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the underground of happiness

About Me

NEWS*****NEWS*****NEWS*****NEWS*****NEWS
The full interview with Thomas Truax is available to download now as an mp3 (27m08s, 31.0MB, first broadcast June 30 2009, although this file contains a good bit more footage than went out on air initially)...
...in which Thomas talks about some of his musical influences, which include groundbreaking composers Bernard Herrmann and Raymond Scott...
...he also talks about his current album Songs from the films of David Lynch, and about his retro taste in shoes!
here =
http://rapidshare.com/files/250738993/Thomas_Truax_UOH_Inter view_Podcast.mp3
24/6/2009: Great new albums by Andrew Morgan, Oen Sujet, Patrick Watson and soundtrack music from Monty Python's Flying Circus. Also interviews with Thomas Truax and Gregory & the Hawk in the last few weeks, coming soon. Must mention one song on the new Julie Feeney album too, it's called Impossibly beautiful and it lives up to its name. And Magic Arm is covering Serge on the B-side of his new single, c'est si bon.
16/6/2009: The interview with Brad and Kyle from Crystal Stilts is available to download now as a zip file (23m22s, 26.7MB, first broadcast June 9 2009, although this file contains a good bit more footage than went out on air initially)...
...in which they talk about some of their musical influences, which include legendary English producer Joe Meek and Rocks in Your Head record shop in Soho in New York (where Brad used to work), also their friends Cause Co-motion and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart...
...and how their next record could sound a bit like Bo Diddley
here = http://rapidshare.com/files/243401241/Crystal_Stilts_UOH_Int erview_Podcast.mp3
10/6/2009: Eventually, belatedly, some thoughts on Primavera Festival 2009.
Day 1: The Vaselines, Yo La Tengo, Andrew Bird, My Bloody Valentine, Ponytail, Wooden Shjips
Day 2: Crystal Stilts, Bat For Lashes, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Art Brut, Jason Lytle, Sunn O))), The Mae Shi, Jarvis Cocker, Dan Deacon Ensemble
Day 3: Chad Van Gaalen, Shearwater, Michael Nyman, Neil Young, Oneida, Deerhunter, Sonic Youth
here = http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&a mp;friendID=229401725
5/6/2009: The interview with Luke Wyland from AU is available to download now as a zip file (27m40s, 117MB, first broadcast June 2 2009, although this file contains more footage than went out on air initially)...
...in a wide-ranging conversation, Luke talks about some of his musical influences, which include the classical composer Ravel, minimalist master John Cage and jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, as well as the challenges of taking his ensemble sound on the road... ...and how the damp climate in Portland, Oregon is conducive to music production!
here =
http://rapidshare.com/files/240864279/AU_UOH_Interview_Podca st.rar
3/6/2009: The Primavera hangover has set in. Great weekend, wonderful bands, head spinning from the whole wonderfulness of it. Once I get my head together, I'll post more detail on my highlights (hint: they include The Michael Nyman Group, Wooden Shjips and Dan Deacon Ensemble) I also managed to catch Crystal Stilts, Ponytail and Extra Life for a quick chat - those interviews will be going out on the show (download afterwards) in the next few weeks.
20/5/2009: Excitement on the rise ahead of Primavera. I'm putting arrangements in place for what will hopefully turn out to be a few interviews while in Barcelona. More news when I have it. New record this week by NLF3 (came out in March but only reached me this week). Elements of Tropicalia and musiche kosmische (krautrock), mostly instrumental, beguiling stuff.
14/5/2009: Several interviews recently, the first of which, Peter Broderick, is podcasted now (see below; the others are with Luke from AU and Polly Scattergood, both coming up soon). Peter was charming and very interesting to talk to. The gig in the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork was inspirational I thought. Some people there thought it was a bit short but to be honest it didn't feel that short to me (let's measure music in terms of quality, not quantity). I think the highlight was the crowd singing his own refrain back to him as he left the stage. After the gig, Peter gave me a copy of his soundtrack to the dance piece Falling from trees, which premiered in London last January. It's great work, a collection of instrumental tunes scored for piano and violin only, recorded by Peter in his father's barn. If you like Michael Nyman, you'll almost certainly love this; if you hate Michael Nyman, you might still love it. Recommended, it's on Erased Tapes.
