It’s a changing time to be a musician- albums don’t make much money, record labels are not as free with advances, & supporting yourself & paying rent is more expensive than ever.
But music is important- it can empathise with you, encourage you, & help you face the day.
No-one deserves a living just because they put on a guitar, of course not, but for people who do, members of the music community are 3 times more likely to experience depression than the general public. This is a shocking figure.
We need to look after our creative people - or else there will be less music, less art, and less colour and light in our homes & heads.
If you are suffering from mental health issues, please reach out #ItsOkNotToBeOk
8 Irish organisations that can help you if you are suffering from mental health problems joe.ie/life-style/7-i…
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Getting ready to head to Carlow to meet @FocusIreland colleagues from around the country. These meetings are useful in a number of ways. One of the most important for me is seeing the issues that are arising around the country...
so that we can work with officials in @HousingPress or Local authorities to address administrative issues that arise...This got me to thinking about what are the tools, resources etc that drive advocacy in @FocusIreland. Excellent research for sure....
Collaboration with colleagues across the NGO sector and academics definitely...the day to day work of our frontline service is critical...but for the policy wonk across all sectors its hard to imagine that any work would be possible without....
Of course costs will exceed the budget if we don’t have a realistic budget. Our population is growing, our needs are changing and we are maintaining a relatively inefficient and expensive system - at literally any cost (1/6)
Households are increasingly filling the budget gap, too. They are paying out of pocket for services and private insurance costs have been on the rise over the past few years. The costs are crippling many people (2/6)
There’s also difficulties accessing vital services such as home care and mental health care. People are concerned they are paying a high price for a system that can’t meet their needs in a timely way (3/6)
One of the other things I’m lucky enough to do is play music on the radio. 😀 I have an alternative show called “The Nova Guestlist” on @radionova100 on a Sunday night from 8pm, & I tweak away at the over the week, making notes & adding songs & ideas - I absolutely love it!
So basically, the show’s about alternative & live music, so I play music that I think Nova listeners would love, stuff that I love, & stuff I HOPE that listeners will. There’s a bit of second guessing that goes with that, but generally, people are receptive if you’re passionate.
So, I set up my playlist, add in songs from home if there’s any, then fiddle round with a run order (overthinking usually) & tinker til I’m happy. I choose 3 gigs of the week in Dublin- this week it’s @ilovelucius, @sopharela (Soccer Mommy, cannot wait) & a dude called @hozier!
Last night’s secret @delorentos gig at the Salty Dog stage was really really cool - the buzz at the smaller stages is always a highlight.... apart from the crazy stage diver dude...
FESTIVAL DAY!
So today my band @delorentos & me are off to @EPfestival. I’ll be tweeting through the day, from packing, to traveling to interviews & telly, all the way to the gig tonight in the Electric Arena, & beyond! #EP2018
(Let me get this out there first: We’ll be playing the Electric Arena stage at 7.15pm today. It will be the greatest show of all our lives. 😎 we’d love to see you there x)
This is Brian & Adrian- driver/tech & tour manager/ soundman. As well as being sounders, Brian is stunningly good Songwriter & Adrian is one of the best mix engineers in the country!
One of the cultural things I love most are Podcasts- I pretty much alternate between Podcasts & Music in my ears every free minute. I'm always up for a recommendation- so I'll throw out a few I love & I'd love to hear what you're into!
First of all, @SecondCaptains, those guys are like FAMILY to me man. I sat on a long car trip recently playing their podcasts to a dude who may have been politely humoring me while I looked at him for reaction. Anyway, Great Irish Sport insights- check it: soundcloud.com/secondcaptains
Super surreal & articulate Mr Blindboy of @Rubberbandits does some excellent themed podcasts that can seem whimsical but often make you think... def worth a listen.. acast.com/blindboy