REVIEW - FIRKIN "WHUP!" Pump Jump Records 2010

Firkin “Whup!”, Pump Jump Records Cat. No. PJR20101
Release date: November 2010
Running time: 41:47, 14 tracks

Firkin’s debut album, “Firkinful of Beer”, was one of the best albums released in 2009.Firkin had a new sound, something different from any other band. However, the CD was mainly a traditional songs and Flogging Molly covers album. Then the big questions were if they could keep that high level and write more original songs.

The answers to those questions is “Whup!”, Firkin’s brand new album. What can be heard at “Whup!”? More metal, more flutes, more fiddle and more singer antics. Six excellent self-penned songs and a bunch of traditional and cover songs re-worked by the band. Then, the answers to the previous questions are… Yes, they’ve done it again. The traditional and the cover songs are top-notch and their own material is better than expected.

The best songs are maybe “Sailing Away” (a great guitar, flute and fiddle work), “Beer Almighty” (excellent whistling in a song that could rival with Flogging Molly), “Keep on Drinking” (good drums, guitar, whistle and fiddle in a song that reminds Lady Godiva’s best moments) and “Highland Games” (Imagine The Bothy Band were abducted by Judas Priests)

Some traditional covers stand out too:

“Whup! Jamboree”, the track that opens the album, a song that proves that Firkin has also a British Folk-Rock side (a wildest Pressgang). A British Folk Rock side? Sure, they have also covered a Fairport Convention’s number ("Crazy Man Michael").

“Beggarman”, a high speed version. Till now my favourite version was that of Great Big Sea, but I will have to think over that.

“Lord of the Dance”: great guitar riffs, Peter’s usual highest level flute and that Pachelbel’s Canon clip fiddling.

“Monto”. The best traditional cover of “Whup!”. Other bands could play that song in a new way, but they won’t make it better than Firkin.

Firkin musicians know exactly were they want to go. So “Whup!” is the logical step in their evolution. The band is growing fast (two albums in two years), they have improved both their sound and their horizons and everybody admits now that they are at the forefront of the European paddypunk scene.


01 – Whup Jamboree 2:30 (Traditional, arr. Firkin)
02 – Sailing Away 3:25
03 – Beggarman 3:16 (Traditional, arr. Firkin)
04 – Crazy Man Michael 3:44 (Dave Swarbrick/Richard Thompson, arr. Firkin)
05 – Highland Games 3:48
06 – Spanish Lady 2:17 (Traditional, arr. Firkin)
07 – Rocky Road to Dublin 2:18 (Traditional, arr. Firkin)
08 – Lord of the Dance 2:58 (Words: Sydney Carter, music: traditional, arr. Firkin)
09 – Idyll on a Hill 3:27
10 – Mounting Her 4.08
11 – Striker 0:30
12 – Beer Almighty 2:50
13 – Monto 2:58 (Traditional, arr. Firkin)
14 – Keep on Drinking 3:22

www.firkinband.com
www.myspace.com/firkinjumpin

www.firkinband.com/en/store/ (Click here to buy)

Review by Kinksmarkham



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FIRE IN THE PUB - Sampler December 2010

01 - THE PAUKI - Crystal Stone (from "The Splinters of the Mind") 2:44
02 - THE PAUKI - Mug of Beer (from "The Splinters of the Mind") 3:22
03 - THE PAUKI- I'm Going Home (from "A.R.E. Freundschaft" Split) 3:35
04 - GARLIC KINGS - Shoulder to Shoulder (Demo) 4:59
05 - GARLIC KINGS - Dead Whore (Live) 3:46
06 - GARLIC KINGS - A Star Called Sun 3:46
07 - SKONTRA - Santana (from "Mazcando Miseries") 3
08 - SKONTRA - En mi cárcel (from "Mazcando Miseries") 3:28
09 - BIZARDUNAK - 500 Urte (from "En Zugzwang") 3:51
10 - HAPPY OL' McWEASEL - Hairy Grizzly (from "Hairy Grizzly") 3:17
11 - RATHKELTAIR - William Glen (from "Big White Van") 6:51

Tracks 1-3 The Pauki
Tracks 4 and 6 Music: Stepan, Lyrics: Savva
Track 5 traditional, arr. Garlic Kings
Tracks 7-8 Skontra
Track 9 Bizardunak
Track 10 Happy Ol'McWeasel
Track 11 Rathkeltair


This is the last sampler of 2010. Four European bands and one band from the USA.


