Damien Rice Fans

Flying Solo - article from The Irish Times about Lisa

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 07:48:40 GMT

Lisa Hannigan had gotten comfortable touring and recording with Damien Rice. But a nudge out of the nest gave her the impetus she needed to record her own debut album. She talks thrills and trepidation with Jim Carroll on the eve of her appearance at this weekend's Electric Picnic.

IT'S A sticky night in Dundalk. Real monsoon weather. All the windows in the Spirit Store are open in an attempt to get some air circulating, but the only thing going round the packed tiny room and down the stairs to the front bar is a buzz of expectation. People are curious about the singer, the one who has yet to release a note of music and who hasn't yet even played two dozen shows under her own name.

Tonight, Lisa Hannigan is selling her wares. She's been doing this all summer long, taking a bunch of freshly baked songs and a band of sharply suited players around the country to small, squishy rooms like this. She has dealt with wardrobe malfunctions in Tullamore and banjos going on fire in Headford. People have paid good money to see her, and she has sent them home smiling. And sweating, but that's the Irish summer for you.

It doesn't take long for the good burghers of Dundalk to be entranced.

Hannigan's magic lies in her slender, subtle songs. The arrangements and stylings that anchor them are adventurous, aided by an array of eye- and ear-catching idiosyncratic instruments - harmonium, xylophone, banjo, finger-bells, recorder.

Then there's Hannigan herself, the star of the fair. She is to the limelight born, with stage presence galore. She banters with the crowd like a pro and without a trace of shyness or gaucheness. At times, she just can't hide the glee at what's going around her as audiences are drawn into those songs. It's the kind of show you don't see every day.

"I had no idea at the start if people would come out to the shows," she says. "People know me from The Cake Sale or Damien Rice, but it's so different to what I was doing before . . . people don't know that until they're at the show, and that's a lot to ask. But I'm very heartened and chuffed by the last few weeks."

In the mid-morning lull of a Dublin bar, Hannigan is about to do something she's never really done before. With her debut album, Sea Sew , due out in a few weeks, she now has to start talking about herself. She may have spent the last seven or eight years recording and touring with Rice, but she's never had to open up about herself when there's a tape recorder on the table.

"It is hard to adjust to not just being the centre of attention, but also to being in charge. My phone is always on. The merchandise is getting made, the artwork is going to print and it's me who has to be in control of all these little elements, whereas before, I could just have sat back and let someone else worry about it.

"Genuinely, though, I'm loving it. I'm not daunted by it. And, yes, there are things I'm going to have to get used to, like talking about myself, which will be a bit hard to do, but so was everything else when I started out."

Hannigan grew up in the Co Meath village of Kilcloon. She danced to Michael Jackson in her living room and learned songs she'd taped from the radio in her bedroom. She remembers working out the likes of Kristin Hersh's Your Ghost on her guitar. Then, one day her mother arrived home with a compilation of opera singers. "It was probably something called The Most Exciting Sopranos and Tenors in the World Ever ."

The CD featured Maria Callas doing The Bell Song . A new obsession was born. "I got mad into it. It was all pyrotechnics and madness. I found it really emotional and arresting and very exciting and ridiculously difficult. Remember that black-and-white picture of her with the red lips? For years, I was obsessed. She was just so strident and brassy."

This, decided the teenager, was for her. Hannigan went to a few opera shows in the Gaiety ("peering over the front of the gods"). When she performed at Feis Ceoil competitions, she wanted to be Callas.

"I remember going to one Feis Ceoil up north. I had really built it up in my head to being something bigger than it really was. I didn't come anywhere , and I remember crying all the way home. I was thinking that if they can't see this in me, it mustn't be for me. I was 15."

Still, she was writing songs. "They were bad songs about life and love from the point of view of a 16-year-old, which, looking back, was a bit mawkish." She knew she wanted to sing, she knew she wanted to write songs, but there was no master plan. "I just knew it would find me at some point."

Hannigan went to Trinity College to study Art History and French, but ended up studying Dublin instead. During her first week in college, she met a singer-songwriter named Damien Rice. Over the next few months, she kept bumping into him. Rice needed a singer and Hannigan volunteered.

