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For all you "footballers" out there who have ever been substituted for being shite, this ones for you.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byUJlpXREM0

[Stretch that Penny / Sweetest Friend]

For those of you that give two fecks......

Stretch that Penny / Sweetest Friend

Ahead of their debut album hitting the shops in early summer 2010, Captain Kennedy will be releasing a download only, double A-side of Stretch That Penny / Sweetest Friend. The single will be available for download from iTunes, Amazon and other online retailers from 5th April 2010.

Stretch That Penny, powered by fiddle and gin-soaked piano, has already been featured as part of the BBC's Raw Money campaign, providing sound advice for hard times.

Sweetest Friend, often regarded as the band's signature tune and a firm favourite with Captain Kennedy fans, has been given a new lease of life with this release. Often described as a heartfelt and poignant ballad, Ciaran Lavery's gravel infused vocals ensure the song keeps its rawness and spontaneity.

BIOGRAPHY

Captain Kennedy are a 7-piece band from Ireland. 2009 saw the band establish their position on the Irish music scene with a number of high profile festival appearances, the highlight being two dates at the prestigious Open House Festival. Other impressive gigs including sharing the stage with the likes of Alela Diane, Noah and the Whale and Foy Vance and appearances on the same festival bills as renowned artists such as Steve Earle, Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling, have cemented Captain Kennedy's reputation as a formidable live act.

2010 sees the band release their debut album "See You When I See You". The album, produced, recorded and mixed by well renowned producer Mudd Wallace (Therapy?, Andy White, Pat McManus), sees the band play on their strengths, namely the ability to deliver a catchy, melodic tune whilst maintaining their edgy, raw sound, an enduring feature of Captain Kennedy's live shows.

For details of upcoming gigs, please visit http://www.captainkennedy.co.uk

Hullo.  Heading to gay Paris next week.

Anyone know the best way (cheapest) to get from the airport (Charles De Gaulle) into the city centre?

Thinking of getting the shuttle bus through Easyjet but it seems to get mixed reviews on tripadvisor.  A Taxi works out about 60 or 70 Euros which is a feckin rip-off.

Cheers in advance!

Anyone watch "All The Single Ladies (Katherine Lynch) tonight on RTE 2?

What a show.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8377698.stm

If only they'd have got Eoghan Quigg or Beyonce.  This mightn't have happened.

Ok, anyone heading down to the Open House Festival this year?  It kicking off on Wednesday with some class bands including Steve Earle, Beth Orton, Foy Vance and eh....Captain Kennedy.

http://www.openhousefestival.com/2009/home.html

She's some craic isn't she?  Wouldn't mind going to one of her gigs to be honest.

Discuss.

Anyone do any blogging out there?  Just set up a new blog/website for the band.  You can find it over at http://www.captainkennedy.co.uk

Thought it would be handier than a conventional website.

However, Im trying to set up a Flickr photostream.  Anyone know how to do that?  Basically i want to have a few Flickr photos showing up on the site, but Im not sure how to go about it.  I can post them to the blog ok (as you can see if you visit the site), but I want the thumbnails to show up on the right hand-side.

Any help appreciated!

http://www.captainkennedy.co.uk

Ok, for those of you who are my buddies on Facebook, you'll know I've been plugging the shite out of this gig!

ALL proceeds from the gig will be going to the Ulster Cancer Foundation so if you can make it, brilliant!!!!

Here's the low-down:

PRESS RELEASE

Plans for the biggest showcase of local bands Lurgan has ever seen are well underway. "Captain Kennedy's King Biscuit Hour" is scheduled to take place next Friday, June 12th in Barista at the Centrepoint Complex with all proceeds being donated to charity.

A number of high profile bands from across all genres have been signed up for the event and the line-up will include (in no particular order) Sinocence, Trucker Diablo, Captain Kennedy, Master Exploder, Iceman mcCann, Who's Joe? Silvercord, Gerdie Leathem, Baz McSherry and Dusty Miller from Germany. Headliners on the night will be Derry band Swanee River who have recently confirmed a number of high profile support slots across the UK with the likes of The Answer, Taste and UFO.

Local comedian Sean Hegarty has agreed to host the night and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the Ulster Cancer Foundation. Derek Brennan, new manager of Barista, has kindly offered the use of the 500+ capacity venue free of charge. Tickets for what is sure to be one of the highlights of the local music calendar are available from Barista, The Ceili House or any of the band members playing on the night. Tickets will also be available on the night of the gig. Doors open at 7pm with the first act performing at 8pm sharp. Minimum donation is £5.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=73154584791&ref=ts

This was in May!

