It has been a fantastic 18 months for the band. When I look back at the time we had together I can't help but smile and laugh and all the things we did. All the gigs we played, the nights out together, the practice sessions, the fighting, piss ups, meetings, new songs and people we met, it all made for a great time together.BUt unfortunatley now it has all come to and end.

I suppose for me personally the last 6 months were not enjoyable. Well i cannot say it was all shit because I still had some fun. But overall it was becoming more of a strain than an enjoyment. The begining of the end I think was the recording of the EP. Unfortunatley the bad recording quality meant that we had to get it re-mixed. In that time I was bollox tired trying to organise the cd, artwork and shit while still getting all the gigs going. I had no time to do what i loved, writing music. As i was the one to form the band I always felt the responsibility to keep things going. As we went on I passed on other responsibilities to the lads but it never really worked and I got pissed off with running the band. I never started the band to run the thing or to be a band manager. I wanted to make music and have people listen to it and enjoy it.

The lads had other things going on in their lives. Ray and Rob were busy with college. Luke had left for Australia. For me this was sad. I loved having my brother in the band with me and I felt a bit of a loss when he went. Bob came in and did well. He was and is very talented but it never gelled and in the end he left for his own reasons. He was right to leave too. He left because he wasn't getting enjoyment out of it. I respect that desicion a lot. If your not enjoying something in life then get out. And it is lookng at Bob's desicion that made me look at myself. I had stopped enjoying it and I wasn't doing what I wanted. So like Bob I decided to leave it be.

the last few weeks we have done nothing together as a band. In my mind the band was finished weeks ago. There was no fights, no falling outs. I just stopped thinking about it. Rob and Ray were busy with exams and I have not seen much of them of late. But that is life people move on and go different ways. Even though they are my cousins, I did not know them that well before we formed as Fathom. I feel I know them a lot better now and love them to bits. Yeah they would have done my head in sometimes but one thing I learnt over the past 18 months was that we are very different people. I knew that when we started but it has been confirmed over the last while.

Rob is an intellect. A genius in a lot of ways. His dry sense of humor would have us cracking up in laughter many a time. When we started i wouldn't even know how to plug my guitar in. Now I can safely say I would set up a gig and sound check. So much skills I learnt from Rob. All the technical side of being in a band not to mention guitar playing skills. i remember with great fondness the first demos we made together when I brought him my songs. Exciting times they were. I still ring or text Rob to annoy him and ask him what he thinks of this or that guitar.

Ray and i became close over the last while. In a way he has become like another brother. We spent a lot of time together outside of the band. He brought me to Segorbe where I made great friends with his friends there. Even though I rip the piss out of him 24/7 I have huge respect for him. We had our first full gig in NCAD thanks to him and we all made friends there thanks to Ray. Even though I still think the majority of art students are fucking weirdos, I appreciate art hugely now, thanks to time spent with Ray and time spent in NCAD.

The band is over now but I know I took a lot more from us being together than just playing gigs. Now we are just going off in different directions. I am sad it is over. But for me personally I am excited. i will continue with my music. I feel a new lease of life in my writing and I am excited about what is com

We were driving around in an old 1980’s red golf. It belonged to Weller. He was driving and Noel was sitiing in the passenger seat. We were just chatting away about music and stuff. I kept thinking to my self that I always wanted one of these golfs. We were just driving around the Irish countryside. We were making regular stops to cottages and pubs along the way where Paul would call in to say “Hello” to his mates. Noel was quiet like he was the wing man of the two and when Paul called in to the pubs and cottages, Noel and I would stand outside in the sunshine and talk about childhood days in Ireland. He was telling me about all the fun times he, his Mam and Liam would have when they went over to Mayo for summer holidays.

