Mad as March Hair

So today, I got a haircut for the first time since about June 2010. The length of my hair was not the problem, but the sheer weight and thickness of it was weighing down on my spirit, mind and body. I was hoping to somehow thin it out without losing TOO much of the length. So today I took the plunge. normally I'm quite wary of barber shops, basically because I've had so many bad haircuts, many of which result in me going back to almost a military-style short cut. Surprisingly, this did not happen. The venue is a small town in rural Pennsylvania, built almost entirely on hills. after googling the place, I found a barber right down the street. I walked in, unsure of what to expect. it immediately felt like I was in a 1950s style movie barber shop. old-fashioned and friendly and what is more, they actually gave me what I asked for. And more: a hot towel, straight razor shave and beard shaping. I feel better groomed and less scruffy than I have for a very long time.
Other than that, I finally finished the 'Lost City' which was actually not that bad, except it ended up being an anticlimax. my next book to start, which will probably be tomorrow, is Ernest Hemingway's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls.' I am looking forward to it, I haven't read a novel in quite some time.
Today was quite pleasant, I spent the afternoon listening to music which I haven't heard in a while, some of the staples being Tom Petty, Neil Young, and some of the more obscure Tom Waits tracks.
a minor note this week is the occurrence of a small festival called St. Patrick's Day. It is generally celebrated in the USA the weekend beforehand, and last Saturday saw us playing two shows back to back in Roanoke, Virginia, before heading bar-wards to engage in some debauchery. the day itself will be a quiet one for us, as we are playing in a casino in the afternoon, and are spending the evening and the majority of the night on the bus from upstate New York to Charlotte, North Carolina. Touring can take its toll on one, physically and mentally. At this point many of us are feeling the strain, so not partying too much is probably a good thing..
Having said that, I am currently exhausted, and am going to go grab a quick nap before show time.
I love my work.
Peace, Love and naps.
Dermo

Brain Vomit

So today I have decided to do many things that I normally would put off doing, seeing as I got up early and am not hungover. (Somehow I think those two things might be relative..) Anyhow, the point is that I am not good at multitasking, or ordering my priorities. So I went to the pool. then I ate a sandwich. then I took some photographs of the snow. now I am finally getting down to business. Writing. while eating a sandwich. And putting fresh strings on my mandolin, while listening to bluegrass. This is how I tend to be productive; putting aside a small amount of time to do all the important things I need/want to do, so I can later justify not doing anything. Luckily eating all those sandwiches means I can put off having dinner until I finish.
So today's entry is not really about any one thing, seeing as I have a lot of thoughts going on at the moment. The band is playing a 3-day run of shows in a fairly prestigious (i.e. expensive) ski resort up near the Canadian border. Skiing has always seemed a rather pointless exercise to me. Those who know me will know that I usually find most exercise pointless, and of course I hate the cold. So the idea of paying ten thousand dollars to spend a weekend going up a mountain on a chairlift and then sliding back down seems silly. But it is these people who are paying my wages. And we get to use the hotel's facilities (gym, hot tub and pool) which is okay by me.
I do not like the cold. Did I mention this?
I'm reading a book called 'The Lost City of Z'. It is about a real-life character, an Amazon explorer in the early twentieth century. It's not often I don't want to finish a book, but this chap was an extremely disagreeable person, and even reading about him makes me hate him. And who wants to read a book that makes them angry. It would be the literary equivalent of me voluntarily watching a Julia Roberts film. Nobody needs unnecessary anger in their life. having said that, I'll probably finish the book..
Also, if anybody wants to buy me a Fender Telecaster, feel free. I really want one, but budget cuts must be made... :(
Furthermore, I have never driven a car in the US. It can't be that hard, right? They let 14 year olds do it..
Okay, now I need to finally post this, and go set up for tonight's show. This life doesn't come easy...
Peace and Love (and Sandwiches :D)
Dermo

