Hi Jim,

WHo decides who goes to these Festivals? Some of these Irish Acts I;ve never heard of.. But the yare all very good! I am a big fan of music and go to many gigs.. I try and follwo what’s hot in irish Music.. Is angela Dorgan one of the main people who decides?

Thanks for your info.. For SxSw, i was sure that FMC or IMRO have a designated showcase for Irish Acts..

Linda – they do a showcase, but they don’t get to select the bands – the bands are selected solely by SXSW

JC – That’s the big question alright. Personally, I think it’s a total waste of time going to something like SXSW unless you have your shit together on every level to begin with – your songs, your live show, a good management set-up, an actual profile to begin with, interest from US labels/agents etc. You can use showcases like SXSW to attract other players – publishers, labels, agents etc – but you NEED to have the basics in place first.

And really MUST play a TON of gigs when you go there. So many Irish bands just do their official showcase and the Irish Breakfast Music For Ireland gig and leave it at that. A total waste of time and money and effort. At SXSW, you have to play at least a gig a day to make it worthwhile and to give interested parties a chance to see you.

All day long every day, there are unofficial parties and showcases going on and people go from one to another checking out new bands. If you’re just playing 2 shows out there, it’s a joke – you need to be playing at least 6-7 shows to give people a chance to see you. You are competing with 2000 bands for attention.

You can, of course, just do your 2 gigs and have a holiday – but if you’re serious about why you’re going thousands of miles away, spending all that cash, going through all the red tape with US immigration and putting up with the hassle, you should put in the effort to get on as many bills as possible.

This is “unasked for advice” but bands should not go cribbing to everyone in April about SXSW being a waste of time because they got nothing out of the trip – that’s really their fault for not doing the hard work in advance, not SXSW’s fault.

I have often heard of bands saying this.. I have heard the Irish showcase is a waste of time..

Linda – I didn’t say that. You are putting words into my mouth there.

I didn’t say the Irish showcase was a waste of time – I said it was a waste of time and money and resources to JUST do those showcases. A showcase is only as good as the work which a band put into it in terms of getting people along.

I look at some irish acts and think why havent they gone abroad and got their Music out there? Is it cos they are comfortable being Local Heroes? Surely something needs to be done to Nurture and help these acts.

There is an old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. It’s up to the BANDS themselves to do the hard work. It’s just total laziness and stupidity to leave this to other people and then just bitch about it. It’s up to the bands in each case to start doing the hard work to get gigs and attention in countries other than Ireland. It’s easy (relatively speaking) to do that here, hence why so many acts take the easy option.

I know FMC and IMRO exist to help bands but i don’t think they do..

Can you supply some examples of what you mean by this statement?

You see its a matter of certain people’s taste’s like 2FM and others. There are bands out there who Sell out Venue’s all around Ireland but for some reason dont get chosen or guided.. Some bands who have been slated by your good self( which is not a bad thing just your opinion).

If you’re talking about 2fm selecting bands for Eurosonic, that’s total bullshit because bands can apply on their own back to Eurosonic and IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH, they will be selected.

Re the second points. Let’s face facts: the bulk of Irish bands, just like the bulk of bands from every other country, are just not good enough to matter an iota beyond their own hometown. And that’s not just my opinion. If bands are good enough, they will be found and discovered. You go on about bands selling out venues up and down the country – maybe it’s time to ask why they never do anything beyond here in that case. Irish people are very good at supporting their own but often that support means bands do not work their butts off to get gigs and attention elsewhere.

Do you think the Arts Council will ever help out Alternative Music?

Will there even be an Arts Council after next week’s budget?

Jim, is it just the Irish bands that have a showcase based on the country they are from?

Tuesday Blue performed at Eurorock in Liverpool way back in 1986, the first of many irish acts..More here: http://fanningsessions.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/tuesday-blue-eurorock/

Fanning Sessions – yep, thanks to Ian Wilson’s involvement in the EBU, there has always been a sizable Irish contingent at Eurorock and Eurosonic

Neill – Fri Dec 11

How does anyone think the Irish acts going to Eurosonic will do?

Fiona – thanks for those tips. You were the one, after all, who told me to check out Girls at last year’s fest!

Fiona – will definitely check out that album. Harlem are on my to-see list because of all the post-SXSW09 buzz but hearing new stuff might see them struck off that list!