617 was not some epic year in Irish history; it was before the Vikings, the Normans and way after St. Patrick was there. In fact nothing much was going on beyond monks scribing away on their manuscripts and distilling whiskey. 617 is actually the Boston area telephone code if you didn’t know that already. The Fenian Sons are a Boston based Irish rebel/ballad group in the strong tradition of The Clancy Brothers, Luke Kelly and The Dubliners and The Wolfe Tones. I don’t seem to hear a lot new good old fashioned Irish rebel / ballad music these days so 617 was nice to hear and The Fenian Sons compare strongly to their influences. It was also great to hear an American rebel song New Orleans and just so there are no hard feelings The Enniskillen Dragoons.
The Fenian Sons are currently on an extensive tour of Roslindale, Dorchester, Charlestown, West Roxbury and South Boston and with plans to doing some overseas touring in Quincy and Cambridge once passports and visas are sorted. So catch ‘em if you can.
More magic from Chicago. This time from way up on the Northside. We are long time fans of Kevin Flynn and the Bhoys here at Shite’n’Onions and we are happy to report we continue to be fans. If you are familiar with the music of Kevin Flynn then The Broken Pavement of Avondale is very much in the style of past releases (The Murderer, The Thief, The Minstrels and the Rest and Don’t Count Me Out). If your not familiar with Kevin well let me introduce you – the Chicago River runs green through Kevin’s veins and through the medium of Celtic-folk’n’roll he tells of tales of his working class Catholic neighborhood and the folks that inhabited it – gangsters, priest and politicians. Highlights of The Broken Pavement of Avondale – 5 Weeks 5 Days (about the struggle to be good and get through lent), Pope of the Windy City (’bout Richard J. Daley the legendary mayor) and Don’t Bury Me Outside of Chicago (just in case KF ups and dies this little number tells us what to do with his corpse). Studs Lonigan with a guitar.
The Emerald City if you are confused is not the residence of the Wizzard of Ozz but Chicago where they infamously dye the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day though given the infamy of C-town politics you’d be forgive if you are still truly confused.
The Emerald City is the first album from America’s original Celtic-punk band in five years and I’m pleased to report The Tossers have stuck to what they do best – no attempt at cross-over stadium rock success or progress for the sake of coolness – just straight ahead Celt-punk dealing with love, booze, Irish-Chicago and more booze, and while there is nothing immediate about any of the tracks on the album as with previous Tossers releases with a just a little bit of work The Emerald City will grow on you like a bad skin rash.
In many ways The Tossers are the true successors to the traditions of The Dubliners and The Pogues and The Emerald City continues that tradition.
Uncle Hamish & the Hooligans (great name BTW) are a new one to me – kilt wearing North Carolinians – now that takes balls. UH&TH play progressive Celtic-fusion and before you think that is just a little too advanced for Shite’n’Onions readers let me re-describe them in more suitable language – I hear big assed bag pipes, traditional Scottish and Irish tunes, big assed guitars and The Doors at their most drugged out. Like Enter The Haggis sniffing petrol anyone?
I think this CD is actually from 2010 though we just received a copy in the Shite’n’Onions PO box a wee while back. Prydein are from Vermont and Heads Up is the second release from then that I’ve heard – the other being the magnificent Loud Pipes Save Lives. I’m happy to say Heads Up follows (or proceeds even) in the same size 12 foot steps as LPSL. Haven’t had the pleasure yet? Well Prydein’s music can be described as loud rock’n’roll with louder bagpipes – Bon Scott era AC/DC meets the Angus MacFerguson Highland Pipe band. The cover of The J Geils Band’s Centerfold is a must hear as is the early Black Sabbath (with pipes of course) sounding instrumental The Big Apple Heist. A fine release indeed – even if it took ’em over a year to save for the postage mail it on.
Ferocious Dog are a new name to me but after doing some research I discovered the Warsop, Nottinghamshire, England based Ferocious Dog have a history that goes back to the late ’80s when they started out as a three piece, growing to a full size band though splitting and reforming a number of times. The current line-up has been in place since 2011.
The influences I hear on the same titled Ferocious Dog are The Levellers, The Pogues and The Whiskey Priests with just a wee touch of Ska and The Clash. The other band that comes to mind are Mumford, though in my mind Ferocious Dog are the anti-Mumford. Mumford to me are a bunch of public school (that’s what the English call private schools) toffs who went busking for a lark and end up getting rich and famous. Ferocious Dog they are not! Provincial accents, a mohawked coal miner on vocals, fiddles and chainsaws – it doesn’t get much more real then this. A fantastic band, album and find.
We’re big fans of Brighton based McDermotts 2 Hours here at Shite’n’Onions towers. Easily one of the best (though overlooked) Celtic/folk/rock bands evhaaa!, with one of the finest songwriters/lyricists the UK has every produced – Nick Burbridge. McDermotts 2 Hours have a long and influential relationship with UK heroes The Levellers, including The Levellers covering Dirty Davey from the first McDermotts album and essentially supplying the rhythm sections for numerous McDermotts albums. Anticlockwise is a 14 track compilation that documents the history of the band and celebrates the release of the their back-catalog via iTunes on The Levellers label On The Fiddle. haven’t heard McDermotts 2 Hours before then Anticlockwise is a great introduction and now they are on iTunes and the like there is no excuse. Highly recommended as is the entire back-catalog.
Birmingham, Alabama is not a place I think of when I think of Celtic-rock’n’punk, if I was to think of a genre it would be dyed in the wool Southern-rock. Jasper Coal has changed that musical association for sure, for sure. Named after the coal mining town of Jasper in central Alabama a big destination for Irish immigrants in the 1800’s the six piece take their inspiration from the legends of the Irish in the mines of Jasper. Jasper Coal play big, solid Celtic rock rooted in their local traditions with strong fiddle work from Kevin Nicholson inter-playing with the piping of Ryan Morrison and the rowdy barroom brawl vocals of Ian Hoppe.
Once in a while a band slips through the cracks and I’m sorry to say that The Kidney Stones debut album, Raise ‘Em Up, fell through the cracks. They sent it and I put it in the “to listen to” pile then forgot ’bout it until recently when Tales & Anecdotes For The Slightly Deranged arrived in the PO box. So outta guilt I put them to the top of the “listen to next” pile though I wasn’t expecting much beyond bog-standard Celtic-punk.
Well?
Bhoy was I wrongs!
Yeah it’s Celtic punk but it’s the Irish Rover and it’s been hijacked by crew of Gypsy pirates from the port of New Orleans and they’ve raised the Jolly Rodger . Reminiscent at time of The Dolomites at their evil circus best. One of the highlights of the year.
Colorado based The Indulgers are longtime veterans of the Celtic-rock scene with a history going back to the mid-nineties, and fronted by relocated Dub., Damien McCarron. Whiskey Tonight is the bands seventh album and the sound of Indulgers is a laid back cool, mild and smooth like a good American whiskey but with the bite and kick of good Irish Whiskey. West Coast Classic Americana (Fleetwood Mac or even The Eagles – you know what I mean) meets classic Celtic-rock (Horslips, The Waterboys, The Saw Dactors and even Lizzy). Highlights for me were Ceili Mor (as Gaelic) and Story Rory (that’s Dublin Speak for “Whats going on”).
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