Giveamanakick
Encyclopedia
Giveamanakick—typeset as giveamanakick and abbreviated as GAMAK— were an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 duo from Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

. The two band members were Stephen Ryan (Steveamanakick), the vocalist and guitarist, and Keith Lawler (Giveamanakeith), the drummer.

Giveamanakick performed regularly in Ireland, toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 with The Undertones
The Undertones
The Undertones are a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975.The original line-up of the Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums — The Undertones , Hypnotised , Positive Touch and The Sin of Pride — before disbanding in July 1983.Music guide Allmusic...

 and also performed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 during their existence. The duo featured at festivals such as Electric Picnic
Electric Picnic
The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success...

, Indie-pendence
Indie-pendence
Indiependence is an annual Irish indie-rock music festival, that usually takes place at or near Mitchelstown in County Cork. Indiependence is one of the "little two" music festivals in Ireland, sharing many of its acts with Castlepalooza which is held on the same weekend in Tullamore, County Offaly...

 and Hard Working Class Heroes
Hard Working Class Heroes
Hard Working Class Heroes is an Irish music festival for emerging bands. It has taken place in Dublin on an annual basis in and around September of each year since 2003...

 and also took part in the 2fm 2moro 2our. They released three albums; Is it ok to be loud, Jesus? (2003), We Are the Way Forward (2005) and Welcome to the Cusp (2008) before the end was announced in August 2009.

Remaining in Limerick throughout the existence of Giveamanakick, the duo were declared "the best hard-rock band in the country" by rock critic Eamon Sweeney and received the approval of Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...

, No Disco
No Disco
No Disco was RTÉ's flagship music television programme, broadcast on Irish television channel, Network 2, from 1993 - 2003. It was presented by Donal Dineen, Uaneen Fitzsimons and, following the death of Fitzsimons, Lawrence "Leagues" O'Toole...

s Leagues O'Toole and Fight Like Apes
Fight Like Apes
Fight Like Apes are an Irish alternative rock band formed in Dublin in 2006.Their current members are Mary-Kate "MayKay" Geraghty , Jamie "Pockets" Fox and Tom Ryan , while original member Adrian Mullan left the band in 2010 due to creative differences...

.

History

Giveamanakick formed in 2001 following the demise of Tooth, a band in which Stephen Ryan was the principal songwriter. Left with several songs, Ryan performed as a solo artist with an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

. One night, he encountered Keith Lawler, who played guitar in another band at the time, and Lawler began drumming with Ryan. In 2002, the duo released a split single with Mr. Creosote titled "Darko Filopovic", a song which would later feature as the final track on their debut album. By 2003, they had supported several more established acts, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...

 and Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1989 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005.The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record labels after the release of their 1992 album Circa: Now!, leading to a recording contract with Interscope...

. In 2003, there were reports that the duo's debut album, titled Is it ok to be loud, Jesus?, would be released on a label called Larry Gogan
Larry Gogan
Laurence 'Larry' Gogan is an Irish broadcaster working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann . He is a disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm. His show is The Golden Hour, during which Larry plays old favourites and classic songs from yesteryear. Gogan spun the first disc on Radio 2, Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats...

 Records but this later emerged to be a joke published by a fledgling Foggy Notions
Foggy Notions
Foggy Notions is an independently published Irish music magazine originally founded by Leagues O' Toole and Myles Claffey, which focuses on the more esoteric elements of electronica, indie, and folk music. Artists such as Mark E Smith, Skream, The Flaming Lips, and Joanna Newsom have been...

. The duo's debut album was in fact published on 3 July 2003 with that same title by the independent label Out On A Limb Records
Out On A Limb Records
Out On A Limb Records is an independent record label, based in Limerick, Ireland. The label was set up in the summer of 2003 with the release of Is it OK to be loud, Jesus?, the debut album from local band giveamanakick. It was set up by Albert Twomey and Richard Bourke, both of whom were involved...

 as the label's first release, with Giveamanakick having finished recording it in January that year. It received two out of five stars in a review by RTÉ's Tom Grealis who wrote, "this is what happens when rawness comes without any real sense of purpose". The Hot Press reviewer said listening to the album was "something akin to being battered round the head with a plank of wood for half an hour" but, nonetheless, "bloody fantastic".

A second album, We Are the Way Forward, was recorded over an eight day period and released by Out On a Limb in 2005. It received three from five stars in a review by RTÉ's Harry Guerin who said: "you'll get what you paid for from their stomp and swing". Phil Udell's Hot Press review gave the album 4.5 out of five stars, saying it "gives you that much sought after visceral thrill" and that the duo "wrote it, recorded it, fucked off. A classic". Their live performances also came in for increasing critical acclaim. When Eamon Sweeney of the Irish Independent attended a show by The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...

 in May 2006, his review stated that they "were well and truly blown off the stage by the support band" who were Giveamanakick. Stephen Ryan has said in several interviews that their early Sunday morning performance at Electric Picnic in 2006 was "one to remember" with so many festival-goers coming to view them. He described the performance as a" bit of a blur" as they "pretty dumbfounded by the reaction" and the idea of "playing with some of our musical heroes such as Dinosaur Jr. and Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...

 was a dream come through".

In 2007, Giveamanakick toured Germany before beginning to record their follow-up album. They did the 2fm 2moro 2our with The Flaws
The Flaws
The Flaws are an Irish Choice Music Prize-nominated, Meteor Award nominated indie-rock quartet, hailing from Carrickmacross in County Monaghan and Dundalk in County Louth...

 and Messiah J & The Expert. In October that year, rock critic Eamon Sweeney, bemoaning the lack of original Irish music that year, singled out Giveamanakick as " the best hard-rock band in the country" and said they "could teach all those Dublin chancers with stupid haircuts and no ideas a thing or two".

