The Naked Lunch

[Katy Lied]

There used to be a band that did Steely Dan covers - played in Rock Garden and Andrew's Lane a number of years ago. As far as I know there were from Wicklow. I would love to know if they are still gigging and if so, where.

Anyone know anything?

[Radio Mad]

Hear, hear, a bloody great band. I remember going to see them quite a few times, one such occasion being in the old Rock Garden alongside the Central Bank.

I got speaking to them one night and they explained to me that the group was made of people from other bands and because of the huge numbers involved, could only manage to get everyone together to gig as Naked Lunch very, very occasionally.

Like the previous contributor, I would dearly love to know if they are still gigging. If so, where and when.

[Hissing Sidebands]

Excellent band, saw them many times!
Unfortunately they are no longer together, I have been reliably informed.

[Dane Bowers]

Thats quite odd, considering I've never heard of Steely Dan until last week when I was talking to someone who said he was in a tribute band to them

Not sure if its the same gang, but he said there's like 11 of them or something, their doing a gig in Eamon Dorans soon, I'll find out when it is, and his name

[Katy Lied]

That would be great if you could let me know. Can't believe you never heard of Steely Dan until last week - ya don't know what you've been missing!

Byee

[Radio Mad]

Dane, thanks for the post above. Be sure to let us know just as soon you get confirmation that a gig is definitely going ahead.

[DeargDoom]

ah, Dane is a trendy young thing unlike us old grumps. You wait Dane for the moment of shock when you suddenly notice the station thats playing all your favourite songs is called "lite FM" or "Sun 101"!

She thinks I'm crazy, but I'm just growing old!!!


DD

[Katy Lied]

Here is the latest! There is a gig in Eamon Doran's on Wednesday June 26th by a Steely Dan Tribute Band called "The Fez" (ain't gonna do it without the Fez on". I don't know if they have any connection with "The Naked Lunch" but the gig is at 8.00pm and cover is approx : €7.00.

Might be worth checking out.

Byee

[Dane Bowers]

Yip that's the same band, he said they'll prolly start playing at about 9.30 his names Stephen by the way, and he used to work on NSR years ago, but thats just another quirky coincidence

[Katy Lied]

Went to see the gig last Wednesday - downstairs in Eamon Doran's is not a bad venue. There were maybe 150 people at it - ok for a mid week gig. HOWEVER the band the Fez was not the Naked Lunch in another guise. Great to hear all the Steely Dan/Donald Fagen tracks - close, but no cigar. Would prefer late nite/weekend gig for more atmosphere.

Would go and see them again.

Byee

[DeargDoom]

Hi there Katy Lied! I too was there last week for the gig - I don't like Eamon Dorans as a venue (too garagy for that Steely Dan sound - would suit a Ramones cover band more!)....the band themselves were pretty good, they steered clear of some of the more "obvious" material....


DD

[RadioFriend]

Just a little something for you Steely Dan heads (like myself)...

Walter worked on many projects down through the years when not on the road or in Studio with Fagen..............

He has produced albums for people like China Crisis and the very lovely Rickie Lee Jone's.......(chuckie for love)....Lol

But one fine album that he worked on is Blue Pacific (1990)from the very wonderful Michael Franks......

Check it out ..........

Like all great albums its not available in all good record stores but Amazon is always the best place to but music.

P.S Are South East Radio the only Station in the country that has the balls to play stuff like Michael Franks......
"When Sly Calls" was always a Late Night Affair Classic..

RF

[Euan Roberts]

At long last someone that appreciates good musc like Michael Franks, Donald Fagen, Joe Sample,George Benson. Concerning Michael Franks and Steely/Dan, i have all their albums, and you something, the music is so timeless, so lovable to listen to it. Have being a fan of these artists since my teenage years which is going back a fair few years. How about you Radio Friend? Did you go to the Steely Dan Concert a couple years back in Dublin. Hey what can i say, it was a knockout of a perfermance from these extremely accomplished artists such as Donald Fagen/Wallter Becker are. Are you fortunate enough to have most of these artists albums?

Just a note of reference, Michael Franks has never played here.Got in touch with his management, and they say nothing is planned for Ireland just yet. Interestingly, Franks, Changed Records companies in 1999 from Warner Bros to a very reputable jazz label entilted Windham. He seems to be happy with them having had his first album produced by them called " Barefoot on the Beach" in 1999.

Here another point, why is it that these artists such as Steely Dan and Michael Franks tend to be very popular in Germany, Italy, Switxerland and America in terms of radio airplay? In other words Franks and Steely Dan tend to rightly get more media exposure in terms of promotion of their brand of music which is in part jazz influenced in these other countries as opposed to getting in Irealand or the Uk. A disgrace

As you rightly say Radio Friend, South-East radio as i know are the only station to play this music and its bloody great, but a terrible shame that this music is rarely played on Dublin Radio. God Damn, playlists, music rotation cycles. Programme Directors, like Al Dunne, Colm Hayes, are obessed by appealing only to the masses. They keep playing the same predictable sounds all day. Does every single listener that listens to lite or 98 want chart sounds? I don't think so. The older age categories of their age groups certainly should be more catered for.