1) THE PAUKI (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

The Pauki (The Spiders) is a Russian band that plays punk rock with some folk influences.

www.myspace.com/thepauki

Line-up

Sasha Tankovich – Vocals, flute
Miguel – Guitar, background vocals
Iluha "Ilyich" Martinov – Guitar, background vocals
Vetal – Bass, background vocals
Silver De Lagonda - drums

Discography

“Flag on the Flagpole” (9 tracks, 1996)
“The Dragon Tooth” (12 tracks, 1997)
“ The Holiday at the Lunatic Asylum” (13 tracks + 6 bonus tracks, 1998)
“Arachnophobia” (12 tracks + 6 bonus tracks, 1999)
“The Wild Dances of the Dead Dogs” (12 tracks, 2000)
"The Spiders: Is it what you wanted?" (The Best Of) (18 tracks, 2001)
“Through” (12 tracks, 2002)
“The Splinters of the Mind” (12 tracks, 2005) (click to buy, Amazon)
“1994-2002” (8 album in mp3, 2005)
“Break the Ormeta – Split” (The Pauki: 7 tracks, 2008)
“A.R.E. Freundschaft – Split” (The Pauki: 5 tracks, 2006)

2) GARLIC KINGS (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Garlic Kings is a new band from Saint Petersburg. Some of the members have played in some well-known Oi! and punk bands.

www.myspace.com/garlickings
www.lastfm.ru/music/Garlickings

Line-up

Dimitri –
Nikita – Guitar
Konstantin – Bass
Stepan – Banjo
Roman – Pipes, vocals
Savva – Accordion, vocals
Maria – Vocals
Kirill – Triangle, vocals

Discography

"Demo" (2010)

3) SKONTRA (Xixon/Gijón, Asturies, Spain)

One of the first bands to mix punk and Celtic (Asturian) folk in Spain. They have just released their third album.

www.skontra.net
www.myspace.com/skontra

Line-up

César - Drums
Gonza - Bass
Fredo - Guitar
Carlinos - Guitar
Zapico - Bagpipes, flute
Berto – Vocals

Discography

“Skontra (Maqueta)” (12 track demo, 2002)
“Semeya de la rabia” (10 tracks, 2006)
“Cantares pa dempués d’una guerra” (10 tracks, 2008)
“Mazcando miseries” (10 tracks, 2010) (Click to buy, Paypal)

4) BIZARDUNAK (Iruña/Pamplona, Navarre, Euskal Herria)

Bizardunak (The bearded ones) is a Basque band that plays Rebel music influenced by The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones and The Pogues. Their first album was full of ballads and rebel songs, but the second one has their own material. Most of the tracks are sung in Basque.

www.myspace.com/bizardunak

Line-up

Jose Mari – Vocals
Artola – Vocals
Anderete – Mandolin, bouzouki
Iñigo Cabezafuego – Vocals, accordion, harmonica
Leroy – Drums, percussions
Txetxu – Bass, banjo, guitar
Itzala – Whistle, alboka, bodhrán
Fermin “Auskalo” – Guitar
Asier “Brutal” – Fiddle

Discography:

“Bizardunak” (9 tracks, 2009)
“En Zugzwang” (13 tracks, 2010) (click to buy)

5) HAPPY OL’ McWEASEL (Maribor, Slovenia)

Happy Ol'McWeasel is a Slovenian Celtic punk band that has released a couple of singles.

www.happyolmcweasel.com
www.myspace.com/happyoldmcweasel

Line-up

Gregor Jancic - Vocals
Primož Zajšek - Harmonica
Martin Bezjak - Fiddle
Tine Trapecar - Banjo, acoustic guitar
Aleš Pišotek - Electric guitar
Bine Zorko - Bass
Aleš Voglar - Drums

Discography

“Irish Rover” (single, 2009)
“Hairy Grizzly” (single, 2010)

6) RATHKELTAIR (Jacksonville Beach, Florida, U.S.A.)

