Episode 1 begins as the recording sessions began; back in April on the first day in the Mill Studio, as the lads from South set up their gear. The mood was giddy and as they got everything ready; Daw tried to get his head around the idea of recording himself playing the drums. The first few days of recording focused on the drums so when editing the footage it seemed natural for the first episode to go that way.

As with the two upcoming episodes; this episode pays particular attention to an individual song, in this case, the previously unheard track ‘Downpour’, which will appear on South’s upcoming debut (out July 31st). I don’t know how many times I’ve had to listen to this song, it doesn’t really matter because I don’t think I can get tired of it, but when cutting the music-video sequence together I kept it to a fairly basic cutting style in comparison to the episodes that follow. At this stage I must also point out that the music used is not the final mix of the song, you’ll have to wait until the album comes out on July 31st, but it’s an awesome sneak preview.

As my first completely solo-project, it was difficult to come to terms with trying to do a two camera shoot on my own. I had to constantly be thinking the cuts in my head; with the Canon XAH1 (recording on tape) set up on a tripod to capture my master shot of each instrument during each take (and using the manual focus to get some nice pick-up shots in between), whilst always moving around getting cut-to’s on the Canon HG10 (recording on hard drive) mounted on my steadycam. The result was a hell of a lot of coverage that needed to be synced and then chipped away at.

Now that it’s finally finished I’d like to say thanks to the people who helped along the way; firstly thanks to Thomas, Ken and Daw for the opportunity to join them and work on something together, our time together in the studio was so much fun. I know it can’t have been easy to constantly have a camera in your face but thanks for not pulling a Christian Bale every time I moved a light or a flash went off in your face!? Having watched all the episodes with the lads during the week; I’m delighted to say that they loved them and I’m looking forward to working on music videos and the tour in the coming weeks.

I also have to say a huge thank you to Alan Slattery; for providing me with equipment and constant technical advice throughout the entire process. From frantic phone calls because I thought I broke his camera on the first day; because there’s a stupid button on the side that appears to have the only function of: making a camera act broken!? To solving the problem of each camera recording in a different codec through tape & hard drive. Right through the endless questions: how do I do that? What’s that yoke? I pushed this and now what’s happened? How do I make it do that and then turn everything inside out!? Thank you Sla and thanks for the colour grading that made everything look awesome in the end!

If your reading this then, please take 10 minutes to sit back and watch South – ‘The Making Of Insula’ Episode 1. As always comments would be greatly appreciated and don’t forget Episode 2 goes online next week and if you’re on Twitter then don’t forget to follow South for updates and news (and let them know what you think of ‘Downpour’).

Both bands have just released a list of gig dates; which includes performances in Kilkenny, Dublin (Whelan’s), Cork (Fred Zeppelin’s), Carlow (The Tavern), Waterford (Twister Vicks) and you can rest assured there’s even more dates to follow.

Having spent most of June sitting in front of a computer, I’m really looking forward to getting out and touring with both bands as they push their debut albums nationwide.

I already have plans and ideas for plenty of on the road photo & video content which will keep me busy throughout the Summer.

But first things first, I have to finish the videos and photos I’m currently working on, all of which will be appearing online very soon.

Make sure you don’t miss out this Summer; check gig listings for The Lions Mane on MySpace & Bebo and gig listings for South on MySpace & Bebo.

Further information and announcements will be made through MyMusic.ie later this week.

I’ve got one more segment to tackle; the footage has been synced and I’m going to try out yet another style for this video, with each of the episodes having a slight difference to cutting patterns and style based on the songs themselves.

I’m hoping to have them fully assembled in the next week or so before doing the fine cuts and then looking at some colour correction and after effects. Then a proper sound mix. My “to do” list is still fairly long but I’m happy that the project is running roughly in time with approaching deadlines.

As it stands the tracks for South’s debut offering are in the final mixing stages, soon to be mastered. South should also be announcing the launch & tour dates very soon, so keep an eye on their newly revamped MySpace.

Two weeks ago I did a series of photoshoots with the lads with the intention of shooting the cover & promo material for the album. The first shoot took place on a Saturday night, transforming my sitting room, moving the furniture around and confiscating every moveable light source I could get my hands on to test different lighting techniques and ideas. Shooting on a 19-35mm wide angle lens (thanks Ken) for the first time. The resulting photos & behind the scenes videos may never be seen!? I’ve still got a lot of work to do on them and the content may just be too funny. Maybe the less I say about it… the better!?

