The Stormcock Community

To be honest, when I first saw the line-up for this years festival; I wasn't too impressed ... but how wrong I was !! It's amazing how they can get acts on that are so good, but very few people had actually heard of them before. I'm certainly not going to do a review of everyone we saw ( as I'd need another week off work, to do them all justice ), but the following is who I saw there ... the blog is partly for my own benefit ... so I may mention people and places that will mean sod all to anyone who hasn't visited Clon !!

Wednesday ( not actually part of the festival ) was Gavin Moore's CD launch party ( supported by Low Mountain ) along with his new band, which he is hoping to tour with later on in the year ... though the tour will probably only be in Ireland and possibly Scotland ... I did joke with him, telling him that there is also a country not too far away called England that may benefit from such music !!  The guys were as excellent as I'd expected them to be !!

Thursday - the amazing Scott Matthews ( supported by Armoured Bear - always good ... but this year he was brilliant, much much better than when he supported Roy at the 100 Club a few years back). I did actually already own a CD by Scott, but hadn't listened to it much ... though I don't know why, as he is a great guitarist and has a very "interesting" voice - like a cross between John Martyn, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley. His latest CD has Robert Plant singing on it, so you can imagine he seemed to get on well with Roy & Tracy.

Friday - started off with the usual Acoustic Forum ( hosted by Matt Churchill ) and this year he was accompanied by Richard Gilewitz, Gareth Forsyth, Charlie Parr and Dave Arcari; each doing a couple of their own tunes ( and explaining what their music is all about, their guitar techniques etc ) followed by a couple of very long jam sessions - always a brilliant way to quickly get to see some of the acts of the festival and get a feel of what is to come.

Then it was down to Shanley's to not see Bill Shanley play ... that place is always packed out, even though the set-up of the pub does not lend itself for live acts ... I did manage to see Anto's smurf hat, Johnny Fitz's right shoulder and some other bloke on the joanna. Great sound .. but we left to see if we could actually "see" some more music. Went to see Setmaker ( in The Brass Razoo ) ... great music and a not bad (!) looking young lass on the fiddle ... mainly cover versions but a few of their own highly accomplished tracks. Finally, back to DeBarras to finish the night off with some excellent rock music with Woza & Eric Bell (!!)

Saturday - the world record attempt - managed to get 824 guitarists (sort of ) playing together, was no where near what they required ( 2053 ) but it did the "trick" and got a lot more people into the town that would normally be there in September. Was a good laugh ... the session was lead by the one and only John Spillane, along with Johnny Fitz on bass and joined by various other locally "famous" folk - namely; Anto, Gavin Moore, Bill Shanley and various members of the public. As said they didn't break the record, but everyone seemed to have a good time ... which IMHO is the main thing !!

Then went off to see Les & Sam Clague ( at the Phoenix Bar ) .. now we felt we had walked into a kindergarten ... as the average age in the audience was probably not at legal drinking age !! But that should have been expected, as Sam himself is only 16 years old ... but boy he plays like a guitarist 50 years older than him ... that boy is going to be big ( in all meanings of the word !!!!!!!! )

The next musician on the cards was Charlie Parr ( DeBarras ); we had seen him yesterday at the forum and although a man of few words and he looked like a bit of a hobo – oh boy could he play the slide guitar !! He’s from Minnesota, plays a 12 string acoustic guitar and sings the blues ... perfect for a sunny Saturday afternoon !!

Then it was back to Shanleys again this time not to see Gareth Forsyth ... the place was crammed and they even had the windows closed ... otherwise you can watch/hear the acts from out on the street. So it was off to O’Briens for some extra Murphy’s and a game of pool !! My mates Paul & Vin, then went back to see Dave Arcari ... who apparently was bonkers but good; I on the other hand went to the Courtyard to hook up with Matt, Natt & Tracy for a beer and chat before Matt’s gig with his band The Church. Now this gig is always good and loud ... and normally in the bar, but this year ( new owners ) they wanted him outside ... which turned out to be much much better !! As I was talking to Matt, before they set-up ... I automatically found myself at the front of the crowd ... basically, they setup the “stage” in front of me ... so I knew I was in for a good sesh. 

The Church consist of two electric guitars ( Matt & ? ), bass ( Chris ) & drums ( Johnny Fitz ) and for anyone who has only seen Matt play the acoustic guitar ( supporting Roy ), then you haven’t seen anything of what Matt can do. Electric guitar IS what Matt loves to play ... and boy can he play it well !! He doesn’t play with this line-up very often, as he believes that as it’s only an instrumental band ( playing songs that are usually heard with a singer ) then the interest is short-lived by the crowd ... I TOTALLY disagree ! But if that means, that he saves up all his talent for one gig a year at the ClonFest ... then so be it !! 

Just thought I’d add what was written about The Church in the programme ... kinda somes it up nicely – “The Church, lead by electric guitar demi god Matt Churchill is an instrumental brain exploding, wig out machine of a band that compromises some of the finest session musicians in the country, every lick, chop and lead that Churchill unleashes causes synaptic explosions in the central nervous system ! WARNING!! Stand near a doctor when listening!”

