You know what they say; don't judge a book by its cover. Well that can be true sometimes but I really hope it is true when it comes to this gig/event/festival that is happening next weekend!

The very talented Brendan Carthy from his own Cherry Orchard Studios in Enniscorthy Co. Wexford had a brainwave a few months back, and decided to put this nice little ensemble together for Cherry Orchards 1st Birthday . Well, since the original concept, the aptly named 'A gig that will be really good, outdoors somewhere, when it sunny' has taken on a life of its own in the music circle. A great line up of bands has been announced, art stalls have been added, a well stacked bbq will defy anyones hunger, all music will be multitracked by Cherry Orchard Studios, and, we'll be going around doing our usual!

They day really promises to be something special, so if you are in the area of Wexford next weekend, head on over! Tickets are a steal at only €5!!

If you are interested in recording some tracks in a great professional studio, head to;

www.orchardrecording.ie

www.facebook.com/The.Orchard.Recording.Studio

info@orchardrecording.ie

Spirit of Folk Festival Unveils Line-up and Announces Extra Night

22nd May 2012: Spirit of Folk, Ireland’s newest festival ‘celebrating all things folk’, today announced the line-up and addition of an extra night for this year’s festival, once again taking place in the idyllic surroundings of Dunderry Park, Co Meath.

Returning this year from September 21st to 23rd, Spirit of Folk 2012 will see musicians and storytellers from all over Ireland and the UK come together for a weekend of music, arts, craft, spirituality, philosophy and folklore. This year’s family-friendly festival line up boasts an impressive mix of traditional Irish music, folk, bluegrass and country; from established Irish singer songwriters to emerging acts, the beautiful and bespoke three-day event will truly embody the spirit of all things folk.

Festival Director, Natasha Duffy, commented: “We are delighted and proud to announce the fantastic line up we have planned for this year’s Spirit of Folk festival. In our sophomore year, we aim to truly celebrate Irish folk in a relaxed family-friendly setting with great music and events for everyone to enjoy – a magical way to bid farewell to summer and finish the festival season in style!”

This year’s Spirit of Folk festival line up features: John Spillane, Irish singer/songwriter and twice winner of the Meteor award for Best Folk/Trad; The Lost Brothers, an Irish duo hailing from Omagh and Navan, as seen on RTE’s ‘Other Voices’; Lisa O’Neill, rapidly emerging as one of the truest contemporary Irish folk voices and recently returned from touring with Welsh singer David Gray; I Draw Slow, a five-piece outfit comprising alt-country, folk, roots, old-time Americana; Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, Irish folk rock band delving into the realms of psych, prog and post rock.

Other acts featuring at this year’s festival include: Tucan; The Hot Sprockets; Mossy Nolan; The Henry Girls; The Young Folk; Tir na nOg; Aoife Scott; Jig away the Donkey; Pete Cummins; The Bonny Men; Traz; The Man Whom, Gypsy Rebble Rabble; Bunoscionn; Trad side of the moon; Wookalilly; Alpaca Jamboree; Miriam Donohue; Joy Booth; TAC; Twin Headed Wolf; The Eskies; Cry Monster Cry; Hidden Highways and JP Trio and Niamh.

To accompany this feast of musical acts, there will be an abundance of alternative events for all to enjoy, including storytelling and poetry reading by Pat Speight, Eddie Lenihan, Tim Evans, Jack Sheehan and Stephen James Smith; as well as talks and workshops on ancient druidism and shamanism; Tibetan Mandala making and singing bowls; Native American pipe ceremonies; dreams analysis; and ancient astronomy and permaculture.

The evolution of Spirit of Folk 2012 sees it grow in size, with an addition of a headline stage and an organic food market to the plethora of events in the picturesque surroundings of Dunderry Park. A third night has also been added to the proceedings with camping available on Sunday night as well.