After having posted the review of Prydein "Heads Up" I got an e-mail from James telling me this:

"The BEST bagpipe rock band I have heard and seen live is RATHKELTAIR.If you have never heard of them,you need too.Neil anderson is an amazing bag piper.They call him the Jimi hendrix of the bag pipes. (...).This band is the best I have found.He is one of the founding members of the group Seven Nations."

So I tried to get some free mp3s and I found only this one at Celticmp3s.com

"Rathkeltair (rath-KELT-ur) is one of North America's premier Celtic rock bands. Based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and touring full-time since 2003, Rathkeltair delivers one of the most energetic, entertaining, audience-friendly shows you will see anywhere.

Bringing together three formidable multi-instrumentalists from Ireland, England and America, Rathkeltair combines a rare ability to play authentic Celtic music to the highest standards with a pop sensibility that makes their music completely accessible to all ages.

Voted Best Celtic Rock Band of 2006 in the Celtic MP3 Music Magazine Annual Audience Poll, Rathkeltair has been featured at many of the biggest and best-known Celtic Festivals in North America including the Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, OH), New Hampshire Highland Games (Loon Mountain, NH), Long's Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival (Estes Park, CO), the Celtic Fling (Manheim, PA), and are regularly featured artists at events produced by East of the Hebrides, one of the oldest and most respected Celtic promoters in the United States.

Available as an acoustic power trio, or a full-blown electric quartet (w/ bassist) or quintet (bassist and fiddler), Rathkeltair can easily tailor a show to any size or type of venue. No matter which version they bring, high energy and extraordinary musicianship are standard features! Every Rathkeltair performance is a stand-alone, unique, must-see event. As thousands of festival-goers will tell you, Rathkeltair always delivers, and never disappoints!"


www.rathkeltair.com
www.myspace.com/rathkeltair

Neil Anderson - Vocals, Highland and Uillean 'pipes, small pipes, whistles
Trevor Tanner - Vocals, guitars
Nick Watson - Vocals, drums, percussion

Guest Musician

Billy Thornton - Bass, double bass, vocals

Discography

"Everybody" (15 tracks, 2006)
"Big White Van" (12 tracks, 2008)
"Organic" (11 tracks, 2009) (click to buy, CDbaby)



DOWNLOAD:

www.mediafire.com/?1wfdzomoyg2lf80


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FEATURED BAND - THE ROUGHNECK RIOT

January 2011 featured band is The Roughneck Riot. At the left you will find the Reverbnation widget.

The tracks that can be heard are as follows:

1 - Night Train with The Reaper
2 - Gamblin´Days
3 - Mutiny
4 - Ghosts of the Bay

Enjoy!


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VIDEOS - THE ROUGHNECK RIOT

The Roughneck Riot - Night Train with the Reaper







The Roughneck Riot - Mutiny







The Roughneck Riot - Travelling man







The Roughneck Riot - Banished







The Roughneck Riot - Sally MacLennane







The Roughneck Riot - Across the U.S.A.







The Roughneck Riot - Live at the Warrington Music Festival 2010 plus interview

REVIEW : THE ROUGHNECK RIOT "NIGHT TRAIN WITH THE REAPER" (2010)

The Roughneck Riot “Night Train with The Reaper”, Self-released,
Released date: 2010
Running Time: 35:40, 10 tracks


2010 has been a great year for Warrington’s finest, The Roughneck Riot: gig in London with Smokey Bastard, gigs with The Mahones, their own Dutch tour, one song included in the Tribute to The Mahones album (“Across the U.S.A.”) and finally their long awaited debut album “Night Train with the Reaper”

The English sextet consisting of Caitlin Costello (banjo), Jade Franklin (accordion), Matty Humphries (mandolin and Lead vocals), Simon Cowley (drums), Ryan Taylor (bass, vocals) and Chris Green (lead guitar, vocals) has released a 10 track album full of self-penned songs, a risk that not many bands are ready to take.

