VIDEO - TROTY "Akcyza"

(Thanks to Piotr Dudanowicz for the heads-up!)

Troty is Folk-Punk band from Poland. This is the official video for "Akcyza". More stuff can be heard on Soundcloud (link below) and Bandcamp (click on every recording under  Discography)

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Line-up:

Bela - Vocals, bodhrán
Adam - Tenor banjo, vocals
Szakun - Bass
Karol - Drums, percussion
Maciek - Tin whistle, vocals, kazoo

Discography:

Troty - Demo cassette (5 tracks, 2011)
Troty - Demo CD (10 tracks, 2012)
Troty - Album (2013)



Troty - Akcyza

REVIEW - BASTARD BEARDED IRISHMEN "Rise of the Bastard" (2014)

Bastard Bearded Irishmen "Rise of the Bastard" Self-released
Release date: 17 May 2014
Running time: 48:55, 15 tracks

At the beginning of 2014 I was discussing with a friend of mine about the upcoming albums for 2014. She told me that she was looking forward to hearing a new Flogging Molly album, but in their earlier albums vein. I don’t know if Flogging Molly are going to release “that” album in 2014, but I feel that my friend will agree with me if I say that Bastard Bearded Irishmen “Rise of the Bastard” is the album that all the Flogging Molly old fans were looking for.

After having released their self-titled debut album in 2011, the sextet from Pittsburgh is back with a must have 15 track album. If you are not familiar with the band, they are not balladeers (even if their name seems to be a tribute to The Dubliners) but a fecking good Celtic punk band. Their influences are clear, Flogging Molly and The Killigans, but Jimmy Bastard and his band mates have been able to develop their own sound. Excellent fiddle, mandolin and electric guitar can be heard on an album full of tales about girls, heroes, booze and boozers.

Three standards have been recorded, “All for Me Grog”, “Tell Me Ma” and “Three Drunken Maidens”. I’m partial to the last one, which is maybe the most Dubliners infused number on the album. Besides, Paul Dvorchak’s fiddle is amazing. Anyway, the self-penned songs are the real strength of the band: “Switchblade Molly” is a song that gives Flogging Molly a run for their money and has a fantastic instrumental ending; “Rotten Irish Plank” is an instrumental that can also rival with the Los Angeles band's classic stuff; “Tomorrow” and “Red” are numbers on which the band moves to the Lexington Field earlier material end; “Heidi Ho” is a genuine fast-paced  Irish punk anthem (“They took me to the station downtown for questioning/Well how I was supposed to know that she was 17”); “Land of the Free” is a The Killigans meet Dropkick Murphys Celtic street punk number; “Bastard Blarney” is a not-so-fast Celtic punk number,  and there are two “boozer” songs too, “Bartender’s Friend” (one of my faves!!! “So buy me a drink or send me back home/just don’t tell me my limits, cause you´re not my bloody mom") and “Whiskey, Rum, Bourbon, Beer”, the sing-along number of the album. But I would like to draw your attention to an excellent song, “Last Drink”. It's probably the best written song on the album: only piano and vocals at the beginning of the song, then, one by one,  the fiddle, the rhythm section, the mandolin and the electric guitar join. If the music kicks ass, let alone the lyrics.

“Rise of the Bastards” hard copies are sold in a digipack packing. Once the packing is unfolded, the lyrics to the songs can be found at both sides. The front cover, the band’s picture and the picture on the back cover are great additions to this labor of love. As far as the music is concerned, “Rise of the Bastard” may reach the Top 5 at the end of the year, but regarding the packaging/artwork, I’m sure that they’ll got the “best of 2014” award.

Jimmy, Jon, Dan, Danny, Paul and Ben have recorded a top-notch album where fiddle, mandolin and electric guitar performances are higher than average. If you have enjoyed the likes of The Kilmaine Saints, Brick Top Blaggers and Craic, this band is the next Big Thing for you. Remember the name: Bastard Bearded Irishmen.

Tracklist:

01 - Mamá 4:17
02 - Switchblade Molly 4:36
03 - Tomorrow 2:38
04 - Paddy O' Shea 3:18
05 - Red 3:09
06 - Heidi Ho 1:34
07 - All For Me Grog 2:31
08 - Bastard Blarney 3:31
09 - Tell Me Ma 2:18
10 - Last Drink 4:56
11 - Rotten Irish Plank 2:51
12 - Three Drunken Maidens 2:13
13 - Land of the Free 4:15
14 - Bartender's Friend 3:19
15 - Whiskey, Rum, Bourbon, Beer 3:23    

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Review by Kinksmarkham

ROIO - LUGH: LIVE ACOUSTIC AT STREAMDESIGN

A new ROIO: Lugh acoustic live at Streamdesign. Source: YouTube videos.

