This Week’s Field Recording: “Flame” Divan Du Monde – Pars

Unlike a lot of the acoustic-ish versions of the songs, where we took them back to how they were born, Flame came into the world fully formed in shiny nylon, with a key-change and everything!  So we took it elsewhere for these gigs, a little bit country, veering dangerously close to reggae if we get the tempo wrong…or so Phil says.On this night in Paris, there was a snowstorm which cancelled a lot of public transport so thank you to all those who made it.  Driving in and finding parking in Montmartre is a ballache at the best of times, and those hills were made all the more fun by the ice and snow…wreck the renter!!

http://snd.sc/KvD1Su

Bloodless Coup t-shirt

The Bloodless Coup t-shirt, previously only available at live shows, is now available from the online shoppe here http://www.bellx1.com/shop/t%20shirts.html

Tour in America, Tour in Ireland, Tour in UK

Thanks to everyone who came out in the US, it was a helluva time…

We kicked off with an incredible couple of nights in New York, the taping of the Other Voices NYC show, which will air on RTE television in December. There will also be a special on RTE Radio 1 on New Year’s Eve.  We did I’ll See Your Heart and I’ll Raise You Mine with Martha Wainwright – I hope it makes the cut!

And we finished by narrowly escaping a hiding at the hands of the Secret Service in a game of American football, in Annapolis Maryland…

Looking forward to the shows in Ireland and the UK!

DEC 2011
01       Waterford         The Forum    Tickets
02      Limerick           Big Top       Tickets
03      Galway           Black Box     Tickets
05      London             Bush Hall      Tickets
06      Manchester       Deaf Institute  Tickets
07      Edinburgh        Electric Circus  Tickets
08      Glasgow        King Tut’s         Tickets
10       Cork               The Savoy            Tickets
15       Derry            Nerve Centre   Tickets
16       Belfast            Mandela Hall    Tickets
17       Dublin            Special Midnight Show @ The Olympia     Tickets

Jape supports all shows, except Dublin

Video for Sugar High

Thanks to the boys from folks&folks

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5fGUNAmTyo]

Oh America

Just off the plane at JFK I found myself on the phone to the limo company describing what Roddy Doyle was wearing…
Dave and I are here for Other Voices New York. As is Roddy. Hence the surreal “He’s in, eh, a black and white checked shirt and blue jeans…”
Cab driver in Manhatten went on a rant about how Steve Jobs never flushed his toilet “He would piss and shit in there, and never flushed cos he hadn’t the time!! This fuckin’ guy, sheesh…”

Went to Smalls Jazz club in the Village to see the David Stoler trio. I’ve always wanted to go to a proper tiny jazz club here, and this was the real deal – door guy called Mitch, and the booker arguing with some cat in the doorway over $60

Went down to Zuccotti Park to see Occupy Wall Street. I was probably one of those gawping tourists…it actually had a real festival feel, there were some drummers and horn players throwing it down. Noise about all these ills is better than no noise.

Some of the signs were gas – “Shit is real fucked up!” was one. Reminded me of the “Down with this sort of thing!” sign at our own anti bailout/austerity measures rally

The Other Voices gig last night went on forever, but was really great.

Martin Hayes & Caoimhin o Raghallaigh, Martha Wainright, Joe O connor, The boys from The National, Roddy Doyle, Trixie Whitley… amazing

Same again tonight