Blog's Rich Pageant

Kind readers, I'm pleased to announce that I'm nominated for the Irish Blog Awards. This is the second time that I've been selected, and while it's actually a sizeable shortlist, it's sweet to be noticed.

Music bloggers in Ireland have many reasons for putting the hours in. Some are possessed by the need to discover new bands, putting their marker on a sound, a talent, a development. A few regard themselves as news syndicates, importing stories from elsewhere, while others have the fanzine mentality of righteousness, opinion and apoplectic froth. Which is all good, essentially.

I still like a nice bit of writing, though, and that's the kicker for me. A nicely turned sentence, a bit of soul, some knowledge and a riff you can believe in. some of the other stuff can be misleading and overwrought.

My other motivation is the notion that the blog can be a satisfying aide memoire. I think I can recall most of the big musical occasions in my time, but sometimes it's the little moments, the asides and the half truths that give music its revelatory value. Time can give the strangest perspective, and sometimes the actual story has nothing to do with the copy you filed a decade ago.

Therefore you keep on pecking at those keys, looking back, listening forward, trusting that you'll be perpetually lost in music.