We had an absolute blast at Electric Picnic again this year. Our thanks to Marty Mulligan for including us on The Word stage in Mindfield. Our sincere thanks to the many hundreds of you who came out to catch our shows on Saturday and Sunday. And, of course, our profound love and gratitude to the incredible performers who graced our shows. The weekend wasn’t without it’s hiccups but we are incredibly proud of the two kickass shows we put on. Saturday saw us open with a rousing, raucous rendition of Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer , followed by mesmerising rhymes from John Cummins, hysterical sketches from The Brownbread Players and a sweet superstar set of music from the trio of Pearse McGloughlin, Sweeney Lee and Fia Rua. We closed it out with a suitably savage singsong version of Kalle’s alternative Irish national anthem ‘My Blood is Boiling for Ireland’ . Sunday saw us open the show with a boisterous version of Ole, Ole, Ole and segue sweetly into the superb songs of EleventyFour (fresh from her barnstorming set at the Body & Soul Main Stage), sharply followed by further funny sketches from The Brownbread Players, and closing out proceedings was the deft and daft touch of Fergus Costello and his Joe Foley Mandola. As the final refrain of the alternative anthem rung around the tent, we smiled to see an ocean of happy camping festival goers who had shared in a truly wonderful experience with us. We look forward to doing it all over again next year! Our regular show in The Stags Head returns on Wednesday Sept 26th, so stay tuned for that! Our podcast is still going strong and available on iTunes or from this very blog (XML feed at top of the menu on right hand side). Stay connected, stay in touch and stay happy. See you all soon!
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the brownbread mixtape is a free monthly live comedy, poetry & music show in Dublin, Ireland.
Each show has a theme. Each act does a performance based on the theme. We all have loads of fun. Simple as that.
The latest episode of our brilliant podcast is now available on iTunes, Soundcloud and as an RSS feed here on our blog (in the menu to the right of this post) . On the latest episode we have a great chat and studio session with superduper chanteuse EleventyFour and talk to her about her new single Snapshots, influences & inspirations and her secret love of crowd-surfing amongst other things.
Make us happy campers and download & subscribe to the podcast. Thanks to all of you who have subscribed already and for your warm feedback on Episode 01 with Pearse McGloughlin. We would be very grateful if you spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested in contemporary Irish music and spoken word. Make waves on the surf of the web…
Please do let us know what you think of the podcasts by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page. Alternatively send us a wee tweet or an electronic mail to thebrownbreadmixtape@gmail.com.See you all next time!
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the brownbread mixtape is a free monthly live comedy, poetry & music show in Dublin, Ireland.
Each show has a theme. Each act does a performance based on the theme. We all have loads of fun. Simple as that.
We are taking our raucous, wildly popular show to The Twisted Pepper to celebrate their 3rd birthday. The theme of the night will be “Celebrate, have a good time!” in keeping with the festive occasion. We have one of the most exciting lineups we have ever assembled for a show including the All Ireland slam poetry champion, award winning musicians, world class graffiti artists and our very own snappy, smart sketch comedy from The Brownbread Players. The show will be hosted, as always, by poetic powerhouse Kalle Ryan, ably assisted by resident jack-in-the-box Enda Roche. We also have a few ultra-special surprises in store that cannot be revealed until the night of the gig. And all for a recession busting 10 Euro. You would be an eejit to miss it.
Colm is quite simply one of our great Irish writers and he is one of our very favourite performers. He has been short-listed for the Sunday Tribune’s Hennessy X.O Literary Awards on four separate occasions for his poetry and short stories. As well as being the current All Ireland Poetry Slam champion, he also finds the time every month to run the magical and hugely popular Nighthawks gig at the Cobalt Café with Stephen Kennedy (which is deadly). He also appears regularly as a reviewer on Arena arts show on RTE Radio 1 and he will be releasing his first collection of poems with Salmon Press next year. Most recently he co-wrote (with Kalle Ryan and Stephen J Smith) and performed the award nominated ABSOLUT Fringe show “Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About”. Suffice it to say, Colm is the real deal and you’ll be learning his poems for the Leaving Cert if there is any justice. You lucky people get to see him here tonight in his element.
EleventyFour is a Cork-born fun-sized music maker based in Dublin, Ireland. Half comedy and all heart, audiences are tickled and charmed by her offbeat songs and banter. In 2010 The Irish Independent highlighted her in an article on the Web’s Best New Music. State Magazine featured her in their Faces of 2011 special edition and indeed the year Twenty Eleventy has been a special year for EleventyFour. She released her debut EP The Joy Imperative in April and subsequently did her first national tour. The EP prompted enthusiastic reviews, national airplay, and a spot on 2UIBestow’s list of 50 Best Irish Acts. EleventyFour was longlisted in the Emerging Talent Competition to play on the Main Stage at Glastonbury 2011. She made her Electric Picnic debut this year and was named one of the The 15 Best Bands At Electric Picnic 2011 by top Irish music blogger Nialler9. As well as all that, EleventyFour has written the exquisite and legendary Jeff Nelson song about a previous raffle winner at the brownbread mixtape. JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON! Come along and hear the epic tale told sweetly in stereo.
