WELL, Well, well .....(106) What 'av we 'ere then?

[SamusChief]

You really do seem very relaxed.

What is your favorite possession?

[Redmist]

What is your favorite possession?

That would be a toss up between my Dean Hardtail, and the ZX10R Kawasaki.
I'm also quite partial to coming home to the house which I spent so much time working on, and still feels like new - but then again, that really belongs to the mortgage company rather than me.

But it's a bit like everything else new - once I've had it a while and a bit of wear sets in, I don't molly-coddle it as much and it just turns into an old friend

[Kam]

Have you always lived here or have you travelled and lived abroad? If you have then what made you want to return to the dirty North?

What are your favourite places in and around Belfast to play/drink/chill/visit/whatever?

Are there any sweet local bands I should check out? Have you been in any other gigging bands recently?

Been to Glasgowbury? What'd you think of it? Any plans or desire to play at it?

What's your opinion of the so-called 'upper tier' of Northern Irish music at the minute? I'm thinking the ones that get all the credit, like ASIWYFA, Fighting With Wire, LaFaro, A Plastic Rose, Axis Of, Dutch Schultz, etc, etc?

Do those Coke ads with all the Belfast slang on them annoy you as much as they piss me off?

Holy Lands on St Paddys - Epic craic or disasterous lunacy?

[Redmist]

Have you always lived here or have you travelled and lived abroad? If you have then what made you want to return to the dirty North?

What are your favourite places in and around Belfast to play/drink/chill/visit/whatever?

Are there any sweet local bands I should check out? Have you been in any other gigging bands recently?

Been to Glasgowbury? What'd you think of it? Any plans or desire to play at it?

What's your opinion of the so-called 'upper tier' of Northern Irish music at the minute? I'm thinking the ones that get all the credit, like ASIWYFA, Fighting With Wire, LaFaro, A Plastic Rose, Axis Of, Dutch Schultz, etc, etc?

Do those Coke ads with all the Belfast slang on them annoy you as much as they piss me off?

Holy Lands on St Paddys - Epic craic or disasterous lunacy?

I have travelled a bit around Europe and been to Cuba for a visit, but not the USA yet.
Lived near Amsterdam for a few months, many moons ago, too but I don't know if my head would survive living there permanently!
Since my brother lives near Galway in the west coast, I spend quite a bit of time over there too, but for the tranquility base and landscape, my retreat in Tyrone is hard to beat!

Belfast is a many striped beast which seems to change constantly these days.
Back in the day, there used to be full scale Woodstock-esque parties up at the Giants Ring, and full scale drug-fuelled street parties out the back of Laverys and Robinsons every weekend. Street drinking restrictions and the smoking ban haven't helped the scene much either, for the youth culture.
Having moved to Tyrone, I don't go out in Belfast as much as I used to, and mainly see new and old venues while gigging.
The usual suspects are Limelight/Spring and Airbrake, Laverys bunker, Pavilion, Auntie Annies, Empire and Black Box - although the Diamond bar in Ahoghil puts them all to shame for hospitality and sheer rock!
If I am out and about for food/ craic, I tend to go down to the Cathedral quarter these days. The Spaniard, Muriels, Nick's Warehouse etc. are hard to beat.

Kesus is my only gig project these days, which I started after getting back into guitar after a 15 year break in which I delved into the illustration and sculpture. Bands I used to be in were mainly metal cover bands from the age of 17 through 25. Nothing great to report from back then.


Great bands to check out live? ...... Yip.... I heard those KESUS fellas are good!
In fact we are playing this Saturday in the Limelight if you are about Also on the bill are Trucker Diablo and Dead Zebra.
Apparently Iago are back together, and well worth seeing if you get a chance.
I also like Old Season and Two Tales of Woe who we played with on the Dio tribute gigs.

Glasgowbury we applied for last year, though we weren't accepted, and have been faithfully told that they tend not to pick heavy rock/metal acts such as ourselves. Going to apply to play the Bulldog Bash next year instead.

Your list of 'upper tier' bands are alright, although I haven't heard them all play. They get a lot of gigs, which keeps them tight and popular.
But they're not as good as KESUS


Coke ads .... haven't really seen them yet.

