Last week, I sat down with Michael Londra to chat and gather some information about his upcoming tour. The very first thing you’re aware of when meeting Michael is how instantly comfortable you feel being in his company. No pretense, no airs, no demands and no phony star attitude. He had just returned to Chicago five days earlier from West Coast shows and appearances spanning two months. Michael says he’s happy to be home and sleeping in his own bed for a while. He’s enjoying the simple things like shopping Trader Joe’s, whipping up special meals for friends and other such enjoyable diversions during his down time, after the hustle and bustle of staging a show and performing in it as well.

Fanrealm:  What is the difference between Beyond Celtic and Celtic Fire?

“…when it comes to PBS, it turns into this monster of a machine and the show Beyond Celtic was designed specifically for PBS and did really well. It aired like 300 times which for a new artist is very unusual and strange.” He said, “I just sang it live and it worked.”

“But, in the meantime, I had already kind of set up the Celtic Fire show which is a more traditional show. You know, it hasn’t got the violins or the orchestra. I don’t sing the more orchestral songs, I sing more traditional songs. Also, there’s more of a dance focus because I’m obsessed with Irish dancing and with being an Irish dancer because I was the worst Irish dancer in the world. If you’re coming to Aurora, you’ll hear me talk about it. And, you’ll see a few people you haven’t seen before, a few of my band with me from Riverdance and dancers scattered from all over the place.”

“I hire musicians that I have a good time with off-stage ’cause you’re on the road with them all the time and you can hire the best musicians in the world and they can be completely miserable when you walk off stage. And, frankly, I’m too long in the tooth to be putting up with that nonsense. So I only work with nice people and I have lovely dancers and a lovely band and I wouldn’t swap them for the world. So, when I get good ones, I keep them.”

Fanrealm:  That young man, the dancer (Owen Barrington), how old is he?

“Owen? He’s 27, nearly. He’s a baby face. He’s world champion though, and also the nicest chap in the world, and from Alaska.”

Owen Barrington is the 2008 Senior Men’s Irish World Dance champion and a Riverdance alumnae.

Fanrealm: Is he Irish?

“Well, he has Irish descent, but no, it’s a very loose connection. That’s very often the case with Irish dancers now. A lot of the best dancers will be from the U.S. or Australia or now, Japan. Because Riverdance is so successful, you’ve all these dancers. Like in Riverdance now, you’ve Japanese dancers, you have African-American, Australian and that’s fantastic.”

Fanrealm:  Does Celtic Fire tour by bus?

“No. It depends. For example in March. See, again it’s not like a rock and roll tour which is what Celtic Thunder does. A show my size, which actually is a fairly big show, our tour is what’s called a performing arts tour. Which is, we arrive en masse and the theater builds around us. Different. It’s a different way of doing it.”

Kathleen Keane, one of the most popular Celtic performers (fiddle and whistle) in the U.S. today, will be performing with Michael throughout his spring tour, along with the renowned bodhran player, Jackie Moran. Unfortunately, Jackie will not be appearing in the February 10th launch of the spring leg Beyond Celtic/Celtic Fire shows.

Fanrealm:  Is there anything you want to tell your fans?

“All I say is it’s very difficult to be a singer. It’s a difficult job to maintain that and keep it moving forward and I think that fans don’t really get that. They don’t understand how badly we need them and it’s very difficult to… (pause) I don’t think the fans realize how important they are to artists. I don’t think that they realize that. You know fans put us up on a pedestal and really while that’s great and it’s lovely to have that, it’s really very nice and it feels like your work is worth something. But, I don’t think the fans realize how important they are to the whole mix. See, I kind of understand it because it’s a very emotional experience to like somebody’s music so if you come to something bigger, at a certain point you realize how important you are to people. With that there’s a big responsibility and I get a little bit worried about that sometimes. You know I’ll be upset for people. Like certain fans will kind of travel for hundreds of miles to see you and you can only see them for half an hour after the gig and you feel bad. So I get upset with things like that.”

Fanrealm:  At some point, they’re going to be all around you and you might not be able to acknowledge every one of them.

“It’s usually very organized so you can do that. Some people do get a little bit “handzy.” Oh, yes! Oh, yah! YAH! I mean I laugh over that so much but it was so uncomfortable. Like… you came for a photo! OK!! It’s funny! It’s like some fans are so extreme.”

“The fans are just the most important thing to me and that’s why after every concert, after every single show, I’ll be in the lobby. Every single one, to say thank you. It’s so important to me.”

Michael Londra is a brilliant, award winning Irish tenor and a really nice guy. With every song he sings, he speaks to the hearts of those listening. He treasures the people filling the seats at his performances, his fans.

