Clafferty. A Day in the Life

Music Update

2007-01-04T04:01:00.000-08:00

Hey All

Just to update folk on my current musical transgressions, I've a new band forming. It is based around the bunch of songs I wrote in the past year. Initially I was heading these songs towards a second solo album but I've changed my mind. Songs can be more vibrant with a good band. They can change shape and shift in colour. I guess all will be revealed as time moves on, hoping to play our first show in April. Till then.

Evening all

Pat

Happy Birthday Daniel- 1 year old

2006-06-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Well the little fella is a year old today. We did it! It's been an amazing year and one I'll never forget. To think that we arrived home with our little bundle of joy and not a clue in the world what was ahead! It's like some sort of human experiment played out on mankind. The sleep deprivation for the first 3 or 4 months is hard, no question. When I meet people who say their baby has slept thru the nite...they are the lucky ones, they don't realise it.
But nature has a way of getting you thru, physically, and emotionally. Daniel would have woken for the third time just as we'd be dropping off again and he would need picking up and walking around to get him down again...5 o'clock in the am, you'd be losing it, but then he would do something so cute and everything would be alright again!
So, add to this the fact we moved house and various other stuff...it's been eventful! We've got both sets of grandparents up to visit. Salad days!

Evening all

Pat

The aul' wireless

2006-05-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hey all

First off. Why is West Wing on telly Orla?! It sucks. Yawn. The aul' wireless is far better than the telly. I just heard John Kelly on Radio RTE 1 saying he's been axed...the best show on RTE Radio. As Paul Woodfull would say..'typical!'
I've been trying to connect another wireless thing to my computer. Arghh. How do I do it? I even went over to Johnny in the macshop and he showed me. I came home full of glee expectant of logging on at my desk...but no. So I have to ring him and he's gonna think I'm a putz.

I'm actually quite handy with my mac G4. I bought it from a guy who'd set it up for music stuff. It has an audiowerk 8 soundcard which I route thru a mackie 12 mixer. I have Cubase SX which I find pretty user friendly. But let's face it...if you want top quality recordings, you got to spend BIG money. But for demos...it works great.

Well. It's been a couple of weeks since the 2 Mexican Pets gigs. I'm amazed we went down so well. We seemed to make an impact. Just for the record, the setlist was

1. Supermarket
2. Magnet Force
3. Mackerel Sky High
4. Stigmata Errata
5. Backpedal
6. Subside
7. If Only Never
8. Where's My Pony?
9. Maccu Piccu
10. Merry Hell
11. How To Have More Fun
12. Used Getting Used.

We got some friends to film the gig in Whelans on the 12th May and it was recorded by Steve Shannon on an 8-track so we will hopefully make a wee film, the product of which I'm sure will be 'downloadable' offa some website the band is connected to...

But you can't beat the aul' wireless all the same.

Evening all

Pat

Germ Warfare

2006-04-25T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Orla and meself have been spending the guts of the last month attending to young Daniel and his assortment of colds/infections which he has picked up. Apart from the poor wee thing being miserable (especially at night when he has a blocked up nose) we are pretty fucked ourselves, which makes it harder to get everything done. For anyone who hasn't tended a poorly child...well, you're lucky.

Preparing bottles, sterilising bottles and doodoo's, making breakfast, lunch, and dinner from scratch, feeding baby, washing bowls and spoons, washing vests, babygrows and bibs, drying and ironing same, shopping for ingredients for baby's food, getting medicine into sick baby, going to and from doctors, changing baby's nappy in the middle of the night and four times daily approx, keeping baby occupied and happy etc....to say nothing of your own life!!!!

Daniel seems to pick up something whenever we bring him visiting. Tempting as it is to keep him as the 'boy in the bubble'!one can't. Was it always this way? He is also teething which makes it worse. I'll be glad when this particular phase is over.

Germs. Fuckers.

Evening all

Pat

John Moriarty

2006-04-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all

This isn't like me but I feel compelled to tell you about this man from Killarney. He's a living saint IMHO. He is someone I came across recently and I would love to make a film with him on his life and beliefs. He has written a number of books which I have not yet read and i think the last one has been described as one of the best Irish novels ever.

