
There's no doubting that the Harvest Ministers' new record 'Strange Love Letter' will be at home on a turntable on a postprandial Sunday afternoon. It is a lushly produced affair complete with an even tempo that'll neither startle nor give you reason to ever doubt the strength of the tunes on offer. And with each one rolling sumptuously into the next it makes for an album that even the shufflers can enjoy. 'Tombstone Eyes' is a definite highlight, replete with orchestral strings and Will Merriman's textured vocals. The Harvest Minister's have always had that touch of class but on [...]

The Harvest Ministers were a brilliant indie pop band that produced wonderful albums. Formed in 1987 it wasn't until 1991 that they released their first single 'You Do My World the World of Good'. In 1993 they released their debut album 'Little Dark Mansions'. The band released four albums in total with their last 'My Star is Shining' appearing in 2003. Tha band haven't officially broken up and played a gig in Whelans in December 2008. Sample Mp3s: Forfeit Trials A River Wedding [...]

I tweaked this weekly feature so I can bring to you three excellent sample mp3s that reflect the mood of a particular topic. Of course in Ireland we have all had the NAMA conversation. The pros and cons have been debated by almost everyone. I'd love to support NAMA but because it's been dreamed up by the same people who made all them massive mistakes in the first place I find myself in a conflict. I can't help but think that NAMA is not in the country's best interests. It's design is to stall the slide in [...]

Just like most things Glen Hansard does, the relationship split from Marketa Irglova has arrived into the public domain in a very low key way. He recently answered a question from an Australian journalist stating ..... ..... "We had made the film. We had gone through so much with the Oscar. Of course, we fell into each other's arms. It was a very necessary part of our friendship but I think we both concluded that that wasn't what we really wanted to do. So we're not together now. We are just really good friends." ...... ..... [...]
The Harvest Ministers are this year 20 years old. Around long enough to have been signed to Sarah Records (wow!) back in early nineties and also long enough to realise that talent alone is no guarantee of success. One of their first recordings was this heartbreaker which was initially given a vinyl only release. And for all of youtube's enormous reach I can't for the life of me trace the
1. Oppenheimer - 'Breakfast in NYC 2. Si Schroeder - 'Lavendermist' 3. Director - 'Reconnect' 4. Ash - 'Shining Light' 5. Jape - 'Floating' half a dozen. Harvest Ministers - 'The Warmest Heart' 7. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - 'When Your Mind's Made Up' 8. 4 Ham Sandwich tracks 9. U2 -'With Or Without You' (live) [...]
The Harvest Ministers have been in existence for 2 decades. They are the original cult band having had a term with the legendary Sarah Records back in the early nineties. Despite an admirable back catalogue that includes 4 albums Will Merriman and his cohorts have never risen beyond a widely applauding circle of music critics. 'Tis a shame too because the Harvest Ministers gentle folky tomes are