The Narrowbacks are a young Irish America band from the Bronx section of New York. The band have just released the their new single Shannon and a hard at work rehearsing for their upcoming spot opening for Dropkick Murphys at the Boston House of Blues during the Murphys upcoming St. Patrick’s run of gigs.
Can we start with a little background on the band – who’s in the band, how did the band get together and how would you describe your sound? And can you explain to non-New Yorkers what Narrowback means?
The Narrowbacks are a 6 piece Irish Folk Rock band -we are obviously heavily influenced by the music of the Dubliners, Pogues, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys; you can also hear a little bit of Bruce Springsteen mixed with 90’s and early 2000’s punk, pop-punk and from our rhythm section some Funk, Metal and Jam. Every member has a very different musical background and different musical taste outside of Irish music.
Barry and I (Seamus) started the band when were were still at Iona College. The byproduct of late night sing songs; Barry suggested formally starting a band and writing our own songs. We started recording demos in Barry’s house in New Rochelle and we even rehearsed early versions of the songs with his then roommate and future Narrowback, Chris Moran. Chris wouldn’t formally join the band until a few years later. We eventually recruited my brother Pat Keane on button accordion and Fionn McElligott on guitar; who we knew from playing gaelic football. We travelled as a 4 piece for the first few months, I was singing, Barry on Bass, Pat on accordion and Fionn on guitar until Fionn’s friend Anthony Chen joined the band on Bass and Barry moved to Banjo and Mandolin.
Chris Moran joined the band in June of 2011 and he was the final piece of the puzzle.
Since then we have gone from playing Sundays at Murty’s Publick House in Pearl River, to packed houses in Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers, supporting Black 47 on their farewell tour, supporting Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park to now opening for the Dropkick Murphys across from Fenway Park at the House of Blues Boston on the day before Saint Patrick’s Day! Not a bad run so far.
A Narrowbacks isn’t really a New York thing; at least I don’t think it is. It’s a derogatory term used for Irish Americans – sons and daughters of Irish immigrants who now have it easy in America and don’t sport the wide over worked backs of their parents. They don’t have wide backs from hard labor, they have narrow backs from an easy life and lack of hard physical work.
I understand the Narrowbacks are from the North Bronx and Pearl River. Any truth that you’re the offspring of yer man and woman from Black 47s “Living in America”? Seriously, with Black 47s retirement there is a huge hole in the NY Irish scene, are the Narrowbacks the band to fill that void?
We’re not literally the offspring of the couple in “Living in America” but we probably went to school or played football with their kids. That song was written about the Irish who lived in the Bainbridge section of the Bronx who married had kids and eventually moved to Pearl River (as heard in a later version of the song), just like us. My parents and Barry’s parents both came to the Bronx and we were both born there and lived there for a short while before moving across the Tappan Zee.
Now do I think we are capable of filling the void left by Black 47? No, Black 47 were a force that can not be and will not be replaced but that being said I think we can be the Black 47 of the new young Irish and American millenials, songs that tell the stories of the people we know and see with songs like ‘Lost Generation’ and “Paddy’s Field’ stories about neighborhoods changing, moving upstate to fulfill the American dream, new problems arising and things changing but also kind of staying the same. The void you’re talking about is also not as big as you may think, the Irish music scene here in New York is thriving at the moment. It’s a huge scene and an interborogh tour can be as fruitful as a tristate tour in terms of following, crowds and merch sales. There are bands from every part of New York from the Bronx to Brooklyn fighting and playing for their piece of the pie. After it all we get along like a big family and help eachother out, very passive aggressively of course – it wouldnt be an Irish relationship otherwise.
Obviously, the upcoming Dropkicks gig is a going to be a big show for you guys. How as a fairly new band did you get onto this much sought after spot? Any expectations about the gig? We backed up Ken Casey at a charity gig he was being honored at a few years ago – he kept a CD and kept in touch. We kept in touch via text and email ever since and a few months ago he reached out and asked if we were free for the March gig….and of course with out hesitation we said we were.
So who is this Shannon that you sing about on your new single?
Barry wrote Shannon so I’ll let him answer this one. Barry: Shannon’s a story I came up with one night while sitting in the 11th Street Bar in the East Village, a blend of some fiction and fact. I was living in the village at the time and spent most nights out at various watering holes where I became friends with a lot of the bartenders. The lyrics are kind of a composite of the stories told to me firsthand and my own observations and experiences, from the point of view of the habitué.
What’s next for the band? You’ve got your Paddy’s day shows coming up and after that any recording or touring (particularly outside of the tristate area)?
Well we’re playing through out New York and New Jersey this March, Boston on 3/16 then our own co-headling show with our friends Girsa at Webster Hall on Saint Patrick’s Day. This summer we’re playing festivals in Fairfield, CT, East Durham, NY and we will be hitting the midwest for the first time ever. So far all we have book for the tour is the Chicago Irish Festival on July 8th and 9th. We’re really looking forward to playing in Tossers country.
Scruffy, lots of people are very excited to hear you have become a Mahone. How did joining The Mahones come about?
I have been long time friends with Finny and Dom…they’re like family to me. Katie is like a little sister and the rest of the fellas have always been fun to hang around. I have played off and on with them and toured many times with them and it’s always been a great time.
What attracted you to join the Mahones, you go back a long time with them right?
I have known Finny and crew for over 20 years…we go way back. They’re great friends and I consider them family.
How will the sound of the Mahones change with you aboard?
I don’t think much about the signature sound of the Mahones will change much…I think the only change is that you may here some Bagpipes here and there. I will share whistle duties and some backup vocals.
Are you moving back to Canada?
I will always have a home in Canada, but I’m staying in Boston. I love this city and am quite content here.
How are relations with Dropkick Murphys?
I wish them all the best.
What are the Mahones upcoming plans to record and tour?
We are working out lots of dates and are excited to get to work. I will be in the studio for a few days coming up next week to do some preliminary work and you can expect to hear some great new music!
Bruins or Canadians?
Without hesitation…Boston Bruins.
What have you been up for the since you left DKM?
I have been working with a new charity called 22kill, bringing awareness to veteran suicide. Staying busy with arranging fund raisers and helping in my community as much as I can. I went to school to become an EMT and love helping people in need. Being a father to 2 boys keeps me pretty busy and I squeeze in as much playing with other bands as I can.
Favorite Mahones song?
Hmmmmm….I’ve always been partial to ‘Back Home’….has a lot of sentimental meaning to me. Of course the usual staples….Drunken Lazy Bastard, Is This Bar Open ‘Til Tomorrow and a night of debauchery that Finny and I shared in Hamburg, Germany a few years ago called ‘The Pint Of No Return’…haha. It was a hell of a night chasing the ghost of Brendan Behan….
Irish Whiskey or Scotch?
Scotch…I usually drink Lagavulin 16 or any Islay whisky….
‘Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum’ Your Piper-at-Arms, Josh ‘Scruffy’ Wallace
The Town Pants are a three piece from Canada who play their Celtic Folk with a fuel injected punk rock kick up the arse. Musically the Town Pants can be best described as a non-nerdy Makem Brothers. If you can imagine that. The interview was carried out via email with Aaran Chapman and I want to thank Aaron for taking the extra time to do an exceptional job answering the questions.
(S’n’O) Aaron – Can I first ask you about your musical history, you were a member of the kilt wearing, blue face panted, Sassenach slaying Scottish punk rock gods the Real McKenzies. What was that like, what was your involvement?
(AC) Always something when I’m asked about I’m not sure where it’s coming from, especially from people within the music industry. When people find out that I was in the Real McKenzies, often their demeanor changes–like finding out I have a prison record and done hard time… Either people are intrigued and impressed, or they’re bloody scared of you! Where do I begin?… The band is a little different today than it began. For what its worth, I was one of the original members and played in the band from 1992-1997, and toured the US and Canada several times with the band. I appeared on the first IFA Records album–which I gather has just been re-released–a couple of compilations, and wrote or co-wrote some of the songs like the “Sawney Beane Clan” or stuff that appeared on records after I left like “King o’ Glasgow” on the Clash of the Tartans album.
For those who never saw, or have seen the group. The Real McKenzies earned a reputation as sort of a Scottish Sex Pistols. One person termed it a punk rock version of the Hells Angels in kilts. It really all started just as a one-off joke, but I met someone in Ottawa earlier this year who considered the band the best punk band in Canada at the time. It was generally certainly reviewed as one of the best live acts in North America. I’ve heard the Dropkick Murphys, who’ve gone onto greater popularity considered the McKenzies a big influence. And I know the guys in the Swinging Utters–who I still try to drop in and say hello to when they come to town to play–are big fans, as are some of the Bad Religion guys.