“It would be a hard heart that couldn’t be charmed by this solo female’s acoustic vignettes that are as comedic as they are brimming with melody.” – STATE MAGAZINE
Pearse hails originally from Sligo and in 2009 he released his debut album “Busy Whisper” to huge critical acclaim. Busy Whisper made many ‘Best Albums of 2009’ lists (No. 13 on Nialler 9, No. 6 on Phantom 105.2 and No.7 on Swear I’m Not Paul Blog) while the video for ‘Ways to Kill a Werewolf’ (Dir. Kevin McGloughlin) won an IMTV Award in the Best Male Video category. Pearse has performed at the most recent Hard Working Class Heroes Festival and released a well-received EP entitled “Twine” earlier this year. This year has also seen him tour in Ireland, Spain and France, while also finding the time to record a batch of new material for his forthcoming second album. Prepare yourself for a songwriter and musician at the height of his considerable powers. Poetic lyrics, exquisitely tight musicians and magical melodies.
“…soft-focused, mellow tunes delivered with quietly assured authority…” — Jim Carroll, The Irish Times
The Guilty Folk are Aidan Comerford and Sarah Williams, two people who get sexually-excited by the sound of applause. In reciprocation they will try to make you laugh and sing-a-long with their big fat songs about sex and love. Like most acts these days, their happiness is directly proportional to the amount of people who click “like” on their Facebook page on any given day. the brownbread mixtape is ecstatically excited to welcome them to the show and feels like a proud parent in their life story but we will leave them to tell that tale on the night. Raunchy, rude, rhythmic and harmonically melodious. An act you will not forget.
James Earley is one of Ireland’s leading graphic designers and mural artists. His Dublin based design consultancy Inputout is regarded as one of the very best in the business. Founded by James in late 2007, its work encompasses a wide variety of media from print and screen based graphic design to large scale graphic murals. For tonight’s event, James is going to create an original work of art live in the venue as the show progresses. In a wonderful bit of synchronicity, he is the designer of the Twisted Pepper logo, so he is well placed to celebrate and create something cool to mark the occasion. We are super excited to see what he comes up with!
One of the most enjoyable parts of the monthly brownbread mixtape show are the original sketches written and performed by our very own Brownbread Players sketch troupe (The Brownbread Players on Facebook). The troupe is made up of professional actors Gus McDonagh, Eva Bartley and Sean McDonagh, as well as our own chancer Kalle Ryan . All of the sketches are performed in the style of a live radio comedy show (akin to the classic Goon Show), complete with bloopers, giggles and audience interaction. They are consistently hilarious and are often the most popular element of our show. They are absurd, silly, satirical and a super-rapid-deadly-buzz!
We are delirious with excitement about our next gig. We have joined forces with the good people at Bodytonic and The Twisted Pepper to present a superduper, brainburstingly good show on their main stage on Nov 18th. Their brief to us was to put on the best show possible. So, we took that challenge and decided we would make it even better than that. The result is, quite possibly, the greatest single lineup we have ever had for one of our shows.
We asked every one of our favourite acts to be a part of it and loads of them came back with a resounding “YES!”. We also have some ultra secret, extraordinary surprises in store too, but you will have to come along to the show to find out more about those. So, on November 18th we present a soon-to-be-fabled slice of the brownbread mixtape showcasing the finest performers in Dublin’s contemporary arts and music scene. And all this for a mere 10 EURO!
This gig marks a huge evolution for our show and we really, really need your support. This is a chance for us to pay performers and grow musically, poetically, lyrically, spiritually, twisted pepperly and beyond. So, take a peek at the lineup below and then pick up a ticket in advance. If you don’t have the cash now, then please spread the word and share the Facebook event page or the Official Gig Listing on your twitter, facebook, google+ pages. Tell your friends, invite your enemies, convince your neighbours. Your support is so important to the success of the show.
Suffice it to say, this is going to go down as the best brownbread mixtape we have ever done and if you miss it, it will be like that time when you did that really embarrassing thing that still haunts you. Yeah, we know about that, you fool. Don’t be a fool again!