The following Sunday we hit the new HotShotz Studio in Callan (thanks Benny), continuing with the same ideas from the night before we shot a series of cover possibilities. The shoot was my first shoot using a Canon 5D using a EF21-105mm macro zoom lens with a full studio lighting setup behind me. And although I can’t publish any of the shots online yet, rest assured they’ll be coming in the next few weeks.

I have uploaded a sort of teaser image from the studio shoot, a bit of filler until the rest goes online, a brand new behind the scenes shot from my studio shoot with South. Shot on my Nikon D80, 19-35mm wide angle lens, on a tripod, using the timer. Then a bit of playing around with texture layers.

Check it out here, plenty more coming soon.

I’ve known Alan Dawson for about 14 years; during that time we’ve worked together on countless projects and will hopefully work on countless more. He’s one of my best friends, we’re housemates and although these could be the questionable points when I talk about ‘Strands‘, the debut album from progressive grunge experiment the Lions Mane, I’m hoping that anything I do say will be taken from this point of view; I’m not doing this because he’s my friend but I’ll be damned if I’m not supposed to talk about something this good just because friendship is involved!?

This post is more of a shout out to somebody whom I greatly admire as a musician, in the hopes that I can help spread his music to anybody willing to listen; because in my opinion it deserves to get heard. He doesn’t need me to sell his album, his music speaks quite clearly for itself. But I do feel privileged to have witnessed his progress this far as a musician, to the extent that I have to talk about it.

Over the course of our friendship I’ve watched Daw grow and develop as a musician; from the early days of fondly remembered GIGOTOS to playing in pub cover bands. He brought the heavy reggae influence to musical collaboration the Happy Medium and if anybody remembers correctly Itchy Trigger Finger were a pop rock band before he joined. His contribution led to their development towards a progressive sound.

Through the years I’ve watched in awe; as he played numerous instruments from guitar to drums. He immersed himself in every aspect of music making from being a live engineer to being a producer. He has had a huge input into the music scene in Kilkenny. And with each musical endeavor he brought something of his own into the equation. Most bands have a short life span, especially when you’re young; bands are thrown together based on friendships or image. They fall apart or just go nowhere because there was never anything there musically in the first place. Even if musical ability is there then influences change, priorities change and let’s face it some people are just assholes!?

But without going off on one, the point I’m trying to make is that some people will continue to get better despite the small town mentality that plagues music scenes, the backstabbing, the bitching and the unnecessary drama, the “he said, she said” lack of communication. I’ve witnessed all these factors through each of Daw’s musical adventures and I couldn’t help feel like all this bullshit did nothing but hold him back. He’s never been into “the scene to be seen” mentality and I can quote him warmly with “I just want to play some fucking good music!”.

So it was no surprise to me, back in early 2008, when he set up The Lions Mane Myspace account with the intention of releasing his music anonoymously; eliminating the importance of who was in the band or what they looked like, making “music for music’s sake”. He wrote the music, he played all the instruments, he did the recording and the mixing, and the result caught peoples attention. Demand for gigs led to several successful live performances in Kilkenny and Dublin in 2008, with Daw on vocals and guitar accompanied by various line-ups of musicians; each from other Kilkenny bands (Pigeon Hole, Chemical Addiction, South).

Following the gigs, he went in to the studio once again, to record additional tracks for the album, this time accompanied by drummer James O’Brien. A permanent fixture for live performances, the young percussionist quickly became an integral part of The Lions Mane, reinforcing the experimental concept with an innovative style.

‘Strands’ was due for release late last year but did not come into fruition, due to close scrutiny in the mixing stages. For the past few months, it was a common sight in our sitting room to see Daw, surrounded by empty coffee mugs, working on new mixes, constantly tweaking the sounds or unhappy with the result to the extent that he would re-record elements until everything was right.

After months of development; I’m delighted to say ‘Strands’ is finally available to buy online, exclusively through The Lions Mane’ official website www.iamthelionsmane.com. And I have no quams in saying that it’s a debut offering that he should be damn proud of. With the anonomyity of the project well and truly a thing of the past, he would still rather remain in the shadow of the music. But I feel I have to point him out because I think ‘Strands’ is a testament to his struggles and that his abilities and talent have well and truly prevailed.

Drawing influences from a wide range of genres; stemming from the progressive sounds of 70’s bands like Yes and King Crimson to the roots reggae style of Steel Pulse, whilst combining the raw grunge of 90’s Seattle bands, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, with the modern day sounds of The Mars Volta and Tool. The Lions Mane debut album ‘Strands’ has it’s own style of melodic riffs interwoven with chunky guitars, layered vocals and strong rhythmic patterns.