DOWNLOAD:

Click HERE

VIDEOS - SKYCLAD AND ELUVEITIE AT HELLFEST - FULL CONCERTS

Skyclad and Eluveitie's full concerts at Hellfest in France.


Skyclad at Hellfest (Arte TV, it will be removed after 6 months)

Eluveitie at Hellfest (Arte TV, it will be removed after 6 months)

Eluveitie's show is on YouTube too:
 
Eluveitie at Hellfest



0:31 prologue
1:13 helvetios
5:40 nil
10:06 thousandfold
13:28 luxtos
17:57 inis mona
22:57 gray sublime archon
27:27 neverland
31:53 a rose for epona
36:07 the siege
40:20 meet the enemy
44:11 quoth the raven
49:49 king
55:22 havoc

REVIEW - MOSCHE DI VELLUTO GRIGIO "In the ho sognato in te spero morir" (2014)

Mosche di Velluto Grigio "In te ho sognato in te espero morir" Self-released
Release date: April 25, 2014
Running time: 49:25, 12 tracks 

The level of the Italian Celtic punks is really remarkable. Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards released recently a kick-ass album. They followed an approach on which they wrote their own songs adding traditional or self-penned tunes. Mosche di Velluto Grigio has followed a different approach, but the result is the same: a top-notch album. The sextet has recorded their songs in different languages (Italian and English) and used a different instrumentation. Anyway, the so-called Anti Folk Bastards have proved that they have an original identity and they don’t need to cover traditional stuff to release a highly recommendable album.

Only one line-up change has taken place in the three years that have gone by between “You’ll Never Walk Alone-Eilé’s Diary” and “In the ho sognato, in te spero morir”. The band has a new bassist, Frankie “The Baker” Squillace and the core of the band has not changed, with brother and sister Andrea Cagnini “The King Cagno” on acoustic guitar, bagpipes and lead vocals and Laura “Miss Lalla” Cagnini on sax, flute, tin whistle and melodicas, together with Pietro Arfini “The Reverend Rapax” on electric guitar, mandolin, organ and second vocals, Fabio Dall Aglio “Captain Phabius from Garlic” on banjo, accordion, concertina and background vocals, and Corrado Cantoni “Mr. Stick” on drums, bongos and background vocals.

“In te ho sognato in te spero morir” is a well-balanced album showcasing the band’s abiltiy to write different kind of songs that fit perfectly well. There are Celtic Punk anthems, Jamaican beats, acoustic folk songs and a couple of numbers that are the band’s most mature effort to date.

Those who love straight Celtic punk songs will love the opening track “The Bastards”, a sort of a tribute to the Dropkick Muphys, a whiskey soaked bagpipes song with a pub atmosphere; “Non vedi  santi oltre il blu”, a song with a catchy melody led by the tin whistle  and the accordion, female guest vocals and explicit lyrics (“Va fan culo”); “XXV Aprile”, bagpipes, accordion and gang vocals together with tin whistle, and “Il Capitano Jones” a fast-paced anthem based on tin whistle and banjo with a slower wonderful end showcasing pipes and sax.

The Caribbean connection is obvious on a couple of songs in English. Organ, sax and accordion can be heard on “This is All”. “Maggie Dickson’s Pub” is a lively song with more organ and electric guitar. Other song in English has a slight DKM twist, thanks to the banjo and the accordion: “A Long Lament for an Old Friend”. The sax is awesome on this song too.

The acoustic folk side of the band is present on the last track, the Bruce Springsteen infused song “Twenty Eight Miles”. A brilliant song.

But, if you’re interested in something different, then try the following songs: “Gli Spari su Londra” and “Occhi chiusi da un po'”. The former is an upbeat song, with a sax passage in the middle, that fades out at the end with both boy and girl vocals, accordion and mandolin. The latter has a Mahones ballad twist, but is clearly Italian. And the marching band at the end of the song is fantastic!

“In te ho sognato in te spero morir” is packed in a jewel case with a four page booklet. Unfortunately, no lyrics to the songs are included. However, the artwork that has been made by the Cagno’s own design company, Laboom Design  is amazing.

The latest release by Mosche di Velluto Grigio is the evidence that a band can blend Celtic and their own country folk music influences and get a fresh sound that will be appreciated by both the Celtic punk diehard fan base and those fans that are always open to new developments of the genre. Our Italian friends can be happy: their domestic scene is alive and kicking. Now I’m looking forward to listening to the full second Dirty Artichokes CD.