Colm is quite simply one of our great Irish writers and he is one of our very favourite performers. He has been short-listed for the Sunday Tribune’s Hennessy X.O Literary Awards on four separate occasions for his poetry and short stories. As well as being the current All Ireland Poetry Slam champion, he also finds the time every month to run the magical and hugely popular Nighthawks gig at the Cobalt Café with Stephen Kennedy (which is deadly). He also appears regularly as a reviewer on Arena arts show on RTE Radio 1 and he will be releasing his first collection of poems with Salmon Press next year. Most recently he co-wrote (with Kalle Ryan and Stephen J Smith) and performed the award nominated ABSOLUT Fringe show “Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About”. Suffice it to say, Colm is the real deal and you’ll be learning his poems for the Leaving Cert if there is any justice. You lucky people get to see him here tonight in his element.
EleventyFour is a Cork-born fun-sized music maker based in Dublin, Ireland. Half comedy and all heart, audiences are tickled and charmed by her offbeat songs and banter. In 2010 The Irish Independent highlighted her in an article on the Web’s Best New Music. State Magazine featured her in their Faces of 2011 special edition and indeed the year Twenty Eleventy has been a special year for EleventyFour. She released her debut EP The Joy Imperative in April and subsequently did her first national tour. The EP prompted enthusiastic reviews, national airplay, and a spot on 2UIBestow’s list of 50 Best Irish Acts. EleventyFour was longlisted in the Emerging Talent Competition to play on the Main Stage at Glastonbury 2011. She made her Electric Picnic debut this year and was named one of the The 15 Best Bands At Electric Picnic 2011 by top Irish music blogger Nialler9. As well as all that, EleventyFour has written the exquisite and legendary Jeff Nelson song about a previous raffle winner at the brownbread mixtape. JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON! Come along and hear the epic tale told sweetly in stereo.
“It would be a hard heart that couldn’t be charmed by this solo female’s acoustic vignettes that are as comedic as they are brimming with melody.” – STATE MAGAZINE
Pearse hails originally from Sligo and in 2009 he released his debut album “Busy Whisper” to huge critical acclaim. Busy Whisper made many ‘Best Albums of 2009’ lists (No. 13 on Nialler 9, No. 6 on Phantom 105.2 and No.7 on Swear I’m Not Paul Blog) while the video for ‘Ways to Kill a Werewolf’ (Dir. Kevin McGloughlin) won an IMTV Award in the Best Male Video category. Pearse has performed at the most recent Hard Working Class Heroes Festival and released a well-received EP entitled “Twine” earlier this year. This year has also seen him tour in Ireland, Spain and France, while also finding the time to record a batch of new material for his forthcoming second album. Prepare yourself for a songwriter and musician at the height of his considerable powers. Poetic lyrics, exquisitely tight musicians and magical melodies.
“…soft-focused, mellow tunes delivered with quietly assured authority…” — Jim Carroll, The Irish Times
The Guilty Folk are Aidan Comerford and Sarah Williams, two people who get sexually-excited by the sound of applause. In reciprocation they will try to make you laugh and sing-a-long with their big fat songs about sex and love. Like most acts these days, their happiness is directly proportional to the amount of people who click “like” on their Facebook page on any given day. the brownbread mixtape is ecstatically excited to welcome them to the show and feels like a proud parent in their life story but we will leave them to tell that tale on the night. Raunchy, rude, rhythmic and harmonically melodious. An act you will not forget.
James Earley is one of Ireland’s leading graphic designers and mural artists. His Dublin based design consultancy Inputout is regarded as one of the very best in the business. Founded by James in late 2007, its work encompasses a wide variety of media from print and screen based graphic design to large scale graphic murals. For tonight’s event, James is going to create an original work of art live in the venue as the show progresses. In a wonderful bit of synchronicity, he is the designer of the Twisted Pepper logo, so he is well placed to celebrate and create something cool to mark the occasion. We are super excited to see what he comes up with!
One of the most enjoyable parts of the monthly brownbread mixtape show are the original sketches written and performed by our very own Brownbread Players sketch troupe (The Brownbread Players on Facebook). The troupe is made up of professional actors Gus McDonagh, Eva Bartley and Sean McDonagh, as well as our own chancer Kalle Ryan . All of the sketches are performed in the style of a live radio comedy show (akin to the classic Goon Show), complete with bloopers, giggles and audience interaction. They are consistently hilarious and are often the most popular element of our show. They are absurd, silly, satirical and a super-rapid-deadly-buzz!
Hey folks, just a reminder that you can now download the limited edition brownbread mixtape CD for free from bandcamp below. It is a super little snapshot of the formative months of the show with memorable performances from incredible poets, marvellous musicians as well as hilarious sketches from our very own Brownbread Players. Go on, give them a go. Slices of delicious brownbread that will melt like butter in your ears.