The Peter Broderick interview is available to download now as a zip file (18m28s, 74.5MB, first broadcast May 12 2009)...
...in which Peter talks about some of his musical influences, including Arvo Part and Max Richter, how he hooked up with Efterklang and Bella Union and about his hometown of Portland, Oregon...
...he also talks about his little known remix for Midlake!
here = http://rapidshare.com/files/232882544/Peter_Broderick_UOH_In terview_Podcast.rar
15/4/2009: Another Hidden Shoal band to tell you about, Sankt Otten, from Osnabruck in Germany, current album Wunden gibt es immer wieder (it always shows wounds) - shoegazey/ambient, for want of a better pigeonhole, it's gorgeous stuff. Two-part preview of the Primavera Festival in Barcelona coming up in mid-May. And looking forward to seeing Peter Broderick in Cork on May 1st.
Love the new HC-B album, Italian band on Hidden Shoal label - post rock, mostly instrumental, gorgeous. Also what I've heard of A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island is great, that's on the LO label, various artists - all manner of weirdness and genre bending, with catchy tunes thrown in.
Favourite album of the last few weeks is Where hearts go broke by Hotels, a Seattle band, on the Australian Hidden Shoal label - beautiful mix of shoegaze, folk, lounge and some other nice things. Lots of other cool bands on that label too by the way. Check my friends list for more info.
New albums by Anni Rossi, Fredo Viola and It Hugs Back arrived this week...all great, expect to hear on the show.
The Chairlift interview is available now as a podcast (18m49s, 89MB)...
...here = http://rapidshare.com/files/193823660/Chairlift_interview.ra r ...
...to listen to Caroline, Patrick and Aaron.
I interviewed Chairlift before their gig in Cork on November 23rd - charming people they were - to talk about their musical influences, which it turns out range from Led Zeppelin to Roxy Music, taking in Radiohead and Meredith Monk along the way...
...you can hear that interview on the show in January, after which it'll be available as a podcast...the gig was great too, check out Planet Health across the page, great tune...
The Juana Molina interview is available to download now as a zip file (26m23s, 80MB, first broadcast Oct 21 2008)...
...in which Juana talks about her musical influences, taking in Stewart Copeland, Ravel's Bolero, James Brown, Indian drones and The Beatles...
...not to mention her dislike of Argentinian tango!
here = http://rapidshare.com/files/165392964/Juana_Molina_interview .rar
The Anni Rossi interview is available to download now (11m33s, 32.1MB)...
...in which Anni talks about her musical influences, ranging from Bartok to Laurie Anderson, The Cardigans to Ghanaian drumming...
...as well as her love of Ace of Bass
here = http://rapidshare.com/files/165356804/Anni_Rossi_interview.r ar
The John & Jehn interview is available to download now as a zip file (7m33s, 25.8MB)...
...in which they talk about one of their heroes, Serge Gainsbourg, his life, his work, his influence on their music, and the fat, sexy bass sound on the classic Histoire de Melody Nelson album
here = http://rapidshare.com/files/165331750/John_et_Jehn_Interview .rar
***THE SHOW***
The Underground of Happiness is a show which takes place once a week on Cork Campus Radio, hosted by me, Conor O'Toole (that's me with the tache).
The playlist consists of uplifting pop music of every shade and variety, from across the spectrum. That might mean Northern soul, shoegaze, girl groups, Motown, Elvis, The Beatles, space pop, folk rock, house, film music, power pop, psychedelia, easy listening, country, Tropicalia, gospel, dance rock or whatever - you get the picture. Check out the playlists in the blog entries above for more detail. Basically, if it's uplifting and it's got a tune, I'll play it.
You can listen to the show on 98.3FM, every Tuesday from 11am - 12.00pm, that's if you're in the Cork city area. If not (and even if you are), you can also tune in online via the Cork Campus Radio website, www.ucc.ie/ccr (follow the instructions for the live stream).
You can get in touch with the show by e-mail on radio@ucc.ie, or by text on +353 86-1778197 (mark messages "uoh").