Tracklist:
   
01 - The Bastards 1:50
02 - Gli spari su Londra 4:30
03 - Quell'uomo a Varano 3:50
04 - Il Capitano Jones 5:02
05 - Dolcissima Strega del mare 5:26
06 - Non vedi santi oltre il blu 4:28   
07 - A Long Lament for an Old Friend 3:00   
08 - This is All for our Ghosts 4:05
09 - Maggie Dickson's Pub 3:23
10 - 25 Aprile 2:55   
11 - Occhi chiusi da un po' 5:53
12 - Twenty Eight Miles 4:57

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Review by Kinksmarkham

IRISH McDRINKERS, A NEW BAND FROM QUEBEC

Irish McDrinkers hail from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. They have recently released a 6 track demo CD. These are two of the songs from "Welcome to Whiskey Town".

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Line-up:

Cath McBoesson Boivin
Tommy McOuellet
Louis McDesche Deschênes
Jeff McVegeto Godro
Jean-Biére McGermain

Irish McDrinkers - Welcome to Whiskey Town



Irish McDrinkers - Boozer Lament
 

VIDEO - DESAKATO "La tormenta"

The Asturian band Desakato has just released an official video for the song no. 3 from "Buen viaje".

Desakato - La tormenta

FREE DOWNLOAD - TULLAMORE CELTIC PUNK EP

The Tullamore Celtic Punk EP was reviewed last year. Now the guys from Italy are sharing it for free:

DOWNLOAD:

Tullamore Celtic Punk EP

FREE DOWNLOAD - DZIECIUKI "Discography"

Dzieciuki is a punk-folk-ska band from Belarus. All their recordings are available at Bandcamp. The single "Pa Harach" is in fact their rendition of "Bugger Off". It's stated that it's a Real McKenzies cover. Apparently they have never heard previous versions by other bands:-)

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Line-up:

Dzyanís Zhygavets - lyrics
Pasha "Trabl" - vocals, bagpipes
Ales' Dzyanísaŭ - acoustic guitar, vocals, banjo, harmonica
Andrey "Píton" - bass, vocals
Lokha Pudzín - guitar
Sanya "Syr" - drums
Nicholas "Kalyamba" Polyakov - accordion

DOWNLOAD:

Bandcamp -Demos & Gigs 2013
Bandcamp - Single 2014
Bandcamp - Album 2014

VIDEO - THE McMINERS "Rosie"

The McMiners hail from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. They intend to release an album soon, but in the meanwhile you can enjoy this video at Balcony TV.

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Line-up:

Nathan Augusto - Guitar

Lucas Soraggi
Arthur Telles - Drums

Gabriel Leao - Guitar, vocals

Enst Kurt Clauss - Accordion

Debora Larp - Fiddle

The McMiners - Rosie

FREE DOWNLOAD - THE DUST RHINOS

The Dust Rhinos are from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The band was formed in 1992 and has a long discography. They got a huge success when the mp3.com site was a legal free download page. In fact, their song "Jedi Drinking Song" was their greatest hit a and several bands have covered that song written by former band member Jon Ryan. That's what they said at mp3.com about the song: 

"Yoda is the Master. The best StarWars sing along song in the galaxy. In space no one can hear you pass out. From our CD "Got Guinness?""

If you keep on thinking that the song was written by Marc Gunn from the  Brobdingnagian Bards, please note that their cover can be found on the "Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales" album from 2005, and the Dust Rhinos "Got Guinness'" album was released in 2.000. Besides, Marc Gunn told it clearly HERE before releasing the "Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales" album. 

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Current line-up:

Blair McEvoy - Vocals, guitar, bohdrán

Dale Brown - Fiddle, mandolin, vocals

Dan Cannon-  Bass, vocals

Andy Bart - Fiddle, mandolin, vocals

Darren Wittmann -Drums

Line-up "Got Guinness?" 

Blair McEvoy - Vocals, guitar, bodhrán

Dale Brown - Fiddle, mandolin

Elana Hiller - Fiddle, vocals

Jon Ryan - Vocals, bass

Brad Friesen -Drums

Line-up "On a Rampage":

Blair McEvoy - Vocals, guitar, bodhrán

Elana Hiller - Fiddle

Rob Rheubottom - Bass

Jeremy Schraeder - Guitar

Mark Cameron -Drums

Discography:

"Helter Celtic" (1.993, 12 tracks, deleted)

"On a Rampage" (1.997, 12 tracks, deleted)

"Got Guinness?" (2.000, 12 tracks)

"Sociable-Live!" (2.001, 18 live tracks)

"Up Your Kilt" (2.003, 11 tracks)

"The Second Set" (2.007, 7 tracks)

"The Day After the Night Before" (2.009, 12 tracks)

"Prehistoric - The Songs of "Helter Celtic" and "On a Rampage" "(2.010, 23 tracks, the first and second albums on 1 CD minus the song "Whiskey Sun" from "On a Rampage")

DOWNLOAD: (Please leave a tip):

Noisetrade

VIDEO - THE CEILI FAMILY "Promotion"

The Ceili Family have just released a video for the B-side from their new single "Keep Calm and Have a Ball with the Ceili Family"

The Ceili Family - Promotion

CREEPY CELTIC BROTHERS, CELTIC BAND FROM URUGUAY

Yesterday our friends from London Celtic Punks posted on Facebook a video from this band, Creepy Celtic Brothers. These are all the tracks from their EP that were uploaded to Soundcloud five months ago.

