Writing. And Music. And Writing about Music.

When you wake up on Saturday morning and sign a $600 contract to write 1,000 words for a guide book, you can tell it’s going to be a pretty good weekend. Yes, I know, $600 isn’t THAT much, but 1,000 words isn’t either, and it’s by far the highest per word offer I’ve ever had, so I’m going to enjoy it! One article about Celtic Punk music coming right up Sirs, I always did like Flogging Molly, honest!

With the exception of the Grand Prix and Sunday night’s Korean dinner, I literally spent my whole weekend writing or watching bands so I could write about them. And let’s face it, the first Grand Prix of the season always looks good on paper, but actually watching falls into a similar excitement category to Snooker and Darts. And that’s when it’s a fairly good race.

I got back from work on Friday and immediately got on Skype to do an interview with the guitarist from And So I Watch You From Afar, an instrumental punk band from Belfast who are just about to release their first album. very nice guys, though mention Mogwai (let’s be honest, can anyone else think of another instrumental punk band except Mogwai?) at your peril. The album launch is expected to get 1,000 people after they won NME’s gig of the month a couple of months back. Sounds promising.

Friday night’s entertainment were Sweet Jane and Talulah Does the Hula (click for my State Magazine review), who played in the bar at Tripod in the early hours. Both have a fairly solid reputation, though Talulah Does the Hula (is anyone noticing a silly names pattern in music these days?) spectacularly fail to do anything that comes across as more impressive than model clothes whilst holding instruments. Still, can’t argue with free concerts I guess, and Sweet Jane were pretty good.

I’m finding more and more recently that procrastination is a a key part of my writing. The above review took me at least three hours to write, though I doubt any more than about 45 minutes of that was actually writing. Facebook, cups of tea and a ‘desperate need’ to watch assorted episodes of stuff on TV get in the way. I have to be more inventive in the library, where it’s dreaming up new travel ideas and spending hours contemplating different possibilities for how that train ticket to London ended up hidden inside a travel guide to the Western Himalayas. I’m sure your seeing a pattern here…. I eventually got the gig review and a good portion of the Celtic Punk article done, but it took most of the day.

Saturday nights entertainment was a little more impressive than Fridays – another fantastically named pop-rock band, Fred (click for my State Magazine review), who have broken with tradition and become ‘big in Canada’. I guess not everyone can be big in Japan. Personally I think they’re on the brink of being big everywhere, but we shall see.

Unfortunately my most regular freelance student – and hence most regular day-to-day income – is going back to Madrid for two weeks after this week, so I’m going to have to tighten the zip on the old wallet even more. I’m thinking a bit of rust along the teeth might work… Damn recession

Next week, the family come to Dublin. Time to stop procrastinating!

James x

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