Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Love's Alive
I was really pleased to record Stephen Hall at the Lagan Sessions, a few weeks back:
Love's Alive deals with the loss of loved ones, the regret of not getting right with them, moving on and the eventual reconciliation on the other side.
When I get up there I'll go and seek them out / my father and my brother, together, there's no doubt / smiling at each other 'cuse they have both discovered love's alive / Love's alive, find it when you can / Love's alive, don't you feel it?
Comfort, optimism and positivity are lacking from most aspects of life these days. This song is much like a hug. More of this sort of thing.
More info:
http://www.randallstephenhall.com/
https://soundcloud.com/lagansessions
http://lagansessions.com/
Love's Alive deals with the loss of loved ones, the regret of not getting right with them, moving on and the eventual reconciliation on the other side.
When I get up there I'll go and seek them out / my father and my brother, together, there's no doubt / smiling at each other 'cuse they have both discovered love's alive / Love's alive, find it when you can / Love's alive, don't you feel it?
Comfort, optimism and positivity are lacking from most aspects of life these days. This song is much like a hug. More of this sort of thing.
More info:
http://www.randallstephenhall.com/
https://soundcloud.com/lagansessions
http://lagansessions.com/
Cyclepath!
Its been fifteen or so years, but I've decided to ride a bike again. Once I got my driving licence, back in 1997, I never really needed to cycle anywhere. I'd need a pretty good reason to be back in the saddle after all this time.
www.makelifeyourlegacy.com are attempting to raise awareness for organ donation. Specifically they'd like to see the current organ donation system change from an opt-in to an opt-out arrangement. They've organised a 30 mile bike ride to get the ball, and all of us, rolling.
I've been getting some practice in. On Monday night I rode to Belfast from my parent's house and grabbed a coffee at Starbucks in Victoria Square. The main reason for this destination was mostly down to not having my wallet with me, but being able to pay there with my phone. Hooray for convenience!
It was a lovely, sunny spring evening, with much less rain than normal. I stopped along the way to take some photos.
The menacing looking storm clouds came, one after another, bringing short bursts of rain all evening.
Beside the M5 motorway, the reclaimed land, which has looked so harsh for most of my life, now looks as if it has always been there.
Being out, by myself, disconnected for a few hours, was exactly what I needed. This is hopefully the stuff of new songs and finding some time alone with God to enjoy his creation.
Roll on Saturday. Here's hoping I don't need to avail of the transplant service myself, come the end of the trip!
www.makelifeyourlegacy.com are attempting to raise awareness for organ donation. Specifically they'd like to see the current organ donation system change from an opt-in to an opt-out arrangement. They've organised a 30 mile bike ride to get the ball, and all of us, rolling.
I've been getting some practice in. On Monday night I rode to Belfast from my parent's house and grabbed a coffee at Starbucks in Victoria Square. The main reason for this destination was mostly down to not having my wallet with me, but being able to pay there with my phone. Hooray for convenience!
It was a lovely, sunny spring evening, with much less rain than normal. I stopped along the way to take some photos.
Being out, by myself, disconnected for a few hours, was exactly what I needed. This is hopefully the stuff of new songs and finding some time alone with God to enjoy his creation.
Roll on Saturday. Here's hoping I don't need to avail of the transplant service myself, come the end of the trip!
Monday, August 22, 2011
New Season, New Fears
I'm beginning my 'other job' which will run for the next 6 months. I can't tell you what dread this fills me with. It will either be the best of times or the worst of times. I've never started a season feeling like this.
This position is one of the things that has given me the most and stripped me of the most confidence in my life. I'm great at it, but all it will take is a handful of nay-sayers and I'll be toast.
I'm tired and I'm not up for any kind of fight. I'm going to put everything into it, hope and pray for the best.
If you are inclined, pray for me too. I'll need it.
Currently listening to:
"Be The Song"
Foy Vance
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Lunchtime recordings
Over the last few years I've had writer's block. There are good reasons for this: 1. I'm not that interesting. 2. I don't really have much to say. 3. I'm crazily busy. All of these things make jack a dull boy.
Recently I've been playing and recording guitar in my car. This is thanks mostly to the lovely Cardwell family lending me a small guitar that goes everywhere with me. The second contributing factor is time. When I'm waiting on my beloved, and others, I've got sparadic unpredictable pockets of free time which need to be put to good use. The last part of the puzzle is my iPhone and an app called FourTrack.