He's virtually unknown except to his loyal few who have raised 10000 euro to help him fight triple cancer. He is 68. Today I heard him speak. I'm no holy Joe but he touched me with his faith and joy of life. Fuck, he counts Tommy Tiernan as a devotee and personal friend. Intrigue and mystery surround this man...I hope you live to be a hundred.

A breath of fresh air in this new Ireland we inhabit.

Evening all

Pat

Guitars Guitars and more Guitars

2006-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all

My God. I'm back to what I used to love. GUITARS. From 1986 till now I have played them. I suppose I was something of a late starter at 23, even tho my interest in music probably started when I first heard the Beatles. I remember thinking 'I could do that'!

I just bought a pre-CBS 1964 Fender Mustang. It looks to be pretty much intact. The date on the neck says 8 Aug 1964 which according to my book on guitars is the FIRST month of production crafted by Leo himself. So here is my guitar blog as I've got the bug back.

I will try to remember the guitars I have had starting with the first although I've definitely left some out . They are:

1. A Rickenbacker 4001 bass in fireglow red. My mam and Dad bought me this as my graduation present in '86. They got stiffed by Derek Rock Shop for the case (£50 extra) so it cost £450 total. I sold the bass to play guitar and became vg mates with Derek afterwards.

2. A Kay style semi-solid. In my 'Orange Juice' days

3. A Burns electric with a curly headstock...Jills. It was called a wild dog and had a pot setting of the same name!

4. A 1979 anniversary Fender strat which I started Mexican Pets with. Wish I'd never sold it.

5. A beautiful fat bodied Acoustic by Hofner. Tan coloured.

6. A Fender Musicmaster which I didn't connect with and sold pretty fast. Odd sounding guitar for a Fender.

7. A Tokai Les Paul. Aodh had it and I played it for awhile. Excellent.

8. A Gibson SG in natural wood. A lovely guitar which I had in WHEEL. Good for chug-chug hardcore.

9. A cheap Maison Les Paul SG copy. Surprisingly good but the action was high. In yellow! It had to go.

10. A white Squier Fender strat which I had in The Pets. Not bad either. I found a photo of J Mascis's dad and stuck it on it.

11. A Guild s400 electric. Wine. Had this for too long! Ebony neck. Possibly when I wasn't too concerned with my guitar and was into Cubase! Flogged it on eBay for 500 euro or so.

12. A Morris acoustic. Nice little thing I remember.

13. And this is my current lot. A 1994 Rickenbacker 360 in fireglow with a lovely case in mint condition. Plays nice.

14. Also a new MIM Fender Telecaster in metallic mint green. My only gripe is the neck which ain't like the shiny ones of old. It's gotta go soon! But a fairly decent guitar for the price (416 euro on Thomann).

15. I still have the last guitar I played (and recorded) in Mexican Pets. It's a Sears Les Paul copy which I recorded Humbucker with. I had the choice of a 'real' Gibson at the time to record with but this one sounded better!.

16. The dole bought me a Takamine EN 10 acoustic. Well, they paid half. A workhorse. The fret wear is staggering. I have this 10 years.

17. And finally, my shiny new 42 year old Fender Mustang winging it's way to me as we speak. Please let it be in one piece!

Evening all

Pat

10.

My Website and Ants

2006-04-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Just realised how long it's been since my last blog entry. I will update weekly from now on 'cos so much happens and I forget it.
My sister Anastasia designed my website www.patclafferty.com and it is really good except that because she lives in Rome, it is through an Italian server...basically she has to update it each time for me. BUT she sent me a program called Transit which means I will be able to update meself. So, look out for updates.

Musically it has been all Mexican Pets recently although I secretly practice the songs on my new album at home. I have 12 songs ready. They are (provisionally); with a new band,

The Yorkshire Fog LP

1. It's Only Natural
2. Suddenly
3. Birds and the Bees
4. Young head, Old shoulders
5. Promise
6. Future Joy
7. Didn't It Rain?
8. Racing Cars
9. Dead Sea Town
10. Giants Stadium
11. You don't have to draw a diagram.
12. Beatles/Elvis number.

