The memoir series @ the Town Hall Studio comes to an end with two shows this Friday and Saturday 15th/16th May. Chronologically “The Galway Years” comes after this but we chose to start with “The Galway Years” in February hoping that the local interest would carry through to the subsequent shows. Indeed the shows gathered momentum and the same audience returned to follow the adventure resulting in sell out shows and many being turned away. I am going to be sad to finish this series but plans are afoot and I will keep you updated here. Thanks to everyone who made this possible.
Author Archives: Little John
The London Years and other news
Thanks to P.J. Clerkin for digging out this photo from Theberton St. 1979. There’s a story behind the building of that wishing well and you can hear all about it at The Town Hall Studio Theatre on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd May, it looks like its going to sell out like the others in the memoir series so better book rapid if you want to go. The Caledonia Highly Strung Orchestra had a beautiful gig and a wonderful time in Napoli, thanks to Davide Mastropaulo and everyone involved at Porto Petraio, we hope to have a video clip from the show where we premiered a new song “Highly Strung in Napoli” I had a crazy week on returning performing at four “Kitchen Sessions” with Sarah Clancy and Elaine Feeney as part of the Cuirt International Festival of Literature, I also performed at the opening which was great fun. Friday night it was “Small Halls and Potholes” in the new Village Theatre Carrabane near Loughrea, it was perfect.
Napoli!
Sparkplug Callaghan (John Nee) | voce e chitarra
Norma Eggstrom | clarinetto and alto sax
Jesus O’Donnel | chitarra elettrica
Scorsese Gallagher | organo e pianoforte
Contributo concerto | 10 euro
(12 euro per i non soci)
Calato in pieno mood di musiche dal mondo, di intrecci e sinergie tra diverse culture e tradizioni, l’happening mensile live di Aprile a Porto Petraio ha il profumo d’Irlanda. Il pubblico, infatti, resterà sospeso tra scenografie ‘country’ e sonorità d’oltremanica.
Il progetto che Little John Nee, autore, drammaturgo, musicista e interprete sui generis, propone con i suoi musicisti è un’antologia dei vari spettacoli teatrali cui ha dato vita negli anni. Recentemente questa selezione di lavori ha trovato posto nel cd “Songs from the Lough Swilly Delta”, mix di comici blues e tormentate ballads, registrato con The Caledonia Highly Strung Orchestra presso i prestigiosi “Attica Studios” nel Donegal (Irlanda), sotto la supervisione di Tommy McLaughlin della nota irish folk band dei Villagers. L’intento è stato quello di raccogliere varie delle interpretazioni presenti negli
spettacoli teatrali e dei relativi personaggi, che Little John Nee ha creato, portandoli in giro per l’Europa.
Un’anteprima per Napoli e l’Italia, dunque, una data in esclusiva, quella che Train De Vie propone alla sua platea sabato 18 aprile a Porto Petraio: melodie e ritmiche surreali, con intermezzi ‘brechtiani’, invenzioni ‘rurali’, verve ironica e agrodolce, in bilico tra sonorità blues, country, blugrass, vaghi influssi della tradizione musicale irlandese, echi popolari in un pout pourri di ballads, alcune più morbide, altre più sostenute. Ciò nel solco di una linea cantautoriale appena tracciata, reminiscenze vintage, delicata energia, potente armonia, lungo una vera e propria narrazione sonora, che ha fatto dell’interpretazione teatrale ‘on stage’ una delle sue cifre.
L’impatto che le canzoni avevano sul pubblico durante gli spettacoli teatrali, infatti, ha condotto Little John Nee a questo progetto di scelta e sintesi di vari tra i brani all’interno dei suoi show di maggior successo. Ballate famose in tutta l’Irlanda, tratte da “The Derry Boat”, “The Mental”, “Rural Electric”, “Sparkplug”, “Dead Rooster Blues”, prendono vita sul palco grazie a riff di chitarra, al blues punky della cigar box guitar e al caleidoscopio sonoro dei clarinetti in una trama musicale originale e autentica, che vira da toni sublimi ed evocativi, quasi poetici, ad altri ruvidi e veri, ai limiti della durezza.
