• Bookmark: Jan Carson

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark, we spend some time with author Jan Carson in her home in Belfast as she selects the books which have influenced her own work, from Truman Capote to Flannery O’Connor. Photos by Sara Marsden. Asking a confirmed book addict to narrow their collection down to ten favourite books will never elicit a simple response. I spent hours making little piles of paperbacks across my living room floor, swapping one novel for another and feeling as if I was actually turning my back on old friends when I had to relegate Kurt Vonnegut, Marilynne Robinson and Jeffrey…

  • Hyperbolex with Ray Wingnut: Community Music – Skratch Manifest

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    Communities are inevitable among humans. They can be generational, geographical, professional, circumstantial, cultural and can take on any shape you can think of. We are drawn together by factors and forces from without and within the individual. For an example of a community; even if you’ve never read The Thin Air before, if you sniff around the pages you’ll find a community; a group of pro-active fans and know-alls and eager heads that co-operate to publish a sweet piece of street literature that reflects them and their community. Their art and their era. But of course the community doesn’t stop…

  • Cinema 16 For ’16: Goodnight Mommy

    March 15, 2016 - By 

    An alternative guide to this year’s cinematic offerings, we trawl through the dilapidated rows of seats in the back alley ‘art’ cinemas and crumbling picture palaces so you don’t have to. Rescuing gummy Venus de Milos from sticky crevices and fishing midget gems out of cold cups of tea. Diaries at the ready cinephiles. One of the most hyped European horror films for some time, Goodnight Mommy, finally arrives on these shores amid some glowing, ‘caution, not for the faint-hearted’ reviews. Austria’s entry in the 88th Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category, which is some going for a horror…

  • Sea Pinks @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    March 15, 2016 - By 

    I sometimes wonder how often, if ever, bands think about how the sound they craft in a studio translates to a live stage. Some groups are simply ‘studio bands’ – they sound better when they can endlessly and obsessively tinker with the sonic possibilities of technology. Others see the live setting as a different set of circumstances altogether, something with the living potential for a more sensory collective experience, something that can become a genuine reason to senselessly roar at your friends in a smoking area. While this is all pretty vague stuff to be beginning with, I promise it…

  • Track Record: Sorcha Brennan (Sleep Thieves)

    March 15, 2016 - By 

    As featured in one of our print issues of The Thin Air magazine, we spent some time with Sorcha Brennan from Sleep Thieves in her lovely home in Dublin to discuss her favourite records, from Why? to Jape. Photos by Aaron Corr. Jape – Ocean of Frequency What can I say about Richie Egan’s musical output? I’ve loved every album. I think Richie is a master of the perfect turn of phrase paired with the most singable melody. I’ll never get bored of Scorpio. Austra – Feel It Break I found Austra because Niall Byrne posted a video of their…

  • Don’s Plum: behind the banned Leonardo DiCaprio film.

    March 16, 2016 - By 

    ‘It breaks my heart to inform you that on January 27, 2016, Leonardo DiCaprio once again blocked only American and Canadian audiences from being able to enjoy Don’s Plum.’ So begins filmmaker Dale Wheatley’s latest chapter in the ongoing saga of his aforementioned movie. Shot and edited from 1995 to 1996, Don’s Plum is a low-budget indie film featuring a cast of yet-to-be stars including Tobey Maguire, Kevin Connolly, Amber Benson, and, of course, Leonardo DiCaprio who play a lewd crew of 20-somethings spending a night in their favourite hangout, Don’s Plum. Rolling with an improvised script, the movie is…

  • Monday Mixtape: MMOTHS

    March 14, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Monday Mixtape, Dublin producer Jack Colleran AKA MMOTHS gives us a cursory tour of his current favourite YouTube bookmarks, including Solar Bears, Steve Reich & William Basinski. Colleran launches his debut LP, Luneworks, at District 8 on Saturday night. Benoît Pioulard – Upon The Break Arch Sting Freestyle The Dead Texan – The Struggle Smt. Kesarbai Kerkar: Raag-Malkauns Solar Bears – Man Plus Steve Reich – Piano Phase (solo) William Basinski – Melancholia #9 आप stundents पसंद है

  • Rave New World (11/03)

    March 11, 2016 - By 

    Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty return for their latest look at the very best electronic gigs, tracks and mixes of the week. Gigs Shivers with Pender Street Steppers at Electric Garden & Theatre, Galway Friday 11 March Shivers is a new party happening in Galway, and they’ve got a treat for their first gig. You might know Pender Street Steppers from their releases for Peoples Potential Unlimited or Mood Hut, or maybe the mixtape they dropped for the latter label a few years back. They’re real party DJs, so it’s sure to be a brilliantly fun night. Best wishes and good luck…

  • The Fifth Beatle: Sir George Martin (1926-2016)

    March 9, 2016 - By 

    Like them or loathe them, The Beatles are the bedrock of popular culture. No other band has exerted the kind of influence and hold over music, and as avatars of cultural change in the decade where everything changed, they led the charge. But would any of it have happened if it wasn’t for Sir George Martin? Unlikely. The Fab Four had the talent, the ideas, and the drive, but it was George Martin who honed them into the force they became. Think of him as like a sculptor, with Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr as the raw material from which…

  • Track Record: Shane Murphy (Land Lovers/No Monster Club/Switzerland)

    March 10, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Shane Murphy to chat about his record collection, while he’s not too busy playing in three of Popical Island’s finest bands: Land Lovers, No Monster Club and Switzerland. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model I discovered Elvis Costello pretty late in life, and when I say discovered, I mean after Land Lovers were compared to him, Padraig of the band quickly gave me some homework to do. At his best with The Attractions, this was the first pairing of the two. It’s a frantic and…