Paddy's day lunacy? ..... the Holy Lands used to know how to throw a party, that's all I can say. I lived in a few of those streets when I was younger, before the punk Heroin grip.

[open]

Ever been to Cork? Rory Gallagher home town.

As a motorcycle rider have you ever been to the isle of Man TT race?

[Redmist]

Ever been to Cork? Rory Gallagher home town.

As a motorcycle rider have you ever been to the isle of Man TT race?

It's a long drive to Cork on less than ideal roads which takes about 8 hours or so. No internal flights to there until very recently.
I did spend some time in Cork as a teenager of 16, when I bussed it down with a couple of friends. We didn't spend much time in the city though, we were going down to visit my brother who had opened a hippy commune with about 20 other like-minded individuals, squatting in what had been half prepared as a retreat for the head of the Hari Krishna movement.
Breathtaking mountains and lakes everywhere. I'll never forget the German camper van which weighed in at one of the lakes, and out popped these German tourists in full wet gear and harpoons - they waded straight into the lake and swam off in search of pike!
I didn't meet Rory.

One thing about working in education is not being able to take holidays during term time, so I have not been able to go to the TT since getting this job.
Every year though, there is a closed road race about every two weeks from April to the end of August somewhere local, the highlight being the North West 200, which is as good as the TT.

[Jake]

I hope this isn't too personal or political - Do you identify more as an Irishman or as a British citizen? Would you like to see a unified Ireland, keep the status quo, or what? If it's too personal to want to answer, I understand.

[Redmist]

I hope this isn't too personal or political - Do you identify more as an Irishman or as a British citizen? Would you like to see a unified Ireland, keep the status quo, or what? If it's too personal to want to answer, I understand.

It's not too personal .... I think I could be honest about any subject, but I obviously don't want to get too political on the forum .....
There are always two sides to any situation where a rift in past history has seperated opinion.
Couple this with reactionary retaliation on both sides, and throw in a dose of media sensationalism and youth indoctrination, and you end up with an ongoing battle where the real issues needing addressed get totally forgotten about.
Most people, North and South, are not biggoted in the slightest. Never have been.
As usual, it is the extremists who shout the loudest and cause fear and loathing, but rational sane folks can always see through even the loudest bullsh!t.

Ireland has hit a political stalemate, where agreeing to debate has replaced the need to kill. Good move.
I see myself as Northen Irish. An identity not based on political preference at all, and certainly not swayed by any fantastical disparity in religeous belief. We are not British. We are not Irish in the traditional sense. We have our own culture, humour, atmosphere and pace of life quite distinct from British mainland and Southern Ireland.
In fact we are so cool, it's no wonder people are fighting to own us

[newking70]

do you enjoy haggis?

[Redmist]

Ya know, I only just tried haggis a few weeks ago, which is nuts considering the fact that my father's side was originally Scottish.

I had always thought it would be nasty stuff, complete with the sheep stomach, lung, kidney and such, but it was quite nice. Think of sausage with extra oatmeal in it.
Not something to make myself though, and the best stuff would undoubtably be served in Scotland itself.
There is a vegetarian version I would like to try sometime.

[Redmist]

Any more interesting questions lads?

You guys hardly know me at all yet.......

[Bones]

If you could hang out with one forum brother, who would it be?

If you could go on vacation (holiday) where would go right now?

If Obama changed his name to O'bama would be Irish?

What is your favorite college football team?

Are you able to own a firearm? What are the restrictions?

[Redmist]

If you could hang out with one forum brother, who would it be?

It couldn't just be one, the forum is too diverse with personalities

I suppose JohnJohn shares a lot of my interests in cooking and art, as well as the same taste in women and humour. The home cooking would be great!
Keith always posted nearly exactly what I was going to post at times, and seems like a well balanced dude.
Then of course, I would love a bike run with Guitfiddle, Jeremy or Daemon BBQ, and a treck up the mountain with Tor would be right up my street as well.
A day spent with Lucid on the river would be similar to days I have myself, but I don't know if he could keep up with my pace of intoxication!
In all honesty, I think I could spend time with almost any dude on this forum,- after all, we do all share the same passion for music and life. ... Don't we?

If you could go on vacation (holiday) where would go right now?