Millennium - Tom Holland

(Abacus, 2009)
It's been probably ten years since I wrote a book review, so I've decided to start attempting to do so. This first effort is on the latest offering from popular historian Tom Holland, a wide-ranging overview of what is commonly known as the 'Dark Ages'.
'Millennium' attempts to illustrate the emergence of unified, Christian, kingdoms in the time period surrounding the first Millennium AD. The general tone of the book lends itself to narrative, as Holland portrays each historical figure, be they king, Pope or emperor, as a character in the overall scheme of things, and how each character shaped the future of the world as they knew it. The major overarching theme of the book focuses on the doom and gloom felt by European Christians in the lead-up to the first Millennium, when many people started looking at the world around them, and seeing signs of decay, violence and death, feared the Day of Judgement was at hand. The conviction of this that many people felt was set in stone by the Church, and each particular failure of Armageddon to arrive was followed by disappointment, then excuses, and finally a new 'Day of Judgement' would be seized upon. I personally enjoyed the way Holland closes the book with a sort of closure upon this theme. He has, early in the text, set the dates which he will deal with between AD 900 and AD 1100. In the final chapter, he deals with the immediate lead-up to the First Crusade, yet does not go into detail on the Crusade itself. Instead he merely states, in a succint summary, that "Antichrist did not appear."
At first I found this to be an anticlimax, after the rather rushed final chapter (in which he deals with about 20 years of pan-European history in 80 pages), but upon reflection, realized that this one short line summed up the entire book. Despite detailing the evolution of the Holy Roman Empire, France, England, Scandinavia and Kievan Rus in the course of the book, the major theme of the book is closed with that final line, and the reader can move on, because the author had given them enough information to understand much more about these 'Dark Ages'.
This review is only partial, but Mr. Holland has also added a detailed timeline, notes section, and index, which provide a LOT of further in-depth reading. I enjoyed the book very much. I suppose that's probably the best review I could have written at all...

Oh Lordy

well there are mutants and zombies. I would personally prefer to be a mutant, as long as it wasn't one of those crazy mutations like the guy from the Fantastic Four. an extra finger or toe wouldn't be so bad. pointless, perhaps, but could possibly make life easier. in other news, I really like living on a bus. sometimes. even though it makes 'normal' life seem like something alien, I've gotten quite fond of my bunk rocking me to sleep at night. I finished reading my latest book recently, and will probably dedicate a blog to that in the next few days. In other news, my sunburnt elbows have finally gone back to normal after Puerto Rico, and I have had a very positive week. I'm not sure why that is, but I have an idea. Anyway, my bandmates have described me as a 'new Dermo' and the whole positive mental attitude is as infectious on the bus as harp player no. 1's sore throat. So we're all feeling a bit under the weather, but also are all in a really good mood (mostly) which is a total sea-change from some of the previous tours we have done together. as they say, the band that coughs together... umm I don't know where that was going, but you get my drift. Lucky for us then, since we are playing gigs almost 5 nights a week from now until April! Overall, this whole touring thing has its ups and downs, but currently spirits are up. This pleases me.
until next time: peace and love.
Dermo.

Here's to new friends.. and ships.