Last year we put together a really nifty limited edition CD of performances from the early brownbread mixtape shows. The pristine recordings were engineered by the inimitable Enda Roche and the superb cover art was designed by New York filmmaker & designer David Bagnall. The end result was a truly unique piece of collectible art. We gave one copy to each performer and then raffled the handmade, numbered editions at our gigs throughout the year. Now that all 39 CDs (three baker’s dozens) are out there in the universe (growing in value daily!), we felt it was time to release the tracks digitally for all to hear.
So, it is with great pleasure we offer you the opportunity to stream the album or download it in its entirety below (or just download individual tracks if you prefer to cherrypick your favourites). You can also find them at our newly established Bandcamp site!
The tracks are a really interesting snapshot of the early days of the show as we moved from our original home in the basement of Shebeen Chic to our current wonderful abode upstairs in the Stag’s Head pub. There are moments of madness, fluffed lines, rambling stories, hilarious outbursts and, above all, fantastic performances. The show has undoubtedly changed in form and shape but these recordings capture the essential part of the show that remains the same today – at its core the brownbread mixtape is simply a great night out filled with positive energy where the audience and the performers always enjoy themselves through a shared experience.
We hope that you like it and encourage you to share it with others. We are also grateful to all of you who continue to spread the word about the show.
Find us, like us and spread us like a socially networked virus from the following places online: YouTube | Facebook | Twitter
It has truly been an incredible year for the brownbread mixtape, with the show going from strength to strength every month. By the end of the year we were drawing crowds of 100+ at every gig (with people spilling in to the hall and down the stairs) and each show has been buzzing with incredible magic and energy. The source of much of that buzz and electricity has been provided by the amazing musical acts at the brownbread mixtape.
It really feels as if we are going through a new golden age in music in Ireland and all of the acts who are listed below are at the heart of that. We are spoiled by the incredible calibre of acts here right now and we are always floored by the warmth and integrity of all of the performers who come to play at our show. They have been extremely supportive of the night and we are most grateful to them all. This generation of musicians are still among the best kept secrets around in Ireland, but not for much longer.
So please click away below. Take the time to listen and enjoy the music. Then support them and spread the word, post the links, update your status; so others can hear them and share in that joy too.
So, without further ado, in no particular order, these are the very best musical acts of 2010 at the brownbread mixtape…
Pearse is one of the very best songwriters in Ireland right now and we were thrilled to have him perform with us on more than one occasion at the brownbread mixtape. This rendition of his song “Morning Mist” was recorded during his terrific set at the Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford back in October. It is a song that defies you to not want to sing its catchy chorus of “For the birds, the brids, the birds…” (So much so that Kalle included it in his poem “The Reformartists”.) Pearse released a great EP this year entitled “Twine” (hear the title track live at BBMT here), which featured our very own Enda Roche on percussion and it is currently available on iTunes and Bandcamp. Do yourself a favour and get it. It’s a gem. 2011 promises much for the Sligo native and we hope to see him soon again on the brownbread stage. [For more info: www.walkperson.net]
Elder is a sparkling lyricist and marvellous performer. His debut album “Nobody Knows” is a record filled with evocative songs and when he performs them live they are given another atmospheric twist again. This recording of his song “Time Will Tell” is taken from his performance at our show in Downes Bar as part of the Imagine Arts Festival. Elder is a troubadour at the height of his considerable powers. Make it your goal to hear him live as soon as possible. [For more info: www.elderroche.com]
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4. Herm
Herm played a cracking set at our “Love Stinks” themed show back in June. Of the many fantastic songs that night (including an emotional rendition of ‘Sad Song’ by the late Clancy] their performance of the current single “Rearrange” particularly stood out. A great example of songwriter Kevin Connolly’s quirky lyrics and mighty ear for a melody [For more info: www.herm.tv]
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5. Blood Red Mountain Band
The Blood Red Mountain Band play blisteringly fun, good old timey music with a decidedly Dublin twist. At any given time there can be up to 10 people onstage, but on the night they played with us it was just three (Mark, Joeby and Liza). The band had the room absolutely stomping along from the get-go with this rowdy cover of “Ophelia” (originally by The Band) and they took it up another notch with their original tunes thereafter. We liked their 33 1/3 bar blues so much we used at as the soundtrack to this funky timelapse film of the night they performed.
