Happy New Year! and stuff

Happy new year internet! It has been a hell of a 2012. First things first, I'm glad the Mayans were wrong! That would've been a really spectacular year. Part of me was looking forward to a post-apocoliptic world. Anyway, we're all stll here and we can get on with our lives.

Persoannly this year was a pretty eventful one for me. This tine last year I still had two sets of exams ahead of me which would make up 100% of my BA degree. I didn't know it yet, but also had a B.Phil dissertation ahead of me as well as a TEFL teaching course and a summer of work teaching Spanish students. So I'm very thankful that I made it through University and graduated and all that.

Next big change this year was my adventure in London and this little project here that are both still ongoing! Those last few months have really gone quickly for me. I'm pretty happy with how London is working out and this blog is going better than I expected too!

Milestones aside, it was all the good times that I had with my friends that really made this year memorable. I had a few memorable trips with some good friends including a weekend in Brussels where we drank a lot and wandered the streets at 3 am. There was the trip to London as well, where we drank cocktails and danced to cheesy 80's music with some great Kiwis. I also had a few memorable nights in Maynooth, Dublin and London. All accompanied with some of the best people I've ever met, both old and new.

I'd like to thank everybody who has read my little blog. I really love writing for others for a change. It's great to get a bit of feedback from you too! Now that I've left Ireland it's nice to have this outlet to keep in touch with people who are scattered all over the world. If anybody would like to send me some music or any links they want me to write about, I'd love to help promote people I know. Hopefully I'll keep writing and I might actually come up with something interesting to say one of these days!

So to everybody who's made this a great year, and to the friends that I have yet to meet in the future: Thank you and Happy Holidays!

See ya in 2013!

The Drawbacks of Setting Goals: Part 1

A few days ago I put pen to paper and actually wrote down some of my goals. I've read in many places and heard advice from many people about this issue. The way to get ahead in life is to set goals. Not only will it get you to where you want to go, it will also make you feel better about yourself.

The goals that I set for myself were related to myself as a musician and song-writer. It included things like releases, tours, songs, demos, and more stuff like what kind of life I would like to have in 20 years time; where I'd like to live, the work I would like to do. I even made sure to make it as specific as possible. So I broke it up into different time scales such as 10 years, 2 years, 6 months right up to this week. I then put concrete numbers like 50 songs written, or 1,000 twitter followers. I did my best to follow all the guidelines that I remembered. I'm pretty good at following advice from other people!

I must admit that having all my goals right in front of me did make me feel better about my career. It made everything feel a bit more real, not just a fantasy. It made me feel like I was going to be approaching this the right way. I could start and hit the ground running. I started to notice how so many people never have their goals clear. Even established bands and people don't go about it this way. I felt like I was ahead of the game on this level at least. I now know exactly what I need to do.

After passing a few days with my plan sitting on my mind, I've started to become a little more pessimistic. I'm wondering if having my goals planned out is that useful after all. The first problem that I have with setting my goals is that I'm not very imaginative. When I think of an ideal life, I struggle to some up with an images or ideas. The only things that come to mind are typical media-peddled 'success-stories' with big houses and fast cars, or my own escapist fantasies inspired by my love of sci-fi and revolutionary politics. There is some conflict between what life can offer and what I really want that I am still struggling with. Besides that, I can hardly find enjoyment when I plan a for a day out, how should I know what I'd like in the long-term?

This leads me to my second problem. The things that I find most enjoyable in life are those things which happen spontaneously and unexpectedly. I love to go out and just see where the night takes me. The two most memorable nights that I've had, I started with a list of parties and places to go, I picked one to go to first and then I tried to hit them all but inevitably took many de-tours and always ended up somewhere I never planned, meeting people I have no logical connection with. This is my idea of fun. This goes for other areas of life as well. I thrive on change and novelty. I get tired of things quickly. I'm not quite as giddy and excited as someone with ADD, but I have a sort of long-term attention deficit.

So when I look at my plan for the next 20 years, it excites me for a few days, but then it bores me. I really don't want to know where I'm going to be in 20 years time. Even if I planned for my wildest dreams, it would take all the fun out of the journey. Having a plan is supposed to keep you focused and determined, but it seems to kill my enthusiasm. Maybe I just haven't found my passion yet. But I have found a lot of things that I enjoy doing.