This is the chance to re-imagine one of the greatest rock films ever. The Last Waltz, was a farewell concert from The Band, recorded on Thanksgiving Day, 1976. The event was a checklist of roots, rock and Americana, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood and Dr John.

It marked the demise of the original Band line-up, an emotional goodbye after 16 years on the road. Songs like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Weight, and It Makes No Difference, still resonate across popular music.

The artists for this event will include: Captain Kennedy, Jackson Cage, Katie Richardson, Ten Gallon Hat, John Shelley and the Creatures, The BBCs Gerry Anderson and more names TBA.

For updates on the acts involved and the selected tracks, check www.ohyeahbelfast.com

Tickets Also Available From Belfast Welcome Centre on 028 9024 6609

[I'll Fly Away - Captain Kennedy]

Ok, i know it might be a shameless plug, but hey!  Sue me!  Everyone loves this film so you could do worse than head to this:


The Oh Yeah music centre, in association with the Jameson Film Festival Presents a special musical event:

'O Brother Where Art Thou': the live soundtrack
Spring & Airbrake, Belfast, Sunday March 29, 8pm, £8

Some of our best live artists will recreate the classic soundtrack to the legendary film.

'O Brother' was released in 2000 and starred George Clooney, Holly Hunter and John Goodman. The soundtrack was awarded a Grammy the following year.

The set-list for March 29 is:
1. Po'Lazarus - Connor Scullion
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain - Cat Malojian
3. You Are My Sunshine - Angie McCrisken
4. Down In The River To Pray - Brigid O' Neill
5. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow - Dolbro Dan
6. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Paul McMordie
7. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (inst.) - Paul McMordie
8. Keep on the Sunny Side of Life - Katie Richardson
9. Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby - Katie Richardson
10. I'll Fly Away - Captain Kennedy
11. In The Highways - Wookalily
12. O'Death - Kieran Murray
13. I Am Weary - Brigid O' Neill
14. In the Jailhouse Now - Broken String Band
15. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow - Broken String Band
16. Indian War Whoop - TBC
17. Lonesome Valley - Connor Scullion
18. Angel Band – Wookalily

For this special commission, Jameson Belfast Film Festival and Oh Yeah! have teamed up to present an evening of music from this classic film soundtrack. Ten local singers and musicians will be asked to perform a song each from the 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' soundtrack and clips from the film will be screened during the intervals.

The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? joins the likes of American Graffiti and The Harder They Come as cinematic pinnacles of song. The music from the Coen brothers' Depression-era film taps into the source from which the purest strains of country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music flow. Producer T-Bone Burnett enlists performances of traditional material, in arrangements that are either 'a cappella' or feature bare-bones accompaniment.

Highlights range from the aching purity of "Down to the River to Pray" to the plainspoken faith of "Keep on the Sunny Side" and the chillingly plaintive "O Death." Oh Yeah! has invited a series of artists to take on the interpretations, including The Broken String Band, Jackie Rainey, Cara Robinson, Eilish Phillips, Captain Kennedy and Cat Malojian.



The festival box office is 028 9024 6609
www.belfastfilmfestival.org
www.ohyeahbelfast.com

Any magic cures?  Would a cushioned in-sole do the trick?  I've rested it for a fortnight but want to get out training again (road-running).

Anyone watching this on BBC 4 now?  Unreal.  17 cameras are following Zidane during a Real Madrid home game.  Class the way it's done.

 Just a quick update on the Captain Kennedy gig front if anyone feels like attending any of the shows.......

11th March ~ Radio One ~ 0.00am
17th March ~ Bacchanal Festival ~ The Black Box ~ Supporting Burning Codes
28 Mar ~ Botanic Arts Festival, Belfast ~ with Jackson Cage
29 Mar ~ Belfast Film Festival ~ Spring & Airbrake ~ Oh Yeah Revisits "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"
4 Apr ~ The Vintage, Lurgan
28 Apr ~ The Empire
9th May ~ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival

[Captain Kennedy]

Ok, here's a new concept on the go.  A website has been set up for local bands (including ourselves you'll be glad to hear) offering free downloads of their music.  The downloads are then compiled into a weekly chart.

For once Im not gonna beg you to go over and download our track (but ye can if ye want  ) but I just wanted to see if anyone has heard from some of the bands on the site.  If not you definitely should check them out. Some really class bands on there.  Sure ye could have a wee nosey at what the local music scene is like........

