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The end of 2017 is nigh!  I’ve only done a couple of podcasts this year so I’ve been feeling a bit guilty.  To find some absolution I sat down for a catch up with friend-of-the-podcast Ryan McGroarty and pressed record. We talk about nostalgia, podcast-babysitting, and Ryan’s crazy schedule coming up to Christmas.  His appointments include Start Together Studio’s 10th Birthday Party at Oh Yeah Music Centre on Fri 15th, playing guitar with Catalan at the old Telegraph building on Sat 16th, and playing host at a party organised by his Big Wild Collective at Black Box Sunday 17th.  And that’s neglecting his… The post Ep. 54: End of the year catchup with Ryan McGroarty appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Leonie McDonagh (aka Leonie Pony) is back for another a PODCAST TAKEOVER.  This time she is chatting to Belfast-based hijinx-co-ordinators Tumble Circus! Leonie catches some of the Tumble Circus crew at a rare moment of quiet before they put up their Big Top for the Winter Circus Season at Writer’s Square, Belfast.  She is joined by Ali Strange, Anqelique ‘Reckless’ Ross,  Kenevil, and Henrik (the muscles not from Brussels).  They share the back-story of Tumble Circus setting up its roots in Belfast.  Leonie asks about gender equality in the circus, but ends up finding out a little too much about Ali’s hoop. Leonie has long been a fan of… The post Ep. 53: Tumble Circus [Leonie Pony takeover] appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

It’s been a while, but The Jewel Case is back!  Lately John has been neglecting his duty to interview artists working in Northern Ireland, so Leonie McDonagh (aka Leonie Pony) is staging a PODCAST TAKEOVER. In her first takeover episode, Leonie has only gone and interviewed one of the most important contemporary Northern Irish dance artists in recent years – OONA DOHERTY (she’s amazing). Oona Doherty recently presented Hard to Be Soft: A Belfast Prayer at Belfast International Arts Festival.  The show features collaborations with NI composer David Holmes and a range of actors and dancers from the city of Belfast. Leonie and Oona have known each other since they went to… The post Ep.52: Oona Doherty [Leonie Pony Takeover!] appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

This week I talk to composer and performer Una Lee about her upcoming show – The Undocumented Tale of Dr. G – taking place 18 May at Sonic Arts Research Centre, Belfast. The Undocumented Tale of Dr. G is a music theatre piece brings together Una’s research into the life and work of Dr. G, a composer who’s been buried in history for almost a century.  Only known as Dr. G, he was probably the most innovative, experimental composer who worked with improvisation and alternative music notation ahead of the better known figures in 20th Century music. The show will delve into an unearthed biography of… The post Ep. 51: The Undocumented Tale of Dr. G (Una Lee) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

This week I chat to techno musicians Koichi Samuels and Liam McCartan about RESIST – a series of live events showcasing electronic music and visual artists in Belfast.  Their next show is Friday 21 April at The Black Box (tickets here). I ask Koichi and Liam about Belfast’s thriving electronic music scene and get a taste of the acts that will be performing live at the RESIST event.  Koichi will be performing live with Helena Hamilton for the debut of their new collaboration – Kandehha – a fusion of soundscape, drone and ambient electronic rhythms. The line-up also features live sets from Four Sides… The post Ep. 50: Resist (Koichi Samuels & Liam McCartan) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

“The best artists working now are those that are asking difficult questions.” Eoin Dara is an art curator who has been based at The MAC Belfast since its opening in 2012.  But big changes are afoot, as Eoin is about to move to Scotland to take up the role of Head of Exhibitions at Dundee Contemporary Arts. Before he heads off, I caught up with Eoin to find out more about his time at The MAC, including his curation of the work of Felix Gonzales-Torres in the exhibition ‘This Place’. Eoin shares some other highlights of working in Belfast including a stint as a director of Catalyst… The post Ep. 49: Eoin Dara appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

