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February/March 2008
Buzzmonkeys new album recorded and ready to go, quite probably to be named Another new lineup for the Buzzmonkeys around this time too,
Two good outings for Ginger Jam - the Chris Rufstuff 40th featuring Kohima and Bushplant among others, and a charity do with bits of the Bush and the new Buzzmonkeys lineup.
Buzzmonkeys are playing Brandons on Saturday 26 April
Bushplant also play Brandons, 9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 15 August, all Fridays. January 2008 Still very quiet, a slow start to the year, but the Buzzmonkeys are busy recording their second album as this is written, and you can check out how the Ginger Jam Music Xmas MegaBash went down by clicking here or the button on the left. A reminder to them that were there what a great night it was, and like the GPO for them that will in times to come claim that they were! DECEMBER 2007
It's nearly the night before Christmas - you've shopped until you've dropped, Ginger Jam Music has gone global! The entire catalog is now available to buy in mp3 form on a
track by track basis, or indeed the entire albums, from these major online stores:
Plans are afoot for GingerFest -
a big night out to celebrate, with all bands appearing. The new Buzzmonkeys recording is currently stalled due to a computer failure at ClareSounds,
but normal service will be resumed as soon as they can find a small enough hard drive... OCTOBER 2007 Buzzmonkeys are currently hard at work in the
Clare Sounds
studios - on that relatively easy second album... Most of the Ginger Jam Music catalog can now be found on the shelves of the Record Rack
in Market St., Ennis, if you find it all a bit too fraught to be shelling over online. Also available from The Music Store in Tesco's Mall, and Custy's Music Shop
, off O'Connell St., both in Ennis, Co. Clare. September 2007
12 Sept 2007: News just in - Bushplant to support Alabama 3 in October.
Buzzmonkeys play another of their jaw-dropping gigs in
Brandon's Bar, Ennis on Friday, 28th September. Free entrance as ever, Buzzmonkeys will be raising the roof again with their usual fizzing
Molotov of original numbers plus the best of the Ramones, The Velvet Underground, The Sex Pistols, and maybe even a rumoured bit of Hawkwind... Bushplant have played some great gigs in Ballyvaughan at the
Burren Coast Hotel where many new converts were made, and so will be back there throughout September on Saturdays. August 2007 - Bushplant couldn't make it to Mantua and the AMF in
Ennis was cancelled due to 'policing issues', but they have a load of new gigs coming up around the county. June 2007 - News just in that Bushplant are lined up to play a major Dublin festival next year, more news on that as it arrives, but new arrivals 'Orphan Code' are also lined up to appear... June 2007 Buzzmonkeys CD released, gig lined up for Brandons, Ennis - Friday 29 June Bushplant
lined up for major festivals this summer - May 2007 Buzzmonkeys 'Shocked'
CD almost ready for release. The music is there, the CDs are pressed, the artwork has finally arrived. Watch this space for news of the launch date and gig. May 2007 Mary Custy ventures back on stage with Bushplant after a debilitating RSI-related
injury that could have prevented her from ever playing again. We're all hoping that she has made a full recovery, but there are still some twinges...
