Andy Mulhern

Excellent review from the Herald tofday: THE WIYOS - The Tolbooth, Stirling, 21 Mar 2011 (Keith Bruce, Herald Arts Editor) "Old timey Stateside music need not come from the backwoods, hillfolks or a delta shack. The Wiyos are outta the Big Apple and have the sassiness to show it. As a St Pats Day attraction, Jarlath and Alana Henderson were a more authentically Irish support (and while Jarlaths singing was a bit of a revelation, it would have been good to hear more of his other pipes), but in fact the Americans take their name from a tough Irish Manhattan street gang. Their sound though, is all-American, embracing everything from blues and country to rocknroll and doo-wop, with a spicy topping of popular jazz from trad licks to the wackiness of Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Theyve played Celtic Connections before, but this epic tour of the UK and Ireland (Stirling was the first date) sees the current trio team up with Andy Bean, one half of the Two Man Gentleman Band, in what is an inspired partnership. He brings his virtuosic tenor guitar playing, vocals and wit to a party already in full swing. Michael Farkas, a superb harmonica player who also juggles bizarre percussion and a bullhorn for vocals, is the founder member and if you think you have heard enough versions of Gershwins Summertime you clearly aint heard his. Teddy Weber bats corny lines and guitar licks across the stage with Bean, sometimes doubling on pedal steel or half a drum kit. Sauerkraut Seth Travins is the combos rocknroll singer as well as double bassist, boasting a unique brush attachment to add to the beat. Simultaneously slick and hokey, the bands own material is as fine as their taste in covers. Not to be missed!"

The Wiyos (supported Bob Dylan in US last summer) | Facebook and facebook event

excellent introduction to the band from Celtic Connections last year... The Wiyos from Roots Radar

Vocoustics Promotions Presents: THE WIYOS (playing 2 sets) Tuesday 22nd March The Blue Lamp (121 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, AB25 1BU) Phone: 01224 647472 12/10 from 8pm Tickets available from 1UP Records or from The Blue Lamp bar... The Wiyos were hand picked by Bob Dylan to tour for seven weeks as the opener of the Bob Dylan Show, with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. Formed in New York City during the summer of 2002, The Wiyos took their name from the toughest gang to prowl the streets of old New York (The Whyos, circa 1890). They have spent eight years touring extensively in the USA, Canada, France, The Netherlands and The United Kingdom. Their 2009 release, Broken Land Bell, sat in the top 20 of the AMA charts for 14 weeks. The Wiyos unique charisma transcends typical social boundaries. They appeal to everyone from young hipsters to seasoned music connoisseurs. They have emerged as a hallmark band in the resurgence of traditional American music over the past decade. The Wiyos original compositions feel timeless. Much of their music is inspired by the early American musical idioms of the 1920s and '30s, but the band has a reputation for gleefully subverting genre distinctions. They seamlessly fuse vintage sounds with the contemporary without sounding forced or affected. Their more recent explorations blend human beat-box with classic swing and New Orleans style rhythms. The Wiyos' live performances are riveting affairs that take audiences back to an era before TV and mass-media were the main sources of entertainment. With infectious exuberance and theatrical skill, they create a visual spectacle in the tradition of vaudeville-esque performers. Their on-stage physical comedy recalls the silent films of Laurel & Hardy, Keaton and Chaplin. Their instrumental prowess blends numerous instruments into what is truly their own sound. "You'll be surprised!" (Seasick Steve) Fabulous... this is great music (Bob Harris) "A pure joy... fabulously skilled and inspired kooks." (LA Times) "Exuberance, intensity, vintage styles and layered with vaudevillian stage antics" (The New Yorker) Like Dylan, they display a knack for hammering archaic musical traditions into new directions. The result sounds like a synthesis with a genuine future, something of a rare accomplishment. (Americana UK) "The Wiyos brought the show to an energetic peak, singer Micheal Farkas reviving the forgotten art of washboard playing with such joyful panache that he drew bursts of applause mid-song" (The Times) The Wiyos | Official Website Vocoustics Promotions : Aberdeen

just come anyways this is what to expect... recorded the other day in a shed! some great finger-picking bits...

