Showing posts with label Dennis McCalmont. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dennis McCalmont. Show all posts

Sunday, 21 July 2013

Ralph's Top Ten Blogged Band Chart 21.7.13


OK bands you know the score.....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans, the higher you go.....

So tweet it, Facebook it.....

and generally expose yourself.....






Now Mr Snuggles and me have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each bands blog to see who's got which place.  

So here it is.....

The Top Ten Blogged Band Chart .....








No 1..... Clockwork Noise


Ralph's nipped over the Irish Sea to check out Clockwork Noise as they've recently released an album 'Whethermachines' and it ticks all the boxes. Clockwork Noise are Blathnaid Healy on violins, cellos and vocals - Dylan Nolan on Bass and Vocals - Michael Fenton- Drums and Vocals - Robert Maguire on Lead Vocals and Guitars - Chris O' Connor- Vocals and Guitars.








Snippet aka Johnno Casson is the quintessential English musician.  Prolific, diverse, entertaining, clever, wistful and whimsical (no more so on his recently released mini-album 'DIY' and the track 'Let's Talk About Us' on which he comments on his winkle - and he isn't introducing us to his pet mollusc Brian).  



No 3..... The Bedroom Hour



Ralph's sent his intrepid reporter Malcolm Parry out into the wilds - yes Bathgate no less - to bring you a live review of The Bedroom Hour, and this time he's come back with a corker.  The night was originally advertised as three bands, unfortunately the opening act from Fife - Calm As The Colour had to cancel, but never mind they still had Somerset's indie rockers The Darlingtons 







No 4..... Lost Podenco 


Lost Podenco’s avatar


When Ralph heard his man in Scotland Malcolm Parry was heading to Ibiza for a holiday he couldn't resist getting him to interview Liverpool born singer/songwriter Phil Dobie aka Lost Podenco who's been kenneled on 'The White Island' these last six years. 







No 5 ..... Burning Condors 





Looking for some down and dirty, bluesy and gritty, edgy rock 'n' roll?  The look no further than Burning Condors as they're producing just that in spades!








No 6..... Black Swans


What do you get when you put in five years hard graft to learn your craft and believe in what you're doing - the debut album 'The Life We Chose' by Liverpool band Black Swans of course.  It's recently been released along with the latest single 'Be There' to critical acclaim and looks like becoming one of the best 'breakthrough' albums of 2013.







No 7..... Jess Harwood




With a new EP out in May and some great gigs in the offing Jess Harwood is starting to make a real impact on the music scene.  Jess is a 20 year old singer-songwriter from Blackpool and has been writing and singing her own songs since her early teens. 







No 8..... Wullae Wright



Everybody likes to make a comparison about artistes and Ralph's old man is no exception. He heard Wullae Wright's 'Halo Effect' playing on my laptop and next thing he was wiping the dust of his collection of vinyl, dug out Led Zeppelin I and stuck it under my nose 













Martin Stephenson has been one of the UK’s best-loved musicians for 30 years.  The new album 'California Star' sees him reunited once more with The Daintees, the band he’s intermittently fronted through a string of albums - and hundreds of gigs - since his teens in the North East.  Always popular on the circuit, his 'must see' live performances are an exuberant tour-de-force combining heart-in-your-mouth intimacy with playful humour and warm self-deprecation.






No 10..... Dennis McCalmont




Third and last, but by no means least in Ralph's Irish Trilogy is singer/songwriter Dennis McCalmont.  Music has been stirring in the veins of Mayoman (I'm more of a Salad Cream fan) Dennis McCalmont since he was a lad, but it began to course faster as soon as he heard Paul Kossoff's fiery guitar solo on Free's 'All Right Now'.










Sunday, 14 July 2013

Ralph's Top Ten Blogged Band Chart - 14.7.13

OK bands you know the score.....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans, the higher you go.....

So tweet it, Facebook it.....

and generally expose yourself.....






Now Mr Snuggles and me have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each bands blog to see who's got which place.  

So here it is.....

The Top Ten Blogged Band Chart .....








No 1..... The Bedroom Hour



Ralph's sent his intrepid reporter Malcolm Parry out into the wilds - yes Bathgate no less - to bring you a live review of The Bedroom Hour, and this time he's come back with a corker.  The night was originally advertised as three bands, unfortunately the opening act from Fife - Calm As The Colour had to cancel, but never mind they still had Somerset's indie rockers The Darlingtons 






No 2..... Black Swans


What do you get when you put in five years hard graft to learn your craft and believe in what you're doing - the debut album 'The Life We Chose' by Liverpool band Black Swans of course.  It's recently been released along with the latest single 'Be There' to critical acclaim and looks like becoming one of the best 'breakthrough' albums of 2013.





No 3..... Clockwork Noise

Ralph's nipped over the Irish Sea to check out Clockwork Noise as they've recently released an album 'Whethermachines' and it ticks all the boxes. Clockwork Noise are Blathnaid Healy on violins, cellos and vocals - Dylan Nolan on Bass and Vocals - Michael Fenton- Drums and Vocals - Robert Maguire on Lead Vocals and Guitars - Chris O' Connor- Vocals and Guitars.