The Guilty Folk write and perform ribald, raucous and rude little tunes that are eminently sing-along-able. Damn them. They have no right being this catchy and funny. Or that naughty. Aidan and Sarah actually reconnected as friends at one of the very first brownbread mixtapes, so we feel partially responsible for the ensuing magic and mirth. Not so much for the naughtiness. That’s mostly Aidan’s doing we reckon. They performed this cracking rendition of the very funny “Hate Sex” to a deliriously giddy crowd and it really shows on the recording. (They also did a brilliant collaboration with EleventyFour on the night called Happy) They are one of the most popular acts we’ve booked at the brownbread mixtape and they recently reciprocated their love for the audience at our christmas party by performing a new song called AWLF (Audience We’d Like to F*ck). We all look forward to a recording that! If you know what we mean. [For more info: The Guilty Folk on Facebook and their funny Cleverly Titled Blog]
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7. Leanne Harte
Leanne has been writing and performing songs for several years and that shines through in her gentle easygoing stage manner. Her gorgeous, delicate rendition of “Wrote Away” at our July show was a stunning moment in which you could have heard a pin drop. Breathtaking stuff. Last year she also released a gorgeous acoustic album entitled “An Irish Girl in Paris” and it can be purchased on iTunes. After a spell away from the live scene, Leanne is back and absolutely on fire. She is an act of the highest quality and not to be missed. [For more info: www.leanneharte.com]
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8. EleventyFour
EleventyFour could be described as a quirky and engaging songstress, but that wouldn’t do her nearly enough justice. She is one of our very favourite performers at the brownbread mixtape (she performed at our very first show ever, back in the day!) and she writes songs that are filled with equal parts of humour and humanity. This recording of “The Friend Song” at our Imagine Festival slot captures her at her charming and melodic best. EleventyFour also created brownbread mixtape history this year by writing a song about a former raffle prize winner, the now legendary Jeff Nelson, and the song has become a firm favourite of ours. JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON…
2011 (TwentyEleventy) promises much for EleventyFour , with an upcoming EP release amongst other things, so we look forward to seeing her back onstage with us again! Seek her out and support her live shows. She is awesomer than awesome. [For more info: EleventyFour’s Blog]
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9. James Guilmartin
Jimmy is a top drawer singer-songwriter whose songs have a sweet familiarity to them, yet also seem cut from a different cloth. This performance of ‘Gypsy Love Song’ is langorous and lush, ably assisted by our very own Enda Roche on harmonies, percussives and ‘mouth-trumpet’. He also performed a cool cover of Al Green’s classic “Lets Stay Together” on the night and the good-natured audience participation is testament to the brilliant atmosphere he generated in the room! A top performer whose recent debut album “Intor Into Exile” is well worth picking up. [For more info: James Guilmartin on MySpace]
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10. Bill Coleman
Bill Coleman put out a remarkable album this year called “You Cant Buy Back Your Life” (click here to see the astonishing artistic endeavour he went through to physically put it together ) and it was filled with his trademark songs of hope, melancholy and heart-thumping euphoria. Seeing Bill live is another beast entirely, but no less exciting. Working with loop pedals and an acoustic guitar, he builds vocal soundscapes that draw you in and grab you tightly. This recording of “I Want You To Know” closed out his set with us in April and it brought the house down. Bill is touring his album in 2011 and you will not want to miss him if he shows up in your neck of the woods. And by the way, pick up a copy of the album, it is a unique physical piece of art in a world of uniformly anonymous downloads. [For more info: www.bcoleman.com]
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11. Fiach
It is quite possible that Fiach is the hardest working man in showbusiness. It is certainly true that Fiach is a savage songwriter and has buckets of charisma on stage. This year he released his eagerly awaited debut album “So I” which won him massive plaudits. He can also number legendary Waterford songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan as a fan too. This performance from our “Things That Are Cool” themed night, showcases Fiach’s trademark impish humorous onstage charm alongside his considerable songwriting skills. Fiach tours regularly and is deserving of your support. His album is available now on iTunes. Go on. Get it. [For more info: www.fiach net]
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12. Rory Faithfield
Rory is originally from Australia but has called Ireland his home for some time now. His most recent album “Songs for Sooner” is a stunner and can be picked up from his official website and the usual online outlets. Rory arrived on the brwnbread mixtape stage armed with an acoustic guitar, a loop pedal and a healthy punk rock ethos. This video of his performance is pieced together from a series of timelapsed webcam recordings of the show and Rory’s atmospheric song “Into The World” lends a perfect soundtrack to the images. Enjoy! [For more info: www.faithfield.com]
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13. The Secret Gospel Choir
The Secret Gospel Choir are one of those cool, exciting brownbread mixtape stories. They had formed only shortly beforehand through a shared love of choral singing in a well known Dublin choir. Their performance at our “Secrets” themed show ended up being one of the true highlights of the year and it seems hard to believe that this was their first time ever onstage together. In fact, they were so brand new that their name was made up on the spot by Kalle as they had yet to christen themselves. This performance of the Billy Ocean classic “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” has bundles of joy, quirkiness and gorgeous harmonies. It’s hardly any wonder that they have already been snapped up to sing for other fantastic musicians. We love the secret choir. And that’s not a secret.