I'm going to re-record 8 tunes from 'A Prayer To St.Jude' at the same time for a future release. This is purely because on reflection the songs were not recorded to their potential and I feel they could achieve a higher status!

I've recently moved..with Orla and young Daniel to Burrow beach. Or as it is known "the hole in the wall' beach. We rent a lovely apartment here and we'll see how it goes. The only thing is we got ants. Are they dangerous?!
I was at The Evens in Dublin Town and a great gig ittwas. Well done to HOPE for the gig.

Well The Mexican Pets gigs are looming and I'm equal parts excited and scared. Just be there and cheer. Okay? Oh and Jill, The Penny Drops is a greeaat name for a band. See you soon.

Evening all

Pat

Mexican Pets

2005-12-22T04:40:00.000-08:00

Hey all

That's right. Mexican Pets are going to get back together with the "Nobody's Working Title' line-up. You possibly may not have heard it here first! Dublin is such a small town.

That means it's Brian Gough on guitar/vocals, Derrick Dalton on bass, Fin O'Leary on Drums (and now vocals!) and meself on guitar/vocals.

To all the people who mail me occasionally re; Mexican Pets, all I know is that we'll play our first gig possibly sometime in between March- June 2006. 9 years since we split in 1997.

I'm looking to have something new to release-whether or not that is a remix and master of old stuff, or a 'best of,' or something entirely new- remains to be decided among us.

It's great to be back in the Baggot.

Evening all

Pat

Name for a band!

2005-08-28T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hey all

The Shells.

Evening all

Pat

Driving around Ireland

2005-08-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Just back from a weekend of driving bands to and from gigs. Was in Belfast with 'Pillage' ahem, at the Rosetta bar...met a guy called Damien just hanging around like myself waiting to go home again, and it turns out he was the singer with Rosetta Stone the 70's rock band. He said they played the famous 'Budokan' in Tokyo 3 nights in a row just by themselves. They were virtually unknown here but the 'big in Japan' thing happened and they toured the rest of the world relentlessly. He now runs a printing company in Downpatrick.
His 3 sons are in the band 'Acetone'. Which he manages along with the bassist from ASH. The youngest is only 14! Good luck to them.

Halfset were last night in Birr, County Offaly. Ever been there? The venue was called the Chestnut and is owned by a delightful young lady called Clodagh. Yes indeed. Jeff Martin is Borat.

Catching up on sleep when Daniel allows me. Orla needs a wee holiday. It must be a logistical nightmare to go on a proper holiday with a newborn child. Daniel has started smiling and talking at 9 weeks of age. It's goo ga ga but to me it's Shakespeare. Thanks to everyone who sent presents...aren't kiddie clothes cool?

Am looking for a name for the band now...next blog might just be a list of contenders. Jill's always good at names...I'll email her.

Slumbertime for me and Bobby McGee.

Evening all

Pat

A Growing Boy

2005-07-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all

The little man is growing big. He was a wee bit jaundiced (breast-feeding jaundice) which ain't serious but we go to the Rotunda every Weds to keep check on him. There's a new group (The Domino project) of midwives who call out to your home instead of keeping mother and baby in Hospital. I think it's a great idea 'cos the 1 on 1 is more personal. They also check out the mother's health which tends to get overlooked in hospital.

Orla only slept the first night she got home. All the other baba's tried to outcry Daniel...he had none of it!
He's a Gemini and from the little I know it means that he'll be v.sociable and we'll be abandoned as soon as he get's able to walk!

The other news is that Orla's sister Sorcha has also given birth to a baby boy...Ronan. Cousins 3 weeks apart. I wonder how they'll get on as they grow up. Will they see much of each other?