FourTrack is, as the name suggests, a four track recorder. You can lay down a recording in the first track, then listen back while recording a second track, then a third, then a fourth. Once your four track masterpiece is captured you can alter the levels of each track, change the pan left or right and even mix the four tracks down to two tracks, giving you room for two more tracks to be recorded.
Armed with guitar, time and technology I can jam away, find something I like then record a few layers to see if the tune is worth developing. All this aside, there is no substitute for actual creative ability, which I'm finding comes hard these days. I'm starting off with some pretty unremarkable results, but hope that in time, and with the required amount of practice I might start creating things to be proud of.
As I go I'm going to start posting recordings on here as a mechanism to measure progress.
Currently listening to:
After the Storm
Mumford and Sons
Recently I've been playing and recording guitar in my car. This is thanks mostly to the lovely Cardwell family lending me a small guitar that goes everywhere with me. The second contributing factor is time. When I'm waiting on my beloved, and others, I've got sparadic unpredictable pockets of free time which need to be put to good use. The last part of the puzzle is my iPhone and an app called FourTrack.
FourTrack is, as the name suggests, a four track recorder. You can lay down a recording in the first track, then listen back while recording a second track, then a third, then a fourth. Once your four track masterpiece is captured you can alter the levels of each track, change the pan left or right and even mix the four tracks down to two tracks, giving you room for two more tracks to be recorded.
Armed with guitar, time and technology I can jam away, find something I like then record a few layers to see if the tune is worth developing. All this aside, there is no substitute for actual creative ability, which I'm finding comes hard these days. I'm starting off with some pretty unremarkable results, but hope that in time, and with the required amount of practice I might start creating things to be proud of.
As I go I'm going to start posting recordings on here as a mechanism to measure progress.
Currently listening to:
After the Storm
Mumford and Sons
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Then I Discovered Facebook & Twitter
....and stopped writing in my blog.
Time for a change me thinks. Out you come, I know its bright, but your eyes will adjust shortly.
Currently listening to:
"Backbone"
Ken Haddock
Time for a change me thinks. Out you come, I know its bright, but your eyes will adjust shortly.
Currently listening to:
"Backbone"
Ken Haddock
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hararya Max Fredrick Hanna?
Congratulations to the Hanna family this morning; For unto you is born, this day, in the city of George Best International a son, who is (Max)imillion Fredrick Hanna!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Caddy rain
I was up at the caddy road house today in the thunderstorm.
I recorded a short audioboo about this experience.
Check that out here
I recorded a short audioboo about this experience.
Check that out here
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
And so we'll have to watch you from afar. . .
Farewell shiny Sarah (for a few months).
Ok, we'll just have to decorate without you!
Enjoy Oz, come home safe and well :)
Ok, we'll just have to decorate without you!
Enjoy Oz, come home safe and well :)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I made FIRE!
Took Cosmin and Sorina to see the bonfires last night. Don't think they were too excited until they saw th size of the soon to be burnt offerings!
This morning Jo and I went round to Cosmon and Sorina's for breakfast, then on to church.
It is Cosmin's birthday so knowing his love for movies we got him a collection of Hitchcock classics. Not sure he was thrilled due a bad experience of 'the birds' as a kid!
Sorina seemed chuffed, maybe we should swap and get Cosmin something for Sorina's birthday
The rest of today has been spent at the house we are to move into. Philip did some electrical work, jo filled in some cracks and I started to take out the kitchen. I have broken up the sink unit and packed it up in the shed.
Now for some food!
This morning Jo and I went round to Cosmon and Sorina's for breakfast, then on to church.
It is Cosmin's birthday so knowing his love for movies we got him a collection of Hitchcock classics. Not sure he was thrilled due a bad experience of 'the birds' as a kid!
Sorina seemed chuffed, maybe we should swap and get Cosmin something for Sorina's birthday
The rest of today has been spent at the house we are to move into. Philip did some electrical work, jo filled in some cracks and I started to take out the kitchen. I have broken up the sink unit and packed it up in the shed.
Now for some food!
Friday, July 10, 2009
It's the 11th of July. . . .
