Who would have thought that months out at sea fishing for salmon would result in two critically acclaimed albums?

Californian Van Pierszalowski of Port O'Brien certainly didn't think that his time spent as a fisherman in Kodiak Island, Alaska would turn his life around. On that boat, he wrote the albums 'The Wind and The Swell', released in 2005 and 'All We Could Do Was Sing', released earlier on this year. Since then, his life has completely transformed. 'The past three years have gone from one stage to the other . I graduated from college, left for Alaska and now…

Gemma Hayes takes her time between recording and it shows on each album. Her constant supply of beautiful, breathy, melodic music has been contained to perfection on 'The Hollow of the Morning' which is set to be released on May 9th. Recorded and written between Blackbox Studios in France and at her kitchen sink in Los Angeles, this album shows a maturity and a sense of ease since 2005's 'The Roads Don't Love You'.

So far, the feedback has been positive and her first single from the album 'Out of Our Hands' has been given the seal of approval from…

How to throw a house party..

Before I begin, the most important thing about throwing a house party is that you have friends because honestly, it's no party without people (unless of course you think that you are the most entertaining person that exists). And not just any people. You must ensure that the people you booze with are not wet blankets and dash for the last bus home. The best parties are the ones that last until the very wee hours and you are torn between cracking open another can or tearing into that breakfast fry.

Preparations for a…

My love for music is greater than anybody will ever know. Mainly because I refuse to brag about what music I listen to but mostly because I practice a level of music snobbery higher than anybody else that I know. I choose not to focus on music journalism simply because I refuse to rate bands that are simply not up to scratch and that are often placed before bands that deserve the title of 'Worth Seeing Before You Die'.

To me, bands like Kings of Leon and The Strokes are undeniably talented but are completely over hyped and overblown out…

Kevin Drew is temporarily leaving the safe and loving bosom of Toronto's Broken Social Scene to pursue his 'sort of' solo project the Broken Social Scene Presents series. The first installment, Spirit If... was released this September but it was always an idea in the back of Kevin's mind to do something like this. “I always wanted to experiment a bit more with my own stuff and just be a bit more out there with it, something I could never have done with so many other people”, he says. Spirit If… is compiled of recordings in between touring and was…

It is difficult for any band to succeed beyond the grotty, local gig scene as Asobi Seksu (Japanese for 'playful sex') front woman Yuki Chikudate tells us. “At the beginning no one knew who we were and it was hard to get started. Our friends would get tired of coming to our shows and there would be nobody else there.”
The New York trio begin their European tour this month and found that online communities like Myspace shared the joy of Asobi Seksu like a packet of Pringles at a party. “There was no big press push behind us so…

Tue 21 Aug – The Shins, Jape

The Olympia Theatre in Dublin is one of the most intimate venues that exist which opened The Shins' eyes to how popular they actually are.
They focussed heavily on songs from Wincing The Night Away. Opening with Sleeping Lessons the energy from the crowd earned itself a steady place for the rest of the show.

The banter between James Mercer, Dave Hernandez and Marty Crandall filled up the slum in between songs which meant that there were no lulls in the show for the audience.
The highlights of the show were New Slang…

Thu 19 Jul – XIII Festival Internacional de Benicàssim = FIB Heineken 2007

I have decided upon myself to become a life time FIBer after 3 days of indulging in what is a music junkie's dream.
My sojourn of gigs began with Rufus Wainwright and my, what a pleasant way to start. His caramel voice waved over the adoring crowd as a cooling mist sprinkled upon us during the evening heat. Rufus (after seeing him live I know that I am on first name terms with him) chatted with the crowd and jokingly told us that we looked like an…

Sat 7 Jul – Oxegen Festival 2007

2007's Oxegen began with torrential rain, witnessed a short outburst of sunshine in the middle and then finished with thunder clapping against the treacherous sky.
The persistent rain created a bond between musicians and the gig-goers as Beth Ditto of The Gossip so lovingly sympathised "I wish I brought 10,000 umbrellas for you all" and Scissor Sister's Jake Shears rolled around in the mud-filled puddles that surrounded the Main Stage.
The only way to fully enjoy this typical Irish summer weekend was to embrace the sludge in all its glory. The Oxegen crowd…