With a name like Gartlonely Rats its easy to assume a fast and spunky trad-rock band in the vein of The Pogues song of the same name from 1989s "Peace and Love". The Aussie quintet are not, sure The Pogues influence is there but it's more Steve Earle and The Pogues or even Johnny Cash and The Pogues with the great man in the drivers seat and Shane riding shotgun on the way to a redneck roadhouse.
Alistair Hulett, 1951-2010.
Schooldays over and I was working Saturday nights in a lowlife outer suburban bar as bilge monkey still far from fully grown - a scrap of a kid, I was - when I discovered the great Roaring Jack of Sydney City. I spend most nights playing tin whistle along to favourite on a scratch-built stereo and was well pleased to bring home a 45 single I found in Parramatta, 'The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away' by Roaring Jack. As The Pogues' iconic 'If I Should Fall From Grace With God' rarely left my turntable, I was delighted to learn of an original folk rock act at large in my home city. So there was the 45, with yesteryear's vagrant on the cover with his sad hurdy-gurdy slung over him and the Mighty Boy Records athletic logo on the disc. The song drew a shuttle across the loom of Australian history, a song written by a Glaswegian migrant, one Alistair Hulett. He reiterated popular sentiments of The Powers That Be fucking people around and the ironically resentful-yet-malleable nature of the colonial-gone-capitalist Australian psyche. 'Swaggies' culminated in a call to "raise the red flag" but I'd listened to enough Billy Bragg to not find the radical politics overtly stark (I was left by nature anyway). What I really liked was the raw, strong melody, a tune that bespoke of sincerity. The song had the feel of a march about it and it was not hard to imagine a colliery brass band playing behind it.
And so, consulting the street press, I sought out the band in question. Only just old enought to get into the pre-sterilized, pre-wankerfied pubs of Newtown (that change being addressed, prophetically, by Alistair in a couple of his own songs), I followed Roaring Jack from the rabble of The Sandringham Hotel and its bubbling mosh, like a tavern built into a ship's dungeon, to The Harold Park Hotel near the racetrack at Glebe, and back again.
Alistair Hulett was the lead singer and main songwriter of Roaring Jack and he cut a mean, neat figure with his electro-acoustic six string and John Lennon specs. He was fit and sharp and direct in speech, delivery and stage presence. Multi-instrumentalist Steph Miller was like a quartermaster or First Mate at his side and Alistair would slice through set after set without missing a beat. I have never since heard such a quality and quantity of songs from a pub band. One Roaring Jack set would put most Sydney's bands' entire repertoires to shame and there was no shortage of these sets, they'd just play all evening and right into the night.
I could not believe that I got to be amongst it all. Leaping from bar and stage with the drinking songs, 'Lights Of Sydney Town', 'The Lass Behind The Beertaps' and the blazing, fatalistic 'Buy Us A Drink'. Alistair made fond nods to tradition with the waltzy 'Wild Rover Again' and 'Polythene Flowers', and then there was the boozey reggae of 'Ball Of Yarn'. And the defiant Union songs, 'Days of '49', 'Lads Of The BLF' and 'Cat Among The Pigeons', a four segment folk-punk epic that took in everything from Steeleye Span to hillbilly hoedowns to Marxist prose.
From the first time I heard 'Proddy Dogs And Papes', I considered it Alistair's finest work. A sad and pretty melody in Scottish cadence, he ong is one of those rare gems that sounds equally powerful in slow ballad form or as a flatknacker punk rocker. It follows the theme he explored in 'The Auld Divide And Rule'; the futile, self-thwarting machismo of sectarianism. You want to physically turn away from the infantile, deluded automatons that are the football fans described in the song, it is emotive stuff.
Alistair was a prodigious writer of no-bullshit folk ballads who played like a crusader. He did great justice to his influences; Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, Dick Gaughan and Shane MacGowan. Roaring Jack were electrified Celtic punk before Flogging Molly were a glint in Dave King's eye and were always undaunted in their own powers of expression. Alistair was the sharpest edge on a sharp band that gave me something to look forward to seeing at least once week, and listening to on the days and nights in between shows.
... Goodnight, and joy be with you all.
Will Swan
Sydney, Ought Ten
Sadly Alistair Hulett passed on yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting Ali in person a few years back and he was a true gentleman. He will be missed.