I'm on my second-last day in Puerto Rico, a fun little island, and what can I say? I'm going to be cheesy but honest and say that, like most journeys I've made, it has been the people here who have made my stay so good. my travelling companion is a diminutive blonde firecracker, whose utter disparity with my own personality has made for constant entertainment on both of our parts, and we have Definitely learned a lot about each other. from day one, moving into the newly-opened San Juan International Hostel we met open, entertaining, contrasting and fascinating people. their website is http://sjihostel.wordpress.com/ and if you follow me on Twitter, their tag is @SJiHostel. I'm hereby recommending all weary travellers to book in advance for this hidden gem. having not booked in advance, we have stayed at various places, but ended up coming back, almost every evening, whether it be for poker, rum, or just good old-fashioned witty banter. As a nerd of all things historical, I made a point of taking some time to myself to ogle over the extensive fortifications in the old town. The weather- and salt-stained masonry of the Spanish colonial period, intermingled with more recent US militaristic concrete creates a shocking contrast, but a fitting example of what makes this the 'Gateway to the Caribbean'. as you enter the old town proper, down by Plaza Colón, the sprawling fortress of San Cristobal looms large to seaward, while the plaza itself is a nice place to chill and people-watch, especially on those days when the local rum has left a void between the ears. the 'Gateway' tag is especially deserved when you realize the amount of cruise ships which dock here, almost every day. there have been at least four different floating cities docked there in the last week. Crazy, right? Well, maybe not. I like the idea of a cruise, probably more than I might enjoy the actual journey. Being aboard ship makes me feel great. As soon as i feel the craft pitching and tossing on the waves beneath my feet I get a sense of excitement, of discovery, even, that flying in an aeroplane can just not compare. But the sheer size of these ships makes me wonder if anything but a storm-tossed sea would create that same feeling, and maybe I would not achieve that sense of adventure that makes me love being on the sea. I think the only way is to attempt it. And when I do, I shall be certain to record the experience right here. In a side note, while on the island here, we took a ferry to the smaller island of Vieques, off the eastern coast. It reminded me very much of the ferry to the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. That, I suppose, is where I get my romantic notion of seafaring from. Another companion, early in our trip, was a medical officer on board a sailing vessel, and confirmed to me that my notion of sailing is quite probably a serious misconception.
On a totally unrelated topic, we also visited Arecibo Observatory, which is where they filmed the closing sequence of the James Bond movie 'Goldeneye' which was one of the first James Bond movies I think I had ever seen, and still remains a firm favourite. I know what you're thinking: "doesn't he know that Arecibo observatory has the largest reflecting telescope in the world, and is also home to the SETI foundation.. ?" well, I do know that, but as I'm an avid consumer of popular movie culture, the James Bond reference is what I first picked up on. And do you know what? I was very surprised that more people didn't get it straight away, some people I mentioned it to HAD NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE!!!! crazy? damn straight.
peace and love brothers and sisters
Dermo

Caffeination

not all coffee is good. by no means. In fact I have drank a large amount of bad coffee recently. Normally, at home in Ireland I don't tend to drink coffee at all, but on the road in the US, coffee is more readily available than tea, and since I still need my caffeine fix, will suffice to fill a gap. Anyhow, whether or not I'm drinking good coffee, I still think that it doesn't have the same psychological effect that tea can have, especially on myself, a veteran tea drinker. I apologise to those who expect something a little deeper from my blog. I'm just a little bit homesick, and would love a nice cup of Lyon's right now. preferably with some nice biscuits. I personally like Chocolate Polos, but really, I have no major preference. except for Fig Rolls. I really don't like Fig Rolls. speaking of which, I ate my first actual fig at Christmas, thanks to the wide-ranging tastes of Sister the Elder. I actually quite liked it. I have not expanded my palate much recently, so the addition of a new fruit/vegetable is, I suppose, an event to be remembered. Here's to the humble fig! I also like dates. The sticky fruit kind. I'm not very experienced with the other kind. Although the kind that you find in a history book I am familiar with. Anyhow, that's the extent of my thoughts on stuff right now.
Peace and Prosperity.
Dermo

Colourful Times

This blog is going to be about the things I have been getting up to recently. for anyone who follows my Twitter, you will probably know I've been on tour in the USA. we're about 10 days in, so sufficient time has passed to accumulate a few anecdotes. As I write this I'm in a dressing room at a venue in the Colorado Rockies, a ski resort somewhere not too far from Denver. the show tonight was pretty heady, mainly due to the elevation, which left everyone slightly fuzzy-headed and played havoc with the instruments. the drive to get here was pretty scenic though, here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKN1SPI0Yjc

We started the tour back on the 12th in Memphis, then Texarkana, Florida, Texas, California, Las Vegas and finally here in Colorado, heading for sunnier climes tomorrow, Rapid City, South Dakota; where if I can get a few of the other crew members to come along, we plan to go see Mt. Rushmore (if indeed we can see it at all, with the snow...) so anyway, I won't be writing too much stuff about it, but dancer Charlene has a blog which she updates assiduously, so feel free to check that out: http://www.charlenesblogonline.com/www.charlenesblogonline.com/Blog/Blog.html

They fed us really nice food here today; the lunch being your usual catered flatmeat, but with actual nice bread and plenty yogurt, oatmeals, cereal and what not. dinner was monkfish, cooked with olives, peppers and caramelized onion. mmm...

and lastly, I have found a very interesting website which has kept me entertained while not doing all the other fun things I do, like changing strings and soundchecking...
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/articles/maps/maps_of_the_ancient_world.htm

okay so, I'm off to catch up on some beers.
peace and love. D

bands and stuff.