It was a great time in her life. She was living in the city, going to singer-songwriter nights, playing gigs and meeting musicians (Tommo Osander, Vyvienne Long, Shane Fitzsimons) who are now her best friends. "I ended up doing so many gigs that I never went back to college in the end." Rice started recording O , taking a little mobile recording desk with him from flat to flat, recording with Hannigan and the other musicians. "A lot of heart went into that record."

When O was released, Hannigan says, there were no expectations. But it was soon apparent that they had a hit on their hands and the band started touring.

"At the start, I just didn't know how to be on a stage or what to do on a stage, but you have to cop onto yourself very quickly. My confidence grew with both having to get on with it and enjoying learning how things work." Hannigan pauses and laughs. "Then, sure, they couldn't get rid of me."

When the ensemble regrouped to record the 9 Songs album, Hannigan sensed a very different atmosphere. "We had been working together for six or seven years at that point, so we were a different group, I suppose, with different ideas about what we were doing. We all had other things going on."

She herself had recorded a duet with Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody for The Cake Sale , an album for Oxfam Ireland. She'd toured with Lightbody and Snow Patrol, walking onstage every night in huge arenas to sing Set the Fire to the Third Bar with them. She'd also started musing about an album of her own.

Things unravelled on the 9 Songs tour. For the first time today, Hannigan begins to hesitate. "I don't think we were as solid a unit as we had been before. Things always seem to happen in cycles of six or seven years, like school, so it did feel like it was coming to a natural end for everyone. Damien had said before that he wasn't going to work with us all as a group after a certain point, so the writing was on the wall."

All the same, the end was both unexpected and swift. It happened in Munich.

"Ten minutes before a show was due to start, Damien walked into the dressing room and said he didn't want to work with me anymore. That was it. Yeah, it was tough but, looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, I wouldn't be talking to you or doing my own record now if it wasn't for those years."

The conclusion of their working relationship came as a shock to many.

"We were best friends," emphasises Hannigan. "He'd always ask my opinion or advice about songs and what we were doing. I was always the one to rein him in or encourage him. I would tell him if I thought he was wrong, and there weren't many people who would have done that. Sometimes, there were fights and it was very tumultuous. Ultimately, though, it became more negative than positive and we just were not getting on."

Hannigan went to New York, walked around and did a lot of thinking. "I wasn't really planning a record before that. I mean, I was thinking about one in a very airy-fairy, 'wouldn't that be nice' way, but there was no solid plan. Then, I had to do it."

She began going over to London to demo songs with engineer Jason Boshoff. "I would put down really basic things, just me and my guitar, and we'd spend a day working on the track. I'd go back every few months and do another batch of songs."

She began to assemble the band. They gathered in a big barn in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, and worked out the songs. "I knew exactly how I wanted each song to sound, so we worked at that for a few months to get to the point where we could record the whole album in two weeks."

In March, they spent a fortnight in Dublin's Cauldron studio, Boshoff riding shotgun on the mixing desk, putting those songs to rights. "I just wanted to keep it simple and to make it sound cohesive using what we had to hand," Hannigan says. "I didn't want to rely on the computer."

Now that the album is in the bag, the real work begins. Sea Sew comes out next month and Hannigan heads off to the US in early October for a 42-date tour with Jason Mraz. "We'll be doing more American dates than the actual number we've done so far as a band."

But Hannigan is ready for it all. A year ago on the Body Soul stage at the Electric Picnic, she was coy and uncomfortable, a singer in search of a role. This year? For one thing, she's found that role.

"I'm just having so much fun now," she says. "The songs are pretty cheerful for the most part. I don't want to sing depressing, melancholic songs any more because I'm not that way inclined. I'm a much happier person, so I don't think I could get up there and be dismal.

"The vibe onstage is happy because we're a happy bunch. And I hope my uncoordinated dancing makes people smile."

Also, the EskimoFriends board says, "Lisa will be appearing on the Tony Fenton Show on Irish radio station Today FM next Wednesday (September 3rd). You can listen in live between 14.30 and 16.30 (Irish time) from here."

