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news
2004
1ST NOVEMBER 04
Thanks to everyone for buying the album and for all the feedback which is arriving daily. Seán Óg is still concerned that the reviews have failed to single out his triangle playing on track 4. An eleven-minute triangle solo (in B-flat) is currently being considered for the 2nd album...
We’re finalising plans at the moment for the official ‘a lovely madness’ album launches, beginning in Ennis, Co Clare with the Saturday night concert at Ennis trad festival, followed of course by the now legendary ‘trad disco’. After Ennis we’ll be launching the album over several weeks at concerts in Dublin, Limerick, Birmingham (England), with Cork in early February.
The album is available online and is gradually becoming distributed to record stores. So, if it’s not on the shelf in your local shop, don’t be afraid to ask for it. We need the money (especially Damian… bless!).
Eamon is over in sunny Spain at the moment, playing with Peter Browne and Shane McGowan, however he will definitely be home before Ennis, as he has his weekly appointment for a ‘perm’ on a Tuesday. So, after we convince Seán Óg to invest in a new pair of socks, we’ll be ready for the road. Hoping to see you out at the gigs!
7TH SEPTEMBER 04
Hey folks, it’s been a while since we changed the news page but sure it’s worth the wait! Since we were talking to you last a lot has happened... Soggy has bailed over 30 acres of hay (round bales, using the Massey tractor) and Damian has moved 563 bags of crisps closer to his dream of a sponsorship deal from Golden Wonder!
We’ve had quite a busy time recently and the CD is finally in our hands. It can be purchased now on the Mad for Trad website and hopefully will hit the shops in the very near future. We’re all very happy with the finished article and hope you will be too, well worth the wait!
We’d a great time playing at Ballyshannon festival in early August, and we’re still on a high from the Gig’n the Bann festival. We played to a full house and got an almighty response from the home crowd, always good! Other acts on the bill included Kieran Goss and Danú among others, a powerful weekends craic!
We’re officially launching ’a lovely madness’ through the country over the coming weeks (and months), so keep an eye on the gig list to see if we will be anywhere nearby... so you can come to the gig and buy a hundred CD’s, it’s the least that one can do! In all seriousness though, let us know what you make of the album and if you ain’t got one yet, there might still be a few left in the boot of Liam’s car!
Bye for now, Beoga
20TH MAY 04
Hello folks,
Eamon here, just to tell you hardcore fans that the CD is in the very final stages and will hopefully hit the market in the next couple of months and all that’s left to sort out is the business end of things….yawn. We went for a photo shoot a few weeks ago with photographer Gary Parrott at his Belfast studio, thankfully he even made Sean Óg look presentable! My ‘Playgirl’ photo shoots from the past came in very handy and Gary said I had the looks and body of a Calvin Klein underwear model….actually that last statement was just conjured up in my head. In preparation for the shoot Damian went to the sun beds in Dunloy, but his plan backfired as his head resembled a large beetroot.
Myself and Sean Og are hitting the books for the next few weeks as we have exams coming up but after that the Beoga fest begins! As you know we played before Kila a few weekends ago in Donegal. The gig went great and the freestyle dancing afterwards went even better. Thanks to Theresa Kavanagh (T.K Maxx) for having us and we will hopefully make it back next year for the craic.
We played a gig at Corofin Music Festival back in March as you may remember, and at the Saturday night concert Sean Óg also accompanied Donegal fiddler Ciaran Mooney. I have to inform you that both of these extremely naughty boys spent the afternoon before the gig in the public house with the wine, women and song (how rude!) but below is a review of the gig as featured in the June’04 Irish music magazine...
“Saturday's concert brought me what I'm always hoping for, and am always astounded by, when it, so rarely, happens;a revelation. This time in the form of the fiddle playing of Ciaran 0 Maonaigh accompanied by Sean Óg Graham on guitar. Now, the concert is on the evening of the afternoon when Ireland has just beaten England in Twickenham at rugby for the first time in several hundred years (OK I exaggerate that but a Triple Crown is worth a few embellishments) and quite a few people including our two bold performers are in an exceedingly good mood. This is transmitted live and direct to the audience in Corofin's Teach Ceoil, which can only be described as an intimate venue, especially with around a hundred and fifty people in it: the front row being all of two feet from the stage. This was parlour music with attitude.
Ciaran 0 Maonaigh being from Donegal played tunes got from Tommy Peoples, lohnny Doherty and of course, his uncle, Frankie Kennedy. And believe me as the phrase goes 'they were flyin' it'.”
Well done lads!
11TH FEBRUARY 2004
Hello everyone. Just a quick update from me. (Seán Óg)
We’ve almost finished recording for the album, except a few touches here and there, to be done during the mixing stage. Actually we’ve still one more track to record too, so it might take a bit longer than expected. Apart from that the album is coming along brilliantly... we’ve had the following guests in recording with us over the past weeks and their musicianship and contribution has been outstanding:
James Blennerhasset: Acoustic and Electric Bass
Zoë Conway: Fiddle
John Fitzpatrick and String Quartet
Peter Tomelty: Saxophone
Brona Graham: Banjo/Mandolin
John Duffin: Low and High Whistles
It’s 6 months since we first began by recording the demo’s, so we’re really looking forward to the final result. Many long hours and a lot of dedication have gone into it. In fact McKee’s lost half a pound in weight and Eamon almost cancelled football one night! Some of our sets have changed quite a bit (for the better!) while we were in the studio, so we’re practicing the new versions for upcoming live performances.
I’m currently recording an album in Limerick, playing guitar for the Dunne family at a studio in Milltown Malbay. Quite a talented family they are too, so watch this space. I was also in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago teaching accordian workshops and luckily I was there during the famous international ‘Celtic Connections’ festival, and what a festival it is! Well worth a return visit!
Liam and Damian leave on Thursday to play in California for a couple of weeks. They’ll be playing for Irish dancers in San Francisco and LA, so if anyone’s talking to them be sure to tell them to be on their best behaviour! Anyway that’s all from me as I’m trying to watch the great Austin Powers while doing this! Chat to ye soon. Soggy