My Cousin Andy on stage, on CD an in Print

Just back from the "big smoke" (or Belfast if you prefer) where my cousin Andy White orginally from Belfast has just launched his book to a crowd of native Norn Ironer's including myself.

I am just home with the new CD and Book and both are worth a listen and a read.. You can find details and a few tracks over on his web site.

You can find the CD "Songwriter" on amazon but there  is only 1 left!!! It is not on iToons yet , but keep and eye open if you like your music thoughtful, melodic and with good lyrics Cousin Andy is just the ticket!

The Book is called "21st century Troubadour" (and is a damn good read!!!) and isnt available on line as far as i can see but you can get it off his website (i think)

Here is his last Video If you want it sung with Allison Russell from the Canadian Band Po'Girl

Famous Cousin Andy is Playing WOMAD this year

YEAH .. just got the news that my cousin Andy White is playing WOMAD again this year !!!!

KUDOS Cousin!! :-) You da Man!

From the WOMAD Site

Northern Irish songwriter Andy White plays WOMAD Charlton Park, Sunday July 26, before taking the songwriting strand of the WOMAD Summer School at Bath Spa University, July 27-31. At the festival, Andy will preview his forthcoming album 'Songwriter' (Floating World), on release this September.

It's been twenty three years since Andy burst onto the UK music scene with his debut album 'Rave On'. "Yer Man's Brilliant" proclaimed Melody Maker, and the singer the UK press called 'Belfast's Bob Dylan' or alternately 'Ireland's Billy Bragg' was born.

Since then, Andy has become very much his own man. His lyric-driven acoustic rock, which owes as much to David Gray or the Waterboys as Dylan or Bragg, has become more engaging-and his social commentary more relevant-each year.

Andy has been closely involved with WOMAD for a number of years, sharing its core values and appearing at many WOMAD festivals worldwide. In 2000, the WOMAD Select label released 'Speechless', a live performance album featuring Andy's best-known songs and poems.

Lead track on Peter Gabriel's current album 'Big Blue Ball' is 'Whole Thing', a song Andy wrote with Peter, Karl Wallinger, Geoffrey Oryema and others at a Real World recording week.

Andy's career highlights include winning Ireland's Hot Press Songwriter of the Year award, recording and touring as the A in ALT along with Liam O Maonlai and Tim Finn, and working and writing with the some of the great names in the music world-the Finn Brothers, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison.

Andy's new album 'Songwriter' was co-written over the past few years with a number of collaborators, and recorded live in the studio in Vancouver, with a rootsy all-star line-up. A shift from the layered textures of his current album 'Garageband' which was recorded in Andy's new home of Melbourne, Australia, and Real World, and mixed by old friend and national treasure John Leckie.

As MOJO magazine said about Andy, "From rage to sage, it's not too late to discover one of our best kept secrets."

2 Week gap expected cos Im off on my holidays

Gentle readers, fellow GONADS in fact everyone.
There will now be a gap of 2 weeks where I will fall of the map as The McDonagh annual bachanalian orgy of Kelftiko, ouzo and best of all Mythos Beer is sought out and consumed prob in more than generous amounts. So Coatsie, Millsie and Buchan have a reprieve for the now. I slipped under the 15 stone mark yesterday.. YIPEE I am now offically 14 Stone "something" but that is unlikely to last.

I may pass the odd inet cafe on my travels and if I do I will check in , however if the last 30 years are anything to go by i may not be making a lot of sense, but then i never do.

Catch youse all sometime after the 15th

Learning how to fish from the masters.

There is a old Irish proverb that goes
"Listen to the sound of the river and you will catch a fish"
Which is what I did yesterday evening but as luck would have it I did very little catching and a lot of looking and listening. The main reason being their was a pod of harbour porpoise teaching some of their youngsters how to herd fish between the piers at the river mouth and then ambush them at speed. Nature has formed these creatures into warm blooded torpedoes capable of amazing turns of speed. Perhaps it I am seeing intelligence were none exists. But watching this family work the river to maximize their catch and involve the youngsters at every stage is indeed a marvel.

Needless to say the rod stayed out of the water and instead I watched when people stopped to ask why i wasn't fishing I would point out the little family of fishermen in the river and soon a small crowd had gathered. Good fun was had by all .. and we got a spectacular sun-set when just for a moment sunbeams speared through the thunderclouds.

A good day!

On the end of your children's childhood - and having birds shit on you.

My son Niall has just had his 18th Birthday (and is remarkably sober well done Niall) for all intents and purposes that is him an adult. Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that he and I would be sitting down to roar with laughter at Pingu (his favourite toon)

...Ohhh that is just sooooo good! :-)

Good old Neil Gaiman wrote in Sandman ...
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor."

It is such a damn shame we have to grow up ~sigh~ but grow up we do and lend our shoulders to the move the wheel of progress one notch further around. So a toast, here's to our children, long may we parents have them close in our hearts even when they are moving on to start their own lives ... Hurrah!