Homeless Productions

Homeless Productions is a dual-focus music project based in Cork City, Ireland.
Modelled on the companies that were central to the alternative music movement of 1980s America, the organisation was founded in Mallow, County Cork in early 2007 by Michael McGrath-Bryan, Patrick O'Sullivan and Derek Horgan, area music fans who had met at a local metal concert late the previous year. Personal and ideological differences between McGrath-Bryan and O'Sullivan pre-empted a split between the two in September 2007, with Horgan following O'Sullivan to co-form the short-lived Noodle Gigs. McGrath-Bryan now runs the project under his vision with the assistance of "consigliere" Jason O'Regan and an anonymous "financial consultant", among several others.

Operating as a concert promotion in both the all-ages and adult demographics, the organisation aims to expose local acts to a wider audience, often putting on intentionally eclectic bills to ensure as wide an audience as possible. In April of 2007, the company began its Black Sessions series of concerts at local venue Fred Zeppelin's. A similar series of concerts is planned for an all-ages audience, the company having taken on a special taskforce for this purpose.

Plans are also in place to begin operations as an independent record label, with a number of local bands verbally agreeing to release material with the label. Recordings with the label are to be made at Tribarac Studio, Coachford, Co. Cork, with McGrath-Bryan and O'Regan overseeing recording, mixing, mastering, and in conjunction with the artists, production.

Foundations
The beginning of Homeless Productions can be pin-pointed to a concert promoted by O'Sullivan in November 2006 in Mallow. McGrath-Bryan, in attendance in crutches after sustaining an ankle injury, had been looking for a music-related project, having long been a fan of the American alternative rock underground, and offered his assistance in further endeavours to O'Sullivan. No more came of the talk until early 2007, when the two found themselves in the local young writers' society. The two further discussed organising a concert, and were joined in the debate by Slipknot fanatic Derek Horgan. After months of planning, an initial all-ages gig entitled Foundations took place, with a line-up mainly comprised of North Cork metal and indie acts. The concert was well-received amongst those in attendance, but was shortly followed by a split between McGrath-Bryan and O'Sullivan & Horgan, prompted by the personal differences between McGrath-Bryan and O'Sullivan.
I'm a wah wah who can't get over minute things which happened in the past.

Consolidation
The big idea
Now in complete control of the organisation, McGrath-Bryan began to model Homeless Productions to his vision. Seeing the potential in Cork for a historically important music scene, McGrath-Bryan decided to go through with his initial idea, which was stonewalled by O'Sullivan. Homeless Productions would run regular showcase concerts, and begin as a record label, releasing local acts' EPs and albums in small quantities. This regionalism, inspired by Washington DC's Dischord Records, would hopefully inspire others in other towns to begin similar organisations, and eventually establish a national shadow network of promoters, distributors, fan websites and fanzines, venues and fans that would support a national underground touring circuit.

Test run and early difficulties
A small run of concerts emanated from An Crúiscín Lán, on Douglas Street in Cork, the first of which was scheduled to be entitled Statement of Intent. This show was envisioned to bring together an eclectic mix of bands Homeless felt could be figureheads of a Cork scene: hardcore band Is Risen, indie bands National Saturday and Ladydoll,and experimentalists Baby Machê. Also scheduled to appear were new member Elizabeth O'Brien's project Bismarck. This show was heavily advertised in poster and flyer formats (a series of five collectible flyers were made). It was as a result of this incident that McGrath-Bryan came up with the tagline "Music for the right reasons", as an aggressive reaction to O'Sullivan, his friends and people of his ilk simply looking to be seen as "cool" and not really participating in music for the love of it.
A number of subsequent concerts were promoted, mainly as tools for the Homeless Productions crew to cut their promotional and organisational teeth. The last of these
was entitled The Second Coming, which fell on Easter Sunday and featured Galway hardcore band Les Christ Punchers.

Establishment/regular concerts
The Black Sessions
Early in the formation of Homeless Productions, McGrath-Bryan pushed to promote a regular series of concerts. Though this idea has taken on many false dawns, The Black Sessions finally debuted on April 25th, 2008, with Burma Shave, Silo and Detonate performing at Fred Zeppelin's, Cork.
On May 6th 2008, McGrath-Bryan posted a blog representative of Homeless Productions' intention to no longer book bands that cashed in on a scene of any sort.

The next Black Session is Friday May 9th, at 9pm, featuring Les Christ Punchers and Cork rock outfit KingSear.

Further dates for the Black Sessions are to be booked soon, with bands from Galway and Wexford being brought in alongside Cork acts.

All-Age Rage
Having found their beginnings in all-ages gigs, Homeless Productions appointed a team dealing exclusively with all-ages gigs, to be known as All-Age Rage. The team is currently looking for a regular venue.

Homeless Records
A major part of Homeless Productions' expansion is the start of its independent record label. Thus far, the label has reached verbal agreements with several Cork acts, and plans to start recording in Tribarac Studios, Coachford in mid-May 2008. The first session to be recorded will be for free jazz experimentalists OH! Other sessions for Cork metallers Detonate and Galway's Burma Shave are scheduled for later in the year.

Trivia
The original name for the fledgling promotion was to be I Want My Promotions. Ballyclough artist Edith O'Mahony was drafted in to create a logo for the name, which was deemed "cliche" by O'Sullivan.

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