When I started thinking about this I searched google for 'negative effects of setting goals'. As expected many results were just guides like the ones I read originally. Others were about mistakes when making goals, but very few negative about the entire concept. I shall conduct further research on this!

Right now, I feel like many of the problems I've highlighted are quite personal. They may be peculiar to my perspective on life. Maybe goals are just not for me. I'm sure I'm not the only one though. I might have to forget about goals and resign myself to rebelling against the absurdity of this world a la Camus. Or I might get used to my idea of success and end up in that nice house in 20 years time.

Trying

Another poem written by yours truly. It's pretty self-explanatory. Let me know what you think of it, I love getting criticism!

Trying 

by Patrick Shortall

I just read some poetry

now I want to write some too

but I can't lose the feeling

that it's all in vain.

My hand stretches for the pen

fingers straining to scratch

etching out those little figures

before it falls and slides

like my body

thrown off the merry-go-round of life

I'm lying on my bed

but it won't stop spinning

Trying to figure out

why I should even get up

fail before I start

I can never be the one

That I want to be

Every time I dream

close my eyes and I see

All those visions so sweet

But when I awake

they grow so faint

fading fast with the fog

starts to cloud my thought

Notes and Ideas amount to

Draw a line through

Try not to forget why I need to write

Try not to remember I've got nothing to say

Review: Rosie Abbott

I reviewed the debut album by this up-and-coming singer songwriter from Nottingham a few months ago. It made an impression on me so I hope you enjoy it too. Make sure to check out her website for links to buy the album. If anybody has music they would like me to review please e-mail me at <padjis [at] gmail . com>


Beatles influence, check. Multi-instrumentalist, check. Home recording, check. Rosie Abbott seems to fit perfectly into that tired old singer-songwriter cliché. But in a world full of stereotypes and wannabes this woman refuses to be categorised. This album is clearly a response to this situation, playing on the theme of pigeon-holing. Rosie Abbott is like a breath of fresh air compared to the latest products of the mass-media machine. Her music rescues that fun childish innocence while creating a free and relaxed atmosphere. 

Review: Sonic Boom Six - Self Titled

The long awaited review of the long awaited album. This is the fourth album form the genre terrorists from Manchester, Sonic Boom Six. It is by far the biggest leap in sound they've made. It has been massively influenced by dance and electronic music, particularly drum'n'bass and dubstep, and is considerably more in-your-face. this has always been their style but there is a much more commercial edge to this album. Ultimately it is still a massive mash-up of punk, metal, hip-hop and dance.

A Little Piece I Wrote Yesterday: Run

I don't know if this is a poem or what but I think it's nice. It just came out of my daily practices, pure stream, but I've broken it up into lines and stanzas here. Not sure how it fits but let me know what you think. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Run

I'm running down these pages quickly
like a big hill, dry in the sun.
Those clumsy thumps of strides,
footfalls, hard,
come down on the dry ground.

Running before you knew
anything to run away from.
Just running towards your future
that seems to come too slow.
Running to catch your dreams.

Running just to feel the wind in your hair.
And let it catch your arms
and bring them out wide, spread like wings.
So fast, you can fly: Swift and effortless.
At one with Gravity, the basic force of nature.
And for that moment you're free. 

It's over before you know it.
A long trudge back up the hill,
but at the top the sun is shining all around.
Engulfing you in a cocoon of warmth.
And the wind rolls down the hill, ready to cool you.
Inviting again, that second descent.

Run.

Pop-punk Grew Up but I Didn't!

Walking to college one day with Less Than Jake in my earphones I got into thinking: They don't make pop-punk like they used to.

I know what you're thinking. I'm not a grumpy old pensioner yet. I can't start reminiscing about my hay-days and complaining that things weren't like they used to be. Well, unfortunately, I've gotten grumpy!

Well, not really. I just think that everybody is somewhat nostalgic about he music that they first really got involved with during their teenage years. For me, and a lot of my generation, it was pop-punk. Blink-182 and Green Day were the major gateways, with Good Charlotte, Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy all making big impressions. Hopefully a few of you will know what I'm talking about. That music was awesome, right?