It's the day that all the good prods have a little too much harp and play industrial dance music themed for kicking the pope. Oh joy.
Jo and I will take cosmin and sorina around the fires tonight to let them see the joys and horrors.
Listening to the into the wild soundtrack, entirely featuring pearl jam's eddie vedder. A good listen.
Jo and I will take cosmin and sorina around the fires tonight to let them see the joys and horrors.
Listening to the into the wild soundtrack, entirely featuring pearl jam's eddie vedder. A good listen.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Who even HAS a blog these days?
Lets face it, facebook is the new blogging. I'M kinda sad about that. I think we got more out of blogs.
I'm going to do my best to keep this going as a diary. I need to write down things that are longer than a tweet or a status update sometimes.
Tonight I'm heading with Jo to Lavery's for Shiny's leaving do. I'm listening to Bob Harris on radio 2. I've started to download his shows. They are played on saturday nights, 11pm to 2am. They are the best 3 hours of radio anywhere.
Jo and I are doing up a house near Randalstown. Uncle al is renting it to us. If we like it we might buy it.
Much wallpaper stripping.
I'm going to do my best to keep this going as a diary. I need to write down things that are longer than a tweet or a status update sometimes.
Tonight I'm heading with Jo to Lavery's for Shiny's leaving do. I'm listening to Bob Harris on radio 2. I've started to download his shows. They are played on saturday nights, 11pm to 2am. They are the best 3 hours of radio anywhere.
Jo and I are doing up a house near Randalstown. Uncle al is renting it to us. If we like it we might buy it.
Much wallpaper stripping.
Monday, March 16, 2009
How to make a headline more interesting...
With 2 words you can make a reasonable headline very exciting indeed.
First, here is the original:
Next with a slight addition:
Click here for the real BBC story.
Currently listening to:
Track: Dissident
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: vs
First, here is the original:
Next with a slight addition:
Click here for the real BBC story.Currently listening to:
Track: Dissident
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: vs
Friday, February 27, 2009
Good Apps...
Over the last week I've found some handy things:
ZATOO - watch live terrestrial TV, legally, for free.
SPOTIFY - free music player, good quality tracks, all legal.
Both services require sign up, but they are guilt free!
Available for MAC and PC.
MMMMMMM, tastes like legal.
M
Currently listening to:
"Flume"
Bon Iver
Foe Emma, forever ago
ZATOO - watch live terrestrial TV, legally, for free.
SPOTIFY - free music player, good quality tracks, all legal.
Both services require sign up, but they are guilt free!
Available for MAC and PC.
MMMMMMM, tastes like legal.
M
Currently listening to:
"Flume"
Bon Iver
Foe Emma, forever ago
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sometimes i see pictures in music....
I see all sorts of images and scenes in music. My imagination is really fantastic. I see things that I've never seen, feel things that i may never have felt and recall things that were long forgotten.
I was having trouble sleeping tonight so I decided to prune my iTunes list a little.
There are all sorts of things that I've incorporated into my collection over the years that I've never heard. Sometimes I come across songs that were filed incorrectly, or have the wrong file name, so the song I'm expecting is replaced by something random.
I found a song by Tasmin Archer called 'Sleeping Satellite'. I have several issues with this discovery. 1. I've never knowingly been a Tasmin Archer fan. 2. I quite liked the song, even though its early to mid 90's nonsense.
I got flashes, the most fantastic memory flashes as a result:
....driving in Trevor Jordan's car to Armagh or Portadown to see some girl he was chasing at the time (this song was paying on a tape in the car, and this memory is real - i think).......
....the disco i went to when I was briefly a sea cadet in Carrickfergus. It was a rubbish disco, and there were no girls allowed, so it was basically lots of guys looking at each other awkwardly and not dancing. I was a naive young Christian and thought that being at a disco was a bit of a sin and so I felt pretty dangerous.....
.... I can see rooms of people in ill fitting wolly jumpers (we all had them in the mid 90's especially me, dermo and elia), there is the smell of inscence and scented candles (i was into both at the time)......