I’ve waited a long time for him to make this album and it doesn’t disappoint, kudos to you dude. Long may the Lion roar!

I’m giving away two free downloads of ‘Strands’ so if you want to be in with a chance to win then just answer the following question: Name all five original members of GIGOTOS?

If you think you know the answer then just leave a comment on this post. The first two correct comments will win a free download of the album.

For the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of joining the progressive grunge rockers in the Mill Studio and I was armed to the teeth with cameras & equipment, shooting on two video cameras plus my D80; finally getting a chance to test my steadicam and my off camera flash triggers, quite literally sticking cameras in their faces throughout the process.

Hanging out in the studio with the lads was so much fun but capturing the recording process and witnessing 12 awesome tracks come together for their debut offering; that I have no doubts will be an awesome album, was nothing short of an absolute pleasure.

So as the recording process draws to a close, here’s a little taste of things to come; the teaser trailer for ‘The Making Of Insula‘ and a teaser image (one of my first attempts using my off camera flash triggers for a strobist style). As usual feedback and comments would be very appreciated.

South’s debut album ‘Insula’ will be released this Summer along with a host of videos, photos and more… so for future updates make sure and subscribe to their blog on the South MySpace.

NOTE: Please view the above video in HD for best results.

The tour itself was a great success, taking in 8 national venues across Dublin, Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford, Sligo, Limerick and more. Having already had the pleasure of seeing Clive Barnes (legend!) several times before and working with him earlier this year for promo-shots (which were used for the tour), I was really looking forward to getting another chance to shoot him live.

Clive Barnes is a familiar face on the roots music circuit and has been steadily gaining himself a worldwide reputation as one of the finest lap slide/regular acoustic guitarists on today’s scene. He has four critically acclaimed albums released to date, with ‘Welcome to Farewell’ winning Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s (USA) ‘Album of the Year Award 2002’. He’s also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, his countless stories and live performances are nothing short of pure entertainment.

I’ve been listening to Australian based musician Jeff Lang’s ‘Whatever makes you happy’ album (just 1 of 13 studio albums) repeatedly for weeks now, and I was really looking forward to meeting him, seeing him live and having the opportunity to shoot another legend on stage. (Having done all that, I’m now looking forward to catching up on his huge back-catalogue of albums.)

Jeff Lang has earned international acclaim as a virtuosic guitarist, a dynamic songwriter and a “startlingly unique” live performer, playing at major festivals and venues internationally for the past decade. Blending rock, roots, folk, blues, ballads, instrumentals, improvisations and a devastatingly high level of musicality. Long acclaimed as a superbly gifted guitarist, he is now gaining recognition as a master songwriter. Much to my delight, he’s also filled with hilarious stories from adventures on the road (told in an awesome Australian accent), and his live performances are also nothing short of pure entertainment.

Jeff was joined on the tour by renowned Melbourne-based bassist Grant Cummerford. Another legend in my opinion. And having the pleasure of listening to Clive, Jeff and Grant off-stage was an experience itself, I don’t think myself and Ken have ever laughed so much, whilst picking up Aussie terms like “trough-lollies” and “slurp roads”.

My latest series of shots captures Clive Barnes’ performances in Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny and Barry’s in Grange, County Sligo. Unfortunately, due to the lights creating a buzz through the P.A in Cleeres, I was reduced to shooting under a single spot-light, meaning I didn’t get to shoot Jeff because of his position on the stage. I made up for this in Barry’s.

Shooting Clive through a doorway at the side of the stage, with lights behind him giving nice flares and colour. I shot Jeff & Grant from the front of the stage, with Jeff on the left side directly under a horrible red-light (I hate them) and Grant fading into the dark-side of the stage, I initially struggled but eventually found a good setting to capture his awesome performance. Then I had the opportunity to shoot all of them together, as Clive joined Jeff and Grant on-stage for a few songs at the end.

I have to say the highlight of my adventures had to be sitting around with Ken, Clive, Jeff and Grant in Barry’s after the gig that night, once the crowd had left. Instruments were passed around for several hours, as the lads jammed together, swapping guitars and stories between songs. I can safely say I have never witnessed such unbelievable musical talent. I left my camera in it’s bag and sat in pure awe into the early hours of the morning, as I’ve said before quite simply in the company of legends.

You can check out all of my shots from the Clive Barnes & Jeff Lang 2008 Tour here in the KilkennyMusic Galleries, until the MyMusicPR website gets an overhaul for the official launch (more on that very soon).