After moving away from that music and developing my taste over the last 8 years, I still find myself coming back to those pop-punk classics. It seems to just stay in your blood. But I am slightly worried about my music taste becoming static and also I really don't want to become a grumpy old man before my time. So I try to keep up with what's new. But this leads me to my genuine question: Where has all the good pop-punk gone? Was it really just a fad? Or are there still bands out there pumping out killer tunes that I'm unaware of because I'm just not 'with it' anymore? Is pop-punk dead?

Less Than Jake - The Ghost of Me & You
An example of awesome pop-punk

I know that music never stays the same. It grows and evolves but surely there are still some form of pop-punk music happening. It couldn't just disappear. I can think of a few examples of more recent bands. These fall into two categories. Either they are incredibly small local bands who are short-lived, or they are just not very good. A lot of those early pioneers I mentioned (e.g. Blink-182, Yellowcard, Sum 41, the list is surprisingly long!) have returned with new albums that unfortunately fall into the second category. Writing a catchy tune shouldn't be this hard. Despite it being a bit of an old genre, there still must be enough people who want to see good new bands come out and be successful.

The best examples I can think of that are still somewhat relevant and can still pen a tune are Title Fight, Starters, and Living With Lions. Of these, Starters didn't last long, and never made it out of Dublin; Living With Lions had one awesome album then ruined it by changing their line-up. Title Fight are relatively successful, at least for this genre these days, but are still more harcore/emo. I'm going to mention Army of Freshmen quickly here too. They might be considered too 'poppy' for some, and enjoy very limited success. But they know how to write a hook, and that's exactly what seems to have been forgotten by so many.

Starters - Geocache Girl
Should be more popular

So am I right? Is there still good pop-punk out there? Or am I just clinging to immature music tastes, and what I really need to do is just grow up? Let me know what you think. I am want to be proved wrong!

Break Time Text Message Triptych

I was a little bored during my break at work today. But I was sitting out in a nice terrace with fallen golden yellow fallen leaves all around me. So I got a little inspired and my phone was the closest at hand. The first one naturally fell just one character short of the 160 standard text message, so I tried to keep the others to that limit too. So they seem to me like a nice modern take on short forms like a Haiku. If I had more time and was more dedicated maybe I would try and edit them to fit exactly. Oh well...


No. 1

Sitting alone in the Autumn garden. Must not be too slow. Must speed up. Take a break from life. You can't just stop for a break. Work it out til you clock out.

No. 2

Japanese girl. In America. Pleasant and engaging. Potential s a friend. Even remember detail swap. Even look up. But gone without a trace. Lead gone cold.

No. 3

Passing time. No, timing the past. Looking back on what has gone. Waiting for what hasn't yet begun. Where does one start and the other end? My question too.

New Releases

Here are some recently released or upcoming releases that I'm interested in.

Recent Release:

Sonic Boom Six - Sonic Boom Six

The long awaited new self-titled album from the premier genre terrorists. It took them a while to release because they were looking for a new label that would put it out. After self-releasing all their previous work on their own imprint Rebel Alliance records, they're signed a deal with the indy label Xtra Mile Recordings. They should be comfortable here along with he likes of Frank Turner and Against Me. I don't want to say too much about the actual music because I'll be reviewing it in another post, but first two singles off it are bangers!

Check It Out

NOFX - Self-Entitled

This is the twelfth studio album for these veterans of punk. NOFX have to be one of the most consistently good band ever. I can't think of any other bands that have not only kept producing good records for over two decades but have kept fresh and relevant. They may not be the riskiest of bands but they never sound tired and they have done many interesting projects to keep things interesting. This one should be another solid punk-rock romp.

Check It Out

 Title Fight - Floral Green

This is the second album from this American melodic hardcore band. Released through Side One Dummy, (Big D, Anti-Flag, Goldfinger), it marks their debut on the Billboard 200, peaking at #69 (snigger!). Good showing for this genre which generally doesn't get enough attention. 

Check It Out

Macklemore - The Heist

Debuting at #2 on the Billboard Hot 200, this is only the second independently released album to chart that high. I can't get enough of this guy, this is going to be an awesome album. Plus, it comes in real alligator skin packaging!

Check It Out

DJ Fresh - Nextlevelism

The first two singles off this album have made DJ Fresh somewhat of a pioneer in dance music. He holds the record for having both the first ever Dubstep song (Louder) and Drum and Bass song (Hot Right Now) to go UK No. 1. This includes a few more tasty track with a list of quality collaborators including Dizzee Rascal and Rizzle Kicks.

