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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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PreNup
By Alex Green
"I have harbored a desire to be the frontman of a band or to do a solo project where I sing for quite some time but just never made the leap," admits PreNup singer Fiachna Ó Braonáin of his new band. Comfortable with his full-time job traversing the world as guitarist of the Hothouse Flowers for the last twenty-odd years, it's easy to understand why it's taken Ó Braonáin so long to step in front of the mike.
But we're really glad he finally did.
Although Ó Braonáin had initially envisioned a solo project for himself, PreNup's genesis was not only unplanned, it practically happened on its own when the future members of the band met at a party in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. "PreNup came out of the blue," he says. "There was a party, a few songs played and a desire to play more…with me singing!"
The things is, once Ó Braonáin started jamming with Hothouse Flowers drummer Dave Clarke and former Pogues bassist Cáit O'Riordan, the trio found that their union was as authentic and as organic as they come. Not only that, but as fast as the band came together, the music just started pouring out of them. "PreNup came together in a flash," Ó Braonáin recalls. "A bunch of old friends gathered to celebrate birthdays; the spirit of Iggy and the Stooges met with that of Ryan Adams and Emmylou, punk rock met heartfelt songs hung together with gallows humour and a dash of 'life goes on' and I realized once again how lucky I was to do what I do."
Admittedly the transition from guitarist to frontman is not as easy as it sounds, but with three decades of globe-spanning live experiences under his belt, Ó Braonáin was more than prepared. "I think all of my previous work, whether with the Flowers or in my many collaborations all co-conspired to hone my creative instincts," he says.
Ó Braonáin's creative instincts are at the height of their powers on PreNup's debut Hell To Pay. Raw and crunchy, soulful and stirring, it's an enervating debut that reminds us that the best rock and roll is the kind that comes with as much swagger as it does heart. There's not a wasted moment here: there's the bluesy strut of "Suckerpunched" and the Stonesy sway of "Cold Wind," but the jangling rock and roll of "Ace Of Hearts" is hard to resist, while "Leave It All Behind" suggests The Who by way of Gram Parsons ("Bright lights/Sin city/Shot through my baby's heart"). Elsewhere, the soulful "Foolish Love" sounds like an edgier version of The Devlins; "Firefighter" is a blast of battered glory and "Wedding Ring" brings to mind the crushed melancholia of Cherry Ghost.
The various musical elements that coarse through the compositions on Hell To Pay—the big, crunchy choruses, the bluesy rockers, the scruffy ballads—derive from Ó Braonáin's many tastes as a young man. "My musical heroes were pretty varied growing up," he says, "and would have included Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley. I also got very into the whole early '80s ska revival; bands like the Specials and the Beat particularly. And I was always into Irish traditional bands, particularly De Danann, Planxty and the Bothy Band.
As for the themes that run in an out of every affecting number on his band's debut, Ó Braonáin says: "I inevitably veer into themes of love and loss in my songwriting; my writing is pretty much a reaction to my own experiences and Hell to Pay would reflect that in no uncertain terms."
As for what the one galvanizing moment was when he knew he could step up to the mike and lead a band, Ó Braonáin says, "I guess I could point to Michelle Shocked inviting me to sing my own songs as a feature of her live shows; it was particularly influential and beneficial, in many ways paving the way for me to become the singer and frontman in PreNup."
And when Ó Braonáin finally did lead his band for the first time, he recalls exactly what he was feeling: "It felt like, wow, better not forget the words!" he says. "And," he adds, "not grimace too much when I squeeze out a solo!"
On the subject of future plans, hot on the heels of playing The Electric Picnic Festival in Ireland, the band will embark on an Irish tour that will take them to the end of the year, and once they're off the road, they'll continue writing the next album and finish mixing a live record, which will be released in 2009.
In the meantime, we'd like to introduce you to the rock and roll Deans from Dublin.
FULL NAME: Fiachna O Braonáin
NICKNAME: Dadio!
BAND MEMBERS: Cáit O' Riordan and Dave Clarke
HOMETOWN: Paris
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/fiachnaobraonain, www.myspace.com/fiachnaobraonain
RECORD LABEL: PreNup Music
DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN ONE SENTENCE: It's raw rock and roll with a bleeding heart on its sleeve!
PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Wangling the international department of PolyGram records to hire me a private plane so I could get home for my daughters' birth almost 18 years ago!
STRANGEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: See above!!!
THE SONG YOU WISH THAT YOU'D WRITTEN: "Foolproof" by Ron Sexsmith
THE SONG YOU'RE PROUD AS HELL YOU DID WRITE: "Firefighter"
FIVE BEST BANDS TO EVER ROAM THE EARTH: Rolling Stones, Beatles, The New Radicals, The Stooges and AC/DC
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID?: Tall and always slightly older in appearance than my peers…still managed to fit into a full-length mirror with a tennis racket as a guitar though.
LIFE CHANGING MOMENT: The birth of my kids.
MOST HUMBLING MOMENT: Sometime after the birth of my kids when I realised what my parents did for me—mind-blowing…
BEST ALBUM TO PLAY AFTER A BREAK-UP AND YOU'RE HOLDING A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND SOMETHING SHARP: Ryan Adams—Heartbreaker
INDULGENCE YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP: Rock and roll!
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: Everything in moderation...including moderation!
Hell To Pay is now available through Red Eye
Internet
www.myspace.com/prenupmusic
www.myspace.com/fiachnaobraonain
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