Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Happy Wintermas

Men at Work, The Beach Boys, Pearl Jam, Skunk Anansie, Faith No More, The Eagles, Queensryche, Rush, King's X, King's X again, Rush again, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Mr. Big, Cutting Crew, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell, John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, Brad, King Swamp, Stone Temple Pilots, Jerry Cantrell, Zero Pilot...*

I cut down the fir that will be our Xmas tree today. A little belated so we are, in bringing the festive spirit into our home. However, since Xmas paraphernalia has been available in Tesco since before my (September!) birthday, I don't think we were in danger of being bypassed.


As is my wont, I tend to reflect a little at this time of year, asking life's tough questions: Do I have enough booze in the house? What time is dinner served on 25th December? How bloody good is Jerry Cantrell's 'Degradation Trip'? Heavy stuff, right?

As I review 2012, it has been very fruitful year on the musical front, with the release of 'Unauthorised Soundtrack', 'Mountain Goat Misadventures in the Wicklow Wilderness' and most recently, 'Mission'. These were all solo efforts, all produced entirely by myself for my own amusement, on a strict budget, in a limited space. In the background, I've been working heartily on a number of collaborative efforts, though. It is these that are likely to form the backbone of next year's output, and in the spirit of eclecticism, it's going to be an exciting ride. Here are a couple of names to look out for in 2013:

Maggy Simpson
Working on this debut album with Bat Kinane since June. Expect an original album of genuine breadth early in the New Year. We've already courted comparisons with King's X, Maiden, Glyder, QOTSA, The Kinks, Pantera, Santana and U2, among others. Plenty of hot playing, matched by smartly crafted stories, and pure songwriting skill. Here's a sample:



Filthy Bayonets
Working on this project with Trev Mooney, Dave Horan and Justin Maloney. The near future will be occupied with tracking down a top notch percussor to add even more weight and dexterity to our Groovy, Grungey Rock / Metal tunes. This will be for anyone that loved the good stuff in the '90s - Unapologetic Hard Slabs of ROCK with memorable tunes, and devious dollops of PROG. Y'Know, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Tool, Corrosion of Conformity. As opposed to the 2D punk by that other famed Pacific North Western combo. No offence.



Anyway, I want to wish everyone I know a delightful, wondrous Christmas season. I certainly won't be able to catch up with you all individually, so SPAM it is ;)





*oh yeah...the eclectic set of artists whose work is currently within arms reach