditional rhythms, to generally stunning effects, there's been a slew of like-minded classically trained female songstresses with squeaky voices following in her petit footsteps. Anni Rossi is one such squeaky soul - she's been described as a lot of things - including a cross between PJ Harvey and Paula Abdul - but don't let that particularly bizarre amalgamation colour your opinion. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:56:31 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3208&Itemid=89 Cats and Cats and Cats ply their trademark brand of hook-laden math rock with folk inspired post rock sections. Starting in early 2005 when friends Ben and Tom met Doug at the University of Hertfordshire, they were soon earning good reviews for their debut EP, Victorialand. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:56:45 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3207&Itemid=89 From the pen of Martin McDonagh, the writer who gave us the darkly comical and at times violently unsettling In Bruges, and the Oscar winning short Six Shooter, comes The Cripple of Inishmaan, another slice of coal-black humour and macabre cruelty delivered by a cast of eccentric island characters. The production sees McDonagh team up once more with frequent collaborators, the acclaimed Galway theatre company Druid, a relationship that stretches back to 1996 when they premièred McDonagh's debut work The Beauty Queen of Leenane. It's a working relationship that has proved prosperous for both parties in the years that followed. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:55:54 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3206&Itemid=89 The month of October sees Cork furiously grab, with both hands, its 'City of Festivals' crown back from those pretenders to the throne as Leeside braces itself for a flurry of both film and musical activity. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:55:15 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3186&Itemid=89 As the son of one of world music's most influential figureheads, Seun Kuti has had to follow in some pretty large footsteps. His father, the renowned composer and activist Fela Kuti not only pioneered the musical styling of the Afrobeat movement but also became a powerful and influential voice in shaping its political context. However, Seun, the youngest son of Fela, has successfully emerged from his fathers considerable shadow to successfully carry the Afrobeat torch his father so famously lit all those years ago. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:23:44 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3185&Itemid=89 The independent UK label FatCat Records is considered to be among the most forward thinking imprints out there today. Their ability to discover and nurture a multitude of diverse musical talents is well documented by a series of considerable successes. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:23:14 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3183&Itemid=89 Circuses are strange, disorientating places at the best of times. And that's just from the audiences perspective. Under that big top when the lights go down and the haphazardly applied demonic face-painted grins are removed one wonders what exactly goes on. A child's perspective on the whole scene may be more about the candy floss, smiling animals and all manner of friendly pranks and antics. Mad Mabe and the Lost Girls isn't for children though. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:19:04 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3159&Itemid=89 First things first, lets get that name out of the way - Fujiya's a turntable company, and Miyagi's the filmic Okinawan played by Pat Morita who instructs sullen white kids how to kick ass, get the girls and wax on/wax off. But while Fujiya Miyagi presumably relish urban Japan's cultural they are in actual fact three guys from Brighton who met warming the subs benches for their respective Sunday League football teams. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:02:12 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3158&Itemid=89 Dead Meadow have been slugging it out in the psych-rock trenches for 10 years now traversing through behemoth six-string, echo drenched fuzzed jams completely oblivious to the passing of time and trends. The group has always revealed in its own authenticity, effortlessly evoking the grizzled blues stomp of 70s hard-rock granddaddy's Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer while channeling the more esoteric jam-crazy hootenannies of the 60s psychedelic era. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:01:32 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3157&Itemid=89 What is there to say about that enigma that is body-suit wearing, motor-cycle helmet attired, four-bar-blues rocking Bob Log III? Well, you could say he likes his scotch stirred, not shaken…you could go further and say he likes something 'pink in his drink'…you could even call it a 'boob scotch' (well, that's what he calls it anyway). He may even ask you to 'boob' his scotch! You could say he's the bastard offspring of some boozed up biker and a grizzled old Delta blues howler, conceived in the baking Arizona desert to the sounds of Bo Diddley and AC/DC. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:58:19 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3131&Itemid=89 My Space and I, an exhibition of selected works from the University College Cork collection, opened this past week at the West Cork Arts Centre. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:20:55 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3130&Itemid=89 He may not have anything approaching the same profile as fellow jazz fusion six stringers John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell or Pat Metheny, but US guitarist John Abercrombie has nevertheless earned himself a reputation as a veritable powerhouse and dexterous talent on the jazz circuit through a series of ever evolving projects that have spanned the genre. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:19:58 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3129&Itemid=89 Stalwarts of the vibrant Montreal music scene, Islands, led by a former member of respected lo-fi poppers Unicorns, and featuring a bass playing prodigy and ex-Prince sidekick as well as associates of, among others, epic indie rockers Arcade Fire and Wolf Eyes and experimental hip-hoppers Bus Driver and Subtitle, this year released their second album, the sprawling, playful, occasionally humorous and frequently dark opus Arm’s Way. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:19:12 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3097&Itemid=89 This Saturday, September 6, a new club night with a decidedly old-school slant gets underway at the Imperial Hotel. Northern Soul takes it's name from the timeless form of music which successfully crossed audiences, gender, race and the oceans waters long before the age of internet downloading and music television. The artists that toiled for Northern Soul back in the day are today regarded as legends and enduring influences on many forms of contemporary music, from eclectic indie outfits to big-beat superstar DJ's. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:50:17 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3096&Itemid=89 It's a musical four-way…a face off of potentially deadly proportions...the kind of show your mother warned you about…a slap in the face of decency, morals, good taste and musical refinement. It's the skid marks on your underpants, it's that translucent sticky goo hanging from your nose and dripping slowly onto your lower lip after a particularly violent vomiting session, and it's the delirious feeling one experiences right after said vomiting session. It's I'll Eat Your Face VS Lamp in Now That's What I Call Manual Strangulation. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:49:35 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3095&Itemid=89 The Everyman Palace Theatre reopens its doors to the public after refurbishments with the highly acclaimed Gate Theatre Production of Samuel Beckett's masterpiece Waiting for Godot. New seating in the auditorium will undoubtedly provide a luxurious quantity of padding for the buttocks and particularly at the edges. For Godot, however, the stark stage setting and the giddy prostrations of the protagonoists will undoubtedly sweep thoughts connected to the extremities clean out of the audience members' mind. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:48:57 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3077&Itemid=89 Caryl Churchill’s iconic play, Top Girls, mixes fantasy and reality, history and heresy to bring you the story of Marlene. A bit too old to be a ‘girl’, with a healthy taste for whisky, Marlene has just been promoted at work. In a world where men are the employers, where do children and warmth and vulnerability have a place? And if you must give them up, what are the consequences? Top Girls is said to be a deeply human and moving examination of feminist values in the home, in the workplace, and in our past and the contrast between a celebration of capitalism and the individual and socialism and the collective. It is sometimes political, sometimes hilarious, but always painfully true. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:32:48 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3076&Itemid=89 Described as ‘Seinfield set to music’, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the longest running off-Broadway musical ever, is returning to Cork after the Cork Musical Theatre Company’s sell out run at the Cork Arts Theatre back in June. Having run for over 12 years, and with more than 4,500 performances to date, this musical comedy, which celebrates the modern-day suburban mating game, has become the most proposal-friendly show in theatre history. There has already been forty-eight different occasions when surprise proposals have taken place at performances – you have been warned! Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:31:36 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3045&Itemid=89 Metal-kings-in-waiting Mastodon have confirmed that they are to return to Cork following their debut show here last year when they supported Slayer during the Live at the Marquee series. The news of their impending arrival is good for two reasons, the first being that said gig at the Show Grounds last year was ‘hampered’ somewhat by what could only be described as a ‘head-up-the-ass’ EQ mix. As a result the usual ferocious intricacies contained within their music was rendered futile. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:10:03 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3044&Itemid=89 Imagine a pulsating arena inspired by nature and filled with music, beauty, art, performance, holistic therapies, tipis and log fires, sumptuous gardens, bean bag lounging rooms and night time installations. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:08:18 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3043&Itemid=89 Dead Meadow have been slugging it out in the psych-rock trenches for 10 years now kicking out the six-string behemoth fuzz jams, completely oblivious to the passing of time and trends. A newly shorn three piece, the group relocated to a haunted rural Indiana farmhouse, and LA’s Sunset Sound, where many of the tracks for Led Zeppelin IV were laid down, to create the next chapter in the Dead Meadow saga. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:31:34 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3018&Itemid=89 The final exhibition of the West Cork Art Centre's Summer season is now at the midway point. Entitled The Plinian Sponge, maybe?, the Royal Hibernian Academy's Ashford Gallery co-ordinator Mark St. John Ellis has curated an exciting exhibition of contemporary painting featuring the work of sixteen artists. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:50:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3017&Itemid=89 Ireland enjoys a great richness of masters, who are however, often overlooked and sidelined by the current trends in Irish music. The Masters of Tradition festival was therefore created to provide a much-needed opportunity for the legends of Irish music to perform and be heard. