Mark Healy - Musician and Drummer with Cork band Cypress, Mine!

I originally started playing guitar and then noticed there was a gap in the market, for drummers in Cork, so I made that switch. I started going to gigs when I was 15 and managed to go to a few in the Arcadia in Cork, before it stopped. As a result of that I was able to see local Cork bands who often played support. It meant seeing bands like Nun Attax and Microdisney and the realisation that came with it that you could be in a band, in Cork.

However, not really knowing any other musicians this meant lots of “practicing” along with records, as you would. Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, were all on heavy rotation. Things like Twenty Tens by the Virgin Prunes, definitely had an impact on me and steered me in a certain direction.

Locally, in Cork, the jazz festival provided a stream of great jazz drummers. Kenny Clare and a fantastic Buddy Rich gig in the Opera House spring to mind.

I subsequently played with a revised version of Urban Blitz with Dave O’Connell and Sean Linehan. That lasted a few months and then I met up with Ian Olney and Denis O’Mullane and with Sean Linehan on vocals we thrashed out what would eventually become Cyrpress, Mine! as Sean left to join the Guards and was replaced by Ciaran O’Tuama.

Who are your favourite players?

I was lucky enough to see Lol Tolhurst with the Cure when they played in Cork. I was also a big fan of the late Pete de Freitas from Echo and the Bunnymen and Stephen Morris from Joy Division. I saw Stephen Morris at Electric Picnic a few years ago and he was as good as ever.

I'm a big fan of Brian Calnan and his Moving Hearts stuff and also the youthful enthusiasm of Keith Walker from Power of Dreams

I was also really fortunate to see Art Blakey in Dublin in the 80’s.

Your favourite songs or albums?

Drum heavy songs that I would have really liked

Atmosphere – Joy Division

Westworld – Theatre of Hate

Hymn from a village – James

Where’s me jumper – Sultans of Ping

Heaven Up Here - Echo and the Bunnymen

More recently I really like Philip Selway in Radiohead, Christopher Bear in Grizzly Bear.

Were you happy with the reaction after Cypress,Mine! rereleased, Exit Trashtown?

We were happy to see the album re-released as it gave us an opportunity in particular to commit to vinyl some tracks that weren’t released first time around. Although it was a labour of love by all involved to track everything down in order to put it together.

Any plans to release any more material?

Not at the moment!

What musically are you involved in at the moment?

I still play the drums whenever the opportunity presents itself. Post Cypress, Mine! I recorded an as yet unreleased album (https://lift.bandcamp.com/track/youre-not-my-kind). I also played bass with Ian Olney's band Cat Meat last year which was great (https://catmeat.bandcamp.com/). For the last few years I’ve been consumed by syntheisizers and it’s a veritable rabbit hole of creativity lending itself to percussive ideas at every turn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Bljlantdg). You can also find some of my recent music here https://soundcloud.com/imfromcorcke

What advice would you give someone wanting to take up drumming?

Once you start, stick with it! Try and find some friends to play with. Buy decent hardware and cymbals! Learning to play with a click track won’t do you any harm :




Photo credit; Anne O'Halloran (not 100% sure)

Check out http://cypressmine.com/ includes link to buy the album