But back to Daniel! He's gonna break many a girl (or boy's) heart. Man is he good-looking. He is so tiny he might break. If he would only sleep through the nite. He feeds every 2 hours and needs the nourishment to beat the jaundice. Orla seems to cope with the sleep deprivation better than I. I suppose I just get wakened without being able to do anything. We tried occasionally 'expressing' the breast milk into a bottle so I can do the middle of the nite feed, but it confuses him and he gulps it down so fast he thinks he's had none and needs the real thing anyway. Not Coca-cola!!

Will Life ever be the same again?

Evening all

Pat

Daniel is born

2005-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

My son is born on Friday 17th June at 12:46am. He came out with his blue eyes open! It is the most amazing moment of my life. Seeing your baby being born is overwhelming. No other experience can equal. Orla was so brave and I told her I was so proud to be with her. Men could not cope with giving birth and the Man upstairs knew what he was doing by not letting us have the equipment.

Orla started contractions at 4am in the morning...things got progressively closer and we arrived in perfect time at the Rotunda at 2pm. At this stage the contractions were every 5 mins. As she was a week early we weren't sure if it was the real thing at first but we were assured by the midwife on the phone that it was!

I have nothing but admiration for the midwife/ nursing staff at the Rotunda. Orla was given a bath and then she asked for the Epidural at about 7pm...there was a queue but we weren't waiting long. After that she was in no pain at all. Until about 11.30pm. I suppose the thought of birth coming so close made her anxious and I tried to calm her as she was shaking from the experience at that stage. I found that I wasn't squeamish at all and I'm glad to say I played a part (the easy part) in the birth.
Mother and son are fine and he came in weighing 7lbs 4oz. What a shock as well...we were sorta convinced we were having a girl 'cos the scans looked like a girl's face. It's a boy!!

What I've just considered is that perhaps Daniel will one day be able to read this blog. So here's a big hello to you now son, I love you.

Bought a Van and other stuff

2005-06-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Since my last post a lot has happened. I got an impulse to buy a van...so I did. I had the idea to need a van for running my band around the country on the cheap like. Or as Mike Watt would say 'Econo'. Plus, it would make it a nice thing to do for other bands (who pay!!). I absolutely love driving vans. I had a banger of a Ford Transit once, it was crap 'cos the gearstick was almost immovable and the accelerator pedal could only be floored if you laid a brick on it!

But. I liked driving all the same. So, I saw this gorgeous 2000 reg Iveco Daily on Ebay. I bid on it one day when my Dad was over at mine doing some whitewashing with me. And I won it. It has 6 seats which is ace. As well as loadsa room in the back for gear. It was in the UK tho. So, I left on Friday, met this guy in Daventry who lived on a barge!!...and came home on the ferry that night/morning.

I've put a few posts up on a few sites and have got work out of it already. Magic.

I also played two gigs recently

1. Tower Records. Really liked that gig as it gave me the idea to play as a twosome again. Just Etain and myself. Etain played guitar on a new song for the first time. The song is called 'Old Head, Young Shoulders'. Don't get me wrong but there was a kind of 'cutesy' and warm feeling about playing as a duo. So having recently lost my drummer to the Bank of Ireland- I am gonna purchase a drum machine and go that way.

2. Bar Bia. With Etain, Yvonne, and Sheila. Yvonne was funny 'cos she was like a whirlwind and her cello and amp were not making it any easier for her on the night! We got away with it. I met Ciaran proper for the first time. A nice guy. So he asked me to do his new venue...which is Pravda on Wednesday nights. I'm on the 20th July. I guess I'll be a Daddy then....

Evening all

Pat

PS I'm also playing at the Ballroom of Romance number 44....July in The Lower Deck.

Post-Rome visit

2005-05-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Shit..I posted this long page already and it disappeared on me. Well, Rome was ace. My folks really enjoyed it. I thought they'd hate flying but no, they were all leaning out the window to get a better view of the Alps!! The wedding was in a fabulous wee chapel on a hill which Marino (the groom) arrived to on his Vespa!!

I even sang and played guitarre at the afters...Clodagh Cullen got up 3 times and she can't sing! Yeah. It was beautiful. 25 degrees.

Got a plan to get a van and import Italian moderno type furniture/fittings/accessories. Must tell Marino bout it now.