Giveamanakick were described as a "promising act" for 2008 by Eamon Sweeney of the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...

in January of that year. They performed several Irish dates in January that year. Their third album, Welcome to the Cusp, was recorded over a ten day period in Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...

, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

 and released on 2 May 2008 on the duo's own label, Monkeyheart Recordings. It received three from five stars in a review by RTÉ's Harry Guerin who described the music as "immediate and memorable". Other publications called it "the best Irish record of 2008". The track "Brittle Bones", released as the second single from the album, marked the first use of an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

 by the duo. Ryan claimed that Welcome to the Cusp was the album which "most accurately represents what the Giveamanakick sound actually is" and described the songs as "possibly the most structurally challenging ones so far".

Giveamanakick performed a nationwide tour following the release of Welcome to the Cusp, including a date at Indie-pendence
Indie-pendence
Indiependence is an annual Irish indie-rock music festival, that usually takes place at or near Mitchelstown in County Cork. Indiependence is one of the "little two" music festivals in Ireland, sharing many of its acts with Castlepalooza which is held on the same weekend in Tullamore, County Offaly...

 in August 2008. Prior to their Friday night performance at Electric Picnic in 2008
Electric Picnic 2008
Electric Picnic 2008 was the fifth Electric Picnic festival to take place. The three-day event took place on the weekend of Friday–Sunday, 29–31 August at Stradbally in County Laois, Ireland...

, Tony Clayton-Lea, writing in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...

, recommended festival-goers to see them, remarking that "despite keeping a profile lower than a Dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...

's belly, Giveamanakick have managed to keep things grooving along by virtue of their innate boisterousness and musical flash-bang-wallop".

In September 2008, Giveamanakick played Hard Working Class Heroes
Hard Working Class Heroes
Hard Working Class Heroes is an Irish music festival for emerging bands. It has taken place in Dublin on an annual basis in and around September of each year since 2003...

, at which the organisers selected them alongside acts such as The Blizzards
The Blizzards
The Blizzards are an Irish band from Mullingar in County Westmeath. They were formed by Niall Breslin in late 2004, and also feature Dec Murphy , Justin Ryan, Anthony Doran and Aidan Lynch...

 and Heathers to play the CMJ Festival in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 the following month. On 3 April 2009, the duo appeared on Phantom FM
Phantom FM
Phantom 105.2 is a Dublin based radio station, founded in 1996 as a pirate radio station. Phantom broadcasts under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland ....

 alongside Royseven
Royseven
Royseven are a six-piece alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. Their debut album The Art of Insincerity was released in October 2006. The band received the Hope for 2007 award at the 2007 Meteor Awards....

 to perform cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s of Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

 songs. Giveamanakick's end came with an announcement on 17 August 2009. The final shows are scheduled to take place in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

, Dublin, Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

 and Limerick in November and December 2009.

Style

The duo were described as "noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...

's version of The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...

" by RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

. Ryan once described himself as a "Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

 fanatic" and the duo were compared to acts such as Pixies. His lyrics regularly featured references to popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...

. However, the opening track on their debut album, titled "Ger Canning", was not a reference to the broadcaster of the same name
Ger Canning
Ger Canning is an Irish GAA hurling and football commentator with Raidió Teilifís Éireann .-Career:Born in Cork on August 1, 1951. Ger Canning was a secondary school teacher at South Presentation school in Cork City when he began his broadcasting career with Cork Local Radio in 1978.Two years later...

. They wrote self-described pop songs, where "Keith hits his drums really hard and I [Steve Ryan] like my guitars turned up very loud but we do this with a pop sensibility", and employed techniques such as using gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...

s to distort their vocals when playing live, performing with streamers and encouraging their audience to disorientate themselves by clapping their own ears. They lived in Limerick throughout their existence, citing a positive music scene, the humour and the hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 as being some of their reasons for liking their home city.

Members

Stephen Ryan was the guitarist and vocalist. He is originally from Castletroy
Castletroy
Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

. He grew up in a background of traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...

, listened to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 on his father's record player
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...

, learned how to play the keyboard at the age of ten, the guitar at the age of fifteen and joined a band called Tooth in his early twenties. He has also performed as Windings.

Keith Lawler was the drummer. He is from Parteen
Parteen
Parteen is a small village in south-east County Clare. The village has a large Roman Catholic church, three public houses, Brownes , Parteen House and The Blackwater Inn. There is also a national school which has been in place since 1974 and has recently been expanded...

. He liked Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

 when he was fourteen years of age, and learned how to play the guitar when he was a teenager but began to learn the drums at the age of sixteen when he realised that there was a surplus of guitarists in his area. Tooth used to rehearse near his house and he often listened to them from outside. Two of his cousins were already drummers, having performed with The Charming and The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...

.

Discography

Giveamanakick released three albums.
  • Is it ok to be loud, Jesus? (2003)
  • We Are the Way Forward (2005)
  • Welcome to the Cusp (2008)

External links

  • Official site
  • Video of performance on The Once a Week Show
    The Once a Week Show
    The Once a Week Show with Dustin and Sinéad from Sinéad's House Where Dustin Likes to Hang is an Irish television chat/comedy show, broadcast on RTÉ Two. A successor to the more frequent Dustin's Daily News, the show is hosted by Dustin the Turkey of The Den, with his assistant Sinéad Ni Churnain...

    (October 2007)
  • Video announcing the split, and final tour
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