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14. Wayne Brennan
Wayne is a phenomenal guitar player and a hypnotic presence onstage. He recently released a wonderful album of songs entitled “In My Hands” which can be purchased on iTunes and the usual outlets. This performance of his instrumental piece “Peace in Your Mind” is a briliant showcase of his wizardry on the Spanish guitar and an electrified audience duly responded with roars of appreciation. (Earlier in the night he had performed a brilliant cover of Spanish Caravan by The Doors ) Wayne will be touring around Ireland in early 2011 so go out and catch him live if you can. It is an unforgettable experience. [For more info: www.waynebrennan.com]
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15. Miss Paula Flynn
Paula Flynn writes and performs gorgeous, heartfelt songs. Many of you will recognise her as the voice of the cover version of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” from the Ballygowan ad, or indeed as the other half of Jinx Lennon’s live show in recent years. But Paula is a gifted and arresting solo songwiter in her own right these days. This recording of “Little Miss Forkhill” (ably assisted by Greg McAteer on guitar) is a sweet, meditative look back at her formative years in Forkhill , Co. Antrim. She was kind enough to proclaim that the brownbread mixtape is “the best session in Ireland” and we think she is pretty damn amazing herself! [For more info: www.misspaulaflynn.com]
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Special shout-out:
Rook and the Ravens
Rook and the Ravens are from Manchester and have a solid fanbase of followers here in Ireland, which means we have the privilege of seeing one of the very best acts from the UK several times a year in Dublin. The lads are one of the most popular acts we have ever had at the brownbread mixtape. They sing gorgeous three-part harmonies, layered with trebly guitars, that would make Crosby, Stills and Nash weep. Kalle and Enda were asked to MC their single launch night at Crawdaddy and it was one of the most raucous, fun nights of the year. And the single sold pretty well too! Do not dare miss them the next time they roll into town. They are the real deal. [For more info: www.ravensmusic.com]
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And that was pretty much that as far as the music goes. We throughly enjoyed every minute of it and we hope that you did too. Check out our YouTube channel for loads of other brilliant performances from this year and last year as well. And please share this page or the individual YouTube links with others if you dig them.
Go out there and support live music when you can. This golden age of music depends on your support!
It’s the end of the year and time to be reflective, pensive and festive! So we thought we would take a peek back and celebrate the incredible year we have had at the brownbread mixtape!
The show has now grown into a remarkable event that is attended by 100+ people each month and our YouTube channel now has over 100 videos of incredible performances from the show too. Sincere thanks to every single performer and to every one of you who attended & supported the night this year. You make the show what it is.
So, please join us and take a quick look at the many cool brownbread mixtape achievements and delights in 2010.
Back in February, Marcel at the Dublin Community Blog interviewed Kalle and Enda about the brownbread mixtape and it turned out to be a really great snapshot of the night, as well as being instrumental in drawing a new crowd to our shows.
“…one of the most interesting events that is currently happening in Dublin city is this monthly themed night of music, spoken word and performance…”Read the full article here
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MARCH 2010 – The Best of the Batch: A Baker’s Dozen of Brownbread Mixtape Tracks
In March we compiled and designed a seriously cool collection of our favourite performances from the brownbread mixtape shows thus far.
Filmmaker and designer David Bagnall from New York City put together the brilliant cover art.
We then made up a limited run of 39 copies (3 baker’s dozens) and each one was handmade & numbered. They were subsequently raffled off at our shows and are destined to be collector’s items!
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APR 2010 – Our Blood Is Boiling For Ireland!
Kalle wrote a song entitled “My Blood is Boiling for Ireland” and recorded it at Enda’s studio in Leixlip. He submitted it to the Irish Times for their alternative Irish national anthem competition and then promptly forgot about it. Then something amazing happened!
The competition, judged by members of the Duckworth Lewis Method and staff of the Irish Times, deemed Kalle’s rousing anthem to be the winner! COME ON IRELAND!
The new alternative Irish national anthem had been given a stamp of approval (as well as prize money and Electric Picnic tickets!) and a blood-boiling new Irish beast was born!
“It was somehow angry, fun and patriotic all at the same time.” – Shane Hegarty, Irish Times (Read full article here)
Following airplay on Today FM and a positive response from so many of you, it has gone on to become a cult hit on YouTube, clocking up thousands of hits. BOOM!
Of course it has since become the signature closing number at every brownbread mixtape show, usually delivered raucously and fervently in true drink-taken style. It will continue to be our unofficial Irish anthem and we fully endorse the Facebook campaign to make it an official anthem at Irish sporting events.
Spread the word. Sing it in pubs. Shout it at matches. Roar it in your sleep. Maintain a constant rolling boil!
COME ON IRELAND!
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JUNE 2010 – Bubblin Dublin and the DIY effect!
In June we were honoured to be included in a fascinating article by Davin O’Dwyer in the Irish Times that took a look at the growing trend of “DIY events” in Dublin. The wonderful, collaborative spirit that currently abounds in the arts scene was nicely captured and gave readers a real insight into the wealth of affordable and free high quality gigs that are happening around this fair city.