I promised my friend Kim I'd give the band she manages a plug, here it is: they are called 27B and are based in Dublin/Cavan and are quite entertaining on stage. I suppose I should give ye the link: http://www.myspace.com/27bmusic so go check it out! I'm actually quite taken with some of the tracks. as I do not normally go out to see/hear bands I am usually a bit of a fanboy when I discover a new band that I actually like. Sligo's own 'Oddsocks Revival' were one of those bands that I discovered quite by accident, and they are just a really ass-kicking rock band. check 'em out: http://twitter.com/#!/oddsocksrevival or http://www.oddsocksrevival.com/
well anyway, that's today's blog on music, expect more updates on various things like what I happen to be reading about, or what's happening on tour, or what I think I'll have for dinner (breakfast today was courtesy of Subway, and I feel rather sick...)

Mionrudaí (Little Things)

Mionrudaí Maidine
An mbíonn tú fuar ar maidin?
Nó an mbíonn teocht i mbun do chois?
An bhfeiceann tú an tús la nua,
Nó an bhfuil d’aisling fós i do shúil?
Cén taobh leapa a éirionn tú as?
An mbíonn doras do sheomra iomlán faoi ghlas?
An mbíonn gloine uisce i ngar do ghreim?
Nó amach don chistin leat, an tart i bhfeidhm.
An ghlanann tú d’fhiacla roimh cupán tae,
An lasann tú toitín ag tús an lae?
An mbíonn drogall ort fágáil an tí?
Do cheann fós trom ón iomarca dí.
Nó an mbíonn spleodar ‘gus sonas i ngach coiscéim,
Gach gluaiseacht choirp idir rith ‘s léim?
An dtógann tú rothar, nó bus, nó carr?
An bhfuil d’achar chuig obair i gcéin nó i ngar?
Ba mhaith liom féin na rudaí seo
(‘S na céadta eile) a fháil amach

apart from all that, I'm excited at going back on tour, since Galway in January is a quiet and empty sort of place, the infernal cold only adding to the general air of lethargy hanging about the place.
in other news, I finally finished reading Papillon, and having tried other brands of incense, have come to the realization that Nag Champa is still the best. I have to get to India some day soon.
I bought a new hat today, it's a Stetson-style copy, very comfortable and it looks quite natural on my head.
also, the new socks i got for Christmas have begun to prove their worth, being not only warm, but ridiculously comfy.
I know it's a truism, and very cliché, but what the heck, I'll say it: It's the little things that make life worth living.

Golden Egg?