The original band consisted of Paul McKenzie (vox), Tony Walker (guitar/vox), Lought (drums), Angus McFuzzybut (bass) and myself (tin-whistle/vox). Dirty Kurt Robertson (guitar/vox) joined a bit later, but he didn’t play in the band for the first year. Alan MacLeod (bagpipes) joined a year or so after that. That lineup was pretty consistent all in all for the first three or four years of the group. I sort of was the Flavor Flav to Paul McKenzies Chuck D. Rod Bruno from The Walkerband termed me the Ed McMahon of Rock and Roll, which I thought was a tremendous compliment! I suppose I’m remembered in the group as the comic, and maybe the sense of humor of the band – who was never short of a word on the mike to put down an unruly audience member, or if that didn’t work I’d fill my whistle up with spit when I played, then launched it with a flick of the wrist to shoot gobs at the idiot. I got pretty accurate… Spider Stacy was a big hero.
The band was being courted by Atlantic Records in 1996, but it all sort of imploded and dissolved in 1997. The record deal went down the toilet, and I’d kind of had enough. People weren’t getting along with one another, and there were other problems… The band reformed, but not totally with the same people. And I was out. Currently, Paul and Kurt are really the only original members. I’ve never seen the band play live since I left, so I couldn’t tell you if its still the same. But the original line-up was responsible for much of the legend that I think surrounds the band. But I don’t want to sound like a “good old days” guy, or whatever.
On a personal level, The Real McKenzies started shortly after I’d turned 21. So I did a lot of growing up in the subseqent five years. Aside from a great band, it was a remarkable education and a very unique way to grow up. I was a young kid, the youngest in the band, who was sort of growing up in the spotlight learning all these life lessons all within a tremendously wild environment of travel, sex, alcohol, violence, joy, sadness, poverty, wealth, confusion, philosophy, personal physical and emotional injury, and a dozen other vivid themes. And I was finishing my degree at the time through it all!… Our tours were insane journeys. I’ve read portions of my tour diaries of the period to people, and over college radio and they make Rollins’ “Get in The Van” sound like a cub scouts weekend getaway, and I am thinking of publishing them. I kept really good records of those years. Plus, I have some great tapes, demos, and live excerpts that McKenzies fans would love. A lot of hidden gems like our version of the Damned’s “Love Song” which we re-did as “Kilt On”, and more which would be great to release as an odds & sods album.
I don’t see Kurt and Paul much anymore. They tour a lot, and Paul spends a lot of time living in the U.S. now. But its amazingly good to see each other when we do. A lot of the old crap is forgotten. The Real McKenzies seem to be going strong, especially with this new album coming out soon. I managed to bump into the band backstage at the Shane Mac Gowan and the Popes show here in Vancouver, and I got introduced as old alumni to all the new lads in the group, and got treated like royalty – which I suspect is a lot better than some ex-members are remembered! Like a cockroach that won’t die, the Real McKenzies seem to be going strong! Especially with this new album coming out. So, even though I’m not there and I do miss seeing the guys as much as I used to–especially Kurt and Paul–its kind of nice to know the group is still out there doing its thing. I sort of feel like in spirit I’m still there. But maybe that’s just the scotch whiskey talking…!
Steve Jones anyone? Photo by: Bjoern Fredrich (S’n’O) How did you get involved with the Town Pants? (AC) After the McKenzies dissolved… It sort of happend with a bit of acrimony. I figured I was done with music altogther, it was five years of very enjoyable madness. But it was still madness. I figured I’d get back into film which I’d gotten my degree in when I was at University. But I started working for Nomeansno–Initially as a Tour Manager and Merchandiser, and later I photographed the NMN album cover for “Dance of the Headless Bourgoisie”. The Nomeansno tours were MUCH different than McKenzies tours. It was like going from a cop in Beruit to a crossing guard in Beverly Hills! But no less enjoyable. Everybody’s on the same page. It was kind of like going to rock-school as well, and re-learning a lot of important things not only about music, but touring and perhaps life in general. Basically keeping your eye on the prize. I didn’t know the band that personally when I first was working for them, but I got to know them. John Wright and I made a film about beer together, and later, Tom Holliston and I did some comedy pieces for CBC radio. I occasionally appear on Show Business Giants albums of his under the pseudonym “Hilly Sands”. Rob Wright has been very encouraging of my fiction writing, too. They are a great band, and great people and I can’t say enough good things about them. Go buy an album of theirs, already!
Sooner or later just seeing my friends get up and play every night started to eat at me and I kind of wanted to do it again, and for the right reasons. The lusty siren of music called me back to her fatal shores! I wasn’t necessarily sure it was going to be another celtic band, as I had some musical interests in other genres. But a friend of mine saw an ad in the local musicians wanted paper for a tin-whistle player. All of this was sort of strange because it was a mag that was full of “Bass player needed… Guitar player needed… Drummer wanted”, etc. and somebody asking specifically and just for a whistle player was uncommon enough that I showed it to my girlfriend at the time and we thought it was a set-up! This turned out to be The Town Pants who had already been up and running for a year before I joined, replacing a departing accordionist. Anyway I called, went to the audition, and they asked me if I could learn 56 traditional songs by that weekend! I still don’t know if I’m in and got the job, they just didn’t tell me to leave!
The Town Pants is a lot different from the Real McKenzies musically speaking. Its all acoustic instruments for one, so there is a certain challenge there to play music with some heat just with acoustic instruments… And some of it is more “pop” dare I say. Well, the Keogh brothers write the catchy pop songs, and I write the angry annoyed rants. It makes for a good balance of love and hate!
(S’n’O) The Town Pants are currently touring Scandinavia, how’s that going and how did a band from BC, Canada find themselves playing Celtic folk in the Bars of Finland, Sweden and Norway?
(AC) A little odd. Scandinavia is the one place you can go as a Canadian and be considered exotic maybe. They don’t know that much about Canada over here, and the only Canadian music they know is Bryan Adams and Celine Dion. Reciprocally, I couldn’t really name any Swedish bands aside from Abba so its been a good learning process for Canadian and Scandinavian nationalities. They really only know this music as “Irish” music over here. So they always think its strange to hear us as Canadians playing what they strictly term “Irish” music here. I guess they’re still expecting all Canadians to go into Adams and Dion tunes? So we’re here to confound them. We initally got over here from some friends who had toured here and recommended the organization that now books us in Europe, and we’d sold a few records here. It wasn’t a lot. When we finally arrived it wasn’t the Beatles coming to America or anything, but it was enough to pique our interest–and we’ve done a tour here every year for three years in a row. Also, for reasons science cannot wholly explain, I find at least six weeks a year of vodka and Swedish girls keeps me in good health, too.
(S’n’O) The Town Pants jammed with Iron Maiden once. How did that come about and if you had a choice to jam with anyone who would that be?
(AC) We were playing in Stockholm, Sweden. Iron Maiden was playing the next night for two nights at the big stadium in town. They’re still huge over there! Heavy Metal from that era still is in general… Anyway, they happened to come into the bar that we were playing. I guess it was their night off, or they had just finished soundchecking or something. A bunch of Swedish people came up to the wings of the stage and said, “hey, do you guys know that Iron Maiden is here!”. I didn’t recognize any of them. The whole band was there with some of their crew. I was trying to work into a song introduction a excerpt from one of Bruce Dickenson’s children’s books I’d memorized–don’t ask why–but, I was drunk and couldn’t remember. Dave the banjo player is an old headbanger at heart and used to play in a thrash band when he was a teenager and he remembered the Maiden tune, “Number of the Beast” and went into it on the Banjo! They got a big kick out of it, and we met them all after the break. Jannick Gers the guitar player came up and played on a song of ours on the second set. It was all pretty funny and we all had a good time. I wish we would have recorded it or gotten a bootleg of it. They invited us to come out to their show the next night, but we had to hit the road in the morning and play in Norway that next night. So, both bands bid a drunken farewell to each other on the streets of Stockholm. Damn, it would have been good to get a photo of that scene too… Who would I want to jam with? Some of the names would surprise you. Somebody asked me this question not so long ago and I had to divide it into living or dead. Then I realized I had to divide the people who I just wanted to get drunk with or people I wanted to stare at. Don Rickles and Elizabeth Hurley I think topped the latter of those two respective categories…
(S’n’O) I noticed a much more Scottish feel to the second Town Pants CD, is this your doing?
