This brilliant gig was postponed from december cause of the snow and ice and it’s now happening this day net week. Still sounds like a wonderful gig by magnificent sounding promoters; Fresh and Noble. Si Schroeder is one of my very favourite live acts, and he hasn’t gigged in an age (2 years according to the gig info, 2 years! where does the time go?). Not to mention 3epkano who are continuously stunning live, and of course the great Donal Dineen along on visual and dj duties, with some other most intriguing sounding acts, especially the nothing-but- 3-minute-pop-song aims of Tin Charm.

Official info on all of the acts below, but if you want an in to the musical head of Si Schroeder he did a great radio session with Donal Dineen last year where he picked some tunes and chatted about his music making process- check out the tunes and the link to listen back here> Actually now that I think about it 3epkano did two sessions with Dineen too- one with Matthew chatting tunes and the other with some performances from the group.

So with a heap of excellent acts, a lovely venue (Grand Social) and the proceeds going to Chuan Mhuire Rehabilitation centre it should be a perfect winter warmer, of the hypnotic variety.  Well done Fresh and Noble!

Fresh and Noble Presents

Si Schroeder / 3epkano / Tin Charm / Redaction / Donal Dineen / James Mackin

Wed 2nd February  / Grand Social / Doors 8 till late / Tickets €10* available at the door

This will be Si Schroeder first performance in two years. He is a six-foot hairy male who makes ‘music’. This ‘music’ has generally sounded like the combined contents of his record collection (mostly classic sixties pop, scratchy old ethnic recordings and the odd bleep or two), on top of which he layers ruminative, whispered vocals about the tough times we all live in and go through. His adventures have lately brought him into the arms of Dublin tastemakers Foggy Notions (***** Best Album of 2006 for his debut COPING MECHANISMS); nomination for the 2nd Choice Music Awards (the Irish Mercurys); and National radio and TV appearances.An argumentative sophomore album is currently in the works.

His current live shows attempt to find a bridge between live electronics, guitars, drums, percussion, and the combined singing of men, women, children and machines. In various guises Si Schroeder has blown the PA systems of Dublin, London’s influential Kosmische club, PopKomm Berlin, EUROSONIC in Groningen, Oslo, New York’s IntelFest, and Chicago. Expect toy pianos and toy planes, bleeps and beats (and bleats…) bells and chimes, drones and choirs…

3epkano are a Dublin based, seven piece band who are dedicated to producing original soundtracks for silent and avant-garde cinema. The group have played numerous headline shows in both Ireland and the US to great critical acclaim. The group have also been commissioned to produce new music for such prestigious institutions as The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin Fringe Festival, Film Society of Lincoln Centre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. 2008 also saw them take responsibility for curating the new alternative music strand at the year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival, a programme which included Mercury Rev, Spiritualized, Lisa Hannigan and Somadrone to name but a few. June ’09 saw them travel to New York to form the centerpiece of BAMcinematek’s tenth anniversary celebrations. They returned again to BAM two months ago to close this year’s cinemafest. They have released two albums to date and are planning to release their third long player later this year.

Tin Charm is a Dublin 3 piece. All three members have previously played in bands that have traded on combining bursts of feedback driven noise with catchy hooks and melodies, but now aim to take that approach to a more immediate conclusion. Tin Charm aim to create sub 3 minute (or damn near sub 3 minute!) pop songs that will forego the feedback foreplay and hit you straight across the forehead with a sonic sledge hammer while simultaneously tickling your ribs with melody. In, out and with just a little shaking it all about. Charming!

Redaction is a Dublin-based band offering an invigorating mix of fast rock ‘n roll and slow ballads, both old and not so old. The band’s motto is (no revelation here) that no life worth living is possible without music, that middle-age geezers can kick arse too, and that one mustn’t allow over- rehearsing to kill the fun of live performance.

Visuals and Djing on the night will provided by Donal Dineen - A musical pioneer since his early days as the presenter of No Disco (RTE) in the nineties, through to his current late night radio show The Small Hours on Today FM, Donal Dineen has used his discerning ear to seek out, listen to and encourage experimental music in all genres.

James Mackin, whilst also drumming with 3epkano, developed a solo project while studying for his masters in jazz performance at DIT last year.

*All proceeds from this event will be donated to Chuan Mhuire Rehabilitation center.