So here it is, the festive season. So why is it that all I want to do is sleep? I'm unsure what this blog is about, but I realized I haven't updated this in a while. Christmas came and went since the last time, and of the things on my wish list, I got the Ian Rankin novel 'The Complaints', which I did want, and 'Exit Music' which I already had, unfortunately. And since I'm such a history nerd, I asked for a couple of books on any subject pre-WWI (pretty broad category); which resulted in a book on the twilight of the medieval Cathars in Languedoc (a fascinating subject which I admittedly know little about) and a book on Napoleon's march to Moscow. can't wait to get stuck into those, but first I'm trying to finish 'Papillon' which I had long heard of, but had no idea what it was about. exciting stuff. I also recently acquired the TV mini-series version of the 'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. haven't started watching it yet, but I'm slightly worried since I really enjoyed the novel, how are they going to skew it? More on that anon. tv/movie adaptations are not usually known for being faithful to the original, and I have long since reconciled myself to the fact. anyway, my other Christmas gift was a bag of socks. this pleases me immensely, since my current quota of socks had been dwindling for some time prior to this. add to that they are extremely comfortable and you have a winning formula.
Christmas dinner is normally a meal handled by my mum and older sister, with the odd help from the rest of us, peeling spuds and such. This year was largely a combined effort, with myself and the brother acting as sous-chefs and salad-makers as well as potato mashers and peelers. The brother loves that stuff, he's into his cooking. as for me, I'm so lazy, I'd rather eat shit food that takes 10 minutes preparation than spend an hour preparing something that might actually be palatable to anyone other than myself. apart from mashed potatoes. I could eat them with every meal. sister the elder made some with Mustard and Creme Fraiche earlier. they were pretty good. I'd still prefer the ones I made for Thanksgiving though.
Christmas turkeys are deceptively large. we thought the one we got was about the size of a chicken, (we named him Verne, after the guy who played mini-me, in order to accentuate him diminutive stature) yet we haven't even finished the meat after 2 days... see what I mean? deceptive.
I haven't drunk any mulled wine over Christmas, to be honest, haven't drank much at all.
all in all; this Christmas has been fairly odd, yet somehow more normal than ever.
I'm going back to find out what happens to Papillon.
until next time.
Peace and yuletide Hugs
Derm

The Week Before Christmas

this is a poem inspired by my daily rambles around the streets, movement being the only thing that keeps my feet warm in this blasted cold weather (in conjunction with a few pairs of warm socks).

Receiving a gift is all about you
buying the gift makes you feel like poo
Charity and selfishness coexist now each year
Consumer and activist consumed by good cheer
Shoppers lunch in cafes burdened with loads
Filled up with trinkets of copper and gold
Rosy cheeked children rush hither and yon
while charity choirs attempt to part you from your hard earned and much needed cash by guilt tripping you while singing a lovely song.

I do like all the twinkly lights though. makes the dark evenings less depressing. roll on food-filled Christmas party season. shopping sucks.
peace out. D.

Darklight

Ahhh.
I'm sitting in a cafe beside a canal, with large windows letting in the remains of the grey light of the winter's afternoon. scattered raindrops scud across the surface of the canal, and turn one's mind to the upcoming season, my favourite time of year. That's right, I'm talking about New Year's Resolutions.
I suppose the normal thing to be thinking of at this time of year is the impending gluttony of the season of Christmas, the Christian epitome of the Westernized, globalist society. Even now, when people are in the throes of doom and gloom, they will spill their near-empty sparáns for a decent tree and toys for the young 'uns.
I might blog about Christmas when the time comes closer, but for now the festive fever has not grasped me. I prefer to look ahead, knowing that what happens in between is probably little different to last year or the years preceding it. New Year's Resolutions, however, should not be spur-of-the-moment decisions made in the throes of a comedown from too much merriment. I try to think about these decisions at least once a week in the month or so leading up to and around January 1st. I started trying to do this about two years ago, and can honestly say that having thought about them more, the term 'resolution' becomes much more apt, having achieved over half of the goals I set out for myself last year, being 'resolute'.
I won't deny that many admirable goals are thought of after too much wine on New Year's Eve, but how many of those admirable goals are even remembered by January 31st?
I will probably post some of my resolutions here after the 1st of January, but until then, I will continue to blather about other, less intense things.
peace and love my homies.
Dermo