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/08/2007
Band Website: www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness
Band Members: Conor O'Toole and friends

Download and listen back to this week's show at
http://rapidshare.com/files/253043173/UOH_Podcast_July_7_200 9.mp3

A reminder that you can still download the Irish special from a while back at this link -
http://rapidshare.com/files/204913773/UOH_Podcast_-_Mar_3_20 09_-_Irish_show.mp3
...lots of great stuff in that set including Cork heroes Stump, Five Go Down To The Sea and Microdisney, and pop gems from Dubs Rollerskate Skinny, Autamata and The Last Post.

Chairlift - Planet Health

Gilberto Gil and Os Mutantes - Domingo no parque

Efterklang - Illuminant

The Ronettes - Be my baby

Bjork - Who is it (carry my joy on the left, carry my pain on the right)

Bernard Herrmann (Vertigo opening sequence)

The Go-Betweens - Spring rain

Influences: Dusty Springfield, Os Mutantes, The Stylistics, Martha & the Vandellas, The Rolling Stones, Phil Spector, The Andrews Sisters, The Stone Roses, David Bowie, Prefab Sprout, Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Dylan, Bjork, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Yo La Tengo, Jack Nitzsche, Film music, Joanna Newsom, Camera Obscura, Sam Cooke, The Trash Can Sinatras, Cornershop, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, Esquivel, The Smiths, Super Furry Animals, Curtis Mayfield, Hem, The Delfonics, The Cardigans, Emmylou Harris, Glen Campbell, Depeche Mode, Jimmy Webb, Human League, Bernard Herrmann, Lou Christie, Tortoise, Can, Lambchop, Dean Martin, The Last Post, Andy Warhol, Sufjan Stevens, The Velvet Underground, The Supremes, The Ramones, The Chiffons, The Beatles, Ponytail, Sly & the Family Stone, Hanne Hukkelberg, Happy Mondays, The Go-Betweens, Lee Hazlewood, The Byrds, Efterklang, Music blogs, Angelo Badalamenti, Michael Nyman, Jason Falkner, Nick Drake, The National, Edwyn Collins, Julie Andrews, Cat Power, Pop Art, Musicals, Caetano Veloso, Johnny Cash, Rilo Kiley, Sigur Ros, Big Star, T-Rex, Lucinda Williams, Guided by Voices, Daniel Johnston, Burt Bacharach, Crystal Stilts, Petula Clark, The Wizard of Oz, The Chills, Record shops, Talking Heads, The Beta Band, Frank Sinatra, Regina Spektor, The Monkees, Pavement, Hal David, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Singin in the Rain, Gilberto Gil, Smokey Robinson, Howe Gelb, Rollerskate Skinny, Vertigo, The Ronettes, Gene Clark, The Specials, Colleen, XTC, Stars, Talk Talk, Henry Mancini, Prince, Juana Molina, Kate Bush, LCD Soundsystem, Led Zeppelin, St Vincent, Microdisney, The Walker Brothers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Maximo Park, Alela Diane, Record labels, John & Jehn, Bobbie Gentry, Low, Luna - need I say more?
Sounds Like: A radio show that loves pop music
Record Label: Lots

My Blog

Playlist 87 - July 7 2009

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 87 Tues July 7th 2009 11am-12.00pm Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM listen live on the web a...
Posted by on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:50:00 GMT

Thomas Truax Interview

The full interview with Thomas Truax is available to download now as an mp3 (27m08s, 31.0MB, first broadcast June 30 2009, although this file contains a good bit more footage than went out on air init...
Posted by on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:43:00 GMT

Playlist 86 - June 30 2009

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 86 Tues June 30th 2009 11am-12.00pm Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM listen live on the web ...
Posted by on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:29:00 GMT

Playlist 85 - June 23 2009

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 85 Tues June 23rd 2009 11am-12.00pm Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM listen live on the web ...
Posted by on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:04:00 GMT

Playlist 84 - June 16 2009

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 84 Tues June 16th 2009 11am-12.00pm Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM listen live on the web ...
Posted by on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:09:00 GMT

Crystal Stilts Interview

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Just a quick note to say that the interview with Brad and Kyle from Crystal Stilts is availabl...
Posted by on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:03:00 GMT

Primavera 2009 - Day 3

Chad Van GaalenRockdelux in the sunshine. Nice fuzzy Americana from the Canadian. Great response from the crowd. Caught a few minutes of Shearwater on the Pitchfork stage, regretted not hearing more. ...
Posted by on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:15:00 GMT

Primavera 2009 - Day 2

Crystal StiltsThis was a wonderfully unpretentious band, playing Spectoresque garage rock. The keyboard player (whose name I discovered later was Kyle) was so tall he was bent double for most of the s...
Posted by on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:33:00 GMT

Playlist 83 - June 2 2009

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.myspace.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 83 Tues June 9th 2009 11am-12.00pm Cork Campus Radio, 98.3FM listen live on the web a...
Posted by on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:42:00 GMT

Primavera Festival 2009 - Day 1

The VaselinesThe first nice surprise of the festival, on the Rockdelux stage at half 8 (thats the stage backing on to the sea), bathed in sunshine. While locals made tortilla sandwiches in front of u...
Posted by on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:57:00 GMT