Vocoustic Promotions & interesting music promotions presents MALCOLM HOLCOMBE + DAVY CATTANACH (unplugged) Saturday 12th March Peacock Visual Arts 6 from 8pm As part of the 'No More Soundcheck' series of unplugged gigs in the Peacock Visual Art, we are pleased to present Malcolm Holcombe from the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Malcolm is regarded by the contemporary US and European folk/americana community as a performer, story-teller and songwriter of international stature. Few performers hurl themselves into their music with the physical and emotional abandon similar to Holcombe. He moans, grunts, groans and smacks his lips embellishing his americana-esque songs. Imagine the hurt and brusied result of a fight between John Prine and Tom Waits. Malcolm's brilliance was obvious to a core of fans and some attentive music journalists, but so were the self--destructive tendencies that floated around this mercurial man like wraiths. It was worrying at times that he would be added to the 'What Might Have Been' pantheon with Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius and Charlie Parker. He is now many years sober, performing worldwide and happily married to a woman who manages his schedule and keeps his inner garden clear for the work. He retains his quirky, fascinating character, and he writes in spasms of energy and clarity, producing visions that hover between earthy solidity and rustic mysticism playing with rhythmic pounce and sings with psychological fire. He is cryptic, demanding, polarizing, bold, passionate and free, a combination badly needed in our time of infinite trivia. Hes even more interesting for having made a remarkable journey of recovery and discovery. Press: "Not quite country, somewhere beyond folk, a kind of blues in motion, mapping backwood corners of the heart." (Rolling Stone) "Few singer/songwriters hurl themselves into their music with the physical abandon that Malcolm Holcombe displays on his latest album. Beyond the gravel voice and high-intensity arrangements featuring his guitar, he moans, grunts, groans and smacks his lips, embellishing the brilliant songs of a mercurial spirit." (Billboard Magazine) "Malcolm Holcombe's voice is like a punch in the face. Holcombe is so intense that he packs more into that five-pack than most do in a career. Holcombe's theory of songwriting cuts through the crap." (The Independent Weekly) This timeless collection of songs would fit just as easily around a 19th century campfire as in today's alt country scene." (Performing Songwriter) "It's that old school blues feel, coupled with poetic images of blue-collar life, that gives Holcombe's music so much power and has earned him such high praise...writing songs that feel as real as small-town newspaper stories and as timeless as lullabies." (American Songwriter) "Malcolm Holcombe sings in a gruff and dusty voice harsh with experience. But theres a wisdom to his delivery, and a brittle beauty to his rootsy tunes, that makes his music a pleasure to listen to." (New York Daily News) "The rare songwriter whose lyrics work as poetry as well as they do songs, Holcombe uses words to paint images that are often abstract but always connect on an emotional level." (Nashville Scene) "From the first note I was drawn in. Malcolm Holcombe is an old soul and modern day blues poet. He is a rare find." (Lucinda Williams) Malcolm Holcombe interesting music promotions | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos Vocoustics Promotions : Aberdeen

