Declan de Barra - Notes from the frontline

don't blame the coffee

2007-08-08T05:17:00.000+01:00

5.18 no sleep. sailing sea of chaos. cuban coffee fucked me up...no i fucked me up. I drank it.

flickr account

2007-08-07T12:33:00.000+01:00

i opened a flickr account to so i can update photos on the road as the photpage on the website takes forever...time for an update.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/declandebarra/

I will try and get some more photos up soon and add to the art set

and on the flip side...

2007-08-06T21:14:00.000+01:00

There is reasons to be proud of humanity. Here is a prime example in Saul Williams.

Tá brón orm (i'm sorry)

2007-08-06T13:00:00.000+01:00

Today is the anniversary of 250,000 people being obliterated in a nuclear strike on Hiroshima at 8.15am.
Why am i sorry? I'm sorry for all those who died and because i'm part of the same fucked up human race that plays the same fuckin record over and over. Kill on loop.

black beans and rice

2007-08-04T20:21:00.000+01:00

Just back from traveling around Cuba. I cannot say enough about this country or the people. Havana is my favourite city in the world. I am back 24 hrs and everything seems silent, no spontaneous street parties, no reggaeton blasting out of a 50 yr old speaker held together with rubber bands and recycled parts. I feel privileged to have travelled there and met such awesome people. Thanks so much to everyone i met along the way and for putting up with my Spanglish. Highlights were Cuban black beans and rice, picking wild mangoes for breakfast, swimming with barracuda and moray eels, travelling through the sierra maestras where Che, Camillo and Fidel fought there way into history after being reduced to just 12 men at the start of the revolution. Casa de la musica, street parties, happy kids playing safely in streets at night, watching my travel partner get treated by a Cuban doctor and getting a blood test result back in under 10 minutes.
Having to turn back to the airport 10 minutes into a twin prop 40 seater internal flight with "technical problems". Listening to people talk about the revolution, communism, the pros and cons, the embargos and their resolution despite all the hardship to remain proudly Cuban. I think when Fidel goes it will all change, the revolution is still there but the kids want ipods. The embargoes and sanctions against the country will never destroy the country or the will of its people. Its a fruitless act which brings only pain to ordinary Cubans. ironically i think Fidel would have gone years ago if all the sanctions had been lifted. i hope i can return.

how i write songs

2007-07-15T10:20:00.000+01:00

this pretty much sums it up

shows i am really fucking glad i missed

2007-07-15T10:00:00.001+01:00

for those of you who don't know this guy...he is the guy the father ted episode mrs doyle baking a cake jumper is about.

showsi wish i had been at - part 2

2007-07-15T09:56:00.000+01:00

awesome band awesome song awesome show.

shows i wish i had been at - part 1

2007-07-15T09:50:00.000+01:00

This is the bad brains. I saw them once without HR singing. It was one of best nights of my life. I would love to have been at this show with HR singing.

cuba

2007-07-13T19:02:00.000+01:00

I'm off to cuba until the beginning of august. Poor me. I will be out of touch until i get back. I hope everybody is feeling good and happy. i'm looking forward to sharing all these new songs with you.

the pope can go fuck himself

2007-07-11T11:15:00.000+01:00

I was born a catholic. I utterly renounce and reject the catholic religion with every cell in my body. I left Ireland hating my country because it was run by the catholic church. It controlled us through fear and guilt. It let young girls die in fields giving birth and rapists go free. It stopped us speaking out. It stopped us thinking. It helped that we were poor. We couldn't travel much and we stewed in their lies. Then we got cashed up and traveled and broadened our minds. The church died in the face of truth. We were not afraid to speak any more. Words started to slip, the rapes the torture the humiliation was put out on the line for all to see. I was angry. I got over it.
But then..
Aids spread like wildfire through Africa and the developing world and the catholic church and its related "relief" agencies spoke out against the use of condoms.
In the last week the Pope has managed to piss off and insult Jewish people and protestants. He had already insulted Islam. Just as we are getting it together up north and trying to heal old wounds this pontificating asshole drives a wedge into the bloody sore. I don't think the catholic church could survive if all the religions got along. It has historically been every adept at divide and conquer. My blood boiled.
Today was the last straw. The Vatican is now telling catholics to withdraw support for amnesty because it supports abortion in rape and incest cases. This is after it withdrew support from UNICEF for handing out post intercourse spermicide to teenage girls in refugee camps who had been raped.
And now the Vatican is speaking out against modern feminism...it must have got bored telling gay people they are evil.
And while I'm at it Mel Gibson can go fuck himself too...

