Legendary bassist Jerome Rimson (Phil Lynnot, Van Morrision) recently jammed at the Mezz Club in the Mezzanine Bar, Eustace Street, D2. He also found time to play with Sinead Martin a week later. Developing a great reputation, acts who have played the Mezz lately include Blue Tide, Eoin Coughlan, Aaron Smith, Hugh Phelan, John Byrne, St. Mark’s Electric Choir, Leslie Keye, Laine Handerson, Niall Lawlor, Peco, Steafan Hanley and Ann Scott.

Meanwhile, Ann Scott was joined by Karl Odlum, Dave Hingerty, Keith Biggs, Margaret Healy, Alice Jago, Nina Hynes and Cian Loughnane on fiddle all in the space of one night in Whelan’s.

Girl Power returns to the Isacc Butt in late June for another fund -raiser for Irish Cancer.ie. Sisters doing it include Princess Linzi, The Amazing Annie, Big Bertha Hamilton, Bailer and many more bands and artists…

Derek Devine has just formed a new band called The Good Ship. They’ll be making their debut in June…

Consistent champion of Irish bands on London’s XFM, John Kennedy has also been bigging up local talent in his new column in X-Ray magazine. “There is definitely a great uncharted music scene happening in Ireland at the moment,” he writes. After singling out Joan of Arse and The Dudley Corporation for years of hard work, he adds, “I’m hearing about electronica from Kilkenny and I have it on good authority that the The Tycho Brahe are the best new Irish band in years… ” Nice one John!

Meanwhile, way out West, Galway’s Cane 141 and Martin Finke shared the unique honour of playing with former American Music Club mainman Mark Eitzel at his only Irish show in the Taibhearc…

Another American we seemed to have claimed as one of our own, Josh Ritter is currently working on a new album for a September release. It was recorded with Dave Odlum in France. Josh contributed a new song called ‘Snow is Gone’ to the Other Voices album.

The Things are fast garnering good word of mouth reports. In addition to supports to The Basement and The Warlocks, they played Alan McGee and Danny Watson’s Death Disco night in London’s Notting Hill Gate. They play a hometown headliner with Blues Experience and The Mainline, who haven’t gigged in a while and have a new five song demo doing the rounds.

New Dublin noiseniks Otranome release their debut single this month. They’ve won the BBC Radio Ulster Demo Derby no less than four times with live favourite ‘Another Dies Young’. They’ve hadn’t had the same profile in the south yet, so look out for live dates to be announced for the summer.

Fresno have just released their debut EP entitled Now That You Know Me. Citing their influences as The Smiths, Badly Drawn Boy and Jeff Buckley, you can find out more at abandnamedfresco.com…