Myspace
Soundcloud

Line-up:

Federico Lagomarsino - Shuttle pipes, guitar, harmonica and vocals
Sebastián Geymonat - Highland pipes, guitar, accordion, tin whistle and vocals
Mike Hinkediker - drums, darbuka, peruvian cajon, vibraphone, snare drum

Aberdeen Angus



Charles Bronson



El Jigset del Tatu



La Granja



Puntarra



The House of the Rising Sun

REVIEW - LENNON KELLY "s/t" (2012)

Lennon Kelly "s/t" Indiebox Music IBX032
Release date: December 24, 2012
Running time: 25:32, 7 tracks
 
Lennon Kelly is not an Irish artist, but a seven piece band hailing from Cesena, Italy. ”Perry” (accordion), “Bartowski” (vocals, acoustic guitar), “Cisti” (guitar, banjo), “Pobre” (bass), “Roman” (guitar, banjo, vocals), “Debbede” (drums) and “Circo” (fiddle, tin whistle) released this seven track mini-abum at the end of 2012. The seven songs and one instrumental cover different fields from Celtic punk to British folk rock and even American folk, together with some drops of Italian folk music.

IMHO, the instrumental intro, “Berthennin”, is the less interesting track on the mini-album. It’s followed by “Sette nodi”, a song based on the well-known “Morrison’s Jig”. “Motivo per restare” is another song that is based on a traditional tune, the Scottish jig “The Atholl Highlanders”. Both songs are quite good and self-penned songs based on traditional tunes is an approach that I really love. I expect that the guys keep on doing it, but I would appreciate that they featured other tunes that are not overexposed.

The core of the mini-album consists of 3 fantastic songs. “A ruota libera” is a kick-ass song with a British folk rock sound à la Little Johnny England that soon evolves into a folk-punk anthem with two singers. Brilliant fiddle and accordion along the song and electric guitar and tin whistle at the end are showcased on this song. The following number, “Venti3”, makes me think of The Clash “Let’s Go Crazy”. Maybe it’s not so fast, but I love the Caribbean beat on this song. After that lively track, Lennon Kelly deliver the catchiest song on their self-titled mini-album: “Voglio il nome”. It begins with an amazing accordion intro that could come from the North of England or from Italy. Then, the tin whistle and the banjo join in and the two singers start to sing. The vocals approach is similar to that of Bizardunak (or even Dropkick Murphys).

To finish up, the guys blend different folk traditions on “L’altalena”, an awesome Johnny Cash infused song featuring banjo, accordion and fiddle. I also find a British folk rock twist on this song.

Regarding the packaging, it's a jewel case with a four page booklet. All the credits are stated, but no lyrics are provided. Anyway, the lyrics to every song can be found on YouTube.

Lennon Kelly are a band that is worth hearing. They write their own songs and forget about the usual pub standards. I’m looking forward to hearing their next recordings.

Tracklist:

01 - Berthennin 1:13
02 - Sette nodi 4:21
03 - A ruota libera 3:25
04 - Venti3 4:09
05 - Voglio il nome 4:09
06 - Motivo per restare 3:04
07 - L'altalena 5:07

Click on the titles to listen to the songs

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Review by Kinksmarkham

VIDEO - DRINK HUNTERS "Big Fella"

Drink Hunters have released a video for the song "Big Fella"

Drink Hunters - Big Fella

REVIEW - SEAGULLS ARE DRUNK "Next Round is on Us" EP (2014)

Seagulls Are Drunk "Next Round Is On Us" self-released EP
Released date: 11 April 2014
Running time: 19:25, 5 tracks 

The guys from Reims Seagulls are Drunk are back with a new EP. It’s titled “Next Round is On Us” and consists of five songs showcasing their brand of folk-rock fronted by Bruno’s love for soul and blues singers.

The EP starts with “Deep Inside Out the Sea” , one of the highlights on the EP, featuring accordion and flute.  The following song, "Big One Rainbow", is a little bit more complex. It has several good things, but IMHO, it doesn’t work as a whole.  The next two tracks are the fast-paced “In the Wasteland”, featuring bombarde, piano and great gang vocals, and “The Ballad of The Jackal”, with banjo, piano and a “jumping” flute. Finally, the guys take a risk again with another complex number, but this time the result is quite good: “Mr. Average” (flute, accordion, bombarde and fretless bass, together with  the haunting vocals of Bruno)

Remember, Seagulls Are Drunk music is best appreciated in a pub atmosphere. So, if you’re at home listening to these lads, dim the light, grab a craft beer and enjoy their music.