Euro-centrism

I've been thinking and reading a lot lately, hence the lack of blogging, since I can't really do too much at once. I suppose since the current trend of world and domestic news is all about Ireland's relations with Europe; and American diplomatic ties with the world, I have been thinking about history, as I suppose I do quite a lot. It has become a source of some contention for me the way our 'modern' 'Western' civilization, is so Anglophile, and at least in Ireland, has become Euro-centric. history at least gives us reason as to the rise of English as an international language, but it is a cause of embarrassment to me when travelling, that I can barely speak another language (apart from Irish of course, which is close to pointless anywhere other than the west of Ireland).
my second point is the one which I have long held to be a cause of worry in our country. despite my last few posts, in which I lauded certain aspects of European influence on our society, I have always had a healthy mistrust for the overt political power that the EU exerts on us, and most especially, the common currency. I was very young when the Euro was introduced, and while I saw its benefits, I also bemoaned a certain loss of identity, even then. my scepticism of the EU has recently been proved to be fairly well-founded, although I cannot place all the blame, since the corruption in power has also sprung from the narrow-minded government policies that are all too Irish.
my current reading is based on the conflict between Islam and Christianity in medieval times, ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Faith-Christianity-Medieval-Mediterranean/dp/0802715176/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291737789&sr=1-5 if anybody's interested..) which doesn't solely deal with the Crusades, but gives them a fair mention. this invasion of a relatively peaceful country by the barbarian hordes of Franks was no better than the incursions of the Vikings on Christian sites in Europe, which is much deplored in many popular histories. the uniting of Europe as 'Christendom' under Pope Gregory VII and Urban II is often seen as the foundation of modern Europe.
Islamic Spain in this period was under attack from the Christian north, barbarians in their own right, and this is now known as the 'reconquista' in Spanish history, rather than as a war of conquest over others who had just as much a right to be on the Iberian peninsula.
Contemporaneously, Mali and Ghana in West Africa had flourishing empires which were hugely successful culturally, under both pagan and Islamic rule.
I have also been reading sources ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gateway-Atlantis-Search-Source-Civilisation/dp/0747261377/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291738484&sr=1-1) which prove, to me at least, that there was much pre-historic contact between the Mediterranean seafaring cultures and the cultures of today's Latin America.

Overall, most of these thoughts are just snippets of interesting facts that have been circling in my mind and come up in conversation since I last blogged, and I think that, rather than being the most important cultural/religious affiliation in the world, Europe is historically a backwater, peopled with bullies and closed-minded conquerors. It sometimes makes me embarrassed to think this about my own people, but I will finish with this thought:
If you can see the stain on your cheek, would you not do your best to wash it off before going out to make new friends?
peace and love.
Dermo

The Unexpected Cyclist

(dedicated to all the cycling enthusiasts I've met over the years):

A fine addition to our day
An unexpected cyclist made his way
Through crowded alleys and pedestrian streets
Tires crunching gravel ‘neath tired feet
Replete with goggles, Lycra shorts,
And a shiny helmet to turn the parts
Into a character, sure and neat
The kind a girl’s parents might like to meet
With a friendly grin, he comes to a stop
And from his saddle down he hops
And without delay starts to regale
The assembled crowd with many tales
Of all his travels, both near and far
And the merits of never owning a car
The folks who do, he vehemently claims,
Never feel the sun or rain
Nor feel the wind bite like a cat,
None who have would forget that!

But after talking long, and eating more,
He retires homeward, intent to snore
Relaxing muscles that work so hard
To bring him joy and more reward
He dreams so much of being on the road,
The unexpected cyclist, brave and bold.

follow up

So in a short follow up to my last blog, I want to praise and laud the American tradition of Thanksgiving, which I had explained to me by a teenager from Massachusetts as a celebration of this Indian dude who taught the pilgrims how to hunt back in the day (paraphrased). After enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with some American friends tonight, I am currently in a slight food coma, and can still taste the juicy turkey and succulent ham that formed the centrepiece of the meal. in my previous post I mentioned the air of welcome and intermingling of aromas in the Galway Christmas market, and in case anyone hasn't recognized, food has an effect of making me extremely content. Being present during the preparation the meal, I was impatient, to say the least. It was like watching people eat on television, a tantalizing teasing torment, which could not end soon enough. As the meal was served, a variety of tasty American dishes with which I was not familiar presented themselves. I only hope that someone, somewhere, has published a 'Thanksgiving Cookbook' because I plan on making this an annual event, whether or not I'm in the USA. I think this is definitely yet another foreign tradition that I am totally happy to subscribe to. In the dark days in the depths of November, when the only light we can see is the distant light of Christmas, why not fire up a turkey early in concert with our cousins across the pond?
peace and a full belly.
Dermo