fuel for album

2007-07-09T11:36:00.000+01:00

i don't get drunk or high or smoke but i am just addicted as the rest. This bag holds a kilo of cardamon laced coffee my sister brought me back from Palestine. I can barely type...

shut up and sing

2007-07-08T19:00:00.001+01:00

Just saw the movie shut up and sing about the Dixie chicks and the hassle death threats etc they received for saying what they believed about Bush. I can't say i'm a fan of their music but i am a fan of their spirit. It's nice to see people still exist like that. Reminds me of my favourite sign during the anti war protests in Dublin before the invasion of Iraq. "Where the fuck are you now Bono?" That and "Down with this sort of thing!" (you have to be a father ted fan to get that...what are you waiting for...go hire the entire father ted series.)

voice tips

2007-07-01T19:58:00.001+01:00

I do what i do because i like to sing. It's such a primal force. I am currently training to get as fit as possible for the next album. Why? because if your unfit you sing like shit. People ask me what tips i have for keeping the voice in shape. And here is the sum of what works for me. 1. Drink lots of water
2. Avoid alcohol (it constricts the vocals chords)
3. Before shows don't go hard on juice as the acid also fucks up the vocal chords.
4. Try to avoid dairy as phlegm makes it hard to sing. (I fuckin love cheese...so its hard)
5. Smoking and Joints. Avoid both. Marijuana actually burns a hole in your vocal chords. (that was from an opera singer is spoke to as well as some others)
6. Try to be as fit as possible
7. Sing from your diaphraghm. above your stomach and below your lungs, try to imagine e all the energy and power in your voice coming from there rather than your throat.
8. Warm up, go through the range of mouth and throat motions you make when singing. Start singing some low lines and notes and work up. Don't spend more than 5-15 mins doing this. You have a window of about and hour before your chords become tired.
9. Try to avoid too much caffeine (sucks for me) as it dehydrates your chords.
10. Use a scarf when its cold and put a warm top on after performing.
11. Get plenty of sleep.
12. on planes drink loads of water to combat dry air, same in hotels.
13. Sing in your own voice and your own range. It should feel comfortable. That way you develop our own style too.

When things go wrong: It happens everyone, sore throat, cold, flu etc
1. manuka honey. take a spoon fool and let it dissolve on back of your throat. Don't add it to water.
2. Echinacea and lots of vit c and zinc supplements. golden seal too/
3. Blocked sinus, nose? Have to perform? this is disgusting but works. get a fishermans friend suck it, put iot up your blocked nostril (not too far you idiot) and the nose will unblock with lots of snot and synovial fluid. Gross but it makes you look interesting.
4. Sleep.
5. Hot showers.
6. there are really good throat teas out there now which usually have liquorice, sage etc in them. I used to get mixtures made up but the teas are great and cheaper and work just as well.

I love dutch bikes...