Beyond Celtic/Celtic Fire begins a three month tour around the U.S. starting on February 10, 2012 at the Paramount Arts Center in Aurora, IL. If one of his shows is scheduled for your city or close by, DON’T miss it! Michael Londra is one of those rare singers you will never forget.

Check Beyond Celtic/Celtic Fire’s Tour Schedule here.

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In case North American fans aren’t familiar with the band here’s a brief history of the band. For more detailed info check this page The Radiators were formed in 1975 and were originally called The Radiators From Space. They were the first punk band to crack the top 20 with their debut single Television Screen. Their first album was TV Tube Heart. They followed it up with Ghostown. The second album was not well received by punk fans at the time of its release but has been critically acclaimed. Songs from it were covered by other musicians including Christy Moore. The band broke up shortly after this.

Phillip Chevron went on to join The Pogues, Pete Holidai joined Light A Big Fire and went on to found the Rock School at Ballyfermot Senior College, Steve Rapid went on to become the art director for U2 and was the one who suggested the band name to Adam Clayton. The Radiators got back together in the middle of the last decade and recorded Trouble Pilgrim. Unfortunately things were put on hold for a while when Phillip was diagnosed with cancer. Phil has made a good recovery and the band released Trouble Pilgrim in North America just last month.

Phillip, Pete and Steve joined forces to answer our questions so after firing a number of emails back and forth across cyber space we have put this together for you.

Fanrealm: I loved Trouble Pilgrim. How did going indie with this one compare to going with a label for your earlier albums?

Steve: The album was released in the UK and Europe by Chiswick the
label that released TV Tube Heart and Ghostown so we have always
released the albums through independent channels.

Philip: You always want to use whatever is the most effective method
available to you to get your music across to people. I don’t think we
have any ideological issues about this. Give us your money and we’ll
give you a record!

Pete: The main difference this time around is the fact we own the
master recordings and therefore choose who we would like to work with
to bring the album to the wider marketplace at our own pace

Fanrealm: What is the significance of the Reagan/Dean cover for the North
American release?

Steve: Philip will explain the origin of the cover image. It was a
concept we wanted to use for the initial release but there were
copyright issues with using a still from the TV series so in the end a
shot was taken from a TV screen which meant we were no longer we
constrained by the use of a copyrighted shot and we were dealing with
a label that was prepared to go with the concept. The type faces
reflect a typewriter, as in a crime report which relates to the James
Dean character and the western font represent the actor Ronald Regan.

Philip: Dean appeared in numerous television shows, mainly one-off
dramas, before he was screen tested at Warners. Only a handful of
these survive: television was transmitted live in the early 1950s and
only very occasionally, in those days before videotape, would somebody
preserve a performance on a process called kinetoscope, which was
effectively filming the performance off a TV monitor. A still photo
from The Dark, Dark Hours, (which features Reagan as a suburban doctor
and Dean as a beatnik seeking urgent medical attention for his pal,
who had been wounded in a robbery and was on the run from the police)
did exist, but we had problems clearing the rights. I embarked on a
fingertip search for a DVD transfer of the kinetoscope, if it existed,
which fortunately it did. I eventually located one in the US in 2006.
In fact, it’s only very recently that The Dark, Dark Hours became
widely available.

In terms of its significance, the image of James Dean, the great
symbol of American rebellion, pointing a gun at Ronald Reagan,
custodian of conservative traditional values, even if they were both
at the time just comparatively unknown working actors, was just too
good to resist.

Fanrealm: Any plans for any kind of tour or gigs to promote Trouble Pilgrim?

Steve: We will look at the possibilities for live gigs next year
depending on schedules and the offers we receive.

Philip: Love to. We await invitations.

Pete: I dream of playing behind a safety net/curtain in the southern states

Fanrealm: The Radiators were probably always ahead of their time. Do you think the times have finally caught up to you?

Steve: I don’t know if we were ahead of the times what we have done
has always felt right to me and it’s more that the audience at large
never connected with the band for a whole load of reasons.

Philip: You just do what you do and hope people get it. If they don’t,
it’s their loss. It would be inaccurate to say we were or are ahead of
our times: never underestimate the capacity of the music business to
sell people garbage they don’t need or want, it’s a powerful impulse.
That said, we’re stll trying to catch up on The Radiators ourselves.

Pete: Some records are timeless, I would include ours in that category

Fanrealm: What are your thoughts on the current music scene in Ireland?

Steve: It’s fragmented and suffering from lack of venues and outlet
for new music. Radio still is, by and large, stuck in the same rut of
playing the same artists from major label artists.