“…a decidedly more freewheeling atmosphere, is the Brown Bread Mixtape, a monthly blend of Scrap Saturday-style sketches, poetry, music and stand-up comedy hosted by poet Kalle Ryan and musician Enda Roche in the Parlour Bar above the Stag’s Head pub…” Davin O’Dwyer, Irish Times (read the article in full here. It also features brilliant photos from the May gig, taken by the talented Jessica Ryan)
Kalle’s poem, The Reformartists, that is mentioned in the article was performed several times during the year at the brownbread mixtape and can be viewed below. It contains references to many of the individuals and gigs mentioned in the article such as the Glor Sessions, Nighthawks and more. See if you can spot them.
Something is really happening!
——————————————————————————————————————— AUG 2010 – The Guilty Folk sees Brown Bread Rising
The fantastic musicmakers The Guilty Folk also have a very nifty and often humorous blog about contemporary music and arts. (As an aside, band members Aidan and Sarah met at one of the first brownbread mixtapes and have been collaborating ever since) In August, Aidan wrote a glowing review of the brownbread mixtape. It was the first ever review of the night and he did a terrific job of capturing the essence of the night. In fact, he was generous, cool, insightful, witty and absolutely correct.
“There’s nothing quite like it in Dublin, and it should be considered a treasure” ( Read the full review here )
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SEPT 2010 – Who’s that on the horizon? Why its Jeff Nelson of course!
In September we had a raffle as per usual, but it was no ordinary raffle. It created a legend. The theme of the night was “Secrets” and in keeping with that, we had a secret grand prize contained in a brown envelope marked “Top Secret”. When the winner was announced, we asked him to approach the stage to open it in front of everyone. That winner was called Jeff Nelson. The crowd began chanting his name continuously throughout the night. He was mentioned in song intros and outros by all of the acts onstage. A legend was born.
Cut to one month later, EleventyFour was on the bill at the brownbread mixtape. She had been in the audience the previous month and had chanted “JEFF NELSON, JEFF NELSON…” along with us all. In a lightbulb moment of inspired musical brilliance she had composed a song entitled “Jeff Nelson” to honour the mysterious legendary figure. The song is a classic and unsurprisingly it was emphatically and instantly embraced by the adoring crowd. A truly magical moment!
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OCT 2010 – The brownbread mixtape on tour!
In October we were thrilled to take the brownbread mixtape on the road for the first time ever.
On Halloween night we packed a large crowd in to Downes Bar (possibly the greatest pub in the world) for an amazing show. Some of Ireland’s best new acts were on the bill including Pearse McGloughlin, Elder Roche, EleventyFour and Stephen James Smith.
Locally based poet Edward Denniston performed some excellent poems and local musician and writer, Stephen Walsh regaled us with a brilliant prose poem about the vagaries of working life, and Waterford musical hero Deaf Joe Harney also made an appearance to accompany Pearse McGloughlin on clarinet on the song “Mercedes and the Kingfisher”.
The Brownbread Players took the opportunity to reflect on a years worth of sketches and present the best of the bunch. They went over a storm with the crowd and were described in the Munster Express as being “zany, fresh, exciting and of broadcastable quality”
In fact, the local newspapers were effusive and extremely generous in their praise of the night, and for that we thank them:
“(An) energetic performance (that) showcased a witty range of comedy music and poetry (which) makes you understand why the act have gained a reputation in the renowned Dublin spoken word scene”– Waterford News & Star
“I loved the hi-energy excitement of the event. (…) It was a great blast of freshness and inventiveness” – Liam Murphy, Munster Express
We absolutely loved the experience and hope to take the show out on tour again next year. Keep an eye out for us!
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OCT 2010 – Uiscebot calls us “the best night out in Dublin”
Influential blogger Uiscebot (aka the poet Colm Keegan) hailed the brownbread mixtape as the best night out in Dublin. He listed the top ten reasons to go to our show, which were funny and heartfelt. It’s wildly flattering as he runs Nighthawks at The Cobalt Cafe with Stephen Kennedy, which is actually the best night in Dublin.
DEC 2010 – Little films and musical videos on the YouTube channel
This December, Kalle has started posting up original content to complement the live footage and clips from the monthly gigs. The first of these is a curious, yet cool little short film entitled “Modern Ireland” that Kalle made last year. [directed by award winning directors, David O’Sullivan ( Moore Street Masala) and David Bagnall (Getting Out )]. Inspired by the Paschal Quigley song of the same name, it takes an oddball look at modern ireland. It has received really warm praise and kind responses from all who have seen it, with comparisons even the ledgebag Samuel Beckett.
