The Music Show
RDS Dublin
October 3/4
This is definitely how it feels to be one of those snot-nosed, bright-eyed, heart warming youngsters on The Late Late Toy Show. It couldn’t possibly be compared to anything else. Music heaven at the RDS.
After a quick look at the schedule I wondered how I would have enough time to cram in all the scheduled talks, workshops, master-classes and seminars on offer here today. If ever there was need for a Rocky IV montage to put a pep in my step, now was the time.
Upon entering the RDS main hall the first thing that hits you, apart from the ear-gnawing saw and buzz of hundreds of instruments playing in every key and off-time imaginable, is the scale of the set up here. It really has everything a musician could want and all for the price of 3 pints. About twenty young fellas are beating the heads of drum kits, kids are blue in the face from blowing on trumpets and saxophones, a group of aging avant-garde yuppies are pushing the boundaries of piano playing and I’m still sober. No one told me about the free Jameson…
Two stiff ones later and I’m loose enough to get down to brass tactics and try out some gear. After sampling the new range of Marshall amplifiers, most notably the impressively Bluesy Haze 40, it was off to sit on the throne of the new Pearl Export and Masters series drum kits. The amount of instruments at ones disposal here is pretty darn impressive. Musicians, I find, work on an intuitive ethos and without any eye contact or introductions I quickly find myself in the midst of a 5-way drum circle, which attracts a few revelers.
The Chewbacca congregation down at XMusic’s stand let their guitars do the talking in the “Shred-off” which demonstrates solo wankery in all its smelly greasy glory. Budding Kerry King’s and Kirk Hammett’s dual to the bitter end for a chance to win some very snazzy gear and leave with the Shred Master accolade!
The legend Larry Gogan is rocking out air guitar style behind his desk to the sound of Director’s live set from the RTÉ 2FM stand, while over at the live stage Imelda May readies herself before stepping out in front of a few hundred fans who are hungry for blood. Time to check out upstairs…
The Green Room is housing a Guitar Workshop by Tech Music School’s Les Davidson. Based in London, Tech offer courses from 3 months to 3 years in guitar, bass, vocals and drums. As a budding guitar extraordinaire I sat along for the hour of the talk, which was pretty beneficial to the layman musician. One thing that always seemed to have me by the short and curlys was getting my head around the theory side of music, reading. After being brought through jazz standards, blues improvisation, minor pentatonic scales and phrasing things did seem a bit more comprehensible. From expecting an hour of technical talk for the more advanced player, I left the talk inspired to push the boundaries of my playing and the importance of transferring emotion from instrument to audience. It is acceptable to enjoy everything from metal to jazz to electronica, in fact it’s beneficial. Happy days!
From here its time to drool over one of the most famous guitars of all time - Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster - which is on display along with 15 or more of his former ‘axes’. This is quickly followed by 30 minutes doodling through the new range of Boss, Fishman and MI pedals over at Pure Pedals.
If it’s the production side of the industry that tickles your fancy, fear not, you’ve not been forgotten. Ballyfermot, Dun Laoghaire and Kylemore Colleges are present offering some great courses in production and theory. The world-renowned Grouse Lodge Studios are offering some good deals on recording, as are Temple Lane Studios. M-Audio, Propeller and Ableton have all their latest software and hardware on display for those interested in creating their own beats, loops, synths and farm animal sounds.
Sunday consists of much of the same with some interesting talks from none other than Christy Moore himself on the changing face of music. Music Tech School delivers another impressive clinic, this time for drummers. Industry heads like Steve Iredale, Vince Power, Steve Strange, Dermot McEvoy, Andrew Ferris and RSAG give their 2 cents on the future of the industry itself, touring, recording and broadcasting. Mick Pyro struts around like he owns the place in a dodgy looking leather jacket, the Kitter is giving it socks on the live stage and to top off the day there’s a DJ workshop for all the forgotten techno lovers.
The general consensus amongst the mix here is positive. Maybe not as much on offer compared with previous years but in recessionary times what do you expect. Lisbon’s been passed, next year will be ten times bigger, we’ll all be loaded and the country will be on the way to becoming the worlds next super power.
Steven Battle
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