Jim Carroll

• New music
• March 31, 2011, 15:28

Here are the latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Unknown Mortal Orchestra Blissful psychedelic jams with oodles of sprightly pop vigour …

• Reviews
• March 31, 2011, 10:34

If The Frames have a spiritual home, it’s probably Dublin’s Vicar Street. While there are other capital city venues which could also lay claim to the band’s spirit – some would say the band and Whelan’s were always a perfect …

• Festivals Live music
• March 30, 2011, 15:21

The award-winning surfing and music festival Sea Sessions returns to Bundoran, Co Donegal from June 24 to 26 with a line-up which includes Ziggy Marley Charles Bradley (great booking – he was superb at SXSW) Bell X1 Villagers (Conor J …

• Festivals Live music
• March 30, 2011, 10:03

More names for the Forbidden Fruit festival, which takes place at Dublin’s IMMA on June 4 and 5: Yo La Tengo The Phoenix Foundation (one of our current faves from New Zealand) Bitches With Wolves Kid Karate Spies Bipolar Empire …

• Irish music SXSW
• March 29, 2011, 13:54

A footnote to the last of last week’s posts about SXSW 2011. One or two readers commented about the Arts Council grants received by the Irish acts who go to play at the Austin, Texas event. Since then, a couple …

• Live music
• March 29, 2011, 08:25

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart play Dublin’s Button Factory on June 1. Tickets are €16 a pop (plus TM fees) and go on sale on Friday.

• Retail
• March 28, 2011, 08:23

Comet Records has become the latest Irish record store to close its doors. Comet was a presence on Irish streets for 27 years with stores in Dublin (the most recent outlet was on Cope Street) and Cork. Yes, I know …

• Reviews The Ticket
• March 25, 2011, 09:30

Once a month, The Ticket convenes the Album Club. A panel of guest critics air their views about one album and you, the readers, get to air your views on what they have to say and, of course, the album …

• Music business
• March 25, 2011, 08:30

It’s the meme which refuses to go away. Every so often, a music business pundit sticks his or her head above the parapet and declares that the death of the album is nigh. This time, it’s former Warner Music Group …

• Now Playing
• March 25, 2011, 07:00

The essential tunes on the OTR jukebox this week. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Baths “Cerulean” (Anticon) Reacquanting ourselves with Will Wiesenfeld’s outstanding debut display of spiky, bleepy electronica ahead of his show at Dublin’s Workman’s …

• Live music
• March 24, 2011, 18:57

OTR has learned that Lil Wayne plays Live at the Marquee, Cork on July 4. Tickets go on sale on Friday April 1 and will be €50 and €59.80 (plus Ticketmaster fees). UPDATE: Unfortunately this show, and all of Weezy’s …

• New music
• March 24, 2011, 14:08

Here are the latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Callers Dusty, eerie, soulful sounds from the band who first started making …

• Reviews The Ticket
• March 24, 2011, 09:28

Tomorrow, it’s the return of The Ticket’s Album Club and this time around, it’s PJ Harvey’s latest album “Let England Shake” which is up for review. To whet your apptite, here’s Tony Clayton-Lea’s review of the album, here’s Sinead Gleeson’s …

• SXSW
• March 23, 2011, 09:33

Six final observations from the SXSW music marathon before we put a lid on it for another year. (1) “We’re just one human being short of a full tilt boogie”. That was how local resident Robyn put it when I …

• RIP
• March 22, 2011, 13:28

DIsco diva supreme Loleatta Holloway has died after a short illness. The 64 year old is probably best known for tracks like “Love Sensation” and a collaboration with Fire Island on a stunning version of The Style Council’s “Shout to …

• SXSW
• March 22, 2011, 09:26

Once more with feeling: snapshot reviews from the Friday and Saturday night and day trawls at SXSW after the jump.

• Hip-hop Reviews SXSW
• March 21, 2011, 12:45

There are some shows which are destined to live long in the memory. Over the weekend at SXSW, Los Angeles teen tearaways Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All came to town and played a handful of gigs which were …

• Awards
• March 21, 2011, 08:23

Bloody hell, OTR has won another gong. For the second year in a row, this blog won the award for Best Blog from a Journalist at the Irish Blog Awards, which were held in Belfast on Saturday night. Nope, I …

• SXSW
• March 18, 2011, 15:27

If you think St Patrick’s Day was bad where you were, you’ve obviously never experienced this strange beast called St Patty’s Day. For the Yanks in Austin, being Irish basically means drinking until you puke, listening to terrible Irish music …

• Now Playing
• March 18, 2011, 11:45

The essential tunes on the OTR jukebox this week. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Willie Wright “Telling the Truth” (Numero) Another brilliant find from the Numero reissue label in the shape of this beautiful, warm-hearted folk-soul …

• Live music
• March 18, 2011, 08:00

Perfume Genius was responsible for one of the best albums of 2010, “Learning”, and he plays Dublin’s Sugar Club on May 18. Tickets are €19.50 (plus Ticketmaster fees) and go on sale next Wednesday.

