Clare People Interactive

After weeks of public nominations, private deliberations and controversial omissions and inclusions, Andrew Hamilton can now announce the winners of the first annual Clare People Interactive Irish Music Awards.

As 2008 received it’s final curtain call, there are few who could deny that the year gone by has been anything less than a classic year for Irish music. With new bands emerging left, right and centre and vibrant scenes reemerging in places Limerick (not to mention the arrival of towns like Waterford, Headford and even Lahinch on the Irish music map) the year has been one to savor.
Prompted by this renaissance in Irish music, Clare People Interactive (the militant pod-casting and entertainments wing of the Clare People Newspapers) began it’s search for the best of the best of Irish music in early December. And thus, the first annual Clare People Interactive Irish Music Awards were born.
The public were asked to nominate acts in 8 categories and these nomination were deliberated over by the arts journalists of the Clare People Newspaper.
After much fighting, back-stabbing and finally grit-teethed consensus the winners were finally arrived at. So, without further ado, here is the results of the Clare People Interactive’s first annual Irish Music Awards.

WINNERS

(seeing as this is by some way the longest post ever uploaded to this blog, i have decided to put the podcast at the beggining – so that people can listen while they read… i’m always thinking of ye)

Category 1: Irish Album of the Year
In one of the toughest categories, countless quality albums missed out on even making a place on the short list for this years awards. One which made it however was Cork’s finest Fred, who last year produced their best piece of work to date. ‘Go God Go’ is a confident album, a record in which Fred
The second nominated album is finally stopped caring about the opinions of the music media and produced collection of songs that though diverse, is also a triumph.‘Take The Whole Mid-Range And Boost It’ from Belfast electro-pop duo Oppenheimer. Though the nordies maintained a relatively low profile down south this year, they have instead focused their attention on America where their music is finally starting to take hold. With infectiously catchy songs like Stephen McCauley for President and Major Television Events, Oppenheimer may just have found the album to launch them internationally.
It’s been a long time since February, but for Clare People Interactive’s album of the year, it’s been a wild ride. Besides the critical success of ‘Carry the Meek’, Meath’s Ham Sandwich have played all the festivals and even had lead singer Niamh Farrell give birth to a mystery baby.
The album itself produced four singles and could easily had given more. The vocal duels between Farrell and Podge McNamee and the brilliant writing of bassist John Moore makes Carry the Meek a worthy winner.

Category 2: Irish Song of the Year
One of the most exciting new bands of 2008, One Day International also produced one of the songs of the year. The only surprising this about Little Death is that it wasn’t the lead single on their debut album ‘Blackbird’. Dark, dramatic and uplifting, Little Death is a worthy nominee.
It’s been a rolercoaster year for Jape. First there was the release of album three ‘Ritual’ by the former Redneck Manifesto frontman and then an internet campaign to make one of his songs into a Christmas number 1.
Despite not gaining the top spot for Christmas, Phil Lynott is still one of the songs of the year. Touching, tuneful and at time’s very funny, Jape has once again struck gold.
While Tuam has not always been associated with the best of modern music (sorry Saw Doctors), the Galway town has produced a new master in Irish low-fi music. With Shakelton, So Cow (aka Brian Kelly) has taken his irreverent song-writing and music-crafting to a new level. Darker than anything which has come before, Shakelton is a worthy song of the year.

Category 3: Clare Album of 2008
Now touring America, Seneca’s debut album ‘Sweeter than Bourbon’ saw much critical acclaim in 2008. After reviewing well in Ireland, the UK and in America, Seneca have gone to America in search of their fortune. Sweeter than Bourbon is a quality debut and suggest that there is better to come.
Released in the closing weeks of the year, Jim McKee debut solo album ‘Just a piece of’ is a collection of songs collected from more than two decades of McKee’s life. Tough more noted as a painter, the Bellharbour renaissance man has already proved himself as a solo musician with great talent.
But the Clare album of the years goes to a band who life on a mysterious island off the west coast. The Speks might not be your usual rock start, but they are Clare’s first virtual band and their album ‘Sing Along Songs from Glasses Island’ is a favourite, and not just with the kids.

Category 4: Clare Artist of 2008
Hailing from Killaloe, (via Hong Kong and Boston) Kiernan McMullan has had a great 2008. With his debut album, ‘Perfect People are Boring’ McMullan mixes hip-hop, rock, jazz and boy-band pop to produce a sound that is uniquely him. All this and a record deal in America, that’s not a bad year at all.
The youngest of the crop, west Clare’s Mark James is still in music college in Dublin, learning his trade. Despite his relative lack of experience, James has already managed to find a unique raw sound of his own. Expect big thing in 2009.
However, due to overwhelming internet support, Lisdoonvarna double act Drugzilla are Clare People Interactive’s Clare Artist’s of the year. Receiving nominations from three different continents, Drugzilla have used the internet to bring underground to a whole new level and have won a massive international following for their experimental hardcore songs about drinking cider and Buckfast.

