Bringing some calm amid the chaos
COLM MAC CON IOMAIRE HAS BEEN ENTERTAINING THE WORLD FROM HIS HOME IN MONAMOLIN
In the past few weeks, multi-instrumentalist and fiddle player extraordinaire with The Frames Colm Mac Con Iomaire was due to be bringing his own brand of ambient modern trad to an Italian audience at a festival in Livorno. Given the developments of the past couple of weeks festivities are perhaps the furthest thing from the minds of the Italian people as the extent of the Covid-19 death toll becomes apparent.
However, for Colm, amid the chaos and uncertainty, music still has it’s role to play and it was with this in mind that he hosted a Facebook live concert from his home in Monamolin which went viral around the globe, picking up over 148,000 views.
‘Well given the times we’re in viral is probably not the best word to use,’ he smiles. ‘But yeah; I was supposed to be playing a show to probably 1,000 people that night and instead I ended up reaching 148,000.’
A relaxed show from the home he shares with wife Sheila and teenage sons Darach and Oisin, for many it provided just the calming influence that was required in the midst of a world in chaos.
‘At the end of the day I suppose that’s what music is supposed to be for,’ he reflects. ‘It’s to give people a bit of a break from their problems and the chance to put their worries aside for just a little while.’
While the crisis being sparked by coronavirus has not escaped any facet of society, plenty of musicians are really struggling as a result of live shows effectively being cancelled indefinitely. Colm has seen dates in Berlin and Italy axed as a result of the pandemic and major doubts now hang over a sold-out 30 year anniversary celebration of The Frames due to take place at The Royal Hospital Kilmainham on June 20.
‘I suppose the most important thing is that people are safe and well,’ he said. ‘ After that, this is going to be a huge blow to people who are self-employed right across the country; particularly those who are reliant on a passing trade or people going out.’
‘ Thankfully from my point of view, most of my income these days comes from writing music for films and TV. So really, I’m working from home anyway. At the moment I’m working on a movie score and I’m hoping that that kind of work will carry on as planned, so thankfully it’s not caused me any huge anxiety in the short term from that point of view.’
‘There are so many others not in that position though,’ he stressed. Taking aim at streaming giants like Spotify, he continued. ‘With the complete collapse of record sales, a lot of musicians are facing into really difficult times at the moment. For the volumes of people using streaming services, I think the royalty rates for musicians really need to be re-examined. I think Spotify currently pays around $3 for 1,000 streams. I think something along the lines of €3 per 100 streams would be much fairer.’
In relation to whether The Frames’ huge 30th anniversary gig will go ahead, Colm is unsure.
‘Who knows?’ he said. ‘Right now it’s hard to imagine 15,000 people, or whatever it is, from all over the world gathering together for a concert. We just don’t know what will happen and we have to kind of play it by ear. But if it doesn’t happen during the summer, it will definitely happen down the road.’
One of Ireland’s most successful acts, The Frames were also due to take their 30th anniversary show to the US later this year, but for now it’s a matter of wait and see. One would imagine that this could cause headaches in terms of being rehearsed and ‘road-ready’, but Colm says this is the least of their worries.
‘We were never great for rehearsing anyway,’ he laughs. ‘We were all actually looking forward to getting together for Glen (Hansard)’s 50th in April and playing some music, and that was going to be the start of it. Sadly, that won’t be happening now.’
‘We’ll manage though,’ he said. ‘It’s hard to gauge this week what things will be like next week. If this wave that is supposedly coming towards us hits, it will put a sharp focus on things. Please God people will adhere to all the guidelines and we’ll avoid a situation like they currently have in Italy.’
In the meantime, Colm, Sheila, Darach and Oisin have been making the most of some family time in Monamolin. ‘I’ve two boys, both of whom are teenagers, and our eldest Darach has Fragile X Syndrome and is on the autistic spectrum, so for him things are a bit challenging,’ Colm said. ‘ Things like a lack of structure and routine with being out of school can be difficult for him. Fortunately, we’re in the middle of lambing season and we’ve been able to help out our wonderful neighbours with feeding the little lambs and things like that, which has been great.’
With a lot of musicians looking at taking advantage of the time in isolation to create, Colm says this is inevitably where his mind will wander eventually. ‘I suppose it’s a little more difficult when the lads are at home and stuff,’ he said. ‘But I think there’s definitely music coming in. The country and the whole world are in a real state of shock this week, so I think it’s okay to take the week to process it and then get back to it next week.’
Following the success of the first live show, Colm took to Facebook live once again. With so much uncertainty surrounding everything, the music emanating from his violin will provide some comfort and a moment to switch off for many. His great hope was that it will provide some release, however temporary it may be, for those people in Italy for whom he should have been playing in person.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING A SHOW TO PROBABLY 1,000 PEOPLE THAT NIGHT AND INSTEAD I ENDED UP REACHING 148,000