You can read all the information here and watch the video here.

The next show I’ll be involved in will be A Christmas Carol at The Gate Theatre in Dublin.  It will be directed by Alan Stanford and opens on the 1st of December. I saw this production a few years ago and remember that it was really magical and so Christmassy, so I’m really looking forward to it!!

Before rehearsals start for that, I’m making the most of my free time. Got to see my friend Sarah Crowe in The Calendar Girls at The Noel Coward Theatre in London. It’s an inspiring story … a pleasant evening and for a really good cause.

Had a great time at The Hot Press Music Show in The RDS, it gets better every year! With a live stage, exhibitions, seminars and workshops … it really is a feast for anyone with even the slightest interest in music. I particularly enjoyed watching Anto Drennan and Keith Duffy give their workshops. And great to catch live music from The Brilliant Things, Sharon Corr… to name but a few.

Got to see Tales of Ballycumber by Sebastian Barry in The Abbey, Dublin, the other night. A really powerful play. Quite disturbing. It’s language is so eloquent and descriptive … making the story even more poignant.

I’m writing as much as I can too … must get into the studio soon to actually get some ideas recorded … before I forget them!!!

Here’s a little update on what I’m up to this month.

I am very am busy in rehearsals in the Abbey theatre for a show called “The Rivals” – “Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s feisty and spirited celebration of the drama of everyday life, one of theatre’s most enduring comedies.” I have a very tiny part in it but it’s such a thrill to be working in our national theatre and I am learning so much whilst there.

The wonderful Patrick Mason is directin, it’s a really great cast; Ian Lloyd Anderson, Emma Colohan, John Currivan, Phelim Drew, Nick Dunning, Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Martin Maguire, Alison McKenna, Rory Nolan, Marion O’Dwyer, Aoibheann OHara, Derry Power and Marty Rea. There is so much talent and experience for me to admire and pick up tips from while rehearsing and we are having a lot of fun.

I was over there doing the play ‘Seven Deadly Sins, Four Sinners’ with the gorgeous Sarah Crowe, Sue Holderness and Belinda Lang – really wonderful ladies and a delight to meet. Â The director was Marc Sinden and the play is “an anthology evening of wicked comedy, heavenly drama, devilishly tall tales, enchanting poetry and seductive stories. Compiled from the works of nearly everyone with a sense of humour (sometimes unintentional!) – from Chaucer to Victoria Wood, from Woody Allen to Oscar Wilde via Flanders & Swann, Joyce Grenfell, Steven Berkoff and Noel Coward – by the award-winning scriptwriter and author of the first six of the Carry On films Norman Hudis”. Â We were part of The Holder’s Season and performed in the garden at Holder’s House – a traditional Plantation House dating from the 17th century, set in 5 acres of formal and park gardens. The house has beautiful views over its huge pool and the polo ground to the Caribbean Sea. Â The garden is the home of the Holders Opera Season every March.

The show went really well and the feedback was great. Â Apart from that, we made the most of our visit – we swam with turtles, watched monkeys play outside our rooms, jet skiid, drank out of coconuts on the side of the road, saw the most amazing blue-green seas, investigated little second hand shops, met wonderful people, enjoyed rum punches, tasted incredible food – I could go on and on … it’s truly a beautfiul place. Â So all in all, a successful and memorable trip. Â I had to keep pinching myself while I was there and even now it seems like a dream! Â Would love to get back there, but meanwhile I’m looking out my window and the sun is shining … Summer is on the way!

I was there to sing with a friend of mine called Davey MacManus ( he’s Irish too) and his band The Crimea ( if you have not heard of them you can read and hear more at their myspace). Â They have just finished recording a new album called ‘Listen to seashells, they know everything’ and I contributed some vocals – hence me there.

We filmed three songs for KEXP Radio Seattle and we are played a midnight show on Saturday in The Rio.

I arrived a day after the Meteors, which were great fun, and jet lag was practically zero and so it was great to hang out a bit and soak up the atmosphere. Â We stayed in a house a couple of miles out of the centre which was perfect. Â There were lots of other Irish artists there too. Â Lisa Hannigan who is on tour at the moment played the other night with my very dear friend Shane on bass! Â Wallis Bird, who won the Hope for 2009 at the Meteors played too. Â Other Irish acts included Relief, We Should Be Dead, Dirty Epics, Sickboy, The Brothers Movement, Fighting with Wire and Kieran McMullen. Â There were such a mish mash of music there – new and old – The Proclaimers and Echo and The Bunnymen were there!

The Convention Centre is a hive of music activity – panels such as crash courses in getting gigs, recording, promotions, publicity, press, management, merchandising, online resources, Â ‘saying the unsayable with Jarvis Cocker’, ‘Neil Young’ archives, the list goes on! Â It was interesting to see fewer physical albums knocking around – the internet is having such an effect on how artists get there music out there. Â We streamed one of our rehearsals live onto the band’s myspace page.

It was such an experience to be there. Â To be reminded of how vast the music industry is – how tough it is, but how eclectic and exciting and inspirational too. Â There was a hive of information – so much learning to be done. Â And you’re meeting people from all over the world, all united by the same thing!! Â AND I saw a bakery FOR DOGS!!!! Â I mean … come on!! Â Does it get any better?! Â Ok, it’s nothing to do with SXSW but worth a mention I think!!

So I few back to Dublin today, then to London in a few days to rehearse a play I’m going to be doing … in BARBADOS!!! Â Pretty amazing, eh?! Â It’s called ’7 Deadly Sins, 4 Sinners’ and is being directed by Marc Sinden (Sir Donald Sinden’s son). Â Delighted to be doing the show and have seen pictures of where we are going to be staying … it looks really spectacular. Â So, I really couldn’t be happier at the moment.

I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how I’m getting on, check back on the site soon!

Tara

Congratulations to Imelda May on winning the award for Best Female Artist and a big thanks to all those involved in making the evening happen.

Didn’t get to see it? Check out the video of Tara on the Orange carpet or all the other pics from the night.

Tara’s category is decided by public vote, which is live from now. Irish residents can vote by texting VOTE to 085 7114444 to receive a list of keywords and categories. (Meteor customers on plans such as Offer of a Lifetime or Free Texts for Life can text FREE). Voting is open to all Irish mobile networks and will be charged at standard text rates.
Online voting is available now at http://meteormusicawards.meteor.ie/nominees.aspx ; everyone who votes will be automatically entered into a competition to win tickets to the 2009 Awards.

Hosted by Amanda Byram, the 2009 Meteor Awards will be held in Dublin’s Royal Dublin Showground on St Patrick’s Day,  Tuesday 17th March 2009, and televised on RTE 2 the following day.

19 awards in total are to be won, of which 8 categories will be decided by music fans. Other nominees for ‘Best Irish Female Artist’ are Lisa Hannigan, Gemma Hayes, Imelda May and Camille O’Sullivan, so don’t delay, vote today!

Some figures on the Irish music scene including Tara, Turlough Gunawardhana of The Chapters, Brian Darcy of Ham Sandwich and Karen McCartney of Cowboy X have been photographed in various Hilfiger outfits from a new range.

See the full feature here.

Apart from an abundance of new images, and a complete audio and video section, the site will be regularly updated with news about Tara, and via a link to the Spokes website visitors can buy all Tara’s music as downloads. Register for the Tara Blaise newsletter, and download her live favourite, Unbearable Lightness, free.