Ali Hulett of legendary Celt-rockers Roaring Jack has been taken seriously ill - I wanted to pass on a message from Fatima, Alistair's partner - all here at Shite'n'Onions are rooting for him to pull through and any support and encouragement you can give to Ali will go a long way.
Dear Friends
You may not have heard the news, so I'd like to share with you that Alistair has been critically ill in hospital here in Glasgow for the last three weeks. He's suffering from liver failure and is in urgent need of an organ transplant.
Until now he hasn't wanted people to know but as the news has started to spread, already the messages of hope and encouragement are pouring in from friends and fans alike. This is proving to be really beneficial for Alistair's spirits and we know that if he is to beat this dreadful illness he needs to be in as positive a frame of mind as possible. If you feel like sending him an email message, please write to alistair.hulett@gmail.com, as I have access to his account and can print out the emails for him. If you prefer to send a card or letter, his address is:
Alistair Hulett
Ward 26a
Southern General Hospital
1345 Govan Road
Glasgow G51 4TF
Scotland
Thank you for your support, prayers, love and warm wishes.
Fatima
I was a little worried by the name of the band Drink Hunters. I was afraid it was going to be a band that perpetuates the tired, old boozehound stereotype by pumping out track after track of some drinking songs or rehashing old standards like “Whiskey in the Jar,” “All For Me Grog” or “The Drunken Sailor.” The title of the lead off number, “Drinking Song” didn’t help with this apprehension.
I gave it a spin, though, and was pleasantly surprised. Even with a chorus of “I love whiskey, I love beer,” as my first taste of the band, I had to admit it was a damned catchy little ditty. And in fairness, it is the only one of the four numbers on this demo that chases this philosophy.
Instrumentally, the Spanish quintet are made up of a pretty tight rhythm section of guitar, bass, and drums, with a frenetic fiddler sitting on top driving the thing. The whole sound is fleshed out and rounded off nicely by the accordion. The instruments work really well with one another and topped off with vocals that are very similar to those of The Real McKenzies. That comparison may have colored my initial impression, but with subsequent listenings and further scrutiny, I think that is probably the best basis of comparison for The Drink Hunters, sans bagpipes of course.
As a demo, the sound quality can be a bit, well, inconsistent, but I believe a good impression of what this band is about is captured here on these four tracks. I think my favorite track is the song, “It’s In Your Hands.” It has all the race and pace of any other punk clubbers in the genre but seamlessly saddles some nice Celtic-feeling fiddle across the top and even sneaks in a little Cajun spice with some ever-so-subtle accordion work midway through.
In the end of the all-too-short demo, I found myself enjoying every song offered here, and will be keeping an eye out for more from The Drink Hunters.
And hey, maybe the name will grow on me.
Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
The Dirty Filthy Mugs may be a relatively young band, (less than a year old!) but consists of seasoned veterans of the Los Angeles punk scene. And in their short time together, the band has put out two EPs in 2009, “Half Pint” and “Another Round.”
It is difficult to chart the growth of a band who put out two EPs in so close a period of time. Half Pint was the band’s debut, yet it is a pretty finished and polished piece of work. An in-your-face collection of songs tailor-made for a frantic night out with booze and good company.
Another Round is the follow-up EP, that, although, follows the same Dirty, Filthy formula, contains six songs that really stand out! Some great material, (with a killer title track being my personal favorite!) and not a dog in the pack.
The Dirty Filthy Mugs’ music is a straightforward and aggressive street punk, with some stadium-style guitar-work amped-up to the appropriate punked-out velocity and laced with some occasional accordion, giving a vaguely Celtic feel to it. The music on both EPs clearly gives an indication of the band’s energy, and if I hear of any shows in the Boston area, I will surely be in the crowd! These Mugs are the real deal and this is some good stuff.
Also, according to their MySpace page, a new Mugs release, entitled “All Yobs In,” is due out early in 2010!
Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
This episode is a specialty show in honor of Shane MacGowan, and Rabbie Burns. The Haggiscast also has two special guests: Abe, and Jerry Oi. There will also be a videocast of this recording appearing online sometime soon. This was recorded with haggis cooking in the background.
Despite the snub from The Shamrock Fest in DC, Greenland Whalefishers will undertake a short US tour this St. Patrick's season:-
March 13th - Matt Hensley's Pub, CA
15th - Molly Malones, LA
17th - Opening for Flogging Molly
More details when I get 'em