Vocoustic Promotions & interesting music promotions presents MALCOLM HOLCOMBE + DAVY CATTANACH (unplugged) Saturday 12th March Peacock Visual Arts 6 from 8pm As part of the 'No More Soundcheck' series of unplugged gigs in the Peacock Visual Art, we are pleased to present Malcolm Holcombe from the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Malcolm is regarded by the contemporary US and European folk/americana community as a performer, story-teller and songwriter of international stature. Few performers hurl themselves into their music with the physical and emotional abandon similar to Holcombe. He moans, grunts, groans and smacks his lips embellishing his americana-esque songs. Imagine the hurt and brusied result of a fight between John Prine and Tom Waits. Malcolm's brilliance was obvious to a core of fans and some attentive music journalists, but so were the self--destructive tendencies that floated around this mercurial man like wraiths. It was worrying at times that he would be added to the 'What Might Have Been' pantheon with Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius and Charlie Parker. He is now many years sober, performing worldwide and happily married to a woman who manages his schedule and keeps his inner garden clear for the work. He retains his quirky, fascinating character, and he writes in spasms of energy and clarity, producing visions that hover between earthy solidity and rustic mysticism playing with rhythmic pounce and sings with psychological fire. He is cryptic, demanding, polarizing, bold, passionate and free, a combination badly needed in our time of infinite trivia. Hes even more interesting for having made a remarkable journey of recovery and discovery. Press: "Not quite country, somewhere beyond folk, a kind of blues in motion, mapping backwood corners of the heart." (Rolling Stone) "Few singer/songwriters hurl themselves into their music with the physical abandon that Malcolm Holcombe displays on his latest album. Beyond the gravel voice and high-intensity arrangements featuring his guitar, he moans, grunts, groans and smacks his lips, embellishing the brilliant songs of a mercurial spirit." (Billboard Magazine) "Malcolm Holcombe's voice is like a punch in the face. Holcombe is so intense that he packs more into that five-pack than most do in a career. Holcombe's theory of songwriting cuts through the crap." (The Independent Weekly) This timeless collection of songs would fit just as easily around a 19th century campfire as in today's alt country scene." (Performing Songwriter) "It's that old school blues feel, coupled with poetic images of blue-collar life, that gives Holcombe's music so much power and has earned him such high praise...writing songs that feel as real as small-town newspaper stories and as timeless as lullabies." (American Songwriter) "Malcolm Holcombe sings in a gruff and dusty voice harsh with experience. But theres a wisdom to his delivery, and a brittle beauty to his rootsy tunes, that makes his music a pleasure to listen to." (New York Daily News) "The rare songwriter whose lyrics work as poetry as well as they do songs, Holcombe uses words to paint images that are often abstract but always connect on an emotional level." (Nashville Scene) "From the first note I was drawn in. Malcolm Holcombe is an old soul and modern day blues poet. He is a rare find." (Lucinda Williams) Malcolm Holcombe interesting music promotions | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos Vocoustics Promotions : Aberdeen

just a bump for tomorrow night and the Kiosque think so... music from 8:30ish

Cool, missed that one, you should come down Kirk... also gig was a "Don't Miss" in the evening express today...

Flaxman will be opening up the night... Flaxman | Facebook

review of most recent album from the Observer Mama Rosin: Black Robert review | Music | The Observer

this should be really good, and not been to musa since the takeover either...

piece from the Guardian today... Mama Rosin: Some like it hot | Music | The Guardian

performance from Jools Holland... YouTube - Mama Rosin 'Le Pistolet' Later With Jools Holland 2010.mp4 and facebook event... Vocoustics: Mama Rosin (Swiss power cajun trio) | Facebook Thanks