I haven’t been to a gig in ages, that I loved as much as this ... everyone seemed to love it ( including the band ) too ... I had a smile across my face for most of the evening. I do have a couple of video clips on my camera and I may put them up on youtube, if I get the Ok from Matt. They were eventually joined by Bill Shanley ... which made my night (!) ... I couldn’t see him the other night in his own pub ... and here he was standing 3 feet from me, jamming away with Matt – pure bliss !! ... and if that wasn’t enough ( It was really ) .... Gareth Forsyth joined in on the act rapping away at the mic to one of the songs ... he was actually rapping lyrics for a different song that was actually been played ... but that didn’t seem to matter, it sounded brilliant. Now, surely that WAS the end ... how could this gig any better than that ... impossible I hear you say ... but oh no ... they had one last thing up their sleeves ... a dedication to Patrick Swayze ... as they finished off with a rocking cover of the theme to Dirty Dancing !!!!

That gig kinda did me in ... there were other acts to see ... but we were starving, so went off for some Chinese food and then retired back to the flat, to fall asleep watching Match of the Day !!

Sunday – This was already planned as going to be an “interesting” day as the programme was temporarily halted between 3:00 and 5:00 as Cork were playing in the All Ireland Final in Dublin and the whole town would have other things on their mind during that time. But saying that, we did manage to see one of the best acts of the weekend in Shanleys ... we weren’t expecting much, because the venue is always packed and very noisy ... but on a Sunday lunchtime it was very different. The act we went to see was Ger Wolfe. I had only heard “of him” because John Spillane sings about him ... so I didn’t really know what to expect ... but what I witnessed was ... trying to think of a word ... erm ... outstanding !!!! Just him and an acoustic guitar and some lovely tunes and songs ... perfect for a Sunday afternoon ... and the crowd ( made up of a lot of fellow musicians ) were totally silent .. spellbound !! We spoke to him after his set ... and what a nice chap he is ... just like his songs; very calm and relaxed and a very pleasant chap indeed. He was amazed that Paul wanted to buy 4 of his CD’s ... he just couldn’t grasp why someone would want to do that (?!?!) ... and so you can imagine what his reaction was when I told him I wanted to buy all 5 of his CD’s !!

Then it was time for the All Ireland Final ... and the streets literally became deserted ... so we thought we’d watch it at the Courtyard as they had massive screens ... but when we got there, we bumped into Matt ( & “his” second guitarist – damn(!) his name is at the tip of my tongue ! ) outside the bar having a pint ... so we joined him for some Sunday lunch and a catch-up of the local clon gossip !! We could hear the groans and cheers from the inside ... but alas for virtually everyone in Clon ... the last noise we heard was an almighty groan as Cork lost to Kerry (1-09 to 0-16 ) !!

So the initial atmosphere in Clon was now a bit down ... and also every other act in every other bar/pub in clon would be running late because of the football. We tried to see more of Setmaker, but they were running late ... also a bit of Steve Housden & The Kings of Kudos ... but again they were running late ... so we thought we’d try good old DeBarras to see Niwel Tsumbu ! Now there’s no mistaking that him and his band were talented ... but their act, just wasn’t my cup of tea ... another time or place, I might have got into it ... but for me “contemporary versions of Congolese traditional music from the 1930s & 40s and jazz” just didn’t cut the mustard for me ... especially as I wanted to get to Micky Finns early ... for a gig that I KNEW would be “up there” – John Spillane !!

John has played at every Clon Guitar festival and always pulls a good crowd - last year he played at Bernies and we couldn’t even get in the pub ... so just listened from the outside; a previous year he played in the “infamous” Kilty Stone Tavern ( now an Off Licence ); but this year he played at “Finns on the corner” ... not at the back of the pub where it’s pretty large, but in the front bar which is about the size of a large broom cupboard. Luckily we got to the pub at the same time as John and thus managed to pinch one of the few seats available. When the guys were setting up his stuff, John came over for a chat, as he “recognised me” from somewhere ... he thought I was a fellow musician ( alas not ), but then reminded him that we spoke at the Cork vs S/W festival ... but also shared a car ride with him the other year as Bobbie took me to the airport; we had a good chin-wag and we told him that we’d seen Ger earlier and again he couldn’t praise the man enough !!

Anyway John’s set was great as expected ... started off with “O Ro Se Do Bheath Abhaile”, the little ditty they had played at the record breaking attempt in the morning and played load of my favourite songs, including “Orca Orca Killer Whale”, “The Dunnes Stores Girl”,”Mad Woman From Cork”, “Ballincollig Castle”, “Magic Nights in the Lobby Bar” ( where he mentions Ger ... who had just walked into the pub ! ), “Passage West” and a new one about the Beamish brewery. As it's part of what people expect, the craic between the songs is also excellent ... he’s a very funny talented bloke !! I spoke to him at the end of the gig and asked why he doesn’t play in England ... and he said that apparently the English clubs either don’t know him or don’t want him ... the former is acceptable ... the latter ( if true ) is a total disgrace !! He did mention that he is playing a London folk club soon ... which isn’t on his website yet ... so if anyone hears of the gig ... I would appreciate you letting me know !!!!

