Return of the Scallywags: Part II

   July 20, 2012

       

           ..and indeed our paths would cross again, at Kellys bar window sessions on this Friday night. It's called the window sessions for obvious reasons; the stage is set up behind four large windows at the front of the bar, this way passer byers get a live glimpse of the action. Like many other Irish pubs, if ya like what you hear then you can walk on in for a free show. The house was packed this night and the Scallywags were bumpin’ so I wanna say many people did just that.

           To truly understand the depth of this Irish band I knew I needed to witness them at an actual venue. Dim lit Kelly’s with their shaky hardwood floor and ground level stage was the perfect spot to do so. The amount of energy they brought to such an intimate venue was contagious; everyone caught the jive bug this night, including a group of girls celebrating their friend’s 27th birthday. The Scallywags played an impromptu song for the birthday girl that included lyrics like, “To show you I care, I’ll kill a koala bear, (and) if you don't take me out I'll sell drugs to girl scouts". Brilliant.

           As the show went on, I realized you couldn’t possibly clump this band into one genre. If I had to guess, I would call them a mixture of alternative rock, blue grass, folk and a label I once heard a person describe them as; storytelling. The versatility in their gig was impressive to say the least. At one point they even covered a punk rock band from Belfast. The following video captures that song. 
           The Scallywags taught me that where ever in the world you travel good music is out there, you just have to find it. Better yet, stumble up on it.

Return of The Scallywags: Part 1

July 20, 2012

           Flew solo on our last (Friday) night in Galway. The group was recovering from a pub-crawl I had opted out of the night before, and the only other person  considering going out with me was a Hungarian girl I met busking in the streets earlier that day. Though she was busking the night too, we managed to exchange favorite bands and she told me about her own, The Tits, an all girl group definitely worth a spin or two.
           I was adamant about hitting the town this particular night because Mikey and the Scallywags were playing down the street at Kelly’s bar. From previous posts you may remember hearing about past encounters with this busking band; I had literally run into them three separate times before this show, once at the Aran Islands, once around the Galway area and the third while I was walking into the Kebab House at 2am this past Sunday morning.

Kebab Pita

        I don’t remember much of what was said (for obvious reasons) during the last run-in, but I do remember nostalgically explaining to Fergus, their stand in - stand up bassist how I used to play the fiddle in middle and grade school; I told him I quit because I was the only guy in my practice group, plus it was considered un-cool at the time; I used to leave my school books at home so I could fit the violin case in my book bag while I skateboarded to school down a busy two lane street, naturally. He sympathized with me by giving me a fry and then asked if I would remove my hand from his shoulder. I obliged and we went our separate ways, little did he know our paths would soon cross again...   

All Worn Out

July 20, 2012

Before I went to Kelly’s Bar for our last night in Galway some commemorating was in order. I decided to retire the ragged shoes I climbed Croagh Patrick with by tossing them over some telephone lines South Philly style. I purchased the Nike trail shoes while they were triple discounted four years ago at a Modell’s I used to work at. Sometimes it can be tough to predict the life cycle of our shoes. 

Talkin' To The Sun

July 16, 2012

     I drew this sketch halfway up Croagh Patrick while sitting along the cloud line. I kept thinking how epic it’d be to swim from one island to another in the far off distance.  At this point the sun was still shining as a thick fog was beginning to form around us. You can see how my sketch looks completely unlike the actual view! Neat. 

Legendary Stratus

July 16, 2012

“I conquered Croagh Patrick”. This was the saying on the shirts in the gift shop. My soaked shorts and muddied socks were all the proof I needed to gain the claim. Ten others including myself climbed Crough Patrick Mountain’s 2,500 ft. incline to the summit yesterday during a day trip to County Mayo.

The climb itself was physically demanding, scaling most of the way on loose gravel and jagged rock. The weather alone made the trek mentally demanding; as one gained elevation up the mountain storm clouds, heavy rain and 15mph+ wind gusts came out of nowhere. This differed dramatically from the bottom of the mountain, which was clear and sunny at the onset of the hike. Like any other place in Ireland, weather in one area couldn't predict weather in another, especially on a mountain. 