Heres a couple of suggestions to get ye started:

Cat Malojian
Panama Kings
The Good Fight
The Bonnevilles

and of course Captain Kennedy 

Just head to:

http://www.nichart.com/downloads.html

Can anyone recommend a decent restaurant in Belfast for dinner?

It's for the wife's birthday, so nothing too pricey....

I know, I know.  Captain Kennedy on the TV again.....(albeit for about 1 minute)......

Media whores.....

[Santa got attacked, one of the elves got smacked in the face and pushed into a pram]

Anyone else been following this story about the Lapland-style theme park in England?

Some laugh, although you'd be like a bear if you paid that amount of money for a ticket.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7762855.stm

A security guard at a Lapland-style theme park criticised by visitors as "hell" and a "scam" said he resigned because he was "ashamed to work there".

Adrian Wood worked in the security hut at Lapland New Forest which opened on Friday on the Hampshire-Dorset border.

He said he resigned after seeing a family take their mother out of a hospice to make the most of what could be her last Christmas.

Mr Wood also said he and other staff had been attacked by irate visitors.

More than 2,000 people who paid £25-£30 for tickets to the park near Ringwood have officially complained.

Hundreds of people want refunds and are calling for the closure of the attraction, complaining it does not resemble marketing images on its website.

  Santa got attacked, one of the elves got smacked in the face and pushed into a pram

Adrian Wood

The website became unavailable on Monday afternoon, but has since been republished with different pictures.

Trading standards officers said they had visited the site but do not have the power to shut it down.

"I quit late Sunday afternoon due to all the events that have been going on, the complaints and the violence towards myself and to other members of staff," Mr Wood told BBC News.

"But what put the final icing on the cake for me to walk out, was a family had taken their mother out of a hospice for cancer patients, who wasn't expected to see this Christmas.

"So they decided to bring her to Lapland to see the Christmas show.

"On getting there they found it difficult to get access with the wheelchair with the mother.


One visitor said the nativity scene had everyone she met laughing

"They were in a queue for nearly an hour-and-a-half in the pouring rain waiting to see Santa.

"If they'd stayed another two to three hours they would have seen him, but unfortunately the queues were that long it was ridiculous."

He said he felt "very, very sorry" for people who had visited the park.

"They have been ripped off," he said.

In the three days that he worked there he said he was "inundated with complaints".

"Santa got attacked, one of the elves got smacked in the face and pushed into a pram.

"I was punched in the forehead in the ticket office by an irate customer.

"I was ashamed to work there, really, really ashamed."

The theme park's website had shown pictures of snowy "winter wonderland" scenes and icicles.

Many people said they were disappointed by the Chistmas market

It also promised real log cabins, a nativity scene, husky dogs and other animals, as well as a "bustling" Christmas market.

Hundreds of people have complained to the BBC about the park since the weekend, saying the animals looked unhappy and huskies looked thin and were chained up in a pen.

Other facilities, including a broken ice rink, were poor, they said, describing the site as a "scam", a "joke", "disorganised chaos" and "hell".

Tickets cost £30 for individuals, £25 for each person for families of four or more, and £10 for children under two years old. Many said they had spent £150 for a family to visit.

Some complained they then had to pay more to use some of the facilities once inside the park.

Meanwhile, East Dorset District Council has stopped the sale of alcohol on site because an application for a licence had been granted but was not yet in force.

The RSPCA said it was investigating after receiving a number of complaints.

Henry Mears, who organises the park's marketing and advertising, told the BBC on Monday: "We don't believe we ripped anyone off. What is not here that we haven't advertised?"

He blamed "a few groups of professional troublemakers" for the allegations over the attraction.

Mr Mears has not been available for comment since Monday morning.

Unsatisfied customers have been advised by Consumer Direct to consider taking the matter to county court if writing a letter is unsuccessful.

The government-funded advice service has received more than 2,000 complaints about the theme park.

At least they had a polar bear:

Ok, we've had the "Cures, do you believe in them?" thread.

How's about the "Curses, do you believe in them?" thread.

My favourite curse I like to use is....."I hope your ass hairs turn into drumsticks and beat the bollocks off you."

Not sure if it has actually worked.  O'Neill, can you clarify if your asshairs have turned to drumsticks and beat the bollocks off you?

Anyone know any good, safe sites where I could download karaoke dvd's? 

And before anyone slags, it's for a party.....the band isn't branching out.