I didn’t think Hoboken, New Jersey was a College town, but after listening to the glorious collegian sounding power pop of Hoboken’s “Rocket” I’m now convinced Hoboken is a college town on par with Amherst or Cambridge, MA. “7 Miles High” is the debut CD from the power pop trio of Matt Azzarto (the Gefkens), guitar; AJ Lambert (Sleepington), bassist and the legendary Murph (Dinosaur Jr. and the Lemonheads) on drums along with almost forth member, producer Don Fleming (Hole, Teenage Fan Club).
Musically Rocket are highly reminiscent of early 90’s Beantown indie darlings the Lemonheads (esp. their “Shame About Ray”, CD), but with a little more oomph in the guitar and skins department plus some great female vocals. So if you’re hankering for some really great power pop, then check this out.
“The First League Out From Land” is a stopgap EP between CD’s by C-town’s the Tossers. 5 tracks, 1 original, 2 traditional Irish and Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis covers.The first track is the title track and only original on the EP, it’s classic Tossers, fast Irish-Punk and a fine appetizer for the new CD, “Dicey Riley” was made famous originally by the Dubliners, it’s a tale of a poor old whore “taken to the supp”, and one of those Irish drinking songs that just seems to work so well played by punks, I’m just surprised it’s never been covered before. “Donegal Danny” is another trad. number, an Irish sea shanty reminiscent of “The Irish Rover”. Bob Dylan’s “Seven Curses” is from way back in 1963 and if the Tossers are in anyway staying true to the original then Dylan sounds like he was highly influenced by his original mentors, the Clancy Brothers. The final track is Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Rockin My Life Away”, pure banjo plucking bad ass boogie woogie rock’n’roll.
Danny Pope is the former drummer for Shane MacGowan and the Popes and also a member of The Men They Couldn’t Hang. “The Acid Teeth E.P.” is Danny on an E-trip. “Acid Teeth” is all (just!!) tight as feck bass and drums in a reggae/dub groove with loads of samples and weird vocals.
“Rub a Dub in da Pub” is the track of most interest to anyone reading “Shite’n’Onions”. It’s a reworking of “B & I Ferry” from Shane’s “Crock of Gold”, just the bass and drums in a reggae groove. Shane on vocals with loads of rasta backing vocals – so cool it should have been sold with shades.
Clarias is a Boston band that has been giging around locally since 1999. “Intro” is a six-track introduction CD from the band. Musically this is classy, well written and played acoustic jam rock, heavy on the saxophone with some nice fluid guitar and the touch of a Ska groove that is somewhat reminisent of Dave Mathews. A CD that’s an ideal listen on long drive when you’re in no particular hurry just enjoying the drive (and my wife likes it also).
I could make a quick buck with this CD. Burn some copies of it and flog them on eBay as out-takes from the upcoming Shane MacGowan and the Popes CD “20th Century Paddy” and you know what most people wouldn’t even know the difference – legend has it (or the bio at least) Shane heard these guys playing over a pub stereo in Portland and asked “Is that me?”
If you had not guessed already the Dolomites are highly influenced by Shane MacGowan, A fact that they ware proudly on their sleeve. According to the bio band founders Stevhen Ianeu and Max Skewes were backpacking in England and spending their last night in the infamous Filthy McNastys and when wanders (stumbles?) the great man himself and to cut a long story short after a long night drinking with Shane the two bhoys decide to start a band on their return to the States.
Musically “Lovely day for a Hogshead of Whiskey” is very early Pogues, but with some nice touches of Eastern European, Asian and American Folk giving it some originality and of course some Whiskey soaked Sea Shanty’s that the Pogues used to do so well. Also check out the awesome cover of Eric Bogels “Green Fields of France” – the best I’ve heard.
Lyrically it’s the classic Whisked soaked Nihilism of “Boy’s from the County Hell” and “Transmetropolitan” and the vocals just spit out the words in classic Shane style.
“The Medicine Show ” is the follow up EP to Hogshead. The band seems to have totally reinvented itself. Gone are the “Shaneism’s” replaced by if you can imagine a sort of Evil Clown/Gypsy folk sound with lots of clarinets and weird circus noises and even a touch of Louie Armstrong – very strange sounding altogether.
Oh Yeah! Dublin band Tenspeedracer’s debut CD on Boston’s Catapult Records brings me way back to the glory days Irish indie rock (as opposed to alternative rock – which isn’t). Ten years ago the Dublin “Music Head” walked tall with a confident swagger. Dublin’s U2 were the biggest band in the world, there was an estimated thousand bands gigging in and around Dublin, the sky was the limit for expectations for the cream of those bands (A House, An Emotional Fish and the Fatima Mansions).
Today the Dublin “Music Head” scratches his/her head and wonders how it all could have gone so horribly, horribly wrong. Sure U2 are still the biggest band in the world, but to most people these days Irish music is the disposable pap of boy bands such as Westlife or Boyzone.
