Are You Ready for The Country? Is the Country Ready for You?

Here are the lyrics to Neil Young’s incendiary new song, “Let’s Impeach the President” from the new album 'Living With War'. It's sure to raise the temperature in Bushland...

Let’s impeach the president for lying

And leading our country into war

Abusing all the power that we gave him

And shipping all our money out the door

He’s the man who hired all the criminals

The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

Of why we have to send our men to war

Let’s impeach the president for spying

On citizens inside their own homes

Breaking every law in the country

By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

Would New Orleans have been safer that way

Sheltered by our government’s protection

Or was someone just not home that day?

Let’s impeach the president

For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

Dividing our country into colors

And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he’s racking down on steroids

Since he sold his old baseball team

There’s lot of people looking at big trouble

But of course the president is clean
Thank God

It Merritts a Read

You can read the interview here that I recently conducted with Stephin Merritt, lead singer of 'The Magnetic Fields' for Gay Community News.

'Hot Press' have good taste!

My friend Tony Hoyne recently received a rave review from 'Hot Press' for his contribution to a CD collection by a bunch of new musicians in Dublin. Read full review below; the CD is available from Tower Records

Various ArtistsThe Potential Collection(Independent Release)
11 Apr 2006

A compilation of acoustic acts that have all taken part in the highly regarded Zodiac Sessions open-mic night at Bruxelles in Dublin, this collection serves as a timely reminder of the continuing health of the singer-songwriter scene. But are there any potential Damien Rices or Julie Feeneys out there?

Well, as is usual with these kinds of affairs, the first impressions are mixed, with some faring better than others in the performing and songwriting stakes. Tony Hoyne from Kilkenny stands out immediately, conjuring up the intensity of D. Rice on the plaintive ‘In Lights’.

Tyrone Relph’s bluesy piano-based ballad ‘Aching For You’ recalls James Blunt in style. Justin Manville’s ‘Bring Me Down’ showcases a feisty performer with an r’n’b edge to his work. Other highlights include Michael Roche’s bluesy ‘No More Need To Cry’, Brian McGovern’s poignant anti-war ‘Crash ‘n’ Burn’ and David Burke’s jazzy ‘Grandfather Song’, the liveliest tune here.
Also of interest is Ray Heffernan (who wrote Robbie Williams' smash ‘Angels’). Whether that was typical of his style or not is hard to say. His contribution here is ‘Let Go Of The Wheel’, an engaging ballad without the pop smarts of his better known number.

It’s not all solo acts however; Anima’s ‘Hold On’ boasts nice harmonies, Australian outfit Doubled’s ‘Freedom’ recalls Jack Johnson just a tad while Caruso’s ‘The Man Walks Into Doors’ is intriguing. Kumara are blessed with a singer in the Richard Ashcroft mould as displayed on ‘Secret’s And Lies’ while the sole female singer-songwriter Sarah Williams wraps things up nicely with her Sinéad O’Connor-like voice on ‘Lifetime’. Whether any of these make the grade in the long run is hard to tell – it’s written in the stars I suppose!
Colm O HareRating: 6 / 10

A Rolling Stone Flatters No Bush

W. does karaoke