July 15, 2014

I’ll give The Pittsburgh-based Bastard Bearded Irishmen high marks just for the band moniker. I’ll also give them high marks for those thick silky beards each has member has cultivated – all six of them – even ZZ Top couldn’t manage a full band of hairy faces and I’m sure the legendary Boston based bearded bastard Paddy Keys of The Larkin Brigade is a smidgen jealous of these beards.

And beyond the facial hair?

Rise of the Bastard is the Bastard Bearded Irishmen’s second full length release following up on their 2011 eponymous debut. Fifteen tracks in total, twelve original and 3 covers (All For Me Grog, Tell me Ma and Three Drunken Maidens being the obligatory covers). All Fifteen pretty much touch on our favorite clichés – Booze, Biddies and Bastards. The music has a distinct Flogging Molly influence though fasted and sometime almost skull rattling faster. The guitars are fast (obviously) and trashy and occasionally metallic though the fiddle, mandolin and banjo always manage to keep up. At time I’m also reminded of the sound and good times drinking attitude of the original Jersey Bhoy’s The Skels. Another influence I hear is some Eastern European / Gypsy (on Mama) but hey they toured with Gogol Bordello.

Highlights for me include: –

Land of the Free, Bartender’s Friend and Whiskey Rum, Bourbon, Beer.

A nice find.