Tenspeedracer’s “Eskimo Beach Boy” could be the CD that finally puts the spring back into the step of the Dublin “Music Head”. This is classic Irish indie rock – where ground zero is Iggy and the Stooges and the Velvet Underground with a nod in the direction of the Beatles and U2. Highly reminiscent of Irish bands such as My Blood Valentine, Rollerskate Skinny, Whipping Boy and early That Petrol Emotion and Scotland’s Jesus and Mary Chain, all buzz guitars, mellow vocals and dreamy 60’s pop.
The saviors of Irish rock? I hope so – if it’s not too late already.
Canada’s the Mahones along with the Tossers and the Rogues March are the founders of the Celtic-Punk scene in North America. I remember seeing these guys play a blistering set five or six years ago at the first (and last) annual Cambridge Celtic festival and later that same day the played another great set at the Cambridge House of Blues to a bunch of disinterested liggers who were too interested in looking cool then have a good time at a party for Dan Aykroyd’s (a fan of the band) awful Boston filmed movie “Celtic Pride”.
“Here Comes Lucky” is the Mahones fourth album and while they are still playing that finger blistering “punkier then the Pogues” sound they are famous for, they have like fellow veterans the Rogues March matured (a little) and have worked in a lot more influences then just Shane MacGowan, including the Replacements (Raise Your Hands), Tom Petty (One Last Shot), the Waterboys (Will You Marry Me), the weepie “Miles Apart” and my favorite the Cow punk of “Going Back to Dublin”.
Englishman Jamie Clarke first came to prominence in the 80’s rock group “Innocence Lost”, and had some minor success with that band. After “Innocence Lost” split Jamie was asked to play 5 live shows with the Pogues filling in for the sick Phil Chevron, 5 gigs turned to 5 years. Jamie was also involved in the songwriting (“The Sun And The Moon”) for the last Pogues album “Pogue Mahone”. After the Pogues, Jamie moved to Germany and hooked up with Padja Zaric, the highly regarded Bosnian high-speed accordion player and formed “Perfect”.
“Sickly men of thirty or so…” is the third full length from the band (and the first with drummer Andreas Schabinger) and what a widely diverse album it is, Punk, Folk, Country, Garage and classic British Pop influences from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. For the most part Jamie seems to have moved back to his 80’s roots. The music is acoustic based (but not always) Beatles influenced British pop mixed with a heavy doses of Padja’s accordion that gives “Perfect” it’s very distinctive identity.
“Adorable” is the best song, classic British Pop, a hit single if there was any justice (or taste) left in the world. Pogues fan should check out the cover of “I Fought the Law” the accordion makes it much more Joe Strummer with the Pogues then the Clash. “Sheer Perfection”, “Oh Man”, “Moving Up” and especially “Heart Shaped Sunglasses” (co written with Spider Stacy and James McNally) are all highlights.
Neck is easily one of the best Folk-Punk bands presently on the scene today. Leeson O’Keeffe has almost the perfect pedigree, an ex-Punk right down to the authentic Cockney accent (the real thing not the phony Green Day accent), was raised on the same street as Johnny Rotten, in the same North London neighborhood as the Pogues and apprenticed under the master himself Shane MacGowan as a member of the Popes. Necked (A Few Odds From The Oul’ Sods), is really just a compilation of tracks taken from the “Psycho Ceilidh” EP and various demo’s and out-takes recorded over the last couple of years, specially pressed to help finance the just completed US tour and as a stop gap till the first real album is released.
It’s really great to now have some of my live favorites on CD – “Hello Jakey!” is fast punkie and Irish, “Loud ’n’ Proud ’n’ Bold” is Loud ’n’ Proud ’n’ Bold, “Shite’n’Onions” (where I nicked the zine name from) is a frantic jig/reel and “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day” is played loud, fast and totally different from the Pogues version of the old Jacobite song. “Fields of Athenry” is good, but Brush Shields does it better – sorry guys. “Topless Mary Poppins” (the best song title of the year) is again Irish in a Flogging Molly style and the excellent and strangely titled “Here’s Mud In Yer Eye” is a tale of an old Rebel and a classic in the style of Luke Kelly or Shane MacGowan.
If you haven’t already picked this up at one of their recent gigs then I strongly urge you to get in touch and order a copy before they disappear.
Wow! Heavy shit here. Uncompromising early 80’s influenced punk rock . DSS are a Birmingham, UK based mostly Irish punk band – like the Exploited with an Irish touch. No chance of ever seeing these guys on “The Warped Tour” – and I doubt they want to be on it. Punk rock at it’s purest. The title track is about 70’s Glam Star Garry Glitter and how the pervert got himself in trouble. Best track is “Wannabe” which contains the classic line ” I wanna be like Shane MacGowan – sing Billy’s Bones and The Dirty Old Town” Not for the faint hearted or those easily offended
Shite'n'Onions 