Check It Out

Up-coming:

Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox

I don't care what people say, Bruno Mars is a song-writing genius. Over the last two years he's had the midas touch for hits. Whether they're his own songs or collaborations with the likes of B.o.B or Cee-Lo Green, he just doesn't know how to right a bad song! That being said, I'm not overly impressed with the first single off this (reminds me of The Police though) but I have no doubt that it's gonna be packed with catchy tunes just like his last one.

Check It Out
 
Rolo Tomassi - Astraea

This will be the third outing for the Sheffield math-core moshers. Fronted by the most unlikely looking female, and refusing to stay in one time-signature for more than 30 seconds, I don't think they're ever going to stop experimenting. With a few line-up changes since last time, the things that remain constant will be the heavy guitars and arresting vocals as well as the absorbingly atmospheric break-downs.

Check It Out

A Month in London

This weekend will mark four weeks since I moved to London. Where did the time go? It feels like I got here yesterday, but at the same time, I feel so at home here.
I have set up all my important essentials like bank account, phone number and my speakers in my room(!). I have met loads of cool people here and made some good friends. The sense of excitement that hit me when I first arrived has died down a bit but I now have a more solid determination to take its place. 

I have also come to a natural lull in activity. I write this sitting at my new desk with my old speakers and my room in a mess from all the books and clothes around me. I think it's nice to reflect a little on the last month.

I don;t have the time to recount everything I've done in the last four weeks but I will pick out some highlights. One of the first things I did here was see Random Hand at Nambucca, which I've already talked about. Also meeting Macklemore and Ryan Lewis was great. This was all before I even started college, or Uni, as it's called. Since then the people I've met have been highlights; amazing people from all over the world as well as Ireland and England.

There have been lots of great parties. Freshers Ball had a sweet lineup of DJ's including Major Look and Kissy Sell Out, and the Hippodrome in Kingston is massive! Filth was a nice night out in Camden, with poi and d'n'b. The trip home was almost the best part! Rampage was an interesting club-crawl. Hectic at times, taking in some of the biggest (and most expensive!) clubs in London, but always an adventure. It ended with some nice techno, which nobody appreciated! I think my wallet and I need a bit of a rest for now.

I've been on some nice trips. Windsor castle was majestic and fish and chips were very tasty! Bus driver getting completely lost on the way was a highlight. Brighton is a really nice place. Beautiful stony beach, pier full of food and amusements, and the town has a nice alternative hipster vibe. The Royal Pavilion was amazing. Decadent but still, wouldn't mind being at a party there. Could only imagine the scene at the ridiculously ornate ballroom when there was music playing and people dancing. My tips are get Pizza, and don't forget Donuts, they are amazing! They had me doing a Homer Simpson impression, complete with drool.

Between all this I managed to start Uni and the course is as exciting as all the events going on. Right now it still seems like too much to take in. But I've already learned a lot. So now I must get back to studying! The leaves are starting to build up around the streets where I live and in Gunnersbury park, but that only means that my birthday is around the corner. Now that autumn is in full swing, things won't be slowing down here. Just the busy days of studying and nights of partying peppered with some more cozy nights in.

A Little Jazz for a Sunday (or Monday)

A good friend once said that on a Sunday, you should only listen to either Reggae or Jazz. Seeing as I've no lectures until tomorrow, today is practically my Sunday. So I will post a little jazz which I have been chilling out to.

After all the craziness of moving over to London, I've recently had more time to devote to just lazing around the kitchen of my new (small) house. The first selection is from one of the great trumpeters. Clifford Brown (1930 - 1956), was a genius who had a bad habit of getting in car accidents. The first left him bed-ridden for a year and the second finished him off at the tender age of 25. His career was short and sweet, spanning only four years, but his influence was huge. He teamed up with the eminent drummer Max Roach for the bulk of his recordings. These marked the pinnacle of the hard-bop style. He played with a fat tone and an effortlessly fluid style. He also had a deep understanding of jazz harmony which is evident in his dazzling solos and his compositions. All this, he managed to do while at the same time, avoiding the scourge of heroin which dominated the Jazz scene. He wasn't even fond of the drink, which makes him somewhat exceptional, but all the more admirable. Here's one of the tunes he wrote which has become a Jazz standard.

