The Mighty Regis are starting to make some waves following the release of 21 their 3rd release - 1st the Warped Tour and now a plug on day time TV from Kelly and Regis (who else?). Definitely a band to watch out and fortunately the music on 21 supports. No divergence from the style of the previous releases - West Coast punk meets Irish, very much in the style of Flogging Molly though with a much more pop-punk sensability - kind of like comparing The Undertones to Stiff Little Fingers I'd say. I will say though that some times the lyrics verge a little too much into "Stage Orish" and that said still a contender of one of the best of 2010.
Stick To Your Guns is the name of the debut CD from Morgantown, West Virginia’s The Gentlemen, and a complete and accomplished sounding release it is. Oh, yeah, and a damned rocking one at that!
The Gentlemen are comprised of eight members armed with drums, tin whistle, bagpipes, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin and fiddle. Placed firmly down the Dropkick Murphys/Real McKenzies end of the Celtic Folk-Punk spectrum, with aggressive song delivery and chanting choruses. But these Gentlemen seem to place more emphasis on the inclusion of the traditional instruments, either as the main melody vehicle, (as with the bagpipes in War Time in North London, and the fiddle in Belfast Boy,) or simply as dancing on top of the power-chord-laden rock majority of the CD.
In fact, the strength of The Gentlemen’s sound on Stick To Your Guns lay in this balance. The trad. instruments are not assigned only to lead positions and ornamentation, but blended right in with the thick of things. Their pervasive influence gives the music herein a stronger, but more natural, Celtic feel.
Stick to your Guns has many highlights to it. The above mentioned “War Time in North London” and “Belfast Boy” are both excellent songs, but “All Alone” might be my favorite on the disc. It has a really slippery and lazy shuffle beat and a great percussive guitar riff that combines with the pipes for a sound that I just really dig.
For my money, the original material on Stick to your Guns is a just bit stronger than the two traditional covers included, (although listening toThe Gents’ rendition of “Come out You Black and Tans” is very convincing! I really felt like they were calling out for a throw-down!)
The Gentlemen do throttle back occasionally, if only somewhat, and with dramatic results. “Under the Rowan Tree” is a nostalgic mug-swinging singalong accompanied only by acoustic guitar and tin whistle.
I do wish that the band included their rendition of John Denver’s Country Roads on their debut, however. It really asserts The Gentlemen’s W. Virginia roots, captures their sound perfectly, and seriously kicks ass. (And the video for it on their MySpace page is simply excellent.) Hopefully,The Gentlemen will include this number on their next CD, which I will certainly be in line for!
Stick To Your Guns is a very thorough and mature sounding release for a debut. And The Gentlemen are definitely a band to keep an eye/ear open for.
Highly recommended stuff!
Fergus are a contemporary Irish traditional and folk group out of Worcester (pronounced Wooster locally) Massachusetts. Defiantly not Celtic punk and not even with the pretense of being Celtic rock but still with oodles of energy. So, if you’re looking for beautifully played contemporary Irish music this won't disappoint and finally something of class coming out of Wooster!
I wish I could has claimed to have found The Kilmaine Saints but I didn't! They found me when they mailed me a copy of their debut CD, "The Good, The Plaid and The Ugly". The Saints are an Irish-American, punk-rock band based out of PA and I would liken them to The PubCrawlers, Pipes and Pints, CCS, AC/DC and Dropkick Murphys of course - loud and rockin' with loads of gang vocals and heavy on the bagpipes along with some Thin Lizzy-ish harmony guitar solos for good measure. Defiantly a strong debut and a band to keep an eye-on in the future.
Outlandish is Pressgand's, the veteran UK folksters new and 7th release – “an album of nine mediaeval and traditional ballads, updated for a 21st century audience.” And before you run off screaming in dread of another Richie Blackmore’s Blackmore's Night hold your horses and yes despite the fact that they look like a bunch of old hippies these guys can really rock. Check ‘em out on their myspace page.
Live at the Double Door is, well, obviously a live CD from Kevin Flynn and his crew of gritty, Windy City, Celtic-punks. Kevin Flynn specializes in dirty, Chicago-Irish, mostly acoustic Celtic-rock with the edge of a rusty razor - not only will it cut you bad but you'll end up with tetanus. Haven't heard Kevin Flynn then live at the Double Door is a great place to start......just be careful.