Tracklist:

1 - Deep Inside the Sea 3:17
2 - Big One Rainbow 3:45
3 - In the Wasteland 3:12
4 - The Ballad of the Jackal 4:20
5 - Mr Average 4:53

Click on songs 1 and 3 to listen

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Contact the band to buy the EP

seagulssaredrunk@free.fr

Review by Kinksmarkham

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES - TOUR DATES AND VIDEO

Trampled By Turtles have announced a five-date headline tour for November 2014 in support of their new album Wild Animals, due for release July 29 through Thirty Tigers. Commencing at The Thekla in Bristol on November 16, the tour includes a return to London’s Scala on November 20, following a triumphant sold-out show during the summer of last year.

"Wild Animals" was produced by the lead singer-songwriter of Low, Alan Sparhawk, and recorded in the legendary Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN (Nirvana, Andrew Bird, The Jayhawks). Of the new music Dave Simonett (guitar, vocals) notes, “We all tried to come into this thing extremely open-minded. How can we sound new to ourselves? A lot of our reputation from even just a couple years ago was that we were this fast band, which we can do, and we do that. But this record focused a little bit more on other aspects of our playing together.”

The record follows 2012’s "Stars and Satellites", which garnered widespread praise—the album debuted Top 30 on the Billboard chart and the band performed on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Conan,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “A Prairie Home Companion.” Trampled by Turtles’ massive touring schedule have kept them busy since then with various sold out runs and prime slots at festivals including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Festival, Outside Lands, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Firefly Festival and Newport Folk Festival.

Formed in Duluth, MN in 2003, Trampled by Turtles is Simonett, Tim Saxhaug (bass, vocals), Dave Carroll (banjo, vocals), Erik Berry and Ryan Young (fiddle).  Within the contained music scene of Duluth, the members of the band did their own time in punk and rock bands brandishing their electricity proudly before switching to acoustic instruments. While they never set out to be a bluegrass band, Trampled by Turtles employs many of the same traditional techniques of the genre, but their differences in influences and attack make for their unique sound. After spending years refining their live show and building fans via word of mouth, they released their debut Palomino to little fanfare out of the gates. The story quickly built and eventually the record spent over a year straight on the Billboard Heatseakers Chart.

In the US, the band have revealed their first annual Festival Palomino launching September 20 at Canterbury Park just outside of Minneapolis. Each act was selected by the band—the confirmed performers include The Head and the Heart, Low, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Field Report, Apache Relay, Erik Koskinen, plus more to come. The band has also confirmed nationwide headline dates to support the new release including a nearly sold out Red Rock Amphitheater appearance.

UK Live Dates:

Sun Nov 16 / Bristol / Thekla

Mon Nov 17 / Manchester / Gorilla

Tue Nov 18 / Glasgow / Art School

Wed Nov 19 / Birmingham / Institute

Thu Nov 20 / London / Scala

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Trampled By Turtles - Are You Behind the Shining Star?

REVIEW - THE CANNY BROTHERS BAND "The Guinness Situation" (2014)

The Canny Brothers Band "The Guinness Situation" Self-released
Release date: March 14, 2014
Running time: 35:56, 10 tracks

The Canny Brothers Band recently released their third album, “The Guinness Situation”. The band’s sound is fronted by mandolin and banjo and perfectly backed by acoustic guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. The guys from Brooklyn have played a lot of gigs and therefore the band is a well-oiled machine.

There are three types of songs on “The Guinness Situation” and two of them are really amazing. First of all, the self-penned songs. Three of the songs have been written by band members, two by Keith Fallon (“Devil’s Bird” and “Take Me”) and one by Tom Canny (“William O’Connor”). My favourite song is “Take Me”, a kick-ass song with a Paperboys twist, but the intimate “William O’Connor” about the true story of the Canny’s maternal grandfather, and the opening “Devil’s Bird” are top-notch songs too.

Secondly, the covers of songs that are still fresh. The last song of the album is a cover of Grateful Dead lyricist’s Robert Hunter’s a capella tune “Boys in the Barroom”. The lads have made a fantastic job and the arrangements are brilliant. Hats-off guys! “Peggy Gordon” is a ballad that I’ve always loved and unfortunately the Celtic rock/punk bands tend to ignore. Once again, the CBB’s rendition is awesome. Finally, they have chosen a couple of Wolfe Tone classics, “Some Say the Devil is Dead” and “Celtic Symphony”. Good choice and better performances, particularly that of the “Up the Ra” song.

