I was over there doing the play ‘Seven Deadly Sins, Four Sinners’ with the gorgeous Sarah Crowe, Sue Holderness and Belinda Lang - really wonderful ladies and a delight to meet.  The director was Marc Sinden and the play is “an anthology evening of wicked comedy, heavenly drama, devilishly tall tales, enchanting poetry and seductive stories. Compiled from the works of nearly everyone with a sense of humour (sometimes unintentional!) - from Chaucer to Victoria Wood, from Woody Allen to Oscar Wilde via Flanders & Swann, Joyce Grenfell, Steven Berkoff and Noel Coward - by the award-winning scriptwriter and author of the first six of the Carry On films Norman Hudis”.  We were part of The Holder’s Season and performed in the garden at Holder’s House - a traditional Plantation House dating from the 17th century, set in 5 acres of formal and park gardens. The house has beautiful views over its huge pool and the polo ground to the Caribbean Sea.  The garden is the home of the Holders Opera Season every March.

The show went really well and the feedback was great.  Apart from that, we made the most of our visit - we swam with turtles, watched monkeys play outside our rooms, jet skiid, drank out of coconuts on the side of the road, saw the most amazing blue-green seas, investigated little second hand shops, met wonderful people, enjoyed rum punches, tasted incredible food - I could go on and on … it’s truly a beautfiul place.  So all in all, a successful and memorable trip.  I had to keep pinching myself while I was there and even now it seems like a dream!  Would love to get back there, but meanwhile I’m looking out my window and the sun is shining … Summer is on the way!

I was there to sing with a friend of mine called Davey MacManus ( he’s Irish too) and his band The Crimea ( if you have not heard of them you can read and hear more at their myspace).  They have just finished recording a new album called ‘Listen to seashells, they know everything’ and I contributed some vocals - hence me there.

We filmed three songs for KEXP Radio Seattle and we are played a midnight show on Saturday in The Rio.

I arrived a day after the Meteors, which were great fun, and jet lag was practically zero and so it was great to hang out a bit and soak up the atmosphere.  We stayed in a house a couple of miles out of the centre which was perfect.  There were lots of other Irish artists there too.  Lisa Hannigan who is on tour at the moment played the other night with my very dear friend Shane on bass!  Wallis Bird, who won the Hope for 2009 at the Meteors played too.  Other Irish acts included Relief, We Should Be Dead, Dirty Epics, Sickboy, The Brothers Movement, Fighting with Wire and Kieran McMullen.  There were such a mish mash of music there - new and old - The Proclaimers and Echo and The Bunnymen were there!

The Convention Centre is a hive of music activity - panels such as crash courses in getting gigs, recording, promotions, publicity, press, management, merchandising, online resources,  ’saying the unsayable with Jarvis Cocker’, ‘Neil Young’ archives, the list goes on!  It was interesting to see fewer physical albums knocking around - the internet is having such an effect on how artists get there music out there.  We streamed one of our rehearsals live onto the band’s myspace page.

It was such an experience to be there.  To be reminded of how vast the music industry is - how tough it is, but how eclectic and exciting and inspirational too.  There was a hive of information - so much learning to be done.  And you’re meeting people from all over the world, all united by the same thing!!  AND I saw a bakery FOR DOGS!!!!  I mean … come on!!  Does it get any better?!  Ok, it’s nothing to do with SXSW but worth a mention I think!!

So I few back to Dublin today, then to London in a few days to rehearse a play I’m going to be doing … in BARBADOS!!!  Pretty amazing, eh?!  It’s called ‘7 Deadly Sins, 4 Sinners’ and is being directed by Marc Sinden (Sir Donald Sinden’s son).  Delighted to be doing the show and have seen pictures of where we are going to be staying … it looks really spectacular.  So, I really couldn’t be happier at the moment.

I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how I’m getting on, check back on the site soon!

Tara

Congratulations to Imelda May on winning the award for Best Female Artist and a big thanks to all those involved in making the evening happen.

Didn’t get to see it? Check out the video of Tara on the Orange carpet or all the other pics from the night.

Tara’s category is decided by public vote, which is live from now. Irish residents can vote by texting VOTE to 085 7114444 to receive a list of keywords and categories. (Meteor customers on plans such as Offer of a Lifetime or Free Texts for Life can text FREE). Voting is open to all Irish mobile networks and will be charged at standard text rates.
Online voting is available now at http://meteormusicawards.meteor.ie/nominees.aspx ; everyone who votes will be automatically entered into a competition to win tickets to the 2009 Awards.

Hosted by Amanda Byram, the 2009 Meteor Awards will be held in Dublin’s Royal Dublin Showground on St Patrick’s Day, Tuesday 17th March 2009, and televised on RTE 2 the following day.

19 awards in total are to be won, of which 8 categories will be decided by music fans. Other nominees for ‘Best Irish Female Artist’ are Lisa Hannigan, Gemma Hayes, Imelda May and Camille O’Sullivan, so don’t delay, vote today!

Some figures on the Irish music scene including Tara, Turlough Gunawardhana of The Chapters, Brian Darcy of Ham Sandwich and Karen McCartney of Cowboy X have been photographed in various Hilfiger outfits from a new range.

See the full feature here.

Apart from an abundance of new images, and a complete audio and video section, the site will be regularly updated with news about Tara, and via a link to the Spokes website visitors can buy all Tara’s music as downloads. Register for the Tara Blaise newsletter, and download her live favourite, Unbearable Lightness, free.

Lili′s Blog says:

What a long day I had today! Was shooting in studio all day, then rushed over to MakeUp Forever on Clarendon Street to shoot an ad for the Face2 brand. Our beautiful model was very talented musician Tara Blaise who looked absolutely stunning in the shots. So pleased with them and can′t wait until the ad is done and it′s in the magazine. I love doing beauty shoots, it′s actually one of my favourite things ever. I can only concentrate on my model which is great - no need to worry about clothes or how anything fits because it′s just about the expression.. the eyes. Face2 founder Annie Gribbon did the makeup for this and she is just amazing.

Here′s a shot from the session:

To be hosted by the enigmatic ‘Miss Panti’, the event will feature a live performance by Spokes’ own Tara Blaise, as well as sets from friend and colleague Brian Kennedy and Maria McKee. Pride is the second largest public parade behind the St Patrick’s Day event, and is one of many taking place to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots of New York.

The climax will be a spectacular circus-themed party at the Tivoli.