A limited supply of Early Bird weekend tickets for €65 and day tickets for €35 will be available until 31st May only. From June onwards, weekend tickets will cost €85 and day tickets will cost €45.

To purchase your Spirit of Folk 2012 tickets go to www.tickets.ie. For more information, check out www.spiritoffolk.comor follow us on Twitter (@Spirit_of_Folk) or like us on Facebook.com/spiritoffolkfestival.

Vantastival is one of those festivals that lives with you long after the music has died down. There's a great sense of wonder about it all, from the amazing VW camper van only area, to the new Done Deal stage, the tunelled Lock Out stage, to the (dare I say it) cheap but really really good food!

As we walked around we noticed a great sense of community and belonging between all of the staff and the revellers alike. Nowhere is this more apparent than the current feeds from their Facebook page - punters lost belongings are actually returning to their rightful owners! This doesn't just happen with any old festival, but it happens here. Amazing.

The music you ask? Honestly, there some bands here that I had never heard of until I saw the lineup, but I am soooo glad I was introduced to them! If you are ever worried about going to a festival because you don't know all the bands; don't be! Vantastival can make you feel like you have heard the music for years! The main stage is small enough for an intimate gig, but big enough to get that epic festival feel!

Long live Vantastival, we say! I hope it's around for many years to come, as we will definitely be back again!

So we're back from the whopper of a weekend that was Vantastival 2012! Amazing venue, amazing lineup, amazing people. I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality, warm welcomes and smiles. There was sooo many cool things to see and do - we especially loved the VW's - so much so, that we might even get one. Anyone out there wanna throw one in our direction, feel free!

A special big shout out goes to Louise and Benny, the organisers. They did a great job, and were always on hand to help us with anything! See ya'll next year.

Hit us up in a few days to see the vids and pics.

We out for now!

John

Skyrockit Music first came across the skills of Maurice Ramsbottom last year when he was part of the brilliant band 'No Pillars on Neptune'. Not in photography, mind you, no, it was in guitar, singing, and the strange art of pedal box making!

So, our paths crossed again at Wallis's gig in the Academy, and, as they say, the future was made! Maurice has passed all of the relevant exams to avail of the prestigious title of Skyrockit Music, including, the very tough 'please be our photographer test', and the even tougher, 'don't make me beg' test'. He sweated it out, but made it through!

Check out his own website at http://mauramsphoto.tumblr.com/

Welcome aboard Rammers. Strap yourself in. Hold tight. And yes, that is your new nickname!

John

Literally, there’s only 12 days before the start of the festival season! Vantastival kicks off on Friday 4th May. Ahhh yes, a festival full of VW vans, music, food and wellies. It will be amazing. Oh, and we will be there, which I’m sure you know already, cause we can’t shut up about it!

We have packed the usual stuff in to the back of the car in preparation. Hopefully we won’t forget the cameras and chargers! If you see us with the cameras; come on over and say hi!

Like floating rock gods, they astounded us with their prowess - leaving us with an open jaw and bleeding ears. Yet another year, and the snakes are yet to return to our shores all thanks to the amazing sound that is Sticky Digit. We love them. We, like, have all of their records and stuff! Love the picture too!

Check their Facebook page to find out more about them. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.facebook.com/stickydigit

If you like that, check them rocking out on our youtube page. They were our very first podcast! Ok, so we didn't have the money at the time to make it high quality, but the music still rocks! Click the Youtube link at the top of our page to see more.

(Stop showing off you Les Paul Edgar!)

Hi fellow rockiteers! We get loads of requests weekly from people who would like to work for us. Flattering really, but up until now, the answer has always been a polite no, as we can’t have people working for free now can we?!

We have decided to change things up a bit though. How do you fancy working for us in an honorary capacity? We’re bringing back our ‘Rockit Reviews’ page and would love YOU to be a part of it. We can’t be at every gig, listen to every new album or take a weekend out for every festival, but maybe you can…….?

