Notes from the Boneyard

He sits at the bar, staring blankly into nothingness, his fingers > making mince meat of the beer mat as he waits anxiously for another > drink. The barman makes no effort at small talk as he pours him > another. With the glass now full and his bloodshot eye twitching, he > raises the […]

For a couple of days I’ve been an empty shell. Waking up and jumping out of bed at 5am with a sense of urgency, only to realise that there is nothing to get up for. The circus has left town. The movie is in the can. Everybody is gone. So I go back to the […]

Taking a spin to west cork to pick up some records. The only question is which road do I go down.. the Wild West, or the mild east? I flip a coin. Heads for mild east. I ignore fates decision and take the Wild West. It’s a longer but better drive. I can stop off […]

Ok. Bear with me on this one. I’m about to go deep. But theres a point in here… somewhere. This stuff has been circling in my mind for some time now.. I’m trying to figure out the formula, or the recipe. The ingredients are all there, stewing in the brain. I Just need to write […]

HAIRY RECORDS / DIG VINYL (Liverpool) At the start of the 2000s, walking to Bold Street used to be a daily pilgrimage for me before band practice. Back then it was to go to Hairy Records, where you’d get into a lengthy conversation with the owner, and he’d recommend some band from the 60s you’d […]

Chris asked me what this weeks column would be about, as he was about to start his sketch. I wasn’t quite sure. Had my well run dry? Or was I just  being lazy? I had received an essay from Jolie holland a few nights prior, and wasn’t sure if it was intended for the boneyard […]

The piano strikes a chord. It’s like someone just switched the light on. The still room has now come to life. Drinks spill and glasses smash. Nobody seems to mind. The piano guy is taking everyone along for the ride, whipping them into a frenzy. Yes. The piano guy knows what he is doing. Lunacy […]

This week’s very special guest columnist comes all the way from Houston Texas, via Los Angeles and everywhere in between. Jolie Holland is her name and if you don’t already know her music then you should go dust off the record player and immediately purchase a copy of her album Escondida. You need her music […]