(AC) Hmm… Subconsciously, maybe! The other guys in the band are all of Irish ancestry, and our current fiddle players family is German… so I guess as the lone one of Scottish descent I try to work some Scottish feeling in there. But there were some Scottish songs on “Liverdance”… like the “Gallant 40 Twa” which they were doing before I joined. We all liked the trad song “The Dundee Weaver” that the Dubliners did, so we did that one on Piston Baroque. There’s no pipes on the album though… I was hoping to bring in my friend and old Real McKenzies bagpipe player Alan “Raven” McLeod on in for a track, but we didn’t have anything that really fit. Maybe on the next album.
(S’n’O) What is the story behind Annie Chapman in the song “Dark Annie”?
(AC) A relative of mine was a big royal family nut. You know the kind. Collects all the plates and pictures, goes downtown to wave a flag when the Prince or the Queen comes to town every decade… Maybe you don’t have them in America as much…?
She decided to search through the family rolls – I guess hoping that we’d be 80th in line to the throne of England or something like that. Some Scottish or Jacobite link maybe! She spent a lot of time rummaging through old records and documents, hoping for a fifedom or a Lordship we could claim of some nameless Scottish highland field, I guess.
Instead she found out we were related to one Annie Chapman, a London prositute who happened to be Jack the Ripper’s third victim! The rest of the family all seemed a bit shocked. She lived and died in one of the poorest sections of London, and I guess some might want to write a murdered prositute out of the family tree. But I was fascinated, and I consider any woman that the guts to walk the streets of London at that period of history was probably more brave than most, and certainly more than me. They weren’t doing it because they saw “Pretty Woman”, or were paying for their crack addict boyfriend. They were just poor and that was it. They did it because most of them were from little to no education, who couldn’t get other jobs, down and out alcoholics, that Britains class society didn’t have any time for. Maybe you could say that society still doesn’t have time for broken and battered women and they turn to that… I don’t know, and I don’t mean to sound or get political with it.
I wrote the song when I was about 19 or 20, and was probably one of the first songs I ever wrote, but the melody is based on an old traditional tune I’d heard called “The Lowlands of Holland”. It wasn’t the right kind of song for the Real McKenzies so it pretty much just sat in a book for six or seven years, until I brought it out at a rehearsal with The Town Pants not long after I joined the band. I hope if Annie heard the song she’d like it.
Hugh McMillan [from the band Spirit of the West] who produced Piston Baroque also played on “Dark Annie” a bass part on a Chapman Stick, a 10 stringed musical instrument that looks like a big cricket bat with strings on it… I thought playing a Chapman Stick would be pretty fitting for a song about Annie Chapman. I suppose its my sense of humor at work, in an otherwise humorless song…
(S’n’O) Why is there so much great Celtic based rock coming out of Canada these days? Any bands you recommend?
(AC) Canada is somewhat unique that Celtic rock actually charts on the radio, and the videos by these bands get played on the music video channels… That doesn’t happen anywhere in Europe, or America in the major media. Maybe Australia is different with bands like “Weddings, Parties, Anything”. So, Canada really supports this kind of music. And its not such a strange genre of music as it is to hear in other countries, maybe.
Plus, so many people in Canada have parents or Grandparents from the U.K. So its not uncommon as a kid to have heard some drunken uncle singing some dirty pub song to you, or your Aunt to have an old fiddle or Mandolin somewhere in the attic just begging to be played, or maybe a few old records of old Irish drinking tunes in your parents record collection, so and you grow up with this music. Maybe if you’re not in French Canada, but its an immigrant country… So you hear this sort of music sooner or later, and in Atlantic Canada in the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and so on, there are a lot of bands playing celtic music from very traditional to punk.
As for bands currently in Canada… Aside from us! Get the Real McKenzies first album–the one I’m on! There is a band from Toronto called The Mahones. They have some great music, and they’re good friends, too. Track down the Hard Rock Miners “Rock and Roll Welfare” album if you can.
There was a band in Vancouver in the early 90’s called The Stoaters that were great. I used to go see them, I think they were influential to many. If you can track down their “Keep the Head” album on Turtle Records, pick it up. I heard they are going to record another album again. The other guys in the Town Pants might recommend the now defunct Jimmy George who are from Ontario. Spirit of the West of course are worth exploring too if you don’t know them.
(S’n’O) What do you think of Ashley MacIssac?
(AC) He seems ok. I met him last when The Town Pants opened for him last year at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. But I mostly only saw him backstage in his dressing room smoking a heap of pot. Our support slot at the show went over really well… And it seemed like his fans enjoyed us. He was out of bow rosin when he got on stage. I play the Musical Saw a bit when I feel cheeky enough to do it, so I tossed him mine out of my gig bag right there out on the stage. The bastard never thanked me!
He seems like a nice enough guy though. I don’t own any of his records, but that “Devil in the Kitchen” number I liked. Some of the stuff he’s done with hip-hop beats with Mary Jane Lomond I am not so interested in. It’s sort of… predictable.
(S’n’O) What are the future plans for the group, any plans for some US dates?
(AC) More hitting the lonely highway of touring… Leaving a wake of broken bottles and hearts wherever we go! Well, Once we get home, we’re supposed to film a couple of overdue videos for songs for the Piston Baroque album, so we’re going to do a bit of work on that. I don’t know if I can speak about details yet, but one video might even be an animated thing. We’ll see. It will be quite something else if it comes together. The Town Pants meets Shrek! Its all a bit twisted. As for United States dates, we’ve played in New York and in Arizona for various things, and I think we have rough plans to go down to New York again in late March of 2002. But we’ve been so busy over the last couple of years doing tours in Canada, and spending the time doing longer tours in Europe that we haven’t really delved into the United States like we should be. Especially in places closer to home in Vancouver like Seattle and in Portland. Back when I was in the Real McKenzies, Seattle and San Francisco were always great shows. Texas was always a riot. Always a good audience. So it’d be great to bring this band down there and see how it went over. We’re probably going to start sketching out more new material for a new CD too in 2002, as well… It’d be nice to get a better distribution system or company handling the CD’s as well, because sometimes people have a hard time tracking them down in stores, and are forced to get them through mail order on the website.
(S’n’O) Who’s the best the Clancy Brothers or the Corries?
(AC) Hmmm… The Irish & Scottish rivalry there! I’ll get into trouble here with somebody. Honestly, I would probably want to vote for The Dubliners if I was going to vote for bands like that of yesteryear. Dave from The Town Pants is a huge Clancy Brothers fan, and collects the old viynl, but I never really got into them.
I was more turned on by the same music that was given an edge by The Pogues, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, or Weddings Parties Anything… those sort of bands. So consequently we argue about, for example, which is a better version – the Pogues’ version of the “Parting Glass”, or The Clancy’s! We usually listen to both. Decide we should go out for a drink. Then we forget about the argument!
The Dubliners had that sort of edge. Ronnie Drew’s voice I think is on par with the soul of Louis Armstrong or Tom Waits. Of course, the truth of the matter is probably the greatest Irish band has gone unrecorded. They played in some small bar in Dublin, or maybe in London or Manchester, or maybe even Halifax or New York or maybe in Gastown in Vancouver at the beginning of the century and they were all drinkers and carousers who played with more fire than any band we know, but went unrecorded. Not so long ago this was just considered immigrant music. Who would want to buy records of this? God knows there must have been more people than Robert Johnson playing some stuff at some other crossroad just down the road that somebody with the microphones and acetates missed hearing about to record. Maybe it was even meaner or original and raw than anything he had.
Its traditional music, celtic and blues… Maybe Punk will be traditional soon! Punk rock and celtic music aren’t really that much different. Good rowdy celtic music, when its played right, has the same honesty and passion that punk music did for me so I never saw them as that much different.
My point is, everybody can have a shot at it. And you don’t need to be Irish or Scottish to appreciate it or play it. Maybe some band playing down the street from you tonight at the pub is the best celtic band in the world tonight. Go check em out.
Boston based The Swaggerin’ Growlers have just released their 2nd full length CD – Keep Your Head Held High. In honour of that momentus ocasion we asked Johnny Swagger a few dumb questions.
s’n’o: First off, can we get a brief history of the band and personally how did you get involved in playing Celtic-punk?
Johnny Swagger: The band started, like all good folk bands, in the pub. Over pints of Franconia Notch Brewing Companies’ Mountain Stout, in the summer of 2004. We rehearsed in Seth’s (of the Pubcralwers ) basement and played our first show on St Patrick’s day of 2005. Somewhere over the last two years we had a lot of lineup changes, as well as a relocation down to Boston. We finally locked everything down in the beginning of this year, and decided it was high time we put out a new record. Now, we’re off to take over the world.