If you think know you have what it takes to write a review about anything musically related, send it to us through the form provided on our home page. It can be as many words as you like – hey we don’t want to stomp on dreams here by censoring your writing do we? Make sure you include any links if you are referencing a band etc, so we can hear who you’re talking about. Be witty, be funny, be original, be you.

The lucky winner/s will receive notoriety of a purely non fiscal nature. The winner/s will also become part of the team of Skyrockit, with frequent blog updates and such and such!

Type www.skyrockitmusic.com, click the ‘take the reigns’ form, and submit your entry. We won’t be able to get back to everyone as the response to this could be overwhelming, but the winner/s will be contacted as soon as we can.

Submissions will be accepted through our website ONLY.

We look forward to reading them!

Skyrockit Music Captain

Early bird tickets Spirit of Folk Festival 2012 now available!

20th March 2012: Discounted early bird tickets for Ireland’s newest up and coming festival, Spirit of Folk at Dunderry Park, Co Meath, will be released this week on Thursday 29th March at a fundraiser event in Dublin’s Whelan’s of Wexford Street. A limited supply of early bird weekend tickets for €50 will be available for 24 hours only.

Shortlisted at this year’s European Festival Awards for ‘Best New Festival 2011’, September 23rd 2011 saw the birth of Ireland’s newest festival, celebrating all things folk, with musicians and storytellers from all over Ireland and the UK coming together for a weekend of music, arts, craft, spirituality, philosophy and folklore. It was a magical way to bid farewell to summer and ease into the autumnal months.

Spirit of Folk returns this September 21st to 23rd with another awe inspiring line-up of music and events. The evolution of Spirit of Folk 2012 sees it grow in size, with an addition of a headline stage and an organic food market to the plethora of events in the idyllic and picturesque surroundings of Dunderry Park, Co Meath.

Festival Director, Natasha Duffy said, “The fundraiser event on 29th March in Whelan’s promises to be a raucous affair for all the right reasons! We are delighted to showcase a folktastic musical line up including The Hot Sprockets, The Young Folk, Bunoscionn and TRAZ. This will be followed by some kicking tunes by Mr. Benny and ‘Bust and Bust’ will take to the stage to MC for the evening too. Lots of raffle prizes will also be up for grabs including weekend camping tickets so it’s definitely an evening not to be missed!”

The line-up for this year’s event won’t be revealed until May 2012, but last year’s gig featured prominent acts such as folk legend Gay Woods from Steeleye Span, Lisa O'Neill and Rhob Cunningham.

Commenting on the festival, Duffy added, “Last year’s inaugural Spirit of Folk Festival surpassed all of our expectations and we were bowled over by the feedback we received afterwards. We hope that the festival continues to be a place where artists and people from all different backgrounds can meet, create and collaborate.”

This year promises to be just as diverse and legendary with plenty of hot young talent gearing up to play as well as many seasoned artists. A plethora of events are expected once again including archery, falconry, battle re-enactments, storytelling in a candle-lit replica Megalithic chamber Cairn, burning effigies, medieval games, fireworks, community games as well as a Mind, Body and Soul area.

Other highlights from last year’s festival include: ‘The Setanta Challenge’ in the Hall of Heroes; storytelling with Pat Speight in the candle lit Cairn; Historical Re-enactments; experimental archaeology; as well as Astronomy Ireland providing ‘Introduction to the Night Sky’ workshops.

To make the most of this limited offer and purchase a Spirit of Folk 2012 weekend ticket for just €50 go to www.tickets.ie or alternatively you can purchase tickets in Whelan’s on Thursday 29th March 2012. Ticket price for the fundraiser event in Whelan’s is €10 at the door on the night. After this time, weekend camping tickets for Spirit of Folk 2012 will be €65 for April and May and the final price will be €85.

For more information, check out www.spiritoffolk.com or follow us on Twitter (@Spirit_of_Folk) or like us on Facebook (/spiritoffolkfestival).