The third group of songs is that of the standards that almost every single band has covered. It’s not easy to find new aspects on them, maybe a The Indulgers meet Tempest twist on “Drunken Sailor”. “The Guinness Situation” is the band's third album and, IMHO, the lads should have recorded more original stuff and forgotten about these three songs. I feel that they are OK for a live show or for a debut album, but not for a third album.

So, is the album worth hearing? Of course! 7 out of 10 songs are excellent and regarding the other three I’m sure that a lot of fans out there will enjoy them. Go to Soundcloud and listen to three of the best songs on the album and after that go to CDBaby and listen to the sound clips for all of the songs.

Tracklist:

01. Devil's Bird 4:42
02. Drunken Sailor 2:37
03. Spanish Lady 2:48
04. Take Me 4:02
05. Some Say the Devil Is Dead 2:40
06. Peggy Gordon 4:18
07. Dirty Old Town 3:42
08. Celtic Sympony 4:21
09. William O' Connor 4:03
10. Boys in the Barroom 2:37

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Amazon
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Review by Kinksmarkham

ROBBING VIKES - "We Are Pirates" EP out now

The Robbing Vikes are a new band from Japan. Their debut EP "We Are Pirates" is out today.

Tracklist:

01. Battle Field
02. Captain Frogger
03. Let's Get Drunk!
04. 俺たちのユートピア
05. 海！酒！女！喰らう！！！

A couple of tracks are available on streaming:

Robbing Vikes - 02 - Captain Frogger



Robbing Vikes -  05 - Umi! Sake! Onna! Kurau

REVIEW - THE BLACK TARTAN CLAN "Scotland in Our Hearts" (2014)

The Black Tartan Clan "Scotland in Our Hearts"
Release date: 30 April 2014
Running time: 38:16, 12 tracks 

“Scotland in our Hearts” is the latest Black Tartan Clan album. This bunch of Belgians have become alchemists and every CD they've previously released has  turned into gold straight away. And “Scotland in our Hearts” is no exception.

The six piece band found the perfect line-up when they release their “Standing Strong” EP and they have not failed since then. The pipes and the banjo are perfectly mixed with the electric guitar, rhythm section and Mac Touche lead vocals. As far as the lyrics are concerned, the songs are about Scotland, booze and friendship, but new topics are dealt: Bill Millin, the piper during the D-Day landing in Normandy, Scottish food, working in a factory, a musician’s life... Some buddies have also written some lyrics for them (“Piper Bill”, “We Are the Clan” and “Maggots in my Haggis”. By the way,  there is a number sung in French too, “We Are the Clan”. The Clan is really standing strong and growing.

Regarding the original stuff, “Piper Bill” is a fantastic number. BTC know that a brilliant album needs the perfect 1st song, and “Piper Bill” is BTC at its best: pipes, banjo and street punk chorus. “Scotland in Our Heart” follows the same path, with a powerful chorus too. “Belgian and Drunk” will soon become a classic that every ULB, UCL and KUL student will proudly sing. And “Maggots in my Haggis” is THE SINGLE from “Scotland in Our Hearts”. But BTC also moves to different territories. There are two slower numbers that I really love, the booze song “Until I’m Drunk Enough” and the top-notch closing number “The Artist”, featuring a brass band at the end. Together with those songs, “The Factory”, with its second vocals,  is amazing too.

Obviously, there are some traditional Scottish songs. The numbers that have got the BTC treatment on “Scotland in Our Hearts” are the well-known songs “Ye Jacobites” and “Go Lassie Go” (“Wild Mountain Thyme”) together with the tune “(Hector) The Hero”. I enjoy BTC covers of traditional Scottish songs, but I prefer when they cover Scottish tunes, so I’ll pick “The Hero”. Please guys, some Gordon Duncan's tunes on the next album!!!

The album packaging is a jewel case with a 16 page booklet. The cover drawing has been made by Jordi Sansa Linares (Pa de Ral drummer). BTC loved Pa de Ral “Triforce” cover and they contacted Jordi, who got some guidelines to draw the cover. After some sketches and some feedback, he was able to deliver what the guys were looking for.

Black Tartan Clan are the King Midas of Celtic punk. They have the ability to turn into gold everything they touch. I feel that they have already achieved their goals and therefore new goals would be highly appreciated. Maybe working with producer Phil Cunningham on the next album? I'd love it.

Tracklist:

01. Piper Bill 2:50
02. Scotland in our Hearts 2:48
03. We are the Clan 3:10
04. Friends until the End 3:34
05. Until I'm Drunk Enough 3:18
06. Belgian and Drunk 2:59
07. Ye Jacobites 3:04
08. The Hero 3:08
09. Go Lassie Go 2:58
10. Maggots in my Haggis 3:12
11. The Factory 2:56
12. The Artist 3:53

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P.S. 
ULB, KUL and UCL are the main Belgian Universities: Université Libre de Bruxelles, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Université Catholique de Louvain

Review by Kinksmarkham

FREE DOWNLOADS - THE RIGHS Discography

Sad news. The band from Oklahoma The Righs called its quits at the end of April 2014. This is what they posted at Facebook:

"Dear friends,

We’re sorry to break this news. Our show this Saturday at Belle Isle Brewery is going to be our last. We’ve discussed this matter and have realized that in the roughly eight and a half years since our first show, our lives, schedules, and interests have changed so much that continuing on as a band isn’t what’s best for us. It’s time for us to move on.