Clifford Brown - Daahound




My second selection has been a long-time favourite. It holds a few dear memories for me, but above all, it is a stellar recording. It comes from the canonical album Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley but the outstanding contribution comes from Miles Davis as sideman. He leads the solos on most of the tracks and composed the title track. My favourite, however, is the opening track, Autumn Leaves. In my opinion, it is the best recording of this timneless standard. Miles' delicately lyrical tone is unbeatable. His wailing and whimpering perfectly expresses the emotion in this ballad, so that the sentiment is clear even without any lyrics.

Cannonball Adderley - Autumn Leaves

Concerning My Previous Post

After writing my strange piece about states of consciousness I was helpfully reminded by youtube why I don't actually like that kind of psychedelic stuff. I was thinking of not publishing it, but warts and all, somebody might be interested in it.

So the main reason that I don't like drugs is because they are part of the hippie aesthetic. Whereas I am a punk, or at least I claim to be. I got a message from youtube recommending me some videos and two of these snapped me out of my introspective indulgences. The first is What If Punk Never Happened by The King Blues.



Punk was always a reaction to the hippies who took the psychedelic drugs and retreated into meditation. It was a negation of the outside world. Maybe it was revolutionary in some aspects at the start, but ultimately it became a delirious and irrelevant pursuit of pleasure. Punk was what was needed to confront the depressing reality head-on. Things have changed but the need for external awareness and action is still present. It's so easy to withdraw into personal worlds and forget that we're all in this together.



This one is Anger Management by Random Hand, another English punk band. It has a similar theme. It says something important about Anger. I've always been quite puzzled by this particular emotion. There are so many things which give me cause for anger, some more justifiably than others. Because expression of anger seems so unacceptable these days, I've resorted to a stoic approach of maintaining my composure in the face of adversity. But this song makes a good point that when anger is justifiable it should be focused and directed for change. I think it gives a idea of the punk attitude toward hippie;like spiritualism. It is good to be in control of ones emotions, but the expression of extreme emotions is what leads to real change. Withdrawing to a personal world which is unaffected by reality in turn means that you relinquish your power to change that reality.

All this is just a train of thought. One which happens to contradict with my previous post. But I'm a big man, I contain many contradictions. This particular contradiction is one I continue to struggle with. I think it was summed up best by George Bernard Shaw -

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

States of Consciousness

I've come across a few different articles and that have got me thinking about altered states of consciousness again. My interest in this particular topic has developed from many different sources. Although this part of philosophy/psychology can often seem inaccessible, my interest in it was sparked by some personal issues. I don't really think I know a whole lot about this subject yet, but I'd like to share how and why I've been thinking about it recently.

My thoughts are woven together in three ill-defined strands; these are sleep, drugs and religion. So how are these connected? Well, sleep is the most obvious for me. I have often struggled to get up in the morning and more recently I have sometimes had problems with getting to bed early regularly and getting enough sleep in general. I wouldn't say these problems were very serious but I think that sleep has such a big effect on our life and health I'd like to have it sorted out. So, maybe a year or six months ago, I got a book out of NUIM library on the psychology of sleep. This book simply caught my eye because I thought that I'd like to understand sleep better so that I might improve my habits. This was my first foray into this topic and it laid a useful groundwork. The biggest thing that I took from it though, was that such a basic and simple function as sleep still stumps modern psychologists. They at least shed some light on the 'how' of sleep but my inquisitive nature wanted to know more of the 'why'.

I haven't really thought about it much since, but now I've found a few intriguing bits of a puzzle that seem to fit together. First, there was a brief conversation about psychedelic drugs with a friend. This featured some Huxley (The Island, Brave New World, Doors of Perception/Heaven and Hell), and also some modern takes on the spiritual uses of drugs. This comes against a backdrop of my recently developed open mind towards God and spirituality. I have been meditating on and off for some time now and have been trying to practise it more regularly. And the drug aspect engages me simply because I am trying to square my curiosity and open-mindedness with a slightly dogmatic anti-drug sentiment. So those things all got me thinking in this general direction. From 'can drugs ever be good?' to 'is there a God?' to 'how can I sleep better?'. The threads start to come together... 'Could drugs bring understanding of God, or help with sleep?' 'Could different ways sleeping reveal spiritual understanding, or mimic the effects of certain drugs?'.

