Category: music

The Andy Irvine Gig in St Luke’s Was One Of The Highlights of This Year

So a few weeks ago I reviewed Rainy Sundays Windy Dreams by Andy Irvine. Here’s that: https://autismneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2024/03/18/rainy-sundays-windy-dreams-from-ireland-to-the-balkans-and-back-again And I mentioned in it I would soon be going to see Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny playing in St Luke’s. Sadly, Donal Lunny couldn’t make the gig due to health issues, and I hope he makes a … Continue reading The Andy Irvine Gig in St Luke’s Was One Of The Highlights of This Year →

Rainy Sundays… Windy Dreams, from Ireland to the Balkans and Back again

In 1979, Andy Irvine released his first solo album. This was far from his first encounter with the music world, he had at this point already been in two quite innovative and memorable Irish trad groups, Sweeney’s Men in the 1960’s, and in the 1970’s, the one, the only, Planxty, the band that took Irish … Continue reading Rainy Sundays… Windy Dreams, from Ireland to the Balkans and Back again →

Handful Of Earth, An Essential Scottish Folk Album With Obscenely Good Guitar Playing

Too often, I end up never getting to see my favourite musicians play, travel anxiety makes it difficult to see them in Dublin, and impossible to see them outside Ireland. And I can be so scatterbrained at times that they will come to play in my city and I will simply be unaware of it. … Continue reading Handful Of Earth, An Essential Scottish Folk Album With Obscenely Good Guitar Playing →

Summer Make Good, Soothing and Scary Sounds From Iceland

Iceland’s folk music has to a large extent, been lost to history. In Ireland, or Scotland, Norway, Hungary or Bulgaria, it’s easy enough to find examples of those country's folk songs to listen to. Sadly, this is not the case with Iceland. However, Iceland has done something different, that many countries have not managed to … Continue reading Summer Make Good, Soothing and Scary Sounds From Iceland →

Power Windows, A Glorious Meeting Between Prog And Eighties Pop

There is what I feel is an incorrect narrative about Rush’s music that I think too many fall for, even myself at times. And that is, “From Farewell to Kings until Moving Pictures, they had the exact right amount of synthesizers, but from that point on, you couldn’t move for the amount of synthesizers, jaysus … Continue reading Power Windows, A Glorious Meeting Between Prog And Eighties Pop →

The Devin Townsend Concert Of December 2019, It Cured All Of My Sorrows

Content Warning: This won’t just be a concert review, I’ll also be talking about issues related to anxiety and depression. “Ah, that’s a hyperbolic title,” you must be thinking. “It was a really good concert sure, but surely not enough to pull you out of feelings of sadness.” “Surely this, “progressive metal”, as you young … Continue reading The Devin Townsend Concert Of December 2019, It Cured All Of My Sorrows →

I Have Absolute Pitch. Eh, It’s Alright I Suppose

So, years before I realized I was autistic, and years before I was diagnosed with autism, I found out I was actually neurodivergent in another way. That is, I have absolute pitch. So, does this give me a massive advantage when it comes to music? No. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your … Continue reading I Have Absolute Pitch. Eh, It’s Alright I Suppose →

Flying Microtonal Banana, The Album That Started Me On the Road To Microtonal Music

Flying Microtonal Banana gets off to a strange and exhilarating start. The first track, “Rattlesnake”, opens with this very intense wind noise, and then the guitar intro comes in. There is nothing unusual about the tone of the guitar, an electric through overdrive, not too unusual, but the actual notes the guitar is playing are … Continue reading Flying Microtonal Banana, The Album That Started Me On the Road To Microtonal Music →

No, Jimi Hendrix Did Not Say Rory Gallagher Was the Best Guitarist In the World, But Let’s Talk About Why Rory was Legendary

It happens every time. I’m having a great conversation with somebody about Rory Gallagher. We’re talking about what a good slide player he was, how Deuce was so underrated, how he couldn’t have found a better bass player in Gerry Mcavoy. And then it happens. I hear those three terrible words “Didn’t Jimi Hendrix.......” And … Continue reading No, Jimi Hendrix Did Not Say Rory Gallagher Was the Best Guitarist In the World, But Let’s Talk About Why Rory was Legendary →