Image Credit – Christopher Flack

Documenta was, “Started as a one one off project but slowly expanded like a bad disorganized universe, Documenta will produce 18 original songs plus a few covers then finish…..
“three chords good, two chords better, one chord best”…”

I had first heard about Joe Greene and his Documenta “Drome Pop”, through the good graces of François Sky. François has a refreshingly, no-nonsense approach to suffering fools gladly, as a rule his barometer is usually right on the money. Joe has proved no exception to this rule.

Around the same time, I encountered the intriguing video for the track ‘Idle Hands‘ – this transformed Documenta from a whisper into a bona fide, must see proposition.

I was then delighted to find that Documenta would be appearing at this year’s Distorted Perspectives Festival in Letterkenny, headlined by San Francisco “repeat-o rockers”, Moon Duo – “placing Donegal in an international context rather than on the periphery”.

“psyche/ˈsʌɪki/via Latin from Greek psukhē ‘breath, life, soul”…

As the fundamental factors for any psychedelic experience are defined by set, setting and dosage – the anticipation enveloping this sophomore, 2015mg Effenaar event, was tangibly palpable.

“The nature of the experience depends almost entirely on set and setting. Set denotes the preparation of the individual, including his personality structure and his mood at the time. Setting is physical — the weather, the room’s atmosphere; social — feelings of persons present towards one another; and cultural — prevailing views as to what is real”. – Timothy Leary.

Distorted Perspectives is a “Celebration of Modern Experimental and Psych Music + Art + Film”.

This weekend was the second incarnation of the festival held within the Regional Cultural Centre, “Letterkenny’s impressive new arts building, placing Donegal in an international context rather than on the periphery”.

If idealism can be defined as “an approach to philosophy that regards mind, spirit, or ideas as the most fundamental kinds of reality”, then it is fair to say that the reality of an experimental music, art and film festival held on the periphery, was the realisation and celebration of like-minded, free spirited idealists who found themselves gathering in Donegal this weekend.

Ahead of the Distorted Perspectives Festival I got talking with Moon Duo about playing in Letterkenny.

Do you have any Irish connections?

“My grandmother was Irish, and our manager and our booking agent are both Irish. Plus, I love Van Morrison of course. Americans generally feel a kinship and fondness for Ireland and Irish culture, myself included. I don’t know what it is”.

Had you heard of the festival before and what was the attraction in coming to Ireland?

“I only heard of the festival because we saw something about it while on holiday in Donegal. We love playing in Ireland, so always looking for ways to make it happen. We’ve played Dublin and Cork, and Belfast, but it’s rare to be able get away from the bigger cities a bit”.