With that classic Pogues-ish line-up (even if no tin whistle is played on the album), it is not strange that The Roughneck Riot sound reminds that of The Pogues and The Mahones. However, when the album is listened several times, other interesting elements come to light, particularly the lyrics, a universe with merges both Pogues’ and The Men They Couldn’t Hang’s worlds.


“A Night Train with the Reaper” is a great opener, which is related both musically and lyrically with The Pogues “Boat Train”:

“Another pint and we’ll be laughing, another hour and we’ll be dead”,
And if people still ain’t singing, they’ll be puking up instead,
“How the hell am I still alive” is what you start to think
You were on the night train with the Reaper,
But all he does is drink”

Track no. 2, “Ghosts of the Bay”, sounds as if The Dreadnoughts were singing a song written by Shane MacGowan. Good stuff. It’s followed by “Early Morning, Broken Glass”, which is the most “Mahones” song in the album.

But for me the most interesting material comes after these three tracks because the influences are not so obvious: “Mutiny”, the best song together with “Gamblin’ Days”, a top-notch song with a great sailor lyrics. This song could have been included in TMTCH “Waiting for Bonaparte” or “Silver Town” and this would be a folk-punk classic now. I’m happy that The Roughneck Riot has written it.

“Need I Remind You Boys That You’re in Hell” has also The Roughneck Riot’s stamp on it: a well balanced mix of accordion, mandolin and banjo and good lyrics.

Track no. 6, “Gamblin’ Days” is my favourite track, a song whose level is similar to the best Killigans and Tossers songs. A line of the songs says: “better make and end to those gambling days”. I hope that the boys don’t make and end to this kind of songs and more “Gambling Days” can be heard in their future albums.

The next number “Running on Empty” makes you think of The Waterboys at their quietest moments, but then the accordion takes control of the song and it goes in a different direction.

Track no. 8 is another strong track, “Downing the Days”, a song inspired by The Pogues “Hell’s Ditch” album.

“And we were downing the drinks,
Downing the days
Down on our luck in all sorts of ways
Stuck in the middle the only way is down”

“Travellin’ Man” shows a different side of the band, an REM sounding song.

And the album ends with another superb song, “Banished”, another sample of The Roughneck Riot's personality.

Regarding the packaging and design, hats-off to The Roughneck Riot: excellent digipack with an 8 pages booklet, all the lyrics and credits and a wonderful artwork made by Brian Whelan (if you enjoy The Levellers early albums’ artwork, you will love this)

The Roughneck Riot “Night Train with The Reaper” fills the gap that Neck and BibleCode Sundays have left: it is the bridge that connects the Celtic punk made in the British Isles with the one that is made on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

01 – Night Train with The Reaper 3:22
02 - Ghost of the Bay 2:23
03 – Early Morning, Broken Glass 4:13
04 – Mutiny 2:54
05 – Need I Remind You Boys, That You’re in Hell 4:18
06 – Gambling Days 2:48
07 – Running on Empty 4.37
08 – Downing the Days 2:57
09 – Travellin’ Man 4:59
10 – Banished 3:09

www.myspace.com/theroughneckriot
www.reverbnation.com/theroughneckriotuk
www.facebook.com/theroughneckriot

www.theroughneckriot.bigcartel.com (Click here to buy)

Review by Kinksmarkham


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FIRE IN THE PUB - Sampler Christmas 2010

This is not the December sampler, it will be uploaded in a few days.

This one collects several isolated tracks that were available as free downloads.