Okay, I've made a bit of a leap there. This is mostly due to an article in Philosophy Now magazine, Issue 91. (Not online for non-subscribers, but here's another related one that got me thinking.) It basically brought these threads together for me. In it, Shawn Harte argues that all human religions are based on hallucinatory experiences; either sleep paralysis or out-of-body experience. His argument is pretty convincing, citing many examples in many of the major religions. He cites many examples from religious literature of all creeds to back this up, but what is most interesting is his explanation of these hallucinatory experiences. All of these states are achieved by some form of, what has come to be known as, meditation. The mention of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), what he describes as 'the endogenous hallucinogens', sparked the link with the earlier conversation. The release of high amounts of DMT accompanies the occurrence of these altered states of consciousness. These hallucinations have been interpreted very differently throughout history and within different traditions. Although fascinating, I thought that this was just an elaborate form of religion bashing, but the conclusion is what has raised all these questions for me so vividly.

"The causal link between sleep paralysis, out-of-body experience and religion formation may remain deceptively concealed until one not only experiences the phenomena and knows their underlying psychology, but additionally, delves through copious volumes of diverse religious literature specifically searching for possible accounts of such experiences. Despite having both sampled the scriptural records of these phenomena and been briefed on the basic science in this article, the catalytic role of hallucinatory experience in religion formation will remain intriguing but distantly theoretical until you yourself experience sleep paralysis hallucinations, and particularly the unmitigated rapture of an out-of-body experience. And so I invite you to exalt active investigation over passive agnosticism, research the induction methods for these mystical phenomena, and try them for yourself. For when you taste of their unspeakable blissful convincingness, I promise that you will nevermore deride the prophets, but rather envy them."

So I've got a burning new question to ponder, even if I'm not ready for active investigation. And I also have a new philosophical perspective in my search for the best sleeping habits. Good Night!

On leaving Ireland

While spending some quality time at home in Dublin, I browsed the bookshelf that was just behind me while I sat at the computer. When my computer gets slow or I get bored, I turn around and look to some poetry books there for a moment of respite. One day over the summer I came a cross a great little book of Prose, Poems and Parodies, by Percy French. I'm not sure if it is well-known, but all I know about it is that must have belonged to my uncle. On the title page, in neat hand-writing, it bears the monograph 'A.S.' and the date - 31/12/80, his birthday. This man, Percy French, was born in Ireland, but educated in England. He was fascinated by the people from the west of Ireland and he collected local poems and prose from them. So without saying anymore, I want to give you a bit of a taste. Here is one of my favourites which I found as I flicked through this book.

"If."

If I should die to-night,
And you should come,
And stand beside me,
Lying cold and dumb,
And, if while standing there,
You whispered low,
"Here's the ten pounds,
You lent me years ago."
I would rise, although they'd laid me flat,
And say, "What's that?"

If I should die to-night,
But rose to count,
With trembling fingers,
That long lost amount.
I might live on;
      But when
You said, "Here's your umbrella
And your fountain pen,"
For one short space
I'd gaze into thy face
      And then
Drop dead again.

A little silly, but it gave me a good chuckle! The style of the pieces are such that, you almost have to read them out with a thick Irish accent. I'm not from the West so I just stick to a Dublin accent, but I think the effect is the same. I might share some more in later posts.

When I was leaving for London I decided to bring that little book with me. I'm not very patriotic and I hate those romanticized images of Ireland, but these poems do capture something unique about Ireland. They make me feel very Irish even though I'm not from the west or even the countryside. It's also poignant that the book was given to my uncle who moved to the U.S.A. when he was about the age I am now. I don't know what the intention was, I should ask him about it sometime. But it makes me think of all the different attitudes that people have about leaving Ireland. I already feel like I'm become over-sentimental, I'm only gone a week! But I want to get the full experience of whatever I'm doing right now.

So here are some of my thoughts on leaving Ireland. I may be coming back after my year, but I don't know. So, I'm not very patriotic. There's a lot of things about Ireland that I don't like. Things are so badly organised there, and don't get me started on the politics! It is a very small place, and sometimes the people can even be small-minded. Those are some of the things which made me want to leave. Also there seems to be very little there for me. There are very few jobs and opportunities. It seems like Ireland doesn't want its young people because we all have to emigrate to find work that can support us. I think that most people that have left Ireland have at least some of these feelings in common.

