Entertainment
The Flaws: back from the brink of extinction
Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell
The Flaws play Monroe’s this Friday, as part of the venue’s Roctober Weekender. As well as gems like Sixteen, the alt-rock quartet will be showcasing tracks from their upcoming third album. The band started recording Springtime For The Flaws in 2013, but have had to delay its release until February next year.
“Unfortunately, it had to go on the back boiler,” says lead singer and guitarist Paul Finn. “A few life things came up for some of us, and we had to put it aside for a while. Then earlier on this year we said ‘let’s get a plan together.’ Normal life had resumed, I suppose.”
Back in July, The Flaws released the superb Animals as a preview of their new material. In the blurb that came with it, the band mention ‘secret band break ups.’ Did they really happen?
“Most definitely, yeah,” says Paul. “We called it a day back in 2012. We were at the glass ceiling, getting nowhere, and it was hard to keep pushing on. Of course, we were disheartened by things in the past.”
“But we said ‘why are we doing this?’” he continues. “‘We all love writing songs, let’s just do it for that.’ And that’s exactly why we’re doing it. We work together well; it’s just so much fun writing songs. The craft, as they call it. That’s what stopped us from completely calling it a day – although we did for a while.”
Animals is the sound of a band renewed, and a very arresting piece of music. How did it come about?
“The writing usually comes from myself or Shane [Malone], or a mixture of the both of us,” Paul says. “I think I was over in his house for a drink late one Thursday night, listening to Snoop Dogg. We had an idea for a song, and worked on it for a few hours. That was basically it.”
Springtime… was recorded in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. It was very much a DIY affair, yet The Flaws have lost none of their slick sound.
“A few years ago, we built a studio out the back of my house in the middle of nowhere,” Paul says. “We never properly used it to record an album, but this time around we said why not? It’s there, we have great equipment.”
“We got our great friend Jason Varley, who’s always worked with us before, to help record it. It was all done in the back of the shed we built, which we lovingly refer to as Studio A/B.”
It’s been almost 4 years since the last Flaws record. Is Paul proud of what they’ve done this time around?
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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