01 - THE STANFIELDS - The Dirtiest Drunk (In the History of Liquor) (from "Vanguard of the Young & Reckless") 2:27
02 - Mr. IRISH BASTARD - Fuck You I'm Drunk 2:09
03 - THE MIGHTY REGIS - Paddy Don't Live in Hollywood (from "21") 3:03
04 - THE MIGHTY REGIS - Black Shamrock (Acoustic version) (Unreleased) 2:47
05 - THE STAGGERERS - Buckets on the Green/Haul Away (from "Year of the Bastard") 3:33
06 - CUTTHROAT SHAMROCK - Hell Shovel (from "The Wake") 3:26
07 - CUTTHROAT SHAMROCK - 7 Days from "The Wake" 4:13
08 - THE KREELLERS - The Green and Red of Mayo (from "Saints & Sinners") 4:44
09 - THE KREELLERS - Far Away (from "Saints & Sinners") 3:40
10 - 9 CASTLE CLOSE - Monaghans 4:47
11 - MUDMEN - Drink and Fight (from "Mudmen") 3:21
12 - MUDMEN - The High Road (from "The High Road") 3:41
13 - MUDMEN - Lift of the Kilt (from "The High Road") 4:18
14 - HAGGIS AND BONG - Let the Hunt Begin (from "Fire in the Bowl") 5:45
15 - HAGGIS AND BONG - Spandex (It's a Priviledge, not a Right) (from "Fire in the Bowl") 6:01
16 - HAGGIS AND BONG - Natuurlik (from "Fire in the Bowl") 4:09
17 - HAGGIS AND BONG - Qaphela Inja (from "Fire in the Bowl") 4:13


1) THE STANFIELDS (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

www.thestanfields.ca
www.myspace.com/thestanfields

Line-up:

Jon Landry - Vocals, Guitar
Jason MacIsaac - Guitar, Backups
Jason Wright - Keyboards, Bouzouki, Backups
Craig Eugene Harris - Bass, Backups
Mark Murphy - Drums, Pocketchange, Backups

Discography:

"Vanguard of the Young & Reckless" (2010)


2) MR IRISH BASTARD (Münster, Germany)

www.mririshbastard.com
www.myspace.com/mririshbastard

Line-up:

Mr. Irish Bastard - Guitar
Lady Lily - Tin whistle
Boeuf Strongenuff - Bass
Ivo K'Nivo - Drums
Gran E. Smith - Banjo, mandolin

Discography (Europe only):

"St. Mary's School of Drinking" (7 tracks, 2008)
"The Bastard Brotherhood" (15 tracks, 2008)
"A Fistful of Dirt" (14 tracks, 2010)


3) THE MIGHTY REGIS (Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.)

www.themightyregis.com
www.myspace.com/themightyregis
www.reverbnation.com/themightyregis

Line-up:

Franky McNorman - Lead vocals, guitar
Gavin McLoud - Mandolin, backing vocals
Mike MCurdy - Drums
Paddy McRibb - Accordion, backing vocals
Ryan O'Neill - Guitar, backing vocals
Ben Wise The Brave - Lead guitar
Darby - Bass

Discography:

"Co. Sligo" (10 tracks, 2007)
"Another Nickel for the Pope" (13 tracks, 2008)
"21" (10 tracks, 2010)


4) THE STAGGERERS (Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.)

www.myspace.com/staggerers

Line-up:

Tom McSod - Lead vocals
Roddy Odor - Guitar, vocals
Timmy O'Pukerty - Mandolin, vocals
Andrew - Bass
Hugh Liquor - Fiddle
Turbo - Drums
Bjart - Accordion

Discography:

"Year of the Bastard" (16 tracks, 2010)


5) CUTTHROAT SHAMROCK (Tennessee, U.S.A.)

www.cutthroatshamrock.com
www.myspace.com/cutthroatshamrock
www.reverbnation.com/cutthroatshamrock

Line-up:

Dereck McRotten - Vocals, guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo
Benjamin Whitehead - Vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki
Guido Greaserag - Vocals, stand up bass
Suavo - Drum kit
Johnny Hyena - Congas and bongos, washboard

Discography:

"Blood, Rust and Whiskey" (11 tracks, 2009)
"The Wake" (10 tracks, 2007)


6) THE KREELLERS (Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.)

www.kreellers.com
www.myspace.com/thekreellers
www.reverbnation.com/thekreellers

Line-up:

Derek Wade - Lead vocals, harmonica
Paul Bruno - Guitar, accordion, bodhrán, vocals
Bob Gilbert - Drums and percussions
Steve Vilnius - Bass, vocals
Carl C. - Lead guitar, mandolin, vocals