Inspired by the reception the film received, Kalle pieced together an original music video to accompany the original Paschal Quigley song “Modern Ireland”. At times humorous and at times deadly serious, it seems suitably apt for the times we currently find ourselves in. We hope you enjoy it.
Next year we hope to create more original films, sketches and more for the YouTube channel, as well as post performances from each show. Thanks to all of you who have subscribed so far! To the rest, we say, what are you waiting for!
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2011 – What’s next?
We are really excited about what 2011 will bring. We have grand plans, wild ideas and open minds. Whatever comes along, we look forward to it all and are happy to have you along for the journey!
Stay tuned to the blog in the coming days for a series of Best-Of posts from the year gone by. See you all in January for a brand new show!
We took the brownbread mixtape on the road for the first time and it was a roaring success! As part of the Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford, we performed in the greatest pub in the world, Downes, to a really lovely crowd. Thanks to you all for coming out to support us, it meant a lot.
We were bowled over by the warm reception we received in Downes and we really hope that we can take the show on the road again in the new year to more locations around this fair country, as well as further afield. We also hope to be back in Waterford again. Let us know if you are interested in the brownbread mixtape coming to your town (thebrownbreadmixtape@gmail.com)
The local newspapers were also effusive and generous in their praise of the night:
“(An) energetic performance (that) showcased a witty range of comedy music and poetry (which) makes you understand why the act have gained a reputation in the renowned Dublin spoken word scene”– Waterford News & Star
“I loved the hi-energy excitement of the event. (…) Throughout the evening the topical sketches with pre-recorded links were zany, fresh, exciting and of broadcastable quality. (…) The quality and exuberance continued (…) and it was a great blast of freshness and inventiveness” – Liam Murphy, Munster Express
Below are a series of audio and photo montages of the different performers on the night. If you like what you see, please pass on the links to others and sign up to our YouTube channel for more past performances.
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The delightful EleventyFour opens the show by regaling us with a list of all of her cool types of friends. We are so delighted to be her friend.
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Poet Edward Denniston regaled us with a terrific tale of his eccentric uncle in the poem “Odd isn’t the word”
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Kalle read us hilarious extracts from the secret diary of Waterford’s favourite son, John O’Shea of Manchester United and Ireland fame.
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The Brownbread Players (Gus McDonagh, Eva Bartley, Sean McDonagh and Kalle Ryan) dipped back into Internet waters for their classic sketch about vitriolic YouTube commenting conversational behaviour. LOL
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The Brownbread Players performed a hysterical sketch about the differing attitudes in Ireland versus the rest of the world, which was described by Waterford News & Star as “hilariously accurate”.
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Pearse McGloughlin (accompanied by local artist Deaf Joe) performed the delicate “Mercedes and the Kingfisher”, taken from his current Twine EP
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Pearse McGloughlin closed out his set with his fantastic song “Morning Mist”, also taken from his current Twine EP. We dare you to listen to it and not sing along to “the birds, the birds, the birds…”
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Dublin poet Stephen James Smith delivers his powerful poem “Ticking Clock” to a captivated audience. Word.
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The Brownbread Players tackle the wonders of God in their guises as Father Shivers and his Polish trainee Marek
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The Brownbread Players treat us to a madcap commercial break unlike any you’ve heard before. Hasta la vista baby back ribs!
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Stephen Walsh took us on a tour through the quirky kingdom of his mind. Knockout performance!
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Elder Roche opened up his set with a marvellous rendition of his Brecht-Weill-esque song “Figures Dressed in Black”
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Elder Roche then mesmerised the audience with his wonderful song “Time Will Tell”.
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And that, as they say, was that. It was a truly emotional night with so many magical moments. Thanks to John De Bromhead at Downes bar for putting on the show, thanks to Imagine Arts Festival for bringing us down to perform and thanks to all of the performers who are all destined for greatness.
See you all at the November show where the theme is “A Hero of Mine”
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An incredible night that we didn’t want to end. The legend of Jeff Nelson was set to music and we all smiled for hours on end. Thanks to all of the incredible performers and massive thanks to our amazing audience once again. Here are a selection of clips of the many amazing moments from the night. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for monthly updates and over 90 videos of past performances.
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EleventyFour immortalises Jeff Nelson, Jeff Nelson, Jeff Nelson…
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Stephen James Smith (accompanied by Elder Roche) recites a beautiful poem dedicated to his mother entitled “The Gardener”
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Ledgebag Enda Reilly covers the classic Stone Roses track “Waterfall”
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Enda Reilly tells the tale of Henry in his inimitable musical style
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Elder Roche performs “Silent Screams in a Silent Prayer”, a terrific older piano number of his.
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For more info on the brownbread mixtape visit us here, there and everywhere:
the brownbread mixtape 
