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I got an email off Ken this morning to check out a comment on Sound System Podcast 21. The comment was left under the username Briain and was a bitter little rant in relation to myself, Daw, Ken and Boo judging this years Battle of the Bands. Every year, some people end up unhappy after the competition, in this case Briain is a member of one of thebotb91.jpg bands who didn’t make it through the heats to the final. Ken has already left a suitable reply and Daw has started a thread on the forums in reponse to his remarks, but I’d also like to give him some information to think about.Here’s what Briain had to say;

“Alright lads just have a few comments for ye! Im one of the people out of one of the bands who where in botb! i was listening to this podcast today and to be honest ye sound like ye dont have a clue at all! Ye dont even know what ye are talking about when ye bring up the subject of the botb and ye always slide of the subject and forget to come back to it! If ye where any good as judges (ha ha) ye would know all yer info on the bands and what there names where and who played when and where but to be honest! ye just sound like a pack of waisters who have never gotten anywhere with the music scene and are stuck in what ye think great kilkennymusic.com judging all the bands! how can you judge when you cant even remember anything about the bands! Why dont ye get some proper judges next year and all of your bullshit kilkennymusic.com judges can go off and get wasted like ye usually do and forget about doing the whole judging thing!”

botb181.jpgKen and Daw have already pointed out many flaws in his argument, namely that we didn’t go into detail due to the fact that the competition was still running. Also, if people remember I retracted an earlier blog which people (including Briain) complained about because it went into detail about certain bands!?

Daw pointed out that there is no need for us to research the bands (although we have!), the competition is all the matters, not who you are or where you’re coming from. It’s what you do on the day that counts!

Oh and sorry but you spelt wasters wrong, as well as several other spelling and grammatical errors!? As a waster I’vebotb43.jpg managed to receive full distinctions and a Diploma in Print Journalism, I also received the ‘Student of the Year’ award. I’m currently about to enter my 3rd and final year in a BA Honours Degree course in Public Relations and Communications. Both Daw and Boo are fully qualified Sound Engineers and Ken has numerous distinctions, aswell as setting up his own company, a theatre company and of course KilkennyMusic.com.

Might I also remind you that we’ve all worked our asses off FOR FREE for over 2 years now, promoting local music and botb691.jpgwe’ve worked with hundreds of musicians and bands. As far as “never gotten anywhere with the music scene and are stuck in what ye think great kilkennymusic.com judging all the bands” goes, I’d also like to point out that anybody who has been involved in the Kilkenny music scene over the years will remind you, Daw was in Gigotos and Boo was in Idee Fixe. Both these bands are remembered by anybody who knows what they are talking about as great bands.

Ken plays in one of Kilkenny top trad bands, the Cracked Bucket Band, as well as the Happy Medium, and he still plays as a solo artist. Daw is currently playing with Itchy Trigger Finger and the Happy Medium, two of the best bands in Kilkenny at the moment. While I don’t play in bands anymore it is simply because there is a lack of anybody interestedthe-wrong-side-of-misery.gif in playing the type of music I want to play. I’ve worked with numerous bands and my photography has been used on several albums, E.P’s and websites as well as constantly providing gig photos to local papers and the likes of Brutallica international metal magazine.

I also find it hilarious that you’d have a go at KilkennyMusic.com when we are the ones providing you with a platform to do so. You come on the site and have your bitch and moan and don’t see the hypocrisy. We are the ones giving you kenmc.jpgsomewhere to do it!? As well as offering you any advice you would like, if you’d simply ask for it instead of sulking and bitching because you didn’t make it through. Might I also remind you that the “great kilkennymusic.com” was nominated for the Best Music Blog at the Irish Blog Awards 2007 and we’ve been recognised by the Arts Council as providing a great service to local musicians.

So, take some of that into consideration and get down off your little cross! I’m not trying to pick a fight, we’re here to help and promote young bands and musicians. You’re entitled to your opinion of course, hellsummer-sessions-4.jpg we’re giving you somewhere to express it, but if you abuse it by having a sulk and abusing people simply because you didn’t win a competition and other people were better then you’re way out of line. You’re argument is petty and clearly unfounded. You’d be better off asking for our help, which we would gladly give and you should take all your negative energy and try use it to be more constructive in your music and when voicing your opinion.