This week I met Moving On Music‘s Brian Carson for a preview of their Brilliant Corners festival.  The festival runs Tuesday 7th until Saturday 11th March with a string of great gigs in the realm of jazz, bop, experimental and free improvisation. The festival hosts both international and local players and groups at gigs in Sonic Arts Research Centre, Black Box and Crescent Arts Centre; with an accompanying film programme with three great music documentaries at the Bean Bag Cinema. Brian opens up about getting turned on to live music and particularly jazz by seeing some legendary players during his student days in Newcastle.… The post Ep. 48: Brilliant Corners preview with Brian Carson from Moving on Music appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Intent Magazine and Podcast is a new venture from Belfast-based friends and housemates Fiona McDonnell and Constance Keane. The project will highlight people who make and are involved with art, music, and culture on the island of Ireland – using interviews and photography to explore the intent behind the work. I ask the duo about the new project and its launch at Framewerk, Belfast Friday 24th February.  I get a sneak preview of the first issue and its contents – interviews with NI skater collective The Joyalists; gallery owner Dawn Richardson; and a ‘walk-home’ review of Belfast’s recent Output Festival. Fiona also talks about… The post Ep. 47: Intent Magazine and Podcast appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Whether you’re loved up, lonely or just looking for an alternative squishy-feelings playlist – have a listen to this week’s show where I catch up with journo buddy and music-nerd Suzie Mccracken. We run through some of our favourite songs about love in all romantic senses of the word. We don’t get enough time to listen to everything on each other’s long-lists so check below for streaming links…   Suzie’s love-song long-list:   John’s love-song long-list:   The Jewel Case broadcasts Tuesdays at 8pm on Lisburn’s 98FM, Bangor FM and FM105 Down Community Radio. The Jewel Case theme song is The Dark by Beauty Sleep Contact @_johndarcy   //  Dig… The post Ep. 46: Valentines playlist with Suzie McCracken appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Bad Fit are the baddest band in Belfast!  Their first single ‘Strong Forever’ was the baddest pop tune to come out of NI last year!  Now they’ve a new single called ‘In the City’ – and it’s particularly bad! On this week’s show I’m joined by Grace, Danny and Pando from the band (Megan says hi too).  They talk me through the release of the new single and we take a listen (it’s good).  We talk about the band’s musical inspirations and have a good old think about how people are making money through music in 2017 (spoiler: it’s cover bands). We also reminisce about… The post Ep. 45: Bad Fit appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Rayna Gellert is an Old Time American fiddler and singer-songwriter with deep roots in American traditional music that has led to her collaborating with artists such as Sara Watkins, Abigail Washburn and Loudon Wainwright III. I ask Rayna about keeping folk music alive and the links between old time and celtic trad. We also talk about her latest album ‘Workin’s Too Hard’ – a collection of original and traditional songs. Rayna is touring Northern Ireland at the start of February at the following venues: Wed 1 Feb: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh Thu 2 Feb: Bangor Castle, Bangor Fri 3 Feb: Island Arts… The post Ep. 44: Rayna Gellert appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

It’s the first episode of 2017 and it’s a good one!  I’m joined by Leonie McDonagh (aka Leoniepony) – creative powerhouse and director of Ponydance Theatre Company.  Leonie presents the solo ‘Idiom’ at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival’s Out to Lunch programme this week.  The show look’s at Leonie’s love of Belfast city through her particular blend of music, movement and comedy. I ask Leonie how she ended up in Northern Ireland, how she works a room with embarrassment and shame, and how she amassed her mammoth tracksuit collection. ‘Idiom’ takes place at The Black Box Belfast – Thursday 26 January – 1pm.  Tickets: £6.50 / £7 including… The post Ep. 43: Leonie McDonagh (Ponydance) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

In the last episode we started the THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SONG SHOWDOWN – a knock-out bracket to decide the best christmas song ever.  We worked our way through the first round match-ups and now we’re ready to decide the finals.  My panel of guest judges return – Cheylene Murphy, Ryan McGroarty, Bee Mick See, and Megan-Cáitlín Dallat.   And they’re even merrier than last time! Take a look at the knock-out bracket below to see the match-ups and listen to the episode to find out who wins. Get a full size version of the bracket here. The Jewel Case broadcasts Tuesdays at 8pm on Lisburn’s 98FM, Bangor FM and FM105 Down… The post Ep. 42: Ultimate Christmas Song Showdown (Part 2) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

