I'm sure in real life The Rum Fellows are nice guys who help little old ladies cross the road, rescue kittens stuck in trees and the like. Their music does not indicate that - after a lot of spins of " Okie Maritime Music for the Landlocked Pirate " - I picture a crew of crystal meth soaked white trash hillbilly’s who've high jacked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney while taking great pleasure in making all the 7 year olds they cut in front of cry.
Black 47 will do FOUR Saturdays in Connolly's this fall to commemorate our 20th Year on Nov 21/28 and Dec 5/12. Not to forget our annual Connolly's New Year's Eve Celebration in Times Square. Tickets are now available online for the four Saturdays and New Year's Eve at
www.black47.tickets.musictoday.com
And we'll play Halloween Night at IBAM (Irish Books and Music) in a a benefit for the Irish Heritage Center in Chicago on Oct. 31st. http://www.ibamchicago.com
Come along and support the IHC over a great weekend. I'll be reading along with authors such as Malachy & Alphie McCourt, Michael Patrick McDonald, Mary Pat Kelly on Sunday afternoon.
The Electrics celebrate their 21st year together with a very special show featuring the original line up of Sammy Horner, Paul Baird, Allan Hewitt and Davie McArthur. Special guests will be on stage with the lads and the brilliant Jim Byrne will open the show.
04 - The Dolomites - Hangman's Reel (Lovely Day for a Hogshead of Whiskey)
05 - The Rum Fellows - Blow The Man Down (Okie Maritime Music for the Landlocked Pirate)
06 - Currency - Wake Of The Bounty (The Currency)
07 - The Town Pants - Monahan the Mutineer (Piston Baroque)
08 - The Wages of Sin - Buccaneers (of Elliott Bay) (Custom of the Sea)
09 - Meisce - Shipwrecked In A Bottle (Shipwrecked In A Bottle)
10 - Currency - Tenpenny Bit (The Currency)
11 - Brine & Bastards - Overboard (Sail For Sodomy)
12 - The Rumjacks - Down With The Ship (Hung, Drawn & Portered)
13 - The Killigans - Radney's Ghost (Brown Bottle Hymnal)
14 - The Bourbon Knights - The Ballad Of The Mutiny Of The Evil Rogues Aboard The Right Good And Mighty Ship Hesperus & How It Came To Be (Cry Of The Banshee)
"Shore Leave" is the 4th full length (I think) from Vancouver’s Celt-rockers The Town Pants and I can happily testify that it is deffo a return to the spit and sawdust sound of their first two releases – “Weight of Words”, their last, was just a little too polished and I blame the major label they were on for that. Shore Leave is self-released so there is no chance of the A&R guy messing with the sound to "get a hit". Must hears include the galloping, "….Unlikely redemption of Oliver Reed", a ode to legendry English boozehound and the really frickin’ head banging, air banjo cover of Iron Maidens "Run to the Hills" - folk for muthas – now, how ‘bout some devil horns.
I picked up Barry McCabe's newie at a rather intimate acoustic show Barry (along with great Dutch guitarist Danny Vlaspoel) played at Bull McCabe’s pub in Somerville, MA as part of his and Danny’s recent US tour. Both the CD and recent gigs are both a departure for Barry who is best noted as an electric blues rocker in the vein of Rory Gallagher. The CD itself is a good representation of the acoustic show and contains both studio and live tracks – one of the live one being "Sheilagh" which brought tears to the eyes of at least one girl in Bull McCabe’s. The music is acoustic blues of both the modern and tuned down tradition with soulful vocals and a twist of Irish (Mountains of Mourne is covered) and Barry is joined by guitarist and cousin Pat McManus (Mamas Boys & Celtus). Hope to see Barry back in the States next year for another tour and maybe with the full electric band.