Crossposted to my_pirate_disco and eskimo_friends

10 Days to Barcelona - Day 10 and Barcelona!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:02:00 GMT

It's over already :( For anyone going to see him in Dublin with Leonard Cohen, hope you have a blast! Report back if he plays any new material :D

10 DAYS TO BARCELONA - day 10
Category: Music

(spain, cadaques)

still lost in cadaques

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BARCELONA

(spain, barcelona)

the road trip is over
10 songs were written
a bunch of recording is done

Day 1 and 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 & 6
Day 7
Day 8 and 9

10 Days to Barcelona - Day 8 and 9!

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:03:42 GMT

10 DAYS TO BARCELONA - day 8

(france, les baux)

the mini needs a new water pump
we won't know if it can be repaired until monday or tuesday
so unfortunately we have to move on because we've been delayed 2 days
song 8 & 9 written

10 DAYS TO BARCELONA - day 9
Category: Music

(france les baux - spain cadaques)

andy flew back home this morning

the rest of us made it past the blockade on the french/spanish border and lost ourselves in beautiful cadaques

Day 1 and 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 & 6
Day 7

10 Days to Barcelona!

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:21:02 GMT

I'm never really sure whether to crosspost things here, but over on eskimo_friends, I've been putting up Damien's myspace entries as he tries to drive from Ireland to Barcelona in 10 days, writing 10 songs along the way for his next album! They're a week into the trip now:

10 DAYS TO BARCELONA - day 7

Category: Music

(france, les baux en provence)
juggling with fire in the medieval town
song 7 half written

Day 1 and 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 & 6

Also, Lisa's started her first solo tour already, and what with her debut solo album coming out soon (hopefully! they've finished recording it at least), I think it's time she had a place of her own on LJ. She's deserved her own community for a while, but now that she's officially gone solo... it's definitely the right time to start one up. So, I've created my_pirate_disco for all the latest Lisa Hannigan news.

Please join, post, discuss and spread the word!!

Fanarts

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:48:21 GMT

Few fanarts

Enjoy
The rest is here.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:22:09 GMT

Does anyone have the recording of Damien singing "Hallelujah" for Leonard Cohen's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a couple of weeks ago? I just got the email about it, and I'd love to hear him singing that song.

Leonard Cohen tribute

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:09:13 GMT

Damien just performed a tribute to Leonard Cohen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony (Cohen's being inducted this year). ~~I couldn't catch video of it~~ but it's now on youtube! I did manage to grab the audio from the live stream though.

Hallelujah is a hard song to pull off, but he was pretty flawless! (he looked adorable as well)

I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord...

Feel free to spread the link around, I don't mind so long as everyone gets a chance to hear him!

How cute is he?!

ETA a quote from backstage (from Billboard.com):

Damien Rice, who performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" just after Cohen's induction, talked to Billboard backstage about what makes the song so special for him. "There's an amazing connection between sex and spirituality, and it's something Leonard Cohen hints at in that song," he said. "It's almost like a Buddhist master giving you a hint, but not the whole story. You have to take that hint and go sit with it."

Rice added that he's presently in the studio in Los Angeles, but has no timetable to release his next album. "I'm just floating, seeing where the wind takes me," he said.

long-shot

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:04:28 GMT

Does anyone have a clean, radio edit of Damien Rice's "Rootless Tree"? Like the one found on this album, that you could upload to sendspace or something for me? Or direct me somewhere that I can buy the single track from in mp3 form?
I desperately want to perform a dance to it, but I can't with "fuck you" in the chorus. I don't want to buy the single from amazon either without hearing the edited version first.
Also, I don't think I want to use the piano version. Not enough power :)

Thanks!

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:35:45 GMT

131 Icons
+06 Johnny Depp/Tim Burton
+27 Wives & Daughters
+18 Damien Rice (& Lisa Hannigan)
+33 Romance Covers (credit)
+11 One Tree Hill Promos
+29 Gossip Girl Promos/Blair
+07 James McAvoy

+ rulesand info
+ comment and credit intracutaneous @ affairedevanite, please.
+ resources

SAMPLES:

CLICK ME

Damien Rice 09-07-07

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:39:39 GMT

Only a month and a week later, here is Damien Rice at Madison Square Garden Theater.

cross posted in eskimofriends: Damien at the Greek

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:29:42 GMT

was anyone at the show last night? what did you think? anyone manage to take some photos?
im trying to identify the rest of the songs he played (there were some new ones)-

amie
blower's daughter
elephant
accidental babies
cheers darlin'
9 crimes
volcano
coconut skins
cannonball
me, my yoke, and i

my favorite moment was definately when he played cannonball without a mic and completely unplugged.