Vacation right now would be hot, wet and relaxing,- it's been a busy few months, and funds have been stretched lately. I need a holiday!
Of course there are plenty of places I want to see, U.S.A. included, but my next vacation is going to be an indulgent lazy affair on a cheap beach somewhere.

If Obama changed his name to O'bama would he be Irish?

He would be as Irish as all the other Irish-Americans on your side of the pond.
In other words, no.
But he could then wear a large green felt hat with pride on Paddy's day.

What is your favorite college football team?

We don't exactly have those over here ..... but I used to be a Man U supporter. Only family indoctrination though,- I don't watch much football these days apart from the world cup.

Are you able to own a firearm? What are the restrictions?

Yeah, I can, and did, own a shotgun before,- and members and ex-members of the security forces may have handguns for protection. I don't shoot any more, as I got tired of chomping into lead when eating my kill. Rifle power is also allowed for hunting and gun club purposes, so long as you can prove sanity and security. The legislation is understandably very strict.
I might own a gun again in the future, now I live in a rural setting with pheasant, deer, duck, rabbit and pidgeon for the pot.

[Kam]

Glasgowbury we applied for last year, though we weren't accepted, and have been faithfully told that they tend not to pick heavy rock/metal acts such as ourselves. Going to apply to play the Bulldog Bash next year instead.

Yeah, the heavier side of things tends to be sorely unrepresented but I guess they have to stick with what's popular to keep the festival alive. I've been the last few years and it's pretty much always loads of craic. Never been to Bulldog Bash...I'll keep an eye on that one.

Your list of 'upper tier' bands are alright, although I haven't heard them all play. They get a lot of gigs, which keeps them tight and popular.
But they're not as good as KESUS

'Alright' is a word that would pretty much sum up my feelings about them. Some of those bands are amazing and put on a really good show but I only ask because I was reading an AU article recently that name-checked those guys and referred to them as the upper tier. It seems that they tend to get a lot of the credit and acclaim for the music scene around here when there's so many other great bands that fly under the radar.

Paddy's day lunacy? ..... the Holy Lands used to know how to throw a party, that's all I can say. I lived in a few of those streets when I was younger, before the punk Heroin grip.

Hey man, jus because you're getting too old to keep up doesn't mean we don't still throw a great party.

Do you remember a chocolate bar called Zero? I remember getting them when I was a kid but I haven't seen them in years...

[Redmist]

Hey man, jus because you're getting too old to keep up doesn't mean we don't still throw a great party.

Do you remember a chocolate bar called Zero? I remember getting them when I was a kid but I haven't seen them in years...

Let's just say that even my hardcore buddies from yesteryear tend to still whitey after a few hours in my company!

I do remember Zero bars, though I didn't eat many.
I'm from the generation where Snickers used to be Marathon, and Galaxy chocolate used to be in the form of chocolate drops only, called Galaxy Stars, before the silky stuff became so popular. Curly Wurly bars used to be a foot long, and Tuborg Gold was the best lager in the world.

[dr. ad]

To not judge people by their appearance, be careful what you wish for, stand up for your values at all times or you become less of who you are, choose your future before your past does it for you, and feel the fear but do it anyway

this, and other thought-provoking bits and pieces you've posted over the couple years i've been around, makes me wonder how much of your wisdom was learned by example (good or bad), and how much you've had to learn on your own... are there any specific experiences you'd like to share, and/or think people could learn from?

i get the vibe that you're a man with stories to tell.

[ehdwuld]

[Redmist]

I think it's a bit inevitable for everyone to get wiser as they get older, so long as there's plenty of experience to speed it along.

It would be easy to say that whatever I learn't, I did it the hard way, - but after any obstacle that I've been through, it's really the words of wisdom from other people as well as my own ponderings which lead to learning a valuable lesson.
If after working something out, I repeat the same mistakes, then I've really learnt nothing at all.....

[Kam]

Not even close, though that looks pretty delicious all the same.

How'd the gig go last night, man?

[daemon barbeque]

Sorry man, pretty late to the Party. I was in Duisburg, Holland and Brussels in the same day LOL
Anyways, what makes your Kawa so cool for you. What exactly do you like about that bike?

What place would you describe as "paradise" for you.

Would you like to learn to fly an ultralight? Would you enjoy 3-4 hour flights around your shores?