Discography:

"Sixth and Porter" (15 tracks, 2008)
"Saints & Sinners" (9 tracks, 2010)


7) 9 CASTLE CLOSE (Dayton, OH, U.S.A.)

www.9castleclose.com
www.myspace.com/9castleclose
www.reverbnation.com/9cc

Line-up:

Kevin Maloney - Lead vocals, guitar, bouzouki, banjo
Patrick Disney - Guitar, vocals
Ryan Gross - Percussion, vocals
Mike Thomas - Bass, vocals
Beth Hicks - Flutes, whistles, vocals
Stuart Brand - Fiddle


8) MUDMEN (Toronto, ON, Canada)

www.mudmen.ca
www.myspace.com/themudmen
www.reverbnation.com/mudmen

Line-Up:

Robby Campbell - Bagpipes
Sandy Campbell - Bagpipes
Troy Spinney - Bass
Alex Maletich - Electric/accoustic guitar, banjo
Dylan Broda - Drums
Mordy Harroch - Lead Vocals

Discography:

"Mudmen" (10 tracks, 2001)
"Overrated" (12 tracks, 2003)
"Defending the Kingdom" (12 tracks, 2006)
"THe High Road" (11 tracks, 2009)
"Another Day" (10 tracks, 2010)


9) HAGGIS AND BONG (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa)

www.myspace.com/haggisandbong
www.reverbnation.com/haggisandbong

Line-up:

Angus Nixon - Bagpipes
Thomas Hughes - Drums
Dominic Skelton - Bagpipes
Xavier Knox - Bass
William Bishop - Trombone
Liam O' Flaherty - Guest Bagpipes

Discography:

"Fire in the Bowl" (2008)

DOWNLOAD:

www.mediafire.com/?9j54laa83zv2542


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BOOTLEG - THE CROPDUSTERS

This ROIO was recorded at The Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, London. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD:

www.mediafire.com/?wd0k3o3q49upzdh

RUM CURRENCY - Can't Take You Anywhere (Demo 2010) Out!

Just received from Rum Currency:

"It's WAY too hot in the tropics to record the last few tracks so I'm putting an end to the misery of this one. It took at least two years longer than I planned to put together and has given me the shits no end.

Here it is, Can't Take You Anywhere, donate five or ten bucks if you think it's worth it OR spend 1000 days in Sodom you tight arses.

Donate so I can afford to buy more gear to keep recording substandard folk music!

Track Listing:

01 Songfeld
02 As I Roved Out Of Shit Town
03 Tianjin Drinking Song
04 I Once Knew A Fella
05 Screaming Bloody Murder
06 Maggie Lauder (Trad.)
07 Can't Take You Anywhere
08 Until The Light Of Day
09 Mount Kembla
10 Black Eyed Lisa
11 Token Sailor Song
12 Country Life (Trad.)
13 Vagabondage/The Black Meat
14 Never Trust A Sailor
**Extra Tracks:
15 The Drunken Vegan
16 Dark Eyed Lady
17 The Eviction Song
18 Amsterdam
19 Valerie Cinneide

(c) 2010 All songs written by Rum Currency except Track 6 and 12 Traditional Arr. Rum Currency **Tracks 15 - 19 from Blaggard Warm Stout Demo 2007

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"


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FREE DOWNLOADS - DIE DOEDELSAECKE

Die Dödelsäcke, the German band from the Ruhrgebiet was established in 1989. A lot of tracks are available at their website.