CHEEKY, arrogant, thumbing their nose at authority, and getting a gleeful pleasure from riding roughshod over musical convention - The Buzzmonkeys are doing their damnedest to stir things up and, in their own small way, they're succeeding. Just don't think that this band came down in the last shower. The genesis of the Ennis band grew out of the oppressive ennui that has, in recent years, drained their home town of much of its rock and roll adrenaline. Listless, bored, and with nothing to do, front-man Peter Dooley did what every self-respecting grumpy, music-mad teenager does - - he started making a racket with his mates. The only difference being that Dooley had waved goodbye to his teens some 30 years ago. Armed with some threadbare song ideas, flanked with musical jack-of-all-trades Andy Palfreyman, and some eager studio heads in the shape of Chris Ruffstuff and Alph Duggan, Dooley cut loose with his firebrand lyrics while the tunes moulded themselves accordingly. It was ragged, it was raw, it was rock and roll, it was good fun. All of a sudden, there were some gigs. Now, there's an album. But before we get to all that, the question is: shouldn't grown men know better? "I've had a few folks come up telling me it's a mid-life crisis record:' says Dooley. "But if this is a midlife crisis, then I'm all for it. I'm not doing it for anyone else, and no-one in the band is. We're proud of the work we've done. We're not looking to be rock stars, or go on tour. Okay, we're the older generation, but we've still got something to say?' The Buzzmonkeys' dynamic consists mainly of Dooley and Andy Palfreyman, his long-time buddy whom he lovingly refers to as a "stinky turnip-eating Northerner". As a musician, Dooley admits to coming up short, so he busies himself with composing lippy diatribes and melodies, while Palfreyman navigates the musical path. What started off as "a lads' night out" has blossomed into a fruitful musical partnership. "We wanted to do something apart from sitting in the pub, where there was nothing going on:' admits Dooley. "There was a great scene when I first came here in the 80s and for a good while afterwards, but lately it's been dreadful. We thought we'd make our own music instead?" Dooley talks with a refreshing candour because, to put it crudely, he simply doesn't give a toss. He's not ashamed of the 'wrinkly rocker' tag and the jibes about wasting his time, or finding something better to do, make little impact. Instead, he relishes the fact that, unlike other acts, he isn't lumbered with foolish expectations of stardom, or the need to comply to some crude music industry formula in order to succeed. He typifies the Buzzmonkeys' sneering, punky independent spirit, and attributes this to his formative years growing up in London. "When I was around 17, punk was at its height. That ethic taught me that you don't have to be a superstar, you don't have to be brilliant, you don't even have to be competent - you can just go out and do it," he reiterates. "I was never in a band until now, but I loved music all my life and I said I'd have a go. You get to a certain age when you don't care about what other people think. I can't change other people. I can only be me. If you're not into it, fine, but you're not gonna stop us having a good time?' The embodiment of the 'you're never too old to rock and roll' spirit, Dooley has found favour with a clique of Buzzmonkeys supporters who like to muck in and lend a hand. For those folks, the band appears to represent a spirit of rebellion and individuality, that is happily is at odds with an increasingly homogenous and corporatised society. The Buzzmonkeys don't fit snugly into any niche.Their album, Shocked, is a typically rough and tumble rock and roll ride. Dooley's pointed lyrics take potshots at everything from scantily clad pop tarts ('Pop That's Porn') to political heavyweights ('Hi George'), and always remain honest and defiant. There's a freedom of expression that comes with age, and he revels in it. The record isn't quite platinum disc standard, but its presence on the music scene, and availability on the web on Ginger Jam website, is a reminder of how you can make an impact if you adopt a 'can-do' ethos. "It shows what's possible if you're just interested:' says Dooley. "All the things we've done are out there for anyone and can be done for a reasonable price. We'd hope that people might look at us, see what's out there and look at how you can break free of the narrow confines of the music industry. Just don't give a damn?' For all Dooley's outspoken and fiery demeanour, underneath there's a soft centre. He's proud of the music he has helped create, but he's probably happier to have backed himself to finally do it after years of procrastination. When pressed on how long the Buzzmonkeys' project has being going for, he momentarily drops his rebellious facade, and instead sounds like a schmaltzy Disney cartoon. "This project has been part of me all my life:' he confesses. "I've loved music since the very start. I've always been dreaming of being involved in music and to have this happen is a dream come true. I would have been happy to have recorded one song, so to have an album is fantastic?' With that sort of positive sentiment, who could begrudge Dooley, and the Buzzmonkeys, their time in the spotlight? The Buzzmonkey's album Shocked is available from www.gingerjammusic.com. The single 'Hi George' is available for free on the same website, as are details of the album launch at the end of May. |
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Ginger Jam Music Xmas MegaBash 
Ennistymon Family Music Festival - Buzzmonkeys and Bushplant
both lined up for Saturday 22nd September. More details as they come in, but it's all free, so get your arses down to Ennistymon for a great day out!
