CMT Blog: Greencards

I promised myself I wouldn’t write about the Grammys, if only for the fact that there have already been several blogs about it. But how else I am going to boast about being at the greatest music award ceremony in the world? What a perfect way to impress upon thousands and thousands of people how incredibly important I am! I could talk all day about the incredible parties, the mango martinis made at a bar constructed of ice, the stroll down the red carpet…. In fact the only way to get me to shut up is to ask me who won - not us. Brad Paisley stole it from us. An obvious miscarriage of justice and I demand a recount!OK, I’m just kidding - I’m not nearly that bitter about it. I thought Brad was very gracious in his acceptance speech, dedicating his award to the late great John Hughey who used to play steel guitar with fellow nominees The Time Jumpers. It was a fantastic honour to get the nomination (in the category of best country instrumental) and we were all treated like winners during the whole affair.

And so, for The Greencards, life returns to normal. The telephone bill came this morning, I went out and bought a pint of milk, spent the afternoon booking the band’s accommodation for a California gig in April and learned some new fiddle tunes in the evening. Attending the Grammys hasn’t changed my life, but when you’re sitting there watching Tom Hanks, Ringo Starr and Alecia Keys, it certainly feels that way. But it has given me a sense that lofty ambitions ARE attainable; the only thing standing between myself and the chance of being nominated again is a load of hard work. We’ve just started talking about making a new record, and though I’m not pressuring myself to gain another nomination, I am aware now that it CAN happen - the bar has been raised.

Time to start writing some new songs methinks…

I’ve just endured one of the worst layovers of my entire career: six and a half hours in San Francisco followed by six hours (1 a.m. to 7 a.m.) in Chicago. I am completely jet lagged, sunburned and somewhat delirious. This should make for interesting reading …

I spent over two weeks in Australia, performing for the most part at the Woodford Folk Festival near Brisbane. I met Carol and Kym at Brisbane Airport on the 28th and drove to our accommodation in Caboolture (great Aussie town name!). After a long day of rehearsing, we set off to find a nice Thai restaurant and cracked open a bottle of wine — not a bad way to begin the tour!

Woodford Folk Festival prides itself on an eclectic lineup, and I have to confess I didn’t recognise many of the acts in the schedule. I did get to see the great Andy Irvine from Ireland, as well as Trouble in the Kitchen from Melbourne — both worth spending time with. We only had to play one set a day for four days, giving us a lot of time to relax. The rain was heavy every day and though it didn’t seem to affect the enthusiasm of the crowds, it did mean we spent most of our spare time seeking refuge in the restaurants or the pub — it’s a hard life I tell ya!

The highlight of the trip has to be our New Year’s Eve at the Beatles singalong — 400 people jammed under a tent that was quietly being rained upon. Before the music began, we were all given candles, and a 3-minute silence was observed in honour of the year past. It’s surprising how fast that goes by once you start reflecting upon what the year held. … But we were all jolted back in to reality as the band started up with “Can’t Buy Me Love” — everyone knew all the words! As the night wore on, it became clear that everyone could also sing the intros, the solos, horn lines and drum fills — were the Beatles the most musical band ever? Perhaps …

We played two more shows — at Sydney’s Basement and on the central coast in a lovely venue called Lizotte’s. After which, I was dropped off at a friend’s house in Sydney and made my way to Bondi Beach the next day. Despite all warnings to the contrary, I refused to put enough sunscreen on and consequently got serious burns — I look I’ve been on the barbeque grill. Ouch!

Now it seems my wait it is coming to an end — the airplane that will take me to Nashville is pulling in, and I can’t wait to get home. Although its 6 in the morning, I’ve been wide awake for the past 5 hours and my jet lag promises to be horrific; luckily I bought an album by Vasen to listen to in the wee hours. Happy New Year, everyone!

Cheers,

Eamon

The Greencards have finally — after 11 months of solid touring, endless trips on the same freeway and 140 shows later – played their last U.S. show of the year! I’m writing from the comfort of my OWN desk here in MY flat and if I check into a Super 8 motel anytime soon I may have a nervous breakdown. I’ve got my oatmeal, my fine imported English teas, and I’m as happy as the mythical, ever-happy Larry. Gosh, it’s good to be home!

We covered a lot of ground this year and we achieved some great things. Performing with Sam Bush has been a dream come true for all of us, and becoming friends with him and his band and crew has been a life-affirming experience. Now when we cross their path at a festival somewhere, we know we’re welcome to crash their bus and steal the food on their rider! I loved playing the festivals this year, as you are handed a feverish throng of people crying out for entertainment! It’s hard to pick out my favorite festivals of 2007, but I was really blown away by two in the state of New York – Grey Fox and Grass Roots. Incredible music in a beautiful part of the continent surrounded by happy music lovers — what more do you want? If you are planning your vacations for next year, please consider these destinations.

The last show was such a great experience because we knew we were coming back to normality in our hometown. I really wanted to share that feeling with everybody, and so with that in mind, I made a little movie with my digital camera and a free editing program. It only lasts a few minutes but it does give you the experience of going behind the scenes, watching us gear up for the gig, eating our last band dinner and also the last time we loaded up the van in 2007! It’s on our MySpace page. Let me know if you enjoy it. We look forward to seeing you in 2008.