As far as Celt Punk Goes: Flogging Molly got me interested, and the Pogues changed my life: The idea that you can cause that much intense insanity with acoustic instruments is glorious. It’s hard to avoid the influence of Irish music on the folk scene here in Boston, and in New England as a whole.
S’n’O: Your Head Held High! is your 2nd full-length. How does it compare to your 1st (The Bottle and the Bow)? Is there growth, maturity, keyboards etc., or did you go the AC/DC, Ramones, Motorhead route?
Johnny Swagger: It blows it away, outright – I couldn’t be more proud of the family. There’s a whole lot of growth on this record, and a lot more of our influences shine through considerably more: Bluegrass, Old Tyme, Ska, Swing, and Hardcore. We recorded the majority of it at the band house, behind a schedule that can best be described as insane, so we could have it out for the 17th. And we pulled it off, goddamn it.
S’n’O: I know you headlined the Middle East Club in St. Patrick’s Day for the CD release party. How did it go?
Johnny Swagger: It was a few people shy of selling out, actually – It was a complete frenetic mess. Jubilant, boisterous, brash. I’ve played hundreds of shows at this point in my musical career, and I can definitely say this was my favorite show to date. We were completely surrounded by friends and family, both on and off the stage, and the after party easily ran until 6am. Could anyone ask for anything more? I was in awe the whole goddamn time.
S’n’O: Any plans to tour to support the new release outside New England? Anyone you’d like to tour with?
Johnny Swagger: You better believe it. We plan on fully supporting this record over the next few years, in the states and abroad, starting this summer with a full US tour, then again in the fall. Stay tuned, we plan on announcing dates in the next week or so. Anyone got a van they can sell us? Growlersarus Rex is a little too battered to be roadworthy at this point.
S’n’O: myspace or facebook?
Johnny Swagger: I’ve done more social networking in our living room during a folk jam than on either of those. But Myspace is great for porn and spam and facebook is great for being a creepy stalker. so naturally, we’ve got both, and you should check them out.
S’n’O: In closing, anything you’d like to say in general?
Johnny Swagger: Check out our friends, The Old Edison and Faulty Conscience, our sister bands. They’re both gearing up for new releases in the near future. Also a big thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years, the friends we’ve made, and the bartenders that didn’t throw us out when the damn well should have. Oh, and buy our new record, and come out to a show or fifty. Cheers.
The Stoutfellows are a fine bunch of fellows from beyond down-under, New Zealand to be exact. This interview was conducted by our own Katie Couric, Brian Gillespie with the Stoutfellows headbanger in residence Scott Spatcher-Harrison. (S’n’O) Tell us about the history of The Stoutfellows?
(Scott) The Stoutfellows started out in or around January 1999. First gig was on St Patrick’s Day of that year. I joined in July that year because the original mandolin player left. The current guitarist picked up mandolin and I took over on guitar! (Make sense so far?). I used to play electric mandolin years ago – a Flying V shaped one too – but I didn’t like it when everyone pointed and laughed at it so I never played it much. I had the option and went for guitar like a bull at the gate. I play guitar and sing for my death metal band “Human” on occasion too. Mp3’s of that are available at http://human.iuma.com/
(S’n’O) I know you might change the band name. Do you have any ideas? Any Suggestions?
(Scott) The names “Sliver Spear” and “Heart Of Chrome” have been chucked around. Nothing really sticking yet. If we can get name that sounds “metal” but not too Irishy, rol de dol de dol, then that’d be cool. “The Stoutfellows” sounds big, although I should add we’re all pretty rake framed.
(S’n’O) How is the music scene in New Zealand? How about the Celtic music scene?
(Scott) Good from what I know of. There’s a few in Christchurch here. Small city by some standards so a small scene. Few bands doing what we’re doing I understand so that’s something – especially in NZ where standing out is everything. Names? Boys From Ballyrag, Dublin Street, Jacky Tar (from Wellington), Banshee Reel (since split but good they were). Enough name dropping now eh?
(S’n’O) Currently, here in the states, Punk bands like Flogging Molly, and Dropkick Murphys, have been experiencing a boom in popularity, What are folks listening to down under?
(Scott) The fuckin’ radio.
(S’n’O) Steinlager, in your opinion, Good or bad? Why?
(Scott) Bad, in my opinion, because I throw up everytime I drink the stuff. Why they sent it out to the rest of the world I’ll never know. By the way, there goes any hope of a sponsorship! Haha! I’m more of a Bourbon or Whisky man. We got Jameson Irish Whisky to help us out with a massive banner for our show. Luckily their drink is a grand drop. The beer of choice for us is probably a local brew called “Speights”. It comes from the southern parts of NZ and some say it’s an acronym for ‘Superior Piss Enjoy In Great Hotels Throughout Southland’. Give me whisky anyday. Steinlager ist sweinlager.
(S’n’O) You guys are sponsored by Jameson’s Irish Whiskey right? How’d you do that?
(Scott) We asked them to help and they said “What?”. So we spoke up a little louder and they said “Oh sorry, we couldn’t hear you very well because some guy is operating heavy machinery in the background here.” We agreed that that was an annoyance but managed to convince them that we could plaster them around our site, posters, flyers, CD’s etc, provided they give us money. They did, and we’re smiling.
(S’n’O) Tell us about the band’s musical influences?
(Scott) There’s quite a wide spread of different musical influences in this group. Simon (Fox, drummer) and Andrew (Boon, mandolin) are big Ozzy Osbourne fans. Andrew, or as we call him “F.B.I.” (Fancy Boy International) is into everything from Red Gum to The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. As long as it’s got RED in the title I think he’s happy. Simon is a little more metal based ie, Annihilator, Iron Maiden, Racer X, Tool. It really shows in his style so it’s cool. Amy (Sutherland) is in Jazz Schooling at the moment. I guess it’s safe to say that she… like jazz. I’m right into the metal thing and will never get out of it ever. I also think Billy Joel had a profound influence on my songwriting, ditto Prince.
(S’n’O) What makes you the best Celtic Rock band in New Zealand?
(Scott) Because we look good in black and play every gig like it’s our last. We like what we do, we’re lucky we have the chance to do it. Ever since that age where you pick up an instrument and you’re told not to waste your time with it. It’s paying off now, believe me, we’re making it a reality for ourselves. That’s what makes us the best in New Zealand. We’re working for it and not taking it for granted.
(S’n’O) I noticed you guys enjoy the heavy metal, will that reflect on the next album?
(Scott) Maybe. There may be a Judas Priest cover on it or something. Who knows? We’ve got a tune called “Maidenhead” (Iron Maiden, Motorhead rip off there) which gets riff laden and rough. Mandolin and guitar swaping solos all over the shop. Fucking great song too.
(S’n’O) What’s the best part about being in a band?
(Scott) See question 8 really! Just the chance to be able to play music in front of different people and have them like it or hate it. You can be who/what you want to be with a band, particularly when all the members of the band are good musicians. It’s a good felling to know that your songs are in someone’s head for the next week, month, or year once they’ve heard it.
(S’n’O) What are the future plans for you guys? How about 5 years?
(Scott) I think we’d like to be seeing the rest of the world while we’re young enough to enjoy it. Europe, USA, wherever – just as long as we’re happy we will keep going. 5 years? I wouldn’t like to speculate. As long as we’re not playing in coffee houses around Gore – that’d suck.
(S’n’O) Any upcoming Aussie tours?
(Scott) Well we’re currently scheduled to play in Melbourne, Australia from the start of December this year. We’ll be there for about 3 weeks or so. That’ll be fun because the Aussies are nuts too.
(S’n’O) Speaking of Australia, I keep hearing about the band Roaring Jack. Have they influenced you guys at all?
(Scott) Nope. Never heard of them sorry…, but send them our best regards please.
(S’n’O) Is it just me, or is Russell Crowe a complete bastard?
(Scott) Maybe he’s misunderstood. Maybe he’s a multi faceted personality with a pant-load of cash and no privacy. Or maybe he’s just a snot nosed twat with bad taste in women and needs to bend over backwards and take a bite out of his own arse. Actor indeed!
(S’n’O) Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Is there anything you’d like to say?
(Scott) Not really. Thanks for the interview Brian! We get a lot of hits from the Shite ‘n’ Onions website and we’re extremely grateful for that. You can check out our site at http://www.thestoutfellows.com/ or download our mp3’s (yes it’s free and okay) at http://stoutfellows.iuma.com/.