The way it looks to me, most people who leave fall into two categories. Either they are very bitter towards Ireland, and they never want to return, or else they find a new kind of patriotism and they exaggerate their Irish-ness as much as they can. I know I'm making some generalizations. This is just how I perceive other peoples reactions. I'm sure the individual experience is much more complex. For me it definitely is. I have some anger and bitterness towards Ireland. I never really felt that I belonged there. But at the same time, when I leave I realise what an important part of me it is. To know who you are, you have to know where you are coming from. I was born in Ireland, I grew up there, so now, whether I like it or not, it's a part of me. I know I could've been born anywhere in the world but I was born in Ireland so I might as well embrace it. I don't think I'm going to go crazy patriotic, but when there's a little distance I prefer to appreciate the positives. So Percy French and Macklemore will keep my Irish eyes smiling until I end up back home.

I've got one more poem that reminds me of Ireland. I saw it first, in Avondale forest park in Wicklow. A very special place for my family. I originally presumed it was one of the Irish poets who wrote it, but I've just found out that it was an American poet named Joyce Kilmer. Even so, it's a poem about trees, which I think is the most beautiful thing about Ireland. Just like Percy French, it's very simple poetry, but that is what I like about it. Maybe I don't know enough about poetry - I'm willing to learn! - but I think this is just my style. And this poem gives a perfect explanation of the style it embodies. Why be complex when natural beauty is so simple?

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. 

- Joyce Kilmer

Here's some music

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...because music is great and I quite like it. It makes everything better. Especially if it's good music. But you know this. I have two musics in particular that I would like to share with you. The first is a show I went to last Saturday night. It was my first night in London, and I thought I'd better start the way I plan to go on. So I got this sweet recommendation from last.fm. Random Hand were playing at a place called Nambucca. Checked the map, near a tube station, no problem. Got nobody to go with but I'm here to make friends, so why not? Now, I've never listened to Random Hand but I was familiar with them because of their links with Sonic Boom Six. I've been on a bit of a SB6 buzz lately, and they're an all-round excellent band, so any friend of theirs is a friend of mine.

So, after a slight detour on the tube, I arrived just on time to catch the first band. On the way in an old fat guy handing me a wristband was not a great sign. This is a small bar not a festival right? Whatever happened to a stamp on the hand? Anyway, first band were not bad. I'd never expect much from the first band on a 5-band bill, but if this was the worst, the rest must be great.

I was not disappointed. The bill was beautifully eclectic; metal-tinged punk, chilled out reggae and a good mix of ska-core, punk and hip-hop. There was even an MC rhyming on a little stage by the bar. My highlight of it all was Tyrannosaurus Alan. A band I'd never heard of but a few of the lads assured me they were awesome. The show was a whirlwind of skanking, moshing, crowd-surfing and hardcore dancing. Not just a cardio workout out either, keeping a guy crowd-surfing for a whole song is hard on the arms! But this crowd were up for the challenge. And I haven't even said anything about the music yet! So if one is familiar with Sonic Boom Six, you've already got an idea of this sort of eclectic ska-punk. If not, check them out as well! I used to think that SB6 were pretty unique but if only I knew about this great scene! Tyrannosaurus Alan blend the style perfectly. The ska is accompanied by a rapid-fire rap and the mash-up of styles really keeps you on your toes. There's hardly 10 seconds without some change in feel, up-tempo, down-tempo, break-down, mosh-out, skank-out. Despite the variety the styles flow perfectly together. The songs are so well constructed that there's never an abrupt change that feels out of place. They strike the balance between novelty and predictability, something that many bands never achieve. They play with the audiences expectations but are fun and so danceable.

Random Hand were along the same lines. A little bit less extreme in their eclecticism. They were a little more typical of the ska-core style. Again, they were amazing to dance to. Like I always say, ska is the best dance music ever, and they provided that super smooth rhythm in spades. The other band that I'd like to mention is Jackal. I'm sorry to say that I missed them play but I chatted with a few of the members and they are bang-on sound. I'll definitely make sure to catch their next show. So I couldn't have asked for a better first night in London. I even bought a CD from Tyrannosaurus Alan, and I sat on the tube home trying to work out how I was going to find a CD player to listen to it on!

