Interview with Phil Udell of State.ie
Jade O’Callaghan
State.ie is Ireland’s premier online music magazine and is this year the online partner for the IMRO showcase tour. Kicking off at the end of March in Belfast and hosting events all around the country the whole thing wraps up a month later in Dublin’s Academy on Saturday 1st May with a ‘best of’ showcase tour gig. As one of the founders of State.ie Phil Udell has a lot to say about the Irish music industry.
Why did you decide to set up a magazine? What was your primary motivation and mission?
There were four of us involved – publisher Roger Wolman, designer Simon Roche and myself and John Walshe as editors. I think we just all felt that there was a gap in the market in Ireland for a quality, monthly music magazine. Virtually every other major country has one, so why not here? We knew that we wanted to strike the right balance between international and Irish music, giving the latter a proper platform.
What was your previous publishing experience?
We'd all worked in magazines before, for example Hot Press, but had never been involved on the publishing side but that was a good thing – we weren't beholden to any of 'the rules' because we didn't know what they were.
Did you feel compromised when State became an online entity?
Well, the website was actually launched before the magazine so the two had always existed in tandem. When we decided to stop the print version we thought it absolutely vital to launch an upgraded website immediately to keep the continuity going.
Do you prefer the print or online edition of State?
We all miss the buzz of putting out a print magazine and we're hugely proud of what we achieved with State, I think it really did make a difference to the Irish music scene. Then again, there is a great immediacy to the web and that's something we try to make use of. Plus the sense of community is important too.
What do you think of the state of Irish music right now? Do you think there is an over-saturation in the mainstream media of identikit indie bands?
It's very strong. We put out a twenty track download compilation of new Irish bands earlier this year and it was ridiculously strong. Every year more and more bands are coming through. The best thing is there's no one dominating style or sound, especially not identikit indie. Also I don't think that the mainstream media here comes close to saturation point with new Irish music, far from it.
State.ie are IMRO’s online partner for the IMRO showcase this year, and in their search they are seeking bands from all genres, what genres do you think (if any) have great artists emerging and not receiving much coverage?
There's a lot of great electronica and really loud guitar music about at the moment, bands like Wounds and Jogging. It's across the board really, not just the kind of styles that people have come to associate with Irish acts. They key thing is that all these different bands are writing great songs and making great records. That's what needs celebrating.
What do you think of IMRO and the work they do?
It's essential to the Irish music industry, they keep us all on our toes and make sure that Irish musicians are properly represented. This tour is only a small part of it. I don't actually believe that a lot of bands and artists here realise what they do.
Where do you find such great contributors?
They tend to find us. We always need more though so people should get in touch at info@nullstate.ie.
