July 21, 2012

(S’n’O) So who are Kevin Flynn and the Avondale Ramblers?
(KF) The Avondale Ramblers had been around for a year or two before I joined them in 06′. They had been backing a girl who was supposed to be the next Shania Twain – or something like that… Andrew Gerber plays the mandolin, Frederick Frey is the percussionist, Nils St. Cyr plays guitars and Sean Mulroney plays stand-up baby-bass. The band hails from the Avondale neighborhood in Chicago. I was born, raised and died (time of death TBD..) in the Windy City.

(S’n’O) What inspired the formation of the band?Describe your sound (and influences)?

Andy was looking for someone to replace their frontwoman after she fled to the West Coast. He had always wanted to do Irish music and knew I was available. I had been recording with him for years and we used to talk about Irish music and our Irish heritage all the time. Andy called me up and we got together and talked about the Pogues, Clancy Brothers, Dubliners, and the Tossers (who he had been recording in his studio for the past coupke of years). I said that I wanted to sing songs about Chicago. My family’s been here a long time – we can’t even trace the Flynn roots back to Ireland. Chicago’s all I’ve ever known… By the next week, we were rehearsing. Andy had hand-picked these guys from his years of playing and recording. We sounded great right off the bat.
(S’n’O) What going on with the band right now (recording, touring etc)?
We’re a couple of weeks away from finishing the album. It sounds terrific. This is the first time we’ve done a full-length and I think we nalied it. We’re looking to tour the East Coast and Midwest in the fall to help promote it. The Avondale Ramblers and I just played Irish Fest at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago – and killed it! We’ve got a couple more fests to play this summer and Guinness Fest here in September.

(S’n’O) What song in you catalog best defines your sound (and why)?

There’s a song on the new album titled “Notes From an Insomniac/Insomniac Blues” that sounds like the Clancy Brothers playing with Ry Cooder. It has that,”Irish folk meets-barroom rockabilly” sound that’s often prevalent in our music. The Avondale Ramblers come from a rock, blues and country background. Combine that with my acoustic storytelling, and there you have it! If you’re looking for one on our existing catalogue, I would say “Stand Tall” does it.
Soapbox – anything you’d like to say?
Cheers – Here’s to you!