THE BEER BARONS EP
Release date: January 2012
Running time: 20:27, 6 tracks
Naming a band can be a tricky biz. Some names might imply that a band is simply a clichéd “drinking song” bar band, á la “Drinkhunters,” “Boozehounds” or “The Barflyers,” (okay, technically speaking, that last one is the name of my old street hockey team, but the principle could still be applied!)
In any case, one COULD infer from the name “The Beer Barons” that this was the case. I certainly would. However, in doing so, I might well have missed out on something pretty good.
The Beer Barons, out of Ottawa, Canada, are a young six-piece outfit, wielding guitar, bass, harmonica, tin whistle, banjo, drums and mandolin on this, their self-titled, six-track E.P. to create sounds immediately engaging, and vaguely familiar. Listening to each track found me both enjoying the songs as well as trying to pinpoint where I had heard certain elements before.
Right out of the gate, I had a hard time trying to decide who vocalist Davey Lawless reminded me of the most. At times, his singing begs comparisons to those of The Dreadnoughts, other times, The Dolomites. Mostly, however, his voice calls to mind the frenetic, frenzied fronting of certain Japanese “Rustic Stomp” bands, such as Mt. Paiot’s, The Clovers or The Cherry Coke$, minus the accent, of course. (I would just like to point out that this is some pretty accomplished company to share.)
Now, it may well be that I reached those comparisons due to the energy and pacing of the songs, executed by a very well-balanced collection of sounds. By “well-balanced,” I mean that all of the instruments heard on this E.P. seem to be ‘in concert,’ for lack of a better term, finding the more traditional instruments: the accordion, the mandolin, the banjo, sharing the spot with their more contemporary counterparts, and not relegated to supporting roles. Big kudos to The Beer Barons for this often overlooked point.
Possessing a strong folk-y sound, (albeit one cranked up on sugar and caffeine,) The Beer Barons are distinctly in the “Celtic-Punk” realm, and somewhere closer to the Flogging Molly end of the scale, but with what seems like a bit more of an acoustic feel.
Other highlights that I discovered on this E.P. include some great tongue-in-cheek lyrics, incredibly catchy melodies, and some fantastic drumming. (Yes! Drumming. Sadly, drumming is too often taken for granted in this genre, with just keeping a beat being the job description. Drummer “Tom Beercan” shows that he knows how to make himself known with inventive beats and awesome fills. Raise that bar!)
So, in the end, I guess the only thing that I don’t really care for with this band is the name. But, I will definitely be keeping an ear out for it, and look forward to further releases, (whether under this name or not!)
Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Tracklist:
1 - Flibustier of Martinique 4:40
2 - Pub Song 2:15
3 - 1812 (Hero of Wrightsville) 3:21
4 - GM Blues 3.47
5 - Back for the Empties 2:54
6 - Man Overboard 3:20
http://www.reverbnation.com/thebeerbarons
http://www.facebook.com/thebeerbarons
http://thebeerbarons.bandcamp.com
Release date: January 2012
Running time: 20:27, 6 tracks
Naming a band can be a tricky biz. Some names might imply that a band is simply a clichéd “drinking song” bar band, á la “Drinkhunters,” “Boozehounds” or “The Barflyers,” (okay, technically speaking, that last one is the name of my old street hockey team, but the principle could still be applied!)
In any case, one COULD infer from the name “The Beer Barons” that this was the case. I certainly would. However, in doing so, I might well have missed out on something pretty good.
The Beer Barons, out of Ottawa, Canada, are a young six-piece outfit, wielding guitar, bass, harmonica, tin whistle, banjo, drums and mandolin on this, their self-titled, six-track E.P. to create sounds immediately engaging, and vaguely familiar. Listening to each track found me both enjoying the songs as well as trying to pinpoint where I had heard certain elements before.
Right out of the gate, I had a hard time trying to decide who vocalist Davey Lawless reminded me of the most. At times, his singing begs comparisons to those of The Dreadnoughts, other times, The Dolomites. Mostly, however, his voice calls to mind the frenetic, frenzied fronting of certain Japanese “Rustic Stomp” bands, such as Mt. Paiot’s, The Clovers or The Cherry Coke$, minus the accent, of course. (I would just like to point out that this is some pretty accomplished company to share.)
Now, it may well be that I reached those comparisons due to the energy and pacing of the songs, executed by a very well-balanced collection of sounds. By “well-balanced,” I mean that all of the instruments heard on this E.P. seem to be ‘in concert,’ for lack of a better term, finding the more traditional instruments: the accordion, the mandolin, the banjo, sharing the spot with their more contemporary counterparts, and not relegated to supporting roles. Big kudos to The Beer Barons for this often overlooked point.
Possessing a strong folk-y sound, (albeit one cranked up on sugar and caffeine,) The Beer Barons are distinctly in the “Celtic-Punk” realm, and somewhere closer to the Flogging Molly end of the scale, but with what seems like a bit more of an acoustic feel.
Other highlights that I discovered on this E.P. include some great tongue-in-cheek lyrics, incredibly catchy melodies, and some fantastic drumming. (Yes! Drumming. Sadly, drumming is too often taken for granted in this genre, with just keeping a beat being the job description. Drummer “Tom Beercan” shows that he knows how to make himself known with inventive beats and awesome fills. Raise that bar!)
So, in the end, I guess the only thing that I don’t really care for with this band is the name. But, I will definitely be keeping an ear out for it, and look forward to further releases, (whether under this name or not!)
Review by Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Tracklist:
1 - Flibustier of Martinique 4:40
2 - Pub Song 2:15
3 - 1812 (Hero of Wrightsville) 3:21
4 - GM Blues 3.47
5 - Back for the Empties 2:54
6 - Man Overboard 3:20
http://www.reverbnation.com/thebeerbarons
http://www.facebook.com/thebeerbarons
http://thebeerbarons.bandcamp.com
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