I tell you even if Lite Fm which have Played Michael Franks on occasion during the middle of the night should devote at least 2 hours every night to this music. These artists deserve recognition and exposure. This is fabulous music. To be honest. some smart radio anorak will post something up on this board defending the fact radio stations should not play this kind of music, as it would not be popular with a Dublin Audience. Not the case at all.

Hello, i enjoy many styles of music including Country, Classical, Soul, pop, Jazz, Rock, Folk, Rap you name it. We need to hear more of Michael Franks, Donald Fagen Chick Corea, George Benson, David Samborn.

Finally i hear Donald Fagen is working on a new solo album that is due out next year, and Michael Franks is also working on a new album. So there you go. Apparently, Fagen is supposedly trying to match his Classic "The NiteFly" 1982 in terms of sound, melody. Interesting times ahead.

Look what 2FM, Today FM, Lite FM, in particular are missing out on by blatantly ignoring to playlist these artists. You know something, i believe there is a demand for this music, yet stations are afraid to play it. This is what i mean by bland uncreative radio in my previous posts.

[Katy Lied]

Hi Guys, What have I started? I totally agree that the Big Boys are missing out by not playlisting these artists. Their argument would probably be that this is not what people want to hear, yeah, but who are they asking? I mentioned to a couple of people that I was going to see a Steely Dan cover band and I was faced with blank looks and "oh, what does he sing"? - I think we have to educate these heads - they really don't know what they're missing! Don't mean to sound patronising.

Hey Dearg - at least the drink in Doran's is cheap by Temple Bar standards!

I have heard Steely Dan on Today FM (Dad Rock on Sunday nights) and John Clarke used to play them a lot, when he did Fridays midnight to 2.00am (Gawd, I really miss that show). I mean, when do we ever hear Santana (with the exception of Smooth) the likes of Sheryl Crowe and other good rock music? It's a terrible pity that we don't have a Rock station dedicated to Rock Music - not Motorhead etc., but to some of the artists already mentioned above.

Just gonna press rewing on Bodishatva and turn up the volume.

Byee

[RadioFriend]

For many years now I’ve been listening to Franks,Fagen,Fogelberg,Ellis Paul,David Wilcox,Clifford T,Janis Ian,Karla Bonoff,Diana Krall,and early Paul Simon stuff like (Hearts and Bones and One Trick Pony)………Hearts and Bones was a fantastic album ,It captured all the emotions of Simons life at that time but was still a flop!!!!!!!!!

Clifford T Ward got a couple of plays from a very few heads when he died but even at that it was Gaye or Home thoughts from abroad…People think that he never wrote anything else…Ellis Paul and David Wilcox are with out any doubt in my mind two of the finest songwriters alive today but nobody outside Boston or New York has heard of them.
What can I say about Fogelberg…He gets a play on Irish Radio every Christmas Eve because of same auld lang syne…? I urge you all to buy his 4 Cd box Set…Its an amazing musical journey for any wind and windy Irish night in by the fire.
While I just love Michael Franks and have most of his music bought through the years I do feel that he has a required taste……You rather like light Jazz or you don’t….It would not work on every playlist.I think that when Stephen at SER was playing “When Sly calls” he knew it was for a very select audience as well as tracks from John Martyn like Sweet Little Mystery or David Castles and lets be honest there is nothing better then playing Chapins WOLD full blast on the Radio…..
Janis Ian seems have been labelled as the girl who wrote 17 and nothing else …what about her recent stuff like “She must be Beautiful and Getting over you”…..Her last album entitled “God and the FBI”is a masterpiece?
Anyway….the question is this……….Who is this music for……It is a fact that MOST punters want to hear Rod Stewart and Tina Turner on their Radio .Radio Station PD’s will continue to programme this because its safe.To be honest I don’t blame them.There is a great risk in playing the sort of music mentioned above.

Hey I have played Declan Nerney on the Radio and then as a result contracted the winter vomiting bug…LOL

Us Radio Presenters just do what we are told or we make room for all the up and coming Djs that will….

RF

[shecaughtthekaty]

As a radio head, I think that this is really the most interesting topic for years. having grown up on Michael Franks and The Dan I can wholeheartedly agree with all concerned.

Franks has a best of out since about 98 which is a gem. Every song from Popsicle Toes (coverered by Diana Krall) to Hourglass is a classic.

the only surprising thing is the omission of Woman In The Waves from the Blue Pacific album ( a real SER favourite).

I have almost all the albums and a few years ago was in a small local shop and picked up 'Abandoned Garden'. I never took it out of the pastic until about a month ago and it is the BEST ever MF album. The song 'In The Yellow House' is his best song ever.

