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!
All posts by Mustard Finnegan
The Kilmaine Saints: The Good, The Plaid and The Ugly
August 26, 2010
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.
Pressgang: Outlandish
August 11, 2010
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.
Kevin Flynn & The Avondale Ramblers: Double Door 9-15-09
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.
The Fatty Farmers – 3-Track Sampler
July 27, 2010
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.
Definitely worth keeping an ear out for!
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommell
The Staggerers – Year of the Bastard (THE Blathering Gommel reviews)
July 27, 2010
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.
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
The Mickey Finns: It’s Not The Whiskey
July 16, 2010
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 Staggerers: Year of the Bastard
July 13. 2010
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.
Greenland Whalefishers: SONGS FROM the BUNKER
June 19, 2009
You’ll probably read the Shite’n’Onions list of the best Celtic-punk CDs of all time and will obviously have taken note of Greenland Whalefishers ranking. In fact, of all the CDs listed, GWFs raised the most comment – not that a bunch of Norse men made the list, but the choice should be Down & Out not Loboville. I still stand by Loboville as their greatest and I’m sure my detractors will stand by Down & Out. I’m also willing to stand by the fact that SONGS FROM the BUNKER is the best GWF release since Lobville and I’m will to bet my detractors are willing to insist SONGS FROM the BUNKER is their greatest album since down and out etc.
Mr. Irish Bastard: A Fistful of Dirt
June 3, 2010
Mr. Irish Bastard, a 2008 Honorable Mention-holder for the Top-Ten Best Celtic Folk Punk CDs of the year at Shite ‘N’ Onions, returns with a new release, A Fistful of Dirt.
And it it just simply rocks.
The 5-piece Mr. Irish Bastard, (tin whistle, mandolin and banjo, bass guitar, drums guitar and vocals,) are supplemented here on ‘A Fistful of Dirt” by accordion, but, in a subtle and balanced manner, and though the vocals still more than just occasionally resemble those of a Hell’s Ditch-era Shane MacGowan, they are clear, slur-free and work quite well with the material presented on “Fistful.”
To describe Mr. Irish Bastard’s sound to those unfamiliar with it, is somewhat of a challenge. “A Fistful Of Dirt,” (the band’s third release, and follow-up to 2008’s brilliant “The Bastard Brotherhood,”) has aspects reminiscent of The Pogues, as well as of ones of The Dropkick Murphys and, most surprisingly, some strong elements that bring to mind Social Distortion. These meet and mix very well, though, and create a sound that is catchy and accessible, while at the same time embodying all the ingredients of a top-notch Celtic Folk-Punk band.
The songs, themselves, are really well-written, lyrically interesting, and devoid of the standard clichés of the genre, (i.e. overbearing accordion, every other track a drinking song, sea shanty covers, et cetera.) A Fistful of Dirt offers up fourteen tracks here; eleven origin compositions and three out-of-the-ordinary cover songs, including The Dubliners’ Second World Song, and an incredible remake of of The Clancy Brother’s Isn’t It Grand. Both of these songs are done with a great deal of respect without sacrificing the infusion of the Bastard sound. The other cover song included in the 46 minute-long, Fistful a rollicking, fun, and surprisingly “cool” version of the 80s, new-age tune, You Spin Me Right Round by Dead or Alive.
All of the Mr. Irish Bastard-penned original material on the disc is just as impressive, deftly balancing the energy and toothsome punk attack with folk and traditional elements to create a release worthy of reckoning, and in the end, “A Fistful of Dirt” is simply a fantastic CD. Extremely highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the music presented on sites like this.
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
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