I am not familar with Cork at all - (other than the hurling) but John Creedan played a track from a great new (to me) CD by a guy called Ger Wolfe. Theres also John Spillane whom I'm not sure many Cluas people are aware of, and the Lee Valley String band, whom are truly great bluegrass players that got together to make a CD during the ninties, seek it out if you want to discover real energetic performances of great bluegrass. The presence of Spillane and Wolfe, and their mastery of their craft (my humble opinion) also made me ponder the existence of a scene (to use that word I so detest) in the Rebel county? Is there some good bands around Cork? I've heard of the Fallen, I'm sorry to say the last band before that were the (brilliant in fairness like) Frank and Walters. P.S., Ger Wolfe and John Spillane are as good, if not better writers than many of the local heros in Dublin and very worthy of investigation for people interested in great tunes.

I generally hate music sung as gaelige (it's the whole Sean nos thing) but the only song by John Spillane I know is one called ag an gCosair or something like that and it's really incredibly beautiful.

Right, seeing as I actually live in the place (though not actually a native of this pseudo anarchist peoples republic) I suppose I had better offer my own ill-informed opinions. The music scene is Cork really is little different to elsewhere in the country. Ireland is a small place y'know. Dubs thend to be lucky in that any international artist visiting the country for a single gig on a european tour is more likely to play Dublin for obvious reasons and many of the good Dublin based bands only visit Cork occasionally. Other than that, no major differences. Ger Wolfe and John Spillane, both good musicians but they apeal more to an older crowd. Not really into them myself. I've seen John Spillane live, he's actually quite entertaining, especially the way he totally dispenses with any trace of false modesty ("fair play to me" as you will constantly here him repeat with conviction and bravado during the show). I do think he is a little overated though. Corkonians seem to like three things (besides hurling of course): 1. Bands that are a bit of a laugh, like (sic). Theres a long tradition of this, but the joke sometimes gets a bit stale. Think Frank and Walters, Sultans of Ping, Fred etc. 2. Metal - hordes of scary teenagers listening to scary sounding bands in places like Fred Zeppelins and The Vault (though the vault has more diverse non-metal acts than from the days when it was simply the Cruiscin Lan). 3. Reggae/Ska and lots of it. The Skatalites, The Wailers, Horace Andy, The Beat etc. All have played Cork in the last two years and generally get a brilliant reaction. The first time the Skatalites played cork was one of the best gigs I've ever been to. There does seem to be a hard-core of serious Reggae enthusiasts including a promoter who regularly tries to bring these legendary acts to Cork, a record store in Kinsale that specialises in it (may actually be the same guy) and theres a local sound sound system called Revelation Sound Sytem that hosts reggae club nights, though I've never been to one myself. Oh yeah, it's Capital'O'Culture apparently, though what that means other than an excuse to have a big fireworks display, I'm not sure.

cork seems to have a great scene, waiting room, rest, stanley super 800 and the like... sweet.

Yep but nobody lets em... sniff sniff...what's that smell? Oh musical oppression again...

Just like there is a divide between the Dublin Independent scene and the Major Labels, there is a divide between the Dublin scene and the rest of the country. Personally, I'm based in Waterford and regularly attend the Candlelight Sessions held at Phil Grimes bar. Since it's inception 3 years ago, I've seen Paddy Casey, Declan O'Rourke, Mark Geary, Alphastates, The Rubens, Clive Barnes, Albert Niland, Pete Courtney, Dr Millar, Jamie Lawson and many more. If the sessions were based closer to the capital they would be gaining alot more exposure for local artists, most of whom are extremely talented songwriters. Rob O'Connor, Duped, Neil White, The Real, The Gentlemen, The Heard are all acts of the highest calibre and could match anything going on elsewhere in the country - BUT if they want any recognition at all, they must establish themselves on the Dublin scene. They all accept this fact, the bottom line is that no matter where you're based, you must put yourself around, so they're all willing and able to do just that. It is a shame however, that until that happens, there is very little chance of any serious exposure. Neil White has had national airplay in recent months from John Creedon, Ray Darcy and a few others, as well as getting some serious kudos from Hot Press. He has an album ready, which was originally due for an independent release in February, but it's rumoured that 2 labels (one major) have now stepped in with interest, so the launch is temporarily on hold. Rob O'Connor has an EP due for launch in the next few weeks which I definitely think will cause a stir. IF he was based in Dublin, I'd be pretty sure that success would be imminent, but like Neil, he needs to establish himself on the scene in Dublin in order to activate the machine that is word of mouth. So, will it ever change? I doubt it, but you'd never know. It takes one big act to come out of somewhere before the spotlight turns to that area, and who knows, maybe it's the turn of Cork, Waterford, or Limerick????

ney nick ever seen tha bock bhuoy?ha

Saw John Spillane a few years back in Whelans. I had no idea who he was or what it would sound like before the show but i thought he was amazing. Some great songs, sly humour and a man with an ear for melody and melancholy. Great stuff. Would knock seven shades of sh**e (musically and physically - if provoked)out of Damien Rice, Paddy Casey et al in my opinion

Protein is good for the ears too it seems

I'm originally from tralee, a fair-sized town with a third-level college (i.e. 5,000 punters-in-waiting). there is NO live music scene there, no outside acts come to play (not even those who would have literally passed through the town on their way to dingle to make the 'songs from a room' series).