Philip: There’s too much great music from the past 150 years
(including the past 10) still to be discovered to be much concerned
about the music scene on one small island. I’m quite happy with the
process whereby music sneaks up on you, or you bump into it, without
actively seeking it. I also have good friends in the theatre who offer
recommendations on new music: in return, I tell them which new plays
they should see. But I’m really still getting to grips with Scott
Joplin.

Pete: There are many fine artists emerging covering a broad musical
landscape. Seek and you will find. I wish them all well!

Fanrealm: We are big proponents of Indie music. The internet has leveled the playing field taking complete control of the music business out of the
hands of record labels and radio stations and giving some of it back to
bands and fans. What do you think the overall impact of this will be?

Steve: While internet may have leveled the playing field it also means
that there’s a hell of a lot more music, good bad and indifferent out
there to be consumed.

Pete: There are pros and cons. There are many opportunities available
for artists to make their own records and sell directly to fans
globally. The main problem is becoming visible in the marketplace at
any level. The competition have the same opportunities and therefore
the market across all genres is flooded and consumers traditionally
don’t like TOO many choices

Fanrealm: We have many readers who are members of young bands starting out. How would you rate the following things for bands to concentrate on in order of importance:

recording your own ep or cd
gigging
writing/rehearsing
being signed by a major record label
getting 1000s of followers on social networking sites
having the coolest band name

Steve: In my experience no one of these things is more important than
the other. All are components of a successful band, add to that a good
crew, strong graphics and awareness of how the band presents its image
to a potential audience. Successful bands are those who pay attention
to detail. Music first and the rest should follow.

Philip: Make sure you have the right people in your band, people who
share your vision, and then just play until you feel you’re good
enough to share your findings with other people. Be good. Mediocrity
is more depressing than incompetence.

Pete: The right musical chemistry combined with great songs and great
taste in clothing should prove to be an irresistible combination.

Fanrealm: In these days of self distributed cds or digital only albums, some
bands put no thought into album covers. Even if the album will never
appear in a brick and mortar record shop, can you explain why a well
designed cover is still important

Steve: The demise of graphics has been foretold by many for a long
time but whatever way a band presents themselves they need a strong
identity for websites, poster, merchandising as well as for the
physical or virtual release. A strong sleeve is still going to get
attention.

Philip: The moment record companies started putting graphic sleeves on
records, in the 1940s, something fundamental changed. Music became
inextricably linked with images. It had happened before, in the golden
age of sheet music, but something about the combination of
state-of-the-art technology and zeitgeisty graphics made record albums
a unique form of pop art. Nothing about the advent of digital
downloads has made me change my views on this. A band who neglects the
package is just missing a trick.

Pete: Many a great record sleeve contains a great record. Ignore at
your peril. If you look at any on-line outlet like iTunes, Bandcamp
etc the album cover art is the first thing you see when getting search
results. Does yours stand out?

We thank the Radiators for taking the time to answer our long drawn out questions and wish them all the success in the world with Trouble Pilgrim. It’s a great album you need to get yourself a copy! You can read a review here.

Trouble Pilgrim is available through the Shite’n'Onions site, at Amazon and at cdbaby

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I’ve been listening to Mickey’s music and following his career for about a year now. Found him quite by accident while researching Northern Ireland for a once in a lifetime trip last summer. As travel time approached, we decided to include one of Mickey’s performances in our itinerary and meet the man behind the music. This first question is totally personal and a wee tease directed to Mickey about the venue where we saw him.

Is the Terrace Bar in Omagh always loud, rowdy and packed wall to wall with GAA fans cheering Tyrone on to victory?

“No you really got it on a bad day.”

NOTE: Even with the ear splitting noise and chaos swirling around, Mickey did not disappoint.  …and, Tyrone beat Kildare that night to proceed to the GAA 2009 semifinals.

I’ve already introduced Mickey and his music to many who will read this and am very excited to be able to post this interview for you as well. Here we go… 

You’re born and raised in Ardboe, County Tyrone, N.I. What’s it like there? 

“Well I have to say I love where I live, the people are mostly friendly and when it’s not raining the view is fantastic. I live on the western shores of Lough Neagh which is the largest lake in Ireland, generations of my family made a living from this lake where the main industry is Eel exports to Europe.”

When did you realise that writing music and singing had become your life’s work?

“I had an accident a couple of years ago playing Gaelic football when I broke my leg. It’s only then that I started to play fulltime and write on a continuous basis at my songs. I have always had a great love for music and writing but it was only then that I had a chance to start doing what I love for a living. Follow your heart.”

You’ve posted a long list of people that influenced you but is there one person that inspires you?