I’d like to finish by saying something philosophical about the almighty dollar. But since I’m a bit thick I’ll steal something David Lee Roth said: “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a boat big enough to sail right up next to it.” http://www.thestoutfellows.com
Patterson, New Jersey’s the Skels are easily in my top five Celtic-Punk bands and their second CD, “Stoney Road” one of my favorite CD’s of all time (even if they think I’m a bastard), the prefect cross of the Pogues, Social D. and the Clash with a dash of Ska. Not bad for a bunch of thirty-something “weekend warriors” with adult jobs (except for Henry Ryan cos he’s to skinny to hold one down). The interview was conducted via email with Henry Ryan(HR) and Tim Ross(TR).
(S’n’O) First can we start with some band history, how did the band get together and who’s in the band?
(HR) Chris Freid: Acoustic guitar, vox; Scott Heath: tin whistle and mandolin; Tim Ross: banjo; Rich Perry: drums; Henry Ryan: bass.
“I met Tim and Chris while following a Jersey band called The Barleycorns. This was back in 1992 and they were the only guys I knew of at that time that did Pogues covers and traditional Irish tunes. They also wrote some great songs of their own. Tim, Chris, and I were in a band called Cocks of the Walk around ’93-94, with the mandolin/accordion/bazouki/tin whistle player from the Barleycorns. Didn’t last too long but we had some good shows. I met Scott through Tim and saw them once as Tramps and Hawkers, but it was St Patrick’s Day and the show was up in the Bronx and I barely remember it. Scott, Chris, Tim and I were hanging out one day at Tim’s old apartment watching the Planet of the Apes marathon when it dawned on us that we each played a different instrument, and decided to start a band. First gig was summer of 1995 in Hoboken. We played without a drummer for a while, and tried out a few different ones. Then we fell in with Rich, with whom I used to play in my first band back in high school (he had the full heavy metal kit back then, and I was playing nothing but Smiths bass lines. It was the 80s.) When I first moved up to Boston in 1997, Eric Van Steenbergh played bass for a while.”
(TR) “The band was basically formed by fans of a band called The Barley Corns. That is where I met Henry and Chris. The three of us along with two other Barleycorn fans and one of the Barleycorns themselves then formed The Cocks of the Walk. We lasted about a year and had some decent shows. After that myself and Freid, along with two of the other Barleycorns, formed a St. Paddy’s Day band called “Tramps and Hawkers”. Originally Mary Rafferty, now of Cherish the Ladies, was also in the lineup. She was busy with other things and we needed someone to carry the melody. I knew Scott from college and he started playing tin whistle. So he also learned how to play mandolin really quick and replaced Mary in the band. T&H played about three shows and after the season called it quits. Then about three months after that Freid, Scott, Henry, & I started jamming together. The Skels were formed in the summer of 95 with that lineup. We tried a couple of drummers in those first few months but none of them worked out. Then Chris knew Rich from one of his college friends and it so happened that Henry played in a band with him in High School. He fit in immediately and the lineup has been the same basically ever since. Henry and I have missed a few shows for various reasons but the band has remained the same.”
(S’n’O) It’s been a couple of years since “Stoney Road”, is there any plans to follow it up?
(HR) “YES! It’s about friggin’ time we did. We have a bunch of new stuff ready to go.”
(TR) “We did record about four songs to begin on a follow up CD but we were not that happy the way they came out. It looks like we are going into the studio to re-record those songs and record a bunch more for a new CD.”
(S’n’O) There was only five hundred copies of the first CD, “The Book of Skels” pressed (??), is there any plans to re-issue it?
(HR) “I hope so. I could really use a copy myself. Do you have an extra one?”
(TR) “I’m not sure about the exact pressing of BOS but it was either 500 or 1000. Once we ran out of copies of Stoney Road I wanted to re-press both of them onto one CD. We just ran out of Stoney Road so we’ll see what happens.”
(S’n’O) The Skels are one of the oldest Celtic-Punk, what do you think of the scene or do you even think there is a scene or just a bunch of bands jumping on the Dropkick Murphys band wagon?
(HR) “I never really thought we were part of any nitch or scene till I started hearing about bands across the country doing the same stuff we do, that there are a lot of people out there (not just NY/Boston) that really like this kind of music. I really think that web zines like yours help bring these bands into contact with each other, creating a kind of a scene. As far as bandwagons, I think you can draw lines from all of these bands back to the Pogues.”
(TR) “Well, I wouldn’t say people are jumping on The Dropkick Murphy’s bandwagon, I would say anyone doing what bands like us are doing would still be jumping on The Pogues bandwagon. I still seems to me that anyone doing this kind of thing got the idea, or at least a lot of inspiration, from The Pogues and the other bands of that era. I don’t know about the influence the DM’s have in Boston but I’d say it’s still The Pogues fault down in the NJ/NY area.”
(S’n’O) What is the long term plans for the Skels (recording, touring)?
(HR) “I heard we just landed a sweet deal with Slim Fast. We’re trying to get a few more shows up in Boston, but otherwise not much else outside of NY/NJ.”
(TR) “I guess I already mentioned that we do have plans to start recording again but as far as touring that is a touchy subject. We all have fulltime jobs and two of us are now married and another with a serious girlfriend. It would be really hard for us, or me at least, to commit to a real tour. I personally like playing around NJ/NY with a few New England dates sprinkled in here and there. I know Chris is thinking of arranging some Mid-West dates for this summer so who knows what might happen.”
(S’n’O) Where did the name the Skels come from?
(HR) “It’s an old New York slang term for lowlife or criminal. I recently found out that we spell it wrong! According to the Dictionary of New York Slang, it’s spelled with 2 “l”s. But I have seen it spelled with one.”
(TR) “We it is basically an old term for a low-life or degenerate criminal type. I think it was Chris or Henry who originally thought of it. The biggest problem we’ve had with it is people spelling it wrong, or at least not the way we do. Most people add an extra “l” to it but I think it’s pretty funny.”
(S’n’O) Is it true that Tim, Chris and Scott are former “Chippendales”?
(HR) “Do you want to know how the band really got together?”
(TR) “Well it is true that we were all in much better shape before this band started. I have never been called a “Chippendale” but I have been called “Beefy” many times.”
(S’n’O) Who’s the sexiest Skel?
(HR) “If by sexy you mean borderline alcoholics who barely keep it together to be able to play a few shows a month, drink up their gig money, piss on their equipment, break their drummer’s hand, incite and then break up fights between pipers and skinheads, embarrass our families, disappoint our friends, and scam bar owners up and down the east coast, then it’s a five way tie.”
(TR) “I guess you’d have to ask the Skels’ wives or girlfriends that one. I personally think we’re all pretty disgusting. ”
(S’n’O) So what did you guys do to Darkbuster to cause them to split?
(HR) “Maybe the stalking.”
(TR) “Darkbuster was upset that they were playing with a band who was more drunken and obnoxious then they were. They couldn’t handle the pressure so the only thing they could do was breakup.”
(S’n’O) Is there anything the band wants to say to the Shite’n’Onions readers?
(HR) “Don’t believe a word you read on Shite’n’Onions! I only wish it were in print instead of online, it would make ideal toilet paper.”
(TR) “The only thing I could add was to keep reading Shite ‘n’ Onions even though it is run by a complete Bastard! Also, support all the bands on the page so maybe a real scene could develop out of this style of music.”
With The Rumjacks’ second EP ‘Sound As A Pound’ available this month, we’re talking here with Will Swan from the band.
S’n’O: Like your debut EP ‘Hung, Drawn and Portered’, this one has a well-known traditional song on it. With ‘Marie’s Wedding’, you’ve chosen to record a real standard, a very popular song that has been covered by several bands. Did you hope to bring any particular Rumjacks quality to it?
Will: ‘Marie’s’ was an offhand suggestion made by Johnny, just a good energetic song to throw into the set, we never thought we’d bother recording it. But, you know, Frankie was more than happy to lay on the ’20 Golden Scottish Favourites’ treatment, but with the volume right up. And we gathered whoever was around that day and got some gang vocals happening. Isolated within the mix, some of them are truly dreadful – wonderfully bad singing – but all in there together they make for a good ol’ hooley!
S’n’O: Tell us about Katoomba, of the song’s title.
Will: Katoomba is a big mountain town about two hours train ride from the centre of Sydney city. Although I lived in various places around the state – city and country – I had cousins there so I’ve always been familiar with it. Katoomba is a distinctive place in that it is a sort of nexus for drunken hillbillies AND New Age types AND artists, etc, etc. It is very cold in winter and often shrouded in mist and fog. There’s a lot of 1920s architecture up there and the whole place is set amongst lookouts and cliffs.