No 4..... Wullae Wright



Everybody likes to make a comparison about artistes and Ralph's old man is no exception. He heard Wullae Wright's 'Halo Effect' playing on my laptop and next thing he was wiping the dust of his collection of vinyl, dug out Led Zeppelin I and stuck it under my nose 













Martin Stephenson has been one of the UK’s best-loved musicians for 30 years.  The new album 'California Star' sees him reunited once more with The Daintees, the band he’s intermittently fronted through a string of albums - and hundreds of gigs - since his teens in the North East.  Always popular on the circuit, his 'must see' live performances are an exuberant tour-de-force combining heart-in-your-mouth intimacy with playful humour and warm self-deprecation.





Snippet aka Johnno Casson is the quintessential English musician.  Prolific, diverse, entertaining, clever, wistful and whimsical (no more so on his recently released mini-album 'DIY' and the track 'Let's Talk About Us' on which he comments on his winkle - and he isn't introducing us to his pet mollusc Brian).  



No 7..... Jess Harwood




With a new EP out in May and some great gigs in the offing Jess Harwood is starting to make a real impact on the music scene.  Jess is a 20 year old singer-songwriter from Blackpool and has been writing and singing her own songs since her early teens. 











No 8 ..... Burning Condors 





Looking for some down and dirty, bluesy and gritty, edgy rock 'n' roll?  The look no further than Burning Condors as they're producing just that in spades!  

London four piece Burning Condors emerged when Marcus Thompson left his roots of Bradford and moved south to London to find acting work and met band mates to be Matthew Edun and Churchy.




No 9..... Dennis McCalmont




Third and last, but by no means least in Ralph's Irish Trilogy is singer/songwriter Dennis McCalmont.  Music has been stirring in the veins of Mayoman (I'm more of a Salad Cream fan) Dennis McCalmont since he was a lad, but it began to course faster as soon as he heard Paul Kossoff's fiery guitar solo on Free's 'All Right Now'.







No 10..... Bombskare 
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Now normally to write a blog I'll sit down at the laptop, stick on the headphones and listen to the artistes I'm writing about.  Trouble is I'm writing about the nine man ska juggernaut that is Bombskare and the last thing you can do when you've got their crazy brand of ska playing is sit down.





Saturday, 13 July 2013

Dennis McCalmont




Third and last, but by no means least in Ralph's Irish Trilogy is singer/songwriter Dennis McCalmont.  Music has been stirring in the veins of Mayoman (I'm more of a Salad Cream fan) Dennis McCalmont since he was a lad, but it began to course faster as soon as he heard Paul Kossoff's fiery guitar solo on Free's 'All Right Now'.







From the first wooo hoo hoo's 'Speeding Train' has Summer Song written all over it.  Evocative of lazy, hazy sunshine (and beer) soaked beach holidays.  It's one of the tracks that features regularly on Ralph's favourite radio station Radio KC


  



As Dennis himself puts it - “That raw sound and emotion blasting out of an old radio had a great impact on me even as a child.  I was immediately struck by the music bug, and for years I sang in school choirs.  In my teens I played drums in a band, until I learned a few guitar chords and became the singer/guitarist in the band!”






'MIssing Person' takes you back to the laid back US jazz/funk infused hits so popular in Studio 54 in New York, with its choppy guitar riffs and smooth vocal.  Dennis has a real feel for the funk!






Since then Dennis has been pouring his seemingly limitless creative energies into his music, writing songs, playing his trusty Canadian S&P 12- string guitar, singing, recording singles and albums, doing solo gigs and performing with his band.  To a broad range of original songs that cross musical boundaries from mainstream rock into funk, soul, folk, country and blues, he applies his sturdy and sensitive vocals to attract an ever-increasing number of fans both in Ireland and abroad.




'Wishes' hits a soulful groove, solid rhythm section and bass reminiscent of The Doobies - has to be said, (forgive the Smashy and Nicey link) it's funktastic and would make the ideal summer single release!




The tightness of his band comes from 10 years of loyal friendship and musical explorations with seasoned musical campaigners Michael Buckton (electric guitar), Craig Donaldson (bass) and Donald Hoban (drums).  You can hear their confident musicality on compositions such as 'Speeding Train', 'Wishes' and 'Missing Person'.  Those recordings  feature on the soul/funksters’ new album '#SoulRecall', which has been mastered by Ciaran Byrne, whose impressive studio CV includes Sinead O’Connor, U2, Van Morrison and Metallica.






Apart from regular live solo and band appearances around his native part of Ireland, McCalmont has also dipped into his bottomless pit of energy to work as a facilitator with several youth-orientated organisations, his engaging approach to music giving him an instant link with the participating youths.

He has co-written songs for a local musical production On A Wing And A Prayer at The Royal Theatre in Castlebar, raising much needed funding for 'Hospice', and he even penned a number about the Titanic tragedy, before Bob Dylan did likewise on his 2012 album Tempest.