Meadhbh

music. ideas. writing.

[meadhbhboyd]

BOYD – Young Womanhood - ravechild

BOYD seems like the kind of act that could develop a niche cult following – I doubt we’ve seen the last or the best of BOYD.

review

Makes a difference to standing on a CD I gifted someone at my last gig in London that ended up on the sticky cocktail-spilled floor, that I subsequently stood on. Faggy, sticky footprint on my own face. That = humility. 

[meadhbhboyd]

I think I'm going to explode with excitement. My heart.. Bowie leaving us. Now this. My wonderful mad parents are making their way over from County Clare in the west of Ireland, in their van, to Glasgow to collect a harmonium my dad John found for my mam, Geraldine. And they're dropping the upright piano to me. I've lived without a real piano since emigrating to London from Cork in 2011. This really is the icing on the cake. Just received these pics. God speed, mam and dad. We'll have to recruit some mates to help move it! x

[meadhbhboyd]

Autumnal update

In between settling into my new great job in Glasgow and coping with my recent crappy crohn’s diagnosis, I’ve been busy preparing some ideas for the cover of my new EP project. I met this amazing fine art photographer, GSA graduate and Phoenix Bursary awardee, Saule Zuk. You should definitely check out her work. We had fun at the Botanic Gardens at the West End. The light in the cactus house was gorgeous. The lyrics in this new recording look at the digital self and how that shapes and sometimes misshapes our personal identity. Yeah - big theme. A big theme. I’m being deliberately vague here. An interesting challenge for me was being in front of the camera. It’s weird. But I’m determined to put my face forward this time. Why not? What’s the objective of the picture? Does it have to be so prescriptive? Descriptive? It could be totally off-the-wall weird. What’s the relationship between the sonic and the visual? Basically, this test shoot was a bit of preparation. We can see what works, what doesn’t and why that might be. It’s nice to work with another creative person - the songwriting and producing demos stage is pretty solitary. I’ve been fine-tuning a funding application too, which I’m sure other makers appreciate is an arduous but hopefully a worthwhile process. It’s happening! 

[meadhbhboyd]

Shoreditch radio interview / tune selection (2014)

interview on Shoreditch Radio with lovely Anneka. New material due out this year! Relocated to Glasgow since.

[meadhbhboyd]

This is the latest thing I’m producing for Southside Fringe in Glasgow. 

Buy tickets here or limited OTD but get there early, nearly a third have been sold in only one week (*delighted*)

I came up with a little description of MBoydery. Kudos to the actor / professional clown / musician / director extraordinaire, Bryan Quinn, for penning the nickname a few years ago. 

MBoydery: events interweaving music and comedy, exploring the fabric of human nature.

Maybe I’ll do a proper website soon. If anyone has any connections..

[meadhbhboyd]

Great night. Thanks all for coming, and to Nouria Bah and programmer/bassist extraordinaire Anna for playing too. That's Mick Frangou on drums and moi meme on keys. 

[meadhbhboyd]

Negativland track featuring old Disney sounds

Constantly shifting experimental act Negativland has been making pointed noises over the course of three decades. Though members have shifted in and out over the years, the band has maintained its penchant for absurdist looks at modern society, and with the forthcoming release of It’s All In Your He

This is a fascinating story. That one Disney fan put so much care into curating those CDRs for Negativland, and the results are brilliant. So tense, weird, humorous. Love it. For any of you who haven't heard this one, check out their  The Letter U and the Number 2 / U2's lost song / parody featuring irate radio disc jockey, Casey Kasem, absolutely losing his nut. Also a great story about copyright / intellectual property rights. Amazing group, Negativland. 

[meadhbhboyd]

https://soundcloud.com/meadhbhboyd/meadhbh-boyd-artist-takeover-shoreditch-radio

The lady looking at the camera - third from the left - is my nana. She taught me piano, and she's mentioned in this interview along with a few other people to whom i owe a debt of gratitude. 