..... a memory from a warm summer evening in Portrush. The sun was going down while i'm walking down the seaside path beside Barry's arcade. The sky is a deep blue, cloudless. I'm looking at a girl I liked. There is a light breeze and that warm stuffy summer evening smell mixed with diesil from the arcade rides and sea salt. The lights of the amusements seem really oversaturated. Butterflies in my stomach. (neither the girl or the day exist. The memory however, is clear as a bell).....
Based on how inventive my mind is now, i can't wait to see what happens when I go senile!
Below, for your listening pleasure, is Tasmin Archer!
I was having trouble sleeping tonight so I decided to prune my iTunes list a little.
There are all sorts of things that I've incorporated into my collection over the years that I've never heard. Sometimes I come across songs that were filed incorrectly, or have the wrong file name, so the song I'm expecting is replaced by something random.
I found a song by Tasmin Archer called 'Sleeping Satellite'. I have several issues with this discovery. 1. I've never knowingly been a Tasmin Archer fan. 2. I quite liked the song, even though its early to mid 90's nonsense.
I got flashes, the most fantastic memory flashes as a result:
....driving in Trevor Jordan's car to Armagh or Portadown to see some girl he was chasing at the time (this song was paying on a tape in the car, and this memory is real - i think).......
....the disco i went to when I was briefly a sea cadet in Carrickfergus. It was a rubbish disco, and there were no girls allowed, so it was basically lots of guys looking at each other awkwardly and not dancing. I was a naive young Christian and thought that being at a disco was a bit of a sin and so I felt pretty dangerous.....
.... I can see rooms of people in ill fitting wolly jumpers (we all had them in the mid 90's especially me, dermo and elia), there is the smell of inscence and scented candles (i was into both at the time)......
..... a memory from a warm summer evening in Portrush. The sun was going down while i'm walking down the seaside path beside Barry's arcade. The sky is a deep blue, cloudless. I'm looking at a girl I liked. There is a light breeze and that warm stuffy summer evening smell mixed with diesil from the arcade rides and sea salt. The lights of the amusements seem really oversaturated. Butterflies in my stomach. (neither the girl or the day exist. The memory however, is clear as a bell).....
Based on how inventive my mind is now, i can't wait to see what happens when I go senile!
Below, for your listening pleasure, is Tasmin Archer!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I'm quite excited for America
It is hard to not feel hopeful for Americans today. Ok, I don't live there, it is none of my business and I know I'm just jumping on the bandwagon, but anything at this time of economic darkness that can give folks a little light can't be bad right?
I wonder if President Obama will live up to the hype. I wonder if his popularity will last longer than one week, maybe two. I wonder if we'll not all be living in caves in a few years. I wonder who the next president will be and what will be thier ethnicity / gender / sexuality?
Today seems like a step forward, its been like a Disney movie up to this point. Here's hoping the hero turns around the situation, gets the girl (oh, wait he's married, scratch that) and saves the day.
God Bless America. (you'll probably need all the blessings you can get.)
I wonder if President Obama will live up to the hype. I wonder if his popularity will last longer than one week, maybe two. I wonder if we'll not all be living in caves in a few years. I wonder who the next president will be and what will be thier ethnicity / gender / sexuality?
Today seems like a step forward, its been like a Disney movie up to this point. Here's hoping the hero turns around the situation, gets the girl (oh, wait he's married, scratch that) and saves the day.
God Bless America. (you'll probably need all the blessings you can get.)
Hararya is back..... shortly
Its coming home baby.
For all the fer-goodnes-sakes', the never-mind-me's, the listen-listen-whater-bout-you's.
Advertising for cheap flights, sex aids, fake Rolex and knock-off handbags NO MORE.
Two years in exile and the prodigal son has returned. Things are looking up.
Hararya returned to it's rightful owner and there was much rejoicing in the land........ so there was.
www.hararya.com
For all the fer-goodnes-sakes', the never-mind-me's, the listen-listen-whater-bout-you's.
Advertising for cheap flights, sex aids, fake Rolex and knock-off handbags NO MORE.
Two years in exile and the prodigal son has returned. Things are looking up.
Hararya returned to it's rightful owner and there was much rejoicing in the land........ so there was.
www.hararya.com
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Well I never!
The Giants play a game at the 'fabulous' Dundonald International Ice Bowl.
If Bob Zeller was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave.
I guess he's just spinning then.
If Bob Zeller was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave.
I guess he's just spinning then.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
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