One year on from the first ever episode of The Jewel Case I decided to re-festive-ise my playlist and get some Christmas songs on the stereo.  This time last year I picked some of my favourite winter warmers for an intimate seasonal set.  But for this year’s yuletide show I thought I’d get some friends in to help me decide the best holiday tune ever in THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SONG SHOWDOWN. So I got together four of my favourite guests from the first year of the podcast – Cheylene Murphy, Ryan McGroarty, Bee Mick See, and Megan-Cáitlín Dallat.   The plan: to pit 36 of the best… The post Ep. 41: Ultimate Christmas Song Showdown (Part 1) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

This week I caught up with Duke Special ahead of his three-night stint at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre that caps off a year-long residency at the theatre.  I find out what the Duke has been up to in 2016 and how his creative process has changed since the release of his breakthrough album ‘Songs from the Deep Forest’. The Jewel Case broadcasts Tuesdays at 8pm on Lisburn’s 98FM, Bangor FM and FM105 Down Community Radio. The Jewel Case theme song is The Dark by Beauty Sleep Contact @_johndarcy   //  Dig into the archive The post Ep. 40: Duke Special appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

For this week’s podcast I took a trip to Edenderry Village to visit the home studio of illustrator Stephen Maurice Graham.  A few years ago Stephen decided to give it a bash as a full-time self-employed illustrator and since then he’s made big waves getting his work featured in publications including The Washington Post, The Sunday Times, GQ and TIME.  Phew! Stephen launches his new comic publication ‘Michael’ on Wednesday 30th November at UsFolk, Belfast.  I caught up with him to hear about the origins of his cartoon protagonist and ended up accidentally inviting him to co-host of The Jewel Case.  See you… The post Ep. 39: Stephen Maurice Graham appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Last Thursday Outburst Queer Arts Festival hosted the Northern Irish premiere of KIKI – a documentary film about an LGBTQ youth-of-color subculture of New York City’s Ballroom scene, made famous in the early 1990s by Madonna’s music video “Vogue” and the documentary “Paris Is Burning.”  The screening was followed by a great Q&A with the film’s co-writer and gatekeeper of the Kiki community, Twiggy Pucci Garçon. We heard about the NYC House and Ballroom scene on Episode 19 of The Jewel Case when I chatted to Claire Hall – the Belfast-based DJ and events producer who last year brought three members of the Kiki community to The MAC for the performance… The post Ep. 38: Twiggy Pucci Garçon & Claire Hall (KIKI film) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

So I managed to catch up with Tim Wheeler from Ash while he was backstage at Belfast’s Mandela Hall.  Ash are back in Belfast for performance at the Northern Irish Music Prize where they’re receiving the Oh Yeah Legend award for their amazing career in Northern Irish music.  I ask Tim about developments in his songwriting and changes in the music industry throughout his career.  I also get his reaction to the new Star Wars films and we reminisce about Ash’s first album ‘1977’ as it his its 20th birthday.     The Jewel Case broadcasts Tuesdays at 8pm on Lisburn’s 98FM, Bangor FM and FM105 Down Community Radio.… The post Ep. 37: Tim Wheeler (Ash) appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

Ahhhh!  Halloween is around the corner so I thought I’d make a suitably spooky mix to soundtrack my doorbell paranoia.  I’ve concocted a playlist potion of some stone-cold-rigamortis classics and some especially gruesome deep cuts.  Sweet nightmares! Spooky – Dusty Springfield Halloween Parade – Lou Reed Hammer Horror – Kate Bush Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – David Bowie Little Ghost – The White Stripes Walking With a Ghost – Tegan and Sara Release the Bats – The Birthday Party Night of the Vampire – Roky Erickson Werewolf – Fiona Apple Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon Psycho Killer – Talking Heads Dead – The… The post Ep. 36: Halloween Spooktacular Playlist appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.

This weekend a large number of artists studios in Belfast are opening their doors for Belfast Open Studios.   For this week’s podcast I met with with Rob Hilken from Visual Arts Ireland to hear about the open-day and about how VAI help support local artists. I also meet with Creative Exchange Artists Studios manager Deirdre Morrisey to hear about their facility.  I visit newly established Lombard Studios and chat to painter Trina Hobson.  I meet Michael Hanna from Platform Studios and Jacqueline Holt to talk about their Arists’ Moving Image Northern Ireland initiative.   I also meet with multimedia artist Richard Davis at Digital Arts Studios to find out more about… The post Ep. 35: Belfast Open Studios appeared first on THE JEWEL CASE.