Last year’s Hype Entertainment Battle of the Bands winners, South, have spent recent weeks in the studio; recording their debut album ‘Insula’ which is due out this Summer.

I had the pleasure of joining the progressive grunge rockers in the Mill Studio, as they recorded 12 tracks for the upcoming album; it was an awesome chance to get a sneak preview of things to come.

The entire recording process was captured on two video cameras and hundreds of photos.

Now, as the recording process comes to a close, South gave me the green light to upload the teaser trailer for ‘The Making Of Insula‘ along with a teaser poster , both of which you’ll now find on the South MySpace and Bebo Profile.

The lads are also encouraging fans to subscribe to their blog for updates on the release of ‘Insula’, gig dates, photos and more videos… Coming Soon.

The gentlemen detectives of Vultures Private Investigations have willingly decided (apart from a certain N. Tennyson) to use their Christmas bonuses to pay for a public service announcement. A public service announcement that will effect YOU!

This handy audiovisual advertisement tells you everything you need to know about the PINKERTON agency.

This unscrupulous multi-national detective agency are expanding from the Americas and have began to locate premises and assemble a work force in YOUR TOWN!

These ‘detectives’ might offer ‘jobs’ but in actual fact they will only further the onset of RECESSION!!!

How? Well, watch our informative video and find out NOW!!!

This announcement will tell you everything you need to know about this incoming non local threat. So watch it NOW!

If you have any further questions please do contact 056 – VULTURES or peruse our handy cyber site www.VulturesPI.com.

Do not visit www.Pinkertons.ie as it will fill your computer full of viruses, spam and most crucially, the AIDS!

Say No To Pinkertons in your town! And here’s how to do it! Watch it NOW!

The progressive grunge-rock experiment, was formed earlier this year by KKM Resident Engineer Alan Dawson. The band has continued to build a steady following of loyal fans in the online world with it’s own brand of melodic, riff-heavy songs filled with ambient guitars, layered vocals and highly percussive-independent rhythms. The growing fan response to the tracks on MySpace and Bebo, quickly led to a demand for live-shows.

Following two successful performances with KilkennyMusic.com in Cleere’s back in July, The Lions Mane returned to the studio to record the first CD ‘Strands’; which features previously released tracks ‘Leaf’, ‘Buddha’, ‘The Dragon’s Breath’ and ‘Pull it out’, as well as six previously unheard songs.

With the CD now in the final stages of production, the band have begun to announce several warm-up gigs around the country; as a chance for fans to hear some brand new tracks live before ‘Strands’ is launched this December.

In the run up to the launch of ‘Strands’, The Lions Mane will be playing various warm-up gigs around the country including The Boom Boom Room in Dublin on October 30th. They will also be launching their brand new website www.iamthelionsmane.com along with their first music video.

This Friday night’s gig in Cleere’s Theatre will be the first and only chance for Kilkenny fans to hear the new songs before ‘Strands’ is launched.

Doors open at 10pm, admission €6, support on the night comes from Ethanol Mines. For more information go to www.myspace.com/iamthelionsmane.

You can check the pics out here and read about the gig here on my KKM Staff Blog.

Episode 2: ‘The Scarlet Lady Vanishes’ sees the return of the three hapless detectives of Vultures P.I, along with some new faces, as they “get up in the guts” of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. It’s got action, it’s got suspense, it’s got love, it’s got hookers and it’s still better than that film, the one with the bugs in space!

Check it out and leave the lads from Mycrofilms some feedback here on the Mycrofilms MySpace or the Vultures bebo profile.

‘The Brian Jones E.P’ was due to be launched at the end of this month but the lads have just announced news on the Chemical Addiction MySpace Blog that their debut offering will be slightly delayed.

To make up for the delay they’ve released a new track ‘Friends are Enemies‘. It’s not the final mix, but the song is another sneak-preview of things to come. Chunky riffed, damn catchy, melodic and harmony filled things to come…check it out!

Kilkenny’s newest film-making collective, Microfilms, air their first production online today. Vultures Episode 1: The Kris Kringle Konundrum is now available to watch for free on www.vulturespi.com.

The 43-minute pilot episode and Christmas Special was filmed in Kilkenny over the last two weeks and features performances from KKM Forum regulars as well as myself, Daw and Ken.

You can read more about Vultures Episode 1: The Kris Kringle Konundrum on my blog;

This first episode is the Christmas Special and a perfect way to introduce you to the world of the Vultures Private Investigators. Follow Jim Vultour (John Morton), Dan McGrain (Dave Thompson) and Niall Tennyson (Sean Hackett); three hapless detectives and their personal dilemma’s when struggling to find the perfect Christmas present, the battle against the evil exploits of the mysterious ‘Bad Santa’ and solve the mystery of the missing Baby Jesus… read more

I’m sneaking back onto the homepage once again, this time with news of Kilkenny’s newest production company; Microfilms.

Myself (oss237) and Daw are currently working with the film making collective on the premier production; Vultures Episode 1 – The Kris Kringle Konundrum.

You can check out the hilarious teaser trailer for the show and read more about the production here on my staff blog.

Yes, I’m on the homepage again. This time it’s with news of the latest recording by Kilkenny grunge 3-piece Chemical Addiction. The lads were in the studio this week working with Daw for their upcoming E.P; ‘The Brian Jones E.P’. You can find out more on my staff blog.

“It was a cold, dark night outside, but inside the studio was warm, friendly and I could feel pure energy coming off the lads.They’ve been flat out for the last two weeks, they’ve had eight practices in the ten days leading up to recording, the result is impressive and clearly shows the benefit of being prepared. They’ve been in the studio with Daw for only two days. Yesterday, they laid down the drum and bass tracks, this morning they recorded the guitar tracks and tonight they plan to record the vocals and harmonies.”

Read on…

I’ve just posted a whole collection of photographs from last weekends “heaviest gig ever in Kilkenny” featuring 2007 Battle of the Bands Winners Atrax Mantis, Slave Zero, “extreme metal from Malta’ Abysmal Torment and Slovakian “brutal gutteral sickness” Sanatorium.

Swing by the KilkennyMusic Galleries and check them out. You can also read my recap of the gigs here on my staff blog.