[meadhbhboyd]

A piece published by the paper in my home town of Ennis, County Clare. It's difficult to condense a lengthy naval-gazing chat about your recent life into a page of type but, it is an article that has made me take a step back and go "actually, hold on a second, I did that. I've done something". I'm not out to fry big fish or anything with this EP, (maybe later) but it is nice that it has been acknowledged in some way. It is symbolic of where I am at in life. the direction I have turned, the proverbial circles I have walked in at times. I know you reader, have achieved a lot in your life too, so today - take some time to reflect on your achievements, take a moment to wallow in the warm glow of producing work, of creating a body of work, of meeting new people, of making relevant connections, and of sustaining friendships over the years. Whether we say it or not - the respect is implied. Especially to fellow composers and musicians the world over - we are a scattered generation. Go n'eirí linn 

[meadhbhboyd]

how did this amazing video slip past me? superhumanhappiness j'adore

[meadhbhboyd]

[meadhbhboyd]

Shortened Suite - Meadhbh Boyd

My first release on my new label Bad Boyd. You can own your own copy for just £1.79 by clicking here.  

I'd like to thank everyone for the support and encouragement, especially Denise Mangiardi, Niall Acott and Ray Staff at AIR Studios, to Eva Slusarek for photography and Lauren Kinley for the cover illustration. BBC Radio 6 Music Tom Robinson and Cian O Ciobhain at An Taobh Tuathail for the airplay. To my writing / musicking mentor from afar, Chilly Gonzales.

And the family, bf CH, and friends who partly inspired the music. A special shout out to the swarm of Associates from Tate Modern around the world. Thanks to you for listening.

If you like it, spread the word. I will be thinking about gigging soon, and looking for collaborators. Reach out, don't be shy.

[meadhbhboyd]

These cats were a gift from my grandmother who passed away last August. She bought them while on holiday in Killarney, County Kerry when she was a teenager (in the 1940s). The horn player lost the bell of his saxophone before I acquired them but the rest are in good nick. She gave them to me one Christmas - individually wrapped in soft tissue paper, in an old Milk Tray box. Those sweets were long eaten. So many people would chuck out packaging but, she was a thrifty lady.

I bought the victorian-style glass dome recently - it's nice that the cats have somewhere special to live now. I often think of her, and other dead people. I realise that sounds morbid. I find her letters every now and then - years of correspondence from my young adulthood to last year some time.

Death. Is just so strange. Sometimes it's like I plain forget that people are dead, that people die. That makes me feel like a proper idiot. Sometimes ignorance is bliss - but then realisation crash-lands you back to real time. Once you get through a certain grieving period things return to relative normality - and death reinstates itself as an abstract happening. People live on in your memory.

You sometimes forget about any negative personality traits, in a weird way romanticising their, and your shared past. That's how they should remain, this is how people should be remembered and celebrated. They existed. They gave life a 'lash' and in some cases like my grandmother (or your loved ones), they leave this world leaving a mark of power and influence that will long outlive you or I. Recently I have been thinking about existence in the frame of shared narrative. Stories. Links. Existential challenges. Ephemeral moments. The things that words can't articulate. I think about this because of the mystery of the disappearing plane. I know it's tragic but, what an amazing thing to happen. We can cushion ourselves with technology and knowledge - that makes us forget that we are totally fucked sometimes, that the chances of being outwitted or diddled are very real. 

[meadhbhboyd]

Happy Burns Night! Listening to Ivor Cutler's Dandruff at the moment - I am embarrassed to say I haven't chomped into this amazing man's work 'til now. My dad mentioned him one time - when I was a kid/teen I devoured Roger McGough, Peter Maloney (A Plea for Mersey), John Lennon and other clever/funny wordsmiths, I was probably like "yeah dad, I'll check it later". So finally - this year, my Scotsman bf introduced me to Cutler's inimitable comic world view. I love him for that, and other things. 

Storm a-brewing in London right now but, the neeps 'n' tatties are prepped, and haggis (x6), Cranachan, 'Sporran Breeze' cocktails, Looking forward to seeing everyone. Life is good. I am grateful. 

[meadhbhboyd]

Martin James Burton Photography

Reproduced with kind permission from Martin James Burton Photography, Check out the rest of his work - there are some really great portraits.  This image was taken at University College Cork Alumni Gala Dinner event, November 2013: Meadhbh Boyd (fiddle), Neil O'Loghlen (flute). 

[meadhbhboyd]

Portrait photography in London

Eva is a star. Simple as that. 

[meadhbhboyd]