Now the second slice of music I would like you to taste is some astounding north-west hip-hop. If you haven't heard of this guy yet, make a note, Macklemore is going to be big. I hate to be one of those indie kids who knows them before they were big (I'm more into the ones who are never going to be big) but this guy falls under the 'just too good' category. I first heard about him when I happened to be in The Twisted Pepper enjoying a quiet pint with Kilian. Or, not-so-quiet as was the case. Because in the background Macklemore was rounding off his set with Irish Celebration. I only found out the telling title of this rabble raising song; a celebration of his Irish roots. I was far away from the action, but I could still feel the unmistakeable energy and I'm not surprised that the man himself highlighted it as one of his best shows. This was the general consensus of the streams of dedicated, sweat-drenched fans (AKA the shark-faced gang) as they were leaving too. The phrase 'best show ever' seemed to be on everybody's lips. So I took the hint and looked him up.

As I wandered around Hammersmith and Acton today I stuck on Macklemore to give myself some head space. His music is so inspirational, I can't even begin to describe... I've been listening to his stuff for a while and still, every time I listen he gives me those tingles, where the hair on the back of your neck stands up. I've never known music that has had such a powerful effect on me. The reason Macklemore is so good is because he 100% genuine, straight from the heart, real hip-hop. I must mention that Macklemore is white (and has Irish roots), but like me, he is prone to introspection and reflection. His very first track on his debut, instead of the almost traditional big-up song about how great he is, is a mature account of what it means to be a white person in the foreign culture of hip-hop. He tackles so many issues in this way, balanced yet compelling, making you think while getting his point across. All with killer funky beats and a characteristically breathy flow. So basically I can't get enough of him. He's got a new album coming out with his long-time producer Ryan Lewis and they played a sold-out show here on Monday night. 

 

A converstion with myself

Hello World! Or at least hello to the Internet world - a world with only some similarities with reality. This is my blog. It is the location for many future rants and raves, a general dump for those thoughts which overflow from my own brain and soul and mind. I decided to try my hand at this blogging thing to be a little more respectable. At least, to write in a slightly more respectable way. I feel I must move on from adolescent journalling and jotting. Writing has always been very important to me. It was a refuge for me during my teenage years where I whiled away my hours in classrooms trying to create and excuse for the waste of time. I have more recently started to keep diaries and journals for purely personal use. They serve a therapeutic function. I find that I often think too much so this exercise helps to empty out my head. So essentially this will be an extension of that!

Well, I hope to become a little more coherent in this medium. At the same time, I think, I will continue with my loose stream-of-consciousness style. Is that even the right thing to call it? I've struggled to work out what a stream-of-consciousness style really is. I think, that I think too fast and write too slow for it to be possible. But I've come to use the phrase to describe the way I write. I'm happy to be corrected! Despite enjoying reading and deriving a certain pleasure from writing, I have never really found it easy to write for any specified purpose. Academic writing and functional writing have always added to my anxieties. Even a recent foray into writing music reviews was not particularly enjoyable. I still feel that my writing has some potential. So, instead of confining my writing to personal use, I will share it with those who care for it.

This brings me to the second reason that I'm going to write a blog (did I mention how many there would be??). It is a creative outlet. Writing has only been a small part of my ambitions in my struggle to be understood. My first love is music. I have never fully found a way to use music to communicate. Basically, I've got big musical ambitions, but I am very slow to put any plans into action to realise them. For now, this writing will have to do. I will, of course, be writing about music a lot. I'll be sharing some great stuff with you and I might even do some reviews too. And someday I will have my own stuff to put on display! Here's hoping!

There's also a few other reasons why I think keeping a blog is a good idea. I have a lot of political opinions which I rarely find the right forum to air. I also call myself a philosopher sometimes, and I might come up with some good ideas! I'll hopefully be able to articulate these ideas here, and communicate some of them to you.

In two days time I will be on a plane headed for London. So it might be nice for people that I leave behind to check up on me. Although this is not gonna be a silly travel blog.

Those are all the reasons I can think of now. There are many, many more I'm sure. But I've started already so I need no more justification! Now just a little more about what I will write about. It will be a good mix of political and philosophical on the one hand, with plenty of creative and artsy stuff too. I might post some poems, songs, etc. mostly by other people but hopefully some of my own too. With my writing style as it is, there will be a lot of general thoughts and ideas which float around my head.

With all my grand ambitions, I feel like the vast majority of this site will just be a conversation with myself. So welcome to my world!