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  • The London Ear on RTE 2XM // Show 37

    The London Ear on RTE 2XM // Show 37

    June 11 2014

    I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day. I mentioned that I was having some trouble with ‘unwanted guests’ trying to get into my website. She said to take it as a compliment, that people thought it was worth trying to get into. Hence, the reason for virtual silence on the site for the past few weeks.

    For Episode 37 of The London Ear, I played some awesome tunes, if I do say so myself! Here’s the run down.

    1. The London Ear Intro
    2. Codes: Astraea
    3. Wolf Alice: Moaning Lisa Smile
    4. Milky Chance: Stolen Dance
    5. Jessie Ware: Tough Ware
    6. Jimmy and The Mirrors: Hailstorm
    7. Stags: Just Like You
    8. Wonder Villains: Zola
    9. Bairbre Anne: Wake Up
    10. Heidrik: Maria’s Donkey
    11. Kammerpop: I’m a Communist too
    12. The Late David Turpin: The Hotel (Strands Remix)
    13. Sleep Thieves: City of Hearts
    14. Black Light White Light: High Like A Hurricane
    15. Dirty Vegas: Setting Sun (Audio Units Remix)

    Thanks for listening. You can listen live every Wednesday at 1400 and the repeat on Sunday nights at 2100. You can listen to the show again on the RTE player.

    You can also listen to the show in its entirety on Mixcloud

    The London Ear on RTE 2XM // Show 37 //June 18 2014 by Nessy on Mixcloud

    Don’t forget if you’re Irish and in a band based in the UK or touring in the UK, get in touch I’d love to hear from you. I love hearing new music so if you have something you think I’d be into send me a mail nessy @ nessymon.com (Take out the gaps)

    Thanks for listening.

  • Culture Café – Now in Podcast Format!

    Culture Café – Now in Podcast Format!

    Remember way back in days of yore when I used to have a radio show called Culture Café ? It was a music arts and culture show which started life on DCUfm. It later moved home to be broadcast on RTÉ 2XM and occasionally on RTÉ 2fm.

    Well, when I moved to London, I discovered pretty soon that it was near on impossible to do a weekly arts show for Ireland, while I was based in London. So at that point I opted to change to a music show, The London Ear, which has been running since September 2013.

    I miss chatting about arts and culture stuff though, so I’ve decided to relaunch Culture Café as a podcast. I’m three episodes in now and really please with how it is being received so far.

    Episode 1 featured the very awesome singer songwriter, Beth Nielsen Chapman. Episode 2 featured playwright and actor David Gilna. The current episode of Culture Café features Jass Foley, an extremely talented photographer and Director of Photographer.

    If you’re an artist or would like to be featured in Culture Café please get in touch hello @culturecafepodcast .com (Take out the gaps)

    I’d love to know if you have any comments or suggestions!

    nessy x

  • Culture Café #3 // Jass Foley // Photographer

    Culture Café #3 // Jass Foley // Photographer

    For Episode 3 of Culture Café, I thought it was a great opportunity to head back via Skype to where I grew up, just outside Kells in Co. Meath in the Republic of Ireland.

    How did I meet Jass Foley?

    Although, we’re both from Kells, I didn’t get to know Jass Foley until I went back to Dublin City University to study Multimedia, Jass was there doing Communication Studies. We all knew he was a good photographer and that conclusion was confirmed when he won a DCU Hybrid Award and a National Student Media Award for Photographer of the year in 2010.

    So why chat to Jass now? The Hay Festival is coming to Kells for the second time this year and Jass has been busy putting together an exhibition of photographs of some of Kells’ well known monuments to run alongside the festival. Called Kells Dreamscapes, Jass’ exhibition will run in Hetherton’s Old Garage in Bective Square in Kells between July 2 – 6th 2014.

    Now, before you think that this is just a small time, local photo exhibition, think again, this guy is a serious talent. Before he had even graduated from college, he had branched out from his own photography to work as Director of Photography on the television show ‘Under Ether’ for RTÉ.

    The Spire of Lloyd

    Jass_Foley_Kells_Dreamscapes_Spire_of_Lloyd


    The Spire of Lloyd is about a mile and a half from where I grew up. We passed it everytime we went into the town of Kells, and because of it’s height, it always seemed to be on the horizon. As Jass says during the podcast, ‘when you see the spire you know you’re nearly home..’ or words like that. The Spire of Lloyd is a really interesting piece of architecture, it looks like a lighthouse, except it’s no where near the sea. Having been to the top of it on a couple of occasions, I can tell you the views are amazing. There is also a paupers graveyard nearby from famine times too, the whole area of Kells, with the monastery, the book, the Round Tower is quite something. If I didn’t grow up with this on my doorstep, I’d probably be drooling over it. So when I saw Jass’ photo of The Spire, it just got me.

    Jass is a fantastic guy, I really enjoyed our chat and loved how he spoke about his collaborations with other people and how that helped him develop his own craft. Down to earth and a grafter, he’s worked hard to get where he is and with his talent and determination, you know he’ll achieve his goals.

    Find out more about Jass’ work at his website JassFoley.com

    Kells_Dreamscapes_Jass_Foley_Culture_Cafe

    All Images © Jass Foley

  • Culture Café // Episode 2 // David Gilna

    Culture Café // Episode 2 // David Gilna

    For Episode 2 of Culturé Cafe, I wanted to speak to someone on the rise, someone who is working their way up, getting their name out there, getting places. That person is David Gilna, a London based Irish playwright, actor, producer and now author, and someone whose positivity knows no bounds.

    David’s Story

    David was kind enough to tell us about his latest play ‘My Bedsit Window’, being hit by lighting and how it led him to write a play ‘The Gift of Lightning’ which is is now being turned into a full length feature film by Blue Pip Productions.

    David is such a positive person, and he has written an ebook ‘50 Lightning Tips About The Entertainment Business – Change Your Life Today‘ which you can get on Amazon. Reading this and speaking to David, it’s not hard to see why he sometimes runs motivational events for the entertainment industry.

    David also speaks about the three projects he is currently working on. A fantastic young artist with such a fantastic outlook.

    I might be biased but it’s well worth a listen!

    To find out more about David, you can visit his website DavidGilna.com