Playing Tower Records on Thurs at 6pm. I think I'll play 'Scarper' wot I wrote in Mexican Pets.

Evening all

Pat

Pre-Rome visit

2005-04-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Anastasia Clafferty is getting married on Saturday to Marino Marolini. In other words, my little sis is getting hitched. In Rome. We're all going and it's the first time my parents will have ever travelled outside of Ireland and the U.K.

Hi to Jill if she's reading this...I hope you come back soon.

Evening all

Pat

A New Day

2005-04-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all

It's a gorgeous day and I'm reflecting on how we all smile a wee bit more when it's a turbo day. I've just been on www.thumped.com and there's a thread about good adjectives which made me laugh out loud. They are as follows:

Turbo
Ace
Weapon
Master
Rapid
Gear
Gift..............all cool words for 'good'! So, I was a the Crumb launch last nite which was rapid. The hard work starts now for them tho as they will need to pull out the stops to maintain the momentum. Watch that space. The Hub isn't a master venue tho I've decided. It's a little bit askew shape wise.

I'm looking for a new ace book to read, one that I'll enjoy something rapid. I've just finished Nick Flynn's autobiographical novel 'Another Bullshit night in Suck City'. Ace. I've also finished Bob Dylan's Chronicles One which is a pleasant read if not a little frustrating the way it jumps forwards and back, historically. I'm gonna get his next instalment tho.

God, I need to book a couple of gigs for the band or they'll go off with another! Finding it difficult to get. I wish there was like a central website or something where one could book into gigs. That would be too weapon altogether.

Evening all

Pat

Second Post

2005-04-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hey all

Well, went to the 'birthing' class yesterday at the Rotunda. I wasn't particularly surprised by anything. I noticed that a muslim couple were really 'un-physical' with each other. We had all been told to rest our hands on our partners' belly and feel the breathing, but these two didn't do it. Nor did they do any other similar exercises. That can't be healthy, considering the act which got them there in the first fucking place.

Valerie, who is the physio, reminds me of my Aunty Nellie and my Aunty MaryAnn in Leicester. Really nice.

Went to Margaret Healy's house to 'lay down some tacks man'. Oopps 'Tracks' I mean!! Her music has it's own thing and is hard to explain...she also has a singing style which I like. She wants to record soon. I hope it works out for her. Music can be a bitch sometimes. I suppose it's like any other business. I was reading 'This Band Could Be Your Life' and evry one of the bands in it talk of hard times financially.
Do you think it is actually prerequisite of being successful? I kinda think so in most cases. They all played out their careers for the most part in shitty venues, living in shitty vans. Now we laud them. As if they were rock stars. Maybe some of 'em are NOW. But not then...the rose tinted syndrome eh?

Tho I kinda wish I played harder stuff again...perhaps I feel it's like a belonging. I love the stuff I write now and my band are excellent if I could get them some gigs, but I hanker after the sense of community which hardcore and the ilk gave me. Is it forever in the past? I dunno. I'm not young any more. Are we all destined to have babies when the hardcore goes away? Fuck it...this is my new hardcore!

Evening all

Pat

First Post

2005-04-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hey to all

I'm a newie to this Blog shit. But it seems like a good idea. Time will tell. I'm just finished the preliminary demos for my next LP (called 'FUTURE JOY'). For anyone who doesn't know already...I'm also expecting a baby. How do fathers-to-be say that correctly? No I'm not a freak of medical science! I'm just about to head off to pre-natal class...this week we are giving birth to the child. Last week was all about getting drugs prior to birth. Strangely, everybody in the class chose to get drugs of one kind or another...nobody chose alternative medicines such as homeopathy.

I'll let you know how I got on. We have a couple more classes to go. Then it's 10 weeks to actual thing!

God, as I was typing that Franz Ferdinand were being played on DIT Radio, I just realised how fucking annoying they are. Hope they don't get bigger. They have this kinda swaying arrogance which is hard to take...

Well better go folks,

If anyone actually reads this, drop me a reply!

Pat