The Sun Covers My Banjo Musical!

The Sun Newspaper 12 March 2010

Live And Let Die – On Banjo!

I thought I’d record a quick video of one of the songs Kev and I are performing at Lovenite 2010.  Kev is actually singing this one and playing bass though the banjo is the same. I’ve cut a bit of the middle bit out, we’ll be playing it in its full glory on Friday. So if you fancy hearing this amongst other songs – some ridiculous, some less so, all great – then come to the 12 Bar Club, Denmark St London. Cheers!

Lovenite 2010

Now on the fourth year Kevin Hylands and Cormac Heron return to the 12 Bar with guitar and banjo for their annual Songs For Lovers performance celebrating the best and best of love songs ever written. This year they will be performing classics from the likes of Turner, Tyler and Houston.

Last year’s performance was a riot, literally. Some girl got up on stage and tried to upstage them. (She was found beat up in some police cell the following morning.) This year’s promises to be just as eventful for they shall be joined with Seb on drums.

£4 entry with a picture of this page on your phone if you arrive before 8pm. Performance begins as ever at 8.04 pm. Bar open til very late. (You can print out this page for a discount if you prefer.)

You can catch a preview of Live And Let Die.

N.B. Due to my pending marriage this could (and probably will) be my last gig for the next 7 months.

JLS Is Turd

Due to popular demand I have recorded a follow up to my single ‘Westlife Is Shit’ and bring you ‘JLS Is Turd’. When writing this I couldn’t think of any lyrics better than the ones I wrote for ‘Westlife Is Shit’ so I have kept it as an instrumental. Please give me your feedback and please no spelling errors. Thank you

Beat It / Ace Of Spades – On Banjo

Performed this last night in the New Cross Inn.

Westlife Are Shit

I am sure Westlife are nice guys but I have just been doing some research into my upcoming Irishnite gig and I couldn’t help but notice that Westlife are in fact really shit. Take Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’ for example, not only did they do a shit version of it but they had to stick a gear change in at the end! I wonder who suggests these gear changes or is it a contractual thing. One thing to their credit however is that I managed to get through an entire song with them which is more that I can say about D:Ream!

Come to Irishnite. It is going to be the best thing in London this Saint Patrick’s Day.

Hello By Lionel Ritchie On Banjo

Strange that I have never recorded anything on youtube. I thought I’d change that by using the ‘Quick Capture’ functionality. Quick my arse. Besides the audio being about 3 seconds out of sync with the video it kept cutting off the last 20 seconds of the capture so after about 8 takes I thought I’d record an extra 25 seconds. That’s why you have a bit of a gap at the end.

Shame these brilliant tools have to be so unfinished. Anyway, I thought that this was a fitting song for my first attempt. I’ll be performing this at Lovenite on Fri 13th Feb in 12 Bar Club.

Fri 24 October 2008

• Act: Cormac’s Funk Banjo Musical – Abridged 20 minute version. Last ever performance of this show!
• Event: Placard Headphone Festival - don’t forget your headphones! (1/4″ socket)
• Venue: Shunt
• Time: 11 pm
• Address: Joiner Street, London Bridge Tube Station
• Entrance: £10. (1/4″ adapters for sale @ £1)

Fri 17 October 2008

• Act: Cormac Heron
• Event: New Old Stories On An New Old Guitar (And Banjo)
• Venue: 12 Bar Club
• Time: 8.04 pm
• Address: 22-23 Denmark Street, London, WC2H 8NL
• Entrance: £4 with a mobile pic of this page before 8; £5 if you arrive after 8pm with mobile pic; £6 if you are stupid

18th Sep 2008 World Tour Of New Cross: Tonight!

Hey there! I am doing a Phil Collins by playing two gigs tonight in New Cross. One in Montague Arms, the best rough pub in the country! Come on down! Also I am playing two gigs on Saturday at the Placard Headphone Festival – see gigs section for more details.

Thurs 18 September 2008

• Act: Cormac Heron
• Event: The Ticket That Exploded
• Venue: Montague Arms
• Time: 9pm
• Address: 289, Queens Rd, London, SE15 2PA
• Entrance: £3 (Cheap)

Thurs 18 September 2008

• Act: Eggtimer – Improvised Rock (Cormac on bass)
• Event: South Of The River Electric
• Venue: Goldsmith’s Tavern
• Time: 10pm
• Address: 316 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6AF
• Entrance: Free

I’m Going Down To Alphabet Street

Sporting Hearts ProjectsOriginally uploaded by Sporting Hearts

I went out with the registered charity Sporting Hearts to entertain 200 kids in Belgrade. We gave them all a camera each and took them to the theatre and on a boat down the Danube. Very rewarding. The didn’t even mind me singing Prince songs at them on the banjo. think I enjoyed that bit more than them though. This pic was taken by one of the kids using a disposable camera. Read all about it here.

Musical Terrorist

 

Whilst I am getting up to speed with It Is Whatever here’s a picture from my St Patrick’s Day gig in New Cross. Taken on 17.03.07 by Mickey Blue Eyes. I like this picture. It reminds me of home from when I was a boy and you had to run to the shops for a pint of off-milk whilst dodging bullets, nail bombs and blessing priests.

Banjo tunings

People ask me what way is a banjo tuned. To be honest I can never remember so this is for me more than you. In fact this whole site is more for me that it is you. I am listing the strings as they appear from the head to the floor:

5-string

The 5th string on a 5-string banjo is half way up the neck and gives it that bluegrass sound. Think of it as a ‘drone’ string and if you’re playing a sound in ‘B’ you can tune it up to ‘B’ though tuning it to ‘F#’ might be a better idea. Jem Finer gave me those tips. Thanks Jem!

• g D G B D: Standard G
• g C G B D: Modal
• g C G C D: Double C
• g C G B D: Standard C
• A D F# A D: Standard D
• F# D F# A D: Standard D/F#

Plectrum

The Plectrum banjo is the same length as a 5-string hasn’t got that extra 5th string positioned half way up the neck. Handy if you want to strum things out and you don’t want to have to hit the extra string. The standard ‘C’ tuning gives it and different feel to the 5-string.

• C G B D: Standard
• D G B E: Chicago

Tenor

I don’t have one of these yet but I imagine they’re good for the deedily-idley stuff that they play over there in Boston. The standard tuning is the same as a fiddle or a mandolin.

• C G D A: Jazz
• G D A E: Celtic

For chords please check out this anorak’s site.

New Banjo

Yesterday I obtained a plectrum banjo made by Ozark. It’s different from my Tanglewood 5-string in that it’s three times the price and about three times the bloody weight as well.

So what’s a plectrum banjo? It’s the same length as a 5-string which is used for bluegrass but without the extra string. The tenor banjo has a shorter neck and is typically used by Irish banjo players and is tuned like a fiddle or a mandolin.

Fortunately I already know how to play the 5-string and the mandolin. Unfortunately the plectrum banjo has a totally different tuning to both which effectively means I have to learn a new instrument. The tuning of C G B D makes it popular for the playing of playing jazz or, in my case, Prince.