Current line-Up:

MacGoy - Vocals
MacGrisu - Guitar
MacJoker - Bass
MacStröte - Drums
MacOtter - Guitar
MacRabbit - Tin Whistle
MacFeet - Bagpipes
MacMicha - Mandolin

Discography:

"Dach First Album" (tracks from the period 1989-1995)
"Der Terror geht weiter-Hardenberg Sampler Nr. 3" (sampler, 1995)
"Die Dödelsäcke" (6 tracks, 1998)
"Durst 609" (16 tracks, 2002)
"Herrengedeck" (15 tracks, 2006)
"Crashtest 89" (14 tracks2010)

plus several tracks from other samplers.

www.doedelsaecke.de

www.myspace.com/doedelsaecke

DOWNLOAD:

Go to their website, click on Musik and then on Mp3 (tracks to be downloaded one by one)

Go to their MySpace site,click on MP3 download (tracks to be downloaded one by one)

www.mediafire.com/?basj4u77huv9tbw (24 mp3 together)

The track "Graduale" seems to be corrupted :-(

VIDEOS - DIE DOEDELSAECKE

Die Doedelsäcke - Ruhrgebiet

REVIEW - DIE DOEDELSAECKE "CRASHTEST'89" (2010)

Die Doedelsäcke "Crashtest'89" Punk.de, Punk 046
Release Date: 2010
Running Time: 41:43, 14 tracks

The biggest surprise of the year! I had heard Die Dødelsäcke´s previous albums (“Durst 609”, 2002 and “Herrengedeck”, 2006) and I could not imagine that the follow-up would be so good. In fact, I have included “Crashtest’89” in my 2010 Top Ten list.

Die Dødelsäcke have done it, mixing The Real McKenzies and Die Toten Hosen they have got their own blend. Maybe “Crashtest’89” is not a Single Malt, but it’s a great Blend.

The album begins with Intro, a bagpipe tune played in the traditional style which is linked to the next track, 20 Jahre Kaperfahrt, a song whose Real McKenzies influences are quite obvious.

The following number, Opa Kneipen starts with a shout, an excellent catchy punk song with tin whistle and pirate/drunken vocals in Die Toten Hosen style. One of my favourite tracks.

Ode and den Spass is a song whose music is that of The Rising of the Moon and Pub Girl’s music is that of I’ll Tell Me Ma. The lyrics are quite funny, a Boy meets Girl at the Pub, they spend the night together and when the boy wakes up he is really astonished when he sees what the girl is.

Theodor is another pipes song, whose music is traditional, that I have really enjoyed.

The next song is Das ist Punk. The style is not Celtic, but American: banjo, harmonica. A Johnny Cash song that turns into a punk one.

Rentner is another punk song that shines: a mandolin-driven song with Die Toten Hosen and Peter and The Test Tube Babies influences about the life of the people who got their retirement.

4 Gläser Whisky seems a shanty at the beginning, because of the accordion and the seagulls. But when you think that it´s going to be a song similar to The Pogues Navigators, it becomes a Dropkick Murphys’ song, a fastest Forever. Four glasses of Whisky, you know the story …

Das Gegenteil is a German style punk, a fast song with tin whistle.

Zwei Wege, great bagpipes punk similar to Bastards on Parade. Imagine this was sung in English, it would be a classic of the genre.

Pub Boy. Do you remember Pub Girl? This is the girl’s vision. Excellent mandolin and guitars in a song that could be included in any Toy Dolls or MaccLads album.

Zu Spät (Too Late) is a quiet tin whistle song in which the pipes burst at the end.

Niko MacMohr, another superb pipes song, dedicated to the late Niko MacMohr, the band’s former piper. Black Tartan Clan or Pipes and Pints at their best. The outro, a traditional tune, will sound familiar (Pipes and Pints When the Pipers Play)

Ah, and the CD design is high quality: a 12 pages booklet, a band's sticker and a couple of dice inside the jewel case.

My dream now: that these guys decide to sing in English in their next album. But not a covers albums like Die Toten Hosen “Learning English”, but their own songs. I will open the jewel case and throw the dice, who knows, perhaps I will be lucky ...