Vocoustics Promotions Presents: MAMA ROSIN Wednesday 19th January The Blue Lamp (121 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, AB25 1BU) Phone: 01224 647472 10/8 from 8pm www.myspace.com/mamarosin Mama Rosin Facebook In the words of the great Monty Python... 'and now for something completely different!' Mama Rosin are a sonic earthquate of ragged Cajun punk from the placid shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. They feature Cyril Yeterian (melodeon, vocals), Robin Girod (guitar, banjo, washboard, vocals) and Xavier Bray (drums) who merge the 19th Century zydeco tradition with rock'n'roll, blues and soul to create a raw and incendiary musical potion with strong roots in the old time French migrant music of Louisiana. Recently they have performed on Later with... Jool Holland, played at the Cambridge Folk Festival and supported The John Spencer Blues Explosion across Germany, and will be stopping by The Blue Lamp on Wednesday 19th January as part of their current 15-date UK tour, also taking in a performance at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow. Forget any purist notions; Mama Rosin smash genre boundaries. It is voodoo magic out of the zydeco/cajun/creole music tradition meshed with furious bluesnroll subtleties to inspire an infectious, super-wild and incredibly groovy music... like Velvet Underground meets the Clash in the deep south of the USA. Our sound starts in the Louisiana juke joints, but we like the Texas sound, calypso, the Spanish sound, the blues sound. All those styles were kicking around Louisiana, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Texas one hundred years ago. We feed off them but then we take off on our own! (Robin) The adventures of Mama Rosin began with a demo recorded and mixed by Pierre Omer (ex-The Dead Brothers). Swamped by this intriguing sound, Voodoo Rhythm Records signed then up straight away. The resulting two albums, Tu As Perdu Ton Chemin and Brule Lentement are raw presentations and the albums were finally released in the UK to critical acclaim in 2010 (see quotes below). Their live show is a hair-raising adventure across their cacophony of music influences and they have created a cult following in their home country for their fired-up, aggressive-friendly and hugely enjoyable live shows. They aim to reinvent, but also stay true, to a tradition of music which they do not wish to see fade away... Cajun culture is being killed step by step by American culture... but a younger generation invited us to Louisiana and they had tears in their eyes when we played. They give us the credibility. It really touched our hearts. (Robin) PRESS: A thrillingly souped-up racket with the standard Cajun weaponry of guitar, banjo, melodeon and rub board.' (Independent On Sunday, 5/5 Stars) 'This exceptional trio may hark back to the source and whilst initially playing with what you can take for a modern, punk-bristle, theyre true to the roots of this music.' (Maverick, 5/5 stars) Mama Rosin have the velocity, brevity and jokiness of punk.they are hot and witty, too (Songlines, 5/5 stars) Zydepunk par excellence!' (R2 Magazine, 4 stars) An extraordinary rebel-zydeco manifesto.' (Netrhythms.com) One of the wildest, most post-authentic Cajun/Zydeco bands on the planet! (fRoots) 'Loose, wild, uninhibited recording this is very much in the moment Zydeco meets wild (Bob Harris) 'It is one of the most extraordinary records I have heard in, I think, probably a good year or two.' (Tom Robinson, BBC6 Music) 'Mama Rosin weave into their sound everything from blues to calypso before covering it with a layer of dirty fuzzy rock'n'roll garage band grease. (Americana-uk.com, 7/10 stars)

this is well done

and the guardian... WikiLeaks: Police to investigate Anonymous online attacks | Technology | The Guardian

FT.com / Global Economy - UK police investigate WikiLeaks supporters decent article from the FT. (full text in spoiler for those without FT login.) UK police investigate WikiLeaks supporters By Tim Bradshaw and Mary Watkins in London and Joseph Menn in San Francisco Published: December 15 2010 13:42 | Last updated: December 15 2010 13:42 The London Metropolitan Police is investigating recent web attacks by Anonymous, the pro-WikiLeaks activists who have taken revenge against perceived opponents of the whistleblowing site. The Met has been examining alleged criminal offences by Anonymous - which has previously targeted the record industry and the Scientologists - for several months. This week, the London police service stepped up its investigation in the wake of recent denial of service attacks, whereby websites are swamped with traffic and rendered inaccessible. Several companies, including MasterCard, PayPal and Amazon, were targeted by the hacktivists, who believe the technology and payment firms have hindered WikiLeaks campaign for freedom of information by withdrawing services to the site. Earlier this year the Metropolitan Police Service received a number of allegations of denial-of-service cyber attacks against several companies by a group calling themselves Anonymous. We are investigating these criminal allegations and our investigation is ongoing, the Met said in a statement. The Metropolitan Police Service is monitoring the situation relating to recent and ongoing denial of service attacks and will investigate where appropriate. An internet advisory group to the European Union also warned on Wednesday that the spate of leaks, attacks and counter-attacks raised important implications for information security. Prof Udo Helmbrecht, executive director of Enisa, called for global co-operation to tackle internet security threats such as the leakage of sensitive documents and DOS attacks. The freedom the internet allows in moving between jurisdictions and technologies makes cyber security an asymmetric challenge. But our economy and our governments are heavily reliant on functioning and resilient systems. Therefore it is a challenge which must be met through global co-operation to strengthen all aspects of cyber security. Anonymous, a loose association of anti-censorship campaigners and teenage hackers, brought down the Swedish prosecutors website for several hours on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, after its appeal against Julian Assanges bail blocked the WikiLeaks founders release from jail. Mr Assange is accused of committing sexual offences against two Swedish women in Stockholm, allegations Mr Assange denies. Just two hours after being granted bail by a London magistrate, the WikiLeaks founder was again remanded in custody after the Swedish prosecution service launched an appeal. He will appear in court again on Thursday when the Swedish authorities make their case, which is likely to centre on his perceived flight risk. Soon after the courts ruling on Tuesday, Anonymous launched a DOS attack against klagarmyndigheten - www.aklagare.se, the website for the office of the Swedish prosecutor. The barrage rendered the site inaccessible for almost 11 hours on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, according to Netcraft, which monitors websites availability. The same group attacked the Swedish site last week after Mr Assanges arrest in London. Although it is not directly affiliated with WikiLeaks, Anonymous backs the whistleblowing websites campaign for freedom of information. The hactivists have given several WikiLeaks opponents what they called a digital black eye during the past week, perhaps encouraged by a statement by Mr Assange that his supporters should protect my work. Anonymous took credit for disrupting services on Amazons European websites over the weekend, although Amazon blamed a technical error. Only two arrests have been made so far in relation to the DOS attacks. Two teenagers were arrested in the Netherlands last week, one of whom has already been released. The other, a 16-year-old described by other Anonymous operatives as a leading activist and co-ordinator, has confessed to the crimes, Dutch police said. One Anonymous operative told the FT that the group has become nervous after rumours of a large, international swoop by the authorities. The activist said that that a sympathiser within one of the payment companies that Anonymous has targeted had tipped off one of its members that he had been identified, who was now on the run. Two other senior Anonymous operatives have resigned fearing a clampdown by the authorities, the person said, as rumours swirl on its chatrooms of co-ordinated, simultaneous arrests in several countries. Meanwhile, Mr Assanges UK attorney Mark Stephens said at the weekend that the Swedes had informed his team that the US investigation of WikiLeaks for espionage or other wrongdoing had accelerated. We have heard from the Swedish authorities that there has been a secretly empanelled grand jury in Alexandria, he told Al Jazeera interviewer David Frost. Because Sweden has indicated it would be likely to defer to the US if an indictment was forthcoming and try to extradite him to America, the sex allegations are nothing more than a holding charge, Mr Stephens said. A legal case in the US would nonetheless be difficult to prosecute. Some members of Congress have acknowledged as much in proposing new laws that would make publishing classified US documents an offence. At present, an Espionage Act case would conflict with First Amendment free-speech protection, said Kevin Bankston, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