S’n’O: What’s the story within the song ‘Katoomba’?
Will: I was walking around the steep streets on the fringes of Katoomba and I came across these 1950s houses that were perfectly preserved. I think I actually said to my companion “it could be 1963, it might as well be”. From there I found a character, a melancholy barfly, and by the time I’d got to the train station I’d written the song in my head. I made it a distant love-gone-wrong story, as viewed through the bottom of a beer glass. You find all these postcards in the antique shops up there, really personal stuff, and you wonder what happened to the people who wrote and received them. So I fused a few ideas together and set it where I found those ideas.
S’n’O: ‘Katoomba’ and especially ‘My Time Again’ are more ‘serious’ songs than most Rumjacks songs so far …
Will: ‘My Time Again’ is one of Frankie’s, we put it together very quickly. Like ‘The Bold Rumjacker’ before it, ‘My Time Again’ is an acapella but it is the opposite of the swaggering and fanciful ‘Rumjacker’. ‘Time Again’ is somehow both dreary and epic and I think it achieves a very stark sentiment. It blurs the lines between three generations of characters who are locked in the cycle of working the pits and drinking on Friday nights, etc., and the narrator and his father both carry the terrible burden of wondering if they could have been more than what they are.
S’n’O: ‘My Time Again’ has a different sound to the other songs. Was this deliberate?
Will: We were going to make it pretty reggae but that wasn’t really in keeping with the sentiment of the song, so I threw in a vaguely European minor-key accordion loop and Johnny put a lot of mood in with the guitars and bass (Gabriel joined the band after we’d recorded it). We like to consider it an ‘original folk song’ because we didn’t derive it from any one particular folk idiom.
S’n’O: ‘Kirkintilloch’ also seems to be about working in the pits and drinking!
Will: Exactly! And also the hereditary tradition therein. ‘Time Again’ is another take on the same world. ‘Kirk’ is a Scottish song, Frankie attributes its survival to one Geordie Hamilton.
S’n’O: So, you’ve got an overt Scottish influence happening on ‘Sound As A Pound’, and yet you are an Australian band. Other than ‘Katoomba’, is there anything particularly Australian in any of the songs on the EP?
Will: ‘Shadrach Hannigan’ is about riding the rails around Australia. The protagonist is one of those arseholes who bangs on about settling down with a wife and clothesline but nobody is buying it, least of all himself. By the end of the first verse, he’s already ‘jumped the rattler’ and taken off to the sunny north with a bottle of rum in his hand. The ‘Boxcar Willie’ side of things is romatic and sepia-toned but Shadrach is a timeless figure. I wrote ‘Shadrach’ before Brisbane became our regular port of call but I’m pleased to say it does pay tribute to the area of Brisbane where we usually play.
S’n’O: We’re here with The Rumjacks from Sydney, Australia. First of all, what are you up to?
Rumjacks (Will): This is Will Swan from The Rumjacks here. I’m currently just south of Brisbane, where we play tomorrow. I think that Johnny’s in Brisbane now. The others turn up tomorrow. We’re playing shows around the place and getting some new songs together for our next EP. Which neatly gets me to the fact that we’re looking forward to our debut EP getting released through the Shite’n’Onions/Mustard Finnegan’s paddpunk label of distinction.
S’n’O: A lot of the Shite’n’Onions readers and fans will be familiar with the world of folk punk and Paddy punk bands. What’s an Australian take on the roots of this thing?
Will: Well, traditional Australian music is a branch of Irish & Scottish music, the same way that spoken Australian English is a branch of English-English. That ceilidh music was transplanted, and played on the goldfields in the ‘roaring days’of the goldrush, and of course there were songs that got adapted to the colonial setting, etc. And all this is a musical history of its own, which runs parallel to Irish and British folk music. So you’ve got a variation of the music being played and adapted a wee bit in the 19th Century. This is all before the whole diaspora world of the Irish session, to be found in pubs in the cities, etc.
Many tunes were just directly transplanted. In Australian bush dances, or woolshed ceilidhs, ‘The Rakes Of Kildare’, for instance, IS an ‘Australian’tune, if that makes sense? But there is also a distinct Australian sound, and it’s hard to describe, but the best example I can give is the early Pogues instrumental ‘The Battle of Brisbane’. That really sounds like an Australian tune, although MacGowan wrote it. Just another example of his class.
Nobody who hears The Chieftans or DeDannan is going to think for one second that they are playing anything but Irish music, but Australian folk music, especially the dance music, is a branch of it all. If you boil if all down, Appalachian music came out of Scots-Irish music, of course, and this is a similar-but-different music to what was being played by migrants at sessions in the big American cities in the twentieth century.
S’n’O: Although you are very much a punk rock band, do the members of The Rumjacks have folk backgrounds at all?
Will: Although we didn’t know each other at the time, Frankie and I were the sort of people who loved the music but didn’t necessarily get our lovin’ nourishment from a folk context. Anthony is coming out of a seriously punk background and Johnny is a (melodic) punk rocker who has played in a rockabilly band, but it is important to note the lifelong bond to Celtic music going on here. Johnny’s parents are from Northern Ireland, he’s probably Australia’s No.1 first generation Ulster-Scots punk bassist. The point is, go around to Johnny’s family home and you’re likely to find Van Morrison & The Chieftans on the stereo. Frankie was born in Glasgow and has always had a powerful love of The Corries and of old Scottish ballads. My first memories kick in with Dubliners LPs in a Sydney flat – I can still SMELL those records – and songs like ‘Maids When You’re Young Never Wed An Old Man’ & ‘Rattling Roaring Willie’on in the background. My old man is a highland piper and used to play tin whistle in bush bands when my family lived in the country here. I used to listen to songs like the Australian ballad ‘The Lachlan Tigers’and think to myself “wow, amp that up and it’d really kick”. And then I almost forgot about it all, but heard The Pogues and never looked back. What I’m saying is, The Rumjacks aren’t some bunch of local pissheads who suddenly decided we’d play music because Flogging Molly took off, (though Drunken Lullabies was a godsend when it appeared, but that’s another story).
S’n’O: How does a sense of place, if at all, influence The Rumjacks?
Will: Well, that’s an interesting question, because we realized that we’ve never really talked about themes or ideas, simply what we DON’T like. As it turns out, we can sing songs about pretty much anywhere, simply because some of them – the trad covers – are set in another time and place. It’s a bit pompous to go on about our breadth of song writing at this stage, with so few songs out, but as I know what’s going on behind the scenes, I might as well. The thing is, Frankie might want to write something set in the Glasgow of his childhood, and that will strike a chord. Or I might write something with a rural setting, simply because I want to, and that’s different again. ‘Paddy Goes To Babylon’ was deliberately written to be in ANY city and EVERY city where Irish migrants might have gone, and it’s set in the age of steam, but it could just as easily be set in the age of sail. It’s a fantastical sort of steam age cityscape, and there’s drug sub-culture references in their and various weird things, but it’s not specifically a Sydney song. Frankie’s got these sort of universal, bloody, raw folk songs he’s writing. We’re up for writing about anything. We’ve got a new song about the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. We’re not going to spend half a set on trad standards. It will be interesting to see if we develop any themes. So far we’ve got sex and death, so that’s alright by us. And leaving stuff behind, I’ve noticed that comes up a bit. We’ve got a song called ‘Shadrach Hannigan’that’s about walking away, or drunkenly running away, from the shackles of domesticity, or at least that’s how the protagonist sees it. Probably won’t win any awards for family values, but he jumps a rum-fuelled train to freedom, far away from wifey and the nappies (diapers). ‘Down With The Ship’is about walking away from destructive, pointless, bullshit scenes.
S’n’O: Not that we’re presenting you with an award or anything, but would The Rumjacks like to acknowledge anyone at this stage?
Will: Well, I can’t speak for the others, I’m just the one rattling away here. By the way, this is the first band I’ve ever been in, or even come across, that doesn’t have a central figure. The core of Johnny, Frankie, Anthony and myself all weigh in equally. So I’ll just acknowledge them.