Out of the unlikely region of Toledo, Spain, comes The Fatty Farmers, a young, seven-piece entry in the ever growing field of Celtic Folk-Punk.
The instrumentation used to create The Fatty Farmer sound involves electric and acoustic guitar, bass and drums and joined by fiddle, gaita, (Spanish bagpipes,) whistle, and mandolin shared amongst the band’s seven players.
Comparisons to Flogging Molly are inevitable in the case of The Fatty Farmers. Due not only to the amazingly Dave King-esque vocals, but in the general feel and energy of the band. The manic pace of the songs on this three-track sampler, (all available on the band’s MySpace page, by the way,) also reminds me of the Japanese “Rustic Stomp” bands, like Junior, The Cherry Cokes, and The Croagh Patrick. And that is some damn good company for such a fledging outfit!
The three tracks on The Fatty Farmers’ sampler are opener, “Baja California,” “Island,” and (my favorite,) “Tomorrow.” All well-constructed and arranged, sung in English and played with such infectious enthusiasm that one soon forgets any similarities to those other bands.
I really hope this band can develop their sound to stand a little bit further away from their obvious influences. The band certainly has the chops, and some interesting and enjoyable material. It shouldn't take too long to see, though, since the The Farmers apparently begin recording their debut release this winter.
Fort Wayne, Indiana’s The Staggerers have finally released their new full-length CD, Year of the Bastard, a huge, abrasive collection of shit-kicking hillbilly stomp with an energy that, although not for the weak, could wring a party out of rusty shed and old sawdust.
The Staggerers are comprised of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, drum, bass, guitar, and an occasional accordion, and led by a set of vocals akin to those on a chain-smoking muleskinner, barking out the lyrics like they are burning in his throat.
These elements come together on Year of the Bastard to form a sound that crashes forth with a punch from somewhere down theSkels/Dropkick Murphys end of the Celtic Folk-Punk spectrum, but completely devoid of sheen and polish.
Instead, the sixteen tracks within are about as smooth as week old, mason-jar moonshine, but possess a certain honesty and unfiltered, (uncensored?) purity in the sound, that, whether intentional or incidental, brings the music into a realm of “real” that is refreshing and a bit startling, kind of jumping into an icy stream first thing in the morning. That's a wake-up call!
Scattered among the assortment of original tracks, (like my personal faves, “Pitbulls Don’t Play Banjo,” “Go to Hell,” and that great title track,) are a few “traditional” cover tunes, that, well, how do I put this? “Challenge description.”
Remember that children’s game “Telegraph?” Sure, you know, someone would say something to one person, who in turn would say it to another and so on, and so forth, and the final outcome was usually so twisted and different that it bore only a passing resemblance. Well, that is apparently how The Staggerers approached many of these songs. Year of the Bastard wrangles and stretches the skin of these traditional songs over the bones of the very distinct and brutish Staggerers sound, for finished product that is an entirely different animal! Nowhere is this more obvious than on the ubiquitous favorite, “The Wild Rover,” sounding here more like a threatening, bluesy, and bruised number, all shuffling and snarls.
That said, disc closer, Rosin the Bow, evokes a level of passion and emotion from The Staggerers sound that can usually only be found deep into the night, amid empty bottles and a haze of stale smoke. A surprising conclusion to a surprising release.
Year of the Bastard depends strongly on the listener’s immersion in the music, however, and does not agree with being relegated to background noise or sound bites. Bear this in mind if you decide to pick a 30-second sample from Amazon, CD Baby, or iTunes. It is really easy to get lost in the music, though, with a live energy sticking thickly on each and every chord, note, and lyric contained herein.
Highly recommended, but only for the stout of heart.
Pretty much all the bands we feature here on Shite'n'Onions to quote the late great Phil Lynott have some Irish in 'em (as he introduces "Emerald" on “Live and Dangerous”, Philo dedicates the song to anyone with some Irish in 'em, and especially the girls who would like more Irish in 'em). Well NYCs The Mickey Finns are probably the most Irish band we've ever featured in S'n'O - these guys kick up a storm of trad. rock that will keep both your snotty nose 15 year old DKM fan cousin and your drunken Clancy Brother loving uncle happy and begging for more. Sawdoctors, be afraid, very afraid.
The one sheet from the record label says these guys sound like The Pogues, Flogging Molly and
Dropkick Murphies (sic). My ears hear different......Luke Kelly, Joe Strummer and Tom Waits
and a shite load of crystal meth.
