Ryan Morgan performs Niall Connolly’s ‘Your Idiot Friend vs 200 Years of Darwin’ which is featured on Niall’s ‘Super Cool Fantastic’ and Ryan’s ‘Chivalry is Dead’.

Bono and Glen Hansard and me and less than 100 people in Living Room yesterday!

Video captured by Patrick Glennon.

I first met Ryan Morgan at the Wednesday Night Song Club in Ceol. he was in town visiting in the company of a friend of a friend of of a friend of mine.Ceol, is generally a filtered open mic. I am supposed to have heard everyone who plays. Or else they need to be invited by another regular performer. It helps distinguish the night from completely open mics. Ryan seemed the right level of confident, yet not to pushy. So, I let him play. I remember thinking hopefully he won’t drive anyone out of the room.

Well folks, sometimes tiny gambles pay off. Ryan quickly became a fast friend with his quick wit, his openness to allowing the good times in, and crucially, for his excellent songwriting.

Produced by Sky Captain of Industry’s E.W. Harris, ‘Chivalry is Dead’, is Ryan Morgan’s debut album. E.W. as you know produced my own ‘Brother, the Fight is Fixed’ as well as Casey Black’s triumphant ‘It Shapes Me As It Goes’ and his own highly original work, ‘A Waste of Water and Time’. As in person, Ryan Morgan, the songwriter, is an excellent storyteller. The songs cover the front and back pages of contemporary issues from the border to the playing field. Populated by corrupt mayors, junkies, sports stars or dead singers, raise many prescient issues in an entertaining and concise manner.  Morgan has an excellent turn of phrase, takes unexpected word choices and paints very clear and dirty pictures in his work. The production by E.W. is inventive and original giving the songs a foundation which will hopefully help them reach as large an audience as they deserve.

Buy this album, then buy it again for someone you love.

The album is available online now and will be launched at Bar 4, 444 7th Ave, Brooklyn on Friday May 18th.

Today, in the pouring rain, in Oslo, 40,000 people gathered to sing ‘Barn av regnbuen’ and hold roses in defiance of the horrific acts of violence committed by  Ander Behring Breivik last summer. During the week, Breivik had said that this song was used to brainwash children, objecting to its message of peace in an age of multiculturalism.

Two women started a campaign to reclaim the songs TWO days ago. Here is what happened today. I was fortunate enough to be performing in a school in Norway today, where we watched this live on a projected screen in the gym with hundreds of Norwegian middle school children. Many singing along. This is the most spine tingling moment of my life. A remarkably dignified and beautiful peaceful and powerful protest.

Read more about it from more informed sources here:

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2012/04/26/norwegians-pull-together-again/

Watch the video. Trust me. It is beautiful.

NOIR-LOUNGE #2
featuring live music performances by
THOMAS TRUAX (US/UK)
NIALL CONNOLLY (IRL/US)
hosted by Mark Steiner & His Problems

Thanks to everyone at Mono who made us feel so welcome last night. I loved the gig. Thanks also to The Irish Embassy and the Norwegian Irish Society who seemingly sent out an e-mail about the gig. Now, that’s international folk heroism.