And if I’m going to thank anyone else for even being able to write this here and now, at two a.m., an hour south of Brisbane, it would have to be Greg from Mutiny for being the first person – deep down in dank and haunted old Melbourne Town – to put me onto Against Me!, to Flogging Molly for Drunken Lullabies, which I bought in England and was immediately reminded that Roaring Jack had it right all along, and to my mum, who in playing our pre-mastered version of ‘I’ll Tell Me Ma’about thirty times in a row, made me realize that The Rumjacks were … listenable
(Brian McSporran) What’s been going on with the band lately? Any news from up North? (Bone/RMC) We have been busy breaking in a whole slew of drummers, only to find out that they’re all pussies who cant take a punch. But we found a guy who can take quite a few punches and a kick in the sack too. We’re going to take him to Europe with us this winter, then off to Austrailia, the United States in April, and back to Europe for the festival season. I reckon thats enough time to spend in the van with each other. Somewhere in there we’ll finish writing a new album.
(Brian McSporran) 2. Tell us about the origins of the band, and all that usual crap.
(Bone/RMC) Paul and a guy by the name of Tony Walker started doing this in 1992, pretty much as a gag. It might have even been called Tartan Haggis. They were doing cover songs like I Wanna Be Your Scot, Do Ya Think I’m Scottish, and It’s My Party and I’ll Wear Plaid If I Want To. Obviously they had a lot of fun and kept at it. By the time I joined the band in 1999, they had ditched all the cheesy covers (thankfully), and we’re writing some great original music. Alot of people say the band got much heavier after Tony left and I joined. I guess that’s true, as I’ve always been a punk rocker and I’ve always liked me metal heavy.
(Brian McSporran) 3. If you guys are The Real McKenzies, who are The Fake McKenzies?
(Bone/RMC) I dunno. This band was ten years after Bob and Doug McKenzie, which could technically put us in catagory B.
(Brian McSporran) 4. I know Robbie Burns is a huge influcence, tell us some of the others.
(Bone/RMC) Andy Stewart (but not Rod), Harry Lauder, Kenneth Kellar, even the Irish Rovers for crissakes. But that’s only one side of the fence. The punk influences are too numerous to mention. Good scotch and a palateable ale, if not an influence, are definatley an incentive.
(Brian McSporran) 5. The Scotland flag I always take your concerts hasn’t been used for a while, should I be getting it ready for any upcoming tours?
(Bone/RMC) Why, yes you should. You should also bust out the cots, cause we’ll be staying at your place.
(Brian McSporran) 6. Speaking of touring, where are your favorite places to play?
(Bone/RMC) We enjoy playing everywhere, but some of the bands favorites are (of course) Scotland (in the Kingdom of Fife), and Austria and Germany are quite kind to us as well. We are hitting Ireland for the first time this winter, with a show in Belfast and Dublin. That I’m looking forward to, me being the token (toking?) Irishman in the band.
(Brian McSporran) 7. Speaking of favorite places, I know you have some upcoming Scotland dates, just how do the Scots react to you guys?
(Bone/RMC) You just knew I was going to say Scotland didn’t you. The first time we played there, we played in a town called Leven. As we were walking to the club in our kilts to soundcheck, a group of 7 or 8 kids, no more than 8 years old, followed us at a blocks length and sang “Donald Where’s Your Trousers?” That night we were treated to a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label, and six crystal scotch glasses. The people there had a really fucking good time. I must make note though, that the only time someone has ever had the balls or audacity to say “Nice skirt faggot!”, was some dickhead in Dundee. Of course he yelled it from the other side of the street. Go figure huh? Only in Scotland.
(Brian McSporran) 8. What’s this I hear about your drummer, Brad Attitude leaving the band? Is this true? Or am I just in a drunken stupor? (Wait, don’t answer the drunken stupor part)
(Bone/RMC) From my own drunken stupor, you seem pretty normal. And I think it’s your round. Anyway, Brad has indeed left the band, to look after other interests, but he is still involved somewhat. We’ll be doing a show with him at the end of November in Vancouver. We’ll have to see how the winds of the future blow the sails of the past, whatever the fuck that means.
(Brian McSporran) 9. You guys have been around for a long time, what’s your opinion on this “Celtic-Punk” genre?
(Bone/RMC) I hate it and I wish it would just go away….no wait, that would be bad. It just makes sense, I think. Taking what was already rowdy, good time music, and adding some agression into it. I just think of it as modern. It’s the same sound of yesterday, with the great new style of today. Let me know when I’m being a goof.
(Brian McSporran) 10. Your latest effort “Oot & Aboot” is in my opinion, the best album to date, what made this album different from previous efforts?
(Bone/RMC) Our last album, Loch’d & Loaded, was my first with the band. You can hear that difference on that album compared to the previous two, songwriting wise. Oot & Aboot was done over a month, where Loch’d & Loaded was done in like three days. The production is a big difference.
(Brian McSporran) 11.Help me feed my ego, What do you think of Shite’n’Onions? Is there anything we should improve on?
(Bone/RMC) I think it;s one of a kind. It’s one place I can count on the bullshit rivalry that some people have drempt up between the bands involved in this particular vein of music, to never appear. The bands are recognised for what they are. Bands. I appreciate that. Nice layout as well. Your doin’ a damn fine job, Brian. (several pats on the back)
(Brian McSporran) 12. Thanks for the interview, any last words you need to get out?
(Bone/RMC) I seriously meant it when I said that its your round.
The PubCrawlers are a fine young Celtic-Punk band from New Hampshire following in the footsteps of Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys. The interview was conducted via e-mail with Jon, Andy and Chad from the band.
(S’n’O) 1. Tell me about the band. Who’s in it and how did you get together?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: I originally wanted to get a band together around December of ’01, but only passively pursued it. Met this great drummer on a message board who used to live in the area but lived about an hour away… I [also] ended up hearing back from this guy [Kevin, Mandolin & vocals], who said he saw my ad while drinking at the Barley Pub in Dover (great pub, if you’re ever in the area, almost exclusively carries regional beer, with the exception of Guinness and Pabst Blue Ribbon). Anyways, myself, Andy and Kevin decide to meet at the Barley Pub to see how well we mesh with each other and, if nothing else, get a few pints of beer. By the end of the night, we were sitting in Kevin’s big red truck, playing different CDs that we all dug, and we really kind of hit it off. We drew up directions to a practice space that was somewhere in between Dover and Portland, and had a list of trad songs we wanted to, uh, bastardize (Finnegan’s Wake and The Irish Rover, two of our first songs). In about a month, we had our first banjo player, Kris, and a guitar player, Chad, who Andy apparently strong-armed into being in the band. Actually, if I remember the story correctly, he ‘informed’ him that he was going to play guitar for us, temporarily. Well he never quite left, which is great, cause he’s one hell of a musician, and brings a lot of attitude to the band. Kris ended up parting ways, sighting that whole buckling down and trying to be responsible thing. Great guy though – he’s dropped by a few times since then, and I know he and Andy have known each other for years. That’s really where our lineup stabilized. Our current banjo/2nd guitar player, Seth, came out to one of our first shows after expressing interest in playing with us. He seemed quiet at first, but then when he came to practice, it just worked. He was definitely on the same wavelength as the rest of us. He’s an incredible musician, and quite frankly, half of our equipment is his. All I know about how we picked up Rabbi is that Chad found him in a Portland music shop. He discovered that he played tin whistle and accordian as well as the concertina (which was lost in a car fire) and can do this amazing Rabbi impression (thus the nickname). Just whatever you do, don’t ask him about the grape-nuts. That’s pretty much how the lineup has been for the last 10 months; I don’t foresee if fluctuating terribly much from how we are now. Maybe the addition of a fiddle player or a piper.
Andy: Yeah, that first night at the Barley Pub was definitely the beginning. Prior to The Pubcrawlers, I was playing in an Oi! band from Portland called the Lunch Money Thugs and we did punk versions of some Celtic stuff (The Pogues’ Sally MacLennane, for one). I really enjoyed playing those tunes and of course a lot of the traditional stuff is what I grew up listening to, so when the Thugs broke up and I saw Jon’s advertisement, there was really no question that it was what I wanted to do. Speaking of fiddlers and pipers, we’re very interested in adding one or both, currently, so if anyone out there lives with reasonable distance of Wells, Maine and is interested, please drop us a line.
Chad: They made me do it.
(S’n’O) 2. You just released your 2nd demo CD. How’s it been doing? Are you happy with it? What type of feedback have you been getting?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: Pretty well, actually. I’m not sure how it’s doing in terms of actual numbers, though I do know that we’ve already had to order a second batch, and we’re working though that at a decent rate. Seth would be the man to talk to, since he keeps all the books. As far as the CD goes? I am very happy for what it was, we had 12 hours of studio time, and used it to cut a live take CD. The only thing that was dubbed was the vocals, so they’d be clear.