as i read/see/think it ... (Ill have to thank my brother for explaining most of this to me over the last week) ... in effect a DDOS attack is the same technologically as ticketmaster getting swamped at 9am as tickets for "Act X" goes on sale and the amount of traffic overloads the server with requests and the website fails. Is this illegal? If you block the front door of a shop and stop people entering ... is that illegal? A type of "digital sit-in protest"? The question then is intent. The purpose of a DDOS attack is to crash a website deliberately - is that illegal? I dont think they have been targeting the transactions of these card companies (not sure though), just symbolically attacking their homepages (but im sure anon would quite happily, in its crazy-herd-mentality, attack the transaction processing). There is also a knock on affect for 'normal' businesses who use paypal etc for their income.... which im sure has not been insignificant for some people. But your choice not to use a particluar company is still your choice. I think that the law hasnt caught up to all of this yet but this doesnt mean that you couldnt be charged under some law, somewhere, for being part of it... a teenager in Holland has already been charged (or something) for taking part (there was no sympathy from anon about this though!). I dont know if there is any law(s) against the deliberate attempts to disrupt the business of a company, but is telling someone not to shop at a certain shop the same thing? public/private statements? or something like this... this, and the whole wikileaks thing, is all fascinating... [probably been posted in "laugh out loud" thread already]

new documentary posted on youtube

The band have made it back from Perth to Aberdeen.... by bus, van and some of the band even got a Taxi! Shetland Folk Festival also won 'Event of the Year' at the Scots Trad Awards... tonight will be fun!

Bump, they have made it from Shetland to Perth for the Trad Awards, this gig is still currently on

WikiLeaks website pulled by Amazon after US political pressure | Media | The Guardian

this amused me today.... kim jong-il looking at things

this is all very intriguing... not what is being leaked, none of that is really that shocking... just what wikileaks is/hopes to do.... this blog about it is worth a read ... Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy; To destroy this invisible government zunguzungu quite theoretical but interesting... twine and stuff