We’ll be removing our recordings from paid sites such as iTunes and Amazon, but we’ll be making them available for free download at therighs.bandcamp.com. We’ll also release for download our recordings for what would have been our third album, "Empty The Glass".

We’d like to thank all the guys who’ve been part of The Righs over the years; Jian, Bryan, Rian, Kenny, Doyle, and Dave.

We’d like to thank all of the venues who’ve had us play. Our first shows were at the now-defunct Racket Room in Edmond, OK. Over the years, we’ve played at great places like the Conservatory, VZD’s, Belle Isle Brewery, the Diamond Ballroom, the Opolis, the Red Brick Bar, Leon’s Lounge, the Vanguard in Tulsa, PJ’s Pub in Manhattan, KS, and the Lone Star Country Club in Coppell, TX, amongst many others. Thanks to all of them for having us. We had a blast working with you.

We’d like to thank all the bands, local and touring, that we’ve shared the stage with. Bands like The Dead Armadillos, Dave McDaniel, Red City Radio, Sunny Side Up, Christophe Murdock, Thickwit, and Green Corn Revival help make this a great local scene. And being able to open for great touring bands like Reel Big Fish, Street Dogs, The Toasters, Peelander-Z, Flatfoot 56, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Jason and the Punknecks, Deals Gone Bad, and tons more has been fantastic.

Thanks to Jeremy Ralstin, Dave Johnson, and Chris Harris, for their hard work in recording us.

Most of all, thanks to all of you, everyone who’s come out to a show and for all of the support you’ve shown us over the years. We love all of you. Maybe some day The Righs will see the light of day again and, if we do, we hope to see you there.

See you around,

Jack, John, Nate, Omid, and Ronnie"

DOWNLOAD:

"Empty the Glass"
"Roses"
"The Rivers Run Deep"

LYRICS VIDEO - LOCHNESZ "The Cape of Good Hope"

The Hungarian band LochNesz new single is titled "The Cape of Good Hope". This is the lyrics video for the song.

LochNesz - The Cape of Good Hope

REVIEW - THE BROTHERS OF MOTHERSHOVEL "Lay Back and Think of Croydon" (2014)

The Brothers of Mothershovel "Lay Back and Think of Croydon"
Release date: 19 March 2014
Running time: 39:12, 11 tracks

The Brothers of Mothershovel hail from Croydon, South London. Their debut album, produced by Gavin at Rocket Studio, is titled “Lie Back and Think of Croydon”. Yes, they have put Croydon instead of England. The band that has recorded the album consisted of Brother Ad on harmonica and vocals, Brother Ja on bass, Brother Dan on guitar and vocals, Brother Yohann on fiddle, drums and heater and Cousin Gav  on organ on 'King Gooseberry' and drums on 'Cent Vingt'. Even if the title of the album is 100% British, the music comes from the other side of the pond: their stuff is a gumbo of blues, cajun and country influences. The Brothers of Mothershovel live in England, but their self-penned songs come directly from Louisiana and Tennessee.




 The highlights on the album would be “The Ballad of Dirk Van den Berg”, an instrumental on which fiddle plays the lead role; “Cent Vingt”, another instrumental based on harmonica and fiddle; “Can’t Catch Me”, a lively song; “Hovel Bop” an infectious number were the harmonica truly shines, and “Midnight Sunshine”.





 If you like the live music atmosphere (smoke, sweat, darkness, booze) with the swampy influence from the Southern states, try this.

 

Tracklist:

01. My Number 03:37   
02. Hovel Bop 03:12   
03. Shell Life 03:33   
04. On The Run 03:54   
05. The Ballad Of Dirk Van Den Berg 03:53   
06. One Good Night 03:20   
07. Can't Catch Me 04:14   
08. Midnight Sunshine 03:56
09. Shovel Pop (feels so good) 03:08   
10. King Gooseberry 03:07   
11. Cent Vingt 03:23

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Review by Kinksmarkham

THE McNAUGHSTYS - LYRICS VIDEO FOR "This Ship is Going Down"

The McNaughtstys lyrics video for the song "This Ship is Going Down"

The McNaughstys - "This Ship is Going Down"

VIDEO - LENNON KELLY "Galway Girl"

Lennon Kelly hail from Cesena, Italy. This is their video for "Galway Girl, the Steve Earle classic.

