hair france 'Hair France' is the new avant-rock vehicle for ex-'Happy Stack' main man Dan Watson. Between 1987-89 the New Zealander, was a member of the infamous 'Mcfilthies', the Auckland band which featured ex-'The Chills', 'Screaming mee-mee's' and future 'Stereolab' and 'Cake Kitchen' members. After arriving in Europe in "89 Watson based himself in London, Bordeaux, and Munich before settling in Dublin and putting together the first of many 'Happy Stack' line-ups. Early recordings reflected Watson's exposure to the lo-fi element of the 'Flying Nun' label, with the first 'Happy Stack' songs being captured on 2-track. At the end of the '90's 'breathe' was released by 'Folkrum Records' but the band had already started to expand and evolve from what Watson termed 'slo-fo' into an instrumental post/prog-rock unit. After a series of gigs playing with 'Do Make Say Think' 'Sweep The Leg Johny' and 'Tarentel' Watson called it a day for 'the Stack' and along with bassist Graham Keogh set up 'Hair France'. Their track 'Southern Ranchslider' has appeared on a couple of samplers and the band head into the studio in May. Dates in the spring in Scotland and a september tour of northern europe/scandinavia are planned for '06. Southern Ranch Slider link the mighty avon jr. the mighty avon jnr are film maker/musician dmc and who ever he can get into a rehearsal room. the mighty avon jnr want billy brown of the freshmen to produce their records. the mighty avon jnr feel more berlin than boston but are open to persuasion. the mighty avon jnr have an unlimited capacity for love. the mighty avon jnr sing about loss and fear from future memory. the mighty avon jnr are only in it for the money. Rapture me now link minit Minit is Jasmine Guffond and Torben Tilly, formed in Sydney in 1997. Drawing upon influences from experimental electronic, rock and avant-garde music, Minit aim to create a concordant relationship between a sound that holds emotive power and musicality and a sensitive 'microscopic' study of electro-acoustic phenomena. They use electronic, digital, sampling and mixing technologies to manipulate recorded and 'found' sound and to transcend conventional instrumental approaches to composition. Their music is anything but sterile technological examination. Instead they are trying to bring an open-ended experimentalism into the architecture of song, and vice versa. From digitally deconstructed 'songs' to expanded electro-acoustic works, Minit explore abstract sound as much as traditional musical forms, striving to produce a music that exists uniquely inbetween. CG link capratone 8 things you didn't know about Capratone: 1. The word Capratone derives from the Latin word "Capris", which means to rock out in an arty manner or disposition. 2. The Capratone line-up consists of RKelly on vocals and guitar, Key Incident on drums and vocals and Fiachra McCarthy on guitar and vocals. Bass playing duties are currently provided by the computer Deep Blue, which defeated Chess Grand Master Gary Kasparov in the worlds most famous "man Vs machine" match up. 3. Rock legend Glen Hansard had this to say about Capratone: "Who?" 4. Capratone's debut full-length album "Aviation High" remains unreleased to this day. It is simply too good. 5. The band pulled off a major coup this year by agreeing a sponsorship deal with the "Irish Sugar Board" and will promote a sugar-rich healthy diet in an unobtrusive manner. 6. Capratone will perform on the tarmac of Yassar Arafat Airport in the occupied territories of Gaza to celebrate the pullout of the Israeli army. Support is provided by Eminem and Paul McCartney. 7. A number of recent studies looking at diet and body weight in both children and adults found that body weight falls as the amount of sugar eaten rises. 8. Capratone are available for weddings, children's parties etc. Non-local link hulk Hulk is Dublin artist Thomas Haugh, who uses a combination of organic and electronic processed sound with live instrumentation to produce atmospheric and expansive music, at times plaintive and brooding and at other times uplifting. Over the past three years Hulk has released material on UK labels Static Caravan, Expanding and Melodic, as well as contributing to some on-line compilation projects. Debut album Silver thread of ghosts is the result of one and a half years’ work. It’s thematically based around notions of memory and travel. Described by the artist as a series of postcards from the last ten years or so, of my life..., the album title is drawn from these themes as well as describing the process of making the music; “...by taking a sound I’ve recording, and following it like a thread, ‘til it takes some kind of shape...”. Elephant Memory link karl him "Interested in both acoustic and electronic music the work I produce is a reflection of this. In some pieces, acoustic and electronic forms combined to make ambient works. Others form clicks and abstract sounds to construct melody. Recording from everything and anything..." "resiliently minimal....the soundworld has something in common with the music of Susuma Yokota.... at times approaching real beauty" Dublin Event Guide - Lee Casey "a lush and delicate sprinkling of acoustic soul and digital precision..........a breath of fresh air" Irish Times - Jim Carroll Ideas A present from my brother Ice storm link ambulance Ambulance are a predominantly electronic musical outfit from Dublin with an emphasis on live midi manipulation. Dunk was introduced to Trev by a mutual friend who insisted on their alliance due to their interest in programmed music. As Trev had working sequencing software, Dunk brought his first synth up to Trev's dining room in late 1997 where it has remained ever since. With the aid of two four-track tape mixers and a couple of synths they discovered a love of mathematically based melody and prolonged looping rhythms. Quickfire Code link boxes Boxes is a two piece rock band based in Dublin, Ireland. Gavin is the singer/guitarist/bassist, Mark is the drummer. They've been playing for three years and have supported Nomeansno, The Ex, Zu and loads of others. They are about to release their second album which they recorded in Electrical Audio in Chicago in April 2005. Their first album 'Big ships in the night small boats in the morning' was released in August 2003. Same Again link happy stack From its inception (1997) 'til its demise (circa 2002) HAPPY STACK was a constantly mutating entity. From lo-fi laconic matra-folk, to instrumental prog/post rock, and latterly minimalist drone unit. HAPPY STACK gigged with DO MAKE SAY THINK, SWEEP THE LEG JOHNY and TARENTEL amongst others. They had tracks on the folkrum records compilation "abstraction of sound logic" and on 2 vibrator samplers. Graham and Dan are now members of HAIR FRANCE. Breathe link colophon Colophon is Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, guitarist with San Fran's Tarentel. Cantu-Ledesma creates work of stark beauty. Haunting ambient pieces constructed from sparse piano and guitar, atmospheric field recordings and oscillating electronics. Colophon first surfaced in 2002 with the Spring e.p and have since released Love Loops (2004). Jefre also runs the excellent Root Strata label. Night falls on 15th street link thread pulls Thread Pulls are a band from Dublin, Ireland. They are Gavin Duffy, Ed Kelly and Peter Maybury. With their slow, angular spiked guitar trudge, Dublin three piece Thread Pulls is a formidable vehicle shunted forth by means of insistent rhythms, howling guitars and oscillating electronics. Summer Nearly there link schroedersound There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. 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There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. Thairockin We'd love to link tarentel There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good. Track 01 Track 02 Track 03 link