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Stay tuned for more updates over the next few weeks.

What better time then to announce that I will be exhibiting a small selection of my work with local bands and musicians throughout the festival which launches at 7pm Friday 4th January 2008.

This is my first exhibition and I am super pleased, excited and extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity. I have so many people to thank, so many people who have been supportive of what I do and helped me, by often just being awesome. I have so many great people all around me whom I love with all my heart.

My friends who have been there for me and helped me; supported me through the good times and bad times, and put up with the camera always being around. My family; for their support and the home-cooked meals.

I hope you will be able to make it!

Another update of recent activities. Things haven't been too hectic lately, though I know that they are about to get that way over the next few months... Just keep an eye for updates.

On Tuesday 9th Oct, I met with the guys at General Fiasco for what could almost be considered drunken behavior, though no alcohol was involved. It's great to see a band so willing to look silly for photos.

After playing the Wii for the first time we headed to Up In The Attic.
Two Door Cinema Club really know what they're doing, with some cracker tunes.

I had only heard Joe Echo two hours prior to him getting onto the stage, not realising then that this was Ciaran Gribbin, ex-Leya frontman, who, much to my disappointment, have parted ways in recent months. With a different name and quite different sound Joe has got me looking excited to see him play again and forthcoming releases.

Thursday 11th October was an exciting, stressful and tiring - but mostly a lot of fun. With two excellent gigs on the very same night how does one choose? So naturally I went to both. I saw seven bands/artists compared with four or three depending on whether one chose The Empire or Laverys.In The Empire was Gifted with four of the best bands in N.I.

Boathouse

Catoan

Cutaways

The Elliots

In Lavery's, another Oxjam gig as part of a very busy month of gigs around Belfast raising money for Oxfam.

Maurice Ramsbottom

Kitty and the Can Openers

The Benjamins

It was a full week before another gig popped into my schedule of putting that sofa to good use. Though only the best will do. Radar, at the Speakeasy in Queens Students Union.

Escape Act

Panama Kings

Ed Zealous

Friday, another Oxjam gig, and the most successful so far, in McHugh's.

Pocket Promise

The Beat Poets

Two Door Cinema Club

Finally we come to yesterday. A lack of blank cds, lack of ink, lack of ink cartridges in cartridge shops. It didn't start off too well. Later, another Oxjam gig, this time in the Oh Yeah Music Centre on Gordon Street. The major difference between this gig and just about every other live music event was that it was an all ages event. Yes, lots of hyper, rude, trendy kids. No 20-something wants to be in the same venue as this crowd, though it is a good thing that underage kids get opportunities to see live music and to have somewhere to hangout.

The Fools

Glitterwax

Killing April

Steer Clear

Before the final band of the night we went to The Duke of York, where we spotted The Fools busking

Fighting With Wire are full of raw energy, lots of loud, fast and heavy songs. Many comparisons can be made between them and Nirvana, though in a good way. Between jokes about shit, front-man Cahir tells the crowd that they are almost ready to release the release date for their forthcoming album.

Everything's goin pr-etty well. I received some great news at the weekend, which I won't divulge at this time - but soon. I also found out that I haven't been receiving mail sent to my "@philokanephotography.com" email addresses. If you sent me something recently and I have not replied, that is the reason.

Sorry if you're just here for the wild sex, as promised yesterday. Just one more day to wait.

I am in no way sick of my photos of the US and trying to relive in my mind the experiences and get them down on paper (virtual paper). Though it has meant that I have slightly neglected other photographs and projects I have been working on since my return. This entry will be as a brief overview of what i've been up to the last 3 or so weeks since my return.

The first few days were spent at my parent's house as I tried to overcome the jet lag and get at least one decent nights sleep. Then I lost my sought-after BT9 postcode as I to my wonderful new house with my wonderful house-mates, who had been residing here for 3 weeks before my arrival and made things look pretty

It wasn't long before I was back in a bar among live music. I discovered that while I was away BruisedFruit had been at it again. They have started a new weekly live music night called Free The Noise in the Rotterdam Bar - and its free (see what they did there!).

The following day I moved house. I love it!

It wasn't until six days later that I went to another gig. Instead, taking a little time to be with nature...

The next gig, however, was to be something quite exciting. Three highly recommended bands in one night. How I cope I will never know. General Fiasco, Cutaways and Skruff.

Then just two days later I was blown away again by one of the best bands in Northern Ireland right now; Swanee River. Though even before that was Soundstone, with their very sexy, very topless lead singer, and good music.

Then September was over, though not before a family party with free drink - of course. On the first day of the new month I was back at the Rotterdam, this time for something a little different. Kitty and the Can Openers played a split set, between them was a comedy act called Creem Nuts - Dave, Johnny and Ray, or The Trio as we used to call them - and Geoff Gatt, then more Kitty and the Can Openers.

Two days later I was back at the Rotterdam, after getting some snaps of Gabriel who has started an African Music School in the Oh Yeah centre in Gordon Street.

The lineup for this week's Free the Noise was excellent. Three acoustic singers. Three very different voices. Dee McKendry, Donal Scullion and dAVID dRYDEN.

Thursday 4th October was the unofficial launch night of Oxjam, a month of 15 gigs, 40+ bands and much money to be raised for Oxfam Ireland.

