The Arts:It has taken Colm Mac Con Iomaire, of The Frames, two decades to step into the spotlight on his own. But having discovered the joys of creative freedom, it won't be so long next time, he tells Jim Carroll
FOR NEARLY 20 years, Colm Mac Con Iomaire has been one of The Frames. Others have come and gone from the ranks of the band, but the quiet fiddle-player has been Glen Hansard's constant lieutenant during that long, eventful run from Grafton Street to the Oscars. While there have been a few guest spots here and there, Mac Con Iomaire has appeared largely content to be a Frame and leave it at that. Then, late last year, his debut solo album, The Hare's Corner, appeared – and suddenly, the fiddler was stepping shyly into the limelight.
This beautiful, lush, seductive album has been in preparation for as long as Mac Con Iomaire has been playing music. Existing at that point where trad, folk and classical come together, The Hare's Corneris a melancholic, contemplative soundtrack for the senses which will remind you of Angelo Badalamenti, Martin Hayes and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It also makes you realise just how much Mac Con Iomaire has contributed to the musical width and depth of The Frames.
The album was recorded during a break in touring with the Swell Season (the touring name adopted by Hansard and Markéta Irglová) last year. “When the schedule for the year came in, I realised I had this window in May to record and if I didn’t get it done then, another year would probably go by – so I went for it,” he says. “Within two weeks, I’d arranged the time, dragged a mobile home into our field and hooked it up to electricity. I got Karl [Odlum, producer] down and we did all the recording and the mixing in two weeks.”
That fortnight in a field in Co Wexford was bliss. “Having two weeks in my own studio with Karl at my disposal and lovely microphones and my own instruments around me made it my favourite recording experience ever,” Mac Con Iomaire says. “The only idea behind the record was that there was no idea. I wouldn’t be imprisoned by genre or whatever. I don’t consider myself as that much of a trad player. I’d have a foot in the water over there and I’d have a foot in the water in the classical world, but I never consider myself one or the other or even both.
“When you play in a song-led band for so long, you’re bound by song arrangements and it’s very structured with intro, first verse, chorus, pre-chorus. The idea of going in and being able to reject all of that mapping and planning was a pleasure.”
Inevitably, perhaps, Mac Con Iomaire keeps comparing the making of his solo album with the recording sessions he has done down through the years with The Frames.
"Recording The Hare's Cornerfelt like a total indulgence and made me realise that recording could be and should be like that. It's not that The Frames' recording sessions have been entirely unpleasant, but the committee element of the process can be frustrating.
“Often, the creative process within a band is like a case of divine discontentment. Things are good, things are great, but things are never brilliant, for some reason. You’re always striving for something, but not quite sure what it is. When you’re recording with the band, you have your allocated time and it’s a frantic struggle to get all your ideas down on tape because there’s also someone who’s getting tense because you’re running out of time.”
MAC CON IOMAIREalways carried the notion of a record of his own with him. While most of the songs on the album are relatively new, others, such as Blue Shoes, have been around the houses since 2000 or 2001.
“There was always the idea that sometime in the future, I would record an album of my own, with all instrumental pieces,” he says. “That slowly came into focus over the years and then very suddenly happened. It was a delight to record because it felt like I was taking off this heavy rucksack that I had carried up a mountain for ages. I suppose it’s like the big decisions we make in life – we just make them and do them, whereas it’s probably taken us 10 years to formulate what we’re going to do.”
Mac Con Iomaire’s solo album comes at the end of a fascinating couple of years for The Frames, with their star rising steeply thanks to Hansard’s Swell Season side-project. As someone who has been there since the start, Mac Con Iomaire has seen many changes for the better in how he and the others approach the business of being in a band.
“For the first 10 years, you’re looking for the answers outside of yourself and ourselves as a band,” he says. “You assume there is someone older and more experienced who has all the answers about what you’re supposed to do, so you go along with what is recommended. You have all these discussions and arguments with record labels, but you always assume they have some level of expertise because they’ve been in it for 20 years or more.
“Then you realise, as we did around the turn of the century, that we’ve been doing it for a while and we’ve tried everyone else’s ideas, so why don’t we start listening to what rings true to us. That’s when it started getting exciting for The Frames again and it really felt like a new band.”
The success of the film Onceand last year's Oscar win has meant a huge new audience for The Frames and Swell Season, yet their audience had been growing steadily anyway due to constant touring and releases. Mac Con Iomaire has certainly enjoyed the ride.
“It has been a whirlwind in slow motion, and it’s all the better and more enjoyable for that,” he says. “Things haven’t happened fast for us by any means, so every step forward has been savoured and stored in our consciousness. It’s not like it’s all happened at once and you’re eight months down the road wondering what was all that about. We’ve been at it 20 years, so it’s a way of life for us now.”
THAT WAY OFlife means it will soon be time to hit the road with the band again. They're currently recording a new album – "it looks like a 'Swell Frames' record because the lines are blurring a lot" – and its release will mean more touring. Mac Con Iomaire has an "abundance" of music lined up himself to work on, including two potential soundtracks.
“For me, the best thing I can say about the record is that it has given me a bit of confidence,” he says. “When you’re in a group or any organisation for 20 years, you begin to doubt your own input because you can’t see the wood for the trees. It’s good to break away and do something on your own that you can be 100 per cent proud of.”
Colm Mac Con Iomaire plays at the One for the Road benefit in Andrews Lane Theatre, Dublin, on Sat.
The Hare’s Corner
is out on Plateau