By the time we reached the summit, a small white church blurred on every side by a hazy white fog was there to greet us. Unable to see any view at all, we settled for the satisfaction of conquering this beast of a mountain. There were several notable look outs on the way up though, including a natural lake lined with rock-writing, a steep abyss with wild sheep along the edges and a mesmerizing view half way up of the surrounding islands.
           What locals told us would be a five-hour hike up and back took most of us just under three and a half hours. Some wore ponchos, some brought walking sticks, and one went shoeless (congrats Curtis). Popular legend behind the mountain tells the tale of St. Patrick, who once climbed the mountain barefoot in the 5th century. Once he reached the summit, St. Patrick fasted for 40 days, after which he threw a silver bell down the side of the mountain knocking the she-demon Corra from the sky and banishing all the snakes from Ireland. Although most say the snakes are a metaphor for early pagan faiths in Ireland, I still haven’t seen one slithering amphibian. It's a nice change from dodging rattlers on Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania.

Bringin' Only Good Vibes

July 14, 2012

     Last night my mates and I went to watch “Good Vibrations”, an Irish made movie at the Galway Film Fladh (festival). The man I’m pictured with here is Terri Hooley, a record store owner and God father of the Belfast punk scene. The biopic movie chronicled the life of Terri while he was living in Belfast during Northern Ireland’s civil war in the 1970s & 80s. “Some people called it a revolution, others called it the “troubles”, an equally useless word” as Terri would say. The civil war essentially pitted Catholics against Protestants, and violence ensued from differences in religious and political outlooks.
           Terri’s father was a socialist politician, a man who sought “alternatives”, yet after twelve campaigns he never won one election. Terri however, was more of a pacifist and sought escape from Northern Ireland's political cruelties through music. His self-given title and day job as “Belfast’s #1 DJ” never lasted, but it did lead him to his future wife one night in a bar.

           Soon after he married, the pressure to join a side in the civil war had put his own life in jeopardy. Many tried to push his family and friends out of Belfast, and in a bold attempt to stay permanently he started a record shop in one of Belfast’s most dangerous areas. Terri’s shop, “Good Vibrations”, experienced the hardships most new businesses see. It wasn't until the youths of Belfast pulled him in with their progressive punk-rock scene and brought him a new wave of clientele that his business began to boom.

          Terri began supporting local bands, which gained national recognition under his self-made label, “Good Vibrations”. Through these bands he became a prosperous label owner and the community came to treat his shop with unprecedented respect and love. The last dialogue in the movie takes place during an epic concert at the Ulster Hall venue. During the bands final song, Terri gets on stage and exclaims, “New York has their haircuts, London has their treasures, but Belfast has the reason!” Terri had succeeded in helping a generation escape their countries hard ships through a new way of life fueled by rock music.

          After the movie, the actual Terri came on the Galway stage to say a few words to congratulate the director and actors of the movie, during which he spilled half his beer trying to grab the microphone. He said there were times he had to get up and leave, “to cry me eyes out”. He also commented on getting up, “I also grabbed a pint, I’m not that fucking stupid”.

          After his short speech we began walking out of the theater and once we got to the main lobby I noticed the man of the hour was standing right next to me. I patted his shoulder and said I wanted to come to the record shop and check out his collection. He replied, “Ah, you gotta make an appointment these days, but if you have your phone I’ll give you my number”. I told him I had no phone, but that I’d still try and stop by. I asked if he would take a picture with me and he slurred, “Sure, anything but a blowjob!” 
           From only  the briefest of conversations I could tell the film got his character spot on. I never got to visit Belfast or Terri’s shop, but I’ll be the first in line when “Good Vibrations” hits the states. 


"Victory doesn't always look the way other people imagine it"

-Terri's Father

Running on Fumes

July 9, 2012

     Today I walked from my apartment along the canal to a pizza shop about three streets down. Just before I got to the last street, I ran into a man with a can in an alley way. This was no ordinary man, or can. He was tagging some original artwork on the back wall of the Roisin Dobh, the same bar/club where we got yammered at two nights ago. This is the alley way, his process and finished product. A big shout out to Mahjoubs for teaching me the art of the pan shot.