Their self-titled EP will be reviewed soon. Stay tuned!!!

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Vasco "BARTOWSKI" Abbondanza - Vocals, guitar
ROMAN - Guitar, banjo, vocals
Cristofer "CISTI" Graffieti - Guitar, banjo
Alessandro "POBRE" Valentini - Bass
Davide "DEBBEDE" Paci - drums
Mirco "CIRCO" Turci - Fiddle, tin whistle
Enrico "PERRY" Ricci - Harmonica

Lennon Kelly - Galway Girl

FREE DOWNLOAD - GARLIC KINGS "Sluchalis Veschi I Poluchshe" (2014)

(Thanks again to Dikiy Kloun for the heads-up)
New album by Russian band Garlic Kings. They are sharing it for free, as usual.


DOWNLOAD:

From VK

VIDEO - FINNEGAN'S HELL "Drunk, Sick and Blue"

The new single/video “Drunk, Sick And Blue” from the Celtic punkrockers Finnegan’s Hell out today June 4th on HepTown Records.“The title track from the upcoming debut album by Finnegan’s Hell; a release that marks a new wave of European Celtic punk." The album will be out 26th September, 2014 on Heptown Records.”

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Finnegan's Hell "Drunk, Sick And Blue"

Single - Heptown Records

1. Drunk, Sick And Blue
2. Molly Maguires

Finnegan's Hell - Drunk, Sick And Blue

SAMPLER - 2014 VOL. II

The new sampler is out!

Eight bands: 2 bands from Canada, 2 bands from Indonesia, 2 bands from England, 1 band from the USA and 1 band from Spain.


All the songs are available for free on the Internet:

Tracks 1-10 available at Reverbnation
Tracks 11-12 available at Archive.org
Track 13 available at Bandcamp
Tracks 14 and 15 available at Soundcloud

The songs can be downloaded one by one from those sites, or together from the link at the bottom.

1) THE BAD LADS (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Reverbnation
Facebook

Line-up:

Dru Donovan - Guitar/Vocals
Don Hynes - Mandolin/Vocals
Cara MacDonald - Tin Whistle
Stu Hayward - Bass
Colleen Britton - Drums
Julia Clahane - Fiddle

2) THE McNAUGHSTYS (Los Angeles, California, USA)

Reverbnation
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Soundcloud

Line-up:

Shawn M. Callender - Vocals, guitar
Max Gillespie - Bagpipes, vocals
Alexei Acosta - Bass, vocals
Seth Hansen - Fiddle, vocals
Troy Tucker - Drums

Discography:

"Scraped Knuckles & Natty Boh's" (EP, 2012)
"The McNaughstys" (EP, 2014)

3) THE CROOKED HORN (Perth, Ontario, Canada)
 
Reverbnation
Band's website
Another band's website

Jamie - Bass
Bobby McGinnis - Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Frank Guertin - Fiddle
Johnny - Drums

Discography:

"Home Brew. Live and Plugged" (9 tracks, live)


4) THE BARLEY HOPS (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

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Line-up:

Fajar -  Tin whistle & vocals
Muslich - Acoustic guitar & vocals
Bayu - Fiddle & vocals
Tommy - Bass
Yuwan/Toro - Electric Guitar
Adam - Drums

5) CIUSQUAD (Klaten, Indonesia)

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Line-up:

Diick - Vocals
Youngky - Guitar
Viant - Bass
Thuthut - Melodica
Ferdi - Drums

6) CACHIRULOS XL (Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain)

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Line-up:

Scotty - Vocals and guitar
Jorge - Guitar
Jaro - Dulzaina, bagpipes from Aragon, tarota, whistle...
Nano - Bass
Marwan -  Percussions
Hasan - Drums

Discography:

"Esta Noche Mando yo!" (12 tracks, 2013)
"Ruge Dragón" (2 track single, 2014)

7) GARY MILLER (Newcastle, England, UK)

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Discography:

"Stand Fast, Stand Steady" (with Ralf Weihrauch, 12 tracks, 2005)
"Reflections on War" (10 tracks, 2010)
+ the full Whisky Priests discography

8) GREEN ROCK RIVER BAND (London, England, UK)

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Line-up:

Matt Markwick - Fiddle, mandolin, vocals
Jeremy Sachs - Zhiter banjo, vocals
Paul Freeman - Guitar, vocals
Rebecca Freeman - Vocals
Bowden Smith - Bass
Mark Duddy - Drums
Sarah Mann - Trombone
Rich Stillman - Washboard and French horn

Discography:

"Rhinoceros" (10 track, 2014)
"Good Times " (4 track EP, 2012)
"Soaking to the Bone" (4 track EP, 2010)

DOWNLOAD:

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