The Echo
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Anna’s Anchor: Holding the Brú
Ahead of his gig in The Brú on Friday night, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with singer/guitarist Marty Ryan, a.k.a. Anna’s Anchor. Limerick man Marty Ryan, a.k.a. Anna’s Anchor, stops in Cork on Friday night in a full-band show at the Brú on McCurtain Street. Adopting his nom-de-plume for both solo and ensemble recording projects, it has…
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Coughlan’s: Going Live for Fourth Festival
September 21st-25th sees Coughlan’s on Douglas Street serve as the epicentre of Cork music during its flagship Coughlan’s Live Festival. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with venue coordinator Edel Curtin. “Coughlan’s annual festival has become an important event on our calendar, as it marks the anniversary of the venue. It’s always a nice time to take…
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Pauline Scanlon: “I Follow My Heart”
Ahead of her gig tonight at the White Horse in Ballincollig, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with singer Pauline Scanlon about music, TV, and her new record. “It was all around me from when I was a kid. We were pretty much like any family in Ireland at that time, pre-TG4, so there wasn’t a whole pile…
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Radio On: Tuning In to Cork’s Post-Punk Legacy
On August 24th in GULPD Cafe, several veterans of Cork’s post-punk community of the ’70s and ’80s will gather for a discussion on the sights and sounds of the time. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with panellists Jim O’Mahony and Ricky Dineen, as well as DJ John Byrne. “I think there’s a lot of nostalgia surrounding certain…
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Circa ’91: Turning the Pages of Cork’s Music History
Circa ’91, a series of events celebrating independent music in Cork 25 years ago, happens next week, including an exhibition of fanzines and a tribute to Nirvana on the 25th anniversary of their sole Leeside appearance on the site of Sir Henry’s. Before it kicks off, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with some of the people involved…
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The Damned: Damned, Damned, Damned
It’s been forty years since the shock and awe of punk filled living rooms, and young minds, on either side of the Atlantic, and one of the genre’s innovators in The Damned is hitting Cyprus Avenue on August 24th. Guitarist Captain Sensible speaks with Mike McGrath-Bryan on the band’s past, present and future. This year…
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Lars Frederiksen: A Butcher’s Banquet
As their European tour takes a stop at Cyprus Avenue on August 18th, Lars Frederiksen of the Old Firm Casuals, among many other bands, talks with Mike McGrath-Bryan about life, music and staying true to your roots. With a sound firmly rooted in the Oi! school of streetwise, no-nonsense, football-terrace punk rock, California’s The Old…
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Crow Black Chicken: Brothers in Blues
Crow Black Chicken’s power-trio blues channels the genre’s history through modern filters. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with guitarist and vocalist Christy O’Hanlon about the band’s new album. “Being a Corkman, I heard the blues before I knew what it was. I heard Muddy Waters on the radio, and my ears pricked up like a dog. I…
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Living Space: For the Arts in Mallow
The town of Mallow, and villages in the surrounding area are rich in history, architecture and literature. From Doneraile’s place in the annals of the written word in Ireland, to Mallow Castle, to the town itself helping set part of the stage for Irish cinematic classic The Wind That Shakes The Barley. But by and…
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God is an Astronaut: Plotting a Course
Before setting off on tour and finishing their next record, God is an Astronaut play Cyprus Avenue on Saturday the 23rd. Guitarist Torsten Kinsella speaks with Mike McGrath-Bryan about the future, overarching themes and genre labels. “We are still really pleased with it and it’s working out very well live too so we couldn’t have…
Mike McGrath-Bryan 