“My Mother.”

What are your feelings on the success of your debut album, Carefully Crafted?

“My feelings are mixed; I think it could have been better. I suppose it was slightly rushed and maybe slightly over produced in the sense that there could have been less going on in it, I think it is a little busy at times. My next album will be more stripped back and will focus more on the lyrical input to the songs. I suppose overall I’m happy I suppose my next challenge is to keep raising the bar.”

You recently spent time with the legendary Christy Moore. What was that like? Did he give you any career advice? Is there anything else from that meeting you’d like to share at this time?

“Meeting Christy was the highlight of my career to date and to actually sit down and discuss songs, how we write them etc… was magic. The man has so much passion for the music. He was a real gentleman and has invited me to play with him on stage the next time he’s up North so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Your new song, Mother’s Lullaby, is causing quite a stir. What was your inspiration for such a sad, heart wrenching story?

“My inspiration for this song came a few days after the attack on Palestine by Israel on 27/12/08 when there was footage beamed around the world of two kids age 4 and 6 standing crying in front of what was left of the family home. Both parents had been killed in the attack. The first thought that entered my mind when I saw these images was that they would have no mother to sing them a lullaby that night when they would go to bed. Most of the time the truth is not told in the media when it comes to war so I thought that I would give my take on it from what I knew of the situation. I know this fact due to growing up in Northern Ireland where the nationalist community suffered greatly at the hands of Britain due to not having a proper outlet in the media. If you search back in the TV archives, you will see that Gerry Adams voice was always over dubbed by an actor’s because he was deemed a terrorist and so called terrorists had no voice at that time. Yet the same man is in government with them today and has free speech. Does that mean they got it wrong in the media? Need I say more!!!!!”

I know that bringing awareness to the growing problem in Ireland of young people losing their lives to suicide is a cause you passionately support. How did you become involved in the “From the Heart” benefit concert and, will there be another?

“I performed a concert in Derry one night and sang a song “Sunday Morning Calling” from my album, which is about the emotional rollercoaster you go through when you lose someone to this issue. I was approached a few weeks later by a lady who asked me to write a song for an album to raise its awareness in the Derry area. It was a success, the concert sold out over 1,000 people.

There will be another concert 27^thFeb 2010 in Letterkenny, County Donegal.” 

In your interview with singer, songwriter, local radio host, Malachi Cush  http://www.streema.com/radios/Six_FM?f=0  http://www.myspace.com/malachicushon a recent Sunday morning, you said the Old Ardboe Lament is a traditional Irish tune that you adapted for your album. Do you know the origins of this haunting song?

“This song was written by a local bard by the name of John Canavan whom I think passed away in the early 1900s, roughly 1920 or there about. The song is about emigration and the first line of the song was recited by a man who was leaving Ireland around that time heading for America never to return. In those days the local people would have a leaving party at a crossroads for the people that where emigrating because a lot of them either died on the way there or would never return.”

Do you enjoy performing more in a small pub or a larger venue such as the Millennium Forum?

“I prefer to perform in theatres or somewhere there is a listening audience as most of my songs have a story to tell. When in a noisy bar they kind of get lost in the noise. Any where there is quiet I suppose.”

What are you listening to on your iPod today or what cd is in your player in the car right now?

“You might be surprised at this; Colbie Caillat. www.colbiecaillat.com/  I think she’s great, just discovered her!

I love all types of music. I listen to James Taylor a lot I also love Glen Frey, Don Henley and Bruce Springsteen. On the Irish scene at the moment I like a guy called Declan O’Rourke. www.myspace.com/declanorourke Check him out if you haven’t found him already, he’s amazing. To be honest I’m always on the lookout, I love discovering new music.”

Is there a release date for your new album and will it be available at cdbaby as well as your website?

“To be honest I don’t have a release date. It keeps being put back as I don’t want to rush it and the finance of course. However, I am hoping one of two things: Either I get recognized by a record label or I put up my fee.  lol….

I am hoping that it will be complete by the end of February, God willing. I will certainly keep you all posted on that…”

One we all want to know ~~ when can we see you here in the States?

“I’ve been and gone, Diane. Was in Florida for 2 weeks and had a great time. Thanks to Jill Pearson for inviting me as Celtic Thunders street team special guest.”

And finally, what would you most like your American fans to know about you? 

“That I love them sincerely and I really appreciate their love for my music. It’s great knowing that people on the other side of the world love my music and songs.”

“Thank you so much.”

Find and follow Mickey at these sites:

http://mickeycoleman.com/index.html

http://www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=156313743038

Click on the cover to download album at ITunes

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