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:34:34 GMT

i made 14 Lisa icons!!

Lisa Icons

more, here at my LJ

...

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:11:20 GMT

I made a basic Damien Rice mood theme. If you are interested to see it/have it then, please, click the link ->> http://rainy-crossfire.livejournal.com/17880.html#cutid1

pics?

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:34:39 GMT

I'd like to make some headers/icons etc. and I got a few pics from a friend, but does anybody know of any great Damo galleries out there on the net? I'd love to find some more stuff.

123

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:56:23 GMT

+12 Romance Icons
+20 [Grey's Anatomy]Addison/Kate Walsh Icons (fts some Maddison + Addisex)
+07 Damien Rice Lyric Icons
+52 Wives & Daughters Icons
+16 Robin Hood (BBC)
+16 Harry Potter London Premiere

+ rulesand info
+ comment and credit, please.
+ resources

SAMPLES:

FOLLOW THE CUT

Lisa Hannigan featured on vocals

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:32:30 GMT

I downloaded Podcast Episode #2 of Paddy-Whacked Radio (the Best of 2006 show), and discovered that Lisa Hannigan is featured on background vocals on a song toward the end called, "

For more info: http://myspace.com/pwradio

Transcription of the intro by the dj:

... But this song was not released in 2006. It was released in 2002. But it was released to iTunes in 2006, so I'm just gonna go with that. Now, when Mic Christopher passed away in 2001, he left a body of work behind that was finished by very good friends Glen Hansard, Dave and Karl Odlum, Gemma Hayes, and Lisa Hannigan. The result was the record, Skylarkin. This song, "What a Curious Notion" is one of my favorite songs, and it features Lisa Hannigan of Damien Rice fame on background vocals.

Once

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:33:44 GMT

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/

Damien Rice is thanked in the credits of this movie. Does anyone know what his relationship to the film is?

It is the best movie I've seen all year, and definitely on my top-five-ever list.

If you like Damien Rice and/or musicals, go see this movie!

(x-posted to other Damien Rice communities)

Tue, 29 May 2007 16:35:30 GMT

Hey guys... Does anybody have a copy of Damiens song sand? I just recently came across it on youtube and now im in love with it!! If anyone has it and can share it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Thu, 24 May 2007 21:12:31 GMT

there's no opener for the show tonight in philly?

# 6 Damien Rice icons II.

Sun, 20 May 2007 18:31:26 GMT

just a teaser..

WANNA SEE MORE? THEN GO HERE!

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:54:38 GMT

I was going to go see Damien Rice tonight but unfortunately, I can't anymore. So I'm offering up my tickets to someone in the Chicago area who can go. Comment if you want the two tickets. Free, because hey, why not.

DAMIEN RICE
CIVIC OPERA HOUSE
Section Location (SECTION MF CTR, ROW KK

flamenco metal? huh?!?!?

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:17:33 GMT

Did you catch these guys when they were on tour with Damien?

Is anyone going to their show at Webster Hall this coming Monday? I'm VERY excited because I have yet to see them live. Say hi if you happen to see me and do let us know what you thought of the show after!!!!!!

Lyric Icons!

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:28:58 GMT

They're only a few but I hope y'all like them! :)

001-018 The Tudors
019-037 Jonathan Rhys Meyers
038-053 Scarlett Johansson
054-064 Lyrics (Damien Rice)
065-079 Harry Potter [& the OOTP]
080-085 Requested: Christina Ricci
086-093 Requested: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
094-099 Requested: Unknown.
100-105 Requested: John Patrick Amedori
106-113 Requested: Gaspar Dulliel
114-118 Requested: Keira Knightley

SAMPLES:

this is love

Gig review

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:28:24 GMT

Hi,
I just joined this comunnity and thought id share my gig review from his Melbourne gig he did last week.

Heres the link:

http://www.last.fm/user/anneskies/journal/2007/02/22/351456/

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:36:14 GMT

hey, does anyone know if there is a password in order to get tickets to Damiens US tour that go on pre-sale today? and if so does anyone know what it is?

Thanks!