On another note, I saw Steely Dan two nights in a row in London in 2000 and it was the best thing ever.!!!

[Radio Mad]

Unfortunately I missed the gig because I was away in Amsterdam that week. Be sure to let me know if/when another gig happens.

I agree with the various postings above, it is a terrible shame that the likes of Steely Dan, Michael Franks, Dan Fogelberg etc, very rarely get to see the light of day on radio today. Maybe, just maybe, that will be put right sometime soon.

[DeargDoom]

I too would love to hear more of this stuff on the radio. I did work in one of the pirates of the early 90's (Coast FM from Ballybrack!) where we used to play a lot of gem tunes, but wouldn't have been quite as "albumy" as the above songs/artists.

BBC Radio 2 can throw up some pleasant surprises sometimes . . . Dad Rock on Today FM also occasionally has some good stuff on it (but normally concentrates on the harder stuff).

Neil Butler on South East Radio used to play a lot of good music, haven't been down there in ages, but I'm sure he still does, in fact S.E.R used to be great for playing gems!

Now then, did anyone go to see David Byrne?!

[Euan Roberts]

Hi Guys, Gotta agree with everything said on the posts. A specialised listening audience needs to be educated about the alternatives to listening to chart music on the radio. May i say, nothing wrong with some of today's music, and i realise radio stations gotta make money and i guess they gotta appeal to their masses. But hey, doesn't mean this music shouldn't get serious radio airplay. You gentley put this music on low rotation and check listeners feedback via music- based research.

Hey guys, i don't wanna hear another radio station somehow defending this practice of excluding genuine very talented artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Franks, Fogelberg, Stephen Bishop, Supertramp from their playlists much longer. If your into more standard jazz like Joe Sample, Diana Krall, Johnny Pirazzaly ( he's a Canadian Jazz vocalist and he so cool sounding). Include Bill Evans, Charlie Parker. Ahmad Jamal onto that list for possible airplay by stations such as Today FM and 2 FM for specialised programing in the form of an smooth jazz- album type show.

I hope owners and Program Director's are reading these posts carefully. They might learn something from some of us. After all, most Radio Anoraks are presently in radio, have worked in radio, and are firmly passionate and interested in the concept of this creative medium that we are blessed with.


I guess the sad thing about these posts is that Program Directors? Managing Director's of radio stations will always dismiss the very concept of going that road of facilitating a specialised niche audience that is interested in Michael Franks, Fagen, Michael Brecker, Charlie Hayden, Fogelbourg's Dobbie Brothers and Michael McDonald's music. Let their be no mistake about this, there is another audience in the demo 30- 54 age bracket that are not been catered for by the Lite Fm's of this world. Lite are looking after the audience that like Easy-Listening music of very commercial variety that Lite seems to target. fair enough, their have an audience.

But in that exact same demo group there are many more people that would appreciate an alternative in the form of an Album Orientated Rock Station that would address the needs of this audience. So yes, Franks, Fagen, Steely Dan, all these great artist would get serious radio airplay, more promotion, exposure, more information about them, but importantly jocks that would take the time and energy to educate that listening audience about the background to their music in the form of featured topics.

Why be discriminatory about this kind of music, and not about chart. Afterall these artists deserve their music to be played on the radio at the end of the day. But hey, i appreciate this won't happen over night.

Finally one way of getting people interested in Michael Franks, Fagen for those people that haven't heard of them would be for concert promoters to insist on including these artists with bigger bands coming over to Ireland to play if the demand is there of course. Everybody is a winner, and as a consequence some of the general public then get to see and know Michael Franks, Donald Fagen's, etc's music. Okay, if they don't like what they hear so be it. These artists have still got some media exposure to feel confident in coming back more often. It's all about music education to a possible audience.

[RadioFriend]

I was listening to a Canadian Station last month and they were promoting a Concert in Toronto .....

Wait for this ...
A night with Jackson Brown,Stephen Bishop,Christopher Cross,Andrew Gold,and Paul Davis.....

Can you imagine that for a night out...
I don't know was it a once off or what?

Talking about classic Radio Tunes..............
has anyone heard Stephen Bishop doing his own song "Seperate Lives".....



RF

[Euan Roberts]

Sounds Great Radio Friend, i just wish radio stations would hold concerts of this musical genre like they with oasis and the Prodigy all the time.

Anyhow, if your interested Michael Franks current album which i have is called "Olympia 2001" and its simply a work of art in the smooth jazz sense of the word. Furthermore, you probably know this already, but Franks first album was entilted "The Art of Tea " 1973 and was a Folk/Rock album. I gotta say, how he has evolved as a artist is pretty cool. From Folk to soft Rock, to smooth Jazz, what a transition for this man?

Finally are you familiar with these other artists?

Flora Purim, Kenny Rankin, Ron Carter, the Crusaders, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, Eric Gale, The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae.

Good Luck

Euan Roberts