Andy: Actually we’ve been flying through our first two runs of the CD. There’s a guy in Japan who’s selling it, as well as our pins, out of his record store in Tokyo. We’ve also received orders from Germany, France, England, Scotland, Canada and all over the U.S., so we really have no complaints. Quality wise, I think we’re all very happy with it, though of course there’s always room for improvement. Doing 6 songs in 12 hours is pretty unheard of, but I think we achieved the ‘live’ feel we were shooting for that way (that’s band-ese for “we’re too friggin’ poor to afford any more studio time so we’ll take what we can get”). Speaking of which, we did the recording at the Electric Cave in Portsmouth, owned and run by Jim Tierney. It’s a hell of a place to record if you’re on a budget and he’ll treat you right. We’ve been getting some amazing feedback — it seems like every person who’s ordered from me off of our Web site has taken the time to write back and let me know how much they enjoyed it. Makes you feel really good when that happens.
Chad: I think that the CD is great but im really anxious to get back into the studio and do a full length.
(S’n’O) 3. Any plans for a follow up / proper CD?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: Our second demo is great for what it is, It helps us get our name out there, and take us home with them. However, I’m really eager to sit down and record our first full length. We have about 4 songs we need to finish writing and fine tuning, and then we’d be good to go. There’s a good chance we may record it with our own equipment, and bring in an outside sound engineer / producer to work with us. We’ve come such a long way from our last demo, and I can’t wait for people to hear the difference.
Andy: We’re always writing and we definitely have enough material now for a decent full-length album. There’s been some discussion about whether or not releasing a ‘proper’ full-length CD should be contingent upon us getting signed, but I’m pretty sure it will happen within the next year or so, one way or another.
(S’n’O) 4. Your set on the Punk Rock Fleadh at McGanns was a blast. How was the rest of the tour? Did you notice big differences in how the bands went down in each city. Who do you think were the best band of the tour. Any future plans for another Fleadh?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: The rest of the tour was great. We discovered we have a new home away from home, and that’s Rocky Sullivans, somewhere between Lexington and 23rd (I think) in NYC.
Andy: Lexington and 28th.
Jon: It’s the Ruffians’ home bar, they play there every Sunday, so go check them out if you get the chance. They have a particularly moving version of the Parting Glass. Also, we really hit it off with Jackdaw, a great Celtic rock band out of Buffalo, NY. I have a strange feeling that there will be much liver abuse involving those boys. Also, can’t say enough about the Skels. They’re really great guys, and alot of fun, and have given us nothing but support, which is really important when you’re a relatively new band. I really can’t wait to make a good pub tour with them. There’s something about those Jersey bands, The Skels and the Hudson Falcons in specifically, just amazing people.
Andy: In addition to Rocky’s, McGann’s in Boston is an amazing, authentic pub and the show there (which was the first of the tour) was absolutely incredible. If we have half as much fun there next year as we did this year, it’ll still be worth the trip.
Jon: The only real plans we have are to get in front of as many people as possible and tear it up. Wherever that takes is where we’ll go. I know we’ve been talking to Jackdaw and the Skels about setting up more shows, that’s the only sure thing I know right now. Also, that we have a weekend coming up with the boys from Far From Finished. Talk to Andy, he does most of our booking.
Andy: Every other band on this bill was incredible. The Skels have been a personal favorite of mine for a very long time now, and sharing the stage (as well as the microphone) with them was definitely a highlight. We’re very lucky to have been a part of it. Many thanks to Kristen of MadCat Productions and Pete from The Gobshites for all their hard work setting this up. Can’t wait to do it next year.
Chad: The rest of the tour was great. Many thanks to Henry of the Skels for showing us some great spots in Jersey.
(S’n’O) 5. You also played with Mike McColgan’s new band (The Street Dogs) in Cambridge’s Middle East. How was that show and what do you think of The Street Dogs?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: Haha, well, truth be known, the Street Dogs cancelled on that bill, so we never got to play with them. Honestly, though? From what I’ve heard off of their soon to be released CD, the Street Dogs are going to be pretty big; The stuff is just amazing. If you haven’t checked out the single they have on their website, Fighter, I highly recommend it.
Andy: The Street Dogs would do well based on McColgan’s involvement alone, and the fact that they’re really, really good on top of that seals the deal. I think a lot of people might be disappointed as they’re going to be expecting the Dropkick Murphys Part 2, which the SD are not, but if the kids can drop that stigma and listen with fresh ears then they won’t be disappointed. We were very disappointed that they cancelled that show, but shit happens and we’re trying to sort something out with them right now.
(S’n’O) 6. Obviously there is a big Flogging Molly / Dropkicks / Pogues influence in your music but I’m hearing Metal and Hard Core – Who are your other influences?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: Actually, thats funny, because my biggest concern when we started the band was that we might sound like any of the bands you mentioned above. I think we’ve definitely carved out our own sound. There’s a whole mess of different influences in the band. I mean Andy and myself love Ska, for example, and I think that comes out in some of our arrangements. Chad has a very strong acoustic/bluegrass edge.
Andy: Chad mostly brings the metal, as well.
Chad: Yes, I do.
Jon: And yes, Half the band grew up listening to metal, and that really comes out with the way we structure some of our songs. I made the joke once that we do to Celt what The Mighty Mighty Bosstones did to Ska. As more time progresses, I’m starting to realize there’s some truth in that comment. We’re Celtcore. Speaking personally, I’d say the main influences to my bass playing have been alot of second generation ska, as well as Rancid’s bass player, Matt Freeman. Anything other than playing the same three damn notes over and over again (though admittedly, that has its time and place, too).
Andy: We do get quite a few Dropkicks/FM comparisons, mostly because there just aren’t all that many non-acoustic Celtic punk bands out there, but I truly don’t believe that we sound like either of those bands, which as Jon said is something we tried to avoid from the beginning. We try not to limit ourselves stylistically while leaving no doubt that we’re a Celtic band. We’re finishing up a song right now that has a Doo-wop breakdown, for the love of God! There aren’t a lot of styles that I haven’t personally been influenced by but punk and traditional ska have been the norm for the past 10 years or so. I also play the bodhran which I’m trying to incorporate more and more.
Chad: I am myself am new to the Celtic thing. I don’t pretend to know any sort of style. I just do what I think sounds good,(Lots of palm mutes, heavy gain and cross picking!) and alot of the time it works with the kinds of songs we are trying to do.
(S’n’O) 7. What’s your dreams for the PubCrawlers?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: The biggest and most important dream I have is to actually be able to make a decent living playing music and traveling. Making music is very important to me, as is seeing people enjoy themselves. If I can spend my days helping someone escape the worries of the world for a few hours, have a couple of pints of beer, dance, get rowdy, and have a good time, then I’ve done more than I could have ever hoped for. As far as playing with other bands? I’d love to play with Flogging Molly. Maybe even go on tour with them. I’ve met some of them, and some of my friends have known them for a few years now, and I think it would be one hell of a crazy party. Also, I’m hoping we get to play with the Tossers. I loved those guys the second I heard “The Pub” off of Long Dim Road. Agree or disagree with their politics, one cannot argue how passionate they are with what they do. Their most recent disc Purgatory, is just incredible.
Andy: I think that being “successful” in music is a relative concept. Sure, I’d love to be able to support myself by playing music, but let’s face it, that’s usually not a realistic proposition. Unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time and get spotted by a record company rep who snaps you up on the spot, you’re pretty much stuck scheduling gigs whenever you can around your day job. However, if you can do that and still manage to build up a decent fan base — which I think we’re well on our way to doing — then that’s a form of success in its own right. In short, I guess my personal ultimate goal for the band (realistically, anyway) is to play for as many people as often as possible. Monetary success is secondary to being known and liked. As long as we’re making enough through gigs and merch to keep going and turn on a few more people each time, then I’m happy.
Chad: I want a bus.
(S’n’O) 8. Thanks guys for taking the time to answer my questions. Anything else you’d like to say?
(Pub Crawlers) Jon: Wow, I’m sure that was more than anyone has ever wanted to know about us. I hope no one’s asleep. Yeah, I’d like to thank everyone who’s supported us over the last year or so. I mean, I know I like playing music and entertaining people, however, that doesn’t mean I thought I was any good at it! Also, Thanks to the rest of the band, as well as their girlfriends (as well as my own!). It’s really become an extended family to me at this point, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. And finally? Beer.
Andy: I second that. There are many, many people who have gone out of their way for us and I can’t thank them enough. Whether it’s the “Significant Others Club” who still manage to make it out to every single show or members of other bands who constantly want to play with us, it’s definitely appreciated. Also, thanks a lot for taking time with us. Cheers!
Shite'n'Onions 