I personally hope to get to as many of the gigs as possible as there are just so many great bands playing. I also want to see the film Black Gold, although I was told recently that although it does a good job of putting across what goes on in the coffee trade and the "unbalanced struggling between poor coffee farmers in Ethiopia and greedy multinational coffee companies to do "fair trade," it's a crap film. Though I guess thats not really what its about - rather, about the message it gives to viewers. It is being shown in Common Grounds Café on 12th October.

On this night there were three acoustic acts, Dee McKendry, Amy McGarrigle and Mary's Great Idea - complete with new member, Curly Chris on bass.

Finally Friday, time to chill out. After work I took the camera around the city centre while there was still light and that awesome sky.

Of course it just wouldn't be right if my safety was not threatened by spides even just once. As I was taking the shot of the Millfield campus of the Belfast Metropolitan College, below, I heard, before I saw, a can of pepsi (I hate pepsi!) which I had seen this youth drinking just seconds before it had been hurled across the rush-hour traffic to the traffic island I was standing on. Thankfully it missed me, and the camera.

That brings us to Saturday 6th October. The last ever Iconoclastic gig. There was a tear in my eye. However, Paul knows how to go out in style and did just that at the end iof the set; smashing a pretty green guitar.

Then there was dancing. Too much dancing. We will not speak of the dancing.

Finally, yesterday. Woody Guthrie 40th Anniversary tribute day in The Empire. Beginning at 3pm, through to 9pm there was great folk/country music, including covers of Woody songs. Artists performing included Bap Kennedy, Juliet Turner, Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Brian Houston, Broken String Bluegrass Band, The Delawares, Chad Dughi (USA), and Maeve Dunphy. All proceeds of the day were collected for Huntington's Disease Association (NI). A long, though thoroughly successful day. Big up to Errol Walsh for organising it all.

Each morning we had breakfast in a small coffee shop/café on Harvard Ave and Brighton Ave. Breakfast = Pancakes! Yummy! Especially with banana, accompanied by some amazing banana milkshake. I looked forward to going there every morning.

After breakfast on the first morning we headed to the Internet Café. I made a list:

Trinity Church
Faneuil Hall Market Place
Boston Common
North End (Italian Area)
Fenway Park
Old State House
Newbury Street
Cheers - 84 Beacon Hill

We saw everything, often accidentally, except the Cheers bar (the original bar used as inspiration for the T.V. show). But lets start at the beginning. On the first morning we walked to Harvard Square, passing many Harvard buildings, including the football field, where the team appeared to be practicing. That morning, it was exceptionally hot. Not a cloud in the sky. Just the sun.

 Harvard Square is a wonderful place bustling with activity, on their way to the train and bus station, to college, shopping, or just chilling out at the Au Bon Pain, complete with 'chess master'.

 That evening we headed to Quincy Market for desert after dinner in the Purple Shamrock, complete with purple neon shamrock! It was outside this bar I met a 'war veteran' asking for money: "You don't get any more Irish than me," he said in his Boston accent.

Bring back the summers' past that I remember so fondly.

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The decision was made last Thursday to accept a kind offer to stay with someone I hadn't met in a city I hadn't been to in 19 months, even though my funds where very low. I'm very glad I went.

For a week, the Féile '07 festival had been running in Derry city with a million different activities each day. Ending on Sunday evening, there was a lot going on all weekend.

Straight from work on Friday afternoon I got the bus to Derry, arriving at close to 7pm, I quickly made my way to Masons to catch the last song of Triggerman's set. It was at this point that I met the man who would be guiding me around the city and its weekend events over the next two days.

Welcome to Free Music Derry, a great play on words - I wish now I had gone to see it the wall with the original graffiti. In this case it was the name given to the even on Friday night. 20+ bands in 7 bars, and all free!

Friday night was spent mostly with pint in one hand, camera in the other before moving onto the next bar to catch a different band. The streets where filled with friendly music loving folk. It was a great atmosphere all round.

The final of Battle of the Unplugged was also taking place in Bound for Boston. Unfortunately I got sidetracked and forgot to return for the final acts, catching only the first two.

Sandinos next for Our Krypton Son and Ard Ri

Later, I caught up with the Cutaways in a now very busy Bound For Boston.

Back to the Dungloe for Captain Kennedy and Skruff

Back to the Bound For Boston for the Cutaways

A terribly enjoyable evening. The rest of it spent with a few pints!

On Saturday I awoke wondering how I was going to survive the day without any money...

Much of the early afternoon was spent wandering around the city, photographing all that was going on. With so many street performers and buskers in various locations, there really was lots to see.

For me, this was the strangest act. Two men and a young boy singing acapella. Here they are singing a song I assume is called 'Don't Buy into Debt', which simply is the title, repeated many many times.

The overall winners of the busking/performance competition were the excellent Balkan Alien Band; playing the traditional music of a Jewish wedding. Very entertaining, keeping a constant crowd.

There were also street performers on stilts. This is Becky

Benny Bee, another performer, who juggled things, often badly, and told jokes, again, quite often badly, though still got a large crowd and made them laugh. Winning in the end, the prize for 'Best Craic'. In this picture, he is about to get on top of his small later, supported by absolutely nothing, followed by some knife juggling.

'Hands up who thinks I'm an idiot right about now''Ah but I'm a professional idiot!'

Next was an escape artist. It is definitely painful to watch someone in so much pain. Here he is pulling a chain from around his neck over his face in order to let himself free.

Later, activity continued in the Craft Village for the Féile Folk festival.

I ended up missing the last bus on Saturday night so I had to stay again, though I was in great company I'm glad I didn't rush off. Derry rocks and I can't wait to get back. Thanks guys!