• SXSW
• March 17, 2011, 15:00

You know the real business of the week has begun when the Austin police department make 6th Street a no-cycling zone and you move to the back-lanes to get from venue to venue without mowing down some slow-moving hipsters. I …

• New music
• March 17, 2011, 10:00

There are more new bands in the world than the ones in Austin for SXSW this week. Here are the latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future …

• SXSW
• March 16, 2011, 14:45

Traditionally, the Tuesday night of SXSW has been the quiet one in Austin, TX. The out of town nerds are returning to where they came from (San Francisco, New York and Swinford mostly) and the musos are rolling into the …

• Music business Technology
• March 16, 2011, 08:45

There’s a lovely little moment in Win Win, the film I was talking about yesterday, when two of the characters are shooting the breeze about tattoos. Noticing that the teenage wrestler has wings tattooed across his shoulder, the older woman …

• SXSW
• March 15, 2011, 14:42

Win Win is a great, big-hearted film about a New Jersey lawyer Mike Flaherty, the high school wrestling team he coaches, a couple of families and what happens when Flaherty becomes the guardian to his one of his elderly clients. …

• Banter
• March 15, 2011, 09:24

Last week’s very lively Young Guns Go For It Banter on new Irish businesses produced our very first stage invasion when Joe Macken from Jo’Burger and Crackbird joined the proceedings to tell us about how his pop-up fried chicken joint …

• SXSW
• March 14, 2011, 09:08

Greetings from the best little interactive, film and music showcase in Texas, nah, the world. As is now customary, mid-March sees me swapping the usual beat in Dublin for Austin and the SXSW beano. It starts with the Interactive and …

• Retail
• March 11, 2011, 10:00

Another week, another story about record stores closing down. This week, BPM Records announced that they are to shut their stores in Wexford and Waterford. No prizes for guessing why these outlets are going out of business: competition from internet …

• Now Playing
• March 11, 2011, 09:00

The essential tunes on the OTR jukebox this week. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Cloud Control “Bliss Release” (Infectious) Heavenly pop hits from our new favourite band from Oz, who won the Australian Music Prize for …

• Plug The Ticket
• March 11, 2011, 08:00

The Human League: yep, the editor got her way. The League talk new album, Tony Clayton-Lea listens. Iron & Wine: Sam Beam on songwriting, r’n’b, his five daughters and living in Texas. Richard Ayoade: the star of The IT Crowd …

• New music
• March 10, 2011, 14:27

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Elaine Mai Galway-based singer-songwriter with a magnificent smoky slap of a voice who is …

• Festivals Live music
• March 10, 2011, 09:05

You take a night off from the internet and it all goes off. Last night, someone somewhere (and it certainly wasn’t a journalist) leaked a link to a page on the Electric Picnic website with the full line-up for this …

• The Far Side
• March 9, 2011, 10:57

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday March 8. Last night was the by now annual Far Side of Mardi Gras special as we temporarily relocated the studio to a float going up and down Canal Street in …

• Festivals Live music
• March 8, 2011, 20:15

As announced LITERALLY seconds ago in downtown Dublin, here’s a very long list of acts who will be playing Oxegen at Punchestown Racecouse, Co Kildare from July 8 to 10. Coldplay (as predicted by OTR) The Strokes Deadmau5 (very good …

• Randomiser
• March 8, 2011, 09:55

So hot right now: interesting piece from the Observer about how the age of the self-starter is inspiring hundreds of new UK businesses to have a go. Which brings us neatly to Young Guns Go For It, the Banter on …

• Festivals
• March 7, 2011, 14:43

It’s going to be a busy week for festival announcements with Oxegen and Electric Picnic rolling out their big guns on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. It’s already been a busy few weeks with announcements about Body & Soul and the …

• Irish music Media
• March 7, 2011, 09:33

Aslan have never enjoyed a great rep in certain quarters. You can chalk this down to many things, from the band’s music (brilliant, catchy pop songs which get played to death on the radio are not everyone’s cup of tea) …

• The Ticket
• March 4, 2011, 09:45

In today’s Ticket, Sinead Gleeson looks at the history of the girl group, from quiet girls and Motown girls to riot grrrls and the Pussycat Dolls. It’s The Ticket’s ultimate guide to girl bands – but we may be missing …

• Awards TV
• March 4, 2011, 09:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Dublin in 1999. Memories of that Ronan Keating-hosted shindig from 12 years ago were revived on Wednesday with the …

• Now Playing
• March 4, 2011, 08:00

The essential tunes on the OTR jukebox this week. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Oberhofer “Awy Frm U” (Inflated) Bolshy, ramshackle and joyous future indie anthem from young gun Brad Oberhofer. The Precisions “Why Girl?” (Drew) …

• Plug The Ticket
• March 4, 2011, 07:00

Lupe Fiasco: it took nearly two years for Lupe Fiasco’s album to get released after he handed it over to Atlantic Records. The Chicago rapper tells us what happened in the meantime – and how to spend $100,000 on a …

• New music
• March 3, 2011, 14:55

Young the Giant Crunchy, widescreen rock anthems destined for a big field or arena from the Californian band formerly known as The Jakes. Debut album due out in this neck of the woods on Roadrunner this summer, but check out …

• Electric Picnic Live music Speculation
• March 3, 2011, 09:00

OTR has learned that Arcade Fire will be one of the headliners at this year’s Electric Picnic when the bill is announced next week. The band have already confirmed a show at Edinburgh Castle for September 1, the day before …

• Festivals Live music
• March 2, 2011, 15:49

After a well-received (and award-winning) debut outing last year, the Body & Soul festival returns to Ballinlough Castle in Co Westmeath on June 18 and 19. OTR has learned that this year’s line-up will include Mount Kimbie, Plaid, The Field, …

• The Far Side
• March 2, 2011, 10:02

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday March 1. There seem to have some problems with the stream so bear with me while I find out what’s going on there. Next week, there’s a Mardi Gras special as …

• Banter Live music
• March 1, 2011, 14:40

The next to-do in the current Banter series is Young Guns Go For It – the good news about new Irish business in 2011. It happens in the Twisted Pepper, Dublin on Thursday March 10. The pitch: it’s the day …

• Music business Technology
• March 1, 2011, 09:47

No doubt, most OTR readers with a keen interest in the ins and outs of the music business have seen this chart, which details the massive changes in global record sales from 1973 to 2009, by now. That chart chronicling …