2007-06-26T12:45:00.000+01:00

Sorry i haven't checked in in a while, i have been writing away here, in between catching a lot of planes and not getting a lot of sleep. Took off to play the Oerol festival on the island of Terschelling in the Netherlands and played with Jochem on cello. It was nice to feel short for a change... how do these guys get so tall on a diet of cake and coffee? The first show was a bit ropey as we had no time to rehearse together and was the usual festival sound check...none. The second night was magic though At place called the Koffie pot. Very intimate and i jsut miked the guitar and sang acoustically. i wanted to keep playing. Jochem was great despite his sunburn. I spent day cycling around the island on dutch bikes which are just too fuckin cool. (I'm a sucker for bikes) Swam in the north sea. We hit the ferry at 7 am after at least 2 hours sleep. that makes a total for the last 2 weeks of 6.5 hrs. Spend the day in Amsterdam looking at expensive Spanish guitars i cant afford, checking the awesome art, Anne Frank house and drinking lots of fine dutch coffee. The answer to you next question is no...i don't smoke. Hope all of ye are well. looks like the end of the year from September on will see me on the road solidly.

blah de blah

2007-06-08T08:54:00.000+01:00

i have just finished an animation for the irish film board, so i can concentrate on finishing the writing for the next album again. The new songs are coming along, i keep hearing piano underneath the guitar. So im going to get a piano and bash the shite out of it till it soudns half reasonable. don't worry i will get a real pianist to play live! I love the sound of piano and if i could carry it on my back to shows i would play piano for all my songs. My throat has been fucked for last 2 weeks but is finally on the mend. Off to Morocco for a week, i wrote a lot of lyrics last time i was there. hope fully the same floodgates will open. Surfed on the weekend in west of ireland on Achill island. the cloud came down to ground level and couldn't see the shore...special. Mary b gets here in a few hours to put down some cello lines on some demos. Hope all of you are well..

Paris crowd

2007-05-22T14:07:00.000+01:00

After the first night i decided to video the crowd with me camera as i said good bye.
Now to go practice me french...

ahhh Paris

2007-05-20T20:15:00.000+01:00

What can i say? These were two of the most amazing shows i ever i had played. The venue has to be seen to be believed. I would have visited just to see it, i felt so lucky to be invited by Aaron to come and play here. It is 17th century and is owned by the director Peter Brook.
I walked out with Mary B on cello to a full house on both nights and the response was just fucking awesome. 500 people and not a single whisper during the songs. I was made so welcome i couldn't help smiling. I really can't wait to get back here to play again. I had great craic trying to communicate during the show and afterwards talking to people with my atrocious french.
Someone sent me a link to these (half way down page)photos taken during the night.
If anyone else has photos i would love to see them.
After the show i watched Aaron play and they rocked the house. They also had the best shoes i have ever seen. They had everyone eating chips out of their knickers. All their crew and the band made us feel like one of the family and i hope we cross paths again. Thanks to all the people who came to the shows and listened to us, it was a pleasure to play.

Stop the deportation of Lordorice and Imelda Djountso

2007-05-13T13:14:00.000+01:00

This is from a friend on the Declan de Barra forum, if you can please fax or email to help it would mean a lot. It will only take 2 minutes of your time.

Hi all,

I'm writing to ask any of you who read this to take a minute to protest the imminent deportation of a friend of mine back to her native Cameroon, where she was raped and her brothers killed. Lordorice Djountso is good friend and a good woman. Her daughter Imelda, who was born here, is as Irish as I am.
The Home Office rejected her claim for asylum on the grounds of credibility (Lordorice had not yet been diagnosed with PTSD, suffering from which means she shouldn't be deported), that she would no longer be of interest to her attackers so long after the event (despite the fact they persued and attacked her husband back home, who has since disappeared) and that Cameroon is suitably equipped to protect her should a sitation arise (despite its consistently poor track record in fighting societal violence against women).
Lordorice is terrified for her and her daughter's safety. The local community feels the loss of a bright, friendly, honest woman who was always ready to offer her help to a worthy cause, and a beautiful baby with about the biggest eyes and chubbiest lickle legs I've ever seen.

Please help protect my friend from the risk of sexual violence and persecution in Cameroon.

We're asking people to send a fax to Liam Byrne MP, at Fax: 0207 035 4745 (from outside the UK + 44 20 7035 4745), a model of which can be downloaded here:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine82/lodorice.html with more info on her case. If you don't have access to a fax machine you can email me at somethingmustgrow@hotmail.com to have your name added to the faxes we're sending out. And if you can think of anyone sympathetic, or you have a website/blog/myspacey type thing please consider posting the info for your friends to see.

