16 - North Shore News -— Friday, Juiy 14, 2000 Irish quartet part of Psyko Blast tour John Goodman This Week editor {goodimman@nsnews.conm @ YTV’s Psyko Blast tour with Christina Aguilera, Moffatts, McMaster & James, Mytown and North Vancouver's Soul Decision, GM Place, July 19, Tickets $43 call 280-4444. THERE'S no looking back for Dublin’s Mytown, Literally — the performing arts school where they met ao longer exists. ‘The boys first got together in 1996 at the now-defunct Digges Lane as did many of Treland’s new generation of entertainers. “It’s pretty much where everyone started out,” says Paul Walker. “A congregation spot if you like and it just developed from there — bands came out of nowhere — especially when the pop indus- try exploded in Ireland at the same time. If vou were young and you wanied to be an entertainer that’s where you were.” Walker began as an actor but switched to music after hooking up with Mare Sheehan, Terry Daly and Danny O'Donoghue. The band’s origi- nal name was inspired one day while look- ing out over the rooftops of Dublin. Legend has it they were discovered at a music showcase in New York but a lot of work has gone on behind the scefies for these overnight sensations. Their self- titled debut CD took almost a year from planning stages to completion. After months of touring to promote the album Walker looks back at the recording process as part of a learning curve, “When we got the deal We went back to Dublin and built a studio of our own. Then we chose the producers we winted to work with and came to North America and traipsed around for 10 months from place to place, producer axe) producer — it was an excel- lent growing, experience.” Producers on the CD include Boyz II Men, Narada Michael Walden and Blackstreet’s Teddy Riley. “We were actually in Virginia recording “Party A Night” and Teddy’s studio wasn’t far away. We went down to see him, knocked on the door, sang for hin) — perseverance —— seemed like the thing to do. We spent a fair bit of time with Teddy.” f Already veterans of rour- ing, Mytown come prepared for any type of audience. The band plays mails, auditoriums, arenas and even spent a week performing in Bosnia during 1998. “We did some charity shows in England first of all and Sarah Ferguson asked us if we would go because they'd just come out of a war. We said we'd love to do it — the kids had never seen a band before. They didn’t know how to react. It was a brand new experience for them and cer- tainly for us. Despite every- thing thev’ve been through they were the nicest people you'd ever meet. ft was an experience you wouldn't for- get. 1 was expecting five peo- ple in a room and there were thousands wherever we went.” Walker and the band were > Fc a See Ce a er TERN EO CRORE ER OER KC eM SRT ET TT Eee ree He eee eee SY taken through Bosnia and Croatia with a UN escort. While similar precautions might be in order for Christina Aguilera’s Psyco Blast tour across Canada, Walker sees it as a time to cut loase and have some fun. Mancouver is the light at the end of the tunnel. “We’re looking forward to that. CAPILANO AFESION Photo Richard McLaren MYTOWN (left to right): Mare Sheehan, Paul Walker, Danny O’Donoghue and Terry Daly play the last date of their Psyko Blast Tour in Vancouver on July 19. We're going to take a big tour bus and drive the length and breadth of Canada. Everyone on the tour will have a bus. A convoy. Can’t wait for that — really look- ing forward to that. We all are. We're going to shoot a video a day after the end {for “Lifetime Affair’) then go back to Dublin.” Fenpan’ oot ees eevee eetevees tenes oars WIN THREE CD SET FROM CAFE DEL MAR SERIES Caté De! Mar was butt 20 years AgO aS a inbute te the sus at Ipiza’s San Antonia resort The bar has an international reputation as the place to go to watch the sun set over tne Mediterranean. Since 1995 Café Dei Mar nas been releasing a senes of super-ciitled aance mixes from Jose Padilla and the test of the ciud’s spectacular DJs. For a chance to vin a copy af the fatest tree CDs in the Cate Det Mar series (eeciusmve tracks trom Moby, Talin Singh, Groove Armada and 38 other artists) tes us une of the bands performing at Psyco Blast or July 19. Send your entries te Caté Del Mar Contest. Narth Share News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. North Vancouver, 3C V7M ZH4. Attn: John Goodman. You can fay entries to 995-2104 or e-mail to Deadline for he contest is Wednesday. July 12,5 pm. 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