Tracklist:

01 - Intro 02:11
02 - 20 Jahre Kaperfahrt 04:24
03 - Opakneipen 03:36
04 - Ode an den Spaß 02:31
05 - Pub Girl 01:58
06 - Theodor 02:43
07 - Was ist Punk 02:39
08 - Rentner 02:34
09 - 4 Gläser Whisky 03:26
10 - Das Gegenteil 03:04
11 - Zwei Wege 04:00
12 - Pub Boy 02:29
13 - Zu spät 02:34
14 - Niko MacMohr 03:27

www.doedelsaecke.de
www.myspace.com/doedelsaecke

http://cd.punk.de/Die_Doedelsaecke_-_Crashtest_-89_CD-8766.html (click here to buy)

Review by Kinksmarkham

REVIEW - PRYDEIN "HEADS UP" (2010)

Prydein "Heads Up" Kynsfolk Records KRAD004
Release date: 2010
Running Time: 41:58, 12 tracks

Which is the best Bagpipes rock band in the USA? Maybe Prydein, the band from Vermont which has released their third album in 2010, “Heads Up”. After “Loud Pipes Saves Lives”, this is an excellent come back. Prydein consists of four great musicians, Aron Garceau (vocals, guitar, mandolin and keyboards), Iain MacHarg (bagpipes, pennywhistle), Andy Smith (bass) and Caleb Bronz (drums). The band is really tight and all of them shine, because all the instruments are integrated in the best possible way. The selection of the tunes, the arrangements and the structure of the set of tunes are perfect, at least I am not able to say that a tune in the middle sounds out of place.

Most of the tracks are still instrumentals, but there are several songs, a couple of standards, Loch Lomond and Whiskey You’re the Devil, a J.Geils Band Centerfold cover and an original whose lyrics were found in the February 1913 edition of “The Vermonteer”. OK, there are some short lines on tracks such as Devil’s in the Kitchen and Feelin’ Alright, but they are mainly set of tunes.

The track that opens the album is Devil’s in the Kitchen and after having heard it, you want more.

The next number is Loch Lomond. A good version.

Track no. 3 is Thymes Changes, a set of tunes that features a Jig from Galicia (Spain).

Centerfold, the J.Geils Band cover gets the Prydein treatment.

The Drunken Piper is another set of tunes that shows you why Prydein are at the top of the Bagpipes Rock bands.

The music from track no. 6, Longing for the Homeland, has been written by Aron Garceau, who is a Led Zeppelin fan. However, IMHO, it is not as interesting as other tracks.

The following track is ¼ Short. Three tunes from different pipers, PM J.MacLeod, PM William Robb and Prydein’s own piper Iain MacHarg. As I have said previously these guys know how to choose the best tunes and how to arrange them.

The standard Whiskey You’re the Devil is always a sure bet. In this song Iain plays the tin whistle instead of the pipes.

Track no. 9 follows the path opened by track 7, another excellent selection of tunes written by different pipers and Iain. It is followed by a Set of Breton Tunes. If Thymes Changes featured a Galician Jig, Breton Tunes is a set of tunes from Brittany (France), another Celtic land.

Feelin’ Alright, a funky number, features the tunes Green Wood Side and Drowsy Maggie. A versatile band who plays music from different origins and from different genres.

And the last track is The Big Apple Heist. Who is the best Bagpipes Rock band in the USA? Just listen to this track and you will need no answer.

“Heads Up” is an album that should be in your collection. The digipack packaging contains all the information you need, liner notes, credits, thanks and to whom the album is dedicated. Apart from that, the band keeps on joking about where the album was made and where you should file the album. Those who bought “Loud Pipes Saves Lives” know what I mean.

I expect that Prydein are able to write some catchy songs in the Wolfstone (Ivan Drever’s Years) or MacKeel vein. A better balance between excellent tunes and self-penned songs will help them to get the massive recognition they deserve.


Tracklist:

01 - Devil's in the Kitchen 3:19
02 - Loch Lomond 4:12
03 - Thyme Changes 2:58
04 - Centerfold 3:41
05 - The Drunken Piper 3:59
06 - Longing for the Homeland 3:36
07 - 1/4 Short 3:01
08 - Whisky You're the Devil 3:00
09 - Horny-Pipes 4:24
10 - Breton Tunes 3:22
11 - Feelin' Alright 3:23
12 - The Big Apple Heist 2:58

www.prydein.com
www.myspace.com/prydein1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prydein_%28band%29

www.cdbaby.com/cd/prydein3 (click to buy the CD)


Review by Kinksmarkham


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