So this is the new entry page for the site. 'Bout time it got updated. What has happened since last years RPM Challenge?

The first thing I did was to record a slower version of a track that got left off the RPM album (Time Will Tell) for being too harsh and fast. I actually didn't want the sentiments on a CD that would be played in the house for my family to listen to. It is a vision of the way people might have viewed the sight of the their home when they were forced to emigrate, relating particularly to the Irish 'Famine' times.

The song was "The Last Tree Standing" and James Bouchard grabbed it with both hands and produced this beautiful version: The Last Tree Standing. I love the way Jim gets into the lyrics and gives a different yet thoroughly sensitive reading of the tune.

The next song I am really proud of, though it hasn't seen the light of day yet. I'm waiting for a certain sassy city gal to come wandering past and settle in to a bit of singing one afternoon (or two). It's called Chillin'.

Then there is a song that took perhaps equally long to see the daylight. Everybody's Body is an Ocean (Yeah!) was a puzzle over how a collaboration with slumbering might work out. Written as a quick Clash reggae rocker, the lyrics explore the Yin and Yang of our two styles. slumbering contributed the beautifully oceanic backing vocals and B&Massa (aka SteveJayFromTassy) added a great bass part, and then it sat on the shelf until I realised that I really didn't need to add much more to it. A bit of polish and it was already good to go. One of my favourite tracks, and an interesting insight into the process of collaboration.

Also around this time Gilbert Neilson tried an interesting experiment and took the lyrics to "First To Know" and wrote his own melody, without listening to the original version. He did a cracking version, and it's interesting for me to hear how the rhythm of the words works it's way into his song, too. His version is called I Just Called. I added a guitar part and some harmony vocals. Gilbert's voice is something else. I'd love to see him playing live some day.

There were a few new songs over the summer, and some covers that are posted at my iComp page then it was time for International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th) and I wrote and recorded Give up Yer Gold (or we'll send you below) that day.

A few days later I saw the Old Crow Medicine Show in Galway and that has set me off on a new splurge of tunes known collectively as The Campfire Inferno which kept me busy up until Christmas.

Now it's February again and the 2008 RPM Challenge is underway. Expect new tunes on an almost daily basis. (Eeeek!!)

February is the official home of the RPM Challenge and in my Jamroom at the moment you will find a series of songs in the various states of Polish and Sophistication that comes from trying to make a CD of at least ten songs from scratch during the 28 days of this month. It's been a fascinating and frustrating process as the wellspring of ideas ebbs and flows, and new songs appear in sporadic fashion. Literally sometimes. All dressed up in funny looking clothes. If you want to know more about the songs, read on ...

The Rhythm and The Rhyme is a lofi fast sprouting, grow in any weather Blues that reminds me of Them. It's all on the trusty old yamaha acoustic, bass 'n' lead 'n' all.

Time Will Tell was first out of the box and still sounds the most polished to me, even though it was made in a night. My voice is weird in it, too. Kind of 'pleasant'.

Demon Eyes is an idea that was fielded by Matt Griffin (Frogmorton) a week before the start and then the lyrics came spilling out after reading Dylan's 'Chronicles' the night before the first (of the month). It equates Demons with our unconscious urges, those "why the hell did I do that" moments.

One Track Mind was just messing about and finding a jaunty lick on the Telecaster. Homemade percussion and while the lyrics aren't particularly striking, there is a lovely feel to this track. One of my faves, so far.

Kali-Ma is the track I've spent the most actual time on. Another track on the Demons theme that began the project. This one is more specific, but so widespread that I see it walking the streets everday.

Ain't Got There - a quick and dirty rockabilly ditty messing with the "acoustic bass" (trusty yamaha + vocal transformer effect). It also meets the disatisfied percussion demon that has prowled the studio this month, so is built on a Tabla loop. Weird and wonderful in it's own way.

Dream Tonight is a melancholy acoustic trance into and through the idea of sleep, a word with many connotations pertaining to rest and consciousness. Inspired in equal parts by a friend and by Tiffany Aching.

More to come in the next few (extremely few) days.

In fact, the album is complete, all 12 songs, and can be seen on the "Time Will Tell Album Page"

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

I thought I'd better put a bit of explanation up about the License by which I share the files hosted here at MacIDOL. Unless you get express permission:

they are non-commercial. (You can't make money from them)

derivative works are cool if you share alike (with the same license). mash away, but give a link back to the original.

Having said that if you have a hit on your hands buzz me and we'll open a bottle.

I'd been wondering how to share the great tracks I hear here (hear, hear) and Chumbo Gumbo Radio is one option, but there are other things which deserve to be seen or heard on the Weird Wonderful Web. So I started a Blog as an ongoing Collection of Discoveries. So the Blog contains all kinds of music from all over, while this Radio Station is the songs from MacIDOL artists that I've posted about. And a few extras.

It's called The Doors Of The Kingdom