One of the best things about running a zine is it allows me to be exposed to music I’d never otherwise have the opportunity to hear. Siobhan from British occupied America (Only Joking guys – they are from Ottawa, Canada) are a perfect example. Siobhan are a heavily Pogues influence Irish-folk-punk band with a good dose of Jewish/Russian Klezmer thrown in to spice up the mix.

“McGravy’s Iron Liver” is a six song CD-EP “recorded very live at home with a single microphone”, but nevertheless has excellent sound. Track one “Roll me to the Ground”, is very Poguesy, very “Red Roses for me”, “Canon in D” is that classical piece by Pachelbel usually heard on toilet paper commercials and the like, Siobhan merge it with some Russian jig type music to create an Irish-Russian-Classical-Jig-Punk™ instrumental type thing. “Augeline” is a mellower acoustic / Irish number and the traditional “Recruiting Sergeant” most of you will be familiar with from either The Clancy’s version or The Pogues “Medley”. “Rose of London” is a slower darker drinking number that’s a little too close musically to “Boolavogue”. The CD end’s with the fast Irish/Russian Jig Punk of “The Celtbot”, if you can imagine drunken Russian sailors on a Dublin pub crawl this is that sound.

A great introduction to a very enthusiastic young band from Canada (Only Joking guys – they are from British occupied America).

September 2001