Category 5: Best Irish Newcomer
Last year saw Limerick make a huge breakthrough in the world of music. In truth it’s been coming fro awhile, but the sheer quality of the band emerging from our southerly neighbours must surely mark 2008 out as a golden year for the Limerick music scene.
One of the Limerick bands to really catch the attention in ‘08 was Walter Mitty and the Realists. Funk-rock with a capital funk, the band made it all the way to the finals of this years Murphy’s Live new bands competition before being pipped at the post by Govbachov. They played a number of cracking live gig, including a storming set at the White Horse Sessions in Lahinch.
Another Limerick band with a big 2008 behind them in indie power-poppers We Should Be Dead. With album ‘Forget Romance Lets Dance’ the four piece have already carved out a place for themselves on Irish scene and now the time has comes to spread their wings.
With a host of American dates organised for early 2009, culminating with an appearance at South by South West, we certainly will be hearing more from We Should Be Dead.
But the best newcomer of 2008 is a man who really doesn’t want to be in the music business at all. Despite still working as a plastered, Cork’s Mick Flannery has produced one of Irish albums of the year. But you try convincing him of that.
Ever cynical of the music business, Flannery will be the very last person to be intoxicated by his own music. In a way however, that’s half the charm of the man, and with a great ability to craft a melody expect much more to come from the reluctant superstar.

Category 6: Irish Male of the Year
It’s taken a long long time but 2008 was the year that Limerick metalers Giveamanakick maid the transition from cult to something approaching mainstream. As an inseparable two-piece, Clare People Interact decided to jointly nominate Steveamanakick and Giveamanakeith for the title of Irish Male of the Year.
We have probably said enough nice things about Mick Flannery. So let’s just say he was a worthy nominee for Irish Male of the Year and leave it at that.
But the clear winner for Irish Male of the was one Richie Egan, aka Jape. With the release of ‘Ritual’, his first album in four long years, Jape reannounced his second (or possible third) coming in serious style.
With instant classics such as I Was A Man, Streetwise and the recent candidate for Christmas number 1, Phil Lynott, ‘Ritual’ entered the Irish charts at number 15. A brilliant year capped off with a support slot for The Flaming Lips and a cracking set at the Electric Picnic – 2008 will go down for many as the year of Jape.

Category 7: Irish Female of the year
After being kicked to touch by Damien Rice, some have though that we might have heard the last of Lisa Hannigan. But not a bit out of it, Hannigan came back in 2008 with an hugely impressive debut solo album ‘Sea Sew’.
A massively charming album, with intimacy and personality in bucket loads, Hannigan has effectively out-riced Damien Rice. A beautiful album.
Like Hannigan, before 2008 many people had written off Gemma Hayes. Now based in Los Angles, the Tipperary woman had hardly picked up a guitar in anger since 2005 and had effectively turned her back on making music.
Although her 2008 comeback album ‘The Hollows of Morning’ is not her best work, it is a return to form and hopefully a sign of more to come.
Tough few will have come across Maebh Cheasty or her Waterford based hip-pop outfit You’re Only Massive, she has quietly carved out a niche for herself in 2008. Starting the year as a total unknown, You’re Only Massive has beguiled their way through the Irish music community with their satiric take at modern Ireland, infectious sound and their appetite for the live performance.
After making their festival debut at this year’s Electric Picnic and releasing their debut album (with Queen Kong), everything has started to come up Massive.

Category 8: Irish band of the Year
And now for the final and most important award, Irish band of the year. While both Ham Sandwich and Fred have had incredibly years, there was one band who stood out ahead of all others in ‘08.
While their debut album ‘Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion’, may have not quite added up to the sum of all the bands parts, Fight Like Apes have stood out ahead of all others this year.
With extravagant creatively and an amazing ear for a tune, the Dublin four piece have already produced enough to not simply classify themselves as compulsive listening, but as important, required listening.
Yet it is their break-neck approach to performing live which marks them apart from all others. Anyone who has seen them perform knows what I’m talking about, anyone who hasn’t should rectify that situation quickly.

So there you have it. I hope we are still all friends and none of our selections or omissions have made feel like projectile vomiting… but let just say they have, why not leave a comment – vent your anger through the medium of anonymous comments in a public forum. Do it, your doctor will thank you for it.