After that we went for a few quiet pints in the often “smelly” Galley pub, before getting ready for the festival finale in DeBarras – Big Daddy Randall Webster & Red Hot Java ... and what a finale it was !!

This is how the programme described them – “Somewhere between Maxwell Street, Chicago, Illinois and the alligator swamps of Florida, probably at a crossroads, these four men met, whether the devil was present none will say, however all those who have witnessed Big Daddy & Red Hot Java perform live, will surely testify that the booty shakin’, soul quakin’, voodoo stompin’ sounds that they unleash could not be attributed to mortal souls!” – I too testify to that !!

[ Steve Tomlin & Paul Sullivan– I’m sure you’ll love the use of the apostrophes in that quote !?! ]

They don’t call Big Daddy that for no reason ( I feel it’s ok for me to say that ! ) but boy can he play the guitar ... and get the crowd doing/singing whatever he wants ... brilliant way to finish the festival, everyone singing and dancing along to progressive urban blues ... including a rather different version of “Dirty Old Town” !!

So that was the end of another cracking Clonakilty Guitar Festival – I should have doubted by earlier feelings that this year wasn’t going to be as good as previous ones; but the organisers ( Ray, Sully, Gavin & Co ) did good ... did very good indeed !! My only disappointment, was that I didn’t really get chance to chat with and see Gareth Forsyth play, apart from the forum and one rap at Matt’s gig ... but I should have known ... this is Clonakilty ... where anything [musically] can happen ...

Monday – a quiet day .... didn’t do much ... few pints here and there ... a few games of Rings at the Brewery bar, back to our apartment to listen to some of the CD’s we had bought during the weekend, watched a couple of classic Farther Ted episodes in O'Donnovans ... and we were really hoping that something may happen at DeBarras at the night ... as last year they had a post-festival piss up, which I had missed as I had gone home by then. So I was even more disappointed when we got to DeBarras at 10:00 ( for their trad session ) to find out that Ray & Gav had already had their session at 4 in the afternoon ... as they were off to Dublin early the next morning. The Trad session was good ( especially Anto’s dad ) but we felt a little out of place ... as most of the crowd seemed to be first-time tourists to Clon ... just arrived on the coaches and so we felt we needed to finish off the week elsewhere with the locals. So off we went back to John o’Briens for some more games of pool.

There we were playing and drinking away, listening to some dodgy tunes on their juke box ... when in walked ( well rather staggered ) the one and only Gareth Forsyth. In case people don’t know who this guy is – “apparently” ( unknown to us ) he’s been playing the local scene for years and used to go to college ( I think ) with Matt; he was at one time the bassist for Jeff Martin’s Armada ( another link there with Roy ) and was asked personally by John Martyn to support John on his next tour ( which alas never happened, as he past away a week later ), so this guys got some pedigree !! We saw him in July in Skibbereen playing with Gav at the Cork vs S/W festival and then more bizarrely the next day playing background music in a restaurant ... and so we knew he was good !! But what we didn’t know was that ... just because the guy was pissed as a fart and had trouble doing all the day-to-day stuff ( walking, talking etc ) didn’t mean that he couldn’t still play the guitar ! He only played one song that night ( he too was waiting to play pool ... which by the way he was also damn good at !! ), but it was excellent ... no idea what the tune was ... very fast playing ... that one last song just summed up the whole week for me in Clonakilty – purely sublime !!

 Some Links :

Clonaklity Guitar Festival     -               http://www.myspace.com/clonguitarfest

DeBarras                             -               http://www.debarra.ie/

Black Pudding’s (!!)              -               http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie/

Scott Mathews                   -               http://www.scottmatthewsmusic.co.uk/

Charlie Parr                         -               http://www.charlieparr.com/

John Spillane                       -               http://johnspillane.com/

Niwel Tsumbu                      -               http://niweltsumbu.com/

Dave Arcari                          -               http://www.davearcari.com/

Big Daddy & Red Hot Java   -               http://www.bigdaddyblues.com/

Bill Shanley                            -               http://www.myspace.com/billshanley

Eric Bell                                  -               http://www.ericbellband.com/

Richard Gilewitz                    -               http://www.richardgilewitz.com/

Ger Wolfe                               -               http://www.gerwolfe.com/

Gareth Forsyth                      -               http://www.myspace.com/garethforsyth

Les & Sam Clague                 -               http://www.myspace.com/samclague

The Church                            -               http://www.mattchurchill.com/

Armoured Bear                       -               http://www.antomusic.net/index.htm

Gavin Moore                          -               http://www.gavinmoore.com/