Surreali commedie rurali dalle cadenze blues si alternano a liriche disamine della vita campestre nella più profonda contea del Donegal. Il tutto scortato dall’ottima performance degli strumentisti di “The Caledonia Highly Strung Orchestra”, il cui talento versatile e l’interplay sul palco sono ben rodati e innegabili.
numero di posti limitato, è consigliata la prenotazione con una mail a info@agualocarecords.com oppure compilando il modulo on-line a questo indirizzo http://www.portopetraio.com/#!prenotazione-concerto/cqfi fino alle ore 17 del giorno del concerto
IMPORTANTE: la sala apre alle 19 e 30 per un aperitivo, il concerto inizia alle 21 in punto, siate puntuali o anticipatevi!!
Vi ricordiamo che tutte le attività di Porto Petraio sono gestite dall’Associazione Culturale L’intrecciata, e sono quindi rivolte ai soci.
Per fare richiesta di associazione on-line: http://www.portopetraio.com/#!modulo-iscrizione/c24b3
Related show
President Michael D. Higgins
We had the honor of being invited to Áras an Uachtaráin on the 10th March to present the President with a copy of Ollie Jenning’s radio documentary “The Galway Years” based on a live recording of my theatre show of the same name. We brought some guests and had afternoon tea in the state drawing room.
http://www.president.ie/en/diary/details/president-receives-a-copy-of-the-radio-documentary-little-john-nee-the-galw
The Glasgow Years
On the 13th and 14th March I shall be returning to the Town Hall Studio to continue my series of memoir shows with “The Glasgow Years” By rights this is the first in the series but we decided to open with “The Galway Years” this time out because there was such a great demand for it. It is my intention to perform the whole series in sequence over five or six nights at art festivals throughout the planet, so if you are interested in booking the series or would like more information please contact me by email at littlejohnnee@gmail.com
Shows at Town Hall Studio Galway
photo/design James Cronin
Sparkplug 2015
“Sparkplug” will be touring throughout 2015 beginning with an appearance at The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon. You can book this beautiful character to perform this award winning show as part of your festival or venue program via the contact link on this page.
Little John Nee “Irish Times Best Sound Designer 2012 for Sparkplug”
“Imagine Garrison Keillor relocating to Ulster’s northwest in the company of Tom Waits and D’Unbelievables and you get an idea of Nee’s singularly enjoyable production” Mick Heaney Irish Times 13/9/12 Star Rating ★★★★
“…bringing to mind something like Katherine Dunn’s novel Geek Love, with its traveling carnival, as Tullyglen community looks forward to “vintage day”, or John McGahern, with its clear-eyed take on a world that is not as it first appears.” Siobhán Kane irishtheatremagazine 11/9/12 Star rating: ★★★★
“A mesmerising piece of theatre balanced somewhere between the stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a zen meditation session. The evening made me feel as if I was a child again, enthralled by a magical story…” Michael Harding Irish Times 22/3/13
wishing you a happy and fulfilling 2015
where to buy your copy of songs from the lough swilly delta
To begin with vinyl and c.d. copies of the album can be bought in Galway at “Bell, Book and Candle” The Small Crane, Sea Rd. and in Letterkenny at The Regional Cultural Centre Port Rd. and Universal Books Church Lane. This first pressing is a limited run on our own brand new “Oldtone Records” label, We will also be selling digital downloads as well as vinyl and c.d. from our bandcamp page. (at present only downloads available here)
Related show
Dublin Launch!
When I first started performing in Dublin in 1982 I used to put on my make-up in the gentlemen’s washroom in the basement of Bewley’s coffee shop on Grafton St. -they had great big mirrors- and off I’d head onto the street. I had some great fun and many mighty adventures on Grafton St. I met many good people and made many great friends so it is particularly thrilling for me to announce that our new album “Songs from the Lough Swilly Delta” will be launched in Bewley’s Theatre Grafton St. on Sunday 7th November at 7pm (doors 6.30). The event is being hosted by The Sober Sessions, tickets will be limited so please come early to avoid disappointment, spread the word! Looking forward to seeing yous x