The trip finally ended when we arrived at a community centre in Woking, England where Weller grew up. We were playing a gig there. I remember being amazed at how cool Weller and Gallagher were before such a big gig. Noel was reading the paper while Paul was on the phone to one of his mates saying
“Nah mate not tonight I have to do a gig in a minute”
We sat in the back room of the community centre. The room was jam packed with old tables and chairs and an old battered guitar amp. Paul started to strum his guitar and began to sing “Broken Stones”. Noel lit up another smoke and chatted to me about his first gig.
I could hear the excitement building outside. The room was shaking with the noise of the fans. I was shitting it. We got ready to go on stage and Paul said to me:
“Your not playing guitar I am. You just sing and do your thing.”
They went ahead of me and started playing. I walked on stage to see the biggest crowd ever. There was a couple of hundred thousand easily. I was roasting with the heat that was coming from the fans and the dark summer sky was lit up by their phones and lighters. We did one number and the crowd were going wild. Weller and Gallagher sat at the back of the stage while I sang and jumped around.

We finished and Weller got up to the Mic:
“Ladies and gents let me introduce to you, The fucking hottest band around THE BRASS NECKS!!!”
The crowd went wild. Bob was there on drums, Ray was standing on a amp with his bass in one hand and his other hand in the air as he was screaming “COME ON!!!”
Rob began playing a riff and the crowd started bouncing. Then it stopped and a shouted on the mic:
“People try to put us down”
BANG
The Brassnecks kicked in along with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller. The crowd were going wild as Ray, Weller, Noel, Rob and Bob sang togther “TALKING BOUT MY GENERATION!!”

Beep beep beep beep.

Yeah we all know what that is. We’ve all read that before at the end of a story like this. Yes folks your right it is 6am it is Tuesday morning and I do have to go to work now. Back to the real world  But sure keep dreaming it costs nothing!!

Stevo

We had all been looking forward to getting into studio for the first time. It had been a year since we officially formed as Fathom and this recording weekend was going to be a bookmark of our first year together. The songs had been chosen, the ideas had been put together and we had worked hard in getting the songs tight.
We met in Saturn Studios 6:30pm on Friday evening. It was good to have Luke back with the band. It was a team of 6 for the weekend working together on the recordings. Stevo, Ray, Rob, Luke and Bob. Bob had joined as the new drummer of the band but Luke still came to be involved in his last work with the band before his move to Australia. Graham Weekes was manning the desks.
We started work on the drums just before 7pm and in a couple of hours the drums were down. We finished up by 10:30pm having got the bass and the drums down. We were way ahead of schedule already. Graham had expected to take most of saturday on bass and drums but we were so tight on our songs everything was down in a couple of takes. Much to the delight of the sound man who hadn't met such a tight band as the brass necks. All in all a successful evening was had. The studio was filled with the equipment and things to do. Sketch pads, drinks ,cigarettes and rebel flags, the most entertainment came from Ray's new camera. Hours of fun were had with the fancy exposure and all sorts of trick shots were taken. That along with the video camera kept everyone entertained while recording went on in the booth. All back to Rob's that night after the work was done. Cup of tea and some hilarious filming and dancing before 5 tired heads went to bed.

Set back on Saturday meant that we could not get started till 3pm. We all went over to Rob's for 1pm were our Auntie (or mother) Teesa made us a slap up fry. We all sat round the big round table like knights and had the craic with our Uncle (or father) John before lounging back in the big leather chairs and watching batman. 3pm-down t the studio and back to work. Today it was guitars. We expected to be working till the early hours as we only got to start at 3pm. Again we were way ahead of schedule and everything was done in a couple of takes. Stephen and Rob finished guitar tracks by 9:30pm that evening. All was ready for the vocals on Sunday. More fun was had all day saturday with the camera and filming. It is going to make for a great video:-) All back to Luke and Stephen's Mam's house for the evening. Bob's parents were down in Dublin so he was off for the night to spend time with them. Meanwhile the members of the Mullan clan got beers and dips and watched Step Brothers (not better than madagascar 2 "I AM KING JULIAN!!!") in Seán's home made cinema. Tired heads went to bed for midnight.

9pm Start on Sunday morning. Vocals were done in a few hours. Some effects were added and some piss taking was done in the sound booth. By 1pm the brass necks had finished recording there debut EP. Stephen provided the Cuban cigar to celebrate and it was pats on the back all round. The Brassnecks finished way ahead of schedule cutting expected recording time in half. Four songs recorded and waiting to be mixed for a mid February release. Four songs that are going to catch people's attention.

Looking forward to gigging to you all with it.

Stevo
the Brassnecks