Things are going really well so far but we need to keep up the momentum.

Thanks
Caítlin

Shell again

2007-05-09T10:02:00.000+01:00

I posted on here before about shell and the Murder of Ken Saro Wiwa and cop violence against the shell to sea group in ireland. Here is a short doco made by Aljazeera on the Irish shell to sea protests. Where is Hugo Chavez when you need him? I'm looking forward to casting my vote inthe election in a few weeks...

Australians all let us rejoice for we are young and free?

2007-05-04T19:20:00.000+01:00

Change the fucking anthem, change the fucking flag, say fucking sorry.

As i read the info below i feel like roaring and smashing items in my flat.
I'm not having a good week.

Western Australian Attorney-General Jim McGinty says the
Government has failed to cut Indigenous detention rates and it has become
almost a rite of passage for young Aborigines to spend time in jail.

New figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
show WA's rate of juvenile detention is around twice the national
average, with only the Northern Territory recording higher figures.
Mr McGinty says about 80 per cent of children in detention are
Aboriginal, despite Indigenous people making up just 3 per cent of
the population.

Tattoo

2007-05-03T12:21:00.000+01:00

I meant to post this earlier, David from Canada had this tattooed on his stomach from the artwork i did for the album. Steve Cole of sacred heart tattoo in Vancouver, bc did a great job.

one of my favourtie scenes

2007-04-22T13:25:00.000+01:00

I'm working on an animation for the next two or three weeks. I should be doing it right now...instead i'm hopping YouTube. I found this scene from Coffee and Cigarettes. This cracks me up every time i see it, iggy Pop and Tom Waits, two of my heroes in the same scene. Most of my life feels this awkward.

Top Ten songs and why

2007-04-11T09:35:00.000+01:00

this was from a German interview where i was asked to pick songs that influenced me and why
...

1 Suicidal Tendencies "Suicidal Tendencies"
Perfect music before surfing, a fist fight, burning all the photos & letters of an unfaithful ex-lover while you stand there naked in the back garden under a full moon laughing with tears streaming down your cheeks.
2 Public Enemy "Fear Of A Black Planet"
This record was a life changing one for me. It left me speechless when I heard it, a huge influence on me. If this record doesn't make you want to move, you are clinically brain dead.
3 Emiliana Torrini "Fisherman's Woman"
This sneaked it's way into my brain and refused to leave for all of last year. A near perfect album, understated and sublime. And yeah and I'm in love with her freckles...
4 Bad Brains "Bad Brains"
When I put this on I usually find I have got to the end, I am missing 30 minutes of my life, my room is destroyed and I'm covered in blood. Is this a good thing?
5 The Pogues "Rum, Sodomy & The Lash"
Made me proud of my heritage when we were told we were nothing but the shit of Europe. It was a big fuck you to the world. Shane McGowan is a legend.
6 Slayer "Reign In Blood"
I play this in the car before I go surfing... Jack Johnson?... surf music?... I don't think so. Thank God, Allah, Buddah they never went down the Metallica road of mediocre AOR shit. Oh God I am still hurting from laughing so much at "Some Kind Of Monster" movie...
7 Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables"
I wish I had played in this band. How much fun would it have been.
8 Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares "Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares"
I am hoping I can see these before I die. Stunning music. I would die happy if I could produce music as intense and beautiful as this.
9 Dead Can Dance "Toward The Within"
Perfection. I am terrified every time I listen to this because it is a live recording. I don't believe in an afterlife but if I did this would be the soundtrack.
10 Saul Williams "Saul Williams"
Saul almost makes me believe in angels. His words are divined from some higher place or a 15th dimension.
11 John Coltrane "A Love Supreme"
The first bars of this record slay me, I have got the shakes listening to this at 3am. If you are considering leaving your job to become an artist or following your dream... listen to this record and the choice becomes crystal clear.

fog of war

2007-04-09T12:58:00.000+01:00

I'd like to see the rest of this...