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:49:24 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3016&Itemid=89 Tango Sunday begun this past Sunday (August 10) at the Half Moon Theatre, when the loose limbed Latino's Pablo Rodriguez and Jazmin Chiodi, backed by a three-piece band, set temperatures soaring and hearts racing with their first performance. Running for three more performances into September (August 24, September 7 and 21), Tango Sunday's is hoping to provide an alternative adventure as well as a new challenge for those seeking something different. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:47:12 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2987&Itemid=89 There has been something of a deluge of new independent music festivals on these shores in recent years, catering for all tastes in a variety of settings, from the Warp heavy electronic gig-a-byte happening known as Mantua in the fields of Roscommon to the all-Irish showpiece that is Hard Working Class Hero's located right across the cobbled and gold-paved streets of Temple Bar. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:56:48 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2955&Itemid=89 Japanese psych collective Acid Mothers Temple have some 30 members depending on the scenario. But whatever name the line-up happens to be playing under, it can generally be accepted that when the Temple do land in Cork for their latest love-in/freak-out in the Crane Lane on Monday, August 4, one of the most exciting gigs of the year awaits. With their revolving line-up's and numerous off-shoots, AMT have dazed and confused in equal measures. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:08:32 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2954&Itemid=89 Sweden's classical-guitar-plucking, softly sung folky Jose Gonzalez returns to Cork for another solo show following his sell-out success at the Opera House last year, and a previous guest-spot with UK duo Zero 7 at the Savoy Theatre. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:07:49 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2953&Itemid=89 The ongoing renaissance of the event formerly known as the Mitchelstown Music Arts Festival continues this year with another strong line-up consisting primarily of both established and up-and-coming Irish talent. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:06:54 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2922&Itemid=89 Could it be possible that those unruly Limerick fiends Steveamanakick and Giveamanakeith, better known to Irish rock fans as Giveamanakick, have…whisper it…grown up? Their latest and greatest album, Welcome to the Cusp certainly seems to suggest that the process of growing pains is now behind them. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:08:26 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2921&Itemid=89 The gods must have been suitably impressed with the efforts of those behind the inaugural Cork X Southwest Festival in Skibbereen last year. In a summer notable only for the treacherous, unmerciful and completely miserable downpours, the CXSW Festival was literally a beaming ray of sunlight I any otherwise s**t three months. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:07:45 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2920&Itemid=89 As the Everyman Palace Theatre prepares to close its doors for the month of August in order to allow it to undergo refurbishments, it does so on the back of a new production, Rita Dunne, written and directed by the theatre's de-facto head-honcho Pat Talbot. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:06:52 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2898&Itemid=89 Written by Franz Xaver Kroetz and translated by Katharina Hehn, Stallerhof (The Farmyard) tells the story of Beppi, a girl brutalised by a life of isolation on a rural farmland, where she is starved of human warmth and kindness by her disapproving and utterly pious family. Sharing in the glare of their disapproval is Sepp, an older farm hand carrying the weight of a life of hard toil and hard luck on his shoulders, who finds himself drawn to her in what begins as an innocent friendship. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:54:10 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2897&Itemid=89 Followers of the Brodsky Quartet would have you believe that no chamber group has done more to push the boundaries of the string quartet's appeal than the British foursome. They may have a point - since forming in 1972, the group has performed more than 2,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and earned numerous awards and accolades worldwide, including a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award for their outstanding contribution to the world of music. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:52:53 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2896&Itemid=89 Rock Roll, for all its hard-partying clichés and the supposed rebellious streak that courses through its toxic veins, is inextricably linked to the many trappings of its success, such as thrashed hotel rooms and an endless supply of sex and drugs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that per-say - wouldn't we all like a slice of that particular pie at least once in our comparatively dull, decidedly un-jet-set lives. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:51:51 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2868&Itemid=89 Belfast based Tom McShane and Escape Act, having just put the finishing touches on their split 7', have hit the road for an Irish tour which will see them swing by the Quad on Friday, July 11. Tom's partnership with the world-class Start Together studios in Belfast's new artistic hub, The Oh Yeah Centre, and his close relationship with producer Rocky O'Reilly served as a lens to bring Tom's studied melodic sensibilities into focus. Combined with a stand-out performance by Rea Curran (Duke Special) on trumpet, 'Fighter' is said to be a 'bejewelled and brassy confessional of a life lost'. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:04:41 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2867&Itemid=89 Samuel James launches his first ever Irish tour in Cork's Cyprus Avenue on Saturday, July 12, a double-header with reggae artists Harry J and the Acoustic Conspiracy (featuring honorary Corkman, Niwel Tsumbu). Samuel James is a performer of stunningly singular talent. A master of fingerstyle, slide, banjo, harmonica, and piano, he is yet to reach his thirties. With musical influences ranging from Skip James and Sonny Terry to Gus Cannon and Charley Patton, such understanding of pre-war blues is rarely embodied in the music of one person. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:03:58 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2866&Itemid=89 John William Stevens, an influential British free-jazz drummer once said of the craft of improvisation, "If somebody says to me 'I can't improvise!'- and they could be somebody with the biggest chunk of classical training imaginable in their background - I would find that very inspiring. Because I know that within a very short time they will be doing it and saying 'Oh, is that it?' And then they will do it again. You see, it's the most natural thing in the world." Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:03:12 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2841&Itemid=89 Neil Young has assumed many guises over the years, some more successfully then others – as the country folk-rock poet who gave us the classic Harvest, he was indirectly responsible for the 70s MOR boom! Deterred by success and all its trappings, he famously veered off course and ended up in a 'ditch' where he eventually wrote some of the most harrowing music ever put to tape. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:50:45 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2840&Itemid=89 Danny McCarthy is a man truly immersed in sound. Aside from being one of Irelands leading sound/visual/performance artists, Mc Carthy can be also found leading the Quiet Club (along with Mick O'Shea), one of the countries most sought-after and highly regarded sound-improvisation acts. In addition to these roles, McCarthy also holds a position in the UCC Music Department where he lectures in sound art, while he is acknowledged as being a founding member of Soundworks and its successor, Intermedia. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:49:56 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2817&Itemid=89 Videohippos come straight out of the same Wham City neighborhood that's already given us the madcap electro-cartoon-composer Dan Deacon. But, while there are some similarities between the two camps, most notably in their shared fondness for lo-fi electro manipulations and a dedication to highly visualized live-performances, the truth is Videohippos and Dan Deacon are coming from different musical plains. Whereby Dan is your only man for insatiable good time party vibes, Videohippos opt for a more messy, psychedelic garage-rock ambiance. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:56:11 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2787&Itemid=89 In one regard, writing about the crazy collective that is Sunburned Hand of the Man is a pointless exercise, a lesson in music journo futility, a soon-to-be-doomed attempt to adequately and accurately describe/pigeon-hole (delete as applicable) a group who's entire ethos is to embrace and expand upon the very notion of chaos and unpredictability. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:23:08 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2786&Itemid=89 They may have cancelled their recently scheduled Irish show (in Dublin with Battles), to go of and support some band called Radiohead (?) in the States, but Los Angeles' Liars haven't forgotten about us. With their North American arena tour now completed, the three piece are making their way back over to these shores for a full Irish tour which includes a FREE gig in Cork at the Crane Lane, thus proving good things do come to those who wait. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:22:34 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2785&Itemid=89 As mysterious musical entities go, Faust rank up there with the most puzzling, the most daring and certainly the most out-there in the unconventional sense of the word(s). Where is 'there' exactly? Well, only the members of Faust, both past and present, truly know that, for theirs was a sheltered existence – sheltered from acceptable practices, from popular inclinations, from proper behaviour and from outside dictatorship. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:21:52 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2749&Itemid=89 Jinx Lennon: Nut job or the only sane guy in the village? The Dundalk native certainly doesn't do things by half. The subject of his own RTÉ documentary last year, Lennon is certainly a fascinating character that is capable of unifying and dividing opinion in equal measures. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:09:07 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2748&Itemid=89 A mainstay on the British psych, drone and free-folk scene, Glasgow's Ben Reynolds is perhaps best know for his contributions to the mesmerizing experimental rough-cut droners Vibracathedral Orchestra and flailing, psychedelic noise beasts Ashtray Navigations. Lately he has been seen touring as part the curious, but unquestionably talented cabaret-esque Baby Dee's 'all-star' backing band alongside Hush Arbor and Andrew WK among others. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:08:17 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2747&Itemid=89 Since launching its programme one month ago, expectations for the annual Cork Midsummer Festival have been fervent to say the least. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:07:34 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2716&Itemid=89 When the Cork Independent last spoke with Fred, just under a year ago, the indie five-piece were gearing up for the release of their latest single, Good One. But this being Fred, a simple show down the local watering hole wasn’t going to suffice. Instead they were planning an extravagant spectacle – Fredfest 2000 - at the Cork Opera House, complete with circus performers, dancers, and a Band-Aid style sing-along. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:49:19 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2715&Itemid=89 Ed Handley and Andy Turner are veritable stalwarts of the UK’s distinguished electronic music scene. Friends since the early 80s, the duo have worked together for the past 20 years in some of the most forward thinking and influential electronic musical acts that the British isles has ever produced Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:47:48 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2714&Itemid=89 As a nation we’ve become gastronomically savvy in recent years. Whereas in the past the opening of a new Chinese restaurant in the local parish would have been greeted with an equal mix of enthusiasm and curiosity, nowadays our palettes are far more promiscuous in their search for exotic culinary kicks. But in our pursuit for Michelin Stars, raw fish, Malaysian street food and Spotted Prawn poached with Fava Beans and Wasabi, we’ve forgotten the simpler things in life – like the humble potato for example. Perhaps served with a nice, unfussy hunk of beef, shed of the Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Foam and translucent Beet Paper. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:46:52 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2697&Itemid=89 Ireland is securely tucked away in his back pocket and audiences are at his beckon call, but Tommy Tiernan will not rest on his laurels and has set out to widen his terrain by storming America with vigour, energy and most importantly, comedy. So far he has received standing ovations from over 2000 Canadians at the Gala in Montreal and seen 4500 people get to their feet at the Live at the Marquee series in Cork, to honour his show. Thu, 29 May 2008 10:59:28 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2696&Itemid=89 Once Mr Scruff was plain old Andy Carthy. And then one day he wasn't…the transformation might have seemed subtle. Old Andy was still very much the same Carthy, doodling away behind his scruffy facial hair and drinking tea by the pot-load. But his obsession got the better of him and he subsequently gave himself over to the musical side. Sometime artist, DJ, Peak District wanderer, and Manchester's very own very own, Mr Carthy started his musical career a mere six years ago and so Mr Scruff was born. Thu, 29 May 2008 10:57:24 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2695&Itemid=89 Described as 'Seinfield set to music', I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, the longest running off-Broadway musical ever, is being brought to Cork by the Cork Musical Theatre Company. Thu, 29 May 2008 10:56:45 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2650&Itemid=89 As one half of ambient leading lights Global Communication, a former collaborator with Aphex Twin and purveyor of all things house, Tom Middleton’s lofty standing in dance music circles can not be questioned. Thu, 22 May 2008 10:53:34 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2649&Itemid=89 This Saturday (May 24) will see the unique Sonic Vigil event return to the most holy surroundings of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral for a third instalment of found sounds, electronic and acoustic improvisation, experimental audio impulses and free-form collaborations between a variety of artists coming from both Ireland and beyond. Thu, 22 May 2008 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2648&Itemid=89 He’s been hailed as the Frank Zappa of country music, so where Kinky Friedman is involved, you know it’s going to be a love/hate thing. The son of University of Texas professor, Kinky studied psychology at Texas where he formed his first band King Arthur the Carrots, a group that poked fun at surf music and recorded only one single in 1966. Thu, 22 May 2008 10:42:21 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2647&Itemid=89 Africa Day, an official celebration of the founding of the African Union, will take place across the country this week on Sunday, May 25. While the celebrations have traditionally taken place solely on the date of May 25, this years festivities have been expanded to take in the entire weekend, beginning today, Thursday, May 22. Thu, 22 May 2008 10:37:37 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2641&Itemid=89 The fantastical and often grotesquely peculiar world of Flann O'Briens The Third Policeman has continued to baffle many a curious and intrepid reader over the years. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:05:24 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2639&Itemid=89 The Murphy's Live event reaches its conclusion with just two bands now remaining. The final, which takes place at the Savoy in Cork follows a mammoth campaign that saw over four hundred and fifty band entries and seven nationwide heats. The two remaining bands are Bravado from Dublin and Gorbachov from Waterford, both of whom will battle it out tonight (Thursday May 15), for the chance to pocket the not inconsiderable sum of €10,000 and the accolade of being named Murphy's Live 2008 Winners. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:01:37 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2637&Itemid=89 What's in a name? Not much some would say, but, when you've been christened with the curious moniker of ManBodyWomanHead one things for sure - you're certainly not being given a leg-up in life. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:01:00 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2603&Itemid=89 Cloverfield Sin City 2 The Dark Knight Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull More big movies for 2008 Thu, 08 May 2008 10:45:10 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2602&Itemid=89 For many years, their was an incorrect assumption that the mysterious and often reclusive Silver Jews were more a side-project or sister act to influential indie-rockers Pavement then a fully functional independent entity. That Silver Jews actually started out before Pavement (they date back to 1989) seemed to matter little. Thu, 08 May 2008 10:39:44 +0100 http://www.corkindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2601&Itemid=89 The Celtic Tiger's once imperious roar has, in recent times, been reduced to a somewhat wounded whimper. And sure enough, just as the world economy begins to second guess itself and the consequential effects subsequently start to take hold we now find ourselves being warned to buckle our collective belts and prepare for that rainy day forecast. Thu, 08 May 2008 10:38:24 +0100